Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Yoga improves cardiovascular risk factors, including central obesity and blood pressure: Diabetol Metab Syndr.

 


 
Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2015 Apr 30;7:40. doi: 10.1186/s13098-015-0034-3. eCollection 2015.
Effects of 1-year yoga on cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged and older adults with metabolic syndrome: a randomized trial.
Siu PM1, Yu AP1, Benzie IF1, Woo J2.
Author information
1Department of Health Technology and Informatics, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong China.
2Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong China.

Abstract

  
BACKGROUND:

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a clustering of cardiovascular risk factors, which is associated with diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Lifestyle interventions applied to people with MetS has considerable beneficial effects on disease preventive outcomes. This study aimed to examine the effects of 1-year of yoga exercise on the cardiovascular risk factors including central obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia andhyperglycemia in middle-aged and older Hong Kong Chinese adults with MetS
  
METHODS:

Adults diagnosed with MetS using National Cholesterol Education Program criteria (n = 182; mean ± SD age = 56 ± 9.1) were randomly assigned to a 1-year yoga intervention group or control group. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were examined at baseline, midway, and on completion of the study. Physical activity level and caloric intake were assessed and included in the covariate analyses.

RESULTS:

A reduction of the number of diagnostic components for MetS was found to be associated with the yoga intervention. Waist circumference was significantly improved after the 1-year yoga intervention. A trend towards a decrease in systolic blood pressure was observed following yoga intervention.

CONCLUSION:

These results suggest that yoga exercise improves the cardiovascular risk factors including central obesity and blood pressure in middle-aged and older adults with MetS. These findings support the complementary beneficial role of yoga in managing MetS.

Source
 
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Physical Exercise Counteracts Genetic Susceptibility to Depression: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna

 

     
  


Neuropsychobiology. 2015 May 13;71(3):168-175. [Epub ahead of print]
Physical Exercise Counteracts Genetic Susceptibility to Depression.
Haslacher H1, Michlmayr M, Batmyagmar D, Perkmann T, Ponocny-Seliger E, Scheichenberger V, Pilger A, Dal-Bianco P, Lehrner J, Pezawas L, Wagner O, Winker R.
Author information
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
 
Abstract
 
BACKGROUND/AIMS:
 
Depression is a highly prevalent disorder in elderly individuals. A genetic variant (rs6265) of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) impacting on emotion processing is known to increase the risk for depression. We aim to investigate whether intensive endurance sports might attenuate this genetic susceptibility in a cohort of elderly marathon athletes.
 
METHODS:
 
Fifty-five athletes and 58 controls were included. rs6265 of the BDNF gene was genotyped by the TaqMan method. Depressive symptoms were assessed by standardized self-rating tests (BDI = Beck Depression Inventory, GDS = Geriatric Depression Scale).
RESULTS:
In multivariable analysis of BDI and GDS scores, the interaction between group (athletes vs. controls) and genotypes ([C];[C] vs. [C];[T] + [T];[T]) was found to be statistically significant (BDI: p = 0.027, GDS: p = 0.013). Among [C];[C] carriers, merely controls had an increased relative risk of 3.537 (95% CI = 1.276-9.802) of achieving a subclinical depression score ≥10 on the BDI. There was no such effect in carriers of the [T] allele. In a multivariable binary logistic regression, genetic information, group (athletes/controls), but no information on rs6265 allele carrier status presented as a significant predictor of BDI scores ≥10.
 
CONCLUSION:
 
Physical exercise positively affects BDNF effects on mood. Since 66Met BDNF secretion is impaired, this effect seems to be much stronger in [C];[C] homozygous individuals expressing the 66Val variant. This confirms that genetic susceptibility to depressive symptoms can indeed be influenced by endurance sports in elderly people. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.
 
Source
 
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The powerful connection between exercise, learning, memory, and cognitive abilities

 


 
A neuroscientist transforms the way we think about our brains, our health, and our personal happiness in this clear, informative, and inspiring guide – a blend of personal memoir, science narrative, and immediately useful takeaways that bring the human brain into focus as never before, revealing the powerful connection between exercise, learning, memory, and cognitive abilities.

Nearing 40, Dr. Wendy Suzuki was at the pinnacle of her career. An award-winning university professor and world-renowned neuroscientist, she had tenure, her own successful research lab, prestigious awards, and international renown.

That was when, to celebrate her birthday, she booked an adventure trip that forced her to wake up to a startling reality: despite her professional success, she was overweight, lonely, and tired and knew that her life had to change. Wendy started simply – by going to an exercise class. Eventually she noticed an improvement in her memory, her energy levels, and her ability to work quickly and move from task to task easily. Not only did Wendy begin to get fit, but she also became sharper; she had more energy, and her memory improved. Being a neuroscientist, she wanted to know why.

What she learned transformed her body and her life. Now it can transform yours.

Wendy discovered that there is a biological connection between exercise, mindfulness, and action. With exercise, your body feels more alive, and your brain actually performs better. Yes – you can make yourself smarter. In this fascinating book, Suzuki makes neuroscience easy to understand, interweaving her personal story with groundbreaking research and offering practical, short exercises – four-minute Brain Hacks – to engage your mind and improve your memory and your ability to learn new skills and function more efficiently.

Taking us on an amazing journey inside the brain as never before, Suzuki helps us unlock the keys to neuroplasticity that can c..
 
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Your brain is what you eat

 

     
  
Debilitating brain disorders are on the rise-from children diagnosed with autism and ADHD to adults developing dementia at younger ages than ever before.
But a medical revolution is underway that can solve this problem: Astonishing new research is revealing that the health of your brain is, to an extraordinary degree, dictated by the state of your microbiome – the vast population of organisms that live in your body and outnumber your own cells ten to one.
What’s taking place in your intestines today is determining your risk for any number of brain-related conditions.
In Brain Maker, Dr. Perlmutter explains the potent interplay between intestinal microbes and the brain, describing how the microbiome develops from birth and evolves based on lifestyle choices, how it can become “sick,” and how nurturing gut health through a few easy strategies can alter your brain’s destiny for the better.
With simple dietary recommendations and a highly practical program of six steps to improving gut ecology, Brain Maker opens the door to unprecedented brain health potential.
“Dr. Perlmutter’s book is among those rare and exciting exceptions: information so empowering, so enlightening, and presented so clearly and concisely that the reader emerges far better off for the reading experience. Put this book on your short list of must-reads for health and nutrition.”—William Davis, MD, author of Wheat Belly
“The research in Brain Maker was a revelation to me. And it will be to you as well. And, most importantly, you don’t have to wait for this information to become mainstream. You can ensure your brain health-and that of your family-by following the practical program outlined here.”—Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom and Goddesses Never Age
“The single most important medical innovation in the 21st century is making the link between the gut and the little bugs that live there and nearly every chronic disease – from autism to depression, from asthma to autoimmune disease, from diabetes to dementia. Brain Maker is a game changer. For the first time, this brilliant scientist doctor connects the dots and teaches us why we need to tend our inner garden (our microbiome) and provides a radical but simple plan to reset, reboot, and renew your microbiome. This book shouldn’t be called Brain Maker, it should be called Health Maker.”—Mark Hyman, MD, author of The Blood Sugar Solution
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Saturday, May 23, 2015

Boxing Update: Danny O'connner rescheduled and ready to fight May 23, 2015

 
 
 
Boston's Danny O'Connor was originally set to fight Brooklyn's own Paulie Malignaggi Friday May 29 at Barclays center live on Spike. Paulie Suffered a cut last Wednesday will sparring and that fight was canceled. Danny's management was able to salvage all that hard work by moving him up a week to fight on todays NBC card featuring DeGale vs Dirrell. Dr. Baio caught up with Danny to get his opinion on the situation and find out who Danny will be fighting.
 
 
Dr. B: When did you hear the fight was canceled?

Do: Friday

Dr. B: How did you take Paulie dropping out of the contest?

DO: I don't plan life & I sure don't control it I only control how I react to it. I'm not crying over spilt milk I possess the tools mentally and physically to adapt and over come. Luckily I wasn't robbed of my chance to compete I am grateful that I could materialize a fight last minute and still have the chance to perform. Paul who? I'm focused on the task at hand which is Chris may 23 

Was there an option for you to stay on the Brooklyn card?

DO: Not sure if staying in Brooklyn was still a option,I think boston just made more sense for me 

Dr. B: Fighting in your home town must feel like a good second option.

DO: It's never a second option fighting at home is my first choice always I love it 

Dr. B: Will having one less week of training effect you any?

Do: No

Dr. B: Do you have any opponent yet?

DO: Chris Gilbert from Vermont 

Dr. B: Will your fight be televised?

DO: I'm the swing bout for TV

Dr.B: All the best Saturday night.

 
DO: Thank you, I appreciate the email and kind words. This is my email contact me anytime you want. 

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Most Americans Don’t Use Sunscreen

 

     
Newswise — SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (May 19, 2015) — Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the most preventable risk factor for all types of skin cancer, including melanoma. But according to new research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the majority of Americans are not regularly using sunscreen to protect themselves from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examined the results of a 2013 survey that asked participants how often they use sunscreen when outside in the sun for more than an hour. Only 14.3 percent of men and 29.9 percent of women reported that they regularly use sunscreen on both their face and other exposed skin.

A higher percentage of women reported that they regularly use sunscreen on their face (42.6 percent) than on other exposed skin (34.4 percent). This discrepancy was smaller among men, with 18.1 percent regularly using sunscreen on their face and 19.9 percent regularly using it on other exposed skin.

“Women may be more likely to use sunscreen on the face because of the anti-aging benefits, or because of the many cosmetic products on the market that contain sunscreen,” says Dawn Holman, MPH, a behavioral scientist at the CDC and the study’s lead author. “However, it’s important to protect your whole body from the sun, not just your face.”

According to the study, men were more likely than women to never use sunscreen, with 43.8 percent of men (compared to 27 percent of women) saying they never use sunscreen on their face and 42.1 percent of men (compared to 26.8 percent of women) saying they never use it on other exposed skin. The study also indicated that sunscreen use is particularly low among those with lower incomes, non-Hispanic blacks and individuals whose skin is less sensitive to the sun.

“Anyone can get skin cancer, so everyone should take steps to protect themselves from the sun,” says board-certified dermatologist Mark Lebwohl, MD, FAAD, president of the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy). “The Academy recommends everyone choose a sunscreen with a label that states it is broad-spectrum, has a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 or higher, and is water-resistant.”
More than 80 percent of the sunscreen users surveyed reported using an SPF of 15 or higher, while about 60 percent said they use a broad-spectrum formula. Almost 40 percent of users, however, were unsure whether their sunscreen provided broad-spectrum protection.

“Broad-spectrum sunscreen protects against both UVA and UVB rays, both of which can cause cancer,” Dr. Lebwohl says. “Recent sunscreen regulations implemented by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration make it easier for consumers to see on the sunscreen label whether the product is broad-spectrum.”

Follow these Academy tips for effective sunscreen use:

 1. Choose a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.

 2. Apply sunscreen at least 15 minute before sun exposure.

 3. Use enough sunscreen to cover your whole body (about an ounce for most adults), and apply it to all exposed areas, including the ears, scalp, tops of the feet and legs.

 4. Ask someone else to help you apply sunscreen on hard-to-reach spots like your back.

 5. Reapply sunscreen at least every two hours, or immediately after swimming or sweating.

“Using sunscreen can reduce your risk of skin cancer and early skin aging, but it shouldn’t be your only line of defense against the sun,” Holman says. “It’s best to combine sunscreen with other forms of sun protection. Communities can help with strategies like providing shade in outdoor areas, which can make it easier for individuals to stay sun-safe while enjoying the outdoors.”

The Academy offers these additional sun protection tips:

 1. Seek shade, especially between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the sun’s rays are the strongest.

 2. Wear protective clothing, including a long-sleeved shirt, pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, when possible.

 3. Use extra caution near water, sand or snow, all of which can reflect and intensify UV rays.

 4. If you want to look tan, use a self-tanning product, but continue using sunscreen with it.

“One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime,” Dr. Lebwohl says. “The best way to reduce your skin cancer risk is to protect yourself from UV exposure.”

For more information about how to prevent skin cancer, visit the Academy website SpotSkinCancer.org. There, you can learn how to perform a skin self-exam, download a body mole map for tracking changes in your skin and find a free SPOTme® skin cancer screening in your area. You can also find information about the Academy’s Shade Structure Grant Program, which has awarded more than 325 shade structure grants to organizations across the country that provide shade for more than half a million individuals each day. SPOT Skin Cancer™ is the Academy’s campaign to create a world without skin cancer through public awareness, community outreach programs and services, and advocacy that promote the prevention, detection and care of skin cancer.
 
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Drinking chamomile decreases risk of death in older Mexican American women: University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

 


 
Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have found that drinking chamomile tea was associated with a decreased risk of death from all causes in Mexican-American American women over 65. The findings were recently published online in The Gerontologist.
Chamomile is one of the oldest, most-widely used and well-documented medicinal plants in the world and has been recommended for a variety of healing applications. It is currently widely used as an herbal remedy in Mexico and among Mexican-Americans.
 
The study examined a seven-year period during which researchers tracked the effects of chamomile and the cause of death in older Mexican- Americans. The researchers analyzed data from 1,677 women and men from the Hispanic Established Populations for Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly, a population-based study of Mexican-Americans aged 65 and older from five Southwestern states, including Texas. Fourteen percent of the people in the study drank chamomile tea.
 
The data showed that consuming chamomile was associated with a 29 percent decreased risk of death from all causes among women compared with nonusers, even after adjusting for demographics, health conditions and health behaviors. This effect was not present in men.
 
“The reason for a difference in our reported findings between Hispanic women and men is not clear, although women were shown to be more frequent users of chamomile than men,” said Bret Howrey, assistant professor in the UTMB department of family medicine. “This difference may be due to traditional gender roles whereby women manage the day-to-day activities of the household, including family health, and may also reflect greater reliance on folk remedies such as herbs.”
 
It is unclear how chamomile use is associated with decreased mortality. Recent studies of chamomile have shown potential benefits in treating hyperglycemia, upset stomach, diabetic complications and anxiety disorder. Chamomile has also been touted for its cholesterol-lowering, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet effects. The exact pathway for the reduction in mortality represents an important area for future research.
 
###
 
Other authors include UTMB’s M. Kristen Peek, Juliet McKee, Mukaila Raji, Kenneth Ottenbacher and Kyriakos Markides.
This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
 
Source
 
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Exercise adherence goes up 70 with this new music strategy; University Health Network

 


 
TORONTO, May 20, 2015 – The use of personalized music playlists with tempo-pace synchronization increases adherence to cardiac rehab by almost 70 per cent–according to a study published in Sports Medicine -Open.

“Cardiac rehab has been proven to improve long-term survival for someone who’s had a heart event by 20 per cent,” said Dr. David Alter, Senior Scientist, Toronto Rehab, University Health Network, and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. “Our challenge is there is a high drop-out rate for these programs and suboptimal adherence to the self-management of physical activity.”

In Dr. Alter’s study, each research subject’s personalized playlist was the music genre they enjoyed with tempos that matched their pre-determined walking or running pace.

“The music tempo-pace synchronization helps cue the person to take their next step or stride and helps regulate, maintain and reinforce their prescribed exercise pace,” explained Dr. Alter, who is also Research Chair in Cardiovascular Prevention and Metabolic Rehabilitation at Toronto Rehab, UHN.

Thirty-four cardiac rehabilitation patients from Toronto Rehab participated in the study: one third of the patients didn’t have any music during their cardiac rehab exercises; and the other two-thirds had audio devices with personalized music playlists during their cardiac rehab exercises. Among those who had music, half received tempo-pace synchronized audio devices, which means their music playlists were sonically modified by embedding extra rhythmic beats–called rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS)–to further enhance tempo-pace synchronization. Patients receiving RAS were unaware that their music playlists had been modified.

The patients who used the personalized music playlists with tempo-pace synchronization did an average of 105.4 minutes more exercise than patients who did not use music. Patients who received RAS had the greatest increase in their total physical activity, achieving 261.1 minutes or more of weekly physical activity than their music or non-music playlist counterparts–corresponding to a 70 per cent increase in weekly exercise.

If this average increase of exercise was sustained for an average 65-year-old male patient, it would correlate with a projected life-expectancy increase of two and a half years,” said Dr. Alter.
Future clinical trials will be designed to further test the clinical application of tempo-pace synchronized music playlists with and without RAS in cardiac rehab patients.

###
 
This study was supported by a grant from the Ontario Centres of Excellence. Dr. Alter’s work is supported by a Research Chair in Cardiovascular Prevention and Metabolic Rehabilitation at Toronto Rehab, UHN and a career-investigator award with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Ontario Provincial Office.

Source
 
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Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Oral Steroids for Herniated Disks Do Not Improve Pain: JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association

 


 
Newswise — Among patients with acute radiculopathy (sciatica) due to a herniated lumbar disk, a short course of oral steroids, compared with placebo, resulted in modest improvement in function and no significant improvement in pain, according to a study in the May 19 issue of JAMA.

Many patients with sciatica endure substantial pain and disability. For those who do not recover quickly, invasive procedures such as epidural steroid injections (ESIs) and surgery are commonly performed. Oral administration of steroid medication may provide similar anti-inflammatory activity, can be delivered quickly by primary care providers, carries less risk, and would be much less expensive than an ESI. Oral steroids are used by many community physicians and have been included in some clinical guidelines; however, no appropriately powered clinical trials of oral steroids for radiculopathy have been conducted to date, according to background information in the article.
Harley Goldberg, D.O., of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Spine Care Program, San Jose, Calif., and colleagues randomly assigned 269 adults with radicular pain for 3 months or less, a herniated disk, and a certain minimum measure on a disability index (Oswestry Disability Index [ODI]), to receive a tapering 15-day course of an oral steroid (prednisone; 5 days each of 60 mg, 40 mg, and 20 mg; total cumulative dose = 600 mg: n = 181) or matching placebo (n = 88).

The researchers found a small, statistically significant improvement in function (change in baseline ODI) at both 3 weeks and 52 weeks favoring the prednisone-treated group but no difference in lower extremity pain scores. Several secondary outcomes showed small but inconsistent improvements in the active treatment group relative to the placebo group.

“An important rationale for using oral steroids is the potential to decrease the need for more invasive interventions,” the authors write. In this trial, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the likelihood of undergoing spine surgery at 52-week follow-up.

 
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How vitamin E keeps muscles healthy: Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University

 

     
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Body builders have it right: vitamin E does help build strong muscles, and scientists appear to have figured out one important way it does it.

Vitamin E has long known as a powerful antioxidant, and now scientists have shown that without it, the plasma membrane, which essentially keeps a cell from spilling its contents and controls what moves in and out, cannot properly heal.

That’s a big problem for many cells, such as muscle cells, which get membrane tears just from being used.

“Every cell in your body has a plasma membrane, and every membrane can be torn,” said Dr. Paul L. McNeil, cell biologist at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University and corresponding author of the study in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine.

The scientist suspects knowing the cell membrane repair action of vitamin E has implications for muscular dystrophy, and common diabetes-related muscle weakness, as well as traumatic brain injury, resulting from collisions on a football field, battlefield, or roadway. With a traumatic brain injury, for example, one of the first events that happens is that the plasma membrane of the neurons, key cells in the central nervous system, tear.

“Part of how we build muscle is a more natural tearing and repair process — that is the no pain, no gain portion — but if that repair doesn’t occur, what you get is muscle cell death. If that occurs over a long period of time, what you get is muscle-wasting disease,” said McNeil.

The association between vitamin E and healthy muscles is well-established; for example, mammals and birds deprived of the vitamin experience muscle-wasting disease, in some cases lethal disease. A poor diet resulting in low vitamin E levels in the elderly contributes to frailty syndrome, a condition where muscles are weak and people are unsteady on their feet. The ubiquitous vitamin’s well-established role as a powerful antioxidant has led to its use in antiaging products and in helping delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by protecting neurons from free radicals.

Exactly how vitamin E protects muscle, as well as other cell types, has been unknown.

“This means, for the first time, 83 years after its initial discovery, we know what the cellular function of vitamin E is, and knowing that cellular function, we can now ask whether we can apply that knowledge to medically relevant areas,” McNeil said.

For the new study, rats were fed either normal rodent chow, chow where vitamin E had been removed, or vitamin E-deficient chow where the vitamin was supplemented. First, there was a period of training to ascertain the rats’ innate ability to run downhill on a treadmill — a challenging move for muscles, called an eccentric contraction. The exercise helps lengthen muscles and can produce the most soreness in athletes because of the high mechanical stress as the muscle contracts and lengthens simultaneously. Gravity is an additional force.

They found vitamin E-deficient rats were generally deficient in their running ability compared with controls and made significantly more visits to a grid, despite the fact that they received a mild electric shock when they stood there. The scientists also administered a dye that could not permeate an intact plasma membrane and found it easily penetrated the muscle cells of vitamin E-deficient rats. McNeil notes that a healthy cell makes a patch within a minute and has completely restored the cell membrane within a few minutes. Later examination of the quadriceps muscle fibers under a microscope showed rats fed normal chow or chow where vitamin E had been restored were essentially the same. The large thigh muscle fibers in rats fed vitamin E-deficient chow were smaller and inflamed.

While exactly how free radicals, or reactive oxygen species, interfere with important cell membrane repair remains a mostly unanswered question, McNeil suspects they basically get in the way. Free radicals are essentially waste products produced by normal body functions, such as using oxygen, as well as exposures to cigarette smoke and other air pollutants and chemicals. Because it’s lipid-soluble, vitamin E can actually insert itself into the membrane to prevent free radicals from attacking. It also can help keep phospholipids, a major membrane component, compliant so they can better repair after a tear. For example, exercise causes the muscle cell powerhouse, the mitochondria, to burn a lot more oxygen than normal and so produce more free radicals while the physical force tears the membrane. Vitamin E enables adequate plasma membrane repair despite the oxidant challenge, helping keep the situation in check. McNeil’s finding that vitamin E is essential to rapid cell membrane repair, and ultimately cell survival, likely holds up across different cell types because, in culture at least, when the scientists have treated a number of different cells types with vitamin E, they documented similar enhanced cell membrane repair.

“The major medical significance here is yet to be uncovered,” McNeil said, but could one day mean not just supplements to aid sluggish membrane repair in diseases such as muscular dystrophy, but preventive therapy for high-risk individuals such as astronauts or soldiers.

McNeil’s 2011 study in Nature Communications indicated that, at least in cell culture, one way vitamin E keeps muscles healthy is by enabling cell membrane repair. Those studies linked the antioxidant and membrane repair benefits of vitamin E. Muscle cells in culture repaired better when vitamin E was added; when cells were exposed to free radicals, repair failed. Those findings led McNeil to see if the findings held up in research rats. Still earlier work showed that muscle cells were more fragile and membrane tears more common in muscular dystrophy. Good sources of vitamin E include vegetable oils; nuts; seeds such as sunflower seeds; green leafy vegetables; and fortified breakfast cereals, fruit juices, and margarine, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Source
 
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Skipping meals linked to abdominal weight gain: Ohio State University

 


 
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study in animals suggests that skipping meals sets off a series of metabolic miscues that can result in abdominal weight gain.
In the study, mice that ate all of their food as a single meal and fasted the rest of the day developed insulin resistance in their livers – which scientists consider a telltale sign of prediabetes. When the liver doesn’t respond to insulin signals telling it to stop producing glucose, that extra sugar in the blood is stored as fat.

These mice initially were put on a restricted diet and lost weight compared to controls that had unlimited access to food. The restricted-diet mice regained weight as calories were added back into their diets and nearly caught up to controls by the study’s end.

But fat around their middles – the equivalent to human belly fat – weighed more in the restricted-diet mice than in mice that were free to nibble all day long. An excess of that kind of fat is associated with insulin resistance and risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

“This does support the notion that small meals throughout the day can be helpful for weight loss, though that may not be practical for many people,” said Martha Belury, professor of human nutrition at The Ohio State University and senior author of the study. “But you definitely don’t want to skip meals to save calories because it sets your body up for larger fluctuations in insulin and glucose and could be setting you up for more fat gain instead of fat loss.”

The research is published online in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.

Belury and colleagues were able to tie these findings to the human tendency to skip meals because of the behavior they expected to see – based on previous work – in the mice on restricted diets. For three days, these mice received half of the calories that were consumed daily by control mice. Food was gradually added so that by day six, all mice received the same amount of food each day.
But the mice that had been on restricted diets developed gorging behavior that persisted throughout the study, meaning they finished their day’s worth of food in about four hours and then ended up fasting for the next 20 hours.

“With the mice, this is basically bingeing and then fasting,” Belury said. “People don’t necessarily do that over a 24-hour period, but some people do eat just one large meal a day.”

The gorging and fasting in these mice affected a host of metabolic measures that the researchers attributed to a spike and then severe drop in insulin production. In mice that gorged and then fasted, the researchers saw elevations in inflammation, higher activation of genes that promote storage of fatty molecules and plumper fat cells – especially in the abdominal area – compared to the mice that nibbled all day.

To check for insulin resistance, the scientists used a sophisticated technique to assess glucose production. The liver pumps out glucose when it receives signals that insulin levels are low – for example, while people sleep, the liver supplies glucose to the brain. But that production stops after a meal, when insulin is released by the pancreas and performs its main task of removing sugar from the blood and shepherding the glucose to multiple types of cells that absorb it for energy.
With this research technique, Belury and colleagues found that glucose lingered in the blood of mice that gorged and fasted – meaning the liver wasn’t getting the insulin message.

“Under conditions when the liver is not stimulated by insulin, increased glucose output from the liver means the liver isn’t responding to signals telling it to shut down glucose production,” Belury said. “These mice don’t have type 2 diabetes yet, but they’re not responding to insulin anymore and that state of insulin resistance is referred to as prediabetes.”

Insulin resistance is also a risk for gaining abdominal fat known as white adipose tissue, which stores energy.

“Even though the gorging and fasting mice had about the same body weights as control mice, their adipose depots were heavier. If you’re pumping out more sugar into the blood, adipose is happy to pick up glucose and store it. That makes for a happy fat cell – but it’s not the one you want to have. We want to shrink these cells to reduce fat tissue,” Belury said.

###

This work was supported by the Carol S. Kennedy endowment, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, a Pelotonia graduate fellowship and grants from the National Institutes of Health.

Co-authors include Kara Kliewer, Jia-Yu Ke, Hui-Young Lee, Michael Stout and Rachel Cole of the Department of Human Sciences at Ohio State; and Varman Samuel and Gerald Shulman of Yale University.

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“Natural” Sounds Improve Mood and Productivity, Acoustical Society of America Study Finds

 

     
Newswise — WASHINGTON, D.C., May 19, 2015 — Playing natural sounds such as flowing water in offices could boosts worker moods and improve cognitive abilities in addition to providing speech privacy, according to a new study from researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. They will present the results of their experiment at the 169th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, held May 18-22, 2015 in Pittsburgh.
An increasing number of modern open-plan offices employ sound masking systems that raise the background sound of a room so that speech is rendered unintelligible beyond a certain distance and distractions are less annoying.
“If you’re close to someone, you can understand them. But once you move farther away, their speech is obscured by the masking signal,” said Jonas Braasch, an acoustician and musicologist at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York.
Sound masking systems are custom designed for each office space by consultants and are typically installed as speaker arrays discretely tucked away in the ceiling. For the past 40 years, the standard masking signal employed is random, steady-state electronic noise — also known as “white noise.”
Braasch and his team are currently testing whether masking signals inspired by natural sounds might work just as well, or better, than the conventional signal. The idea was inspired by previous work by Braasch and his graduate student Mikhail Volf, which showed that people’s ability to regain focus improved when they were exposed to natural sounds versus silence or machine-based sounds.
Recently, Braasch and his graduate student Alana DeLoach built upon those results to start a new experiment. In this ongoing work, they expose 12 human participants to three different sound stimuli while performing a task that requires them to pay close attention: typical office noises with the conventional random electronic signal; an office soundscape with a “natural” masker; and an office soundscape with no masker. The test subjects only encounter one of the three stimuli per visit.
The natural sound used in the experiment was designed to mimic the sound of flowing water in a mountain stream. “The mountain stream sound possessed enough randomness that it did not become a distraction,” DeLoach said. “This is a key attribute of a successful masking signal.”
At large, they want to find out if workers who are listening to natural sounds are more productive and overall in better moods than the workers exposed to traditional masking signals.
Braasch said using natural sounds as a masking signal could have benefits beyond the office environment. “You could use it to improve the moods of hospital patients who are stuck in their rooms for days or weeks on end,” Braasch said.
For those who might be wary of employers using sounds to influence their moods, Braasch argued that using natural masking sounds is no different from a company that wants to construct a new building near the coast so that its workers can be exposed to the soothing influence of ocean surf.
“Everyone would say that’s a great employer,” Braasch said. “We’re just using sonic means to achieve that same effect.”
Forest Sounds: with Soft Rains & Gentle Winds (Nature Sounds, Deep Sleep Music, Meditation, Relaxation Sounds of Nature)

  
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High heeled shoe injuries increasing: University of Alabama at Birmingham

 


 
  
Gerald McGwin, Ph.D., professor and vice chair, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, has just published a paper on the epidemiology of injuries from high heeled shoes.
Using data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, McGwin looked at 3,294 injuries treated in emergency departments within the United States from 2002 to 2012. Results suggest that high-heel related injuries have nearly doubled in that period.
Women between 20-29 years of age had the highest injury rate. The Cannes film festival is in the news today for requiring women to wear high heeled shoes.
Study published online on May 12, in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery.
UAB has a broadcast quality studio. Learn more about Dr. McGwin here: http://www.soph.uab.edu/faculty/epi/gerald_mcgwin
  
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Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Mortality rate negatively associated with level of physical activity: University Hospital of St-Etienne-Lyon, France

 


 
  
Even exercise of short duration and low intensity has life expectancy benefits for the elderly. Such conclusions have been well examined in the general population, where a recommended exercise program of 30 minutes at least five days a week (or 150 minutes per week) has been shown to reduce the average risk of death by 30 percent.
However, such a correlation between the level of physical activity and risk of death has not been so clearly determined in the elderly. Indeed, most physical activity guidelines are the same for the middle-aged adults as for the elderly, even though it is estimated that over 60% of the elderly are unable to achieve this same level of exercise.
Now, a study in a French cohort of more than 1000 elderly subjects (the PROOF study) has found a negative correlation between their level of physical activity and risk of all-cause death, suggesting that in the elderly (as in other population groups) the risk of death decreases with greater and more regular exercise.
The results of the study are presented today at EuroPRevent 2015 by Dr David Hupin from the Department of Clinical and Exercise Physiology at the University Hospital of St-Etienne-Lyon, France.1
  
Subjects were enrolled in the study at age 65 in 2001 and followed-up for 13 years. During that follow-up their level of physical activity was monitored and categorised according to five levels of MET-h values per week: <1; 1-3.74; 3-75-7.49 (equivalent to brisk walking for up to 150 minutes per week, and the recommended activity level); 7.5-15; and >15 MET-h per week.2 Mortality and cardiovascular events were recorded over the follow-up period and associated with exercise levels.
Results showed that around 10% of the eligible cohort died during the follow-up period. However, the risk of death was calculated to be 57% lower in those whose activity level was equal to or higher than the recommended 150 minutes per week (7.5-15 MET-h per week). And furthermore, those doing a very low level of physical activity per week (1-3.74 MET-h/week) had 51% lower risk of death than those doing the very minimum (<1 MET-h/week). These differences in risk were statistically significant.
There were other significant findings too – notably that starting or restarting physical activity during retirement reduced the risk of death by two-thirds, but in contrast any reduction, even in low levels of activity, exposed the elderly to a higher risk of death.
In commenting on the results, Dr Hupin said several conclusions might be drawn but notably that the level of physical activity in the elderly was negatively associated with mortality rate in a “dose-dependent” way and that even a low level of exercise below current recommendations had some protective effect.
As a simple rule for the elderly Dr Hupin recommended that at least 15 minutes of physical activity for five days a week would be a suitable first target for the elderly. “This could include brisk walking, cycling, swimming or gymnastics,” he suggested, “all possibly associated with leisure time physical activity or daily life activities.”
Dr Hupin emphasised that the widespread acceptance of this message would encourage more elderly people to include even “low doses” of physical activity in their usual daily activities, without experiencing high levels of fatigue or of pain. “This message should be relayed by general practitioners, who play a key and essential role in promoting exercise behaviour in the elderly,” he said. “Even a little is good, and more may be better.”
The findings from this PROOF study were confirmed in a meta-analysis preformed by the same group and reported at this same EuroPRevent congress.3 This analysis, drawing on data involving almost 120,000 subjects, found that “low-dose” moderate-to-vigorous physical activity – of, say, 75 minutes per week or 15 minutes per day – significantly reduced mortality in the elderly. Based on the results, Dr Hupin said that a revision of the recommendations for physical activity in the elderly may thus be warranted and beneficial – low dose physical activity can significantly reduce mortality. In this meta-analysis a low dose of activity resulted in a mortality rate reduction of 22%.
###
Notes
1. Hupin D, Roche F, Gremeaux V, et al. Relation between physical activity and morbi-mortality of elderly people: the Proof cohort study. Presented at EuroPRevent 2015, Lisbon.
2. METs, or metabolic equivalents, are a measure of physiological measure expressing the energy cost of physical activities. One MET is defined as a rate of oxygen consumption of 3.5 ml/kg/min in adults, which is the rate of oxygen expended at rest. Different activities have been associated with different MET intensity. The MET “dose” is determined by three components of physical activity: intensity (MET), duration (hour) and frequency (per week).
3. Hupin D, Roche F, Gremeaux, et al. Low-dose physical activity reduces mortality in the elderly. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Presented at EuroPRevent 2015, Lisbon.
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The Effects of Barefoot and Shod Running on Limb and Joint Stiffness Characteristics in Recreational Runners

 

     
  
J Mot Behav. 2015 May 15:1-7. [Epub ahead of print]
The Effects of Barefoot and Shod Running on Limb and Joint Stiffness Characteristics in Recreational Runners.
Sinclair J1, Atkins S, Taylor PJ.
Author information
  
1a Centre for Applied Sport and Exercise Sciences, School of Sport Tourism and Outdoors, University of Central Lancashire , Preston , England.

Abstract

The authors aimed to determine the effects of barefoot (BF) and several commercially available barefoot-inspired (BFIS) footwear models on limb and joint stiffness characteristics compared with conventional footwear (CF).
Fifteen male participants ran over a force platform at 4.0 m.s-1, in BF, BFIS, and CF conditions.
Measures of limb and joint stiffness were calculated for each footwear.
The results indicate that limb and knee stiffness were greater in BF and minimalist BFIS than in CF.
CF and more structured BFIS were associated with a greater ankle stiffness compared with BF and minimalist BFIS.
These findings serve to provide further insight into the susceptibility of runners to different injury mechanisms as a function of footwear.

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Despite the limited effects on BMI, exercise is associated with beneficial changes in body composition: Med Sci Sports Exerc.

 


 
  
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2015 May 12. [Epub ahead of print]
The Prospective Association Between Different Types of Exercise and Body Composition.
Drenowatz C1, Hand GA, Sagner M, Shook RP, Burgess S, Blair SN.
Author information
  
11Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 2School of Public health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 3European Society of Lifestyle Medicine, Paris, FRANCE 4Department of Kinesiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 5College of Nursing, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 6Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

Despite the widely accepted benefits of exercise on chronic disease risk, there remains controversy on the role of exercise in weight loss. This study examined the effect of different exercise types on measures of adiposity across different fat categories.

METHODS:

A total of 348 young adults (49% male; 28±4 years), participating in an ongoing observational study, provided valid data over a period of 12 months. Fat mass (FM) and lean mass (LM) were measured via dual x-ray absorptiometry every 3 months. Percent body fat (BF) was calculated and used to differentiate between normal fat, over fat and obese participants. At each measurement time point participants reported engagement (min/week) in aerobic exercise, resistance exercise and other exercise.

RESULTS:

Most participants (93%) reported some exercise participation during the observation period. Total exercise or specific exercise types did not significantly affect subsequent BMI after adjusting for sex, ethnicity, age and baseline values of adiposity and exercise. Resistance exercise affected lean mass (p<0.01) and fat mass (p<0.01), while aerobic exercise only affected fat mass (p<0.01). Any exercise type positively affected lean mass in normal fat participants (p<0.04). In overfat and obese participants fat mass was reduced with increasing resistance exercise (p≤0.02) but not with aerobic exercise (p≥0.09). Additionally adjusting for objectively assessed total physical activity level did not change these results.

CONCLUSION:

Despite the limited effects on BMI, exercise was associated with beneficial changes in body composition. Exercise increased lean mass in normal fat participants and reduced fat mass in overfat and obese adults. Adults with excess body fat may benefit particularly from resistance exercise.

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The modified sit-up may be a better exercise selection than the traditional US Army sit-up to train the abdominal muscles: Human Performance Laboratory at Montclair State University

 


 
  
J Strength Cond Res. 2015 May 11. [Epub ahead of print]
The effect of the traditional versus a modified bent-knee sit-up on abdominal and hip flexor muscle EMG activity.
Sullivan W1, Gardin FA, Bellon CR, Leigh S.
Author information
  
1Research was conducted at the Human Performance Laboratory at Montclair State University, Institution of all authors and mailing address: Department of Exercise Science & Physical Education, Montclair State University, Montclair NJ, 07043 USA.

Abstract

The traditional sit-up may be a poor choice for core strength training due to its focus on hip flexion.
The purpose of this study was to determine differences in abdominal and hip flexor muscle activation and trunk and hip kinematics between the traditional US Army sit-up and a modified sit-up focusing on trunk flexion.
Eighteen trained males performed 30 seconds of repetitions of each sit-up style while muscle activation of the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), and rectus femoris (RF) was recorded using electromyography (EMG).
Trunk and hip kinematics were measured using 2-D videography.
Maximum and mean muscle activation, integrated EMG (iEMG), and trunk and hip flexion were compared using a repeated measures design.
Maximum EMG of the RF and EO, and mean EMG and iEMG of the RF were greater during the traditional sit-up.
In contrast, mean EMG and iEMG of the RA and EO were greater during the modified sit-up.
Peak trunk flexion was greater during the modified sit-up and peak hip flexion was greater during the traditional sit-up.
The greater RF EMG activity and peak hip flexion during the traditional sit-up suggest a greater emphasis on hip flexion during this sit-up style, which may result in lumbar hyperextension.
The greater RA and EO activity and peak trunk flexion during the modified sit-up suggest a greater emphasis on trunk flexion during this exercise, which may decrease the lumbar spine load.
Therefore, the modified sit-up may be a better exercise selection to train the abdominal muscles.

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Fitness should be considered a “vital sign” in middle-aged and older adults

 


 
  
Am J Cardiol. 2015 Apr 18. pii: S0002-9149(15)01122-4. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2015.04.024. [Epub ahead of print]
Reduced Walking Speed and Distance as Harbingers of the Approaching Grim Reaper.
Franklin BA1, Brinks J2, Sacks R2, Trivax J2, Friedman H2.
Author information
  
1Beaumont Health System, Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Performance Clinic, Royal Oak, Michigan. Electronic address: bfranklin@beaumont.edu.
2Beaumont Health System, Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Performance Clinic, Royal Oak, Michigan.

Abstract

Although treadmill exercise testing can provide an assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness, which serves as an independent prognostic indicator, numerous studies now suggest that usual gait speed, time, or distance covered during walk performance tests and weekly walking distance/time are powerful predictors of mortality and future cardiovascular events in selected patients. This review summarizes the relation between these variables and their association with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, with specific reference to potential underlying mechanisms and implications for the clinician. Contemporary health care providers have escalating opportunities to promote lifestyle physical activity using pedometers, accelerometers, and smartphone-based health and wellness applications. In conclusion, fitness and/or ambulatory indexes should be considered a “vital sign” in middle-aged and older adults.

Source

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Effect of a High-Intensity Exercise Program on Physical Function and Mental Health in Nursing Home Residents with Dementia

 

     
  
PLoS One. 2015 May 14;10(5):e0126102. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126102.
Effect of a High-Intensity Exercise Program on Physical Function and Mental Health in Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: An Assessor Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.
Telenius EW1, Engedal K2, Bergland A1.
Author information
  
1Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy, Oslo, Norway.
2Norwegian Centre of Aging and Health, Department of Psychiatry, Vestfold Health Trust, Tønsberg, Norway.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Dementia is among the leading causes of functional loss and disability in older adults. Research has demonstrated that nursing home patients without dementia can improve their function in activities of daily living, strength, balance and mental well being by physical exercise. The evidence on effect of physical exercise among nursing home patients with dementia is scarce and ambiguous. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a high intensity functional exercise program on the performance of balance in nursing home residents with dementia. The secondary objective was to examine the effect of this exercise on muscle strength, mobility, activities of daily living, quality of life and neuropsychiatric symptoms.

DESIGN AND METHODS:

This single blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted among 170 persons with dementia living in nursing homes. Mean age was 86.7 years (SD = 7.4) and 74% were women. The participants were randomly allocated to an intervention (n = 87) or a control group (n = 83). The intervention consisted of intensive strengthening and balance exercises in small groups twice a week for 12 weeks. The control condition was leisure activities.

RESULTS:

The intervention group improved the score on Bergs Balance Scale by 2.9 points, which was significantly more than the control group who improved by 1.2 points (p = 0.02). Having exercised 12 times or more was significantly associated with improved strength after intervention (p<0.05). The level of apathy was lower in the exercise group after the intervention, compared to the control group (p = 0.048).

CONCLUSION:

The results from our study indicate that a high intensity functional exercise program improved balance and muscle strength as well as reduced apathy in nursing home patients with dementia.

Source
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