Health News

REPORTING POINT 11/06

HEALTH NEWS

“Live healthy...live well”

Dedicated to providing pertinent information on health, fitness, and nutrition to foster a culture of wellness among Southwest Airlines flight crews and their families.

by Larry Kline

SWAPA Voice Mailbox 4337/email: livehealthy-livewell@cox.net

Past issues of “Health News” are available at http://health.theballfamily.org. It includes a search engine; just enter a key word to find past articles. LK

MANAGING TYPE 2 DIABETES – largely because Americans are getting fatter, the incidence of Type 2 diabetes has been rising dramatically. Symptoms of diabetes, which develop slowly over the years, include excessive thirst, frequent urination, constant hunger, blurred vision, fatigue, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, and slow healing of cuts and wounds. Women may also have recurring infections, such as urinary tract and vaginal yeast infections. But many people with diabetes have no symptoms. Everyone age 45 and older should get a blood test for diabetes every three years. Those at high risk (blacks, Hispanics, Asians, native Americans, obese and/or sedentary people, and those with a strong family history of the disease need more frequent screening starting at age 30.

Avoiding sugar will not reduce the risk for diabetes, according to a study of nearly 40,000 health professionals. Over a six-year period, those who consumed the most sugar were no more likely to develop diabetes than those who ate the least sugar. The researchers warned that these results should not be interpreted as permission to consume unlimited candy bars and soft drinks, since that will cause weight gain, which in turn increases the risk of diabetes.

Researchers at Purdue University recently discovered that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), found in meats and dairy products, can lower blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes.

Along with proper diet and exercise, the scientists found CLA could help manage the disease. Type 2 diabetics who took six grams of a CLA supplement daily for eight weeks saw their blood-sugar levels drop by 3 percent. However, until further research determines the long-term effects of regular CLA consumption in large amounts, the researchers recommend sticking with natural sources (a glass of 2 percent milk contains about 25 milligrams of CLA) instead of supplements. Health 3/02, University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 10/03.

ENHANCED COLON CANCER TEST – the best defense against colon cancer is early detection, which means a colonoscopy by age 50 with no family history of the disease or by age 40 with a history of colon cancer in the family.

There is a new option: the high-magnification chromoscopic colonoscopy, a procedure that coats the colon with a dye designed to light up in the presence of precancerous cells. It is able to go through the layers of the bowel, almost the same way an electron microscope would, which lets physicians remove suspicious cells before they develop into polyps.

If there is colon cancer in your genes, ask your physician about a referral to a local cancer center or university hospital that offers the test. Men’s Health 5/05.

NATURAL WAY TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL – nuts are nature’s statins – a natural way to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Recent medical literature reviewed by South African researchers quantified exactly how much various types of nuts can lower LDL cholesterol. Here is the average reduction in cholesterol that can be expected by consuming various varieties, based on consuming one large handful, about 1 ½ ounces, every day for four weeks:

Peanuts – 6.4 percent

Walnuts – 7.5 percent

Almonds – 7.8 percent

Pecans – 13.4 percent

Men’s Health 2/06.

PREVENTING TOOTH LOSS