There's been quite a few health and medical topics in the news of late that has caught my attention. I figured I'd share them with you, dear heAlTH reader:
*The AP wrote an excellent piece on so-called "Wiihabilitation." I think the Wii and other gaming technology has huge potential for rehabbing injurieis and such. If you search for "Wii" and "rehab" on Google News you'll find lots of local stories about Wii and rehabilitation. That is the power of the AP. Once the AP writes about it, it becomes news everywhere. There's lots of neat stories on this subject. This, of course, raises the question about Athens. I wonder if either of the two hospitals or the university are incorporating the Wii in their therapy programs??
*I love bananas. When I lost a bunch of weight (before gaining much of it back again. d'oh!), it was (and still is) a big part of my daily diet. Typical breakfast for me: cereal (usually cheerios), skim (or soy) milk and a banana. I have friends who share my affinity for bananas. One is even nicknamed "Banana Guy" (seriously!). So, when I was driving in my car turning the dial, this interview on NPR's Fresh Air certainly caught my attention. I really want to read Dan Koeppel's new book. I think it's an awesome example of taking a small topic and becoming an expert on it. I really want to read it. Maybe it'll be submitted to the NBCC. I sure hope so.
*When I was back home visiting my parents in North Carolina I read a blurb in the local paper about a device from diet.com that allows you to get health and nutrition information on foods from thousands of popular restaurants. So, for example, if I went to Chilis and wanted a salad I could send a text message on my cell phone to the diet.com program and get back the nutritional information. I'm kind of afraid to know what I might find out. I guess for those who truly want to get (or stay) healthy, knowing what you eat is certainly important. Like the GI Joe cartoons imparted on me when I was a child: "Knowing is Half the Battle."
That is all for now. Hope you guys and gals find these news tidbits helpful.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Does Inactivity Make Your Body Older?
Sitting still could kill you faster.
No scientist would likely make such a broad claim. But new research provides evidence that a sedentary lifestyle, coupled with other factors such as smoking and income, may accelerate the aging process.
That was the conclusion of a group of British and American scientists, whose study was published last month in the Archives for Internal Medicine journal. Led by Dr. Lynn Cherkas of the Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Unit, King's College London, the research examined volunteers' physical activity levels in leisure for a year and their leukocyte telomere length, a DNA component that is a biological indicator of aging.
LTL tends to be short in persons with diseases, such as diabetes or heart failure. Researchers found that on average the most active subjects had telomeres the same length as sedentary persons up to 10 years younger.
Subjects who are physically inactive may be biologically older by 10 years compared to more active subjects, the authors argue.
"Adults who partake in regulary physical activity are biologically younger than sedentary individuals," the authors write in the journal article, titled "The Association Between Physical Activity in Leisure Time and Leukocyte Telomere Length." "This conclusion provides a powerful message that could be used by clinicians to promote the potential antiaging effect of regular exercise."
The findings help underscore the importance of regular exercise to slow the effects of aging and age-related illnesses. U.S. health guidelines recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity at least 5 days a week in order to achieve health benefits.
The study examined 2,401 white twin volunteers, comprised of 2,152 women and 249 men. Participants completed a questionnaire that asked about physical activity, smoking and socioeconomic status. Participants also made a clinic visit and had blood samples taken.
To better understand benefits of exercise throughout life, a long-term study that monitors intensity, duration, and frequency of exercise of participants from different stages of life would be useful, the journal authors suggest.
The research received funding from the Welcome Trust, National Institutes of Health and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.
No scientist would likely make such a broad claim. But new research provides evidence that a sedentary lifestyle, coupled with other factors such as smoking and income, may accelerate the aging process.
That was the conclusion of a group of British and American scientists, whose study was published last month in the Archives for Internal Medicine journal. Led by Dr. Lynn Cherkas of the Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Unit, King's College London, the research examined volunteers' physical activity levels in leisure for a year and their leukocyte telomere length, a DNA component that is a biological indicator of aging.
LTL tends to be short in persons with diseases, such as diabetes or heart failure. Researchers found that on average the most active subjects had telomeres the same length as sedentary persons up to 10 years younger.
Subjects who are physically inactive may be biologically older by 10 years compared to more active subjects, the authors argue.
"Adults who partake in regulary physical activity are biologically younger than sedentary individuals," the authors write in the journal article, titled "The Association Between Physical Activity in Leisure Time and Leukocyte Telomere Length." "This conclusion provides a powerful message that could be used by clinicians to promote the potential antiaging effect of regular exercise."
The findings help underscore the importance of regular exercise to slow the effects of aging and age-related illnesses. U.S. health guidelines recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity at least 5 days a week in order to achieve health benefits.
The study examined 2,401 white twin volunteers, comprised of 2,152 women and 249 men. Participants completed a questionnaire that asked about physical activity, smoking and socioeconomic status. Participants also made a clinic visit and had blood samples taken.
To better understand benefits of exercise throughout life, a long-term study that monitors intensity, duration, and frequency of exercise of participants from different stages of life would be useful, the journal authors suggest.
The research received funding from the Welcome Trust, National Institutes of Health and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.
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