Health News

REPORTING POINT 05/07

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

LONG DUTY DAY? – University of Pennsylvania researchers found that the chance of a mistake triples when a nurse works more than 12 hours. Due to budget cuts, 30 percent of nurses in the study were forced to work those hours. Consider these facts when you are evaluating your performance on a long-duty day. Men’s Health 10/04.

IS ORGANIC BETTER? – a recent preliminary study found that organically raised fruits and vegetables have more phytochemicals than conventionally raised produce, in which pesticides have been used. There are over 4,000 phytochemicals – plant chemicals that are very protective of the body and necessary to preventing diseases. The first job of phytochemicals is to benefit the plants. Some of these plant chemicals are antioxidants that protect cells from damage by free radicals, which are by-products of the processing of oxygen in living organisms. Like people, plants need antioxidants to survive in an oxygen-rich environment. Plant antioxidants stabilize cell chemistry and protect plants from the damaging effects of oxygen, sunlight, and other factors like pollution.

Researchers believe organic is better because the plant has to depend on itself to fight off insects and other predators so it produces higher levels of phytochemicals that act as pesticides. If the producer provides the pesticides, the plant does not need to mount its own defenses.

Phytochemicals found in supplements may not be as effective as those same antioxidants found in foods plus foods contain multiple healthy compounds that may act together in a much more beneficial way than those consumed only in supplements. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 10/03.

PREVENTING PANCREATIC CANCER – pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly types of cancer – it strikes 34,000 Americans each year and kills 32,300, according to the American Cancer Society. Researchers are now exploring whether vitamin D might prevent pancreatic cancer. A study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention compared pancreatic cancer rates between people who consumed the most vitamin D – at least 600 international units a day from food and supplements – and those who consumed the least, or fewer than 150 I.U. The high vitamin D group had a rate of 12.5 pancreatic cancers per 100,000 people, about 40 percent lower than among people with the smallest intake, whose rate was 21 per 100,000 people. The researchers are not sure if it is the vitamin D consumed or something else in the diet or lifestyle that may affect risk.

Follow-up studies are planned to better understand the relationship of vitamin D to pancreatic cancer risk as people also get vitamin D from sunlight. While the scientists are not yet recommending supplementing with vitamin D, people can reduce their risk by exercising, staying slim and avoiding tobacco, which may cause 25 percent of pancreatic cancers. USA Today 9/14/06.

GOOD FOR YOUR BODY/NOT YOUR BREATH – consider stronger-tasting varieties when shopping for onions. The strong taste and smell come from antioxidant compounds called polyphenols (including flavonoids), which may reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases. Americans generally prefer the milder onions, such as Vidalia. Western Yellow, New York Bold, and Northern Red onions are highest in polyphenols. Shallots, though milder in flavor, also rank high. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 2/05.

SATURATED FAT AND HDL – eating even one meal that is high in saturated fat can make it tougher for high-density lipoproteins, or HDL (which carry cholesterol out of the body), to protect the arteries.

Researchers fed healthy test subjects meals that were high in either saturated fat (coconut oil) or polyunsaturated fat (safflower oil). The HDL collected after the polyunsaturated meal was better at producing anti-inflammatory molecules than the HDL collected after the saturated fat meal. Inflammation makes arteries more susceptible to clogging. Consider this the next time you are tempted to eat a pepperoni pizza, steak, or cheesecake. Journal of American College of Cardiology 48:715, 2006.

JUST 2X A WEEK – Arizona State University researchers analyzed 37 weight-training studies and concluded that as one advances to more sets with heavier weights, there is no benefit in working a muscle more than twice a week. Men’s Health 10/04.

CALCIUM AND COLON CANCER – a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared calcium intake of over 3,600 people with colorectal adenomas – a type of polyp that can develop into cancer – to those of people who were disease free. Those who consumed the most calcium from both food and supplements had a 12 percent lower risk of adenomas than those who consumed the least. Supplementing with more than 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day reduced the risk even more – by 27 percent. Calcium may protect by binding potentially carcinogenic substances in the colon, or it may directly influence cells in the colon’s lining. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 2/05.

EXERCISE AWAY BELLY FAT – exercise and diet may work better than cutting the same number of calories by diet alone.

Researchers assigned sedentary, obese women aged 50 to 70 to either a low-calorie diet or the same diet plus either high- or low-intensity exercise. Both exercise groups walked on a treadmill three days a week. The low-intensity group walked for 55 minutes at a slower speed (1 to 2 miles per hour), while the high-intensity group walked for 30 minutes at a faster speed (3 to 4 miles per hour).

After 20 weeks, all three groups had lost about the same weight (19 to 24 pounds). However, abdominal fat cells shrunk only in the two exercise groups.

Besides losing weight in their midsection, losing belly weight lowers the rise of diabetes and heart disease more than fat on hips, thighs, or elsewhere.

If you are overweight, cutting calories and exercising are critical. These women in the study only burned about 60 calories a day on the treadmill, but it was enough to shrink their fat cells. Other studies show that exercise can cut the risk of diabetes even if you don’t lose a pound. Journal Obesity 1211, 2006.

RX TRANSLATOR – pharmacists often place warning labels on prescription medication bottles. Here are the reasons for each label:

REFRIGERATE. Like milk, certain medications can curdle if stored at room temperature. The antibiotic amoxicillin can become less effective, and expired tetracycline can be toxic. Keep these medications on a shelf on the refrigerator door to reduce the risk of contamination from food.

AVOID ALCOHOL. Drinking when taking antidepressants, sedatives, or painkillers can amplify the drugs’ effects. Alcohol can also interfere with the effectiveness of diabetes and seizure medications.

DO NOT TAKE WITH DAIRY OR ANTACIDS. Antacids and dairy products will bind to some medications, preventing them from being absorbed. Calcium supplements do the same. Avoid all three for at least an hour before and after taking the medication.

SHAKE WELL. With certain liquid drugs, the active ingredients settle to the bottom. If the bottle is not shaken well before using, you will not get the right dose. Ten seconds is usually enough, but some drugs need longer to ensure that everything mixes.

AVOID SUNLIGHT. Certain medications can make the skin extremely sensitive to sunlight. Use at least an SPF-30 sunscreen all over the body, including skin covered by thin clothing, to avoid the risk of a burn.

MAY CAUSE DROWSINESS OR DIZZINESS. Hypertension medications often carry these labels because the drugs can produce a dramatic drop in blood pressure. If it is an allergy medication containing a decongestant, avoid taking it right before bed, since the medication may interfere with the normal sleep cycle. Men’s Health 3/06.

IS FORTIFIED A BETTER OJ? – drinking orange juice fortified with calcium is not as healthy as it might seem. About 90 percent of the calcium in cow’s milk is likely to be absorbed where only about 20 to 50 percent of the calcium in most brands of fortified orange juice is absorbable. The researchers found that the most effective fortified orange juices are the brands that contain calcium citrate malate or the trade name Fruitcal on the label. Health 11/05.

MORE BENEFITS OF FRUITS AND VEGGIES – produce helps prevent pancreatic cancer, according to new research from the University of California San Francisco. Scientists tracked the diets of more than 2,000 people over a 10-year period and found that eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables cuts the chance of developing this especially deadly form of cancer by 50 percent. The foods most strongly associated with risk reduction are onions, garlic, beans, carrots, dark leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, and oranges. Those who ate five servings of vegetables a day had the lowest risk. Men’s Health 3/06.

CATARACT RISK – may be linked to weight and height. Overweight men have a 30 percent higher chance of developing cataracts than men of normal weight. Scientists believe obesity contributes to diabetes, a condition that increases cataract risk. Men of normal weight six feet or taller have a 25 percent higher risk of developing cataracts than those five feet seven inches or shorter. The reason for the increased risk for taller people is unknown. Risk of getting cataracts may be reduced by losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight. Bottom Line Health 8/01.

CALORIES COUNT AND CONSISTENCY, TOO – according to a Brazilian study that analyzed 33 clinical trials, researchers concluded diet plays a greater role in burning belly fat than your workout does. The scientists determined that diet controls about 75 percent of weight loss. This does not mean that exercise is not an important part of the fat-burning formula, but the fastest results come from working out and an effective exercise program.