Exercise helps keep menopausal hot flashes at bay
Exercise may curb hot flashes among menopausal women, a new U.S. study has found.
Researchers from Penn State followed 92 menopausal women for just over two weeks. The women, aged 40 to 59, had mild to moderate symptoms, but were recruited for a physical activity study, not a study on menopause, researcher Steriani Elavsky said in a release. The women were also not on any form of hormone therapy.
Participants wore accelerometers to monitor their physical activity and also wore monitors that measured skin conductance, which varies with the moisture level of the skin.
The women self-reported hot flashes throughout the 15-day period.
On average, the women experienced fewer hot flash symptoms within the 24 hours following exercise compared to women who didn’t work out.
But the researchers noted the women who were classified as overweight, having a lower level of fitness, or experienced more frequent or more intense hot flashes, noticed the smallest reduction in symptoms.
The researchers said more work needs to be done to see if diet and exercise can help women through menopause.
“For women with mild to moderate hot flashes, there is no reason to avoid physical activity for the fear of making symptoms worse,” Elavsky said. “In fact, physical activity may be helpful, and is certainly the best way to maximize health as women age. Becoming and staying active on a regular basis as part of your lifestyle is the best way to ensure healthy aging and well being, regardless of whether you experience hot flashes or not.”
The study appears in the current issue of the journal Menopause.
It’s not just how many calories, but what kind, study finds
A calorie is a calorie is a calorie — or is it?
Maybe not, a small study has found. Once the pounds are shed, the proportions of carbohydrates, proteins and fats you chow down on may determine whether you keep the weight off — or slowly but surely pack on pounds again.
In an intensive, seven-month experiment during which 21overweight men and women had their diets strictly controlled down to each last morsel, researchers showed that a traditional low-fat diet seemed to make the metabolismmore sluggish than a high-protein one during the most difficult part of weight loss: keeping fat off once it’s shed.
The preliminary work, which was published Tuesday in the Journal of theAmerican Medical Assn., provides support for a growing group of scientists who argue that what people eat may be just as key as how much they eat.
In a nutshell, “from a metabolic perspective, all calories are not alike,” said study senior author Dr. David Ludwig, director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Children’s Hospital Boston. “The quality of the calories going in affects the quantity of the calories going out.”
Weight Loss May Increase Testosterone Levels
Shedding pounds may help overweight men with low testosterone boost their levels of the male hormone, new research finds.
Overweight men are more likely to have low levels of testosterone, according to the study, which involved nearly 900 overweight, middle-aged Irish men with pre-diabetes. People with pre-diabetes have abnormally high blood glucose levels, but the levels aren’t yet high enough to be considered diabetes.
Men were assigned to one of three treatments. One group was told to eat a lower-fat, lower-calorie diet and exercise at least 150 minutes a week; a second group took the diabetes drug metformin; and a third group took a placebo pill.
Among men in the healthy-lifestyle group, the rate of low testosterone levels dropped from 20 percent to 11 percent after a year. The rate of low testosterone didn’t budge in the diabetes-drug group or the placebo group.
The study was expected to be presented this week at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Houston.
“Doctors should first encourage overweight men with low testosterone levels to try to lose weight through diet and exercise before resorting to testosterone therapy to raise their hormone levels,” study co-author Dr. Frances Hayes, a professor at St. Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, said in a society news release.
Workout partners multiply success
The familiar hairstyle — a bouncy ponytail — is seen on college campuses across the U.S. It speaks to the carefree nature of college life and, conversely, to the sudden uptick in busy schedules.
The dreaded “Freshman 15” — unwanted pounds gained by first-year college students — is another visual sign of this lifestyle change. Experts say this phenomenon is probably a misnomer; a 2008 study in the journal Eating Behaviors put this weight gain, in women, at seven pounds. But either way you weigh it, it sucks the bounce out of those ponytails.
College coeds Mary Ryan Rassas, 19, and Anna Fuhrman, 20, once played together on the tennis team at Rossview High School. Rasis, a sophomore at Arizona State University, and Fuhrman, a junior at Auburn University, are both svelte, fit young ladies.
Despite appearances, however, both said that college caused them to gain unwanted weight. So they made a plan to combat the issue by working out together at the local YMCA whenever they were back in Clarksville on school breaks.
Dietary fiber alters gut bacteria, supports gastrointestinal healt
A University of Illinois study shows that dietary fiber promotes a shift in the gut toward different types of beneficial bacteria. And the microbes that live in the gut, scientists now believe, can support a healthy gastrointestinal tract as well as affect our susceptibility to conditions as varied as type 2 diabetes, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.
As these microbes ferment fiber in the intestine, short-chain fatty acids and other metabolites are produced, resulting in many health benefits for the host, said Kelly Swanson, a U of I professor of animal sciences.
“When we understand what kinds of fiber best nurture these health-promoting bacteria, we should be able to modify imbalances to support and improve gastrointestinal health,” he said.
This research suggests that fiber is good for more than laxation, which means helping food move through the intestines, he added.
“Unfortunately, people eat only about half of the 30 to 35 grams of daily fiber that is recommended. To achieve these health benefits, consumers should read nutrition labels and choose foods that have high fiber content,” said Swanson.
In the placebo-controlled, double-blind intervention study, 20 healthy men with an average fiber intake of 14 grams a day were given snack bars to supplement their diet. The control group received bars that contained no fiber; a second group ate bars that contained 21 grams of polydextrose, which is a common fiber food additive; and a third group received bars with 21 grams of soluble corn fiber.
On days 16-21, fecal samples were collected from the participants, and researchers used the microbial DNA they obtained to identify which bacteria were present. DNA was then subjected to 454 pyrosequencing, a “fingerprinting” technique that provides a snapshot of all the bacterial types present.
Both types of fiber affected the abundance of bacteria at the phyla, genus, and species level. When soluble corn fiber was consumed, Lactobacillus, often used as a probiotic for its beneficial effects on the gut, increased. Faecalibacterium populations rose in the groups consuming both types of fiber.
According to Swanson, the shifts in bacteria seen in this study—which occurred when more and differing types of fiber were consumed—were the opposite of what you would find in a person who has poor gastrointestinal health. That leads him to believe that there are new possibilities for using pre- and probiotics to promote intestinal health.
“For example, one type of bacteria that thrived as a result of the types of fiber fed in this study is inherently anti-inflammatory, and their growth could be stimulated by using prebiotics, foods that promote the bacteria’s growth, or probiotics, foods that contain the live microorganism,” he said.
The Health Benefits of using Fish Oil
There’s a good reason why the American Heart Association recommends that most people eat fish — particularly fatty fish — at least twice a week for heart health. Fatty fish has high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential nutrients that the body can’t make on its own.
Research has shown that fish oil offers many health benefits, but the strongest evidence points to fish oil benefits for heart health. Fish oil has been shown to:
- Lower triglycerides — fats which are unhealthy in high levels (its role in high cholesterol, however, is unclear)
- Cut the number of strokes in people with heart disease
- Prevent heart disease
- Slow the build-up of atherosclerotic plaques, also called hardening of the arteries
- Slightly reduce blood pressure
Vitamin B3 Found In Milk May Result In Substantial Health Benefits
A new study from researchers at the Weill Cornell Medical College and the Swiss Polytechnic School in Lausanne reveals that a unique form of vitamin B3 that occurs in small quantities in milk produces substantial health benefits in high doses in mice.
According to the June issue of Cell Metabolism, high doses of the niacin-related vitamin precursor nicotinamide riboside (NR) prevent obesity in mice that have been fed a fatty diet. Furthermore, it increases muscle performance and energy expenditure, whilst preventing the development of diabetesdevelopment without any side effects.
The mouse experiment was designed by research leader Dr. Johan Auwerx and his Swiss team, whilst the team from Weill Cornell Medical College, who played leading role in uncovering the biological story of NR, found a method to administer sufficient doses of NR to the animals.
Dr. Anthony Sauve, a pharmacologist and organic chemist and associate professor of Pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medical College, remarked: “This study is very important. It shows that in animals, the use of NR offers the health benefits of a low-calorie diet and exercise – without doing either one.”
Dr. Sauve, a pioneer and leader in investigating how NAD can signal adaptation in cells and in physiology, invented a simple method to efficiently synthesize NR on a large scale, was the first scientist to demonstrate that NR elevates nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) levels in mammalian cells. NAD plays a key role in energy metabolism.
Glutamine: The ultimate healing supplement
It is estimated that 6 percent of people carry the ulcer causing bacteria their stomach, H. pylori. The antibiotics typically used to treat H. pylori can cause side effects and create a resistance in the bacteria. Research now shows that glutamine supplementation can safely and effectively protect against and repair the damage caused by H. pylori. Glutamine is the single most prescribed ulcer medication in Asia.
Glutamine plays an important role in strengthening the lining if the gut. With the many chemicals the human stomach is exposed to these days, there is a good chance your gut may require some maintenance and repair. Gut health is necessary and essential for overall health and well being.
Even serious gastrointestinal and digestive diseases such as Crohn’s, IBS and Colitis can see substantial improvement with glutamine supplementation. Glutamine supplies fuel for fast multiplying cells, such as those in the gastrointestinal systems. Many of the drugs used to treat these diseases only mask the symptoms, while causing serious side effects. On the other hand, there are studies in which patients of these diseases have seen nearly complete recovery with glutamine supplementation alone.
Glutamine is also useful for treating diarrhea, as it decreases loss of electrolytes and water from the small intestines. Glutamine’s role in the health and healing of the gut and intestines is unparalleled.
Study reveals risk factors for rare sleep disorder
If someone you know kicks and punches you while they are sleeping, it may be because they have something called REM sleep behavior disorder or RBD, an extremely rare sleep disorder that affects an estimated 0.5% of adults worldwide.
Now researchers say they have identified some of the risk factors that contribute to someone getting RBD, which they believe can be a precursor to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. Over half of people with RBD develop a neurodegenerative disease, according to the American Academy of Neurology.
When people without this disorder are in REM sleep (the short period of time when you actually dream), their muscles are usually in a state of paralysis (atonia), according to the Cleveland Clinic. But people with RBD move their body or limbs while dreaming. and they could be acting out what they are dreaming. People with RBD are in danger of harming sleep partners as they act out.
Atkins-Like Diets May Increase Risk of Heart Disease
Ever try the Atkins diet? Diets low in carbohydrates and high in proteins may increase the risk of heart disease, according to a new study published in the journal BMJ.
A group of European researchers led by Pagona Lagiou of the University of Athens Medical School in Greece assessed the diets of more than 43,000 Swedish women ages 30 to 49, and followed them for an average of almost 16 years. Women who consumed a diet consisting of low carbohydrate and high protein intake were at a 5 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease later. By the end of the end of the study period, 1,270 women developed heart disease.
Consuming as little as 20 fewer grams of carbohydrates and 5 more grams of protein per day accounted for the increase, the researchers found.
The actual number of women who developed heart disease was small — about four or five extra cases per 10,000 women per year — but the authors said that amounted to a considerable number over time.
