Zinc deficiency has serious wide-ranging health consequences

 

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Stone Hearth News

 

  

Nutrients. 2015 May 6;7(5):3252-3263.
Determination of Zinc Status in Humans: Which Indicator Should We Use?
Wieringa FT1, Dijkhuizen MA2, Fiorentino M3, Laillou A4, Berger J5.
Author information
1Institute of Research for Development (IRD), UMR Nutripass IRD-UM2-UM1, 911 Avenue d’Agropolis, 34394 Montpellier, France. franck.wieringa@ird.fr.
2Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports (NEXS), Copenhagen University, Rolighedsvej 26, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark. madijkhuizen@gmail.com.
3Institute of Research for Development (IRD), UMR Nutripass IRD-UM2-UM1, 911 Avenue ’Agropolis, 34394 Montpellier, France. marionfiorentino@hotmail.com.
4UNICEF, Maternal Child Health and Nutrition Section, No.11 street 75, 12200 Phnom Penh, Cambodia. alaillou@unicef.org.
5Institute of Research for Development (IRD), UMR Nutripass IRD-UM2-UM1, 911 Avenue d’Agropolis, 34394 Montpellier, France. Jacques.Berger@ird.fr.

Abstract

  

Zinc deficiency has serious wide-ranging health consequences and is thought to be one of the most prevalent micronutrient deficiencies in the world. However, reliable indicators or biomarkers to assess zinc status are not available at present. Indirect indicators such as the prevalence of stunting or anemia, iron deficiency, as well as more direct indicators such as plasma zinc concentrations are being used at present to estimate the prevalence of zinc deficiency in populations. However, as this paper shows by using data from a recent national micronutrient survey in Vietnam, the estimates of the prevalence of zinc deficiency using these different indicators can vary widely, leading to inconsistencies. In this paper, zinc deficiency among children is four times more prevalent than iron deficiency and 2.3 times more than stunting prevalence for example. This can lead not only to confusion concerning the real extent of the prevalence of zinc deficiency in populations, but also makes it hard to inform policy on whether action is needed or not. Moreover, evaluation of programs is hampered by the lack of a clear indicator. Efforts should be made to identify the most suitable indicator to evaluate the impact of programs aimed at improving zinc status and health of populations.

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Exercise effect on cognitive functioning questioned in new study from The Netherlands

 

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Stone Hearth News

 

  

Brain Cogn. 2015 May 5;97:32-39. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2015.04.001. [Epub ahead of print]
Domain dependent associations between cognitive functioning and regular voluntary exercise behavior.
Swagerman SC1, de Geus EJ2, Koenis MM3, Hulshoff Pol HE4, Boomsma DI5, Kan KJ6.
Author information

  

1Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: s.c.swagerman@vu.nl.
2Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands; EMGO+ Institute of Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: eco.de.geus@vu.nl.
3Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: m.m.g.koenis@umcutrecht.nl.
4Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: h.e.hulshoff@umcutrecht.nl.
5Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: di.boomsma@vu.nl.
6Department of Biological Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: k.j.kan@vu.nl.


Abstract


Regular exercise has often been suggested to have beneficial effects on cognition, but empirical findings are mixed because of heterogeneity in sample composition (age and sex); the cognitive domain being investigated; the definition and reliability of exercise behavior measures; and study design (e.g., observational versus experimental). Our aim was to scrutinize the domain specificity of exercise effects on cognition, while controlling for the other sources of heterogeneity. In a population based sample consisting of 472 males and 668 females (aged 10-86years old) we administered the Computerized Neurocognitive Battery (CNB), which provided accuracy and speed measures of abstraction and mental flexibility, attention, working memory, memory (verbal, face, and spatial), language and nonverbal reasoning, spatial ability, emotion identification, emotion- and age differentiation, sensorimotor speed, and motor speed. Using univariate and multivariate regression models, CNB scores were associated with participants’ average energy expenditure per week (weekly METhours), which were derived from a questionnaire on voluntary regular leisure time exercise behavior. Univariate models yielded generally positive associations between weekly METhours and cognitive accuracy and speed, but multivariate modeling demonstrated that direct relations were small and centered around zero. The largest and only significant effect size (β=0.11, p<0.001) was on the continuous performance test, which measures attention. Our results suggest that in the base population, any chronic effects of voluntary regular leisure time exercise on cognition are limited. Only a relation between exercise and attention inspires confidence.


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The effect of a high-intensity circuit training regimen, using only body weight as resistance

 

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Stone Hearth News

 

  

J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2015 May 5. [Epub ahead of print]
The effect of high-intensity circuit training on physical fitness.
Schmidt W1, Anderson K, Graff M, Strutz V.
Author information

  

1Department of Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI, USA – schmidtw@uwosh.edu.

Abstract

AIM:

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a high-intensity circuit training regimen, using only body weight as resistance, on physical fitness.

METHODS:

​Ninety-six recreationally active college aged subjects (53 female, 43 male) completed the study. Following baseline testing for height and weight, body composition, aerobic fitness, muscle strength and muscle endurance, subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: 7-minute circuit training (CT-7), 14-minute circuit training (CT-14), and a non-training control group (C). Subjects in the CT-7 group (females, n=17; males, n=15) were asked to complete a seven minute circuit training workout for eight weeks (three workouts per week). The CT-14 group (females, n=15; males, n=13) followed the same protocol as CT-7 through the first four weeks. For the second four weeks they increased exercise time to 14 minutes with the same 7 minute circuit performed twice consecutively. Subjects in group C (females, n=21; males, n=15) maintained their normal activity levels throughout the course of the study. RESULTS​: There were no significant differences between the groups for any variables tested prior to the exercise intervention. A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed statistically significant improvements in muscular endurance (push-ups) for both male and female subjects in the CT-7 and CT-14 groups. Males in the two exercising groups also showed improvement in muscular strength while aerobic capacity increased for females in the CT-14 group.

 CONCLUSION​:​

These results suggest that short duration, high intensity circuit training may improve muscle endurance in moderately fit populations. Slight improvements that are gender specific may also be observed in muscle strength as well as aerobic fitness.

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Even Casual Walking for an Extra 2 Minutes Each Hour May Help Prolong Life

 

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Stone Hearth News

   

 

  

Highlight
• In an observational study that followed participants for an average of just under 3 years, a “trade-off” of sedentary activity with low-intensity activity was not beneficial, but a trade-off of 2 minutes/hour of sedentary activity with an equal amount of light-intensity activity was associated with 33% lower risk of dying in the general population and a 41% lower risk of dying in the individuals with chronic kidney disease.
Previous research suggests that sitting for long periods of time may increase the risk of disease and early death.

  

Newswise — Washington, DC (April 30, 2015) — Casual walking for as little as an extra 2 minutes per hour throughout the day, rather than sitting, may have a significant benefit on longevity. The findings come from a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week. Assuming 16 awake hours per day, achieving the currently recommended duration of moderate/vigorous activities would account for only 2% of the total awake time. This leaves considerable time for low-intensity activities—such as standing—or light-intensity activities—such as casual walking—that might provide additional benefits.
Srinivasan Beddhu, MD (University of Utah) and his colleagues analyzed information on 3626 participants in the 2003-2004 National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey to examine the relative importance of low- and light-intensity activities in the general population and in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The average follow-up of participants was just under 3 years. “We hoped to understand whether lower duration of sedentary activities with higher duration of low- or light-intensity activities is associated with survival benefit,” explained Dr. Beddhu.
Using sophisticated statistical techniques, the researchers found that a “trade-off” of sedentary activity with low-intensity activity was not beneficial, but a trade-off of 2 minutes/hour of sedentary activity with an equal amount of light-intensity activity was associated with 33% lower risk of death in the general population and a 41% lower risk of death in the CKD population. The investigators noted that participants spent more than half the time in sedentary activities. Those with CKD were even more sedentary and spent more than two-thirds of the time in sedentary activities.
“Sitting for a long time strongly increases the risk of death. Our findings suggest that replacing sedentary duration with an increase in light activity might confer a survival benefit,” said Dr. Beddhu.
Study co-authors include Guo Wei, MS, Robin Marcus, PT, PhD, Michel Chonchol, MD, and Tom Greene, PhD.
Disclosures: The authors reported no financial disclosures.
The article, entitled “Light Intensity Physical Activities and Mortality in the US General Population and CKD Subpopulation,” will appear online at http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/ on April 30. 2015.

The content of this article does not reflect the views or opinions of The American Society of Nephrology (ASN). Responsibility for the information and views expressed therein lies entirely with the author(s). ASN does not offer medical advice. All content in ASN publications is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions, or adverse effects. This content should not be used during a medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Please consult your doctor or other qualified health care provider if you have any questions about a medical condition, or before taking any drug, changing your diet or commencing or discontinuing any course of treatment. Do not ignore or delay obtaining professional medical advice because of information accessed through ASN. Call 911 or your doctor for all medical emergencies.
Founded in 1966, and with more than 15,000 members, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) leads the fight against kidney disease by educating health professionals, sharing new knowledge, advancing research, and advocating the highest quality care for patients.

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Muscle weakness may contribute to tension headaches

 

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Stone Hearth News

 

  

(Reuters Health) – Strength training might help prevent tension headaches, or at least reduce their pain, according to a small Danish study. Researchers found that neck and shoulder muscles were up to 26 percent weaker in people with regular tension headaches, compared to those without. They also saw strength imbalances between sets of muscles that hold the head straight.
“In order to be able to treat tension-type headache patients non-pharmacologically . . . It is very important to work towards a further understanding of muscle-skeletal impact on tension-type headaches,” lead author Bjarne H. Madsen, a physiotherapist at the Danish Headache Center in Glostrup, said by email.

  

revious studies have found that muscle strength and weakness were associated with tension-type headaches, Madsen and his colleagues note in the journal Cephalalgia. More work is needed to determine whether the muscle weakness is a cause or effect of this most common type of headache, they write.

People with tension-type headaches may feel like they have a tight band wrapped around their head but with less pain than is felt from cluster headaches or migraines, which tend to strike one side of the head. Cluster headaches are often accompanied by sinus congestion or runny nose, while migraines cause throbbing, moderate-to-severe pain and sometimes nausea and/or vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound.

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Less sports training tied to groin injury

 

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Stone Hearth News

 

  

(Reuters Health) – Groin injuries are common in sports requiring quick direction changes, acceleration and deceleration – and they’re even more common when athletes have less sport-specific training or weaker inner thigh muscles, researchers say.
Groin injuries are common in soccer, ice hockey, rugby, Australian rules football, Gaelic football and cricket, lead author Dr. Jackie L. Whittaker of the Sport Injury Prevention Research Center at the University of Calgary in Canada told Reuters Health by email.

  

Whittaker would advise athletes to “strengthen their hip adductor muscles and ease into their sport specific training in the off season so that they are ready to go once the actual training season begins,” she said.
Adductors are the inner thigh muscles.
Coaches and trainers can also add an injury prevention neuromuscular warm-up program before practices and games, such as the FIFA11+ (bit.ly/1nyDyqA). These can reduce lower extremity injury risk and improve aspects of performance, including balance, she said.
“The other issue to consider is load management, meaning properly balanced training and recovery schedule,” Whittaker said.
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How to jump start motivation

 

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Stone Hearth News

 

  

Procrastination is the thief of time that derails New Year’s resolutions and delays saving for college or retirement, but researchers have found a way to collar it. The trick? Think of the future as now. “The simplified message that we learned in these studies is if the future doesn’t feel imminent, then, even if it’s important, people won’t start working on their goals,” said Daphna Oyserman, lead researcher and co-director of the USC Dornsife Mind and Society Center.
Through a series of scenarios, Oyserman and co-author Neil Lewis Jr. of the University of Michigan found that study participants perceived that the future was much more imminent if they thought of their goals and deadlines in days, instead of months or years.

  

Oyserman said that through this shift in time metrics, people can motivate themselves to accomplish their goals.
“So when I think in a more granular way — when I use days rather than years — it makes me feel like the future is closer,” Oyserman said. “If you see it as ‘today’ rather than on your calendar for sometime in the future, you’re not going to put it off.”
In an initial series of studies, 162 participants were asked to imagine themselves preparing for future events, such as a wedding or a work presentation, and then they were asked when this event would occur. Participants were randomly assigned to think of the event in either days, or months or years. The researchers found participants who thought of the event in terms of days reported that the event would occur on average 29.6 days sooner than those who thought of the event as months away.
A second series of studies explored whether this sense of time affected plans to start long-term saving. More than 1,100 participants were asked when they would start to save money for college or retirement. In the first case, participants were told college would start 18 years or 6,570 days in the future. In the second case, the participants were told retirement would begin 30 or 40 years in the future, or in 10,950 days or in 14,600 days.
Researchers found the participants planned to start saving four times sooner when they thought of the event in days instead of years.
Follow-up studies found that participants felt long-term saving was important, but those who were assigned to think of college or retirement starting in days rather than years felt more connected to their future selves and were more willing to save.
Oyserman said this could prompt them to set aside spending on present-day rewards in favor of long-term saving.

###

The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, is available online.

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