CROSSFEED 1-98
AEROMEDICAL NEWS
HEALTH NEWS
by Larry Kline
SLIM UP WITH SOLUBLE FIBER - according to Ed Saltzman, Ph.D., a food scientist at Tufts University in Boston, eating a diet high in soluble fiber might help the body excrete up to 200 calories’ worth of undigested fat a day. Food sources include legumes, whole grains, many vegetables and some fruits, including prunes, pears, and apples. Men’s Fitness 2/97.
SALT MAY HARM BONES - it appears that a high-salt diet may cause calcium loss in bones. The body wants to maintain a balance of calcium and sodium. Eating too much salt results in the body leaching calcium from your bones to make up the difference.
Researchers in Australia followed 100 postmenopausal women for two years and discovered that those who ate the most sodium had lost the most bone in their hips and ankles. Currently the U.S. government recommends a daily maximum of 2,400 mgs. of sodium. In the study, women with the highest losses got more than 3,000 mgs/day of sodium.
The vast majority (about 75%) of the sodium in our diets comes from processed foods. Health 3/97.
DIETING MAY HARM IMMUNE SYSTEM - when researchers asked eight women to cut their calories in half for 15 weeks, the activity of their natural killer cells, which repel viruses, fell 20%. Health 11/97.
LUV-BITES ARE GOOD FOR YOU - peanuts can be a very nutritional snack. They are a good source of protein, fiber, several vitamins and minerals, and a substance called resveratrol. Resveratrol is part of a group of chemicals called phenolics that are powerful antioxidants. Red-wine contains an enormous amount of resveratrol, but peanuts can provide a decent amount of the beneficial antioxidant to your diet. (It takes 11 handfuls of peanuts to deliver the resveratrol contained in one glass of red wine - so watch the fat intake). Health 11/97.
THE RIGHT WAY TO TAKE ANTIBIOTICS - you get a bug; your doctor gives you a week’s prescription for antibiotics. A couple of days later, you feel better and stop taking the medication. Bad move!
The antibiotic is intended to be taken until the prescription runs out. Failing to utilize the full amount and stopping prematurely enables some of the “bugs” in your system to survive and possibly mutate and develop into a more resilient strain of bacteria. Many antibiotics that have been used for decades are now of little use in combating new strains of bacterial infections - they have become resistant to first-generation antibiotics.
A recent Gallup survey for the American Lung Association determined that 60% of Americans believe that antibiotics are effective against colds and flu. These conditions are caused by viruses, against which antibiotics are powerless.
Recommended responsible antibiotic use:
-Don’t ask your doctor for antibiotics if you have a cold.
-Don’t ask for the “newest” antibiotic; you probably don’t need it.
-Take the entire prescription, even if you feel better within the first day or two.
-Never take “leftover” antibiotics from past infections.
-Control infection by washing hands frequently and staying home when you are sick.
-Get a flu vaccine every year; and a pneumonia vaccine if over age 65. Prime Health & Fitness, Fall 1997 and Health 9/97, John Hopkins Medical Letter 9/97.
CAFFEINE VS. CALCIUM - one needs at least 800 mgs. of calcium daily or risk losing bone density as one ages, even if strength-training. Consuming caffeine causes calcium to be excreted in urine, so if you insist on coffee or coke instead of herbal tea or juice, remember to increase your intake of calcium-rich foods. Good sources of calcium, besides milk and other dairy products, include sardines, fortified orange, grapefruit, or apple juice, broccoli, tofu, collards or turnip greens. Men’s Fitness 8/97 and 1/98, Health 11/97.
HEADACHE RELIEF BOOSTER - next time you take ibuprofen for a headache, chase it with coffee. According to research at the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, taking caffeine and ibuprofen relieves headaches more effectively than ibuprofen alone. Among 400 headache patients, 71% of those who took ibuprofen and the caffeine equivalent of two cups of coffee reported complete relief, compared to 58% of those who took ibuprofen alone. Researchers believe that this combination should also work with backaches and other muscle pain. Men’s Health 9/97.
PURIFIED WATER NEEDS FLUORIDE - if your main source of drinking water is purified water from a reverse-osmosis water filter or distiller, be aware that these water purification systems remove fluoride, which is added to most water supplies to reduce cavities in children. If you use such water (or drink only bottled water), you should make sure that you and your kids use fluoride toothpaste and/or a fluoride rinse. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter, 2/98.
ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF EXERCISE - because inactive people rarely give their muscles a workout, they may never feel relaxed enough to fall asleep easily. Those who perform aerobic exercise often have more energy because activity both decreases the time it takes to fall asleep and increases the amount of deep sleep. Harvard Health Letter 8/97.
GETTING BURNED IN BED - one-half an hour on a tanning bed exposes one to as much UVA radiation as a full day at the beach according to British dermatologist. Also, tanning lamps will soon be on the official government list of “known carcinogens” - those substances known to cause cancer. Men’s Fitness 8/97 and University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter 2/98.
TEA PRIMER - there are three basic types of teas-black, oolong, and green and all three come from the same leaf - camellia sinensis - in fact, each of the more than 3,000 varieties comes from this same plant. The difference lies in how they are processed.
Black teas - the preferred drink in Europe and the Americas - are partially dried, crushed, allowed to “ferment” or oxidize in heat for a few hours, then fully dried. The theory used to be that bacteria or fungi on the leaves caused them to turn black, but now it is known that certain enzymes in the crushed leaves blacken them - an auto-oxidation process. Oolong tea, or red teas, are also oxidized, but for a shorter time.
Green teas, the preferred drink in Asia, are not crushed and oxidized. Instead they are steamed, then rolled and dried. The steaming actually prevents oxidation by inactivating the enzymes in the leaves. Thus, green and black teas have different chemical properties.
Brewed tea contains no significant nutrients - no calories, no vitamins, and only one mineral in any significant quantity - fluoride. One cup of black tea has enough fluoride to help prevent tooth decay, and green tea has twice as much. Tea contains caffeine, about 40 mgs. per cup, less than half the amount in coffee.
Tea also contains phytochemicals known as polyphenols. Most of these act as antioxidants. Green tea contains 300 to 400 mgs. of polyphenols. One of these polyphenols, known as EGCG, (and is found in no other plant) constitutes half of all green tea polyphenols and is one of the most potent antioxidants yet discovered (stronger than vitamin E and C). Black tea is less potent, but still has some polyphenols. Polyphenols have been shown to protect against hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, and possibly stroke. Green tea polyphenols may protect against some types of cancer (colorectal and pancreatic).
In addition, the tea plant is a rich source of flavonoids, the same substances that are thought to help make foods such as oranges and broccoli potential disease fighters. These antioxidants appear to protect the heart by lowering cholesterol levels. They also may help fight some cancers.
Many herbal teas also contain the same healthful polyphenols, but with no caffeine. Some notable herbal teas are chamomile (aids digestion and upset stomach), peppermint (relieves indigestion), valerian (sleep aid), and ginger (quells nausea and motion sickness).
Tea is the second most popular beverage in the world (water is first). It appears to have some very beneficial traits that make it a good hot beverage choice. U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter 12/97, Self 1/97, Health 11/96, Herbalgram Spring 1996..
SOY PROTEIN LOWERS CANCER RISKS - the National Cancer Institute, in an ongoing study that started in 1989, has found that a diet rich in soy protein may help lower cholesterol and other blood lipids and reduce the risk of colon and prostate cancer. The scientists on the project believe that genistein, one of the soy isoflavones, inhibits tumor growth.
Soy protein may be obtained in soy milk (can be used on breakfast cereal), or using soynut butter on toast.
Separate epidemiological studies evaluated for a report in Phytomedicine found that allium vegetables (onion and garlic) have a protective effect against gastrointestinal tract cancers. Prime, Spring 1998.
SO IT’S “HARD” TO QUIT - according to a study of California smokers aged 21 to 64 enrolled in a smoking-cessation program, those who gave up cigarettes or cigars averaged more than twice as much sex as those who don’t quit. Scientists say tobacco use reduces testosterone levels and constricts arteries, lowering sex drive and sapping erections. Men’s Fitness 1/98.
LIVE LONG AND PERSPIRE - according to an eight-year study from the Cooper Clinic and Aerobics Center in Dallas, a lack of exercising is as hazardous to your health as smoking. The study, which followed the fitness habits of 25,000 men and 7,000 women, showed that failing to exercise regularly takes more years off your life than high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels or obesity. Prime Health & Fitness, Fall 1997.
BACK BELTS WORK - a recent study reported in the U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter found that such devices helped reduce back injuries by one-third. Men’s Fitness 8/97.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING - at least with snacking. British researchers gave snacks to subjects 90 minutes before mealtime, with the subjects reporting less appetite and led them to eat fewer total calories over the course of the day. But snacking just 30 minutes before a meal had the opposite effect. Health 10/97.
TIMING ALSO HELPS BREAST EXAMS - according to research at the University of Toronto, mammograms were twice as likely to miss cancer if taken during the last two weeks of the menstrual cycle. Water retention and other monthly breast changes may be part of what’s obscuring the picture. Until more is known, mammograms should be scheduled no more that 14 days after the start of menstruation. Health 11/97.
From the Flight Surgeon:
"Whining Willy'"
by Joe Battersby, D.O.
FAA Medical Examiner
(edited for this publication-LK)
[insert Battersby article here]
(I will fax Battersby article to you later - LK)
