REPORTING POINT 09/08
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
VITAMIN D & CANCER – vitamin D and calcium seemed to cut the risk of cancer in a study that was designed to see if the supplements could prevent bone fractures.
Researchers gave women over age 55 daily doses of vitamin D (1,100 International Units) plus calcium (1,400 to 1,500 milligrams), calcium alone, or a placebo. After four years, cancers (most often breast) were diagnosed in 7 percent of the women who took calcium alone, and just 2 percent of the women who took both vitamin D and calcium.
The only other trial that tested vitamin D on cancer – the Women’s Health Initiative – found no lower risk of colorectal cancer. But this study used a much lower dose (400 IU a day). However, in both this study and the Women’s Health Initiative, women who started the study with higher blood levels of vitamin D had a lower risk of cancer. Nutrition Action Healthletter 9/07.
TAKE JR FOR A JOG – a study in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness found that running while pushing a stroller burns more calories and does not hurt your running form. Athletic test subjects ran both with and without a stroller for 30 minutes. The added resistance of the stroller boosted both their heart rates and lactate concentrations without affecting stride length.
Physiologically, no negatives come from pushing a stroller. The scientists recommend a one-armed grip. The opposite arm is then free to swing, helping to counter balance the legs. Men’s Health 6/06.
CALCIUM AND KIDNEY STONES – it is a myth that most people prone to kidney stones should avoid calcium. Getting the recommended daily intake of calcium often help prevent stones. Most stones contain calcium, usually combined with oxalates, compounds found in many plant foods. Calcium binds with oxalates in the intestines and decreases their absorption, thus reducing the formation of these stones. But people with some other types of stones may indeed reduce their chances of recurrence by cutting down on calcium. So if you get stones, find out what kind they are and what dietary changes would be best. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 3/08.
WHITE WINE WITH DINNER – white wine goes great with carbohydrates. Australian scientists served adults an alcoholic drink with a high-carbohydrate dinner. They found those who had an alcoholic beverage with their meal significantly reduced the glycemic index of the meal, resulting in the study’s participants’ blood-sugar levels not rising as much after the meal as when they downed water instead. Keeping blood sugar in check may help prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
Compared with beer and gin, white wine has the greatest effect, lowering the meal’s glycemic index by 37 percent. The high acidity of white wine may help slow digestion, keeping sugar from entering the bloodstream as quickly. Men’s Health 10/07.
FIBER AND DIABETES – fiber in breads, cereals, and other grains may cut the risk of diabetes concludes two new studies – one that tracked 25,000 men and women for a decade and a meta-analysis that combined the results of nine other large studies.
Researchers found about a 30 percent lower risk of diabetes in people who reported eating the most fiber from grains (17 grams a day), compared to those who ate the least (7 grams a day). Fiber from fruits and vegetables was not linked to diabetes.
The risk of diabetes was 20 percent lower in people who reported eating the most magnesium (375 mg a day) than in those who ate the least (225 mg a day), according to the meta-analysis.
Eat more whole-grain breads, cereals, and other grains to cut the risk of diabetes. You can get more magnesium from leafy greens, nuts, fish, and beans. Archives of Internal Medicine 167:956, 2007.
EXCESS WEIGHT AND CANCER – a report from the World Cancer Research Fund (www.dietandcancerreport.org) found a convincing connection between excess weight and cancers of the colon, rectum, esophagus, pancreas, and kidney, as well as breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Obesity has also been linked to other cancers, or at least to the likelihood of dying from them. Though the risk is greatest with obesity, even smaller amounts of extra body fat, especially around the waist, increase the chances of developing cancer. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 3/08.
THUNDERSTORM QUIZ – if you are in an open field during a lighting storm, you should:
a) seek shelter under a tree
b) lie flat on the ground
c) crouch in a ball
d) not worry because you are wearing rubber-soled shoes
Answer below.
LOWERING STROKE RISK – people who eat more than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day have a 26 percent lower risk of stroke than those who eat less than three servings. Fruits like apples keep well for trips and are a great snack and good way to increase the amount of fruit in your diet. Men’s Health 6/06.
PREVENTING SPORTS INJURIES – being outdoors and exercising in good weather is a healthy way of staying fit. But the five most common injuries from outdoor exercising may be prevented by including these exercises into your workout routine:
WALKING – plantar fasciitis (inflammation of the tissue band that runs along the sole of the foot) is caused by tight calf and foot muscles.
The solution is to stand facing a wall at about an arm’s distance away and place the palms on the wall. With toes pointing forward, step the right leg backward about two feet and press the right heel into the floor until you feel a gentle stretch along the back of the lower leg. Hold for 30 seconds; do 3-5 repetitions and then switch legs and repeat. Try to do this stretch daily, after your workout.
SWIMMING – shoulder pain which is caused by under used upper-back muscles that allow shoulder blades to move out of position.
To strengthen these muscles, stand with knees slightly bent, leaning forward from the waist, arms hanging down. Holding a light weight (5 to 10 pounds) in each hand, lift both arms out to the sides and away from the body (you should feel the shoulder blades move in toward each other). Pause, then return to starting position; doing 3 sets of 10 reps, three times a week.
HIKING – ankle sprains can be caused by a lack of strength in hips and ankles.
To lessen the risk of a sprain, try balancing on your right foot, and bend the right knee and slowly lower the body 3 or 4 inches (keeping the back straight). Straighten the knee and gradually return to standing, then slowly rotate the torso (from the hip) to the left, then the right. Do 10 reps and repeat with the left leg, three times per week.
CYCLING – lower-back pain is caused by overtaxed back muscles from time spent in a bent-over-the-handlebars position.
A solution to this type of back pain is to assume a position on your hands and knees. Slowly lift and extend the right arm in front of you and the left leg behind you; looking towards the floor. Keep the torso stable and abs gently contracted. Repeat on the opposite side, working up to 5 reps per side, holding for 30 seconds per rep. Try this three times per week.
RUNNING – patellofemoral syndrome, or PFS (pain under or around the kneecap) is probably caused by improper tracking of the kneecap, often due to weakness or imbalance in the quadriceps muscles.
To help prevent this, place your back against a wall and feet flat on the floor. Slide down until the thighs are parallel to the floor, holding for 15-30 seconds, then return to the starting position. Five reps should be sufficient. For a greater challenge, put a stability ball between the back and the wall while you do the exercise, three times a week. Health 3/06.
POSITION IS EVERYTHING – Swiss-ball crunches may enhance or hinder your ab-work depending on where you position the ball. If you perform the exercise with the ball under your shoulders, you will achieve a 30 percent less abdominal activation than you will if you do the crunch on the floor, report scientists at California Occidental College. However, positioning the workout aid under your lower back, the crunch will be 30 percent more powerful than the floor move.
A lower ball position entails lifting more of the trunk into the air, which requires greater abdominal stabilization and support.
Be sure to lie on the ball so that the ball supports the natural curve of the lower back, keeping your neck in line with your spine as you crunch forward. Squeeze your abs forcefully throughout the movement and be sure to keep your feet flat on the floor. Men’s Health 9/07.
GOING TO THE MOVIES? – think twice about the snack foods available at the theater. Researchers at Cornell University found that people eat 53 percent more popcorn from a large container than from a small one.
Snacks available at the theater are loaded with artery-clogging trans-fat, blood pressure-boosting sodium, and heavy with calories. Here’s the stat-sheet on typical snacks:
-Large Nachos with cheese – (40 chips, 4 Tbsp cheese)
1,101 calories
54 grams fat
40 grams trans-fat
133 grams carbs
1,384 mgs sodium, 19 grams protein, 7 grams fiber
-Medium Coke with ice (32.5 ounces)
385 calories
100 grams sugar
-Hot Dog
300 calories
18 grams fat (9 grams trans-fat)
25 grams carbs
826 mgs sodium
10 grams protein, 1 gram fiber
-Medium Popcorn – (15 cups, no extra salt or butter)
825 calories
46 grams fat (34 grams trans-fat)
94 grams carbs, 1,459 mgs sodium
15 grams protein, 17 grams fiber
-Soft Pretzel
483 calories
4 grams fat (3 grams trans-fat)
99 grams carbs
2,008 mgs sodium
12 grams protein, 2 grams fiber. Men’s Health 5/08.
QUIZ ANSWER: c) if there is no safe indoor shelter, seek the lowest spot and crouch with your feet together and head down, making as little contact with the ground as possible – especially if your hair stands on end, a sign of an imminent lightning strike. Cars with windows rolled up are safer than being outside (do not touch metal parts), but sheds and lean-to’s are not.
According to a lightning safety expert at the National Weather Service, the most important thing for people to know is if the sky looks threatening or they hear thunder, they need to get inside a substantial building – one with wiring and plumbing – or a hard-topped metal vehicle immediately. A safe building has a roof, walls and floor, such as a home, school, office building or a shopping center. They provide safety because lightning will usually travel through the wiring or the plumbing into the ground. Stay away from showers, sinks, hot tubs, and electronic equipment such as TVs, radios, and computers. Picnic shelters, carports, dugouts, and sheds are not safe. The United States had 45 lightning deaths last year.
It is a myth that sneakers or other rubber-soled shoes are protective. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 6/08, Associated Press 7/08.
