Friday, January 18, 2019

Latest Health Research

Diet

High intake of dietary fiber and whole grains associated with reduced risk of disease

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 8 hours ago
------------------------------ People who eat higher levels of dietary fibre and whole grains have lower rates of non-communicable diseases compared with people who eat lesser amounts, while links for low glycaemic load and low glycaemic index diets are less clear. Observational studies and clinical trials conducted over nearly 40 years reveal the health benefits of eating at least 25g to 29g or more of dietary fibre a day, according to a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in *The Lancet*. The results suggest a 15-30% decrease in all-cause and cardiovascular r... more »
 

Soft drinks + hard work + hot weather = possible kidney disease risk

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 hour ago
New research suggests that drinking sugary, caffeinated soft drinks while exercising in hot weather may increase the risk of kidney disease. The study is published ahead of print in the *American Journal of Physiology--Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology*. A research team from the University at Buffalo in New York studied healthy adults in a laboratory environment that mimicked working at an agricultural site on a hot day (95 degrees Fahrenheit). The volunteers completed an hour-long exercise cycle consisting of a 30-minute treadmill workout followed by three differe... more »
 
[image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *Representative high-density voltage (top panel) and propagation maps (bottom panel) of the posterior left atrium for non-drinkers, mild drinkers, and moderate drinkers. The moderate drinker has more scarring evident.... view more Credit: HeartRhythm Philadelphia, January 10, 2019 - Alcohol is ubiquitous in Western society, and rates of excessive use among adults remain high. Excessive alcohol consumption is an established risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF), but what are the effects of moderate and mild consumption on AF? In a new study published in H... more »

Plant-based diets benefit athletes' heart health, endurance, recovery

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Meat-free athletes--from tennis champion Venus Williams to Formula 1's Lewis Hamilton to Derrick Morgan of the NFL's Tennessee Titans--have already proven the performance-boosting power of a plant-based diet. Now, "Plant-Based Diets for Cardiovascular Safety and Performance in Endurance Sports," a new scientific review published in the journal *Nutrients* adds further evidence that plant-based athletes benefit from improvements in heart health, performance, and recovery. "It's no wonder that more and more athletes are racing to a vegan diet," says review co-author James Loomis, M... more »
 

High cholesterol levels after Christmas

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
------------------------------ Large quantities of rich Christmas food appear to boost Danes' cholesterol levels. Right after the Christmas break, levels are 20% higher than in the summer. So says a new study carried out by researchers from the Department of Clinical Biochemistry at Copenhagen University Hospital and the Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen. All that butter and cream in Christmas food may possibly boost cholesterol levels more than assumed up to now. In a new study of 25,000 Danes, researchers conclude that cholesterol levels after the Christmas... more »

Eating red meat daily triples heart disease-related chemical A

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
- Compared to people eating diets rich in white meat or plant-based protein, those who ate a diet rich in red meat had triple the levels of a chemical linked to heart disease. - The findings suggest that measuring and targeting the chemical, called TMAO, may be a promising strategy for individualizing diets and helping to prevent heart disease. [image: Woman holding packaged meat in the supermarket.] Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a dietary byproduct that is formed by gut bacteria during digestion. The chemical is derived in part from nutrients that are a... more »

One in 10 adults in US has food allergy, but nearly 1 in 5 think they do

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
------------------------------ ------------------------------ Over 10 percent of adults in the U.S. -- over 26 million -- are estimated to have food allergy, according to a study published in *JAMA Network Open* that was led by Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University. However, researchers found that 19 percent of adults think they are currently food allergic, although their reported symptoms are inconsistent with a true food allergy, which can trigger a life-threatening reaction. Results are based on a nationally re... more »

Consumption of one egg every day = a lower risk of type 2 diabetes

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
Consumption of one egg every day seems to associate with a blood metabolite profile that is related to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, a new study conducted in the University of Eastern Finland shows. The findings were published in *Molecular Nutrition and Food Research*. Eggs remain one of the most controversial food items. High intake of eggs has traditionally been discouraged, mainly due to their high cholesterol content. However, eggs are also a rich source of many bioactive compounds that can have beneficial effects on health. This means that the health effects of consuming e... more »
 

How lifestyle drives ER-positive breast cancer

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 weeks ago
Poor diet and lack of exercise are associated with cancer development, but the underlying biology is not well understood. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) could offer a biological link to help us understand how certain lifestyle behaviors increase cancer risk or lessen the likelihood that an anti-cancer therapy will be effective. AGE accumulation is the natural and unavoidable result of the breakdown of nutrients, sugars and fats. AGE levels, however, can be increased by the consumption of processed foods high in sugar and fat. Certain cooking techniques, such as grilling, se... more »

Aging

Moving more in old age may protect brain from dementia

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 59 minutes ago
Older adults who move more than average, either in the form of daily exercise or just routine physical activity such as housework, may maintain more of their memory and thinking skills than people who are less active than average, even if they have brain lesions or biomarkers linked to dementia, according to a study by Rush University Medical Center published in the January 16, 2019, online issue of *Neurology*, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "We measured levels of physical activity in study participants an average of two years prior to their deaths, and ... more »

Emergency/urgent hospitalizations linked to accelerated cognitive decline in older adults

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 days ago
Emergency and urgent hospitalizations are associated with an increased rate of cognitive decline in older adults, report researchers at Rush University Medical Center. Results of their study, published in the Jan. 11, 2019, online issue of *Neurology*, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, shows that hospitalization may be a more of a major risk factor for long-term cognitive decline in older adults than previously recognized. "We found that those who have non-elective (emergency or urgent) hospitalizations and who have not previously been diagnosed with dementia ... more »

Psychological distress is a risk factor for dementia

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 hour ago
A new study suggests that vital exhaustion - which can be perceived as an indicator of psychological distress - is a risk factor for future risk of dementia. Researchers from the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen have, in collaboration with the National Research Centre for the Working Environment, and the Danish Dementia Research Centre, shown that being distressed in late midlife is associated with a higher risk of dementia in later life. The findings contribute to our understanding of psychological distress as an important risk factor that should receive more f... more »

The impact of multiple symptoms in older adults

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
"Symptoms" is the medical term for any sign of a health problem, even if that sign doesn't help your healthcare provider diagnose a specific illness. Symptoms, such as feeling tired or rundown (also called fatigue), are among the leading causes of disability for older adults. Sometimes symptoms are directly caused by illness--for example, an aching chest can be a symptom associated with a heart attack. But often, symptoms have multiple causes. For example, fatigue can be a common symptom when you have conditions such as knee osteoarthritis, depression, and heart failure. What's mor... more »

To head off late-life depression, check your hearing

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
A new study found that elderly individuals with age-related hearing loss had more symptoms of depression; the greater the hearing loss, the greater the risk of having depressive symptoms. The findings suggest that treatment of age-related hearing loss, which is underrecognized and undertreated among all elderly, could be one way to head off late-life depression. The study was published online in *JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery*. "Most people over age 70 have at least mild hearing loss, yet relatively few are diagnosed, much less treated, for this condition," says lead auth... more »

Exercise

Physical activity reduces mortality in patients with diabetes

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 days ago
Patients with type 2 diabetes should be prescribed physical activity to control blood sugar and improve heart health. That is one of the recommendations in a position paper(1) of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC), a branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The paper is published today in the *European Journal of Preventive Cardiology*, a journal of the ESC. "Sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets are the most important drivers of the increasing number of patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks," said first a... more »
 

Physical activity, any type or amount, cuts health risk from sitting

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 days ago
A new study of around 8,000 middle-aged and older adults found that swapping a half-hour of sitting around with physical activity of any intensity or duration cut the risk of early death by as much as 35 percent. The findings highlight the importance of movement -- regardless of its intensity or amount of time spent moving -- for better health. The study was published online in the *American Journal of Epidemiology*. "Our findings underscore an important public health message that physical activity of any intensity provides health benefits," says Keith Diaz, PhD, assistant professo... more »

Staying fit can cut your risk of heart attack by half

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 8 hours ago
Poor cardiorespiratory fitness could increase your risk of a future heart attack, even if you have no symptoms of a lifestyle illness today, a new study has found. "We found a strong link between higher fitness levels and a lower risk of heart attack and angina pectoris over the nine years following the measurements that were taken," says researcher Bjarne Nes, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Cardiac Exercise Research Group (CERG). The study results have been published in the *European Heart Journal*. *Half the risk* "Even among people who seem t... more »
 

How exercise reduces belly fat in humans

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 weeks ago
[image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *This graphical abstract shows that in abdominally obese people, exercise-mediated loss of visceral adipose tissue mass requires IL-6 receptor signaling. view more Credit: Wedell-Neergaard, Lehrskov, and Christensen, et al. / *Cell Metabolism* Some of you may have made a New Year's resolution to hit the gym to tackle that annoying belly fat. But have you ever wondered how physical activity produces this desired effect? A signaling molecule called interleukin-6 plays a critical role in this process, researchers report December 27 in the journal *Cell Metaboli... more »
 
Mindfulness

Mindfulness may ease menopausal symptoms

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 hour ago
Mindfulness may be associated with fewer menopausal symptoms for women, according to a Mayo Clinic study recently published in *Climacteric: The Journal of the International Menopause Society*. Researchers discovered that being mindful may be especially helpful for menopausal women struggling with irritability, anxiety and depression. "In this study, we found that midlife women with higher mindfulness scores experienced fewer menopausal symptoms," says Mayo Clinic general internist and women's health specialist Richa Sood, M.D., the study's lead author. "These findings suggest that... more »
 
 
Sports, etc.

Athletes should build neck strength to avoid concussions

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 hour ago
Rutgers researchers have proposed a solution for athletes at higher risk for sports-related concussions, such as football and soccer: Protect your head with neck-strengthening exercises in the pre-season. A paper by researchers at the Rutgers School of Health Professions, published in the *Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy*, examines previous studies on the role that the neck's strength, size and posture play in reducing concussion risk. They also looked into the greater risk of head injury to female and young male athletes who play contact or impact sports, such... more »
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 hour ago
It starts as a persistent and irritating pain in the foot or lower leg, then it gets more intense, maybe with swelling, and soon a runner knows she's being sidelined by one of the most common running injuries: a stress fracture. These tiny cracks in the bone can halt training for months or even end a sports season. A segment of the multibillion-dollar wearables industry aims to save potential victims from this fate, but a Vanderbilt University engineering professor found a major problem: the devices are measuring the wrong thing. Working with a local running club, an orthopedic spe... more »
 
General Health

Following heart health guidelines also reduces diabetes risk

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 hour ago
Lifestyle and health factors that are good for your heart can also prevent diabetes, according to a new study by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine that published today in *Diabetologia*, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. Diabetes is a growing problem in the United States, with nearly a third of the population living with diabetes or prediabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Dr. Joshua J. Joseph, an endocrinologist and assistant professor at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, wants ... more »

Acupressure relieves long-term symptoms of breast cancer treatment, study finds

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 hour ago
[image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *Visual abstract view more Credit: University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center ANN ARBOR, Michigan -- A new study finds acupressure could be a low-cost, at-home solution to a suite of persistent side effects that linger after breast cancer treatment ends. Researchers from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center reported in 2016 that acupressure helped reduce fatigue in breast cancer survivors. In the new study, they looked at the impact of acupressure on symptoms that frequently accompany fatigue in this population: chronic pain, anxiety, depression and... more »
 

Financial stress linked to heart disease risk among African-Americans

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 hour ago
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the U.S., and African Americans are disproportionately affected. Prior studies have investigated how limited access to material resources due to financial hardship may influence health, but the association between that stress caused by financial hardship and coronary heart disease in African Americans has not previously been examined. In a new study which examined data from 2,256 participants of the Jackson Heart Study, a longitudinal cohort study of cardiovascular disease risks in African-American men and women living in ... more »

The duration and quality of sleep is of vital importance in cardiovascular health

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 days ago
People who sleep less than six hours a night may be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those who sleep between seven and eight hours suggests the results of the PESA CNIC- Santander Study published in the *Journal of the American College of Cardiology* (*JACC*). Poor quality sleep increases the risk of atherosclerosis--plaque buildup in the arteries throughout the body--according to the study. "Medicine is entering into fascinating phase. Until now we have tried to understand cardiovascular disease, thanks to studies like PESA CNIC- Santander, we are starting... more »

Excessive body fat around the middle linked to smaller brain size

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Carrying extra body fat, especially around the middle, may be linked to brain shrinkage, according to a study published in the January 9, 2019, online issue of *Neurology*®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. For the study, researchers determined obesity by measuring body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio in study participants and found those with higher ratios of both measures had the lowest brain volume. BMI is a weight-to-height ratio. It is determined by dividing a person's weight by the square of their height. People with a BMI above 30.0 are cons... more »
 

Fluctuating personal income may be associated with an increased heart disease risk

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Sudden, unpredictable drops in personal income during young adulthood are associated with an increased risk of developing heart disease and/or dying from any cause, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal *Circulation*. In the United States, the recent rise in income inequality suggests that a larger proportion of the population faces poverty and economic difficulties. In addition, while most people experience some income change, income volatility has been on the rise and has reached a record high level since 1980. The study found that the biggest fl... more »

Metabolic syndrome patients need more vitamin C to break cycle of antioxidant depletion

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
A higher intake of vitamin C is crucial for metabolic syndrome patients trying to halt a potentially deadly cycle of antioxidant disruption and health-related problems, an Oregon State University researcher says. That's important news for the estimated 35 percent of the U.S. adult population that suffers from the syndrome. "What these findings are really saying to people as we move out of the rich-food holiday season and into January is eat your fruits and vegetables," said Maret Traber, a professor in the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences and Ava Helen Pauling Professo... more »

Persistent hot flashes may lead to increased risk of breast cancer

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
Studies examining the association between vasomotor symptoms (VMS) and breast cancer are not new, but results have been inconsistent. A new larger-scale study concludes that women participating in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trials who had persistent VMS are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women who never experienced VMS. Study results are published online today in *Menopause*, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). Data was gathered from more than 25,000 women who participated in the WHI for this latest study that sought to identify... more »

Is very low LDL-C harmful?

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
A major Cardiovascular (CV) risk factor is low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C). A lot of evidence that was accumulated supports a linear association between LDL-C levels and CV risk. However, whether the lower limit of LDL-C might offer CV benefits without any safety concerns is still a topic of debate. This review discusses data from studies of several safety events that have been associated with low LDL-C levels achieved with major lipid-lowering drug. Commonly with the use of a combination of statins with ezetimibe or proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 inhibitors... more »
 
Depression

Recalling happy memories during adolescence can reduce risk of depression

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 days ago
Recalling positive events and experiences can help young people build resilience against depression in later life, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge. Depression is now the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting more than 300 million people. The condition often first emerges in adolescence, a critical developmental time period when an individual experiences substantial changes in their brain structure and chemistry. A known risk factor of depression is exposure to early life stress, such as illness, parents' separation or death, or adverse family circu... more »

Negative social media behaviors may be associated with depression in millennials

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Certain social media factors were linked with major depressive disorder (MDD) in a *Journal of Applied Biobehavioural Research* study of Millennials. In the study of 504 Millennials who actively use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and/or Snapchat, individuals who met the criteria for MDD scored higher on the Social Media Addiction scale, were more likely to compare themselves to others better off than they were, and indicated that they would be more bothered by being tagged in unflattering pictures. Regarding social interactions, those with MDD were less likely to post pictures of ... more »

To head off late-life depression, check your hearing

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
A new study found that elderly individuals with age-related hearing loss had more symptoms of depression; the greater the hearing loss, the greater the risk of having depressive symptoms. The findings suggest that treatment of age-related hearing loss, which is underrecognized and undertreated among all elderly, could be one way to head off late-life depression. The study was published online in *JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery*. "Most people over age 70 have at least mild hearing loss, yet relatively few are diagnosed, much less treated, for this condition," says lead auth... more »
 

Post-natal depression in dads linked to depression in their teenage daughters

Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
------------------------------ Fathers as well as mothers can experience post-natal depression -- and it is linked to emotional problems for their teenage daughters, new research has found. Almost one in 20 new fathers suffered depression in the weeks after their child was born, according to a study published in the journal *JAMA Psychiatry* and co-authored by Professor Paul Ramchandani of the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. The research, based on a sample of more than 3,000 families in Bristol, UK, also identified a link between post-natal depression in men and depr... more »

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