REPORTING POINT 05-04
HEALTH NEWS
“Live healthy...live well”
by Larry Kline
SWAPA Voice Mailbox 4337/email: livehealthy-livewell@cox.net
(Past issues of “Health News” are available on my son’s website, which includes a word-search engine - just go to the site with your browser and insert the key word to find past articles: http://home.earthlink.net/~candace_ball/healtharticles/frameset.htm) - LK
GOOD TO THE BONE - many studies have found that weight-bearing exercises can boost bone density by 2 to 9%. A recent study of healthy women (average age 69) who started a combination program of strength training, stair climbing, walking, and calisthenics for 60 to 90 minutes, three times a week, for 32 weeks found that their bone density, as measured at the hip, had increased by 11%.
According to the study’s author, “...there is no drug out there that can cause this kind of improvement in bone density.” The test subjects also improved their balance significantly, which is the best way to prevent falls. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 6/03.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE? - alcohol and bar munchies might raise your blood pressure, according to Italian researchers. They found that heavy drinking increases the body’s sensitivity to salt which could raise blood pressure. The study suggests that cutting back on alcohol intake and avoiding salty snacks when you do drink may help keep high blood pressure under control. Men’s Health 5/03.
TRANS-FATS LABELING - trans-fats, found in biscuits, snacks and most processed foods, can raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol. The FDA has finally announced that starting January, 2006, all products containing artery-clogging trans-fatty acids must disclose the amount on food labels to ensure that consumers know what they are eating. In the meantime, try to avoid or minimize foods with “partially hydrogenated oils”, as these trans-fatty acids are as detrimental to your heart health as saturated fats. The new food labeling requirements will help consumers compare food products and choose those lowest in trans fats. Muscles & Fitness 11/03, USA Today 7/9/03.
NUTRITIONAL QUIZ 6 - If you are trying to lower your blood cholesterol, you know you should eat more fiber. Only soluble fiber lowers cholesterol. Which of these are good sources?
a) oat bran
b) kidney beans
c) whole-wheat bread
d) apples
Answer is below.
GREEN TEA FOR YOUR JOINTS? - besides being a good antioxidant source and a fat-fighter, new research suggests that green tea also may prevent joint deterioration. Scientists in England have found that EGCG, the active compound in green tea, blocks the enzyme that destroys cartilage. Muscle & Fitness 11/03.
DON’T BE AN “IRON-MAN” - men should monitor the amount of iron they consume. Too much of the mineral could increase the risk of colon cancer, if you are genetically predisposed to develop the disease - which 15 percent of all Americans are. Research from the University of North Carolina shows that getting too much iron in the diet can increase the risk of developing colon cancer by as much as 40 percent. Foods with the most iron include liver, seafood, and enriched flour.
Also, increased consumption of iron can increase the risk of heart disease and lead to premature aging. Menstruation depletes a woman’s iron levels, which is beneficial as the body needs iron to produce free radicals. With less iron, women produce fewer free radicals, which have been shown to be a key component in aging. However, an iron deficiency in women can result in sluggishness and fatigue. A blood test to measure ferritin may be recommended by your doctor to confirm anemia in women. Men’s Health 5/03, Health 11/03.
CT IMAGING - SCAN OR SCAM? - in recent years, more and more people are opting to have their interiors “explored” by utilizing computed tomography (CT) imaging, which reveals sharp 3-D pictures of the organs and plumbing connected to them, in the hopes of detecting diseases early.
A technician attaches three electrodes to the patient, who then slides into a CT scanner face up and feet first. The scanner is a huge doughnut-shaped portal containing a rotating x-ray tube. It takes about twenty seconds to map the entire torso with 3-D images.
The scans are not covered by insurance and can run more than a thousand dollars for a full-body scan. There is disagreement within the medical field as to the worth and effectiveness of these scans. The critics include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and several professional medical associations. To weigh the worth of the procedure, here is an organ by organ appraisal.
THE HEART - heart images show the arteries and any calcified plaque lining the walls. Physicians analyze these midbeat snapshots and grade the degree of plaque with “coronary scoring” - a zero-to-over 400 scale, with higher scores indicating more buildup. A study of 1,200 patients at St. Francis Hospital in New York showed that those patients with coronary scores above 160 were 35 times more likely to have a heart attack within the next 19 months than those who scored a zero.
If you are at risk for cardiovascular disease because of lifestyle (sedentary, dietary, or smoking) or have a family history of the disease, actually seeing the plaque in your heart may be the final motivator to effect a lifestyle change. Likewise, a low coronary score may give a false-sense of security because the CT scan doesn’t measure other cardiac risk factors such as arrhythmia and “soft” plaque, which is just as lethal as calcified plaque.
THE LUNGS - CT scanning of the lungs appears very effective. In a Cornell Medical Center study of 1,000 current and former smokers, chest x-rays detected only seven lung tumors compared with the CT scan’s 27, most of the latter in the treatable stage-one phase. For lung tumors to show up on an x-ray, it has to be about the size of a penny; with CT, a tumor the size of 1 millimeter can be detected - 1/10th the size of a penny. If you are a smoker or have smoked, the CT scan is a very good diagnostic tool. But if you aren’t a former smoker, the danger of false-positives exists because the scan is actually too sensitive, detecting not only small tumors, but also benign nodes, harmless cysts, and scars from childhood infections. In one Mayo Clinic study, 66 percent of CT lung scans found abnormalities, but only 1 percent turnout out to be cancer.
THE KIDNEYS - the two hazards associated with the kidneys are cancer and kidney stones. CT scans are the gold standard for detecting kidney cancer, but not for stones. Stones show up in the bladder with the CT scan, but a stone in the kidney will be detected better with a sonogram.
Kidney cancer is relatively rare - 1.4% unless you were a smoker, in which case the risk goes up by 40% because the carcinogens in cigarettes build up in the kidneys.
THE COLON - until the CT scan, the only way to survey the colon was the sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy, both involved inserting a lighted scope into the colon. The CT scan gives a “virtual colonoscopy” which has been proven to be just as effective as the traditional colonoscopy at finding tumors, and nearly as good at detecting large precancerous polyps. However, the CT scan only detects about half of the tiny precancerous polyps that the traditional procedure detects. While there is no risk of colon puncture with the CT scan (a one-in-1600 chance with a colonoscopy), the CT scan’s deficiency at detecting smaller tumors is significant, and considering that colon cancer is 90 percent curable if caught early.
Most full-body scans will also give images of the liver, pancreas, stomach, and prostate. These are not high-risk areas, unless you have had hepatitis or had an alcohol problem. Also consider that a full-body scan subjects the body with up to 500 times more radiation than a conventional chest x-ray. The risk of having a fatal cancer later in life from the radiation associated with a CT scan is probably between one in 2,000 and one in 10,000. It has yet to be determined whether elective scanning ultimately saves more lives than it costs. In other countries, scanning is regulated, with a doctor’s recommendation required for the procedure. Men’s Health 3/03.
CUT FAT TO CUT COLDS - researchers at Tufts University recently found that those on low-fat and low-calorie diets were less prone to acquire infections. The scientists analyzed four different diets; normal (35 percent of calories from fat), reduced-fat (26 percent from fat), low-fat (15 percent), and low-calorie (similar to low-fat but with reduced calories). The volunteers were exposed to antigens from common vaccines and tested for their immune response. The low-fat and low-calorie diets resulted in the best immune response to disease. Health 11/03.
CHASING UPGRADE? - a new study suggests that too many school changes can have a bad effect on children’s behavioral health. In one group of over 3,000 children ages 5 to 14, those who changed schools the most had more behavioral problems. That doesn’t necessarily mean moving or changing schools is the cause of behavior problems, but it does indicate there may be a link. USA Weekend 9/26/03.
LONG DAY AHEAD? - a high-protein breakfast of eggs plus ham or turkey bacon will fight fatigue later in the day. MIT researchers analyzed blood samples from a group of people who’d eaten either a high-protein or a high-carbohydrate breakfast. Both groups started out with similar levels of the sleep-inducing compound tryptophan in their bodies, but 2 hours after eating, the carb eaters had tryptophan levels four times higher than those of the subjects who’d eaten protein. The higher the tryptophan level, the more likely you are to feel tired, sluggish, and fatigued. Men’s Health 5/03.
SUGAR - NOT SO SWEET NEWS - the media is full of tales of the evils of sugar. Most people think of sugar as the refined white granules (sucrose) made from cane or beets. Most Americans eat much less of this sugar than we used to, but what we are consuming is fructose, the main sugar found naturally in fruit and honey. It is not that we are eating lots of fruit, but rather millions of tons of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is added to many foods. This sweetener now supplies nearly 10% of all calories consumed by Americans. The figure jumps to 20% for some people, including many children. Some research indicates that HFCS may be worse for you than regular sugar.
HFCS is a liquid sweetener made from corn starch. Corn contains little fructose, but manufacturers use a special process to boost the fructose content and make it sweeter. About 70% of HFCS ends up in soft drinks, but it also is used in everything from baked goods and candies to breakfast cereals and pasta sauces. HFCS is so widely used because it is cheap, sweeter than sucrose, and easy to handle and blend with other ingredients. It now is close to becoming the number one additive in the American diet, with the average American consuming more than 62 pounds of it each year.
The body uses fructose differently than it does other sugars, because fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion. This was considered a good thing, as small amounts of fructose can help improve blood sugar control in people with Type 2 diabetes. But animal studies have found that large amounts of fructose actually impair blood sugar control, and may promote high blood pressure. Studies on humans suggest that high levels, as in large amounts of HFCS-sweetened soft drinks, can boost triglycerides (fats in the blood) and possibly cholesterol. There is also evidence that, in large quantities, fructose may not be as filling as sucrose and thus may encourage overeating. Some scientists believe that consumption of HFCS as the prime reason in the rising obesity rates in this country. Also, high-fructose diets may have a negative effect on the body’s ability to use calcium, chromium, and other important minerals.
Eating lots of fructose in the form of HFCS can cause bloating, cramps, and diarrhea. However, you should not cut back on eating fruit because it contains fructose. Americans only get a small proportion of their fructose from fruit, an amount that won’t cause any problems. Fruit is a great food, containing fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals; it is low in calories and fat-free. Fruit helps control blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight.
A little HFCS in your diet will not hurt, but if you consume lots of HFCS-sweetened soft drinks and foods, it is advisable to reduce your consumption of these foods. Foods with HFCS generally are empty-calories, as they add calories with no nutritional value. Just one daily 16-ounce can of soda (200 calories) can add up to a 20 pound weight gain over the course of one year. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 4/03.
NUTRITIONAL QUIZ ANSWER: a), b), and d) - but whole wheat bread is rich in insoluble fiber, which helps keep bowel movements regular and may reduce the risk of colon cancer. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 6/03.
MEDICAL MYTH - some believe that aerobic exercise is the only type of exercise that reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, a recent Harvard study of 44,000 subjects found that those who weight-trained for 30 minutes or more a week had a 25 percent lower risk of heart disease than those who did not lift at all. Weight-training increases the muscle mass of the body and the resting metabolic rate, both of which contribute to a decreased risk of heart disease. It also leads to better glucose control and decreased insulin resistance, which further reduces the risk of heart disease. Men’s Health 5/03.
EXERCISE AIDS MEMORY - researchers at the University of Illinois have found that subjects who regularly worked out lost significantly less brain tissue as they aged compared to those who exercised rarely or not at all. The scientists analyzed brain scans and found that working out can help keep the memory strong and prevent the loss of cognitive function as one ages. Men’s Health 5/03.
DO ONLY OLD MEN GET ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE? - don’t assume that this disease is only afflicting old geezers. Each year, 5 percent of its four million victims are younger than 60 years of age. It is called early-onset Alzheimer’s disease; the main difference is that people afflicted with early-onset Alzheimer’s are still working and trying to support a family.
The biggest risk factor is a strong family history of Alzheimer’s. If there is a family history, it may be time to consult with a neurologist about genetic testing. If you do have one of the three known trigger genes, you might consider an occasional glass of red wine. In a study published in the journal Neurology, researchers discovered that people who drank wine just once a month were half as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease as those who did not indulge. Red wine is much higher in flavonoids - a group of important antioxidants - than white wine. Men’s Health 5/03.
