Health News

REPORTING POINT EXPRESS 10-01

AEROMEDICAL NEWS

“Live healthy...live well”

HEALTH NEWS

by Larry Kline

SWAPA Voice Mailbox 511/email: skyguy737@cox.net

GREEN TEA, THE DIET DRINK? - new studies indicate that green tea, the antioxidant and anti-cancer beverage, may even have applications in weight loss. A much-quoted 1999 study conducted at the University of Geneva and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition monitored the effects of green tea extract on healthy test subjects. The researchers discovered that catechin polyphenols, chemical compounds in green tea that prevent oxidation and mutation of cells, may be responsible for boosting calorie expenditure. Thermogenesis, the natural energy burning that occurs as a result of the body’s metabolization of nutrients, usually end when the hormone norepinephrine degrades. The combination of the antioxidant EGCG and caffeine can actually prolong the life of norepinephrine. The result is sustained calorie burning - 4% more calories burned per day. The Swiss researchers concluded, “...oral administration of the green tea extract stimulated thermogenesis and fat oxidation and, thus, has the potential to influence body weight and body composition.”

The researchers stressed, however, that the increased energy expenditure is not likely to be caused by EGCG alone, but rather a combination of the polyphenol and caffeine. Study subjects who were treated with caffeine alone showed no appreciable increase in thermogenesis.

Scientists from the University of Chicago conducted their own study, and they too believe there are several chemicals, in combination, responsible for green tea’s benefit. They found that the EGCG in green tea was linked to weight loss, possibly due to reduced food intake, because there seems to be an indication of appetite suppression with consumption of green tea. A similar Japanese study found that green tea powder was reported to suppress lipid metabolism, resulting in decreasing fatty accumulation and body weight.

Most experts agree that drinking 1 to 3 cups of green tea daily may be beneficial. Green tea does contain caffeine, so consideration must be given to its use for pregnant and nursing women. Let’s Live 5/01.

WINTER TIP - warming your feet may help you fall asleep faster. Swiss researchers found that 18 men fell asleep quickest when their hands and feet were warmest. This happens because warm feet and hands cause blood vessels to enlarge, allowing more heat to escape the body, which in turn lowers the core temperature faster and causes you to fall asleep sooner. Simply putting on socks at night may help you fall asleep in half the time it normally takes. Men’s Health 4/00.


ALLERGIC TO YOUR COMPUTER? - get a headache while sitting at your computer? A Stockholm University study found that a flame retardant used in most computer monitors can trigger allergic reactions. After testing 18 popular monitors, researchers found that 10 emitted levels of the allergen TPP that were high enough to cause headaches, itchy skin, and nasal congestion. TPP escapes from plastic monitor moldings when they heat up. These allergens burn off over time, so older monitors should be fine. Keep new monitors turned on at night so they can burn off excess TPP when you are not there. Men’s Health 4/01.

Advice for the day: If you have a lot a tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: "Take two aspirin" and "Keep away from children."

BEER FOR BONES? - a study at Creighton University in Nebraska found that moderate alcohol consumption leads to stronger bones when you are older. Alcohol reduces the factors that cause bone loss. The researchers found that seniors with the highest bone density drank two to four servings of beer or wine each week.

Also, this amount of alcohol consumption lowered the risk of heart attack by 60 percent. Light alcohol use may improve cholesterol profiles and reduce the formation of blood clots. Men’s Health 4/01, Men’s Health 1/00.

HEAVY DRINKING RESULTS - if you tend to pound more than a few down every day, here is what you may expect by long-term overindulgence.

Cirrhosis - a major loss of liver function. The liver is responsible for cleaning toxins, including alcohol, out of the blood. Taxing the liver regularly results in it becoming fatty and inflamed. The more and longer you drink, the more scarred and useless the liver becomes. Abuse of this organ results from averaging at least five drinks a day for 10 years. Quitting drinking altogether before it gets this damaged can allow the liver to fully recover.

Heart failure - the heart grows bigger and weaker. Chronic heavy drinking progressively enlarges and damages heart muscle, and interferes with its repair. This impending heart failure is characterized by the body swelling up because of fluid retention; trouble breathing, and general muscle atrophy. This disease is reversible if the alcohol abuse stops (generally an average of five drinks per day for 10 years) and a comprehensive exercise and diet program is started and followed faithfully.

Heart attack. Researchers in Finland found that men who typically downed six or more beers in one sitting had six times the risk of dropping dead from a heart attack as men who drew the line at three beers.

Driving while intoxicated - (six drinks in 3 hours for a 180-pound man; seven drinks in 3 hours for a 200 pounder). Nearly 40 percent of all traffic fatalities are alcohol-related. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 (the new nationwide legal limit) makes you 10 times more likely to bite the dust than a sober driver.


Murder. Alcohol is a factor in 4 out of 10 violent crimes. A recent study in the American Journal of Epidemiology states that just one bout a month of heavy drinking increases the risk of dying - of any cause - by 70 percent compared with non-bingeing drinkers. Men’s Health 4/01.

"The problem with the designated driver program; it's not a desirable job. But if you ever get sucked into doing it, have fun with it. At the end of the night, drop them off at the wrong house." ‑ Jeff Foxworthy

TAKE WHOLE-WHEAT OVER WONDERBREAD - a higher intake of whole-grain foods may lower the risk of stroke by 43 percent, according to research at Brigham and Williams Hospital in Boston. Replacing refined grains with whole grains by even one serving a day may have significant benefits in reducing the risk of ischemic stroke. More than 400,000 ischemic strokes occur in the United States annually.

The conclusion was drawn for the vast Nurses’ Health Study which has followed 75,000 participants since 1984. While the greatest statistical difference was measured between those with the most whole grains in their diet (2.7 servings) and those with the least (0.12 servings), there appeared to be a direct relationship between whole-grain intake and stroke risk.

The American Dietetic Association recommends three servings of whole grains per day - six times the average American’s daily intake. A single serving would consist of one slice of whole-wheat bread, or one ounce of whole grain cereal, or a half-cup of brown rice. Men’s Fitness 1/01.

CONFIRM YOUR PRESCRIPTION WITH YOUR DOCTOR - if you cannot decipher the writing, the pharmacist may not either. If the pharmacist is confused, you are more likely of becoming one of the 7,000 people who die every year due to prescription-drug errors. Men’s Health 5/00.

HAVE A SODA AFTER WORKING OUT? - craving a Coke after a good workout is not a good idea. According to the Georgia Tech Sports Medicine & Performance newsletter, the feeling of throat burn and fullness caused by consuming a soda after a vigorous workout may diminish your desire for fluid intake, just when you need it the most. Water (or sports drinks) are still the best way to replenish fluid lost during exercise. Men’s Fitness 7/01.

20 MINUTES 2X TIMES A WEEK - if you are sedentary now, you can reap major health benefits by just this exercise commitment. All it takes is two brisk 20-minute walks a week or four brisk 10-minute walks to start enjoying the benefits that committed exercisers enjoy. The important thing is consistency, start being active and make it a part of your lifestyle - you will feel better, have more energy, and have reduced risk for many diseases related to sedentary living. Men’s Health 9/01.