By Ross Weale
Does eating fiber cancel out the other calories you consume? Are all-natural products as good as they sound? Do carbs really make you fat?
Dietitian and Health magazine contributing editor Samantha Heller sorted through the most common diet myths with Ann Curry on the Today show’s “Take It Off” segment on July 21. Watch the video to learn what you really need to worry about when it comes to losing weight.
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Showing posts with label Fat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fat. Show all posts
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Many Women Struggle With Uncontrolled Blood Pressure
(HealthDay News) -- Nearly one in three Americans suffers from high blood pressure -- more than 73 million adults.But half of them -- women -- face unique challenges in controlling their blood pressure.
For instance, women with high blood pressure are more likely to be obese and have high cholesterol levels. They're also less likely than men to meet target goals for their blood pressure. And they're also less likely than men to receive medications such as aspirin, blood pressure-lowering drugs or cholesterol-lowering drugs, compared to men, recent research found.
These findings add greater urgency to the American Heart Association's ongoing "Go Red for Women" campaign, which seeks to change the perception that high blood pressure and heart disease are "male" health threats.
Most people don't know that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American women -- as well as men. An estimated 480,000 women die of cardiovascular disease every year, more than the total number of cardiovascular disease-related deaths in men, or the next four causes of death combined, according to the heart association.
Unchecked high blood pressure -- also known as hypertension -- can produce terrible systemic damage and disease. It can lead to a heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney damage, blindness and a host of other medical problems.
Despite this, a large segment of women aren't adequately addressing their hypertension.
"Only about 60 percent of women with high blood pressure are having it controlled," said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, medical director of New York University Medical Center's Women's Heart Program, and a spokeswoman for the "Go Red for Women" campaign. "When you bring your blood pressure down, you cut your stroke risk in half and risk of heart attack by 25 percent."
Part of the problem is that women tend to suffer from an increased systolic rate, said Dr. Daniel Jones, president of the American Heart Association.
Blood pressure is the force of the blood against artery walls when the heart beats and then rests. Measurement renders two numbers. Systolic pressure, the top number, is recorded when your heart beats and forces blood out to the body. Diastolic pressure is the bottom number, and is the minimum pressure that occurs when the heart relaxes between beats. The ideal blood pressure is below 120/80 mmHg, according to the heart association.
But, Jones added, "The systolic rate is more resistant to treatment through medication."
Goldberg believes that some women might be stopping their blood pressure medication without talking with their doctor, after suffering from side effects that can include insomnia, lethargy and depression.
"If the medication is a problem, we have many different medications that help," said Goldberg, author of Dr. Nieca Goldberg's Complete Guide to Women's Health.
Further complicating treatment is the perception of high blood pressure as a "man's disease," which might affect the intensity of care they receive, Goldberg said.
"Sometimes, the woman's needs aren't being met at the doctor's office," she said. "They need to ask the simple question, 'What is my blood pressure?' And if it seems a little elevated, they need to talk to a doctor about what to do to fix it."
Women also shouldn't ignore the lifestyle changes they can pursue that will lower their blood pressure, or help prevent it from rising in the first place, Jones said.
"They're not as easy to do as some things, but they are very powerful," he said.
Diet can have a big impact on high blood pressure. A recent study found that women 45 years old and older who ate low-fat diary foods were at lower risk of developing high blood pressure.
"Those [low-fat diary products] are great, because they have calcium, which is good for our bones, so there's more than one benefit," Goldberg said.
Reducing fat and salt intake is also helpful.
"When you're going to the market and buying prepared foods, purchase those that are grilled, not fried," Goldberg said. "You also should realize many condiments are very high in salt."
Quitting smoking and reducing the amount of alcohol you drink is also important for reducing your overall risk for heart attack and stroke.
On the horizon, researchers are developing a vaccine that could prove successful in moderating blood pressure. It works by inhibiting angiotensin II, a molecule that constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure.
"The potential attractiveness of a vaccine is it might be a more convenient way to manage high blood pressure in some people," Jones said.
Researchers at the 2007 American Heart Association annual meeting discussed some early encouraging results, although Jones cautioned that the vaccine is still years away from use in patients. "People should not be anticipating this is something that would be clinically available anytime in the near future," he said. "It's not anywhere close to being tested by the FDA for use."
Until then, following a healthy lifestyle and sticking with a good medication are a woman's -- and man's -- best bet for beating back high blood pressure.
"We know that a diet that is low in sodium and high in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products is very useful in both preventing and treating high blood pressure," Jones said. "I always like to remind people of the importance of simple things in lifestyle that can make a difference."
More information
To learn more about the Go Red for Women campaign, visit the American Heart Association.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Calcium Scans Help Predict Coronary Risk
(HealthDay News) -- Scanning the heart arteries for calcium deposits can help predict future cardiac problems, a new study shows, but experts aren't sure that adding such scans to routine checkups would be worth the cost."It has been shown to be predictive" of potential heart trouble, said Dr. Diane Bild, deputy director of the division of prevention and population sciences at the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, which funded the study. "Whether it is actually beneficial to the people who are screened has not been shown."
A calcium scan using computed tomography (CT) costs $300 to $600. These scans look for calcification -- hardening of the arteries caused by high blood fats and calcium deposits that can eventually cause blood vessel blockage. The scan is a potential competitor for much less expensive tests for coronary risk, such as blood cholesterol and blood pressure readings.
The new study involved more than 6,700 American men and women across a number of racial and ethnic groups -- white, black, Chinese, Hispanic -- who were followed for an average of 3.8 years. It found that the risk of a coronary event was nearly 10 times higher for those with the highest calcium deposit scores than for those with the lowest.
"This study was launched in 1999, a time when there was a lot of interest in whether this new test could predict coronary artery disease," Bild said. "A lot of studies have been done in predominantly white populations. This was one of our efforts to include minority groups."
The study does show that calcium scanning "modestly improves predictions over traditional risk factors," she said. "Several pieces of information are needed in order to understand whether this is clinically useful."
The findings are published in the March 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The cost of such scans could be reduced, according to a statement from study lead author Dr. Robert Detrano, professor of radiological sciences at the University of California, Irvine, who is traveling in China. Scans have been done for just $30 in China, Detrano noted.
"It is mostly an issue of cost," said Dr. William S. Weintraub, chief of cardiology at the Christiana Health Care System, the largest health-care system in Delaware, who wrote an accompanying editorial in the journal. "It does add to our discrimination, but it costs a couple of hundred dollars and we're not sure how you use it."
Reducing the cost would make the test more usable, and "more epidemiological studies showing its value in risk prediction would be of great value," Weintraub said.
"But I'd be uncomfortable now with the idea of recommending this for everybody, or even defining a middle ground where we are unsure how we treat people so they get this first," he said.
A calcium scan also carries some risk, since it exposes a person to radiation, Bild noted. "It would be worth it if the benefit outweighed that risk," she said. "We don't clearly have both sides of that equation established."
More information
For more on coronary calcium scans, visit the U.S. Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
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Monday, December 31, 2007
Diabetes Group Backs Low-Carb Diets
(HealthDay News) -- For the first time, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has come out in support of low-carbohydrate diets for people with diabetes who want to manage their weight.
The ADA voiced its support of low-calorie or low-carbohydrate diets in its newly published 2008 clinical practice recommendations.
The recommendations are intended to help physicians guide their patients in diabetes prevention and management.
The ADA estimates that more than 20 million children and adults are living with diabetes in the United States. However, about one-third of those people have the disease but have not yet been diagnosed, according to the association.
Prior to the release of the 2008 recommendations, the ADA did not support low-carbohydrate diets for diabetes management due to a lack of evidence supporting their safety and effectiveness.
Whether a person can stick with a diet is more important than the diet's theme, according to the association. Low-carbohydrate and low-calorie diets are equally effective in helping people lose weight over a year. However, the recommendations do also include guidelines for monitoring the lipid profiles and kidney health of people who choose a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet.
The recommendations continue to support sustained, moderate weight loss and increased physical activity for people who are overweight, obese, living with diabetes or at risk for becoming diabetic.
"The risks of overweight and obesity are well-known. We recognize that people are looking for realistic ways to lose weight," Ann Albright, president of health care and education for the ADA, said in a prepared statement. "The evidence is clear that both low-carbohydrate and low-fat calorie restricted diets result in similar weight loss at one year. We're not endorsing either of these weight-loss plans over any other method of losing weight. What we want health-care providers to know is that it's important for patients to choose a plan that works for them, and that the health-care team support their patients' weight-loss efforts and provide appropriate monitoring of patients' health."
Being overweight and physically inactive both increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the ADA. Being overweight or obese also make the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes more difficult. The 2008 recommendations state that all adults who are overweight and have an additional risk factor for diabetes should be tested for diabetes or pre-diabetes.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who have pre-diabetes can avoid diabetes if they lose 7 percent of their body weight and get more than 150 minutes of activity a week.
Developing and maintaining a disaster kit for diabetes self-management is also included in the new recommendations, along with revised guidelines for care of diabetes in older adults.
More information
To learn more about diabetes, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The ADA voiced its support of low-calorie or low-carbohydrate diets in its newly published 2008 clinical practice recommendations.
The recommendations are intended to help physicians guide their patients in diabetes prevention and management.
The ADA estimates that more than 20 million children and adults are living with diabetes in the United States. However, about one-third of those people have the disease but have not yet been diagnosed, according to the association.
Prior to the release of the 2008 recommendations, the ADA did not support low-carbohydrate diets for diabetes management due to a lack of evidence supporting their safety and effectiveness.
Whether a person can stick with a diet is more important than the diet's theme, according to the association. Low-carbohydrate and low-calorie diets are equally effective in helping people lose weight over a year. However, the recommendations do also include guidelines for monitoring the lipid profiles and kidney health of people who choose a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet.
The recommendations continue to support sustained, moderate weight loss and increased physical activity for people who are overweight, obese, living with diabetes or at risk for becoming diabetic.
"The risks of overweight and obesity are well-known. We recognize that people are looking for realistic ways to lose weight," Ann Albright, president of health care and education for the ADA, said in a prepared statement. "The evidence is clear that both low-carbohydrate and low-fat calorie restricted diets result in similar weight loss at one year. We're not endorsing either of these weight-loss plans over any other method of losing weight. What we want health-care providers to know is that it's important for patients to choose a plan that works for them, and that the health-care team support their patients' weight-loss efforts and provide appropriate monitoring of patients' health."
Being overweight and physically inactive both increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the ADA. Being overweight or obese also make the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes more difficult. The 2008 recommendations state that all adults who are overweight and have an additional risk factor for diabetes should be tested for diabetes or pre-diabetes.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who have pre-diabetes can avoid diabetes if they lose 7 percent of their body weight and get more than 150 minutes of activity a week.
Developing and maintaining a disaster kit for diabetes self-management is also included in the new recommendations, along with revised guidelines for care of diabetes in older adults.
More information
To learn more about diabetes, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Cancer Killed Almost 8 Million Worldwide in 2007
(HealthDay News) -- Cancer continues to cut a deadly swath across the globe, with the American Cancer Society reporting 12 million new cases of malignancy diagnosed worldwide in 2007, with 7.6 million people dying from the disease.
The report, Global Cancer Facts & Figures, finds that 5.4 million of those cancers and 2.9 million deaths are in more affluent, developed nations, while 6.7 million new cancer cases and 4.7 million deaths hit people in developing countries.
"The point of the report is to promote cancer control worldwide, and increase awareness worldwide," said report co-author Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, director of the society's Cancer Occurrence Office.
The number of cancers and cancer deaths around the world is on the rise, Jemal said, mostly due to an aging population. "There is increasing life expectancy, and cancer occurs more frequently in older age groups," he noted.
Lifestyle may be another reason for the rise in malignancies in developing countries, Jemal said, as people adopt Western behaviors such as smoking, high-fat diets and less physical activity.
The best way to stem the increasing number of cancer cases and deaths is prevention, especially in poorer countries, the expert said. In many developing nations, the health-care infrastructure simply isn't there to offer cancer screening and treatment for most people, Jemal added.
In developed countries, the most common cancers among men are prostate, lung and colorectal cancer. Among women, the most common cancers are breast, colorectal and lung cancer, according to the report.
However, in developing countries the three most common cancers among men are lung, stomach and liver, and among women, breast, cervix uteri and stomach.
Worldwide, some 15 percent of all cancers are thought to be related to infections, including hepatitis (liver cancer) and human papilloma virus (cervical cancer). But the incidence of infection-related cancers remains three times higher in developing countries compared with developed countries (26 percent vs. 8 percent), according to the report.
In addition, cancer survival rates in many developing countries are far below those in developed countries. This is mostly due to the lack of early detection and treatment services. For example, in North America five-year childhood cancer survival rates are about 75 percent compared with three-year survival rates of 48 percent to 62 percent in Central America, the report notes. The report estimates that 60 percent of the world's children who develop cancer have little or no access to treatment.
The report also includes a section on the toll tobacco use takes around the world. In 2000, some 5 million people worldwide died from tobacco use. Of these, about 30 percent (1.42 million) died from cancer -- 850,000 from lung cancer alone.
Jemal believes smoking is a key culprit.
"Smoking prevalence is decreasing in developed countries. So, as tobacco companies are losing market in developed countries they are trying to expand their market in developing countries," he said.
In China alone, more than 350 million people smoke. "That's more than the entire population of the United States," Jemal said. "If these current patterns continue, there will be 2 billion smokers worldwide by the year 2030, half of whom will die of smoking-related diseases if they do not quit," he added.
In the 20th century, tobacco use caused about 100 million deaths around the world. In this century, that figure is expected to rise to over 1 billion people. Most of these will occur in developing countries.
One expert agreed that many cancer deaths can be avoided through lifestyle changes.
"What is most provocative here is not the total global burden of suffering and death cancer causes, dramatic though that may be, but the variations in cancer occurrence around the world, and the insights provided about how much of the cancer burden need not occur at all," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine.
In developing countries, cancer of the uterine cervix is a leading cause of death in women, Katz noted.
"Yet this infection-related cancer is now preventable by vaccine, and long treatable when detected early using the Pap smear. As a result, death from cervical cancer in developed countries is dramatically lower. Its toll in the developing world is testimony to missed opportunities to apply our resources effectively, and equitably," he said.
Cancer of the liver, often related to hepatitis infection, is a leading cause of death in developing countries, but not so in developed countries. "Again, an infection preventable with vaccine is causing death because of inequities in the distribution and use of existing resources," Katz said.
Prostate and colon cancers are more common in wealthier countries, where they are likely related to poor diet and obesity, Katz said. "Unnecessary suffering and death are occurring in affluent countries due to dietary excesses," he said.
Katz also noted that tobacco-related cancer is largely preventable. "The toll of tobacco-related disease, including lung cancer, is an appalling example of a global willingness to tolerate preventable suffering and death for the sake of profit," he said.
These data show both developed and developing countries how to move toward the lower rates of specific cancers, Katz said.
"It will be a tragic failure for public health if instead of applying these lessons developed countries continue to export tobacco and dietary transgressions so that the developing world adds to its current cancer burden ours as well," he said.
More information
For more information on cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.
The report, Global Cancer Facts & Figures, finds that 5.4 million of those cancers and 2.9 million deaths are in more affluent, developed nations, while 6.7 million new cancer cases and 4.7 million deaths hit people in developing countries.
"The point of the report is to promote cancer control worldwide, and increase awareness worldwide," said report co-author Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, director of the society's Cancer Occurrence Office.
The number of cancers and cancer deaths around the world is on the rise, Jemal said, mostly due to an aging population. "There is increasing life expectancy, and cancer occurs more frequently in older age groups," he noted.
Lifestyle may be another reason for the rise in malignancies in developing countries, Jemal said, as people adopt Western behaviors such as smoking, high-fat diets and less physical activity.
The best way to stem the increasing number of cancer cases and deaths is prevention, especially in poorer countries, the expert said. In many developing nations, the health-care infrastructure simply isn't there to offer cancer screening and treatment for most people, Jemal added.
In developed countries, the most common cancers among men are prostate, lung and colorectal cancer. Among women, the most common cancers are breast, colorectal and lung cancer, according to the report.
However, in developing countries the three most common cancers among men are lung, stomach and liver, and among women, breast, cervix uteri and stomach.
Worldwide, some 15 percent of all cancers are thought to be related to infections, including hepatitis (liver cancer) and human papilloma virus (cervical cancer). But the incidence of infection-related cancers remains three times higher in developing countries compared with developed countries (26 percent vs. 8 percent), according to the report.
In addition, cancer survival rates in many developing countries are far below those in developed countries. This is mostly due to the lack of early detection and treatment services. For example, in North America five-year childhood cancer survival rates are about 75 percent compared with three-year survival rates of 48 percent to 62 percent in Central America, the report notes. The report estimates that 60 percent of the world's children who develop cancer have little or no access to treatment.
The report also includes a section on the toll tobacco use takes around the world. In 2000, some 5 million people worldwide died from tobacco use. Of these, about 30 percent (1.42 million) died from cancer -- 850,000 from lung cancer alone.
Jemal believes smoking is a key culprit.
"Smoking prevalence is decreasing in developed countries. So, as tobacco companies are losing market in developed countries they are trying to expand their market in developing countries," he said.
In China alone, more than 350 million people smoke. "That's more than the entire population of the United States," Jemal said. "If these current patterns continue, there will be 2 billion smokers worldwide by the year 2030, half of whom will die of smoking-related diseases if they do not quit," he added.
In the 20th century, tobacco use caused about 100 million deaths around the world. In this century, that figure is expected to rise to over 1 billion people. Most of these will occur in developing countries.
One expert agreed that many cancer deaths can be avoided through lifestyle changes.
"What is most provocative here is not the total global burden of suffering and death cancer causes, dramatic though that may be, but the variations in cancer occurrence around the world, and the insights provided about how much of the cancer burden need not occur at all," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine.
In developing countries, cancer of the uterine cervix is a leading cause of death in women, Katz noted.
"Yet this infection-related cancer is now preventable by vaccine, and long treatable when detected early using the Pap smear. As a result, death from cervical cancer in developed countries is dramatically lower. Its toll in the developing world is testimony to missed opportunities to apply our resources effectively, and equitably," he said.
Cancer of the liver, often related to hepatitis infection, is a leading cause of death in developing countries, but not so in developed countries. "Again, an infection preventable with vaccine is causing death because of inequities in the distribution and use of existing resources," Katz said.
Prostate and colon cancers are more common in wealthier countries, where they are likely related to poor diet and obesity, Katz said. "Unnecessary suffering and death are occurring in affluent countries due to dietary excesses," he said.
Katz also noted that tobacco-related cancer is largely preventable. "The toll of tobacco-related disease, including lung cancer, is an appalling example of a global willingness to tolerate preventable suffering and death for the sake of profit," he said.
These data show both developed and developing countries how to move toward the lower rates of specific cancers, Katz said.
"It will be a tragic failure for public health if instead of applying these lessons developed countries continue to export tobacco and dietary transgressions so that the developing world adds to its current cancer burden ours as well," he said.
More information
For more information on cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Low-Carb Diet May Slow Prostate Tumor Growth
(HealthDay News) -- In mice, a low-carbohydrate diet slowed prostate tumor growth, possibly because fewer carbohydrates leads to a drop in insulin production, U.S. researchers say."This study showed that cutting carbohydrates may slow tumor growth, at least in mice. If this is ultimately confirmed in human clinical trials, it has huge implications for prostate cancer therapy through something that all of us can controls, our diets," lead researcher Dr. Stephen Freedland, a urologist at Duke University Medical Center, said in a prepared statement.
Previous studies linked insulin and a related substance called insulin-like growth factor (IGF) with the growth of prostate tumors in mice. Freedland and his colleagues theorized that reducing levels of these substances might slow prostate tumor growth.
They compared tumor growth in mice eating either a low-carbohydrate diet; a low-fat but high-carbohydrate diet; or a Western diet high in fat and carbohydrates.
Mice fed the low-carbohydrate diet had the smallest tumor size and longest survival, the team found.
""Low-fat mice had shorter survival and large tumors , while mice on the Western diet had the worst survival and biggest tumors. In addition, though both the low-carb and low-fat mice had lower levels of insulin, only the low-carb mice had lower levels of the form of IGF capable of stimulating tumor growth," Freedland said.
The study is published in the Nov. 13 online edition of the journal Prostate.
Freedland is currently organizing a clinical trial to examine the impact of a low-carbohydrate diet on prostate tumor growth in men.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Weight Loss Can Control Hypertension
(HealthDay News) -- An Italian study has identified overweight as a direct cause of high blood pressure. And it also showed that up to half of overweight people can bring down blood pressure to healthy levels by weight reduction.
But the weight loss has to be achieved before the borderline to outright obesity is crossed, said Dr. Roberto Fogari, professor of medicine at the University of Pavia. He was to present the study findings Friday at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association's Council for High Blood Pressure Research, in Tucson, Ariz.
It's important that the study linked overweight to high blood pressure, which usually is described as "essential," a medical term meaning that the cause is unknown, Fogari said.
"The study suggests that, in many cases, hypertension [high blood pressure] is not essential," he said. "It is secondary to overweight. So, in the first stages of overweight, if we can induce people to reduce overweight, they can also avoid being treated for hypertension."
The study included 210 men and women whose body mass index [a ratio of weight to height] was between 25 and 29.9, indicating overweight but just short of the 30 mark of obesity. Their systolic blood pressure was between 140 and 159, and their diastolic pressure was between 90 and 99, indicating moderately high blood pressure.
An individualized low-calorie diet was designed for each study participant. Some also were prescribed orlistat, a drug that prevents fat from being metabolized.
After six months, 53 percent of the men and 49 percent of the women in the study achieved normal body weight, and a 5 percent reduction in blood pressure.
"The other 50 percent of those in the study already had abnormal changes in the vascular tree [blood vessel system], so that hypertension was no longer reversible by losing weight," Fogari said.
The implication for practicing physicians who see moderately overweight people with high blood pressure is that their first goal should be weight reduction, he said.
"Only after six months of trying to reduce the patient's weight can a decision be made about drug treatment," Fogari said.
Dr. Daniel W. Jones, dean of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, and a spokesman for the American Heart Association, said the study finding "is not new news, but it is important news."
There have been a number of previous studies showing that weight loss can reduce blood pressure, Jones said. "But this is an increasingly important problem in societies around the world," he said. "Once you gain weight, you find it difficult to lose weight, which is why we focus so much on preventing obesity these days."
As for drug treatment of high blood pressure, about half of California adults diagnosed with hypertension do not take medication for it, another report presented at the same meeting found.
The study of 11,467 persons given a diagnosis of hypertension found that 49.4 percent were not taking drugs to reduce their blood pressure, said the report by researchers at the California Department of Public Health's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program.
There were some bright spots in the picture. Compliance was more than five times higher for those who had seen a doctor in the past year than for those who had not. And the compliance rate was twice as high for persons with health insurance than the uninsured.
More information
For more on high blood pressure and what to do about it, turn to the American Heart Association.
But the weight loss has to be achieved before the borderline to outright obesity is crossed, said Dr. Roberto Fogari, professor of medicine at the University of Pavia. He was to present the study findings Friday at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association's Council for High Blood Pressure Research, in Tucson, Ariz.
It's important that the study linked overweight to high blood pressure, which usually is described as "essential," a medical term meaning that the cause is unknown, Fogari said.
"The study suggests that, in many cases, hypertension [high blood pressure] is not essential," he said. "It is secondary to overweight. So, in the first stages of overweight, if we can induce people to reduce overweight, they can also avoid being treated for hypertension."
The study included 210 men and women whose body mass index [a ratio of weight to height] was between 25 and 29.9, indicating overweight but just short of the 30 mark of obesity. Their systolic blood pressure was between 140 and 159, and their diastolic pressure was between 90 and 99, indicating moderately high blood pressure.
An individualized low-calorie diet was designed for each study participant. Some also were prescribed orlistat, a drug that prevents fat from being metabolized.
After six months, 53 percent of the men and 49 percent of the women in the study achieved normal body weight, and a 5 percent reduction in blood pressure.
"The other 50 percent of those in the study already had abnormal changes in the vascular tree [blood vessel system], so that hypertension was no longer reversible by losing weight," Fogari said.
The implication for practicing physicians who see moderately overweight people with high blood pressure is that their first goal should be weight reduction, he said.
"Only after six months of trying to reduce the patient's weight can a decision be made about drug treatment," Fogari said.
Dr. Daniel W. Jones, dean of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, and a spokesman for the American Heart Association, said the study finding "is not new news, but it is important news."
There have been a number of previous studies showing that weight loss can reduce blood pressure, Jones said. "But this is an increasingly important problem in societies around the world," he said. "Once you gain weight, you find it difficult to lose weight, which is why we focus so much on preventing obesity these days."
As for drug treatment of high blood pressure, about half of California adults diagnosed with hypertension do not take medication for it, another report presented at the same meeting found.
The study of 11,467 persons given a diagnosis of hypertension found that 49.4 percent were not taking drugs to reduce their blood pressure, said the report by researchers at the California Department of Public Health's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program.
There were some bright spots in the picture. Compliance was more than five times higher for those who had seen a doctor in the past year than for those who had not. And the compliance rate was twice as high for persons with health insurance than the uninsured.
More information
For more on high blood pressure and what to do about it, turn to the American Heart Association.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Web Sites Serve Up Dangerous Eating Disorders Advice
(HealthDay News) -- They're called pro-eating disorder Web sites. And many teens looking to lose weight -- even those who don't need to -- are logging on to these communities of individuals who engage in dangerous eating habits.
Yet many parents aren't aware the sites even exist and that their children are visiting them, researchers have found.
"Most parents would not endorse their child leaving the house at night, walking to an area of town that they themselves had never been in and meeting people that they themselves had never met," said study author Dr. Rebecka Peebles, an instructor in adolescent medicine at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University School of Medicine. "And I think that's actually what a lot of kids are doing online at home from their bedrooms."
Potentially dangerous venues include Web sites where people who engage in disordered eating gather to discuss their activities. A majority of these sites have sections where members of the community share tips and techniques "that I would consider as a physician fairly harmful," Peebles said.
Complicating matters, "pro-recovery" sites that promote recovery from eating disorders can also be a source of weight-loss or purging techniques, the researchers found.
Peebles and her colleagues sent questionnaires regarding Internet use and eating disorder information to the parents of almost 700 people who had been evaluated for an eating disorder at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital between 1997 and 2004. A total of 182 responded, including 76 teens and 106 parents.
Forty-one percent of the patients had visited a pro-eating disorder (pro-ED) Web site, while 36 percent had visited a pro-recovery Web site.
One of the problems, Peebles explained, is that even forums designed to disseminate helpful information are constantly changing and may contain content that wasn't the author's original intent. "In our study, we did find that 96 percent of patients who visited pro-ED Web sites reported learning dieting tips and purging techniques from Web sites," she said. "However, nearly half of the people who visited pro-recovery Web sites also reported learning similar tips and techniques."
A majority of parents (52 percent) didn't know whether their children visited pro-eating disorder Web sites, and 62.5 percent had no knowledge of pro-recovery sites. Half of parents of users of pro-eating disorder Web sites either didn't know whether their child visited these sites while in treatment or thought their child did not use these sites.
Peebles said the findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, underscore the need for parents to educate themselves about the Internet as a medium, so they can make consistent choices about guiding their teens' Web activity.
"I think a lot of parents are deciding by default not to be involved in their kids online activities really, just because Google, in and of itself, is scary to them," she said.
"Most of our kids are more savvy surfers than we are," agreed Cynthia M. Bulik, professor of eating disorders at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and director of the UNC Eating Disorders Program at UNC Hospitals. To stay in control, she tells parents to "hone your own surfing skills" and "keep your family-access computer in a place where everyone can see what is being surfed."
Parents also need to talk to their child about what he or she finds on the Internet, Bulik advised. And should they learn that their child is visiting eating disorder Web sites, that's a perfect opportunity to open a dialogue.
Bulik said, "I always tell parents, if your child comes home and says, 'I'm going on a diet,' or "I feel fat,' you should take it as seriously as if they were to come home and say, 'I'm trying my first cigarette' or 'I'm going to have a beer' -- time to start the conversation!"
More information
To learn more, visit the Academy for Eating Disorders.
Yet many parents aren't aware the sites even exist and that their children are visiting them, researchers have found.
"Most parents would not endorse their child leaving the house at night, walking to an area of town that they themselves had never been in and meeting people that they themselves had never met," said study author Dr. Rebecka Peebles, an instructor in adolescent medicine at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University School of Medicine. "And I think that's actually what a lot of kids are doing online at home from their bedrooms."
Potentially dangerous venues include Web sites where people who engage in disordered eating gather to discuss their activities. A majority of these sites have sections where members of the community share tips and techniques "that I would consider as a physician fairly harmful," Peebles said.
Complicating matters, "pro-recovery" sites that promote recovery from eating disorders can also be a source of weight-loss or purging techniques, the researchers found.
Peebles and her colleagues sent questionnaires regarding Internet use and eating disorder information to the parents of almost 700 people who had been evaluated for an eating disorder at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital between 1997 and 2004. A total of 182 responded, including 76 teens and 106 parents.
Forty-one percent of the patients had visited a pro-eating disorder (pro-ED) Web site, while 36 percent had visited a pro-recovery Web site.
One of the problems, Peebles explained, is that even forums designed to disseminate helpful information are constantly changing and may contain content that wasn't the author's original intent. "In our study, we did find that 96 percent of patients who visited pro-ED Web sites reported learning dieting tips and purging techniques from Web sites," she said. "However, nearly half of the people who visited pro-recovery Web sites also reported learning similar tips and techniques."
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A majority of parents (52 percent) didn't know whether their children visited pro-eating disorder Web sites, and 62.5 percent had no knowledge of pro-recovery sites. Half of parents of users of pro-eating disorder Web sites either didn't know whether their child visited these sites while in treatment or thought their child did not use these sites.
Peebles said the findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, underscore the need for parents to educate themselves about the Internet as a medium, so they can make consistent choices about guiding their teens' Web activity.
"I think a lot of parents are deciding by default not to be involved in their kids online activities really, just because Google, in and of itself, is scary to them," she said.
"Most of our kids are more savvy surfers than we are," agreed Cynthia M. Bulik, professor of eating disorders at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and director of the UNC Eating Disorders Program at UNC Hospitals. To stay in control, she tells parents to "hone your own surfing skills" and "keep your family-access computer in a place where everyone can see what is being surfed."
Parents also need to talk to their child about what he or she finds on the Internet, Bulik advised. And should they learn that their child is visiting eating disorder Web sites, that's a perfect opportunity to open a dialogue.
Bulik said, "I always tell parents, if your child comes home and says, 'I'm going on a diet,' or "I feel fat,' you should take it as seriously as if they were to come home and say, 'I'm trying my first cigarette' or 'I'm going to have a beer' -- time to start the conversation!"
More information
To learn more, visit the Academy for Eating Disorders.
Monday, May 14, 2007
New Cholesterol Check Gauges Kids' Heart Risk
(HealthDay News) -- Whether America's fast-food-and-video-game culture, or some other confluence of factors is to blame, there's no denying that adolescents' health is at risk.
Little wonder, then, that one group of researchers has begun to take a serious look at the long-term health consequences of kids' inactivity. And they are using cholesterol levels as a window into these youngsters' futures.
Obesity, inactivity and cholesterol are closely linked, and data from the latest U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) finds that 17 percent of U.S. teens are overweight. Just one in four high school students packs enough physical activity into their day, and 12 percent get little or no daily exercise, reports the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So, measuring kids' cholesterol in a really detailed way may make sense.
"There is growing scientific evidence indicating that cholesterol levels in childhood and adolescence have an effect on the development of plaque in the arteries, which is a clear indication of cardiovascular disease risk," explained study leader Ian Janssen, an assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queens University in Ontario, Canada.
"There is also strong evidence indicating that children and youth with high cholesterol will continue to have high cholesterol in adulthood," he added. "Thus, it is important to start treatment and prevention efforts early."
Using data from the NHANES on more than 6,000 kids aged 12 to 20, Janssen and his colleagues developed age- and gender-specific reference points for total cholesterol, LDL ("bad") cholesterol, HDL ("good) cholesterol and triglyceride fat levels. The new tables, published last year in the journal Circulation, take into account fluctuations in cholesterol and fat that occur as a child matures.
The new reference data are meant to improve upon current guidelines, published by the U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program, which do not account for age-related fluctuations.
Still, Janssen admits that the guidelines have not yet been routinely adapted into clinical care settings in the United States. "These sorts of changes to clinical practice typically take years to manifest," he said.
Dr. Marc S. Jacobson, director of the Center for AtherosclerosisAtherosclerosis Prevention at Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park, N.Y., said it's unclear how the new tables will be received in the United States.
"It complicates lives of people like me who treat adolescents with lipid problems because instead of just having one number, you have to have four graphs and plot them out by age," he said.
"Instead of having one cut point," he continued, "you have a graph that you have to plot out a percentile. With each lipid profile, you have to decide which percentile this is for that individual's age. And when it goes up and when it goes down, did it go down because of treatment? Or did it go down because of advancing puberty?"
The challenge, then, is to make sense of that information, he explained. "It argues that you almost have to take it into account because you could say if the LDL changes, is it the treatment or is it a change in puberty?"
Currently, the federal government recommends cholesterol screening for children and teens with at least one parent with high cholesterol or a family history of early heart disease.
"Typically high-risk adolescents should be screened, and probably every year or two," Janssen said. "A high-risk adolescent would be one who's had a parent or grandparent with premature cardiovascular disease or high cholesterol, or a teen with other risk factors, such as obesity and high blood pressure."
Other risk factors, such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or smoking, also would trigger cholesterol testing in doctors' offices, "and that covers a lot of kids now," Jacobson noted.
The issue is destined to garner greater attention when a U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) panel updates guidelines on cholesterol screening in children and teens. The new guidance is scheduled for release in April 2008, said Dr. Rae-Ellen Kavey, senior medical officer with the Pediatric Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Program in NHLBI's Office of Prevention, Education, and Control.
"Stay tuned," Kavey said, "because there really is going to be new information."
More information
Find out more about cholesterol at the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Little wonder, then, that one group of researchers has begun to take a serious look at the long-term health consequences of kids' inactivity. And they are using cholesterol levels as a window into these youngsters' futures.
Obesity, inactivity and cholesterol are closely linked, and data from the latest U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) finds that 17 percent of U.S. teens are overweight. Just one in four high school students packs enough physical activity into their day, and 12 percent get little or no daily exercise, reports the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So, measuring kids' cholesterol in a really detailed way may make sense.
"There is growing scientific evidence indicating that cholesterol levels in childhood and adolescence have an effect on the development of plaque in the arteries, which is a clear indication of cardiovascular disease risk," explained study leader Ian Janssen, an assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queens University in Ontario, Canada.
"There is also strong evidence indicating that children and youth with high cholesterol will continue to have high cholesterol in adulthood," he added. "Thus, it is important to start treatment and prevention efforts early."
Using data from the NHANES on more than 6,000 kids aged 12 to 20, Janssen and his colleagues developed age- and gender-specific reference points for total cholesterol, LDL ("bad") cholesterol, HDL ("good) cholesterol and triglyceride fat levels. The new tables, published last year in the journal Circulation, take into account fluctuations in cholesterol and fat that occur as a child matures.
The new reference data are meant to improve upon current guidelines, published by the U.S. National Cholesterol Education Program, which do not account for age-related fluctuations.
Still, Janssen admits that the guidelines have not yet been routinely adapted into clinical care settings in the United States. "These sorts of changes to clinical practice typically take years to manifest," he said.
Dr. Marc S. Jacobson, director of the Center for AtherosclerosisAtherosclerosis Prevention at Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park, N.Y., said it's unclear how the new tables will be received in the United States.
"It complicates lives of people like me who treat adolescents with lipid problems because instead of just having one number, you have to have four graphs and plot them out by age," he said.
"Instead of having one cut point," he continued, "you have a graph that you have to plot out a percentile. With each lipid profile, you have to decide which percentile this is for that individual's age. And when it goes up and when it goes down, did it go down because of treatment? Or did it go down because of advancing puberty?"
The challenge, then, is to make sense of that information, he explained. "It argues that you almost have to take it into account because you could say if the LDL changes, is it the treatment or is it a change in puberty?"
Currently, the federal government recommends cholesterol screening for children and teens with at least one parent with high cholesterol or a family history of early heart disease.
"Typically high-risk adolescents should be screened, and probably every year or two," Janssen said. "A high-risk adolescent would be one who's had a parent or grandparent with premature cardiovascular disease or high cholesterol, or a teen with other risk factors, such as obesity and high blood pressure."
Other risk factors, such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or smoking, also would trigger cholesterol testing in doctors' offices, "and that covers a lot of kids now," Jacobson noted.
The issue is destined to garner greater attention when a U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) panel updates guidelines on cholesterol screening in children and teens. The new guidance is scheduled for release in April 2008, said Dr. Rae-Ellen Kavey, senior medical officer with the Pediatric Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Program in NHLBI's Office of Prevention, Education, and Control.
"Stay tuned," Kavey said, "because there really is going to be new information."
More information
Find out more about cholesterol at the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Monday, May 07, 2007
HEALTH EFFECTS OF XENOBIOTICS
We Are All Toxic!There is not a person on this earth that does not have some hazardous chemicals in their tissues; exposure to them has been linked to several cancers and to a broad range of reproductive problems, including birth defects.
The increasing incidence of some of these conditions, and our continued exposure to a cocktail of these chemicals, is alarming. On of the patterns being observed in developed countries is the increase in chronic diseases associated with environmental factors: indeed, a quarter of all diseases have been attributed to environmental causes, and there can be little doubt that exposure to hazardous chemicals is one of them.
Hormone (or endocrine) disrupting chemicals inparticular pose a high risk to human welfare and are likely to be causing widespread harm. For example, some man-made chemicals have been linked with:
- a range of effects on the reproductive system including sperm quality and the incidence of male genital abnormalities;
- spontaneous abortion, premature deliveries and low birth weight;
- alterations in the ratio of male to female offspring; and
delays in development of, and deficits in, the mental ability of children. - In addition, some chemicals may play a role in certain diseases such as breast and testicular cancer.
It’s a Big Problem!
Global chemical production has escalated from around one million tonnes a year in 1930 to some 400 million tonnes in 2000. By the end of the 1990s, some 100,000 chemicals had been registered in the EU, of which 30,000 have annual production volumes above one tonne.
Synthetic chemicals can affect human biology in numerous ways. Many are carcinogens, others can cause birth defects, and still others can disrupt the hormone system. These chemicals, on the market today, can be found in everything from pesticides, paints and industrial detergents to cosmetics, furniture and hair dyes. Many of these xenobiotics were present in the September 9-11 calamity, as well as some of the other wars in the Middle East - polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, pesticides, phthalate esters, brominated diphenyl ethers, and other hydrocarbons.
Some accumulate over time and contaminate our water, soil and food, and some are transported long distances on air and ocean currents, so that they contaminate people living in remote areas as far away as the Arctic. Regulations have not kept up with the scale of chemical production. Most chemicals on the market and in everyday use have never been adequately assessed for their human and environmental safety. Of particular concern to World Wildelife Fund (WWF) are chemicals that are very persistent and bioaccumulative, and those that are capable of disrupting the normal functioning of the hormone (or endocrine) system.
Bioaccumulation of XenobioticsOur bodies build up over time very persistent and bioaccumulative xenobiotics – most of these will last many years and probably be one of the main causes of our mortality. This is really quite a new science as most of the toxic reference ranges set by most authorities are based on a one-dose toxic level, not on a bioaccumulative process - scientists must now put on their thinking caps and begin thinking laterally! It is probably a good idea to begin phasing these chemicals out NOW before they kill our grandchildren and great grandchildren!
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, Reproductive Problems & Obesity
Previous studies have found that exposure to phthalates—found in cosmetics, shampoos, soaps, lotions, lubricants, paint, pesticides, plastics and in the coating of some timed-release medicines - may be associated with reproductive problems. More than 75 percent of the United States population is thought to have measurable levels of several phthalates in their urine. Researchers have theorized that this class of chemicals, as well as other environmental pollutants, may be lowering testosterone levels in men and may be responsible for the substantial declines in testosterone levels and sperm quality that have occurred in the United States and other countries over the last several decades.
Animal studies have demonstrated that phthalates lower testosterone levels and recent human data has found that phthalates are associated with poor semen quality in men and subtle changes in the reproductive organs in male children. Researchers of the current study decided to investigate the effect of this class of chemicals on obesity after noting that low testosterone appears to cause increased abdominal fat and pre-diabetes in men.
Consequently, if phthalates cause a decrease in testosterone, they theorized, then it could also play a role in weight gain and insulin resistance. The scientists analyzed urine, blood samples and other data from subjects participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a large, multi-ethnic, cross-sectional sampling of the U.S. population conducted routinely by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
After adjusting for confounding factors, the researchers discovered that there was a definite link between levels of several phthalate metabolites and abdominal obesity. Men who had the highest phthalate levels in their urine had more belly fat and a greater prevalence of insulin resistance compared to subjects with lower levels.
This is why it is important to detoxify on a regular basis, clean our liver and gallbladder as well as help to remove these phthalates and other xenobiotics or foreign chemicals – taking HMD can help this process -
Health Effects in Children
Children are exposed to more toxic chemicals in food, air and water than adults because relative to their size, they breathe twice as much air, eat three to four times more food, and drink as much as seven times more water. There is increasing scientific evidence that children face much higher cancer risks from exposure to environmental contaminants than adults.
Only last year, a US study showed that neonate cord blood contained an average of 287 chemicals, of which 180 of these were carcinogens. A similar study in neonates in the Inuit Eskimos living in the North Pole also showed arsenic, lead, mercury and organochlorine pesticides such as DDT which has been banned in the Western world for more than 20 years. This is why the statement “we are all toxic” can no longer be refuted.
Given this level of toxicity from the womb, it should be no surprise that there is a rise in childhood cancers, such as brain cancer, as well as in cancers such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma among adults. The risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has been linked to industrial chemicals used in dark hair dyes and the incidence of this disease was seven times greater in children whose parents frequently used home pesticides.
Neurological and Behavioural EffectsThere is evidence that children’s exposure to some man-made chemicals, especially PCBs, can affect their neurological development and mental ability. Xenobiotics commonly present in women, which are passed on to the developing foetus, can affect the behaviour and mental development of their children, particularly in early childhood. However, these effects may persist to such an extent that impaired reading ability and reduced IQs have still been found in American children aged 11. Man-made chemicals are also suspected of contributing to learning disabilities, including attention deficithyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism.
Free e-booksFor all those that have not received my FREE e-books on detoxification, please use this link - Free e-book! - (use the username "HMD" and password "ebooks4me") - and you will be able to download them instantly - one is entitled "DETOXIFICATION: Toxic world, Toxic body - The Secrets of Detoxification. The other is entitled "Flushing Gallstones Naturally: Liver Cleansing Without Painful Surgery or Expensive Drugs."
Best wishes,© Dr. George J Georgiou, Ph.D.,ND.,D.Sc (AM)
Natural Medicine Practitioner & Researcher
Friday, April 06, 2007
Added Pounds Mean Added Risk for Asthma
(HealthDay News) -- Overweight and obese individuals are 50 percent more likely to develop asthma than normal-weight men and women, new research suggests.Public health efforts to control asthma should therefore emphasize the importance of healthy weight management, the researchers argue in the April issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
"The bottom-line is that being overweight appears to significantly increase the risk of asthma," said study co-author Dr. E. Rand Sutherland, of the National Jewish Medical and Research Center (NJMRC) in Denver. "But the caveat is, that until further studies are done, it won't be clear exactly what type or severity of asthma is present in obese people."
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, asthma is an incurable but usually controllable chronic disease involving inflammation and narrowing of the airways that carry oxygen into and out of the lungs.
The disease typically provokes recurrent wheezing, coughing, and a hypersensitivity to allergies and affects approximately 20 million Americans, including 9 million children.
A recent national survey found that about 65 percent of Americans are either obese or overweight, and research has long suggested links between asthma and obesity.
In this study, Sutherland and NJMRC colleague Dr. David A. Beuther pored over prior data on the body mass indices -- measurements of body fat based on the height and weight -- of adult asthma patients.
They looked at data from seven prior studies conducted between 1966 and 2006 in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Together, these studies had looked BMI and asthma in more than 333,000 severely asthmatic patients.
During data review, Sutherland and Beuther adopted standard BMI yardsticks, which define "normal weight" as having a BMI of under 25, "overweight" as a BMI between 25 and 29, and "obese" as a BMI more than 30. For example, a person who is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 145 pounds has a BMI of 22.
The odds of developing asthma grew by 50 percent among patients with a BMI of 25 and up, and the risk climbed as the pounds piled on, the study found.
Women and men appeared to be equally susceptible to the weight-asthma association, they added.
Based on the findings, the researchers believe asthma should be added to the long list of diseases -- including diabetes, sleep apnea, stroke, cardiovascular illness, and arthritis -- for which excess weight is a risk factor.
And because two-thirds of the U.S. adult population are now thought to be obese or overweight, that means millions more Americans may be at risk of developing asthma than was previously thought, they said.
On the up side, "significant weight loss" could potentially reduce asthma cases by as many as 250,000 each year, the researchers said.
Not every overweight person with respiratory symptoms necessarily has asthma, however. The experts noted that excess weight can cause lung volume reduction, chest wall restriction, and breathlessness unrelated to the disease.
"If you're overweight, and you have respiratory symptoms, you don't need to jump to the conclusion that you have asthma," said Sutherland. "But, of course, it would probably be appropriate to have those symptoms further evaluated."
Dr Norman H. Edelman is chief medical officer for the American Lung Association and professor of preventive medicine and medicine at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y. He said the findings regarding gender were most interesting.
"There's a lot of work that suggested the [obesity] effect was there in women and not in men," he said. "Certainly, in terms of my own clinical practice, I see people -- men and women -- with asthma that's difficult to manage, and many of them are overweight. But for men, it's something that wasn't clear before, and that's why this analysis is valuable."
But he agreed that proving cause and effect is tricky.
"The problem with asthma is that, unlike many other diseases, it's not like flipping a switch. It's not that you have it or don't have it. There are a lot of people walking around with a little bit of asthma, and they don't even know it," Edelman said. "So, it's not clear if obesity is actually causing the disease or perhaps converting a pre-existing undiagnosed asthma into a severe asthma. So, I don't know if I would say that obesity causes asthma. But certainly, it's a risk factor for clinically significant asthma."
More information
For more on asthma, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Diabetes Epidemic Spreading Worldwide: Experts
(HealthDay News) -- More than two-thirds of the world's estimated 246 million diabetics come from less-affluent developing nations, and more must be done to curb a disease that now rivals HIV/AIDS in terms of suffering and death around the globe.
That sobering assessment was offered by experts gathered at this week's Global Changing Diabetes Leadership Forum in New York City, which included keynote speaker former President Bill Clinton. The conference is one of the largest such gatherings ever of scientists, health-care advocates and government leaders focused on the issue.
"This truly is an epidemic," warned Dr. Martin Silink, president of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), which represents more than 200 diabetes associations across 158 countries. "Seventy percent of the global burden of diabetes is now in developing countries, even though that seems paradoxical. People think that it should be in the developed world where there is access to fast food and lots of obesity."
But rapid lifestyle changes are affecting the health of people in China, India, South America, and elsewhere, he said. "As their economies develop, diabetes is now subverting the gains of economic development," Silink said.
The issue has gained such urgency that the United Nations' General Assembly in December passed a global resolution to encourage the prevention, treatment and care of diabetes. The U.N. has only passed one such disease-targeted resolution before, when it vowed to fight HIV/AIDS.
Some statistics from the IDF:
By 2025, the number of people with diabetes is expected to rise to 380 million worldwide, with 80 percent living in the developing world.
Each year, another 7 million people develop diabetes, while 3.8 million die of diabetes-linked causes.
In many countries in Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean, diabetes already affects 15 percent to 20 percent of the adult population.
India now has the largest number of diabetics (almost 41 million) in the world, followed by China (nearly 40 million), the United States (19.2 million) and Russia (9.6 million).
Diabetes increasingly affects the young or middle-aged, with more than half of diabetics in developing countries between the ages of 40 and 59.
According to the experts, a "perfect storm" of genetics and social change is driving the spread of obesity-linked type 2 diabetes in poorer countries. Visitors to today's China quickly notice McDonald's, KFC and other fast-food outlets springing up in major cities. At the same time, the foot and bicycle are making way for the car on urban streets.
Scientists have also long understood that Asians, Hispanics and blacks are more vulnerable, genetically, to develop type 2 disease compared with those of European descent.
"They simply don't have to get as obese as a European to get diabetes," Silink explained. Among non-Europeans, even a relatively modest increase in abdominal fat -- the so-called "spare tire" -- can trigger changes that lead to insulin insensitivity and diabetes.
"The risk of diabetes in a European starts rising after a body mass index (BMI, a ratio of weight to height) of about 25 or 26," the normal threshold for overweight, Silink said. "But for a person coming from Bangladesh or India, that risk curve starts after a BMI of just 22," he said.
A person who is 5-feet, 8-inches tall and weighs 145 pounds has a BMI of 22.
Too often, expensive, pay-as-you-go health-care systems in developing countries mean diabetes isn't even detected until it reaches crisis levels, Silink added. The results -- prolonged disability, amputation, even death -- can destroy a family's income.
Urban stress is another factor driving the epidemic, as the world's poor seek employment in cities, Silink said. For reasons that remain unclear, "we know that simply moving from a rural environment to a city doubles your risk of diabetes without any change in body mass," he said. "And if you have to go to a 'mega-city' -- a population of over 10 million -- the risk probably rises fourfold."
Another expert said it's not too late to put the brakes on this developing crisis, however.
Dr. Alan Moses was the former chief medical officer of Harvard's Joslin Diabetes Center and is now associate vice president of medical affairs at pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, which sponsored the conference.
"We tend to think of the costs associated with diabetes and worry that putting appropriate resources into diabetes is going to cost more," he said. "But diabetes is one of the few conditions where when you improve health, you actually reduce the cost burden on society. It should be viewed as an investment with a real return."
Certain steps taken by governments in the developed world are already helping. For example, Sen. Guy Barnett of Australia, himself a type 1 diabetic, said his government is moving to change what he labeled an "obesinogenic" environment Down Under.
Along with the United States, "we are one of the fattest countries on Earth," Barnett told reporters at a press conference held Wednesday. "But for governments everywhere, (diabetes) is a monster that is getting bigger and bigger."
With one in 10 Australian children now obese, the Australian government has mandated healthy school lunches, boosted funding for after-school physical activity programs and negotiated with fast-food giant McDonald's to make menus healthier. Former U.S. President Clinton helped broker similar deals with food companies last year to keep unhealthy sodas and snacks out of American schools.
Those and other initiatives can and should be tested in countries worldwide, Silink said. In one sense, he said, developing countries have a real edge on the West, since "they are still in the process of developing their new towns, their urban centers.
"So, in terms of town planning, societal engineering, they have a chance to engineer it for health and not for conditions that are detrimental to human health," Silink said. "It's up to the diabetes world to work with the various organizations to make this happen."
More information
Find out more about diabetes at the American Diabetes Association.
That sobering assessment was offered by experts gathered at this week's Global Changing Diabetes Leadership Forum in New York City, which included keynote speaker former President Bill Clinton. The conference is one of the largest such gatherings ever of scientists, health-care advocates and government leaders focused on the issue.
"This truly is an epidemic," warned Dr. Martin Silink, president of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), which represents more than 200 diabetes associations across 158 countries. "Seventy percent of the global burden of diabetes is now in developing countries, even though that seems paradoxical. People think that it should be in the developed world where there is access to fast food and lots of obesity."
But rapid lifestyle changes are affecting the health of people in China, India, South America, and elsewhere, he said. "As their economies develop, diabetes is now subverting the gains of economic development," Silink said.
The issue has gained such urgency that the United Nations' General Assembly in December passed a global resolution to encourage the prevention, treatment and care of diabetes. The U.N. has only passed one such disease-targeted resolution before, when it vowed to fight HIV/AIDS.
Some statistics from the IDF:
By 2025, the number of people with diabetes is expected to rise to 380 million worldwide, with 80 percent living in the developing world.
Each year, another 7 million people develop diabetes, while 3.8 million die of diabetes-linked causes.
In many countries in Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean, diabetes already affects 15 percent to 20 percent of the adult population.
India now has the largest number of diabetics (almost 41 million) in the world, followed by China (nearly 40 million), the United States (19.2 million) and Russia (9.6 million).
Diabetes increasingly affects the young or middle-aged, with more than half of diabetics in developing countries between the ages of 40 and 59.
According to the experts, a "perfect storm" of genetics and social change is driving the spread of obesity-linked type 2 diabetes in poorer countries. Visitors to today's China quickly notice McDonald's, KFC and other fast-food outlets springing up in major cities. At the same time, the foot and bicycle are making way for the car on urban streets.
Scientists have also long understood that Asians, Hispanics and blacks are more vulnerable, genetically, to develop type 2 disease compared with those of European descent.
"They simply don't have to get as obese as a European to get diabetes," Silink explained. Among non-Europeans, even a relatively modest increase in abdominal fat -- the so-called "spare tire" -- can trigger changes that lead to insulin insensitivity and diabetes.
"The risk of diabetes in a European starts rising after a body mass index (BMI, a ratio of weight to height) of about 25 or 26," the normal threshold for overweight, Silink said. "But for a person coming from Bangladesh or India, that risk curve starts after a BMI of just 22," he said.
A person who is 5-feet, 8-inches tall and weighs 145 pounds has a BMI of 22.
Too often, expensive, pay-as-you-go health-care systems in developing countries mean diabetes isn't even detected until it reaches crisis levels, Silink added. The results -- prolonged disability, amputation, even death -- can destroy a family's income.
Urban stress is another factor driving the epidemic, as the world's poor seek employment in cities, Silink said. For reasons that remain unclear, "we know that simply moving from a rural environment to a city doubles your risk of diabetes without any change in body mass," he said. "And if you have to go to a 'mega-city' -- a population of over 10 million -- the risk probably rises fourfold."
Another expert said it's not too late to put the brakes on this developing crisis, however.
Dr. Alan Moses was the former chief medical officer of Harvard's Joslin Diabetes Center and is now associate vice president of medical affairs at pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, which sponsored the conference.
"We tend to think of the costs associated with diabetes and worry that putting appropriate resources into diabetes is going to cost more," he said. "But diabetes is one of the few conditions where when you improve health, you actually reduce the cost burden on society. It should be viewed as an investment with a real return."
Certain steps taken by governments in the developed world are already helping. For example, Sen. Guy Barnett of Australia, himself a type 1 diabetic, said his government is moving to change what he labeled an "obesinogenic" environment Down Under.
Along with the United States, "we are one of the fattest countries on Earth," Barnett told reporters at a press conference held Wednesday. "But for governments everywhere, (diabetes) is a monster that is getting bigger and bigger."
With one in 10 Australian children now obese, the Australian government has mandated healthy school lunches, boosted funding for after-school physical activity programs and negotiated with fast-food giant McDonald's to make menus healthier. Former U.S. President Clinton helped broker similar deals with food companies last year to keep unhealthy sodas and snacks out of American schools.
Those and other initiatives can and should be tested in countries worldwide, Silink said. In one sense, he said, developing countries have a real edge on the West, since "they are still in the process of developing their new towns, their urban centers.
"So, in terms of town planning, societal engineering, they have a chance to engineer it for health and not for conditions that are detrimental to human health," Silink said. "It's up to the diabetes world to work with the various organizations to make this happen."
More information
Find out more about diabetes at the American Diabetes Association.
Friday, February 02, 2007
The Cardiovascular Cure
The Cardiovascular Cure
Written by John P. Cooke, M.D., Ph.D. and Judith Zimmer
Category: Medical - Diet Therapy
Publisher: BroadwayFormat: Trade Paperback, 336 pagesPub Date: August 2003
Price: $15.95
ISBN: 978-0-7679-0882-5 (0-7679-0882-1)
ABOUT THIS BOOK
The Cardiovascular Cure offers a groundbreaking approach to preventing heart attack and stroke by enhancing your body’s own natural defenses. Dr. John Cooke, head of Stanford Medical School’s vascular unit, has devised a powerful new method for fighting cardiovascular disease without bypass surgery or angioplasty.
Drawing on his own investigations, as well as Nobel Prize-winning research from a team of American scientists, Dr. Cooke provides heart patients with a diet, supplement, and exercise program that will help them feel better in as little as two weeks.
His program also works to prevent heart disease in those at risk.
In 1998, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for the discovery of EDRF (endothelium-derived relaxing factor), a chemical produced in the lining of the blood vessels, which keeps them free of plaque. Dr. Cooke and other investigators have found that specific nutrients can enhance EDRF production and improve blood flow in people with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, or other risk factors for heart disease.
This potentially life-saving book shows how anyone can achieve healthier blood vessels (the key to preventing heart disease). A two-week menu plan contains recipes that emphasize EDRF-enhancing foods, and there is detailed information on supplemental nutrients and vitamins that are useful in strengthening the cardiovascular system. Recipes from breakfast (Banana Date-Nut Bread; Blueberry Oat Pancakes; Pineapple Ginger or Tropical Smoothies; Pumpkin Muffins) to dinner (Moroccan Red Snapper; Chicken Wrap with Refried Beans; Soy-Glazed Salmon; Turkey Meatloaf) feature healthy fats found in fish, nuts, and olive oil.
There is also welcome news that red wine and chocolate can be good for you (there are recipes for Double Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Raspberry Surprise). The exercise program consists of the same therapeutic plans Dr. Cooke has prescribed for even his most severely ill patients, many of whom begin to walk and even exercise more vigorously without pain after two weeks. In addition, there are aerobic workouts designed for more active patients.
Dr. Cooke also provides state-of-the-art information (pro and con) on conventional drugs–from aspirin to beta blockers–and medical tests and procedures to further combat cardiovascular disease. With an introduction by Sir John Vane, a Nobel Prize-winning cardiovascular scientist, this book will provide anyone concerned about his or her cardiovascular health with new hope for a pain-free, disease-free life.
From the Hardcover edition.PRAISE“In The Cardiovascular Cure, Dr. Cooke has translated the research of our field into life-saving information that we can all use. If you really care about your cardiovascular health, you must read this book!”--Louis J. Ignarro, Ph.D., 1998 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of Nitric Oxide“This authoritative book appropriately points out why everyone should worry about the health of their endothelium and, better still, do something to protect it if it shows signs of damage.
Early identification and treatment of reduced nitric oxide release should be the preventive agenda for the new millenium.”--Jay N. Cohn, M.D., Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School“This book should be read by all patients with heart disease as well as anyone at increased risk for a heart attack or stroke.
The comprehensive risk reduction program recommended by Dr. Cooke uses the most advanced research to help everyone improve the health of their blood vessels.” --William L. Haskell, Ph.D., Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention“The Cardiovascular Cure is a lucidly written description of EDRF and endothelial dysfunction.
Treatment with exercise and a diet rich in arginine, vitamins, and anti-oxidants is important to the many patients prone to develop heart attacks or stroke.”--Dr. Ferid Murad, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the University of Texas, 1998 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine“Helping yourself prevent a heart attack means knowing more than your ‘cholesterol count.’
In this clearly written book, Dr. Cooke introduces you to the important role played by the endothelium (the lining of your blood vessels) in this process, and what you can do to keep this vital organ as healthy as possible.”--Gerald Reaven, Professor of Medicine, Stanford University School of MedicineFrom the Hardcover edition.
ABOUT THIS AUTHORJOHN P. COOKE, M.D., Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Section of Vascular Medicine at Stanford University’s Medical School. He trained at the Mayo Clinic, earning a Ph.D. in physiology there, and he was on the faculty of Harvard Medical School before he was recruited to Stanford to spearhead the program in Vascular Biology and Medicine.
He is a sought-after consultant and has served on numerous national and international committees dealing with cardiovascular diseases, including those of the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. JUDITH ZIMMER has been a medical journalist for more than fifteen years.
She has contributed to such publications as the New York Times, and Self and Fitness magazines, and she currently writes for academic medical centers in New York City.
From the Hardcover edition.
Written by John P. Cooke, M.D., Ph.D. and Judith Zimmer
Category: Medical - Diet Therapy
Publisher: BroadwayFormat: Trade Paperback, 336 pagesPub Date: August 2003
Price: $15.95
ISBN: 978-0-7679-0882-5 (0-7679-0882-1)
ABOUT THIS BOOK
The Cardiovascular Cure offers a groundbreaking approach to preventing heart attack and stroke by enhancing your body’s own natural defenses. Dr. John Cooke, head of Stanford Medical School’s vascular unit, has devised a powerful new method for fighting cardiovascular disease without bypass surgery or angioplasty.
Drawing on his own investigations, as well as Nobel Prize-winning research from a team of American scientists, Dr. Cooke provides heart patients with a diet, supplement, and exercise program that will help them feel better in as little as two weeks.
His program also works to prevent heart disease in those at risk.
In 1998, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for the discovery of EDRF (endothelium-derived relaxing factor), a chemical produced in the lining of the blood vessels, which keeps them free of plaque. Dr. Cooke and other investigators have found that specific nutrients can enhance EDRF production and improve blood flow in people with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, or other risk factors for heart disease.
This potentially life-saving book shows how anyone can achieve healthier blood vessels (the key to preventing heart disease). A two-week menu plan contains recipes that emphasize EDRF-enhancing foods, and there is detailed information on supplemental nutrients and vitamins that are useful in strengthening the cardiovascular system. Recipes from breakfast (Banana Date-Nut Bread; Blueberry Oat Pancakes; Pineapple Ginger or Tropical Smoothies; Pumpkin Muffins) to dinner (Moroccan Red Snapper; Chicken Wrap with Refried Beans; Soy-Glazed Salmon; Turkey Meatloaf) feature healthy fats found in fish, nuts, and olive oil.
There is also welcome news that red wine and chocolate can be good for you (there are recipes for Double Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Raspberry Surprise). The exercise program consists of the same therapeutic plans Dr. Cooke has prescribed for even his most severely ill patients, many of whom begin to walk and even exercise more vigorously without pain after two weeks. In addition, there are aerobic workouts designed for more active patients.
Dr. Cooke also provides state-of-the-art information (pro and con) on conventional drugs–from aspirin to beta blockers–and medical tests and procedures to further combat cardiovascular disease. With an introduction by Sir John Vane, a Nobel Prize-winning cardiovascular scientist, this book will provide anyone concerned about his or her cardiovascular health with new hope for a pain-free, disease-free life.
From the Hardcover edition.PRAISE“In The Cardiovascular Cure, Dr. Cooke has translated the research of our field into life-saving information that we can all use. If you really care about your cardiovascular health, you must read this book!”--Louis J. Ignarro, Ph.D., 1998 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of Nitric Oxide“This authoritative book appropriately points out why everyone should worry about the health of their endothelium and, better still, do something to protect it if it shows signs of damage.
Early identification and treatment of reduced nitric oxide release should be the preventive agenda for the new millenium.”--Jay N. Cohn, M.D., Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School“This book should be read by all patients with heart disease as well as anyone at increased risk for a heart attack or stroke.
The comprehensive risk reduction program recommended by Dr. Cooke uses the most advanced research to help everyone improve the health of their blood vessels.” --William L. Haskell, Ph.D., Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention“The Cardiovascular Cure is a lucidly written description of EDRF and endothelial dysfunction.
Treatment with exercise and a diet rich in arginine, vitamins, and anti-oxidants is important to the many patients prone to develop heart attacks or stroke.”--Dr. Ferid Murad, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the University of Texas, 1998 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine“Helping yourself prevent a heart attack means knowing more than your ‘cholesterol count.’
In this clearly written book, Dr. Cooke introduces you to the important role played by the endothelium (the lining of your blood vessels) in this process, and what you can do to keep this vital organ as healthy as possible.”--Gerald Reaven, Professor of Medicine, Stanford University School of MedicineFrom the Hardcover edition.
ABOUT THIS AUTHORJOHN P. COOKE, M.D., Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Section of Vascular Medicine at Stanford University’s Medical School. He trained at the Mayo Clinic, earning a Ph.D. in physiology there, and he was on the faculty of Harvard Medical School before he was recruited to Stanford to spearhead the program in Vascular Biology and Medicine.
He is a sought-after consultant and has served on numerous national and international committees dealing with cardiovascular diseases, including those of the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. JUDITH ZIMMER has been a medical journalist for more than fifteen years.
She has contributed to such publications as the New York Times, and Self and Fitness magazines, and she currently writes for academic medical centers in New York City.
From the Hardcover edition.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Calculator Helps Users Gauge Heart Attack Risk
(HealthDay News) -- A new online heart disease risk calculator that can help you understand and gauge your heart attack risk is available from the Mayo Clinic.The risk calculator on MayoClinic.com asks several questions about your lifestyle and health and then determines your 10-year risk of a heart attack. The risk score is based on a number of factors, such as age, gender, tobacco use, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure.
You can find the risk calculator by heading to MayoClinic.com and looking under "Heart Disease Risk Factors," in the Web site's Heart Disease Center.
About one in 10 people with a risk level of 12 percent will have a heart attack or die of heart disease within the next 10 years, experts say.
Here are five heart disease prevention tips:
- Don't smoke or use tobacco products.
- Get exercise. Regular, moderately vigorous physical activity can reduce the risk of fatal heart disease by 25 percent. Combining physical activity with other positive lifestyle habits, such as maintaining a health weight, can provide even more heart health benefits.
- Eat a heart-healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. Legumes, low-fat sources of protein and certain types of fish may also help reduce heart disease risk.
- Limit intake of saturated fats and trans fat.
- Watch your weight.
- Excess pounds can lead to conditions -- high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes -- that increase the risk of heart disease.
- Get regular blood pressure and cholesterol screenings.
- High blood pressure and high cholesterol can damage your cardiovascular system, including your heart.
More information
There's more on reducing heart disease risk factors at the American Heart Association.
New Food Pyramid Offers Building Blocks to Good Nutrition
(HealthDay News) -- The new and improved U.S. Department of Agriculture's food guide pyramid -- called MyPyramid -- is helping Americans, young and old, to better understand how to eat healthfully, dietitians say.The new pyramid features vertical bands (rather than the old horizontal pyramid sections) in six different colors to represent different food groups and types. Orange equals grains, green is for vegetables, red is for fruits, blue represents dairy, purple is meat and beans, and yellow stands for oils.
Along the side of the pyramid, a drawing depicts a person climbing a set of steps to match the new slogan "Steps to a Healthier You," which is meant to encourage physical activity as essential.
Perhaps the most important feature of the new pyramid, unveiled in 2005: By plugging in certain personal information, such as age, gender, and levels of physical activity, you can get a nutrition plan that's tailored for you.
"It's more personalized," Marisa Moore, an Atlanta registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, said of the new pyramid and its Web site (www.MyPyramid.gov), which replaced the old, once-size-fits-all pyramid, in use since 1992.
And, the USDA is appealing not only to adults but to kids to clean up their diets, posting kid-friendly materials on the new pyramid Web site to help parents or teachers help their children eat more healthfully.
In general, the guidelines recommend consuming two cups of fruits and two-and-a-half cups of vegetables daily, three ounces of whole grain foods, three cups of low-fat or nonfat milk or other dairy foods, and about five ounces of meat and beans for protein.
Oils should be used sparingly, and the personalized guidelines offer specific maximum amounts -- say, five teaspoons for some people. The pyramid also suggests a maximum number of calories from "extras" such as sugars and solid fats -- for instance, 195 calories a day.
Noralyn Mills, a Baltimore dietitian and another American Dietetic Association spokeswoman, called the new guidelines more realistic than the old ones. And, they're more user-friendly, she added, which was the goal of making the changes from the old pyramid.
One important change, although it sounds small, is to list measurements in cups, instead of servings. "People have an idea what a cup is, they can visualize a cup," Mills said, adding, "I think there is a lot more usage of the pyramid than before."
The new pyramid guidelines are meant to incorporate the latest in nutritional science, according to the USDA.
"It's a little more motivational for people," said Moore. Besides alerting people that their diet should include specific amounts of grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, meats and beans, each personalized pyramid tells them how many "discretionary calories" they can eat per day for fats and sugars and oils.
"You are able to meet all your nutritional needs without the guesswork," said Moore, although she advises those with Diabetes and other health conditions to seek the help of a registered dietitian to help them personalize their menus even more.
More information
Visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more on MyPyramid.
Lipid Study Eyes Human Tears
(HealthDay News) -- U.S. scientists are getting a better understanding of human tears.
A team from Ohio State University say they've identified a new class of lipids (a type of fat) that makes up part of the tear film.
These new lipids, including a specific kind called oleamide, are contained in a layer of tear film called meibum, which is the outermost of the three distinct layers in tear film. There is also a middle, watery layer and an inner layer of mucus.
The meibum, which includes fatty, oily substances, is spread over the surface of the eyes each time we blink. The meibum keeps the watery middle layer in place, ensuring the eyes stay moist.
Identifying the lipids contained in the meibum may help researchers learn more about the causes of eye problems such as dry eye disease, which affects about 12 million to 14 million Americans, said study author Kelly Nichols, an assistant professor of optometry at Ohio State.
"The lack of certain compounds in the tear film may result in a number of different eye-related disorders, including dry eye. The amount of oleamide and related lipids in tear film may be related to these disorders," Nichols said in a prepared statement.
The study is published in the current issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.
It was already known that oleamide plays a role in the brain, where one of its tasks is to help induce sleep, and in the central nervous system. This is the first study to identify oleamide and related lipids in tear film.
"The findings could give us more insight into the role of lipid activity in humans and may also indicate a new function for oleamide and related lipids in cellular signaling in the eye and in the maintenance of tear film," Nichols said.
The function of oleamide and related lipids in tear film isn't fully understood.
"Oleamide appears to predominate in tear film. It's there for a reason, but we're not sure yet what that reason is," Nichols said.
More information
The U.S. Library of Medicine has more about dry eyes and
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/dd/dryeyes.htm
A team from Ohio State University say they've identified a new class of lipids (a type of fat) that makes up part of the tear film.
These new lipids, including a specific kind called oleamide, are contained in a layer of tear film called meibum, which is the outermost of the three distinct layers in tear film. There is also a middle, watery layer and an inner layer of mucus.
The meibum, which includes fatty, oily substances, is spread over the surface of the eyes each time we blink. The meibum keeps the watery middle layer in place, ensuring the eyes stay moist.
Identifying the lipids contained in the meibum may help researchers learn more about the causes of eye problems such as dry eye disease, which affects about 12 million to 14 million Americans, said study author Kelly Nichols, an assistant professor of optometry at Ohio State.
"The lack of certain compounds in the tear film may result in a number of different eye-related disorders, including dry eye. The amount of oleamide and related lipids in tear film may be related to these disorders," Nichols said in a prepared statement.
The study is published in the current issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.
It was already known that oleamide plays a role in the brain, where one of its tasks is to help induce sleep, and in the central nervous system. This is the first study to identify oleamide and related lipids in tear film.
"The findings could give us more insight into the role of lipid activity in humans and may also indicate a new function for oleamide and related lipids in cellular signaling in the eye and in the maintenance of tear film," Nichols said.
The function of oleamide and related lipids in tear film isn't fully understood.
"Oleamide appears to predominate in tear film. It's there for a reason, but we're not sure yet what that reason is," Nichols said.
More information
The U.S. Library of Medicine has more about dry eyes and
http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/dd/dryeyes.htm
Friday, November 17, 2006
Certain Fatty Acid May Cut Dementia Risk
(HealthDay News) -- Adding further weight to the theory that fish may be brain food, new research found that people with diets rich in fish have a significantly lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
The key appears to be docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid that appears to affect dementia risk and to be important for the proper functioning of the central nervous system.
"If you have a high level of DHA, a fatty acid found in fish, it reduced your risk of dementia by about half," said study lead researcher Dr. Ernst J. Schaefer, senior scientist and director of the Lipid Metabolism Laboratory at the Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.
It's known that omega-3 fatty acids protect the heart and the circulatory system. "Just as fish is good for your heart, it's probably good for your brain as well," Schaefer said.
Fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon are high in DHA.
The study findings are published in the November issue of the Archives of Neurology.
In the study, Schaefer and his colleagues collected data on DHA levels and dementia in 899 men and women who were part of the Framingham Heart Study. Over nine years of follow-up, 99 people developed dementia, including 71 with Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers found that people with the highest blood levels of DHA had a 47 percent lower risk of developing dementia and a 39 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's, compared with those with lower DHA levels.
Levels of DHA in the blood vary by how much the liver converts alpha-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid, to DHA and also by the amount of DHA in the diet, the researchers noted.
People with the highest blood levels of DHA said they ate an average of two to three servings of fish a week. People with lower DHA levels ate substantially less fish, the researchers reported.
Schaefer thinks the same benefit can be realized by taking fish-oil supplements. "Everything that we know suggests that supplements would be as effective as eating fish," he said. "Since low fish intake appears to be a risk factor for developing dementia, either eat more fish or use one or two fish oil capsules a day."
However, Schaefer added that a randomized clinical trial is still needed to see if DHA really protects the brain from dementia.
Martha Clare Morris is an epidemiologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and author of an accompanying editorial in the journal. "This is the first study to link blood levels of DHA to protection against Alzheimer's disease," she said, adding that recent animal studies have shown that DHA reduces amyloid plaques -- a hallmark of Alzheimer's -- in the brain and also improves memory.
"There is a lot of animal and biochemical evidence to support what this new study shows," Morris said.
But, she said, she's not sure there is enough data to suggest the value of fish oil supplements. "It looks like the protective benefits from omega-3 fatty acids are at a very low level. There is very little evidence that you get better protection from higher intake," she said. "Whether fish oil supplements are protective is yet to be seen."
Another expert thinks clinical trials are needed to see if DHA really protects against Alzheimer's.
"This shows in a prospective study that DHA is the only plasma lipid to cut the risk for developing dementia a decade or more later," said Greg M. Cole, a neuroscientist at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System and associate director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine.
This apparent protection is associated with eating fish, Cole said. "Other studies have pointed to fish intake as protective but have been far less clear that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish were the factor associated with risk reduction," he said. "This matters because if it is the fat, you could take fish oil supplements and avoid mercury contamination issues."
More information
The Alzheimer's Association can tell you more about Alzheimer's disease.
The key appears to be docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid that appears to affect dementia risk and to be important for the proper functioning of the central nervous system.
"If you have a high level of DHA, a fatty acid found in fish, it reduced your risk of dementia by about half," said study lead researcher Dr. Ernst J. Schaefer, senior scientist and director of the Lipid Metabolism Laboratory at the Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.
It's known that omega-3 fatty acids protect the heart and the circulatory system. "Just as fish is good for your heart, it's probably good for your brain as well," Schaefer said.
Fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon are high in DHA.
The study findings are published in the November issue of the Archives of Neurology.
In the study, Schaefer and his colleagues collected data on DHA levels and dementia in 899 men and women who were part of the Framingham Heart Study. Over nine years of follow-up, 99 people developed dementia, including 71 with Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers found that people with the highest blood levels of DHA had a 47 percent lower risk of developing dementia and a 39 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's, compared with those with lower DHA levels.
Levels of DHA in the blood vary by how much the liver converts alpha-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid, to DHA and also by the amount of DHA in the diet, the researchers noted.
People with the highest blood levels of DHA said they ate an average of two to three servings of fish a week. People with lower DHA levels ate substantially less fish, the researchers reported.
Schaefer thinks the same benefit can be realized by taking fish-oil supplements. "Everything that we know suggests that supplements would be as effective as eating fish," he said. "Since low fish intake appears to be a risk factor for developing dementia, either eat more fish or use one or two fish oil capsules a day."
However, Schaefer added that a randomized clinical trial is still needed to see if DHA really protects the brain from dementia.
Martha Clare Morris is an epidemiologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and author of an accompanying editorial in the journal. "This is the first study to link blood levels of DHA to protection against Alzheimer's disease," she said, adding that recent animal studies have shown that DHA reduces amyloid plaques -- a hallmark of Alzheimer's -- in the brain and also improves memory.
"There is a lot of animal and biochemical evidence to support what this new study shows," Morris said.
But, she said, she's not sure there is enough data to suggest the value of fish oil supplements. "It looks like the protective benefits from omega-3 fatty acids are at a very low level. There is very little evidence that you get better protection from higher intake," she said. "Whether fish oil supplements are protective is yet to be seen."
Another expert thinks clinical trials are needed to see if DHA really protects against Alzheimer's.
"This shows in a prospective study that DHA is the only plasma lipid to cut the risk for developing dementia a decade or more later," said Greg M. Cole, a neuroscientist at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System and associate director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine.
This apparent protection is associated with eating fish, Cole said. "Other studies have pointed to fish intake as protective but have been far less clear that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish were the factor associated with risk reduction," he said. "This matters because if it is the fat, you could take fish oil supplements and avoid mercury contamination issues."
More information
The Alzheimer's Association can tell you more about Alzheimer's disease.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Looking for Low-Cost Massages?
Q: Looking for Low-Cost Massages?Part of my New Year's resolution was to keep my stress level down, and massage works great for me. The problem is I can't afford massage on a regular basis. Are there any secret bargains in bodywork?
A: Massage is wonderfully relaxing and a great way to counter stress. It is also therapeutic. Research has shown that massage can improve breathing in asthmatic children, lower levels of stress hormones in AIDS patients and help relieve tension headaches caused by contracting head, neck or facial muscles.
But you're right: massage can be costly. My medical partner, Dr. Brian Becker, originally trained as a massage therapist. He tells me there?s a longstanding joke that the stress of working to pay for a massage keeps many people from relaxing on the table. To enjoy the benefits of massage on a budget, he suggests the following.
Weekend courses/workshops: This is the short version of sending your spouse or significant other to massage school. Weekend workshops are often set up for couples, and the basics of massage can be learned in a few sessions. The better courses are taught at formal schools of massage, but there are many excellent instructors out there.
One of the best ways to learn to give a massage is to receive them, and then practice the techniques on yourself or a friend. You can visit the website of the American Massage Therapy Association (www.amtamassage.org ) to find an accredited school near you. Also check this site for weekend classes or instructor referral.
Massage clinics: These can be a real bargain if you live near a school where massage therapists are trained. Prices for a massage at a clinic depend on whether you request a professional, a graduate or a student therapist. A licensed therapist will probably cost you about $60 an hour, but you may be able to pay about half of that if you're willing to let a student practice on you.
Along with working in the clinic, many formal schools of massage therapy also require therapists to log independent massages as part of their training.
These students are out there looking for bodies to practice on, and often cannot charge a fee as they are not yet licensed. Some student practitioners are outstanding, and supporting a student through school with a tip for the practice time may earn you a discounted rate after he or she graduates.
Self-massage: Massaging your own muscles costs you nothing, and with good technique can be quite effective.
Massage therapists frequently use a tennis ball for those hard to reach places on their own backs and shoulder blades. Along the same line is the Healthy Body Ball (www.healthybodyball.com).
This is a self-massage tool you can use to access trigger points just about anywhere. Designed by a massage therapist, it looks like a ball with protruding circular nodules that resemble fat, round, blunt spikes. You put the ball between your body and the floor or a chair back and move against it to get your "massage."
Bargaining or Bartering: The cost of massage therapy isn't necessarily carved in stone, particularly if your therapist is a solo practitioner. You could always ask for a quantity "discount" if you're willing to commit to a series of massages. Or, you may be able to barter - trade your services, expertise, or discounts on products you sell for massages or for a break in the price.
Explore Other Ways to Unwind: Even people who can afford it usually don't have time for regular massages. Try breathing exercises, progressive relaxation, visualization, meditation or exercise as inexpensive alternatives to relieve stress.
Andrew Weil, M.D.
Monday, October 09, 2006
An Antioxidant Update?
Q: An Antioxidant Update? You used to recommend taking 1,000-2,000 mg of vitamin C, three times a day. Now it's 250 mg twice a day. Why?
A: It is true that I used to recommend taking 2,000 to 6,000 mg of vitamin C a day divided into three doses. I changed this in 1999, after examining two important studies showing that significantly lower levels of vitamin C more than saturate the body's tissues, and thus are sufficient protection against cancer, heart disease and other chronic illnesses. I now recommend only 200 to 500 mg divided into two doses.
A review of clinical trials published in the April 21, 1999 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that 200 mg of vitamin C a day is the maximum human cells can absorb, making anything above that level a waste. The second study came from the Linus Pauling Institute and was published in the June 1999 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It identified a similar dose, 120 to 200 mg, as the optimal amount for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, cataracts and other chronic conditions.
If you've been taking larger amounts, don't worry. There's no danger. Vitamin C is water soluble and any not used by the body is quickly eliminated.
The rest of my antioxidant cocktail is as follows:
Vitamin E: 400 IUs a day of mixed natural tocopherols, or at least 80mg of mixed tocopherol and tocotrienols. Since vitamin E is fat soluble, it must be taken with food to be absorbed. Always choose natural vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol with mixed tocopherols) and avoid the synthetic form (dl-alpha-tocopherol). The best brands will also include mixed tocotrienols, the other components of natural vitamin E (I take vitamin E at lunch or dinner).
Selenium: 200 micrograms a day. Selenium is a trace mineral with antioxidant and anticancer properties. Selenium and vitamin E facilitate each other's absorption, so take them together. Doses above 400 micrograms a day may not be healthy.
Mixed carotenes: 15,000 IUs a day. I recommend using natural forms of mixed carotenoids, such as alpha and gamma carotene along with beta-carotene, which is easily found in health food stores. Read the label to make sure it gives you lycopene, the red pigment in tomatoes that helps prevent prostate cancer, and lutein, which protects against cataracts and macular degeneration. Better brands will include other important carotenoids like astaxanthin, zeaxanthin, phytoene and phytofluene.
Be sure to take supplements with meals to enhance absorption and reduce the risk of stomach upset.
Andrew Weil, M.D.–Author of:
A: It is true that I used to recommend taking 2,000 to 6,000 mg of vitamin C a day divided into three doses. I changed this in 1999, after examining two important studies showing that significantly lower levels of vitamin C more than saturate the body's tissues, and thus are sufficient protection against cancer, heart disease and other chronic illnesses. I now recommend only 200 to 500 mg divided into two doses.
A review of clinical trials published in the April 21, 1999 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that 200 mg of vitamin C a day is the maximum human cells can absorb, making anything above that level a waste. The second study came from the Linus Pauling Institute and was published in the June 1999 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It identified a similar dose, 120 to 200 mg, as the optimal amount for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, cataracts and other chronic conditions.
If you've been taking larger amounts, don't worry. There's no danger. Vitamin C is water soluble and any not used by the body is quickly eliminated.
The rest of my antioxidant cocktail is as follows:
Vitamin E: 400 IUs a day of mixed natural tocopherols, or at least 80mg of mixed tocopherol and tocotrienols. Since vitamin E is fat soluble, it must be taken with food to be absorbed. Always choose natural vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol with mixed tocopherols) and avoid the synthetic form (dl-alpha-tocopherol). The best brands will also include mixed tocotrienols, the other components of natural vitamin E (I take vitamin E at lunch or dinner).
Selenium: 200 micrograms a day. Selenium is a trace mineral with antioxidant and anticancer properties. Selenium and vitamin E facilitate each other's absorption, so take them together. Doses above 400 micrograms a day may not be healthy.
Mixed carotenes: 15,000 IUs a day. I recommend using natural forms of mixed carotenoids, such as alpha and gamma carotene along with beta-carotene, which is easily found in health food stores. Read the label to make sure it gives you lycopene, the red pigment in tomatoes that helps prevent prostate cancer, and lutein, which protects against cataracts and macular degeneration. Better brands will include other important carotenoids like astaxanthin, zeaxanthin, phytoene and phytofluene.
Be sure to take supplements with meals to enhance absorption and reduce the risk of stomach upset.
Andrew Weil, M.D.–Author of:
Monday, October 02, 2006
Blood Pressure Is Focus of New Web Site
(HealthDay News) -- The NIHSeniorHealth Web site (www.NIHSeniorHealth.gov) now features updated information on high blood pressure, according to the U.S. National Institute on Aging.The new high blood pressure topic on the site contains information about the prevention, detection, and treatment of high blood pressure. The site was designed especially for older adults by the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine, which are part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
High blood pressure is often called the "silent killer" because most people are not aware they have it. But while it usually does not cause symptoms, high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart disease, kidney failure, and other health problems.
"High blood pressure is not a normal part of aging," said Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which developed the content for the site.
"You can prevent high blood pressure by maintaining a healthy weight; being physically active every day; eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy foods; cutting down on salt and sodium; and drinking less alcohol" Nabel said. "If you have high blood pressure, you can lower it by making these lifestyle changes and, if needed, by taking medicine."
More information
The NIHSeniorHealth Web site has more about high blood pressure.
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