Healthy Lifestyle? What Me?
May 28, 2009
What is a healthy lifestyle? This is not a trick question.
My answer would be something like the following. A healthy lifestyle is eating a good diet that has lots of servings of vegetables and fruits and is not too high in “bad” fats or simple carbs. It is not smoking, not drinking too much alcohol, exercising and maintaining a BMI (body mass index) appropriate for height and muscle mass.
Why did I even ask? We are bombarded with news items, articles, etc., about diet, exercise and lifestyle habits. Nearly everybody already knows all this.
However, comparison of NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) data from 1988-1994 and 2001-2006 shows that though we might know this, we are not following through.
In the 10+ years between the surveys, in adults who were 40-74 years, the percentage with a BMI greater than 30 (considered obese) has increased from 28% to 36%, and eating 5 or more fruits and vegetables has decreased from 42% to 26%. Looking at five categories, physical activity, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, maintaining a healthy weight, moderate alcohol use and not smoking the percentages of people who were in all five categories had dropped from 15% to 8%.
Is this a big surprise? No.
Education and knowledge is not where it is at. It is what is available, makes our lives easier and more pleasurable. Plus unhealthy lifestyles are usually cheaper.
How do we reverse this change? Short of transporting us all back 50, or more, years to a different era, I don’t think we can. We are in a different era, busy, stressed and short of time. Preparing healthy tasty meals takes personal interest and time. Not something that is that common.
The current economic crisis has to be making this worse, since cheap and frugal means more fast food. Plus major stress does not usually lead to good lifestyle choices.
Hell, now that I have decided that it is hopeless, I might as well have to have a drink to forget about my unhealthy lifestyle.
photo credit: ripplestone garden
Technorati Tags: healthy lifestyle, unhealthy lifestyles
Vitamin D, Cancer And Sticky Cells
May 27, 2009
It has been known for a long time that there are less of some types of cancers in people who live in the sunbelt vs those who live in areas with weaker sunlight. This is thought to be due to higher levels of vitamin D. Now there research that suggests a new mechanism for the role of vitamin D. Does low vitamin D, make cells less sticky and promote cancer?
In the US, those that live in the south have a lower overall risk of cancer, with certain types of cancer including prostate and bone cancers, having a significantly lower incidence.
More recently, research has suggested that vitamin D has an anti-cancer role. As more evidence has accumulated, most researchers feel that low levels of vitamin D increase the overall risk of getting cancer.
As an example, a review of a number of studies on cancer, determined that having adequate vitamin D levels will decrease the risk of colon cancer by 50%.
Additionally, there is evidence that those having cancer surgery and treatments in the summer have an increased chance of surviving over those who have surgery or treatments in the winter. It has been suggested that this is due the fact that most people have higher levels of vitamin D in summer.
Vitamin D, often called the sunshine vitamin, is made in our skin in response to strong sunlight, or can be obtained from a few foods, or in supplements. Vitamin D is found in cod liver oil (which is also high in vitamin A and so the correct dose should not be exceeded), fish, and fortified foods, including dairy products.
A new model (Garland, C Annals of Epidemiology, 2009, in press) suggests a potential mechanism for the role of vitamin D. Cancer arises when cells change and stop behaving normally. One thing that happens is that cells stop communicating normally with the cells around them. This disrupted communication which is know as disjunction, may enable cancer cells, which are more aggressive than normal cells, to take over an area. The model suggests that in a low vitamin D environment that cells are less sticky and so a cancer can develop more easily.
Whether this model is correct or not, it is clear that everybody should get enough vitamin D, either from the sun or from supplements.
photo credit: Jon Haynes Photography
Technorati Tags: vitamin D, cancer, anti-cancer, sunbelt, skin
Reduce Your Risk of Dementia
May 22, 2009
What can you do now, to reduce the risk of dementia when you are older?
Nobody wants to get to the stage where they can’t remember what was just said or keep getting confused.
There is an interesting article and short video in the NYT today that talks about a study started in 1981 by the University of Southern California. This study, called the 90+ Study, has enrolled more than 14,000 people aged 65 and older, and more than 1,000 aged 90 or older. The study is designed to look at both health and mental ability.
Now that the study has been more than 25 years and the younger participants have aged, the researchers are starting to try to tease out which factors, including lifestyle factors, affect health and mental sharpness.
For mental sharpness, of particular interest, are those who are 90+ and have no traces of dementia. The study suggests that those who spend a lot of time at activities that require concentration, and are mentally challenging such as crosswords, card games and Sudoku have a lower risk of developing dementia. Additionally, for those that are going to get dementia, it delays the onset.
One thing that I have noticed working in research at several universities is how sharp the oldest professors remain. Research is quite mentally challenging and requires periods of concentration. Those that chose not to retire seem to keep their mental abilities into their 70’s and even 80’s. This in consistent with the brain having “a use it or lose it” component.
Of course there is always the chicken and the egg. Are those who like mentally challenging things less likely to get dementia, or does keeping mental challenged stop dementia? Hopefully this and other research studies will answer this question soon.
Perhaps we should watch a bit less TV. Is the rerun of something we have already seen, that important? Maybe doing something a bit more challenging, that we enjoy, may be a good investment for the future.
photo credit: me and the sysop
Technorati Tags: dementia, mental sharpness, mental abilities, mentally challenging, concentration
Sleep And Weight Are Related
May 20, 2009
There is increasing evidence that long term lack of sleep is not good for health. Recently there has been further evidence that less sleep equals more weight gain, and that diet plays a role in sleep.
Previously on this blog there have been several posts about how lack of sleep has negative health effects. A recent post Sleep more and weight less discussed how the regulation of appetite is controlled by the hormones. Lack of sleep decreases leptin levels and increases ghrelin levels, resulting in more food intake, less energy expenditure and more fat deposition.
Yet another study has come out showing that those who tend to sleep less are more likely to be obese. A study of nurses who wore 24 hour activity monitors, showed that those who slept the least more likely to have a higher BMI (body mass index).
Further it has been shown in a study that eating a high fat diet, particularly having a fatty evening meal, can result in poorer and less sleep, suggesting that in some people there could be a sort of negative downward spiral.
Short sleep times have also been suggested to increase the risk of both high blood pressure and diabetes. And of course, there can be a link between diabetes and obesity.
Here are some suggested guidelines for getting more and good quality sleep.
- Follow a consistent bedtime routine.
- Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
- Do not watch TV in bed.
- Avoid foods or drinks that contain caffeine, or any stimulant, including medications, prior to bedtime.
- Do not go to bed hungry, but don’t eat a big meal before bedtime either.
- Make your bedroom quiet, dark and relatively cool.
- Get up at the same time every morning
Perhaps it is time to consider good sleep habits as important as other health factors such as good nutrition. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has a website www.sleepeduction.com that has guidelines and useful information about sleep.
Technorati Tags: sleep, diet, weight, weight gain, obese, fatty meal, health
New Back Pain Treatment Guidelines
May 18, 2009
New guidelines from the American Pain Society suggest that nonsurgical treatment of back pain is more effective than surgery.
These are the new back pain treatment guidelines.
- Against the use of provocative discography (injection of fluid into the disc in order to determine if it is the source of back pain) for patients with chronic nonradicular low-back pain.
- The consideration of intensive interdisciplinary rehabilitation with a cognitive/behavioral emphasis for patients with nonradicular low-back pain who do not respond to usual, non-interdisciplinary therapies.
- Against facet joint corticosteroid injection, prolotherapy, and intradiscal corticosteroid injections for patients with persistent nonradicular low-back pain, and insufficient evidence to guide use of other interventional therapies.
- A discussion of risks and benefits of surgery and the use of shared decision making with reference to rehabilitation as a similarly effective option for patients with nonradicular low-back pain, common degenerative spinal changes, and persistent and disabling symptoms.
- Insufficient evidence to guide recommendations for vertebral disc replacement.
- A discussion of the risks and benefits of epidural steroid injections and shared decision making, including specific review of evidence of lack of long-term benefit for patients with persistent radiculopathy due to herniated lumbar disc.
- A discussion of the risks and benefits of surgery and use of shared decision making that references moderate benefits that decrease over time for patients with persistent and disabling radiculopathy due to herniated lumbar disc or persistent and disabling leg pain.
- Discussion of risks and benefits of spinal cord stimulation and shared decision making, including reference to the high rate of complications following stimulator placement for patients with persistent and disabling radicular pain following surgery for herniated disc and no evidence of a persistently compressed nerve root.
The bottom line is to stay active, whatever your back problem. Then, be fully informed about your options. Surgery may, or may not, be your best option.
One of my brothers has a terrible time with his back. He cannot stand in one spot without moving for more than a couple of minutes, and is permanently on painkillers. He has had two back surgeries and after each one he was worse – so, it does make you wonder.
Technorati Tags: back pain, treatment guidelines, surgery, nonsurgical
IQ Does Not Drop With Age?
May 15, 2009
Just ran across this fascinating study about the apparent effects of aging on IQ. We may not actually lose intelligence as we age.
The theory of the study was that it is perception problems, such as poor eyesight, that interfere with the ability to perform, leading to apparent loss of intelligence with aging.
There were two sets of experiments in the study.
In the first, 30 college students and 30 older adults, with an average age of 70, were given some tests. In these tests, numbers and letters were assigned symbols of different complexity. The test participants had to do understand, remember and then search for symbols.
The second test was 60 college age students – but 30 had a digital filter, while doing the test, that approximated the visual problems common in the elderly.
As expected the college students in the first test and those with no digital filter had similar test scores.
However, the college students with the digital filter had similar test results to the elderly adults, and scored much worse than the college students without the filter. This strongly suggest that is not intelligence that drops as we age, but declining perception abilities interfere with functioning, and hence give the impression of lower intelligence.
This study is really good news. It is comforting to know that we don’t automatically get stupid as we get older. With the current rapid advances in assistive technologies for hearing, eyesight etc., hopefully when we are in our 90’s we are going to look and act just as smart as we did when we were 18.
Technorati Tags: IQ, intelligence, aging, age, test scores, digital filter, perception problems
We Are Not Active Enough
May 13, 2009
No big surprise. A Canadian study has found that people are not active enough.
The study collected information for 22 years. The activity levels of study participants were followed over this time. The activity levels at the beginning of the study and the end were compared.
The study found that higher education and higher income level individuals were more likely to be active. No surprise there either, this is both having more time to exercise, a better understanding of the need to exercise and more social acceptance of exercising.
What did surprise me was that women were less likely to exercise than men. Additionally women were less likely than men to take up exercise. Unless the age group being studied is mainly in late teens and twenties, I would not have predicted this. Of the people I know, who are past 30 or so, there are many more women who regularly exercise then men. When I walk the dog in the morning, I see lots more women.
The bottom line for this study is that the majority of people do not do enough exercise. The findings were that 56% of the study participants were inactive in every survey. Only 12% were active in every survey. This is pretty pathetic.
The study also showed being active in your youth does not mean that you are going to be an active adult. I think most people assume that often exercising patterns are set for life. Guess not.
Here just a few things that being active can help with, as you age.
Exercisers have better blood flow in the brain. This will help your brain function as you age and perhaps decrease the risk of dementia. Those that exercise have a lower risk of disability in old age. A lower risk of heart disease. A lower risk of diabetes.
We should all get out there and get moving.
photo credit: greg westfall.
Technorati Tags: active, exercise
Teas Are The Universal Cure-All?
May 11, 2009
Suddenly tea and tea extracts seem to be everywhere, in all kinds products. You would think teas are the universal cure-all.
For instance, over the weekend I was looking at the ingredient lists for a number of cosmetic products, including daily chemical peel products and after peel moisturizers. Many of the products had tea extracts in them, usually called extract of Camellia sinensis. Additionally, tea extracts have been suggested to be helpful for treating skin damaged in cancer patients after radiation.
White tea has been suggested to help with obesity. An extract of white tea has been shown to stop the formation of new fat cells, and to make the existing fat cells start to break down the fat that they contain.
So what is white tea? I had no idea. It made from the same plant as regular tea, but only young still downy white buds and young leaves are used, and not fermented like regular tea. If you are going to make it and drink it, apparently you should not use boiling water. The water used for brewing should be quite a bit cooler than boiling water. This is supposed to be the best for its delicate taste. White tea is lower in caffeine but higher in antioxidants than regular tea.
Another news item suggests that an African tea that is used in traditional Nigeria medicine may help with diabetes. It is made from leaves of the lovely sounding Rauvolfia vomitoria and the fruit of Citrus aurantium. The tea helped mobilize fat, and in a small human trial after 4 months there was better glucose control. The genus Rauvolfia, a tropical evergreen shrub, is widely used in folk medicine and has been shown to lower blood pressure, have psychological effects, be a hypnotic and can irritate those with digestive diseases.
In Asia though the population tends to smoke heavily there is less cardiovascular disease and cancer than in the west. This is known as the Asian paradox. It has been suggested that part of the reason, for the lower levels of these diseases, is the high consumption of tea, particularly green tea.
Green Tea has also been suggested to have antibacterial activity too.
Low calorie and healthy. So, have a cuppa (used in the UK, for a cup of tea).
Technorati Tags: teas, white tea, green tea, Rauvolfia, obesity, fat cells, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, skin, chemical peel, antibacterial
Foods Important For Healthy Eyes
May 8, 2009
A major disease of aging is macular degeneration. It is estimated that currently 1.75 million Americans have severe vision problems due to macular degeneration. There are many more with lesser vision problems. An ongoing study, called AREDS, has shown that certain foods are important for healthy eyes.
Macular degeneration is reduced or loss of vision in the center of the visual field. To see what the loss of the middle area of what you are looking at check out the Macular Degeneration Stimulator at the American Society for Ophthalmology website. It is pretty scary.
More information about two types of macular degeneration, wet and dry, how it is detected and treatments can be found on the same website.
Macular degeneration has no cure. There are treatments that can reduce the symptoms, but so far there is nothing available that reverses the damage.
One thing that has been found to lower the risk of macular degeneration, by about 25% is eating a healthy diet.
The AREDS (age-related eye disease study) found that a diet high in vitamins C and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin and the omega-3 fatty acids lowered the risk. Further, those who followed a low glycemic index diet (low carb) which included the above nutrients had the lowest risk.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are found in eggs and leafy green vegetables, broccoli, garden peas and corn. Zinc is found in whole grains, nuts, seeds and red meat.
A low glycemic index diet is one that does not result in spikes of glucose in the blood. This is basically low carb, but not completely. Some higher carb foods have a low glycemic index because they do not result in a rapid increase of blood glucose. For more information see the Glycemic Index website and look at the database.
Healthy diet = healthy eyes.
photo credit: zachd1_618
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The Membrane Fat Phosphatidylserine May Reduce Sun Damage And Slow Aging
May 6, 2009
One factor that contributes to aging is sun damage. A fat that is found in all cell membranes, phosphatidylserine, may reduce sun damage and slow aging.
Phosphatidylserine, often abbreviated to PS, is a fat that is found in the membranes of all the cells of the body.
The main use of purified phosphatidylserine is as a dietary supplement. It has been suggested to slow the loss of memory and perhaps be useful in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. The FDA allow the following two statements “Consumption of phosphatidylserine may reduce the risk of cognitive dysfunction in the elderly” and “Consumption of phosphatidylserine may reduce the risk of dementia in the elderly”.
One of the highest concentrations of phosphatidylserine is found in the brain. Phosphatidylserine supplements used contain the fat extracted from bovine brain. However, this was stopped after the outbreaks of mad cow disease. Now supplements are made from soybean, which has lower concentrations.
Recent research looked at the effect of skin that had been damaged by UV. Both young and old test subjects had phosphatidylserine applied to a small patch of skin on their buttocks. In the young, an area that included the treated patch, was given a dose of UV irradiation, to mimic sun damage.
The area in the younger test subjects that had been treated with the phosphatidylserine reduced some of the changes that occur with sun damage. In the older subjects there was increased procollagen and MMP1 detected. Increased level of both these proteins are related to slowing aging.
So look for phosphatidylserine anti-aging creams. Perhaps we should start breaking open phosphatidylserine capsules and smearing them on our skin to slow aging.
photo credit: - chanelle
Technorati Tags: phosphatidylserine, sun damage, slow aging, procollagen, MMP1, UV damage
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