Mothers who breastfed are 34 percent less likely to die of heart disease

Mothers who breastfeed their babies have a lower risk of developing or dying from heart disease than those who don't breastfeed, finds new research from the University of Sydney, Australia.
Published in Journal of the American Heart Association, the study of over 100,000 Australian mothers participating in the Sax Institute's 45 and Up Study found women who breastfed had a 14 percent lower risk of developing, and 34 percent lower risk of dying from, cardiovascular disease.
This is an important finding given heart disease is the leading cause of death for women worldwide, says lead author Dr Binh Nguyen.
"Our study suggests that among childbearing women, breastfeeding may offer long-term heart health benefits in addition to its known benefits for infants and mothers," said Dr Nguyen from the University of Sydney's School of Public Health and Charles Perkins Centre.
"We know that changing lifestyle factors such as weight and diet can significantly reduce risks of heart disease and we have taken this a step further by looking at lifestyle behaviours that are specific to women."
Senior author Associate Professor Melody Ding said further research was needed to explore why breastfeeding appears to show protective benefits for heart health.
"At this stage we can't pinpoint why but one of the likely theories is that the calories women expend breastfeeding, nearly 500 each day, are associated with positive changes in metabolism which help women that breastfeed to lower their risk of heart disease," said Associate Professor Ding from the School of Public Health and Charles Perkins Centre.
About the study Researchers from the University of Sydney, Australia linked retrospective survey data on breastfeeding from 2006 to 2009 from the Sax Institute's 45 and Up Study - the largest ongoing study of healthy ageing in the Southern Hemisphere - with hospital admission and death data.
Women who had existing heart health issues were excluded from the study and substantial adjustments were made to take into account socio-economic influences and concurrent lifestyle risk factors.
Key findings:

• In women who have had children, breastfeeding compared to never breastfeeding was associated with a 14 percent lower risk of developing and a 34 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
• In women who breastfed on average up to 12 months per child, a 15 percent lower risk of developing and a 30-40 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease were found compared to women who never breastfed.
• Findings were independent of socioeconomic status, and overall health-related lifestyle.

While breastfeeding and cardiovascular health is a growing area of interest there is still limited research in this area.
The new longitudinal study builds on a systematic review by the team published in PLOS ONE in 2017 which found some evidence of the protective role of breastfeeding for cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension. However, the few studies on cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality showed mixed results, which motivated the researchers to conduct the current study.
Sax Institute Deputy CEO Dr Martin McNamara said the 45 and Up Study continues to reveal new insights about the health of Australians.
"Our ability to follow people for such a long time is driving important new findings - in this case the link between breastfeeding and cardiovascular outcomes," he said.

Eating fish may help prevent asthma J

A scientist from James Cook University in Australia says an innovative study has revealed new evidence that eating fish can help prevent asthma.
Professor Andreas Lopata from JCU's Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, (AITHM) took part in the study which tested 642 people who worked in a fish processing factory in a small village in South Africa.
"Around 334 million people worldwide have asthma, and about a quarter of a million people die from it every year. In Australia, one in nine have asthma (about 2.7 million), and among Indigenous Australians this rate is almost twice as high.
"Asthma incidence has nearly doubled in the past 30 years and about half of asthma patients do not get any benefit from the drugs available to treat it. So there's a growing interest in non-drug treatment options," he said.
Professor Lopata said the current theory is that the dramatic change in diet worldwide is behind the rise of the disease.
"There is an increasing consumption of what is known as the n-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) found in vegetable oils and a decline in consumption of n-3 PUFA, which is mainly found in marine oils.
Crudely, there has been a global move from fresh fish to fast food," he said.
Professor Lopata said the fishing village was chosen for the testing because it had a population with high fish consumption and low socioeconomic status, so it would be likely that marine oils from fish and other seafood would be the main source of n-3, rather than supplements.
"We found that certain types of n-3 (from marine oils) were significantly associated with a decreased risk of having asthma or asthma-like symptoms by up to 62%, while high n-6 consumption (from vegetable oils) was associated with an increased risk by up to 67%," he said.
He said it was more evidence of the suspected inflammatory role of n-6 in the development of asthma, and more evidence that n-3 gave significant protection.
"Even if you factor in contaminants such as mercury found in some fish populations, the benefits of fish and seafood intake far more outweighs the potential risks," said Professor Lopata.
He said further work needed to be done on what effect specific types of n-3 have and how their beneficial role could be optimised, and on minimising the negative effects of n-6.

Statins: unexpected benefits

While investigating why cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins cause negative side effects such as blurred vision, short-term memory loss or increased risk for diabetes, cellular chemists at The University of Toledo discovered several previously unknown benefits.
It is well-established statins can help lower the risk of heart attack by lowering blood cholesterol, but statins also may play a protective role in the event of a heart attack because they can suppress a biological process that disrupts cardiac function.
By suppressing the activity of key cellular receptors called G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their interacting partners called G proteins, statins have the potential to alter various bodily functions controlled by this important pathway, according to research published in the journal Molecular Pharmacology.
"We believe this and our future investigations can help physicians make more informed decisions about prescribing statins, opening a whole new door to what statins can do in addition to cholesterol control," said Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in The University of Toledo Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
GPCR signaling pathways are crucial to our survival. They are the largest pharmaceutical drug target - more than one-third of all drugs on the market - because GPCR pathways regulate the body by controlling a variety of functions from vision to heart rate and neurotransmission.
Statins are designed to target and inhibit the cholesterol-synthesis pathway, which is why it is an effective and popular drug to lower cholesterol. But parts of the cholesterol-synthesis pathway are needed for the GPCR signaling pathway to function, which explains the temporary negative side effects while taking statins, such as blurred vision or short-term memory loss.
The UToledo scientists also revealed another crucial finding: The cholesterol-lowering drugs reduce the ability of migratory cells, such as cancer and immune cells, to travel.
When testing GPCR-directed cell invasion, Karunarathne's lab found that statins reduced movement more than 10-fold compared to the control group.
"This indicated that GPCR-governed cancer cell migration also can be reduced by statins," Karunarathne said.
The research was done using cells, not human patients. Karunarathne's lab uses light to control cell behavior - through a novel method named subcellular optogenetics - and studies the way cells respond to light through signal transduction pathways.
"We observed that different types of statins induce very different deviations or changes to G proteins in the GPCR pathway," Mithila Tennakoon, a UToledo Ph.D. student in Karunarathne's lab and first author of the study, said.
"The side effects of statins are not uniform," Karunarathne said. "Cells in the eyes, brain, heart and lungs can have completely different impact levels because they have different types of G proteins."
These findings help explain the molecular sources for side effects of statins, which Karunarathne's lab discovered can have different effects on tissues and organs.

Even low levels of leisure time physical activity lowers risk of death

Even low-level physical activities, such as walking or gardening, are associated with a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, cancer or any cause finds a large observational study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Higher amounts of activity or more vigorous activities, such as running, cycling and competitive sports, are associated with additional health benefits that are not outweighed by the risks of participating in these activities, the authors say.
Every year, a representative sample of the US population is asked about their health and lifestyle behaviours for the National Health Interview Surveys. The authors used data collected through the surveys between 1997 and 2008 to estimate the activity levels of 88,140 people aged 40-85 years, and linked that data with registered deaths up until 31 December 2011.
They calculated the total leisure time physical activity of participants using definitions in 2008 US guidelines, which roughly equate one minute of vigorous activity such as running, fast cycling or competitive sports as equivalent to two minutes of moderate-intensity activity, such as brisk walking, gardening or dancing. Only activities lasting at least 10 continuous minutes were taken into account.
Compared with individuals who were inactive, those who participated in just 10-59 min/week of moderate physical activities during their leisure time had an 18% lower risk of death from any cause over the study period, and the health benefits continued to mount as activity levels went up.
US 2008 guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes per week of moderate activity done in at least 10 minute bouts, and individuals who participated in 150-299 min/week reduced their overall risk of death by 31%. Those who clocked up ten times this amount - 1500 min or more per week - almost halved their risk (46% lower).
Reductions in risk of death from cancer also corresponded with increasing activity levels.
In terms of risk of death from cardiovascular events such as strokes and heart attacks, individuals who were active for 10-59 min/week during their leisure time saw their risk fall by 12%, and those who did 120-299 min/week by 37%, compared with people who were inactive.
However, much greater levels of physical activity were not associated with any greater benefits; individuals who were active for 1500 min or more per week had a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease of 33% - so their risk of death was slightly higher than those who met recommended activity levels but undertaking more moderate amounts.
This is an observational study, and as such, can't establish cause, and also relied on participants self-reporting activity levels. However, the authors point out that the study also has many strengths, including its large sample size representative of the US population, and that their findings support US recommendations on activity levels.
The study also showed that individuals who participated in vigorous physical activities had significantly lower risk of death than those who only did light/moderate physical activity, so the authors recommend, like the US guidelines, that people short of time should consider more vigorous activities.
Attaining the highest levels of physical activity assessed - 1500 min or more/week "is difficult to achieve for a working adult", they admit. "Participation in vigorous-intensity activity is more time-efficient than moderate-intensity activity," the authors say.
"Vigorous-intensity physical activity may be an attractive option for able-bodied individuals with limited time."

Long-term, high nut consumption could be the key to better cognitive health in older people

Long-term, high nut consumption could be the key to better cognitive health in older people according to new research from the University of South Australia.
In a study of 4822 Chinese adults aged 55+ years, researchers found that eating more than 10 grams of nuts a day was positively associated with better mental functioning, including improved thinking, reasoning and memory.
Lead researcher, UniSA's Dr Ming Li, says the study is the first to report an association between cognition and nut intake in older Chinese adults, providing important insights into increasing mental health issues (including dementia) faced by an ageing population.
"Population aging is one of the most substantial challenges of the twenty-first century. Not only are people living longer, but as they age, they require additional health support which is placing unprecedented pressure on aged-care and health services," Dr Li says.
"In China, this is a massive issue, as the population is ageing far more rapidly than almost any other country in the world.
"Improved and preventative health care - including dietary modifications - can help address the challenges that an aging population presents.
"By eating more than 10 grams (or two teaspoons) of nuts per day older people could improve their cognitive function by up to 60 per cent- compared to those not eating nuts - effectively warding off what would normally be experienced as a natural two-year cognition decline."
China has one of the fastest growing aging populations. In 2029, China's population is projected to peak at 1.44 billion, with the ratio of young to old dramatically imbalanced by the rising ranks of the elderly. By 2050, 330 million Chinese will be over age 65, and 90.4 million will be over age 80, representing the world's largest population of this most elderly age group.
More broadly, the World Health Organization says that by 2020, the number of people aged 60 years and older will outnumber children younger than five years old.
The UniSA study analysed nine waves of China Health Nutrition Survey data collected over 22 years, finding that 17 per cent of participants were regular consumers of nuts (mostly peanuts). Dr Li says peanuts have specific anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects which can alleviate and reduce cognitive decline.
"Nuts are known to be high in healthy fats, protein and fibre with nutritional properties that can lower cholesterol and improve cognitive health," Dr Li says.
"While there is no cure for age-related cognition decline and neurogenerative disease, variations in what people eat are delivering improvements for older people."
The World Health Organization estimates that globally, the number of people living with dementia is at 47 million.
By 2030, this is projected to rise to 75 million and by 2050, global dementia cases are estimated to almost triple. China has the largest population of people with dementia.
"As people age, they naturally experience changes to conceptual reasoning, memory, and processing speed. This is all part of the normal ageing process," Dr Li says
"But age is also the strongest known risk factor for cognitive disease. If we can find ways to help older people retain their cognitive health and independence for longer - even by modifying their diet - then this absolutely worth the effort."

Does alcohol consumption have an effect on arthritis?

Several previous studies have demonstrated that moderate alcohol consumption is linked with less severe disease and better quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, but a new Arthritis Care & Research study suggests that this might not be because drinking alcohol is beneficial.
In the 16,762-patient study, patients with a higher severity of disease were more likely to discontinue the use of alcohol and less likely to initiate use, and patients with greater disability and poor physical and mental quality of life were less likely to use alcohol over time. Also, alcohol use or recent changes in use were not associated with disease activity or death when considering the underlying factors influencing the behavior.
"Our data shows that when people aren't feeling well, they tend not to drink alcohol. While this makes it appear that people who drink are better off, it's probably not because the alcohol itself is helping," said lead author Dr. Joshua Baker, of the University of Pennsylvania.

Drinking hot tea linked with elevated risk of esophageal cancer

Previous studies have revealed a link between hot tea drinking and risk of esophageal cancer, but until now, no study has examined this association using prospectively and objectively measured tea drinking temperature. A new International Journal of Cancer study achieved this by following 50,045 individuals aged 40 to 75 years for a median of 10 years.

During follow-up, 317 new cases of esophageal cancer were identified. Compared with drinking less than 700 ml of tea per day at less than 60°C, drinking 700 ml per day or more at a higher temperature (60°C or higher) was associated with a 90 percent higher risk of esophageal cancer.

"Many people enjoy drinking tea, coffee, or other hot beverages. However, according to our report, drinking very hot tea can increase the risk of esophageal cancer, and it is therefore advisable to wait until hot beverages cool down before drinking," said lead author Dr. Farhad Islami, of the American Cancer Society.