Fruit, vegetable consumption tied to ‘progressively shorter survival and higher mortality rates’

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

                                  Fruit and vegetable consumption and all-cause mortality: a dose-response analysis 1,2,3; First published June 26, 2013, doi: 10.3945/​ajcn.112.056119 Am J Clin Nutr August 2013 ajcn.056119 Andrea Bellavia, Susanna C Larsson, Matteo Bottai, Alicja Wolk, and Nicola Orsini; Author Affiliations: 1 From the Units of Nutritional Epidemiology (AB, SCL, AW, and NO) and Biostatistics (AB, MB, and NO), Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Author Notes: 2 Supported in part by a Young Scholar Award from the Karolinska Institutet’s Strategic Program in Epidemiology, the Swedish Medical Society (SLS-250271), and the Swedish Research Council; 3 Address correspondence to N Orsini, Unit of Nutritional Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, PO Box, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail: nicola.orsini@ki.se.

Abstract

Background: The association between fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption and overall mortality has seldom been investigated in large cohort studies. Findings from the few available studies are inconsistent.

 Objective: The objective was to examine the dose-response relation between FV consumption and mortality, in terms of both time and rate, in a large prospective cohort of Swedish men and women.

 Design: FV consumption was assessed through a self-administrated questionnaire in a population-based cohort of 71,706 participants (38,221 men and 33,485 women) aged 45–83 y. We performed a dose-response analysis to evaluate 10th survival percentile differences (PDs) by using Laplace regression and estimated HRs by using Cox regression.

 Results: During 13 y of follow-up, 11,439 deaths (6803 men and 4636 women) occurred in the cohort. In comparison with 5 servings FV/d, a lower consumption was progressively associated with shorter survival and higher mortality rates. Those who never consumed FV lived 3 y shorter (PD: −37 mo; 95% CI: −58, −16 mo) and had a 53% higher mortality rate (HR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.19, 1.99) than did those who consumed 5 servings FV/d. Consideration of fruit and vegetables separately showed that those who never consumed fruit lived 19 mo shorter (PD: −19 mo; 95% CI: −29, −10 mo) than did those who ate 1 fruit/d. Participants who consumed 3 vegetables/d lived 32 mo longer than did those who never consumed vegetables (PD: 32 mo; 96% CI: 13, 51 mo).

Conclusion: FV consumption <5 servings/d is associated with progressively shorter survival and higher mortality rates. The Swedish Mammography Cohort and the Cohort of Swedish Men were registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01127698 and NCT01127711, respectively.

Legislation may be needed to increase physical activity: National Centre for Cardiovascular Prevention and Outcomes

         

 Posted on June 26, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Nat Rev Cardiol. 2013 Jun 25. doi: 10.1038/nrcardio.2013.90. [Epub ahead of print]; Exercise: friend or foe?; Dangardt FJ, McKenna WJ, Lüscher TF, Deanfield JE; Source: National Centre for Cardiovascular Prevention and Outcomes, 170 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7HA, UK.

Abstract

Physical activity and exercise have been associated with reduced cardiovascular risk, morbidity, and mortality, as well as all-cause mortality, both in the general population and in patients with various forms of cardiovascular disease.

 Increasing amounts of exercise are associated with incremental reductions in mortality, but considerable benefits have been found even with a low level of exercise.

Exercise is beneficial for most individuals, but risks exist.

Exercise is associated with reduced long-term morbidity and mortality, but acute exercise can transiently increase the risk of fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular events. Although tragic, these events are very rare, and even to some extent preventable with screening programmes.

 Low-intensity physical activity is important and beneficial to all individuals, including those with a high risk of adverse cardiovascular events.

 In individuals who are physically fit and who do not have genetic predisposition to, or signs of, cardiovascular disease, the greater the intensity and amount of exercise, the greater the health benefits.

 Nevertheless, effective strategies to encourage exercise in the population are lacking.

 A sustained increase in physical activity is likely to require more than individual advice, and needs to include urban planning and possibly even legislation.

Source - See more at: http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/increase-in-physical-activity-needs-to-include-urban-planning-and-possibly-even-legislation/public-health/#sthash.d3J0AGbN.dpuf

Older adults taking up exercise are not at increased risk of injury versus younger age groups

       

  Posted on June 26, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

                                 BMJ Open. 2013 Jun 20;3(6). pii: e002831. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002831. Print 2013; A 12-month incidence of exercise-related injuries in previously sedentary community-dwelling older adults following an exercise intervention; Little RM, Paterson DH, Humphreys DA, Stathokostas L; Source: Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging, University of Western Ontario London, London, Ontario, Canada.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Fear of injury is reported as a barrier to exercise by older adults. However, the literature is limited in describing exercise injuries in older adults.

DESIGN: This study prospectively evaluated the 12-month incidence of exercise-related injuries to community-dwelling older adults (n=167 respondents; 63 men, 104 women; mean age 69±5 year).

METHODS: A questionnaire developed for use in older adults was administered to document self-reported injuries. Linear regression analysis was conducted to identify covariates related to injury outcomes.

RESULTS: 23 people (14%) reported injuries. 41% of injuries were to the lower extremities, where the most common type was overuse muscle strains (32%, n=7). Overexertion was the most common cause of injury (n=9) and walking accounted for half of the activities during which injury occurred. 70% of injuries required medical treatment. 44% were not able to continue exercising after injury and return-to-activity time varied from 1 to 182 days. Sex, age and exercise volume were not significantly associated with injury occurrence.

CONCLUSIONS: These results showed similar, or lower, exercise-related injury rates as compared with previous reports on younger and middle-aged adults; however, the definition of, and criteria for, ‘injury’ reporting varies in the literature. This study indicates that older adults taking up exercise are not at increased risk of injury versus younger age groups.

Source - See more at: http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/older-adults-taking-up-exercise-are-not-at-increased-risk-of-injury-versus-younger-age-groups/exercise-capacity/#sthash.oDrFEQ8m.dpuf

Dr Baio on ASKIMO.TV

I recently got a chance to speak with a few people over at ASKIMO.TV

Here are the segments I did revolving around MMA, Boxing, and pain triggers.

I hope you enjoy.

 

Please comment with any questions.

 



Only half of U.S. youth meet physical activity standards, NIH study shows

 

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Only about half of U.S. adolescents are physically active five or more days of the week, and fewer than 1 in 3 eat fruits and vegetables daily, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

In a survey of youth in 39 states, NIH researchers questioned nearly 10,000 students between 11 and 16 years old about their activity levels and eating habits. They also asked the students to describe their emotional health, body image, and general satisfaction with life.

NIH researchers charted patterns of physical activity, screen time and diet after surveying 10,000 students between 11 and 16 years old. The researchers classified these patterns as typical, unhealthful and healthful.

“The students showed a surprising variability in eating patterns,” said lead author Ronald J. Iannotti, Ph.D., of the Prevention Research Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the NIH Institute in which the study was conducted. “But most — about 74 percent — did not have a healthy pattern.”
Dr. Iannotti conducted the research with NICHD colleague Jing Wang, Ph.D. In addition to NICHD, funding also was provided by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Their findings appear in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
The researchers found that the adolescents’ diet and activity habits could be classified into three general categories. They described the first group as unhealthful. This group accounted for 26 percent of participants. The second group, classified as healthful, accounted for 27 percent. Because it was the largest group — including 47 percent of participants — the researchers classified the third group as typical.
The researchers surveyed participants about: their daily amount of physical activity, the amount of time they spent in front of a computer screen or other electronic screen, and the amount of healthy and unhealthy foods they consumed. Other questions sought information on symptoms of depression and self-satisfaction with their bodies.
The analysis of the survey results showed that the typical youth were least likely to exercise five or more days each week or to eat fruits and vegetables at least once a day. They were more likely to spend time watching television, playing video games or on a computer than the healthful group, and less likely to do so than the unhealthful group. They infrequently ate fruits and vegetables but also infrequently ate sweets, chips or fries, or had soft drinks. Youth in this group were more likely than youth in the other two groups to be overweight or obese and to be dissatisfied with the appearance of their bodies.
The unhealthful group consumed the most sweets, chips, french fries, and soft drinks. They also were more likely than the other groups to report watching TV, playing video games and using a computer more than two hours a day. Despite the caloric foods they consumed, youth in the unhealthful group were more likely to be underweight and to report needing to put on weight. Youth in this group also were more likely to report symptoms of depression and of poor physical health, such as backaches, stomachaches, headaches or feeling dizzy.
Nearly 65 percent of students in the group that the researchers termed healthful reported exercising five or more days per week — the highest rate of the three groups. These students were least likely to spend time in front of a screen and were most likely to report eating fruits and vegetables at least once a day. Students in this group also were least likely to consume sweets, soft drinks, chips and French fries. They reported the lowest rates of depressive symptoms and the highest life satisfaction ratings.
All three groups could stand to improve their health habits, Dr. Iannotti said, whether walking or biking between home and school or eating more fresh produce each day.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans , children and adolescents should get one hour or more of moderate or vigorous aerobic physical activity a day, including vigorous intensity physical activity at least three days a week.
About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

- See more at: http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/only-half-of-u-s-youth-meet-physical-activity-standards-nih-study-shows/fitness/#sthash.nsSS5bjv.dpuf

Yoga practice may improve pain tolerance and alter brain anatomy

 

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Regular and long-term practice of yoga may improve pain tolerance, according to a recent study. Findings from the study also show that practitioners have more gray matter in multiple brain regions compared with individually matched people who did not practice. The study, supported in part by NCCAM, was published in the journal Cerebral Cortex.

Researchers recruited 14 experienced practitioners, as well as 14 people who did not practice any mind-body techniques (individually matched for sex, age, body mass index, left/right handedness, education, and exercise level other than yoga). Participants underwent a cold pain tolerance test—they immersed a hand in cold water until they could no longer tolerate the pain. Researchers then asked participants about strategies they used to tolerate the pain. The researchers also conducted brain imaging scans to examine the structural differences in gray matter and white matter between the practitioner group and the control group.
The researchers found that yoga practitioners tolerated cold pain more than twice as long as the controls. Researchers also found no significant difference in total gray matter volume between groups, but practitioners had greater gray matter volume in brain regions related to pain processing, pain regulation, and attention. Across participants, only the increased gray matter in the mid-insular cortex (a portion of the brain believed to play a role in autonomic integration) correlated with the higher pain tolerance. The volume of insular gray matter in yoga practitioners also positively correlated with the duration of yoga practice, suggesting that yoga experience contributed to these structural differences in the brain. In addition, practitioners had increased white matter integrity within the left insula. Finally, the researchers observed that to tolerate pain practitioners used cognitive strategies that are integral parts of yoga practice, such as observing the sensation without reacting, accepting the sensation, using the breath and relaxation while most control participants did not.
The researchers noted that because of the cross-sectional nature of this study, no definitive causal conclusions can be made. However, based on the findings, the researchers suggest that regular, long-term yoga practice may equip individuals with tools to deal with sensory inputs and the potential emotional reactions attached to those inputs, which may lead to structural changes in brain anatomy and connectivity.
Source

- See more at: http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/yoga-practice-may-improve-pain-tolerance-and-alter-brain-anatomy/yoga/#sthash.lUSRJRll.dpuf

Americans’ vitamin D levels are highest in August, lowest in February, study shows

      

    Posted on June 22, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

                                 Irvine, Calif. – UC Irvine and Mayo Clinic researchers have found that vitamin D levels in the U.S. population peak in August and bottom out in February. The essential vitamin – necessary for healthy bones – is produced in the skin upon exposure to ultraviolet B rays from the sun.

Vitamin D helps bones absorb calcium and can protect against osteoporosis. It’s also thought to play a role in seasonal illnesses, such as the flu. Low levels of vitamin D are believed to impair “innate immunity” i.e., the body’s first line of defense against pathogens. To further study this link, good estimates of the cyclicality of the vitamin are necessary. Solar exposure – a timely topic since June 21 marks the first day of summer – is the most important way people acquire vitamin D. But certain foods, including egg yolks and oil-rich fish like mackerel, salmon, sardines and herring contain the nutrient. In addition, milk and cereal are often enriched with vitamin D.

 “Even with food fortification, vitamin D levels in the population show a high level of seasonality due to the influence of sunlight,” said Amy Kasahara, a UC Irvine graduate student in public health and first author on the paper, which appears in the journal PLOS ONE.

 “The exact biochemical pathways from UVB rays to vitamin D were discovered in the 1970s,” she said. “In this study, we have shown that vitamin D levels lag the solar cycle, peaking in August and troughing in February.”

 The correlation between the seasons and vitamin D has been known for some time. “What we have been able to do is put a lot more precision on the estimates of vitamin D seasonality,” said Andrew Noymer, associate professor of public health and senior author of the article.

“Our analysis, combined with other data, will help contribute to understanding the role of vitamin D in all seasonal diseases, where the simple winter/spring/summer/fall categories are not sufficient.”

Researchers measured the level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in 3.4 million blood samples collected weekly in the U.S. between July 2006 and December 2011.

 The study looked at population averages, so people shouldn’t make assumptions about their own levels of vitamin D based on the calendar. Healthcare providers can perform individual blood tests to measure vitamin D directly, and supplements are available for those who cannot or do not receive enough exposure to sunlight.

 Ravinder J. Singh of the Mayo Clinic co-authored the work.

 Source -
See more at:
 http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/americans-vitamin-d-levels-are-highest-in-august-lowest-in-february-study-shows/vitamin-d/#sthash.Su9pfZ3x.dpuf

Exercise can create ‘good’ fat, says new study

 

Posted on June 22, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

CHICAGO, IL–(Marketwired – Jun 21, 2013) – Two new studies of mice and humans suggest that exercise can train fat to behave differently than that which develops from sedentary behavior, and that this “good fat” may elicit metabolic improvements in other tissues, according to research presented today at the American Diabetes Association’s 73^rd Scientific Sessions^®.

The studies, funded by the American Diabetes Association and the National Institutes of Health, found that mice that ran on an exercise wheel for 11 days and men who underwent 12 weeks of training on an exercise bicycle underwent a browning of their subcutaneous white adipose tissue (SCWAT) that appears to have led to profound changes in the way that fat behaved in the body. The browner fat was more metabolically active than the white version that results from sedentary behavior. To determine whether the browner fat could affect how the body uses glucose, researchers transplanted the trained mouse fat into high-fat, sedentary mice and found that those mice showed increased glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity for at least 12 weeks following transplantation.
“Our results showed that exercise doesn’t just have beneficial effects on muscle, it also affects fat,” said Kristin Stanford, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. “It’s clear that when [it] gets trained, it becomes browner and more metabolically active. We think there are factors being released into the bloodstream … that are working on other tissues.”
Whether the browner fat is also having this impact in humans is not known at this point, since this type of transplantation study cannot yet be done in humans.
“We know that exercise is good for us,” added Laurie Goodyear, PhD, a Joslin section head who is senior investigator on the study and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. “But what we’re showing here is that fat changes dramatically in response to exercise training and is having good metabolic effects. This is not the fat that’s around your middle, which is bad … and can lead to diabetes and other insulin resistant conditions. It’s the [kind] that’s under the skin, subcutaneous[ly] that adapts in a way that appears to be having important metabolic effects.”
The studies suggested that the browner version was associated with increased glucose uptake, improved body composition, decreased fat mass and increased insulin sensitivity in mice.
“Our work provides greater motivation than ever to get out there and exercise,” Stanford said.
These studies suggest that even if you’re not losing weight, exercise is still training your fat to be more metabolically active; even if you don’t see the results on the scale, you are still improving your overall metabolism and therefore your health.
Source
 

- See more at: http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/exercise-can-create-good-fat-says-new-study/benefits-exercise/#sthash.IrDPHUQB.dpuf

Muscle performance recovery not improved by air-pulsed cryotherapy cooling procedure

           Posted on June 21, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

                                  Effects of Air-Pulsed Cryotherapy on Neuromuscular Recovery Subsequent to Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage; Published online before print June 5, 2013, doi: 10.1177/0363546513490648 Am J Sports Med June 5, 2013 0363546513490648

Gaël Guilhem, PhD*,†, François Hug, PhD‡§, Antoine Couturier, PhD†, Stéphanie Regnault, MSc†, Laure Bournat, MSc†, Jean-Robert Filliard, PhD† and Sylvain Dorel, PhD†‡ +
 Author Affiliations
 †National Institute for Sports (INSEP), Research and Medical Departments, Paris, France ‡University of Nantes, Laboratory “Motricité, Interactions, Performance” (EA 4334), Nantes, France

§The University of Queensland, NHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury and Health, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Brisbane, Australia Investigation performed at the National Institute for Sports (INSEP), Paris, France

↵*Gaël Guilhem, PhD, Institut National du Sport, de l’Expertise et de la Performance, Service Recherche, 11, Avenue du Tremblay, 75012 Paris, France (e-mail: gael.guilhem@insep.fr).

Abstract

Background: Localized cooling has been proposed as an effective strategy to limit the deleterious effects of exercise-induced muscle damage on neuromuscular function. However, the literature reports conflicting results. Purpose: This randomized controlled trial aimed to determine the effects of a new treatment, localized air-pulsed cryotherapy (–30°C), on the recovery time-course of neuromuscular function following a strenuous eccentric exercise.

Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: A total of 24 participants were included in either a control group (CONT) or a cryotherapy group (CRYO). Immediately after 3 sets of 20 maximal isokinetic eccentric contractions of elbow flexors, and then 1, 2, and 3 days after exercise, the CRYO group received a cryotherapy treatment (3 × 4 minutes at −30°C separated by 1 minute). The day before and 1, 2, 3, 7, and 14 days after exercise, several parameters were quantified: maximal isometric torque and its associated maximal electromyographic activity recorded by a 64-channel electrode, delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), biceps brachii transverse relaxation time (T2) measured using magnetic resonance imaging, creatine kinase activity, interleukin-6, and C-reactive protein.

Results: Maximal isometric torque decreased similarly for the CONT (–33% ± 4%) and CRYO groups (−31% ± 6%). No intergroup differences were found for DOMS, electromyographic activity, creatine kinase activity, and T2 level averaged across the whole biceps brachii. C-reactive protein significantly increased for CONT (+93% at 72 hours, P < .05) but not for CRYO. Spatial analysis showed that cryotherapy delayed the significant increase of T2 and the decrease of electromyographic activity level for CRYO compared with CONT (between day 1 and day 3) in the medio-distal part of the biceps brachii. Conclusion: Although some indicators of muscle damage after severe eccentric exercise were delayed (ie, local formation of edema and decrease of muscle activity) by repeated air-pulsed cryotherapy, we provide evidence that this cooling procedure failed to improve long-term recovery of muscle performance.

Clinical Relevance: Four applications of air-pulsed cryotherapy in the 3 days after a strenuous eccentric exercise are ineffective overall in promoting long-term muscle recovery. Further studies taking into account the amount of exercise-induced muscle damage would allow investigators to make stronger conclusions regarding the inefficiency of this recovery modality.

 Source

UpDate: Nothing left to do but fight: Malignaggi vs Broner

 

Today was the final presser for the Malignaggi Vs Broner fight, which will happen this Saturday June 22 at Barclays center in Brooklyn, New York.

For those who were on unable to make it this weeks media events or just haven't caught it yet on youtube, here you go.

 

 

 

 

There is still time to be part of Brooklyn Boxing History.

Contact Joe Dimitri

718-942-9669

for your tickets now.

How bone adapts to exercise may be affected by timing of calcium and vitamin D supplementation

         

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Taking calcium and vitamin D before exercise may influence how bones adapt to exercise, according to a new study. The results will be presented on Tuesday at The Endocrine Society’s 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
“The timing of calcium supplementation, and not just the amount of supplementation, may be an important factor in how the skeleton adapts to exercise training,” said study lead author Vanessa D. Sherk, PhD, postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. “Further research, however, is needed to determine whether the timing of calcium supplementation affects the skeletal adaptations to exercise training.”
Previous research has shown that a year of intense training is associated with substantial decreases in bone mineral density among competitive road cyclists. Experts believe that this kind of exercise-induced bone loss could be related to the loss of calcium during exercise.
As blood calcium levels drop, the parathyroid gland produces excess parathyroid hormone, which can mobilize calcium from the skeleton.
 In this study, investigators found that an exercise-induced decrease in blood calcium occurred whether calcium supplements were taken before or after exercising. Pre-exercise supplementation, however, resulted in less of a decrease. Although not statistically significant, parathyroid hormone levels increased slightly less among cyclists who took calcium before exercising.

 “These findings are relevant to individuals who engage in vigorous exercise and may lose a substantial amount of calcium through sweating,” Sherk said. “Taking calcium before exercise may help keep blood levels more stable during exercise, compared to taking the supplement afterwards, but we do not yet know the long-term effects of this on bone density.”

  The timing of calcium supplementation did not cause a difference in blood levels of a compound that is a biological indicator of bone loss. Both the before- and after-exercise groups exhibited 50-percent increases in the level of this compound, called CTX, for collagen type-1 C-telopeptide.

 Study participants included 52 men aged 18 to 45 years. Investigators randomly assigned participants to take 1,000 milligrams of calcium and 1,000 international units of vitamin D either 30 minutes before or one hour after exercise. The exercise comprised a simulated 35-kilometer time trial, and participants wore skin patches to absorb sweat. Investigators measured blood levels of calcium and parathyroid hormone before and immediately after exercise. They also measured CTX before and 30 minutes after exercise. They used pre- and post-body weight, adjusted for fluid intake, combined with the calcium measured in the sweat from the skin patches, to estimate the amount of calcium lost through the skin during exercise.

 Source - See more at: http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/how-bone-adapts-to-exercisemay-be-affected-by-timing-of-calcium-and-vitamin-d-supplementation/nutrition-supplements/#sthash.SPXlrcyL.dpuf

Tai chi, the ‘perfect exercise,’ is going more mainstream

      

   Posted on June 17, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

                                 (Reuters) – For modern, harried lifestyles focused on getting and spending, fitness experts say tai chi, the ancient Chinese slow-moving exercise, can be an ideal way for anyone to stay fit.
 A staple in senior citizen centers and a common dawn sighting in public parks, the practice can offer long-term benefits for all age groups.
 “In this high-tech world that’s all about speed, greed and instant gratification, tai chi is the antidote to bring us back to balanced health,” according to Arthur Rosenfeld, a tai chi master and the author of a new book called Tai Chi–The Perfect Exercise: Finding Health, Happiness, Balance, and Strength.

“It doesn’t mean you can win the marathon or clean and jerk 750 pounds or win a cycle sprint,” said the South Florida resident, 56. “It’s not about getting there sooner.” Tai chi is more about how the body works than how it looks, and is about aging gracefully and “with less drama.”

 “The last time I looked, there were some 500 studies about the various physical benefits of tai chi, from improving balance and attention span to boosting the immune system to beating back the symptoms of arthritis, asthma and insomnia,” said Rosenfeld.


- See more at: http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/tai-chi-the-perect-exercise-is-going-more-mainstream/fitness-tai-chi/#sthash.YaWEFLB3.dpuf

Juven, the dietary supplement, linked to increased muscle mass in the elderly

        

 Posted on June 17, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

                                 SAN FRANCISCO– A supplemental beverage used to treat muscle-wasting may help boost muscle mass among the elderly, according to a new study. The results were presented today at The Endocrine Society’s 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
 The supplemental beverage, called Juven®, contains three amino acids, including arginine. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and are required for cell growth and repair. The amino acid arginine is especially important because it increases growth-hormone production, which causes the body to produce a critical protein called insulin-like growth factor 1, or IGF-1. This protein promotes growth and development and, as its name suggests, is similar in structure to the hormone insulin.

Previously, studies showed that Juven® helped increase muscle mass in patients with AIDS or cancer. These earlier findings led this study’s investigators to hypothesize that the increased muscle mass could result from greater blood concentrations of IGF-1. They theorized that these increased protein levels could have the same benefits among the elderly, who also experience decreased muscle mass and strength related to drops in hormone production that occur with aging. In turn, increased muscle strength could potentially improve quality of life among the elderly.

  They found that participants who received Juven® had significant increases in lean body mass, while those who received placebo did not have any change. In addition, blood concentrations of IGF-1 increased among Juven® recipients, but not among the placebo group. The correlation between the improved IGF-1 concentrations and increased lean tissue, however, was not statistically significant.

 “The amino acid cocktail of the dietary supplement Juven® appears to hold promise for increasing lean body in healthy older adults,” said study lead author Amy C. Ellis, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. “However, more research is needed to determine the cause-and-effect relationship and the mechanisms by which the amino acids in Juven® may favorably affect body composition of healthy, older adults.”

Study participants were 29 healthy adults between the ages of 65 and 87 years. Each received either Juven® or a placebo drink twice a day, along with their regular daily diet, for six months. At the beginning of the study and again six months later, investigators used a special test to measure lean body mass. At both times, they also assessed participants’ blood levels of IGF-1 after fasting.

The National Institutes of Health and the Center for Aging at the University of Alabama-Birmingham funded the study. Abbott Laboratories, the manufacturer of Juven®, provided the dietary supplement and the placebo.

 Source - See more at: http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/juven-the-dietary-supplement-linked-to-increased-muscle-mass-in-the-elderly/elder-care/#sthash.FYjSN05L.dpuf

Purchase at:

http://www.amazon.com/Abbott-Nutrition-Juven-Packet-Institutional/dp/B005X9F7RE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1371562553&sr=8-4&keywords=juven

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/juven/ID=357344-brand

Obesity leads to brain inflammation, and low testosterone makes it worse

        

  Posted on June 17, 2013 by Stone Hearth News


                                  Low testosterone worsens the harmful effects of obesity in the nervous system, a new study in mice finds. The results will be presented Monday at The Endocrine Society’s 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
 “Low testosterone and obesity are common in aging men, and each is associated with type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease,” said the study’s lead investigator, Anusha Jayaraman, PhD, of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. “Our new findings demonstrate that obesity and low testosterone combine to not only increase the risk of diabetes but also damage the brain.”
 The study – which was conducted in the laboratory of Christian J. Pike, PhD, Professor in the Davis School of Gerontology at USC and funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging – consisted of three groups of male mice that received a high-fat diet (60 percent of calories were from fat) to induce obesity. Each group had eight mice and varied by testosterone status. One group had normal testosterone levels, and the second group underwent surgical removal of the testes so that the mice had low testosterone levels. The third group also underwent castration but then received testosterone treatment through a capsule implanted beneath the skin.
 The high-fat diet, Jayaraman reported, resulted in obesity and evidence of diabetes – abnormally high blood glucose (sugar) levels and poor glucose tolerance, which is the ability to clear glucose from the bloodstream. Compared with the group that had normal testosterone levels, the testosterone-deficient mice had more body fat, higher blood sugar levels and poorer glucose tolerance, she said.

After blood testing, brain tissues from the mice underwent analysis for changes. The brains of obese mice showed substantial inflammation and were less able to support nerve cell growth and survival, according to Jayaraman. These damaging effects of diet-induced obesity were significantly worse in mice with low testosterone, she said, adding that control groups of mice fed a normal diet did not show these changes.

 “Our findings suggest that low testosterone and obesity interact to regulate inflammation of the nervous system, which may increase the risk of disorders such as type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease,” she said.

Because many of the negative outcomes of the high-fat diet were eased in the group of mice that received testosterone therapy, Jayaraman said that “testosterone treatment may be useful in reducing the harmful effects of obesity and low testosterone on the nervous system.”

 Source - See more at: http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/obesity-leads-to-brain-inflammation-and-low-testosterone-makes-it-worse/diabetes/#sthash.DPuayYiF.dpuf

Weight loss improves memory and alters brain activity in overweight women

        

 Posted on June 17, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

                                  SAN FRANCISCO– Memory improves in older, overweight women after they lose weight by dieting, and their brain activity actually changes in the regions of the brain that are important for memory tasks, a new study finds. The results were presented today at The Endocrine Society’s 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
  “Our findings suggest that obesity-associated impairments in memory function are reversible, adding incentive for weight loss,” said lead author Andreas Pettersson, MD, a PhD student at Umea University, Umea, Sweden.
Previous research has shown that obese people have impaired episodic memory, the memory of events that happen throughout one’s life.
Pettersson and co-workers performed their study to determine whether weight loss would improve memory and whether improved memory correlated with changes in relevant brain activity. A special type of brain imaging called functional magnetic resonance imaging (functional MRI) allowed them to see brain activity while the subjects performed a memory test.
The researchers randomly assigned 20 overweight, postmenopausal women (average age, 61) to one of two healthy weight loss diets for six months. Nine women used the Paleolithic diet, also called the Caveman diet, which was composed of 30 percent protein; 30 percent carbohydrates, or “carbs”; and 40 percent unsaturated fats. The other 11 women followed the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations of a diet containing 15 percent protein, 55 percent carbs and 30 percent fats.
Before and after the diet, the investigators measured the women’s body mass index (BMI, a measure of weight and height) and body fat composition. They also tested the subjects’ episodic memory by instructing them to memorize unknown pairs of faces and names presented on a screen during functional MRI. The name for this process of creating new memory is “encoding.” Later, the women again saw the facial images along with three letters. Their memory retrieval task, during functional MRI, was to indicate the correct letter that corresponded to the first letter of the name linked to the face.
Because the two dietary groups did not differ in body measurements and functional MRI data, their data were combined and analyzed as one group. The group’s average BMI decreased from 32.1 before the diet to 29.2 (below the cutoff for obesity) after six months of dieting, and their average weight dropped from 188.9 pounds (85 kilograms) to 171.3 pounds (77.1 kilograms), the authors reported. This study was part of a larger, diet-focused study funded by the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation.
Memory performance improved after weight loss, and Pettersson said the brain-activity pattern during memory testing reflected this improvement. After weight loss, brain activity reportedly increased during memory encoding in the brain regions that are important for identification and matching of faces. In addition, brain activity decreased after weight loss in the regions that are associated with retrieval of episodic memories, which Pettersson said indicates more efficient retrieval.
“The altered brain activity after weight loss suggests that the brain becomes more active while storing new memories and therefore needs fewer brain resources to recollect stored information,” he said.

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Food Over Medicine: The Conversation That Could Save Your Life

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Nearly half of Americans take at least one prescription medicine, with almost a quarter taking three or more, as diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and dementia grow more prevalent than ever. The problem with medicating common ailments, such as high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol, is that drugs treat symptoms—and may even improve test results—without addressing the cause: diet.
Overmedicated, overfed, and malnourished, most Americans fail to realize the answer to lower disease rates doesn’t lie in more pills but in the foods we eat.With so much misleading nutritional information regarded as common knowledge, from “everything in moderation” to “avoid carbs,” the average American is ill-equipped to recognize the deadly force of abundant, cheap, unhealthy food options that not only offer no nutritional benefits but actually bring on disease.

In Food Over Medicine, Pamela A. Popper, PhD, ND, and Glen Merzer invite the reader into a conversation about the dire state of American health—the result of poor nutrition choices stemming from food politics and medical misinformation. But, more important, they share the key to getting and staying healthy for life.
Backed by numerous scientific studies, Food Over Medicine details how dietary choices either build health or destroy it. Food Over Medicine reveals the power and practice of optimal nutrition in an accessible way.
Includes recipes from Chef Del Sroufe, author of the bestselling Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook and Better Than Vegan

Read the first few pages of Food Over Medicine: The Conversation That Could Save Your Life

 

Vitamin D and the athlete: risks, recommendations, and benefits

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Stone Hearth

News Nutrients. 2013 May 28;5(6):1856-68. doi: 10.3390/nu5061856; Vitamin d and the athlete: risks, recommendations, and benefits; Ogan D, Pritchett K.; Source: Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Health Science, Central Washington University, 400 E. University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926, USA. danastorlie@yahoo.com.

Abstract

Vitamin D is well known for its role in calcium regulation and bone health, but emerging literature tells of vitamin D’s central role in other vital body processes, such as: signaling gene response, protein synthesis, hormone synthesis, immune response, plus, cell turnover and regeneration. The discovery of the vitamin D receptor within the muscle suggested a significant role for vitamin D in muscle tissue function. This discovery led researchers to question the impact that vitamin D deficiency could have on athletic performance and injury. With over 77% of the general population considered vitamin D insufficient, it’s likely that many athletes fall into the same category. Research has suggested vitamin D to have a significant effect on muscle weakness, pain, balance, and fractures in the aging population; still, the athletic population is yet to be fully examined. There are few studies to date that have examined the relationship between vitamin D status and performance, therefore, this review will focus on the bodily roles of vitamin D, recommended 25(OH)D levels, vitamin D intake guidelines and risk factors for vitamin D insufficiency in athletes. In addition, the preliminary findings regarding vitamin D’s impact on athletic performance will be examined. Source

How sugar overload can damage heart

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

HOUSTON – (June 14, 2013) – Too much sugar can set people down a pathway to heart failure, according to a study led by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).A single small molecule, the glucose metabolite glucose 6-phosphate (G6P), causes stress to the heart that changes the muscle proteins and induces poor pump function leading to heart failure, according to the study, which was published in the May 21 issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association. G6P can accumulate from eating too much starch and/or sugar.
Heart failure kills 5 million Americans a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The one-year survival rate after diagnosis is 50 percent and there are 550,000 new patients in the United States diagnosed with heart failure each year.
“Treatment is difficult. Physicians can give diuretics to control the fluid, and beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors to lower the stress on the heart and allow it to pump more economically,” said Heinrich Taegtmeyer, M.D., D.Phil., principal investigator and professor of cardiology at the UTHealth Medical School. “But we still have these terrible statistics and no new treatment for the past 20 years.”

Taegtmeyer performed preclinical trials in animal models, as well as tests on tissue taken from patients at the Texas Heart Institute who had a piece of the heart muscle removed in order to implant a left ventricle assist device by O.H. “Bud” Frazier, M.D., and his team. Both led to the discovery of the damage caused by G6P.
“When the heart muscle is already stressed from high blood pressure or other diseases, and then takes in too much glucose, it adds insult to injury,” Taegtmeyer said.
The study has opened doors to possible new treatments. Two drugs, rapamycin (an immunosuppressant) and metformin (a diabetes medication) disrupt signaling of G6P and improved cardiac power in small animal studies.
“These drugs have a potential for treatment and this has now cleared a path to future studies with patients,” Taegtmeyer said.

Swiss ball improves muscle strength and walking performance in ankylosing spondylitis

 

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Madrid, Spain, 12 June 2013: A new study presented at EULAR 2013, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, demonstrates that progressive muscle strengthening using a Swiss ball is effective in improving muscle strength and walking performance in patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS).

Patients randomised to the exercise programme showed statistically significant improvements in muscle strength with no worsening of disease activity; in addition these patients reported greater satisfaction with their treatment than those in the control group.

AS is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease affecting the spine and joints in the lower back and pelvis. 0.1-2% of the population suffers from AS, with the highest prevalence in northern European countries.2 Initial symptoms are chronic pain and stiffness in the middle and lower part of the spine, which is worse at rest and eased by exercise. However, many patients find their mobility to be significantly restricted, impacting their ability to exercise.

According to lead author Mr Marcelo de Souza physiotherapist of the Rheumatology Division, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, “exercises are recommended in the management of patients with AS, yet the benefits of specific exercise programmes are not as well defined.”

“Our study has confirmed that a progressive muscle strengthening programme using a Swiss ball significantly improves functional capacity, muscle strength, and mobility in patients with AS, with no harmful effects on disease activity,” Mr de Souza concluded.

There was a statistically significant improvement in strength in the intervention (exercise) group, compared to the control group, for the muscles used in the exercises: abdominal (p =0.003), rowing exercises (p=0.02), squat (p=0.01), triceps (p=0.021) and reverse fly (p=0.02). The intervention group also improved the 6-minute walk test* (p=0.005) at week 16.

There was also a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of treatment satisfaction at all times (p <0.001), measured using a Likert scale.†

60 clinically and demographically similar patients were randomized to either the intervention group or the control group, with 30 patients in each. Eight exercises were completed by the intervention group with free weights on a Swiss ball, twice a week for 16 weeks. Loads were reassessed and increased every 4 weeks. The control group remained on a waiting list, receiving drug therapy but without any exercise.

Source

Vitamin C may be beneficial against exercise-induced bronchoconstriction

 

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Vitamin C may substantially reduce bronchoconstriction caused by exercise, says Dr. Harri Hemila from the University of Helsinki, Finland. Hemila’s meta-analysis “Vitamin C may alleviate exercise-induced bronchoconstriction” was published in BMJ Open (7 June, 2013). Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction means the transient narrowing of the airways that occurs during or after exercise. It can cause symptoms such as cough, wheezing and the shortness of breath. Formerly, this condition was called exercise-induced asthma.

 

The Respiratory System at a Glance: “… an accessible introduction and revision text [that] provides a user-friendly overview of the respiratory system…”

Usually, the diagnosis of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction is based on a 10% or greater decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) caused by exercise. About 10% of the general population suffers from exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, but among some fields of competitive winter sports the prevalence can be up to 50%.
Previously, vitamin C was found to halve the incidence of common cold episodes in people enduring heavy short-term physical stress, which indicated that vitamin C might also have other effects on people under heavy physical exertion. The new systematic review focused on the effect of vitamin C on bronchoconstriction caused by exercise and identified three relevant randomized placebo-controlled trials. Each of the three identified trials found that vitamin C halved the FEV1 decline caused by exercise challenge test. The pooled estimate of vitamin C effect indicated a 48% reduction in the FEV1 decline caused by exercise.
Dr. Hemila concludes that given the low cost and safety of vitamin C and the consistency of positive findings in three randomized trials on EIB, it seems reasonable for physically active people to test vitamin C on an individual basis if they have respiratory symptoms such as cough associated with exercise.
Source

Sport at competitive level improves the academic performance of secondary education students

 

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Academic performance is better if young people play sports competitively, as is clear from the findings of the thesis presented by Ana Capdevila Seder at the Universitat Jaume I. The thesis has been directed by the lecturer of Teaching Body Language and director of the UJI Sports Service Carlos Hernando Domingo.
Academic performance in adolescence is a matter of concern for teachers, parents and researchers. Similarly, the sedentary lifestyle is affecting more and more children and young people, causing, among other, cardiorespiratory ailments and diseases specific to adulthood. In the adolescence, specifically among secondary education students, sports abandonment occurs massively and the main cause is focused on the lack of time to combine sport and studies.
The main results of the research conducted by Ana Capdevila show that the profile with a better academic performance corresponds to female students studying in private schools or state-subsided schools who play sports (even competitively) and with parents who have higher education and practice sport. In addition, the findings show that athlete students have better study habits and spend less time on sedentary leisure activities than non-athlete students.

Other remarkable results from the study of the assistant professor in the Department of Education at the UJI have been the positive influence that the practice of sport of parents has on children’s academic performance, and also in their sport practice, because if parents practice sport, almost 86 per cent of children do too. Similarly, the family plays a key role in facilitating that children can combine study tasks and sport. Their greater involvement in issues such as transport, food or rest increases performance.
Young athletes have scored higher on the test on study habits; especially in areas such as attitude and time schedule to study (they are more motivated to study and the reasons why they do it are more clear to them). This fact suggests the importance of arranging the free time when this time is occupied, in large part, by training and racing, and how profitable it is to invest time in active leisure instead of sedentary leisure activities, thus showing that sport at competition level improves performance and does not interfere with studies during adolescence.
The study involved 313 adolescents in the second cycle of compulsory secondary education in Castellón de la Plana, 124 of which were athletes (with a minimum commitment of 10 hours of sport per week) and 189 non-athletes. Students answered two questionnaires, the CHTE questionnaire on study habits and practice, and the PFYTL on physical activity and leisure. In addition, parents were administered a questionnaire and participants’ academic marks were also taken into account in the research.
Source

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15-minute walks taken after meals help curb risky rise in blood sugar, new GW study says

 

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

WASHINGTON, DC (June 12, 2013)—A fifteen minute walk after each meal appears to help older people regulate blood sugar levels and could reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study by researchers at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS). The study, published today in Diabetes Care, found that three short post-meal walks were as effective at reducing blood sugar over 24 hours as a 45-minute walk of the same easy-to-moderate pace. Moreover, post-meal walking was significantly more effective than a sustained walk at lowering blood sugar for up to three hours following the evening meal.
"These findings are good news for people in their 70s and 80s who may feel more capable of engaging in intermittent physical activity on a daily basis, especially if the short walks can be combined with running errands or walking the dog,” said lead study author Loretta DiPietro, PhD, MPH, chair of the SPHHS Department of Exercise Science. “The muscle contractions connected with short walks were immediately effective in blunting the potentially damaging elevations in post-meal blood sugar commonly observed in older people,” she said.
The findings, if confirmed by additional research, could lead to an inexpensive preventive strategy for a pre-diabetic condition that can over time develop into frank type 2 diabetes, she said. An estimated 79 million Americans have pre-diabetes but most have no idea they are at risk. Other studies have suggested weight loss and exercise can prevent type 2 diabetes but this is the first study to examine short bouts of physical activity timed around the risky period following meals—a time when blood sugar can rise rapidly and potentially cause damage.

DiPietro and her colleagues recruited ten people age 60 and older who were otherwise healthy but at risk of developing type 2 diabetes due to higher-than-normal levels of fasting blood sugar and to insufficient levels of physical activity. Older people may be particularly susceptible to impairments in blood sugar control after meals due to insulin resistance in the muscles and also due to a slow or low insulin secretion from the pancreas. Post-meal high blood sugar is a key risk factor in the progression from impaired glucose tolerance (pre-diabetes) to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, DiPietro said.
Participants completed three randomly-ordered exercise protocols spaced four weeks apart. Each protocol comprised a 48-hour stay in a whole-room calorimeter, with the first day serving as a control period. On the second day, participants engaged in either post-meal walking for 15 minutes after each meal or 45 minutes of sustained walking performed at 10:30 in the morning or at 4:30 in the afternoon. All walking was performed on a treadmill at an easy-to-moderate pace. Participants ate standardized meals and their blood sugar levels were measured continuously over each 48 hour stay.
The team observed that the most effective time to go for a post-meal walk was after the evening meal. The exaggerated rise in blood sugar after this meal—often the largest of the day—often lasts well into the night and early morning and this was curbed significantly as soon as the participants started to walk on the treadmill, DiPietro said.
Most people eat a big afternoon or evening meal and then take a nap or watch television. “That’s the worst thing you can do,” DiPietro said. “Let the food digest a bit and then get out and move,” she says. A walk timed to follow the big evening meal is particularly important because this research suggests high post-dinner blood sugar is a strong determinant of excessive 24-hour glucose levels, DiPietro said.
The results of this study must be confirmed with larger trials that include more people, DiPietro cautioned. Still this study monitored blood sugar levels continuously for 48-hour periods and controlled the environment carefully. The findings have tremendous public health importance in that they offer powerful evidence that smaller doses of exercise repeated several times per day have greater overall benefits to blood sugar control among older people than one large sustained dose –especially if those short bouts are timed just right.
Source

The Healing Power of Meditation

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Regular meditation practice has a powerful impact on the mind and body, rewiring the brain and bringing us all kinds of benefits: contentment and well-being, resilience and focus, better mental and physical health, and greater empathy and compassion. This wide-ranging anthology brings together pioneering Tibetan Buddhist teachers, scientific researchers, and health professionals to offer fascinating perspectives on the mind and emotions, new studies, and firsthand accounts of how meditation is being applied to great effect in health and social care today.

• Sogyal Rinpoche and Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche on how meditation unlocks the mind’s healing power
• Jon Kabat-Zinn on the benefits of mindfulness in mainstream health care
• Clifford Saron on the Shamatha Project, the most comprehensive study of the effects of meditation ever conducted
• Sara Lazar on what happens to our brain when we meditate
• Erika Rosenberg on how meditation helps us relate better to our emotions
• Dr. Lucio Bizzini, MD, on how Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy is used to treat depression
• Ursula Bates on how mindfulness supports terminally ill patients as they approach the end of their lives

Plus chapters from other innovators who apply meditation in health care and social work: Dr. Edel Maex, MD, Dr. Cathy Blanc, MD, Rosamund Oliver, and Dr. Frédéric Rosenfeld, MD.

Source: Wiley