Depression type linked to lack of nutrients, extent of metabolic syndrome

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Stone Hearth News

A low intake of folate and vitamin B12 increases the risk of melancholic depressive symptoms, according to a study among nearly 3,000 middle-aged and elderly Finnish subjects. On the other hand, non-melancholic depressive symptoms are associated with an increased risk for the metabolic syndrome. Based on these new observations, melancholic and non-melancholic depression may be separate depressive subtypes with different etiologies in terms of proinflammation and diet. The study was the first to look at these depressive sub-types separately.

“The findings have practical implications in the care of patients with depressive symptoms. For example, it may be wise to avoid medication causing weight gain among patients with non-melancholic depression, whereas melancholic depressive symptoms may call for a closer look at the quality of the patient’s diet,” says Mr Jussi Seppälä, MD, Chief of the Department of Psychiatry of the Hospital District of Southern Savo.

Melancholic depression involves typical depressive symptoms, such as a depressed mood. Non-melancholic depression is characterized by other types of symptoms, such as low self-esteem and feelings of worry and anxiety.

Among subjects with the highest folate intake, the risk for melancholic depressive symptoms was almost 50 per cent lower than among those with the lowest intake. In addition, among those with the highest vitamin B12 levels, the risk for melancholic depressive symptoms was almost three times lower than among those with the lowest levels. Both findings are new. A similar association with non-melancholic depressive symptoms was not observed.

Another novel observation is that the risk for the metabolic syndrome was twofold among those with non-melancholic depressive symptoms, as compared to those with melancholic symptoms or those with no depressive symptoms.

Mr Seppälä’s doctoral thesis “Depressive symptoms, metabolic syndrome and diet” was published at the University of Eastern Finland. The study was conducted as part of the Finnish Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Programme. The findings were originally published in Journal of Affective Disorders.

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For knees, too much or too little activity is bad

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Stone Hearth News

Both very high and very low levels of physical activity can accelerate the degeneration of knee cartilage in middle-aged adults, according to a new study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Nearly one in every two people in the U.S. may develop knee osteoarthritis by age 85, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By 2030, an estimated 67 million Americans over the age of 18 are projected to have physician-diagnosed arthritis.

Researchers at the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) previously had found an association between physical activity and cartilage degeneration. But that study focused on one point in time.

For the new study, the UCSF researchers looked at changes in knee cartilage among a group of middle-aged adults over a four-year period. They used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based T2 relaxation times to track the evolution of early degenerative cartilage changes in the knee.

“T2 relaxation times generated from MR images allow for analysis of the biochemical and molecular composition of cartilage,” said Wilson Lin, B.S., research fellow and medical student at UCSF. “There is increased water mobility in damaged cartilage, and increased water mobility results in increased T2 relaxation time.”

The researchers analyzed 205 patients, age 45 to 60, from the UCSF-based Osteoarthritis Initiative, a nationwide study funded by the National Institutes of Health on the prevention and treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Participants used a questionnaire to record their physical activity. The researchers measured T2 values of cartilage at the patella, femur and tibia of the right knee joint at baseline and at two- and four-year visits.

According to the results of the study, participating frequently in high-impact activities, such as running, appears associated with more degenerated cartilage and potentially a higher risk for development of osteoarthritis.

“When we compared the scores among groups, we found an accelerated progression of T2 relaxation times in those who were the most physically active,” said Thomas M. Link, M.D., professor of radiology and chief of musculoskeletal imaging at UCSF. “Those who had very low levels of activity also had accelerated progression of T2 values. This suggests that there may be an optimal level of physical activity to preserve the cartilage.”

The results open up numerous areas for future inquiry, including analysis of the impact of specific types of physical activity on knee cartilage health. For instance, some of the participants in the Osteoarthritis Initiative wore an accelerometer, a device with a motion sensor to record physical activity.

“In this study, we used the subjective measure of a questionnaire,” Lin said. “The accelerometers provide a more objective way to measure physical activity.”

Along with the findings on changes in knee cartilage, the study also highlighted the potential of T2 relaxation times as an early indicator of cartilage degeneration.

“Standard MRI shows cartilage defects that are irreversible,” Dr. Link said. “The exciting thing about the new cartilage T2 measurements is that they give us information on a biochemical level, thus potentially detecting changes at an earlier stage when they may still be reversible.”

Dr. Link noted that people who have a higher risk for osteoarthritis (such as family history of total joint replacement, obesity, history of knee injury or surgery) can reduce their risk for cartilage degeneration by maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding risky activities and strenuous, high-impact exercise.

“Lower impact sports, such as walking or swimming, are likely more beneficial than higher impact sports, such as running or tennis, in individuals at risk for osteoarthritis,” he said.

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Coauthors are Waraporn Srikhum, M.D., Charles E. McCulloch, Ph.D., Michael Neitt, Ph.D., John Lynch, Ph.D., Gabby B. Joseph, Ph.D., and Hamza Alizai, M.D.

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Those bouncy kids’ houses you see at carnivals?

Those bouncy kids’ houses you see at carnivals? The injury rate is up 15X

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Stone Hearth News

A new study by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital examined pediatric injuries associated with inflatable bouncers, such as bounce houses and moonwalks. Researchers found that from 1995 to 2010 there was a 15-fold increase in the number of inflatable bouncer-related injuries that were treated in U.S. emergency departments among children younger than 18 years of age. In 2010 alone, more than 30 children per day, or about one child every 45 minutes, were treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries associated with inflatable bouncers.

The study, available online November 26, 2012 and published in the December 2012 print issue of Pediatrics, found that while fractures (28 percent) and strains or sprains (27 percent) were the most common types of injuries, approximately 1 in 5 injuries (19 percent) were to the head and neck, demonstrating that use of these products can pose serious risks. Falls (43 percent) were the most common cause of injury followed by stunts and collisions. The majority of the injuries occurred either in a recreational setting (44 percent) or at home (38 percent).

“The findings from this study show that there has been an alarming increase in the number of injuries from inflatable bouncers,” said Gary A. Smith, MD, DrPH, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “It is time for us to take action to prevent these injuries. Ensuring that parents are aware of the potential risks, improving surveillance of the injuries, developing national safety guidelines and improving bouncer design are the first steps.”

The study authors point out that the injury patterns for inflatable bouncers and trampolines are very similar, and although there are national safety guidelines for trampoline use, no such guidelines exist for inflatable bouncers.

“The medical and public health community has yet to provide recommendations on the safe use of inflatable bouncers,” said Dr. Smith, also a professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. “The growing epidemic of inflatable bouncer injuries make it clear that it is time to do so.”

Until national safety guidelines are in place, parents should consider the risks before allowing their child to use an inflatable bouncer. If parents allow their child to use an inflatable bouncer, they should consider limiting use to children 6 years of age and older, requiring that an adult be present to supervise while the bouncer is in use and allowing only one child on the bouncer at a time. If more than one child will be on the bouncer at the same time, the children should be approximately of the same age and size.

This is the first study to use a nationally representative sample to examine injuries associated with inflatable bouncer-related injuries that were treated in U.S. emergency departments. Data for this study were obtained from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), which is operated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The NEISS provides information on consumer product-related and sports and recreation-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments across the country.

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The Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) of The Research Institute at Nationwide

Children’s Hospital works globally to reduce injury-related pediatric death and disabilities. With innovative research at its core, CIRP works to continually improve the scientific understanding of the epidemiology, biomechanics, prevention, acute treatment and rehabilitation of injuries. CIRP serves as a pioneer by translating cutting edge injury research into education, policy, and advances in clinical care. For related injury prevention materials or to learn more about CIRP, visit http://www.injurycenter.org.

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Burning more calories is easier when working out with someone you perceive as better

Burning more calories is easier when working out with someone you perceive as better: KSU study

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Stone Hearth News

The key to motivation in physical activity may be feeling inadequate. One Kansas State University researcher found that those who exercised with a teammate whom they perceived to be better increased their workout time and intensity by as much as 200 percent.

Brandon Irwin, assistant professor of kinesiology, was the principle investigator in a study that tested whether individuals engage in more intense physical activity when alone, with a virtual partner or competing against a teammate.

“People like to exercise with others and make it a social activity,” Irwin said. “We found that when you’re performing with someone who you perceive as a little better than you, you tend to give more effort than you normally would alone.”

For the first part of the study, college-age females exercise on a stationary bike six sessions in a four-week period. They told participants to ride the bike as long as they could. On average, each participant rode for 10 minutes.

Next, the same group of participants returned to the lab for more exercise sessions, but was told they were working out with a partner in another lab whom they could see on a screen. In reality, this was only a looped video. Participants also were told that their virtual partner was part of the first study and had ridden the bike approximately 40 percent longer than them.

“We created the impression that the virtual partner was a little better than the participant,” Irwin said. “That’s all they knew about their partner. In this group, participants rode an average of nine minutes longer than simply exercising alone.”

While this 90 percent increase was promising, Irwin said he and his team had a hunch that the motivation could go even further. The participants were invited back to the lab for more exercise sessions with a virtual partner. This time, though, they were told they were on a team with their partner.

“We told them they were working together to achieve a team score,” Irwin said. “The team score was the time of the person who quits first. The participants believed that in the previous trial, they didn’t exercise as long as the other person. We created a situation where the participant was the weak link.”

Participants in this team trial exercised approximately two minutes longer than simply working out alongside someone. However, Irwin added that the results look different over time.

“This was an average, but over time the difference got much bigger,” he said. “In the beginning, the participants were exercising about a minute longer than the partner group. By the last session, participants in the team group were exercising almost 160 percent longer than those in the partner group, and nearly 200 percent longer than those exercising as individuals.”

Irwin said this might be because those who believed they were exercising with a partner built a rapport over time and didn’t want to let the partner down. He said the team was initially surprised at the drastic increase over time in participants working out with a teammate.

“If they’re constantly working out with someone who’s beating them, we wondered how motivated people would be to keep coming back and getting beat again,” Irwin said. “It turned out to be exactly the opposite. Over time, it can be very motivating, as long as the conditions are right.”

Irwin said research has shown that if an exercise partner or teammate is roughly at the same level or is exponentially better, the motivation disappears. He and his team found that a partner who worked at a level approximately 40 percent better was optimal.

“In certain fitness goals, like preparing to run a marathon, consider exercising not only with someone else, but with someone who is that much better,” Irwin said. “For an extra boost, consider some type of team exercise that involves competition, like playing basketball at a regular time throughout the week.”

In the future, Irwin wants to continue using virtual partners to increase the time and intensity of physical activity, but he hopes to move beyond false partners.

“I want to partner people up with actual individuals, not just prerecorded workout partners,” he said. “Similar to matchmaking software for romantic relationships online, individuals from different sides of the country could be matched up based on their fitness goals and levels. Using technology, you could run with someone using your smartphones.”

Irwin is currently researching this option and hopes to bring it to fruition within the next several years.

Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga

Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Stone Hearth News

Hell-Bent explores a fascinating, often surreal world at the extremes of American yoga. Benjamin Lorr walked into his first yoga studio on a whim, overweight and curious, and quickly found the yoga reinventing his life.

He was studying Bikram Yoga (or “hot yoga”) when a run-in with a master and competitive yoga champion led him into an obsessive subculture—a group of yogis for whom eight hours of practice a day in 110- degree heat was just the beginning.

So begins a journey.

Populated by athletic prodigies, wide-eyed celebrities, legitimate medical miracles, and predatory hucksters, it’s a nation-spanning trip—from the jam-packed studios of New York to the athletic performance labs of the University of Oregon to the stage at the National Yoga Asana Championship, where Lorr competes for glory.

The culmination of two years of research, and featuring hundreds of interviews with yogis, scientists, doctors, and scholars, Hell-Bent is a wild exploration.  A look at the science behind a controversial practice, a story of greed, narcissism, and corruption, and a mind-bending tale of personal transformation, it is a book that will not only challenge your conception of yoga, but will change the way you view the fragile, inspirational limits of the human body itself.

FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE SUPERFIGHT HEADLINES UFC® 156 IN LAS VEGAS ON FEBRUARY 2

FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE SUPERFIGHT HEADLINES UFC^® 156

IN LAS VEGAS ON FEBRUARY 2Plus:ALISTAIR OVEREEM vs. ‘BIGFOOT’ SILVARASHAD EVANS vs. ROGERIO ‘LIL NOG’ NOGUEIRAJON FITCH vs. DEMIAN MAIA TICKETS FOR UFC^® 156: ALDO vs. EDGARAT MANDALAY BAY EVENTS CENTERON SALE FRIDAY, NOV. 30

Las Vegas, Nevada – The biggest weekend in sports just got a little bigger. The Ultimate Fighting Championship^® announced today that it will be returning to the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday, Feb. 2 with a featherweight title superfight between reigning champion Jose Aldo and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

Plus, former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem* returns to the Octagon^® to battle the heavy-handed Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, while former UFC light heavyweight champion “Suga” Rashad Evans meets Rogerio “Lil Nog” Nogueira in a pivotal 205-pound clash. An exciting welterweight bout will also take place, as Jon Fitch meets Demian Maia.

Held on the same weekend as the biggest football game of the year, there’s no doubt that the UFC is bringing out its big guns on Feb. 2.

“Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar is a fight the fans have wanted to see for a long time and on Feb. 2, the superfight is going to happen,” UFC President Dana White said. “Our fights on Super Bowl weekend are always some of the biggest and best and this year will be no different. In addition to the Aldo vs. Edgar featherweight title fight, we’ve got Alistair Overeem vs. ‘Bigfoot’ Silva, Rashad Evans vs. ‘Lil Nog,’ and Jon Fitch taking on Demian Maia.”

Tickets for UFC^®156: ALDO vs. EDGAR, presented by BUD LIGHT^®, go on sale Friday, Nov. 30 at noon PT and are priced at $750, $500, $350, $225, $125 and $75. Tickets will be available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC^® Fight Club^™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, Nov. 28 at noon PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, Nov. 29, starting at noon PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC^®156: ALDO vs. EDGAR will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.

*Overeem’s participation in the event is pending approval and licensing by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com.  All bouts live and subject to change.

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship^®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter^®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed^® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM^®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo^® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.