Supplements
Omega-3 fatty acids supplements with potential to prevent Alzheimer's affect blood, but less so the brain
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 3 days ago
*Omega-3 fatty acids might require larger doses to be effective -- especially for people with high-risk gene -- suggest findings from the Keck School of Medicine of USC* For years, a scientific puzzle has bedeviled researchers aiming to fight Alzheimer's disease, a common and incurable form of dementia. The results of numerous lab investigations and population studies support the preventive potential of omega-3 fatty acids, "good fats" found abundantly in fish. However, to date the majority of studies evaluating omega-3s for averting or curtailing cognitive decline in human partici... more »
Diet
Eating fish protects our brains from air pollution
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 4 days ago
------------------------------ Older women who eat more than one to two servings a week of baked or broiled fish or shellfish may consume enough omega-3 fatty acids to counteract the effects of air pollution on the brain, according to a new study published in the July 15, 2020, online issue of *Neurology®*, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers found that among older women who lived in areas with high levels of air pollution, those who had the lowest levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood had more brain shrinkage than women who had the highest l... more »
How long should you fast for weight loss?
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 4 days ago
Two daily fasting diets, also known as time-restricted feeding diets, are effective for weight loss, according to a new study published by researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago. The study reported results from a clinical trial that compared a 4-hour time-restricted feeding diet and a 6-hour time-restricted feeding diet to a control group. "This is the first human clinical trial to compare the effects of two popular forms of time-restricted feeding on body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors," said Krista Varady, professor of nutrition at the UIC College of Applie... more »
Pickled capers activate proteins important for human brain and heart health
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 1 week ago
New study reveals how a compound found in capers regulates proteins that control important bodily processes UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - IRVINE SHARE PRINT E-MAIL [image: IMAGE] IMAGE: PICKLED CAPERS USED IN THIS STUDY WERE FOUND TO ACTIVATE KCNQ CHANNELS IMPORTANT FOR NORMAL HUMAN BRAIN AND HEART ACTIVITY. view more CREDIT: BO ABBOTT Irvine, CA - July 13, 2020 - A compound commonly found in pickled capers has been shown to activate proteins required for normal human brain and heart activity, and may even lead to future therapies for the treatment of epilepsy and abnormal heart r... more »
Plant-based diets promote healthful aging
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 1 week ago
Adopting a plant-based diet can help promote healthful aging and mitigate the global burden of disease, according to an editorial published in the *Journal of the American College of Nutrition*. Researchers with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine reviewed clinical trials and epidemiological studies related to aging and found that while aging increases the risk for noncommunicable chronic diseases, healthful diets can help. The editorial shows that plant-based diets can reduce the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease by almost 50% and cou... more »
Consuming protein at night increases blood sugar level in the morning for healthy people
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 1 week ago
Consuming protein at night increases blood sugar level in the morning for healthy people, according to new research presented this week at The Physiological Society's virtual early career conference called Future Physiology 2020. Having high blood sugar levels after eating is linked to health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Previous research has shown that a snack a few hours before a meal can help control blood sugar levels, which may partly explain why the first thing we eat each day (i.e. breakfast) tends to increase blood sugars more than other later meals... more »
Higher fruit, vegetable and whole grain intake linked to lower risk of diabetes
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 1 week ago
Higher consumption of fruit, vegetables and whole grain foods are associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to two studies published by *The BMJ* today. The findings suggest that even a modest increase in consumption of these foods as part of a healthy diet could help prevent type 2 diabetes. In the first study, a team of European researchers examined the association between blood levels of vitamin C and carotenoids (pigments found in colourful fruits and vegetables) with risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Vitamin C and carotenoid levels are more reliabl... more »
Sensation seekers, risk-takers who experience more bitterness apt to drink IPAs
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 1 week ago
SHARE PRINT E-MAIL [image: IMAGE] IMAGE: A LAGER BEER AND TWO PALE-ALE-STYLE BEERS WERE CHOSEN AS THE TEST STIMULI. THE SPECIFIC BEER SAMPLES WERE SELECTED BY RESEARCH STAFF FOLLOWING BENCHTOP TASTING OF VARIOUS COMMERCIAL PALE-ALE-STYLE BEERS... view more CREDIT: MOLLY HIGGINS, PENN STATE People who seek novel and powerful sensations and are more prone to taking risks -- and who perceive bitter tastes more intensely -- are more likely to prefer bitter, pale-ale-style beers and drink them more often, according to Penn State sensory researchers, who conducted a study that in... more »
New recommendations: People with high cholesterol should eliminate carbs, not saturated fat
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 2 weeks ago
For decades, people diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia have been instructed to minimize their consumption of saturated fats to lower cholesterol and reduce their risks of heart disease. But a new study published in the prestigious journal "*BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine*" found no evidence to support those claims. Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic disorder that causes people to have cholesterol levels 2-4 times higher than the average person. Organizations, including the American Heart Association, have suggested they avoid eating food from animal sources, such as me... more »
Red meat damages our arteries
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 2 weeks ago
E-MAIL A compound produced in the gut when we eat red meat damages our arteries and may play a key role in boosting risk of heart disease as we get older, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research. The study, published this month in the American Heart Association journal *Hypertension*, also suggests that people may be able to prevent or even reverse such age-related decline via dietary changes and targeted therapies, like novel nutritional supplements. "Our work shows for the first time that not only is this compound directly impairing artery function, it may also he... more »
Aging
Blood iron levels could be key to slowing ageing
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 4 days ago
Genes linked to ageing that could help explain why some people age at different rates to others have been identified by scientists. The international study using genetic data from more than a million people suggests that maintaining healthy levels of iron in the blood could be a key to ageing better and living longer. The findings could accelerate the development of drugs to reduce age-related diseases, extend healthy years of life and increase the chances of living to old age free of disease, the researchers say. Scientists from the University of Edinburgh and the Max Planck Institute... more »
When you're 84...What should life look like as we age?
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 4 days ago
Have you thought about what you'd like your life to look like when you're 84? When a leading health system leader put that question to Lewis A. Lipsitz, MD, Director, Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Lipsitz published an essay in the *Journal of the American Geriatrics Society* that outlined his thoughts. What follows is a summary of his essay, titled "When I'm 84: What Should Life Look Like in Old Age." Knowing that I am a geriatrician, an esteemed health system leader once asked me: "W... more »
When is someone old?
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 1 week ago
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED SYSTEMS ANALYSIS SHARE PRINT E-MAIL Populations around the world are living longer lives than was the norm just a few decades ago, presenting governments with significant challenges in terms of caring for their growing elderly populations. According to a new study published in *PLOS ONE*, understanding how to assess who is elderly is a crucial first step for our understanding of population aging. The UN's Profiles of Ageing 2019 provides people who study population aging with a choice of perspectives, namely a conventional potential support r... more »
Among older adults, statin use tied to decreased risk of death
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 1 week ago
Study after study has shown that statins can prevent heart attacks, strokes and death in middle-aged adults. But in 28 major clinical trials of statins, only 2 percent of participants have been 75 years or older. This means that even though older adults are at greater risk of heart disease and death, there is scant data on whether statins should be prescribed for them. A new study led by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital and VA Boston Healthcare System leverages national data from the U.S. Veterans Health Administration Services and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Serv... more »
Soy and wheat proteins helpful for building aging muscles, but not as potent as animal protein
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 1 week ago
THE PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY SHARE PRINT E-MAIL [image: IMAGE] IMAGE: THESE MEALS ARE EXAMPLES OF VEGETARIAN MEALS THAT HELP BUILD MUSCLE PROTEINS BECAUSE THEY CONSIST OF A COMPLEMENTARY AND COMPLETE PROFILE OF ALL ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS. view more CREDIT: PHOTO CREDIT: ANITA BEAN On a gram for gram basis, animal proteins are more effective than plant proteins in supporting the maintenance of skeletal muscle mass with advancing age, shows research presented this week at The Physiological Society's virtual early career conference Future Physiology 2020. The number of vegans in the U... more »
General Health
Prediabetes linked to increased risk of heart disease and death
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 4 days ago
Prediabetes linked to increased risk of heart disease and death PRINT E-MAIL in both the general population and in patients with a history of heart problems, finds a review of the available evidence published by *The BMJ* today. The findings suggest that screening and proper management of prediabetes may help to prevent cardiovascular disease in otherwise healthy individuals (known as primary prevention) as well as those with existing heart problems (known as secondary prevention). Prediabetes is a "pre-diagnosis" of diabetes - when a person's blood sugar level is higher than no... more »
Realists enjoy a greater sense of long-term wellbeing than optimists
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 1 week ago
Positive thinking has long been extolled as the route to happiness, but it might be time to ditch the self-help books after a new study shows that realists enjoy a greater sense of long-term wellbeing than optimists. Researchers from the University of Bath and London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) studied people's financial expectations in life and compared them to actual outcomes over an 18-year period. They found that when it comes to the happiness stakes, overestimating outcomes was associated with lower wellbeing than setting realistic expectations. The findings ... more »
Exercise
Why hydration is so important when hiking in the heat of summer
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 6 days ago
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY SHARE PRINT E-MAIL You don't have to be an experienced trailblazer to know that if you choose to hike in the heat, you better be hydrated. Yet scientific literature on the subject reports that roughly 25% of heat-related illness cases are a result of a fluid imbalance, rather than heat exposure alone. New research out of Arizona State University seeks to understand exactly what is going on in the body as it responds to heat stress, looking in particular at hydration levels, core temperature and sweat loss, in the hopes of developing interventions and bes... more »
Walking along blue spaces such as beaches or lakes benefits mental health New study identifies benefits to mood and well-being associated with short, frequent walks near bodies of water
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 2 weeks ago
Short, frequent walks in blue spaces--areas that prominently feature water, such as beaches, lakes, rivers or fountains--may have a positive effect on people's well-being and mood, according to a new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation. The study, conducted within the BlueHealth project and published in *Environmental Research*, used data on 59 adults. Over the course of one week, participants spent 20 minutes each day walking in a blue space. In a different week, they spent 20 minutes each day walking in ... more »
Stretching your legs may help prevent diseases such as heart diseases and diabetes
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 2 weeks ago
New research published today in the *Journal of Physiology* shows that 12 weeks of easy-to-administer passive stretching helps improve blood flow by making it easier for your arteries to dilate and decreasing their stiffness. Passive stretching differs from active stretching in that the former involves an external force (another person or gravity) stretching you, whereas active stretching is performed on your own. The changes they observed in blood vessels could have implications for diseases, including the number one global killer, heart disease. Researchers at the University of Mil... more »
Exercise can slow or prevent vision loss
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 2 weeks ago
Exercise can slow or prevent the development of macular degeneration and may benefit other common causes of vision loss, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, new research suggests. The new study from the University of Virginia School of Medicine found that exercise reduced the harmful overgrowth of blood vessels in the eyes of lab mice by up to 45%. This tangle of blood vessels is a key contributor to macular degeneration and several other eye diseases. The study represents the first experimental evidence showing that exercise can reduce the severity of macular degeneration, a ... more »
Meditation
Meditation linked to lower cardiovascular risk
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 1 week ago
[image: IMAGE] IMAGE: MARTY SIGEL, A 77-YEAR-OLD NAVY VETERAN, TRIES OUT SOME MEDITATION ON A JULY DAY IN BALTIMORE. NEW RESEARCH HAS ADDED TO THE EVIDENCE ON THE CARDIOVASCULAR BENEFITS OF MEDITATING.... view more CREDIT: MITCH MIRKIN Meditation was linked to lower cardiovascular risk in a data analysis by Veterans Affairs researchers and colleagues. The results appeared online June 30 in the *American Journal of Cardiology*. Previous studies have suggested that meditation may have beneficial effects on a number of conditions. A 2017 American Heart Association scientific statement su... more »
COVID-19
New study supports remdesivir as COVID-19 treatment
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 1 week ago
The news about remdesivir, the investigational anti-viral drug that has shown early promise in the fight against COVID-19, keeps getting better. This week researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Gilead Sciences reported that remdesivir potently inhibited SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, in human lung cell cultures and that it improved lung function in mice infected with the virus. These preclinical findings help explain the clinical effect the drug has had in treating COVID-19 patients. Remdesivir has ... more »
Sleep
Adolescents: High levels of artificial light at night -less sleep and more likely to have a mood disorder
Jonathan Kantrowitz at Health News Report - 1 week ago
Research shows that adolescents who live in areas that have high levels of artificial light at night tend to get less sleep and are more likely to have a mood disorder relative to teens who live in areas with low levels of night-time light. The research was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health, and is published in *JAMA Psychiatry*. “These findings illustrate the importance of joint consideration of both broader environmental-level and individual-level exposures in mental health and sleep research,” says study author Dia... more »
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