Fitness Today

31/01/2014

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15/03/2013

Vitamin D responsible for difference in blood pressure

It is quite evident that high blood pressure is more common amongst Blacks than Whites and persons with darker skin generally produce less vitamin D, primarily at higher latitudes where UV radiation is less intense and the climate is cooler, leading to less skin exposure.

The study has been conducted by Dr. Kevin Fiscella from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, US and his colleagues. The research suggests that low vitamin D level may contribute to elevated blood pressure, which explains why thousands of Blacks die annually from heart disease and stroke.

The researchers compared the average systolic blood pressure and blood levels of Vitamin D of Blacks and Whites taking data from the National Health and Nutrition. Examination Survey 2001-2006 for 1,984 of the former and 5,156 of the later aged 20 years and above. They found that overall, Blacks had significantly lower levels of vitamin D in their blood than Whites and blood levels of vitamin D were linked to systolic blood pressure.


"Our study adds to the growing body of evidence showing that low levels of vitamin D among Blacks contribute to cardiovascular disparities. We also know that blood pressure is highest among Blacks living in the US, where UV exposure is low.

Taken together, these findings point towards vitamin D deficiency as a potential contributor to higher rates of vascular dysfunction, here hypertension among Blacks living in the US. Further, work is required to determine whether vitamin D supplementation could reduce these racial disparities."

15/03/2013

Diet, not exercise, key to losing weight

London: Exercising is not the best way to lose weight because our activity levels are the same as they were 20 years ago. Rather a balanced diet is instrumental in shedding that flab, says a study.

John Speakman of Aberdeen University in Britain ascribes the growing obesity problem to people eating too much, not a lack of exercise. Working with a Dutch colleague, Speakman analysed two decades of studies on energy expenditure. The data showed that despite greater reliance on time-saving technology, people today are not any less active than those of 20 years ago.

Factors such as decline in the number of children walking to school and a rise in TV watching do not necessarily equate to weight gain, according to the International Journal of Obesity.

For example, children driven to school have more time to spend running around in the playground while evening TV watching has replaced other sedentary activities such as reading and listening to the radio.

Speakman told the British Science Festival: "In the 1950s, no one would have bought an exercise bike and sat on it in their garage but now people will do that."

However, the researcher stressed that physical activity is good for the body in other ways and should be part of a "healthy, balanced lifestyle."

15/03/2013

Carrots, potatoes can fight breast cancer

Scientists have found that a nutrient found in carrots and sweet potatoes may prove key to fighting breast cancer at early stages.

Retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, could be a promising cancer therapy because it affects cell growth, proliferation, and survival.

Sandra Fernandez, an assistant research professor at Fox Chase, and her colleagues have now pinpointed critical aspects of retinoic acid`s mode of action-a potentially important step toward developing successful treatments for patients.

Retinoic acid binds to retinoic acid receptor beta (RAR-ß), and it may be through this action that it can suppress tumours. A decrease in RAR- ß levels in tumours is associated with cancer progression, and an increase is linked to positive responses to certain clinical interventions.

To identify the specific conditions under which retinoic acid inhibits and even reverses the growth of abnormal masses in the breast, however, Fernandez developed a culture system consisting of four cell lines representing different phases of cancer: normal-like human breast cells; transformed cells (which give rise to solid masses upon exposure to carcinogens); invasive cells (which are capable of breaking through breast tissue barriers and spreading to other parts of the body); and tumour cells (which form when invasive cells are injected into the mammary fat pad of mice and show all of the characteristics of fully malignant breast cancer cells).


"We found that the RAR-ß gene was active in the two earliest stages of cancer, but silenced in the final two stages," says Fernandez.

In three-dimensional cultures containing a collagen matrix, normal-like cells formed tubules resembling a normal mammary gland, while the transformed cells also gave rise to solid masses. The cells that produced solid masses in collagen produced tubules when they received retinoic acid for 15 days. By contrast, invasive and tumour cells did not generate tubules in response to treatment with retinoic acid, even in combination with a drug that activates RAR-ß by inhibiting DNA methylation.

The results suggest that retinoic acid can stop tumour progression early on, but not at later timepoints because the genetic changes related to cancer have become too severe. "There appears to be no way to revert the tumours with retinoic acid when they become too advanced," Fernandez says.

15/03/2013

Women more stressed than men

A fifth of women, double the number of men, feel their stress levels are out of control, according to a survey of 2,000 people.

Experts say stress raises blood pressure, putting people at greater risk of a stroke. A poor diet and lack of exercise also contribute to the chances of suffering a stroke.Stroke is the third most common cause of death in England and Wales after heart disease and cancer, killing more than 67,000 people every year, the Telegraph reported.

The survey, by the Stroke Association and engineering company Siemens, found almost a fifth of people who said they took no exercise. More than a quarter of people aged between 45 to 54 said they never exercised, despite suffering the highest stress levels. Almost half said they were under more than "moderate stress".

Overall, 40 per cent of those surveyed said they were unaware of the link between exercise and lowering the risk of stroke.
James Beeby of the Stroke Association said: "The research is incredibly worrying and emphasises the need for people to be aware of the dangers of stroke."

15/03/2013

Seafood could carry toxic levels of mercury

Toronto: That succulent lobster you order at a fancy restaurant might be carrying toxic levels of mercury.

University of Alberta researchers found that harmless inorganic mercury, discharged by industry and coal burning, becomes deadly monomethylmercury in the oceans, which progresses through the food chain from small sea creatures to humans.

Unborn babies and young infants are particularly sensitive to monomethylmercury`s effects. It causes brain and spinal cord damage. Symptoms are abnormal movements (twisting, jerking, or writhing) of the hands, feet, arms or legs while awake.

The research team, led by Alberta doctoral graduate in biological sciences Igor Lehnherr, incubated seawater samples collected from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, reports the journal Nature Geoscience.

Lehnherr says conversion of inorganic mercury to monomethylmercury accounts for approximately 50 percent of this neurotoxin present in polar marine waters. It could account for a significant amount of the mercury found in Arctic marine organisms, according to an Alberta statement.

15/03/2013

Exercising in groups more beneficial

London: New research conducted by University of Oxford`s Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology suggests that exercising in a group can be more healthy than working out alone. Researchers studied Oxford`s rowing team to come up with their conclusion.

The crew was divided into teams, each with six members and asked to work out with identical rowing machines. The only variable was whether the workouts were done alone, or in teams exercising together, with the six machines coordinated by the crew`s coxswain. The end of each workout saw the blood-pressure cuff around one arm of each participant being tightened until he reported pain. This was done to measure endorphin levels in the brain.

Endorphin is a chemical that not only gives a mild high but also blocks out pain. And it was seen that the rowers` pain threshold was steadily twice as high after exercising in a group than exercising alone even with the same intensity of the workouts.

The researchers concluded that group bonding releases more endorphin. "We also suspect that shared goals – ultimate goals, like winning the big race, and proximate goals, like endeavouring to row together in synch – are at least part of the trigger," lead author Emma Cohen was quoted as saying.

14/03/2013

Laughter, best medicine for leg ulcers

London: For patients with venous leg ulcers, the best prescription is good quality nursing care – and the occasional belly laugh!

According to a five-year study, led from the University of Leeds, ultrasound therapy does nothing to speed up the healing process of leg ulceration – contrary to what had been expected. Traditional methods of nursing care, which are cheaper and easier to deliver, work just as well, the authors conclude.
"The ``healing energy`` of low-dose ultrasound can make a difference to some medical conditions but with venous leg ulcers, this is simply not the case," said Professor Andrea Nelson from the University of Leeds`` School of Healthcare, who led the study.

"The key to care with this group of patients is to stimulate blood flow back up the legs to the heart. The best way to do that is with compression bandages and support stockings – not ``magic wands`` - coupled with advice on diet and exercise. Believe it or not, having a really hearty chuckle can help too. This is because laughing gets the diaphragm moving and this plays a vital part in moving blood around the body."

Venous leg ulcers are common in people with varicose veins or mobility problems whose ``muscle pumps`` in the feet and calves struggle to drive blood up to the heart. These ulcers can be painful and unsightly, having a significant negative impact on health and quality of life.

14/03/2013

Green tea improves quality of life

Previous studies have shown that people who consume the highest levels of green tea tend to have lower risks of several chronic degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

Now, a new study has suggested that drinking green tea and practicing tai chi may promote bone health as well as reduce the risk of inflammation in postmenopausal women. Researcher Chwan-Li Shen, an associate professor and a researcher at the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women`s Health at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, focused on postmenopausal women and investigated the potential for green tea to work synergistically with tai chi in enhancing bone strength.


She carried out a double-blind, placebo-controlled, intervention trial that involved 171 postmenopausal women who had weak bones but not full-fledged osteoporosis, for six months.

She placed the women into four groups. One group was given a placebo drug and no tai chi, the second was giving green tea pills but no tai chi, the third was given placebo pills but they did tai chi three times a week, while the fourth group had both the green tea pills and did tai chi.

She collected blood and urine samples, and assessed the women`s muscle strength.

The results showed consuming the equivalent of four to six cups of steeped green tea daily and doing tai chi enhanced bone health within three months.

A similar effect was found for muscle strength at the 6-month time point.

Perhaps most remarkable, however, was the substantial effect that both GTP and tai chi had on biological markers of oxidative stress, the main precursor to inflammation.

Participants taking tai chi classes also reported significant beneficial effects in quality of life in terms of improving their emotional and mental health.

Shen concluded that there is a `favourable effect of modest green tea consumption on bone remodeling in this pre-osteoporotic population."

14/03/2013

5 Ways to keep cholesterol in check

Lowering cholesterol is one of the most imperative things to do to promote overall heart health. And now Metamucil and Dr. Michael Roizen, Chairman of the Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic and host of the upcoming PBS series, "Younger You," have suggested five things you need to do to lower your cholesterol.

Take psyllium

The first, and one of the simplest tips, is to get more fiber in your diet - but not just any kind, because not all fibers work the same way. Viscous soluble fiber like psyllium fiber, the natural dietary fiber found in Metamucil, is proven to help lower total and "lousy" LDL cholesterol because it forms a thick gel that traps and helps remove some cholesterol, bile acids and waste in the gut. This is why I recommend my patients supplement low fat, low cholesterol diets with 7 grams of soluble fiber from psyllium daily, as in Metamucil.



Wear a pedometer and increase daily activity

You`d be amazed to see how many extra steps you can take in one day -- grab a pedometer and watch the numbers roll as you make simple changes for your health and take the stairs, walk to work, or stroll around the neighbourhood to increase your physical activity for better heart health. Tracking your progress throughout the day can be great inspiration to keep going, and walking is a simple and easy type of exercise to help lower cholesterol!

Get an exercise buddy

A healthy lifestyle requires motivation, encouragement and a friend to lean on. Grab an exercise buddy and support each other in the challenge to lower your cholesterol. Take long walks together and encourage each other to try new types of physical activity to get the heart pumping and to keep cholesterol levels down! Enjoy each other`s company and laugh – reduced levels of stress will help your heart too!

Beware of hidden fats and sugars

Be an informed eater; get to know your ingredients and read the nutrition labels thoroughly. Hidden sugars and unhealthy ingredients can increase your weight, which can lead to high cholesterol. Stay away from foods that contain high levels of saturated fat, cholesterol and hidden sources of sugar such as high fructose corn syrup, some dextrins, or evaporated cane juice.

Add DHA

DHA is short for docosahexaenoic acid, a polyunsaturated fatty acid. Regular intake of DHA can aid in proper heart function and help lower levels of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), or the "lousy" cholesterol3, and raise levels of High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), or the "healthy" cholesterol. Popular sources of DHA are salmon, sardines, tuna – but if you aren`t a seafood fan, try fish oil supplements, or if you don`t like fishy taste, get them from vegetarian supplements made from algal DHA.

14/03/2013

Try dietary calcium, Vitamin D for bone building

Washington: Has a bone density scan placed you at risk for osteoporosis, tempting your doctor to prescribe a widely advertised bone-building medication? However, an effective first course of action would be to increase calcium and Vitamin D intake, say researchers.

A University of Illinois study had found that increasing dietary calcium and Vitamin D or taking calcium and Vitamin D supplements works very well. "For many people, prescription bone-building medicines should be a last resort," said Karen Chapman-Novakofski, University of Illinois professor of nutrition and co-author of a literature review, the journal Nutrients reports.

The scientist said that prescription bone-building medications are expensive, and many have side-effects, including ironically an increase in hip fractures and jaw necrosis. They should be used only if diet and supplements don`t do the trick.

"Bisphosphonates, for instance, disrupt normal bone remodelling by shutting down the osteoclasts - the cells that break down old bone to make new bone," according to an Illinois statement.

"When that happens, new bone is built on top of old bone. Yes, your bone density is higher, but the bone`s not always structurally sound," she said.

"I suspect that many doctors reach for their prescription pads because they believe it`s unlikely that people will change their diets," she noted.

A bone density test measures quantity, not quality, of bone. "Although the test reports that you`re fine or doing better, you may still be at risk for a fracture," said Chapman-Novakofski.

A woman in midlife can get enough calcium in her diet without gaining weight, said study co-author Karen Plawecki, director of the Illinois dietetics program.

"Menopausal women should consume 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day. Three glasses of one percent to skim milk will get you up to 900 milligrams. The rest can easily be obtained through calcium-rich and calcium-fortified foods," Plawecki said.

According to Plawecki, the number of foods fortified with calcium and vitamin D is increasing exponentially. Examples are soy milk, orange juice, yogurt, crackers, cereal, bread, breakfast bars, and even pancakes.

14/03/2013

Chocolate `can help shed flab, protect heart`

Washington: Here`s the perfect excuse to gorge on chocolate without a sense of guilt -- eating the right amount and type of the mouth-watering treat can help one shed flab and protect one`s heart, according to researchers.

Dr Lily Stojanovska of Victoria University and Dr John Ashton made the revelations in their new book, `The Chocolate Diet: How to eat chocolate and feel great about it`.

"We set out to dispel the myths about chocolate and help chocolate lovers realise they don`t need to feel guilty about eating it," Dr Stojanovska said. Their book shows that certain properties in chocolate can help with weight loss and protect heart health.

Good quality dark chocolate contains the antioxidant epicatechin which increases the rate at which a body burns fat, suppresses the appetite and contains more than twice the antioxidant levels found in red wine, according to them.

Cocoa, a main ingredient in chocolate, is also rich in the alkaloid theobromine, which is known to increase muscle stimulation and energy, as well as widen blood vessels and reduce blood pressure. It also decreases cholesterol levels and reduces incidence of stroke and risks of heart disease.

Cocoa contains natural compounds that help the body produce mood-altering brain chemicals, decreasing the risk of depression, say the researchers in their book.

"We are not saying you can eat a family size block of just any chocolate. It must be good quality, dark chocolate in moderate amounts, and the bitter the better. Most chocolates that contain 75 per cent or 85 per cent cocoa are usually more bitter than the sweeter milk chocolates that contain a lot less cocoa," she said.

The book also contains a 14-day eating plan that incorporates a couple of squares of dark chocolate or a hot chocolate drink before bedtime, as well as an exercise plan, recipes, and interesting chocolate facts.