REPORTING POINT
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
email: livehealthy-livewell@cox.net
THE RISK OF EXTREME EXERCISE – a Minneapolis Heart Institute study indicated that extreme athletes like marathoners who have competed for 25 consecutive years showed surprising levels of arterial plaque – 62 percent more than sedentary people. The study’s authors say the physical stress of training and races, including elevated heart rate and blood pressure, can expose tissue to a damaging acidic environment. Moderate exercisers had no indication of this type of damage. Men’s Health 1/11.
STOPPING CANCER IN THE FUTURE – treating cancer would be a simple matter of removing a single tumor if cancer cells did not have the deadly tendency to spread, or metastasize, throughout the body. Now researchers at the University of East Anglia think they have discovered a way to stop them from doing just that. In a new study, they found that many cancer cells contain a faulty version of a gene we all carry called WWP2. The rogue gene attacks a natural inhibitor protein that otherwise would keep malignancies in check. By blocking the gene in the lab, researchers were able to boost levels of the inhibitor, which kept cancer cells from metastasizing. The study’s authors hope an improved understanding of that process will allow them to translate their experimental findings into practical treatments. The challenge now is to identify a potent drug that will get inside cancer cells and destroy the activity of the rogue gene. The scientists said such a drug, which would target most types of cancer, could be available within the next decade. The Week 2/11/11.
OMEGA-POWER – fish-oil supplements may help prevent pancreatic cancer, according to an International Journal of Cancer study. Participants who took at least 850 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids a day reduced their risk of developing the cancer by 53 percent. Omega-3s may help halt the growth of cancer cells, according to the scientists. Men’s Health 1/11.
CELLPHONE USE AFFECTS THE BRAIN- holding a cellphone against your ear changes the activity in your brain, say researchers from the National Institutes of Health, who found that less than an hour of cellphone use is linked to increased activity in the part of the brain closest to the phone antenna. It appears that the brain is sensitive to the cellphone’s radiation emissions. It is not clear yet whether the radiation is potentially carcinogenic or has any other negative health implications – or even positive ones.
A year-long study on people analyzed positron emission tomography (PET) scans to measure brain glucose metabolism, which is an indication of the brain’s activity. When cellphones were placed against the subjects’ ears for 50 minutes – some phones with the sound muted, some turned off without the subjects’ knowledge – metabolism in the brain region closest to the antenna was about seven percent higher when the cellphone was on.
The orbitofrontal cortex, one of the two areas that lit up on the scans, is broadly associated with emotion, sense of smell, memory, eating, and aggression. This part of the brain coordinates the functions of other parts of the brain.
The temporal area, which also responded to the cellphone emitted radiation, is critical to language and memory. Scientists do not yet know if cellphone use will affect certain brain functions long term. The amount of radiation received from cellphone use is dependent to the distance it is from the head. Some scientists recommend using a headset or Bluetooth device, which limits the radiation exposure. The researchers stated that an increase in glucose metabolism does not mean that it is dangerous. Though cancer cells do have higher levels of glucose metabolism, it has also been associated with some good things including greater cognitive performance and greater blood flow.
One conclusion that the researchers agree on now is concern for cellphone use with children, since their less developed skulls and brains are more susceptible to the radiation. USA Today 02/23/11.
WATCH WHO YOU SLEEP WITH – more than half of American pet owners sleep with their furry companions, and that can be a big mistake. A study from the University of California warns that such close contact can transmit serious illnesses from pet to caretaker, including meningitis, worms, and (through fleas) even the bubonic plague. Experts suspect up to several million cases of zoonotic diseases – those passed from animals to humans – may occur every year, ranging from skin conditions like ringworm to life-threatening ailments such as staph infections. While pets provide a lot of comfort and can reduce stress, researchers say, they are animals and can carry potentially dangerous bacteria, parasites, and bugs. Experts also state that it is not wise to let pets lick you on the mouth, and recommend hand-washing whenever you have been handling an animal. Healthday.com
ACTIVE AND HEALTHY KIDS – the national physical activity guidelines for youth recommend 60 minutes of physical activity every day for children (5-12) and teens (13-18). Yet only 18.4 percent of youth get 60 minutes of activity on all seven days of the week.
Until the 1990s physical activity recommendations from the government and medical associations were primarily for adults, and focused on the amount of exercise necessary to produce increases in fitness and performance rather than health. With the publication of the Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health the focus shifted to “how much physical activity is enough for health?”
In 1998 the first physical activity guidelines, developed specifically for children, were published by the National Association for Sport and Physical Activity (NAPSE). These guidelines were the first to recommend that children get 60 minutes of physical activity each day, twice the amount recommended for adults. The guidelines also indicated children should not be inactive for long periods of time during the waking hours (more than two hours at a time). Recent surveys indicate that youth are often inactive for long periods of time each day, averaging 44.5 hours each week in front of a computer, television or videogame screen. This amounts to more time in front of a screen than in any other activity except sleeping.
In 2005 NAPSE revised its guidelines and in 2008 the CDC developed comprehensive physical activity guidelines for Americans of all ages, including youth, which are summarized as follows:
-Perform at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily.
-Perform aerobic activity. Most of the 60 minutes should be from moderate (activity equal to brisk walking) or vigorous aerobic physical activity (makes the heart beat faster and makes you breathe harder); with vigorous activity performed at least three days a week.
-Perform muscle-strengthening activity. Muscle-strengthening activity should be included at least three days a week. For children formal resistance training is not recommended. For teens resistance training is appropriate when proper guidelines are followed.
-Perform bone-strengthening activity. Bone-strengthening activity should be performed at least three days a week. Weight bearing aerobic activity and muscle strengthening activity fulfills this need.
-Perform a variety of activities. Participation in a variety of enjoyable activities is recommended. This includes play and games for children as well as more formal activities for older children and teens.
-Perform age appropriate activities. Activities should be appropriate for different age levels. Different activities are recommended for children (preteen) than teens. For children activities are often intermittent, short bursts of activities followed by short rest periods.
-Avoid inactivity. Inactivity for periods of two hours or more should be avoided.
Now that the amount of activity has been established, the challenge is to implement the guidelines. A key element is finding a fun and enjoyable form of activity for each child and teen. Dr. Charles B. Corbin, professor emeritus, Arizona State University, the first chair of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition Science Board.
