Health News

REPORTING POINT 04/08
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

RUNNING AND YOUR KNEES – does running harm the knees? Research from Malmo University Hospital in Sweden found that exercise prevents the loss of cartilage by strengthening it. The researchers measured levels of glycosaminoglycan (GAG), an indicator of cartilage strength and elasticity, in test subjects who had undergone knee-cartilage surgery. While GAG levels increased in the group that ran, walked, and did leg exercises, levels stayed the same in a control group that did not exercise. Exercise strengthened the muscles within the knees to better protect the knee structure during running and walking. Men’s Health 5/06.

FOR MOTIVATION TO WALK MORE, TRY A PEDOMETER – a pedometer is a small step-counting device that clips onto a belt or straps to your wrist. A recent analysis of 26 studies, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that pedometer users walked about an extra mile a day (about 2,000 steps) on average, and increased their overall physical activity by 27 percent. They also lost a little more weight and lowered their blood pressure over an average of 18 weeks. The extra steps daily resulted in burning another 100 calories a day. It is important to have a goal, such as 10,000 steps a day, the researchers noted. A good pedometer costs about $20-$30.
One good option is the non-profit “America On the Move”, which is offering the opportunity to buy two pedometers for $12 (these usually cost $25 each) at www.americaonthemove.org or by calling 877-866-8663. The small profit from the pedometers will go to programs by America On the Move, which promotes two small changes: extra steps each day and the consumption of 100 fewer calories each day. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 2/08, USA Today 1/3/08.

TEA AND OVARIAN CANCER – drinking tea may help reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, suggests a Swedish study of more than 61,000 women. Those who drank two or more cups a day (mostly black tea) were about half as likely to develop this cancer over 15 years as those who seldom or never drank tea. The more tea they drank, the lower the risk, but even one cup a day was somewhat protective. Both black and green teas contain polyphenols, antioxidants that may inhibit cell growth and induce abnormal cells to self-destruct. It is also possible that tea drinkers have other healthy habits not taken into account in this study as other non-related research has found that in general, regular tea drinkers lead healthier lifestyles in diet and regular exercise. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 5/06.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DANGERS FOR SOME INJURIES – drugs like ibuprofen and aspirin work by reducing inflammation. But according to a new study, tennis elbow and other overuse injuries are not caused by inflammation but by tiny tears in the joint tendons. These medicines make the body produce a chemical that may worsen the damage and prevent the tendons from healing. If the pain relievers mask the pain enough to keep you active, you will end up hurting yourself even more. Most physicians recommend giving the injured joint, whether an elbow, knee, shoulder, or wrist, a rest. If that does not help, see a physical therapist who can prescribe exercises and stretches to speed healing. Health 6/06.

MORE VEGGIES, HEALTHIER LUNGS – lung cancer kills 62 percent more women each year than breast cancer. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, but up to 20 percent of women who develop lung cancer have never smoked.
Eating five or more servings of vegetables a day could slash your risk of lung cancer by up to 34 percent – even if you smoke! Phytoestrogens, besides being potent antioxidants, are hormone-like nutrients that appear to stop cancer cells (in the lung, breast, and prostate) from growing and spreading.
The best strategy is to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables because each one provides different types and amounts of phytoestrogens. They are also abundant in soy products, beans, peas, coffee, tea, and (even better) chocolate. Health 6/06.

MAGNESIUM MAY REDUCE THE RISK OF COLON CANCER - a recent study of more than 35,000 test subjects in Iowa found that those who consumed the most magnesium from food (more than 350 milligrams a day – about the recommended levels) were 23 percent less likely to develop colon cancer over 17 years than those who consumed the least. A previous study of Swedish patients had similar results for colon cancer, but also found magnesium to be protective against rectal cancer. The best sources include leafy greens, nuts, beans, whole grains, some fish, and dark chocolate. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 7/06.

WARM-UP INTENSITY BEFORE WORKING OUT – what is a better warm-up before exercising: hard or easy or none? Researchers at the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse had cyclists ride a time trial with different warm-ups – a 15 minute easy warm-up with a two minute rest before the time trial; an 18 minute hard warm-up with a six minute rest before the time trial; or no warm-up whatsoever. The researchers found that either warm-up yielded the same results with equal improvement over no warm-up at all. Men’s Health 5/06.

REDUCING AGGRESSIVE PROSTATE CANCER RISK – men who regularly eat cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower, may have a reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer, according to a large four-year study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Those who ate such vegetables (also including Brussels sprouts, mustard and turnip greens, cabbage, and kale) more than once a week were up to 50 percent less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer, compared to men who rarely ate them. Previous lab research at UC Berkeley found that substances in cruciferous vegetables inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 12/07.

VITAMIN C USELESS FOR COLDS? – popping pills to fend off colds may be pointless. According to a review of 30 studies, thousands of people who took at least 200 milligrams of the vitamin daily were no more or less likely to get sick than those who took none. One exception: people who exercise outside in the winter. For reasons not yet known, researchers found that people who take C and exercise in the chilly outdoors appear to reduce the risk of catching a cold by 50 percent. Men’s Fitness 11/07.

FIVE THINGS SUCCESSFUL DIETERS DO – according to the National Weight Control Registry, which has amassed information on nearly 5,000 people who have maintained at least a 30-pound weight loss for five or more years, the successful dieters:
Eat a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet. The low-carb craze has not influenced these successful weight maintainers. On average, they get most of their calories (55 to 60 percent) from carbohydrates and 24 percent of their calories from fat; the rest is from protein. They emphasize “good” carbs – fruit, vegetables, and other high-fiber foods, not high-sugar carbohydrates.
They are conscious of calories. Successful dieters know that total calories count, no matter what diet they follow. Whether the calories come from carbs, fat, or protein, a calorie is a calorie.
They eat breakfast. Eight out of 10 successful weight maintainers eat breakfast every day. This may help people better manage calories during the day. They also eat often – an average of five smaller meals and snacks a day.
They self-monitor. Successful weight-losers weigh themselves at least once a week, some more frequently. Many keep food diaries.
They engage in lots of physical activity – 60 to 90 minutes a day. People who have lost significant amounts of weight and managed to keep at their goals carve out time every day for planned exercise, but they also look for ways to get more activity during the rest of the day. Walking is their No. 1 priority.

The researchers also found that most of these successful weight-maintainers have failed several times before, that it may take a few attempts before you succeed so do not give up.
These dieters also ate out in restaurants an average of three times a week. They reported better energy, mood, and confidence after losing the desired weight. If one can keep the weight off for two years, chances are you will keep it off long-term. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 8/05.

WHOLE GRAINS VS. HEART FAILURE – men who consume more whole-grain breakfast cereals have a lower risk of heart failure, the leading cause of hospitalization among older Americans. One out of five 40 year olds will be diagnosed with heart failure in his or her lifetime.
Researchers tracked more than 21,000 participants in the Physicians’ Health Study for an average of 20 years. Those who ate whole-grain cereal at least seven times a week had a 28 percent lower risk of heart failure than those who ate whole-grain cereal less than once a week. Those who ate whole-grain cereal two to six times a week had a 22 percent lower risk. Refined grains were not linked to heart failure.
The study recommends eating whole, not refined, grains. Earlier studies found a lower risk of heart attacks and high blood pressure in whole-grain eaters.
It is not clear whether the potassium, antioxidants, phytoestrogens, fiber, or other constituents of whole grains may protect the heart. It is also possible that something else about whole-grain eaters kept their hearts pumping, though the researchers accounted for age, smoking, alcohol, vegetable, multivitamins, exercise, and other factors. Archives of Internal Medicine 167: 2080, 2007.

PEPPERS: A NUTRITIONAL POWERHOUSE – peppers are a universal food and a staple of most all cuisines. Nearly all peppers start out green. If left to ripen before picking, they turn red, yellow, purple, or even brown, depending on the variety.
The brighter the color of the peppers - generally the more nutrients. While green peppers are the least expensive, the red and yellow are the real nutritional powerhouses. One 3.5-ounce green pepper has about 80 milligrams of vitamin C, twice as much C (ounce for ounce) as an orange. Red and yellow peppers have even more vitamin C than green ones: 125 milligrams in 3.5-ounces of red, 185 in yellow. Green peppers supply beta carotene, which increases as a pepper matures and turns red or yellow. A red pepper has eight times as much beta carotene as a green one. Peppers also contain potassium and some fiber, plus a variety of other carotenoids and beneficial phytochemicals.
Sweet peppers are excellent snacks or dipping vegetables; they dress up salads and sandwiches and combine with most other vegetables as well and meats and pasta. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 7/07.