Blog Moving To A New Home
August 29, 2009
As of writing the blog is being moved to a new home agemoreslowly.com/blog. I am working on one combined site that is going to contain lots of information about aging. The site should be fully functional in about two weeks. Moving the blog is the first stage. Currently most of the old posts will automatically appear on the new site. As always with computers there are quite a few glitches. Sorry in advance.
The links to the rest of the new site in the blog will not be added until the new version of the site is up. Bits and pieces of an older design and layout of the Age More Slowly website are currently viewable. If you are interested here is the old Age More Slowly home page.
photo credit: Andrew Michaels
What Is Normal Eating?
August 26, 2009
So what is normal eating? Fast food for lunch? Eating out once a week? Cooking all your meals. Eating whatever you want? Feeling guilty eating what you like?
Saw a short discussion in the NYT about an article on normal eating on the PsychCentral blog.
Eating has become a minefield. We are constantly told what we should be not eating.
Apart from eating more fruit and veg, currently it seems that most advice is restrictive. Eat less fat, eat less carbs, don’t eat this, don’t eat that…
The article gives examples of the “experts” tips on how to eat better – which most of the time really means don’t do this if you want to lose weight.
How did eating become a test of willpower and the inevitable guilt that follows not having the willpower of saint? Once we reach adulthood, how many of us don’t have huge hang ups about eating?
My thoughts on this are that what has become abnormal about eating is not how we eat, but the large choice of constantly available food.
Our ancestors were programmed to want to eat everything in sight, since the next meal might not be for a while. There would have been times when the food supply would not have been stable. We had to hunt or forage for food.
We also developed a taste for high calorie foods for making sure we had sufficient energy. We often needed to have a plenty of energy to obtain our next meal.
So a normal diet is eating whatever is available. Unfortunately with supermarkets full of food, fast food restaurants on many corners and the candy machine at work, food is way too available for most of us. We just follow our predetermined behaviors and eat lots of tasty high calorie foods.
Is it hopeless? I hope not.
Technorati Tags: normal eating, willpower, guilt, ancestors
Candles May Be Poisoning You?
August 24, 2009
Apparently burning lots of candles may not be that good for you. It seems that some candles may be poisoning you.
A study presented at the American Chemical Society meetings looked at the effects of burning candles. The common types of candles, nowadays, are paraffin, bees wax and soy.
The researchers found that paraffin candles, which are the major and cheapest type of candle, can be bad for you. Paraffin is made from petroleum. When paraffin burns it releases some harmful compounds into the air.
In an indoor environment where for much of the year there is not much exchange of the air, the levels of indoor pollutants can build up. If candles are burnt frequently, then the pollutants released from burning candles can build up.
The authors of the research mention burning candles in the bathroom, as an example of a closed room, where some people will burn candles frequently in a unventilated environment.
Though the authors did not mention this, there is also some concern about fragrance in candles and other products causing problems.
Scents can build up in the house from candles. These scents also contribute to indoor air pollution and can have significant health problems for some individuals. They can cause aggravation of asthma and other lung diseases and different types of allergic reactions. They can also make people dizzy, give them a headache or feel nauseous. (I fit into the last category some scents make me feel really queasy.) Some societies such as the Canadian Lung Society list scents s a source of indoor pollutants.
For some people, who burn paraffin candles frequently and have respiratory problems, stopping burning paraffin candles may help.
Beeswax and soy candles, which are much more expensive, do not seem to significantly contribute to indoor pollution. It is recommended to either burn paraffin candles infrequently, regularly air out the room/house, or switch to beeswax or soy candles.
Technorati Tags: candles, paraffin candles, beeswax, soy, indoor pollution, respiratory problems
Peptide Skin Lighteners The New Trend
August 22, 2009
In some surveys, sun spots and other hyperpigmentation are the number one concern about facial aging. Consequently, sales of various kinds of skin lighteners are strong. Now there is news of the development of peptide skin lighteners.
Most skin lighteners work by a similar mechanism. They reduce the activity of an enzyme that is involved in the formation of melanin. For most lighteners this enzyme is tyrosinase. A common form of albinism is a mutation in tyrosinase.
Examples of skin lighteners that work by inhibiting tyrosinase are hydroquinone and arbutin. Both are effective at lightening pigmented areas. Creams containing hydroquinone are the most commonly prescription for pigmentation problems such as melasma and acne scars. However, they are not effective for everybody, can be irritating and in a few people can cause darkening of the skin due to inflammation.
Recently a number of peptides have been developed that also inhibit tyrosinase.
A peptide is a short string of amino acids, sometimes called an oligopeptide. A longer string of amino acids is a protein. Strings of amino acids, of any length, are also called polypeptides. (Don’t ask me why it is so complicated.)
Peptide length can be shown by using the greek numbers so a decapeptide has ten amino acids. An example of a decapeptide is Lumixyl which is a tyrosinase inhibitor.
It has been reported that Lumixyl is as effective as hydroquinone in reducing pigmentation but is not as irritating. It is also suggested that Lumixyl is less likely to increase pigmentation in darker skin than more irritating skin lighteners. Plus it can be used with other treatments including other skin lighteners, chemical peels and lasers. Currently Lumixyl is only available at spas and dermatologists offices.
Two other new peptides, currently called P3 and P4, have been shown to be effective in inhibiting tyrosinase. These peptides are an octopeptide (RADSRADC) and a decapeptide (YRSRKYSSWY).
These two peptides were shown to be strong inhibitors of tyrosinases without the toxic effects that hydroquinone can have. These peptides seem to act on tyrosinases in different ways, so combined they may be very effective.
If the results with Lumixyl, P3 and P4 continue to show that they are effective at reducing hyperpigmentation and are less irritating than hydroquinone and some of the other skin lighteners, it is likely that they will replace hydroquinone as the major skin lighteners.
When the these new lighteners become generally available this will give more choice, and increase the chance that everybody can find a lightener that works for them. Plus there are the added benefits of less irritation, and the risk of the treatment actually increasing hyperpigmentation.
photo credit: Amanda_Joelle
Technorati Tags: peptide, polypeptide, Lumixyl, tyrosinase, melasma, hyperpigmentation, hydroquinone, skin lighteners, peptide skin lightener
Gentle Waves LED Photomodulation Coming To Your Home Soon?
August 19, 2009
One of the newer treatments for aged skin is LED light therapy. One of the most talked about is the Gentle Waves LED Photomodulation System. This treatment is currently available at a few dermatologists and spas. In Feb 2008 the FDA approved this photomodulation system for over the counter sales. Now the system is up for bidding for the rights. So the home version may be in a local store, near you, very soon.
Though it is still somewhat controversial, there seems to be some good evidence that some LED systems have anti-aging effects on the skin. There is data that the Gentle Waves LED Photomodulation System can reduce fine lines and wrinkles, probably through increased collagen production, and that it may fade hyperpigmentation and redness.
LED systems have also been found to be good for scar prevention and treating acne, and very effective for wound healing, being used for healing by the military and NASA.
So what is LED Photomodulation?
LED stands for light-emitting diode. LED’s can emit light across a broad spectrum through infra red, visible and ultraviolet wavelengths. They can emit light with high intensity.
LEDs illuminate a wider area than a laser does, permitting easier treatment of larger areas of skin. They are not as strong as lasers and do not have the high risk of damage, particularly to the eyes that lasers do. This means that LEDs can be safely and easily used round the eyes (periorbital area).
In photomodulation systems the light is not at a continual intensity but pulses in a preset pattern; giving short blasts of light to the face.
Part of the problem with investigating the effectiveness of LED phototherapy is that the effectiveness overall, and for particular conditions varies with light wavelength. The Gentle Waves LED Photomodulation System uses amber LEDs. Take a look at the before and after pictures on the website of the company that developed the system. These are probably the best.
The treatment regime is generally once or twice per week for about six weeks.
Would I buy one? If it was cheap enough, probably.
photo credit: Matt From London
Technorati Tags: LED, photomodulation, phototherapy fine lines, wrinkles, periorbital, skin, anti-aging
A Few Days On A High Fat Diet Weakens Brain Function
August 16, 2009
This was surprising. A study suggests that just a few days eating a high fat diet weakens brain function. Further, this study suggests that a high fat diet affects physical performance too.
Who would have thought that a few days on a high fat diet could affect your memory? As if we needed another reason to make us feel guilty eating high fat foods.
The published study was on rats, but according to the NYT, an unpublished follow-up study in humans (healthy young men) show the same thing.
The researchers trained rats to navigate a complex maze that contained 8 different food rewards within it. After the rats had mastered the maze, half were given a high fat diet (55% fat) the rest remained on a regular diet (7.5% fat).
After only 9 days on high fat diet, the rats were not performing as well in the maze test, as they had previously. Those rats remaining on regular diet continued to perform well.
It had previously been shown that a long duration high fat diet reduced brain function in memory and learning tasks in humans and rats (Neurobiol. Aging, 26 Suppl 1 42-5 & 46-9, 2005). However, now it appears that the weakened brain function starts pretty quickly.
The rats on the high fat diet also ran 35% less time on a treadmill after 9 days on the diet.
This fast, and big change, in activity level indicates that a decline in physical performance on a high fat diet is due to some rapid internal change in the body, not purely weight related. The researchers showed that the level of a protein called uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) increased in the muscle of the rats.
The researchers do not give an explanation for the effects of high fat consumption on brain function.
So this raises the question in humans. Does simply binging on high fat foods make you stupider?
Is the high fat effect reversible? If so, how long does it take to reverse?
Should you eat a low fat diet for a week or two before an important exam or other activity that requires learning and/or critical thinking?
Was I stupider after my recent vacation than I was before, since I ate a lot more rubbish than usual?
photo credit: tsuihin – TimoStudios ©
Technorati Tags: high fat diet, brain function, memory, maze, physical performance, activity level, uncoupling protein, UCP3
Dysport A Competitor To Botox
August 14, 2009
Dysport is a treatment similar to Botox, that is pending FDA approval.
Like Botox it is neurotoxin, both of which are derived from the food poisoning organism Clostridium botulinum type A.
Dysport has been approved in the UK for a number of years, and is slightly more expensive than Botox there. It was approved for use before Botox in New Zealand.
Like Botox, the first use of Dysport was for a number of nerve and eye conditions such as spasticity (certain muscles constantly receive the signal to tighten) and strabismus (improper alignment of the eyes).
Both of these neurotoxins work by acting on nerve terminals. This stops the nerve being able to signal its muscle to contract. The muscles relax. They become paralyzed. The relaxation of muscles in the forehead results in frown lines being much less obvious.
A study suggested that Dysport may spread further from the injection site than Botox, though this has not been confirmed. Greater spreading would mean less injections, but may increase the possibility of other muscles being temporarily paralyzed.
A more recent study reported that Dysport is longer lasting in African American women than white women. It was also more effective in women with less facial muscle volume. This suggests that the dose should be individually adjusted for facial muscle mass.
The effectiveness seems to be similar to Botox.
Since Botox is so established in the US, I wonder whether Dysport, since it does not seem to offer any major advantage will take off in the US.
Would you/do you use Botox?
photo credit: upturnedface
Technorati Tags: Dysport, Botox, muscle, neurotoxin
Which Healthy Lifestyle Change Can Reduce Disease Risk?
August 12, 2009
What aspects of a healthy lifestyle are important for reducing disease risk? If you had to choose which things you changed to improve your life and which ones you didn’t change, which would you choose?
A study in Germany looked at four lifestyle factors and 4 diseases in 23,513 Germans, aged 35 to 65.
The four factors were never smoking, having a body mass index lower than 30; doing 3.5 hours, or more, per week exercise; and adhering to healthy dietary principles (high intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain bread and low meat consumption). The 4 factors (ranked healthy, 1 point; unhealthy, 0 points) were summed to form an index that ranged from 0 to 4.
The diseases were heart attack, stroke and new diagnoses of diabetes, and cancer
Less than 4% of participants had zero healthy factors, most had 1 to 3 healthy factors, and approximately 9% had 4 factors.
During an average follow-up of 7.8 years, the percentages of participants that developed diabetes was 3.7%, myocardial infarction was 0.9%, stroke was 0.8%, and cancer was 3.8%.
Participants with all 4 factors had a 78% reduced risk of developing a chronic disease overall. The reduced risk for diabetes was 93%; heart attack was 81%; stroke was 50%; and cancer was 36%, compared to participants without a healthy factor.
The hazard ratio for developing a chronic disease decreased progres, the less likely you are to get a chronic disease of aging.
So which factors had the most impact on having a lower risk for common chronic diseases?
The largest reduction in risk was associated with having a BMI lower than 30, followed by never smoking, followed by at least 3.5 hours of exercise and last adhering to good dietary principles.
So, unfortunately this study suggests that the thing that you could do to have the greatest impact on long term health is to keep below a BMI of 30 (a BMI of 30 and greater is considered obese). For most of us this is probably the hardest of the four factors to control.
photo credit: dichohecho
Technorati Tags: disease risk, healthy lifestyle, BMI, smoking, healthy diet, exercise
Happiness Boosting Experiment
August 3, 2009
A scientist in the UK is running a mass project to see if we can boost how happy we are.
The happiness boosting experiment assigns participant randomly to one of four groups. Each group, fills in a short questionnaire and then views a short video and is giving simple “happiness” tasks to do for five days. At the end of the five days their happiness is reassessed.
The URL is www.ScienceOfHappiness.co.uk
For some reason these big mass, messy experiments always appeal to me. So I clicked on the link and did the survey and watched the video.
The survey is about half a dozen simple choose “where you are on the scale” questions. My video was just over 30 seconds long. So it didn’t take long.
I don’t know whether you are supposed to say what your tasks are. Mine is to say or do something nice to somebody, once a day for the five days.
Curious to see whether it makes me any happier. I don’t think I am normally a particularly gloomy person, but more happiness is always good.
Why not try and be happier?
photo credit: thanker212
Technorati Tags: happiness experiment
Insomnia Update
July 31, 2009
It seems that most of us have insomnia for periods of time, if not pretty much permanently. Insomnia is must be due in part to our 21st century lifestyle and perhaps changes in our sleep habits as we age.
A few weeks back I had a post Sleep Problems. In that post I talked about insomnia and gave a few statistics. The amazing one, to me, was that it is estimated that the market for insomnia drugs will be $3.9 billion by 2012. $3.9 billion?
At the end of the post I said I was going to sign up for an online course/consultation for treating insomnia with cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT. The course lasts 5 weeks and you get pdfs, your weekly sleep diary analyzed and advice on how to change your sleep habits. See the other post for more info; the course link is cbtforinsomnia.com.
I kept my first sleep diary for a week, and then emailed it. A day later I got my first guidelines.
My problem is not getting to sleep, but waking up in the early hours of the morning and not getting back to sleep for quite a long time. The advice for me was basically to go to bed later, but still get up at the same time every day and not lie in bed once I awoke in the morning.
I got very tired but it seems to have really helped. I have had one night where I did not wake at-all. By the end of the third week, I was wakening once or twice per night, but was not awake for very long, and my brain did not go into that super active mode that kept me awake before.
The verdict? So far a success. Hopefully, when I start to go to bed a bit earlier, I will have trained myself and no longer wake up with an active brain and be awake for long periods of time. Waking briefly is fine with me.
If you have insomnia and want to try a simple and different approach, it might be worth a shot.
photo credit: Photo4jenifer
Technorati Tags: insomnia, cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT, sleep problems
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