New evidence that drinking coffee may reduce the risk of diabetes

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Scientists are reporting new evidence that drinking coffee may help prevent diabetes and that caffeine may be the ingredient largely responsible for this effect. Their findings, among the first animal studies to demonstrate this apparent link, appear in ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Fumihiko Horio and colleagues note that past studies have suggested that regular coffee drinking may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The disease affects millions in the United States and is on the rise worldwide. However, little of that evidence comes from studies on lab animals used to do research that cannot be done in humans.

The scientists fed either water or coffee to a group of laboratory mice commonly used to study diabetes. Coffee consumption prevented the development of high-blood sugar and also improved insulin sensitivity in the mice, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes. Coffee also caused a cascade of other beneficial changes in the fatty liver and inflammatory adipocytokines related to a reduced diabetes risk. Additional lab studies showed that caffeine may be "one of the most effective anti-diabetic compounds in coffee," the scientists say.

COMPLETE ARTICLE:

"Coffee and Caffeine Ameliorate Hyperglycemia, Fatty Liver, and Inflammatory Adipocytokine Expression in Spontaneously Diabetic KK-Ay Mice"

Do Benefits of Alcohol Offset Breast Cancer Risks?

One of my Health Tips Readers has written me that, while alcohol is beneficial for men, it is not good for women, since it raises the risk of breast cancer. I replied that I thought the benefits outweighed the risks, but I would do some more research on the question. Here's the research:

Bottom Line First:

Michael Thun, MD, vice president of epidemiology and surveillance for the American Cancer Society (ACS), advises "the most important thing to understand is that even at levels of moderate drinking — not exceeding one drink of alcohol daily — the current evidence suggests that there is some increase in breast cancer risk."

"One drink of alcohol a day, however, may reduce the risk of heart disease, so the net effect on a woman’s health depends to a large extent on her age and her risk of breast cancer, and of heart disease," Thun says, noting that alcohol is the one case in which cancer and heart guidelines are in conflict.

"The risk of breast cancer and other cancers increases as alcohol consumption increases," Thun notes. "But after menopause, the reduction in risk of heart attacks and strokes associated with one or two drinks a day is greater than the increase in breast cancer risk for nearly all women," he qualifies.

Risk


Research has shown that consumption of alcohol is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer:

When compared with teetotalers:

* Women who drank the equivalent of a half glass of wine a day were 6% more likely to develop breast cancer.
* Women who drank a glass or two a day faced a 21% increased risk of breast cancer.
* Those who drank more than two drinks a day were 37% more likely to develop breast cancer.

However, the risk was much greater in menopausal women:

* Menopausal women who drank a half glass of wine daily increased their chance of breast cancer by 18%.


Alcohol may increase breast cancer recurrence risk

Moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages (at least three to four drinks per week, no matter the type of alcohol) is associated with a 30 percent increased risk of breast cancer recurrence, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study. Post-menopausal or overweight women may be most susceptible to the effects of alcohol on recurrence, according to the researchers.

"Women previously diagnosed with breast cancer should consider limiting their consumption of alcohol to less than three drinks per week, especially women who are postmenopausal and overweight or obese," Kwan said.

Benefits

Alcohol consumption may protect against Alzheimer's Disease

A new study published this month in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease suggests a protective effect of alcohol consumption on the risk of Alzheimer's disease, particularly in women who do not smoke.

Women's Alcohol Study

Dr. Mahabir concluded that "It looks like low to moderate alcohol consumption, at least over the short term, does not harm bone health. Collectively, when all the available published epidemiologic data are considered, it looks like low to moderate alcohol may actually have a beneficial effect."


Women who drink moderately appear to gain less weight than nondrinkers

Normal-weight women who drink a light to moderate amount of alcohol appear to gain less weight and have a lower risk of becoming overweight and obese than non-drinkers…

Women who did not drink alcohol at all gained the most weight, with weight gain decreasing as alcohol intake increased … with the strongest association found for red wine .

Red Wine May Shield Brain From Stroke Damage

Alcohol Good For You after Heart Attack or Stroke

"We observed – says Simona Costanzo, epidemiologist and first author of the study – that regular and moderate consumption has beneficial effects even for people already affected by heart attack, or stroke. Not only they are less likely to be affected by similar diseases again, but all-cause mortality too resulted to be lower than in those who did not consume any alcoholic beverage". The effect is very similar to that observed in healthy people. "Risk reduction - Costanzo argues - is about 20%. This means that one event out of five can be spared. It is a huge advantage, comparable to the one already recorded for healthy individuals".


Champagne Is Good for Your Heart:

Dr Jeremy Spencer, from the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences said: "Our research has shown that drinking around two glasses of champagne can have beneficial effects on the way blood vessels function, in a similar way to that observed with red wine. We always encourage a responsible approach to alcohol consumption, but the fact that drinking champagne has the potential to reduce the risks of suffering from cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke, is very exciting news."

Alcohol consumption was associated with lower photodamage scores.

Photodamage includes characteristics such as coarsely wrinkled skin, spots of extra pigment or lost pigment and dilated blood vessels on the face. Sun damage also has been associated with the development of cancerous growths.


Benefits of Red Wine - Review

Benefits of all alcohol:

Studies on the use of alcohol have shown protective effects against coronary heart disease (CHD). These studies show that one or two alcoholic drinks per day increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Also, moderate alcohol consumption decreases low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides. Finally, alcohol consumption decreases platelet aggregation.


Benefits of Red Wine

There has been some discussion recently, including an article in the New York Times, pointing out that there is a difference in lifestyle among people who drink wine, beer, and other alcoholic beverages, including social class and diet, that may also explain why wine seems to offer more protection than others against coronary heart disease. (1)

Regardless, wine, especially red wine, really does seem to have benefits that the other sources of alcohol do not have, including:


REDUCES INFLAMMATION

Red wine may have anti-inflammatory effects. It reduces C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation that seems to be related to atherosclerosis. (2)



ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES

Red wine has higher concentrations of antioxidant molecules, called polyphenols, than other alcoholic drinks. The antioxidant properties of these polyphenols may contribute to protection against coronary heart disease by reducing oxidation of LDL cholesterol. (3) The polyphenols in red wine include anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and resveratrol, and flavonoids, including catechins, kaempferol, and quercetin. (4,5) However, the polyphenol content of wine is dependent upon grape variety, climate, and the methods used to make the wine. White wines, unlike red wines, have very low polyphenol concentrations.



IMMUNE SUPPORT

Red wine may also reduce mutagenic DNA damage and improve endothelial function when included in a high fat diet. (6) Wine can stimulate gastric acid secretion and gastrin release. This may explain why moderate to high wine intake seems to prevent Helicobacter pylori infection. (7) Finally, the anthocyanins in red wine may help prevent various cancers. (8)

OTHER BENEFITS

Red wine may help to prevent noise-induced hearing loss (9), reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (10), may help to prevent cataracts (11), and may help to prevent rheumatoid arthritis (12).

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Red Wine Update

The breadth of benefits is remarkable – cancer prevention, protection of the heart and brain from damage, reducing age-related diseases such as inflammation, reversing diabetes and obesity, and many more.

And just for men:

Wine may boost life expectancy by 5 years
Half a glass of wine a day may boost life expectancy by 5 years

Long-term wine consumption is related to cardiovascular mortality and life expectancy independently of moderate alcohol intake

Drinking up to half a glass of wine a day may boost life expectancy by five years—at least in men—suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The researchers found that light long term alcohol consumption of all types—up to 20 g a day— extended life by around two extra years compared with no alcohol at all. Extended life expectancy was slightly less for those who drank more than 20 g.

And men who drank only wine, and less than half a glass of it a day, lived around 2.5 years longer than those who drank beer and spirits, and almost five years longer than those who drank no alcohol at all.

Drinking wine was strongly associated with a lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and death from all causes.

These results held true, irrespective of socioeconomic status, dietary and other lifestyle habits, factors long thought to influence the association between wine drinking and better health.

Hip Exercises Good For You

A twice weekly hip strengthening regimen performed for six weeks proved surprisingly effective at reducing -- and in some cases eliminating -- knee pain referred to as patellofemoral pain (PFP) in female runners.

The study by Tracy Dierks, assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, was based on the theory that stronger hips would correct running form errors that contribute to PFP, even though study participants were given no instruction in gait training. The study used a pain scale of 0 to 10, with 3 representing the onset of pain and 7 representing very strong pain -- the point at which the runners normally stop running because the pain is too great. The injured runners began the six-week trial registering pain of 7 when they ran on a treadmill and finished the study period registering pain levels of 2 or lower; i.e. no onset of pain.

"I wasn't expecting such huge reductions, to be honest," Dierks said. "We've had a couple of runners who have been at level 2, but the overwhelming majority have been a 2 or below."

PFP, one of the most common running injuries, is caused when the thigh bone rubs against the back of the knee cap. Runners with PFP typically do not feel pain when they begin running, but once the pain begins, it gets increasingly worse. Once they stop running, the pain goes away almost immediately. Dierks said studies indicate PFP essentially wears away cartilage and can have the same effect as osteoarthritis. His study participants showed many of the classic signs of PFP, the most prominent being their knees collapsing inward when running or doing a squat exercise move.

The pilot study thus far involved five runners and a control group that comprised another four runners. Hip strength measurements were taken before and after the runners in the control group maintained their normal running schedule for six weeks. Hip strength measurements were taken for all of the runners before and after the next six-week period in which they all performed the hip-strengthening exercises. The exercises, performed twice a week for around 30 to 45 minutes, involved single-leg squats and exercises with a resistance band, all exercises that can be performed at home. This study is part of an ongoing study involving hip exercises and PFP pain, with 11 runners successfully using the intervention. Dierks said he plans to seek funding to test the exercises on a larger group of runners.

Earlier research had focused on the feet as a possible root of PFP, with studies only recently looking more closely at the hips. Dierks said studies have found an association between PFP in women and weak hips, but his study is the first to test a possible treatment. He noted that PFP is considered "multi-factorial," so his study is examining one of several possible causes of the pain.

Breathing exercises good for you

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An Indiana University study found that strengthening inspiratory muscles by performing daily breathing exercises for six weeks significantly reduced the amount of oxygen these same breathing muscles required during exercise, possibly making more oxygen available for other muscles.

Louise Turner, a researcher in the Department of Kinesiology, said just the act of breathing during an endurance activity, such as running, swimming or cycling performed at maximum intensity, can account for 10 to 15 percent of an athlete's total oxygen consumption. While inspiratory muscle training (IMT) has been shown to improve performance in endurance sports, Turner's study sought to shed light on how IMT does this.

"This study helps to provide further insight into the potential mechanisms responsible for the improved whole-body endurance performance previously reported following IMT," she said.

About the study:

* The double blind, placebo-controlled study involved 16 male cyclists ages 18 to 40.
* IMT involves the use of a hand-held device that provides resistance as one inhales through it, requiring greater use of inspiratory muscles. For half of the study participants, the IMT device was set to a level that provided resistance as the subjects took a fast forceful breath in. For six weeks they took 30 breaths at this setting twice a day. The cyclists in the control group did the same exercises with the IMT adjusted to a minimal level.
* After six weeks, when the study participants mimicked the breathing required for low, moderate and maximum intensity activities, the inspiratory muscles required around 1 percent less oxygen during the low intensity exercise and required 3 to 4 percent less during the high intensity exercise.

Muscles need oxygen to produce energy. Turner's research also is looking at the next component of this equation, whether more oxygen is actually available to other muscles, particularly those in the legs, because less oxygen is being used by the breathing muscles.

IMT has been used as an intervention in pulmonary diseases and conditions, such as asthma, COPD and cystic fibrosis, and also is marketed as a means for improving athletic performance in cyclists, runners and swimmers.

Low LDL Cholesterol = Increased Life Expectancy

A University of Minnesota study definitively shows that those with decreased LDL cholesterol levels can count on an increased life expectancy.

The research is published in the May 24 edition of the Annals of Surgery.

The findings stem from the Program on Surgical Control of the Hyperlipidemias (POSCH) randomized controlled trial which kicked off at the University of Minnesota in 1975. Researchers evaluated 838 heart attack survivors between the ages of 38-60. Of the 838, 417 patients were assigned to treatment with diet instruction only, and 421 to diet instruction plus a partial ileal bypass surgery, or bypass of the distal small intestine where cholesterol is absorbed.

Twenty five years later, University of Minnesota Medical School researchers found the group who had surgery increased life expectancy by about one year.

"This study contributes to a long path of findings from the POSCH trial, that is, high levels of LDL cholesterol are detrimental to your health," said Henry Buchwald, M.D., Ph.D., bariatric surgeon at the University of Minnesota Medical School, and principal investigator of the study.

Through the years, and through a number of high-profile published journal studies, the POSCH study has repeatedly shown that reducing high LDL cholesterol means fewer heart attacks, fewer deaths, less incidence of peripheral artery disease, and less heart disease.

"The POSCH trial was the first randomized controlled trial to show the life-sustaining benefits of cholesterol lowering and it is the only trial with 25 years of follow-up," Buchwald said.

Because of the advent of statins, the surgery is now relegated to a small minority of patients who have adverse effects to drugs.

About Antioxidants

Antioxidants are substances that may prevent potentially disease-producing cell damage that can result from natural bodily processes and from exposure to certain chemicals. There are a number of different antioxidants found in foods and available as dietary supplements. This fact sheet provides a general overview of antioxidants—with a focus on dietary supplements—and suggests sources for additional information.

* People take antioxidant supplements in an effort to improve their health and to prevent various diseases. Examples of commonly used antioxidant supplements include vitamins C and E, selenium, and beta-carotene.
* Although observational studies suggest that eating a diet high in antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits is associated with a lower risk for many chronic diseases, there is limited evidence to support the use of antioxidant supplements to prevent disease. Additional research, including studies supported by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and other components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is under way.

Oxidation—one of the body's natural chemical processes—can produce "free radicals," which are highly unstable molecules that can damage cells. For example, free radicals are produced when the body breaks down foods for use or storage. They are also produced when the body is exposed to tobacco smoke, radiation, and environmental contaminants. Free radicals can cause damage, known as "oxidative stress," which is thought to play a role in the development of many diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, cancer, eye disease, heart disease, Parkinson's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. In laboratory experiments, antioxidant molecules counter oxidative stress and its associated damage.

The body can produce its own antioxidants and also obtain them from food. Antioxidants are abundant in vegetables and fruits and are also found in grain cereals, teas, legumes, and nuts. Examples of antioxidants include anthocyanins, beta-carotene, catechins, coenzyme Q10, flavonoids, lipoic acid, lutein, lycopene, selenium, and vitamins C and E. Many antioxidants are also available as dietary supplements.

Although antioxidant molecules counter oxidative stress in laboratory experiments, there is some debate as to whether consuming antioxidants—in food or supplement form—actually benefits health. Antioxidant supplements are often synthetic (man-made), but some of these synthetic forms may not have the same effects on the body as antioxidants that occur naturally in foods. In addition, some beneficial properties may be lost when antioxidants are extracted from foods to manufacture supplements. There is also some concern that consuming antioxidants in excessive doses may have negative effects.

In the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 1999–2000), over 5,000 of the approximately 10,000 respondents (52 percent), reported taking a dietary supplement in the previous month. Of the 1,900 dietary supplements included in the survey, more than 900 (47 percent) contained an antioxidant: vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, selenium, flavonoids, or isoflavones. More than 3,000 of the respondents (37 percent) reported taking dietary supplements that contained one of the antioxidants mentioned.

A 2009 study looked at data from NHANES (1999–2000 and 2001–2002) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Flavonoid Database to estimate the total antioxidant intake (from diet and supplements) of adults in the United States. The researchers calculated the daily intake of vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenes, selenium, and flavonoids. They found that supplements accounted for 54 percent of vitamin C; 64 percent of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol); 14 percent of carotenes; 11 percent of selenium; and 2 percent of flavonoid intake.


There is limited scientific evidence to support the use of antioxidant supplements to prevent disease. Observational studies (which track a group of people without changing their activities or providing special treatments) have shown that a higher intake of antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits is associated with a reduced risk of certain chronic diseases. It is not clear, however, that the benefits are due to the antioxidants. Although observational studies, as well as laboratory research on the biochemistry of antioxidants, suggest that antioxidant supplements may have beneficial effects, clinical trials (controlled studies in people) have generally found no benefit.

Systematic reviews of the research literature have analyzed the use of antioxidant supplements for preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, and eye disease, and reducing overall mortality in healthy people and people with various diseases. In general, these reviews have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the use of antioxidant supplements for these purposes.

Large, long-term studies (randomized, controlled trials) funded primarily by NIH have generally found that antioxidant supplements have no beneficial effects. For example:

* The Physicians Health Study II, which included more than 14,000 healthy male physicians aged 50 or older, found that neither vitamin E nor vitamin C supplements reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events (e.g., heart attack, stroke, or death) or cancer.
* The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT)—a study of more than 35,000 healthy men aged 50 or older—found that selenium and vitamin E taken alone or together did not prevent prostate cancer. (Two earlier reviews suggested that preliminary evidence for selenium appeared promising).
* The Women's Health Study, which included almost 40,000 healthy women at least 45 years of age, found that overall, vitamin E did not reduce the risk of death, major cardiovascular events (e.g., heart attack, stroke, or death), or cancer. However, it was associated with reduced deaths from cardiovascular causes and also reduced major cardiovascular events in a subgroup of women aged 65 or older.
* The Women's Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study found no beneficial effects of vitamin C, vitamin E, or beta-carotene on cardiovascular events (e.g., heart attack, stroke, or death) in more than 8,000 female health professionals, aged 40 years or older, who were at high risk for cardiovascular disease.

An important exception to this trend is a National Eye Institute study of age-related eye disease, which found that the combination of antioxidants and zinc reduced the risk of developing advanced stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by 25 percent in people who had intermediate AMD or advanced AMD in only one eye. Antioxidant supplements used alone reduced the risk by about 17 percent.

Thus, despite widespread scientific interest and clear plausibility of benefit, the body of evidence for antioxidant supplements has not, to date, demonstrated substantial health benefits. Additional research, some of it aimed at understanding the "disconnect" between findings of laboratory and observational studies and results of clinical trials, is under way.

A Sense of Humor Helps Keep You Healthy Until Retirement Age

A sense of humor helps to keep people healthy and increases their chances of reaching retirement age. But after the age of 70, the health benefits of humor decrease, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have found.

The study has just been published in the International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, and was composed of an examination of records from 53,500 individuals who were followed up after seven years. The study is based on a comprehensive database from the second Nor-Trøndelag Health Study, called HUNT 2, which is comprised of health histories and blood samples collected in 1995-1997 from more than 70,000 residents of a county in mid-Norway.

A positive effect "There is reason to believe that sense of humor continues to have a positive effect on mental health and social life, even after people have become retirees, although the positive effect on life expectancy could not be shown after the age of 75. At that point, genetics and biological aging are of greater importance," says project leader Professor Sven Svebak at NTNU's Department of Neuroscience.

Svebak and his colleagues evaluated people's sense of humor with three questions from a test designed to measure only friendly humor. The test is not sensitive to humor that creates conflicts, is insulting or that is a variation of bullying, explains Svebak.

The questions revealed a person's ability to understand humor and to think in a humorous way, Svebak says. He believes there are many myths and misunderstandings about humor. For example, one myth is that happy people have a better sense of humor than people who are more serious.

"But it is not enough to be full of laughter, as we say in Trøndelag. Humor is all about ways of thinking and often occurs in a process or in dialogue with others. It does not need to be externalized," he says. "What people think is fun, is a different matter. Commonly, people with the same sense of humor tend to enjoy themselves together and can communicate humor without huge gestures. A twinkle in the eye can be more than enough." He adds that a sense of humor can be learned and improved through practice.

Health and mood One possible objection to the research findings is that people who have the best sense of humor may believe that they are in good health and are therefore always in the best mood. This would mean that a good sense of humor only reflected a subjective sense of health and well being.

To ensure that their findings were genuine, the researchers studied the effect of sense of humor in two separate groups. One group was composed of people who believed they were healthy, while the other was composed of people who felt they were in poor health. But researchers found the effect of a good sense of humor was the same in the two groups.

"This gives us reason to maintain that sense of humor has a real effect on the health until people reach about 70 years old," says Svebak.

Two groups The report shows that the size of health effect was dependent on how researchers grouped people with different scores. One approach was to divide the participants into two groups, one group that scored highest in terms of a good sense of humor and one with a low score. In this comparison, mortality was reduced by about 20 percent in people with high scores compared to people with low scores. Another approach compared individuals with the highest and lowest scores using a nine-level scale. In this comparison, people with the highest scores were twice as likely to survive the seven year period of follow-up than those with the lowest scores.

Confirms previous findings The results from the Nord-Trondelag County population confirm findings from a patient group that was studied in Sør-Trøndelag County. These results were published in the International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine four years ago.

That study, which was based on patients with chronic renal failure who were followed over two years, showed that survival was greatest among those with the best sense of humor. One objection to that research was that the findings could not be generalized to the population at large. The current study confirms those results for the first time in a large population.

Intelligence Test Svebak said that it has been fifteen years since researchers first attempted to evaluate the effect of sense of humor on life expectancy. At that time, a group of American scientists published data on life expectancy in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

Their results were based on a personality survey of 10-year-olds conducted around 1920. The project was initiated by a pioneer in intelligence research, Lewis Terman, in California. The children had to score above 135 on an intelligence test to participate. Over 1,200 children were involved. The results were surprising: Children with the least sense of humor were most likely to be alive 80 years later.

"But in this case, the children's sense of humor had been rated by the children's teachers and parents. They measured the social image of a sense of humor, while we measured self-image, and people's perception of their own sense of humor. There are also several other differences between the two studies that may affect the results," said Svebak. The world's first "Nevertheless, the results from the HUNT 2 are the first in history that say something about a sense of humor and health in a large population," Svebak notes. The Humor Project has been conducted in collaboration with Solfrid Romundstad, PhD, now employed at Levanger Hospital, and Professor Jostein Holmen at the HUNT Research Centre.