REPORTING POINT 02/09
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
IS SUGAR BAD FOR YOUR EYES? - Looks like there may be yet another reason to kick sugar and white flour out of your diet: eye health. Cutting back on processed carbs could lower your risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in people 60 and older.
The Carb Connection
What makes refined carbs so bad for your eyes? Seems their high glycemic index may be partly to blame. High-glycemic-index foods boost a whole bunch of bad things linked to AMD -- like increases in oxidative stress, inflammation, and blood-fat levels.
Along with replacing the "bad" carbs in your diet with high-fiber whole grains, try these other sight-saving steps: Make sure your diet includes these four super eye nutrients. Rely on four special nutrients to help reduce your risk of a common eye problem by up to 35 percent.
Diets that contain ample amounts of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, and zinc are associated with a greatly reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that is common with aging and can lead to blindness. Good sources of these nutrients: fresh produce, nuts, fortified cereals, and supplements.
Diet plays a role in many disease processes, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 55. In a recent study of people in this age group, those who reported the highest intake of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, and zinc were significantly less likely to develop AMD than those who had the lowest intake. Fill up on oranges, mangoes, and strawberries for vitamin C. Turkey, chicken, and fortified cereal are great sources for zinc. Almonds and peanut butter, or a supplement, can help boost your intake of vitamin E. Sweet potatoes, apricots, and peaches are excellent sources of beta carotene. Other nutrients that appear to be beneficial for eye health include lutein and zeaxanthin. Like beta carotene, they are carotenoids found in various kinds of fruits and vegetables. Good sources of lutein include spinach, peas, and green bell peppers. Good sources of zeaxanthin include corn, spinach, orange bell peppers, and tangerines.
§ Figure out if changes in your vision are normal.
Age-Related Eye Change #1
The pupil becomes smaller and less responsive to variations in light. Impact: Because the pupil controls the amount of light that reaches the retina, age-related changes to the pupil may affect vision in many ways. First, as the pupil decreases in diameter, seeing well in dim light becomes harder. In addition, the less able the pupil is to adjust to varying light conditions, the less tolerable glare becomes and the more difficult it is to adapt from darkness to bright light or vice versa. This means as you get older, you may need more time to adjust to changing levels of illumination, such as going from bright sunshine into a dimly lit room or restaurant.
Age-Related Eye Change #2
The lens of the eye begins to lose elasticity.
Impact: In the same way that losing flexibility in tendons and muscles makes it more difficult for the body to move, losing lens elasticity also makes it harder for the lens to bend in order to focus on closely held objects. This loss of focusing power or lens accommodation is known as presbyopia.
Compensation: Investing in certain sight aids can help compensate for losses in up-close vision. Try these sight aids if you're having trouble seeing close up:
· See your eye specialist regarding corrective devices such as reading glasses, bifocals, trifocals, progressive lenses (no lines), and possibly contact lenses to help you correctly see objects at close proximity.
· Have your eyes rechecked and reading lenses adjusted every 2 or 3 years; changes in lens elasticity typically occur progressively between the ages of 45 and 65.
· Shine additional light on close work materials to enhance your near vision; lights with adjustable necks are best for targeting directly on work.
· Consider simple, over-the-counter reading glasses for up-close work if you do not need corrective lenses to see distances. The typical range of magnification needed is from +1.00 to + 3.00. Choose a weaker glass for computer work or a stronger glass for reading.
Age-Related Eye Change #3
The lens of the eye not only becomes less elastic with age, but it also becomes thicker.
Impact: As the lens becomes thicker, more of the light that passes to the retina scatters. The scattering of light reduces the contrast and sharpness of objects, making it harder to clearly distinguish small details, such as street signs or the dials on appliances. This loss of visual acuity also can make it harder to recognize faces and objects, especially at dusk or in dim lighting where contrast is poor.
Age-Related Eye Change #4
The lens of the eye gradually yellows with age.
Impact: The yellowing of the eye lens affects color perception. For example, the yellowing lens tends to absorb and scatter blue light, making it difficult to see differences in shades of blue, green, and violet. Colors may seem duller, and contrasts between colors will be less noticeable. This may cause confusion when picking out clothes or performing other tasks that require color perception. It also may become difficult to tell where an object ends and its background begins, making it difficult to see curbs or steps, for example.
When it's not a normal part of aging
As you get older, it is very important to have regular eye examinations. Some eye changes may signal something more serious than age-related changes, such as an eye disease that needs medical treatment. Even if you are not experiencing eye symptoms, regular checkups are a must. Many eye diseases do not have warning symptoms but could be minimized or slowed with proper treatment. For example, although eye diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal detachment are often painless and the onset is gradual, they can greatly impair vision if not promptly treated. Association between dietary glycemic index and age-related macular degeneration in nondiabetic participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 7/2007 [Jul;86(1):180-188.]
A DANGEROUS CYCLE – the heavier you are, the more dangerous fast food becomes. Scientists at the University of Buffalo fed overweight diners 1,800 calories of fast food and noticed that their inflammation levels were significantly higher than those of normal-weight adults who ate the same foods.
(Inflammation is viewed as a key mechanism in heart disease – more important than the anatomical narrowing of coronary arteries by cholesterol deposits. Medicine is good at detecting and treating these blockages, but most heart attacks are not caused this way. The bigger problem is inflamed plaque that can crack open and cause a blood clot, leading to a heart attack or stroke – LK.)
During periods of high inflammation, the body produces less HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) and more LDL and triglycerides (both bad), raising the risk of heart-attack.
This is even more motivation to lose weight and eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and lean protein sources. Men’s Health 5/08.
BIRTH CONTROL PILLS AND OVARIAN CANCER – researchers at the University of Hawaii confirmed that the longer a woman takes the Pill, the greater the reduction in risk of ovarian cancer, and that the effect lasts at least three decades after use is stopped. Women known to be at high risk for ovarian cancer because of family history may be advised to take the Pill as a preventive. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 7/08.
4 REASON WHY YOU ARE STILL FAT – even if you think that you are doing everything to lose weight, be aware of these potential problems:
Liquid calories – smoothies and juices are easy to consume and many are heavy with calories. When these calorie-dense foods are consumed, the brain does not consider these calories “food” so they do not contribute to satiety or loss of hunger.
Instead consider drinking water every other time you are considering a smoothie or juice. Limiting juice or smoothies to just eight ounces a day will help with weight loss.
Mindless eating – think of this as edible amnesia, a condition where you forget that you are eating a whole bag of chips while watching TV or reading a book.
Eating peanuts on a flight to stave off hunger, while a healthy choice, are loaded with calories. Be aware of how many bags you are consuming as peanuts have 164 calories per ounce.
If this is a problem, consider keeping a food diary and maintain this for at least a week.
Inactivity – even if you are hitting the gym regularly, you may be more inactive than you think later on either because you are tired or you believe that you have worked out that day and you can justify skipping everyday activities like taking the stairs.
Buy a pedometer and get in at least 10,000 steps a day in addition to your workout.
Underestimating calorie intake – when you cave in and cheat just a little – even just one slice of pizza – it can take 45 minutes of additional cardio-exercise to shed those extra calories. Just don’t cheat or save the indulging for the foods that you truly want, not the mindless junk food. Men’s Fitness 10/08.
PEANUTS AND POPCORN = GOOD! by the age of 60, a third of the U.S. population will have outpouches in their colon, a condition called diverticulosis. By age 80, two-thirds will have diverticulosis. Roughly 10 to 35 percent of them will have complications like bleeding and diverticulitis (inflammation of the outpouches).
Conventional medical advice to those suffering from diverticulitis has been to not consume nuts, corn, and popcorn because the residue may get lodged in the outpouches.
However, in a new study which tracked more than 47,000 test subjects for 18 years, the risk of diverticulitis was 30 percent lower for those who ate popcorn at least twice a week than for those who ate popcorn less than once a month. The risk was also lower for those who ate nuts at least twice a week. There was no link with corn and diverticulitis and no link with any of those foods and bleeding.
If you are diagnosed with diverticulitis disease, do not hesitate to eat nuts, corn, or popcorn. Just make sure the popcorn is not made with partially hydrogenated oils (like Pop Secret), or is not loaded with calories (thanks to giant servings and cooking oil plus butter in movie popcorn). Journal of the American Medical Association 300:907,2008.
EXERCISE FOR ARTHRITIS – exercise stimulates cartilage to take up more nutrients and repair itself. Physical activity appears to help people with osteoarthritis to reduce pain and stiffness and to cope better with daily activities.
A study published in Arthritis Care and Research looked at several hundred older people who started range-of-motion exercises. These gentle exercises enabled these arthritis sufferers to become more active with less pain.
Any kind of low-impact exercise such as walking, cycling, or swimming is beneficial. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 7/08.
