- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
Aging
Obesity, but not poor diet and inactivity, linked to higher risk of dementia
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 14 hours ago
A large study that followed more than one million women for nearly two decades has found that obesity in midlife is linked to a greater risk of dementia later in life; however, poor diet and lack of exercise are not. The study is published in the December 18, 2019, online issue of *Neurology®*, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Some previous studies have suggested poor diet or a lack of exercise may increase a person’s risk of dementia,” said study author Sarah Floud, PhD, of the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford in the Un… more »
Large study links sustained weight loss to reduced breast cancer risk
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 1 day ago
Results show that higher breast cancer risk from excess body weight can be reversed with weight loss American Cancer Society A large new study finds that women who lost weight after age 50 and kept it off had a lower risk of breast cancer than women whose weight remained stable, helping answer a vexing question in cancer prevention. The reduction in risk increased with the amount of weight lost and was specific to women not using postmenopausal hormones. The study appears in *JNCI*. In the United States, more than two in three adult women are overweight or obese. And while high body… more »
Hydration may affect cognitive function in some older adults
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 6 days ago
Not getting enough water is enough to make you feel sluggish and give you a headache, but a new Penn State study suggests it may also relate to cognitive performance. The researchers investigated whether hydration levels and water intake among older adults was related with their scores on several tests designed to measure cognitive function. They found that among women, lower hydration levels were associated with lower scores on a task designed to measure motor speed, sustained attention, and working memory. They did not find the same result for men. The findings were recently publ… more »
Older adults who ‘train’ for a major operation spend less time in the hospital
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 1 week ago
Older adults who “train” for a major operation by exercising, eating a healthy diet, and practicing stress reduction techniques preoperatively have shorter hospital stays and are more likely to return to their own homes afterward rather than another facility, compared with similar patients who do not participate in preoperative rehabilitation, according to research findings. The new study, which appears as an “article in press” on the *Journal of the American College of Surgeons* website in advance of print, evaluated a home-based program of preoperative rehabilitation–called preh… more »
Playing board games may help protect thinking skills in old age
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 3 weeks ago
People who play games – such as cards and board games – are more likely to stay mentally sharp in later life, a study suggests. Those who regularly played non-digital games scored better on memory and thinking tests in their 70s, the research found. The study also found that a behaviour change in later life could still make a difference. People who increased game playing during their 70s were more likely to maintain certain thinking skills as they grew older. Psychologists at the University of Edinburgh tested more than 1000 people aged 70 for memory, problem solving, thinking spe… more »
Aerobic exercise and heart-healthy diet may slow development of memory problems J
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 3 weeks ago
Cognitive impairment without dementia (CIND), or mild cognitive impairment, is a condition that affects your memory and may put you at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. According to the U.S. National Library for Medicine, signs of mild cognitive impairment may include frequently losing things, forgetting to go to events and appointments, and having more trouble coming up with words than other people of your age. Some experts believe that risk factors for heart disease also are risk factors for dementia and late-life cognitive decline and dementia. Recently, researchers exa… more »
Exercise
Good aerobic fitness doesn’t protect children against type 2 diabetes, staying active does
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 1 day ago
[image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *Physical activity, fitness and insulin resistance in children view more Credit: Eero Haapala Good aerobic fitness does not protect children against obesity-induced insulin resistance, which is a key risk factor of type 2 diabetes, a new study from Finland shows. However, more physical activity and less sedentary time were associated with reduced insulin resistance also in obese children. Published in *Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise*, the findings are based on the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) Study carried out in the Universit… more »
Yoga enhances many of the same brain structures and functions that benefit from aerobic exercise
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 6 days ago
Scientists have known for decades that aerobic exercise strengthens the brain and contributes to the growth of new neurons, but few studies have examined how yoga affects the brain. A review of the science finds evidence that yoga enhances many of the same brain structures and functions that benefit from aerobic exercise. The review, published in the journal *Brain Plasticity*, focused on 11 studies of the relationship between yoga practice and brain health. Five of the studies engaged individuals with no background in yoga practice in one or more yoga sessions per week over a peri… more »
The relationship between migraine and exercise
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 6 days ago
A recent study published in the journal *Cephalalgia*, the official journal of the International Headache Society, highlights an overlooked relationship between migraine and exercise. The study, entitled “Anxiety sensitivity and intentional avoidance of physical activity in women with probable migraine”, was led by Samantha G Farris, from Rutgers, Department of Psychology, the State University of New Jersey, NJ, USA. Migraine affects around 10-15% of the population around the globe, and among its most common diagnosis criteria include a throbbing, unilateral head pain, hypersensiti… more »
Play sports for a healthier brain – Even football, soccer, hockey athletes have healthier brains
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 1 week ago
There have been many headlines in recent years about the potentially negative impacts contact sports can have on athletes’ brains. But a new Northwestern University study shows that, in the absence of injury, athletes across a variety of sports — including football, soccer and hockey — have healthier brains than non-athletes. “No one would argue against the fact that sports lead to better physically fitness, but we don’t always think of brain fitness and sports,” said senior author Nina Kraus, the Hugh Knowles Professor of Communication Sciences and Neurobiology and director of … more »
Being active reduces risk of prostate cancer
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 1 week ago
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK , yet we still don’t know all of its causes. The largest ever study to use genetics as a measurement for physical activity to look at its effect on prostate cancer, reveals that being more active reduces the risk of prostate cancer. Over 140,000 men were included in the study, of which, 80,000 had prostate cancer. This new study, published in the *International Journal of Epidemiology* today [5 December], was led by the University of Bristol and co-funded by World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and Cancer Research UK (CRUK). … more »
Moderate intensity physical activity associated with lower risk of diabetes
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 1 week ago
Daily exercise at moderate intensity is associated with beneficial levels of a hormone that may lower risk of diabetes, according to a study published in *Endocrine Connections*. Men who were physically active at moderate intensity for 30 minutes a day, released higher levels of a hormone that reduces appetite and blood sugar levels. These findings may suggest that even lower intensity of daily habitual physical activity could help prevent metabolic diseases such as diabetes. A sedentary lifestyle can lead to metabolic complications such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity, and … more »
Medicine and Supplements
Sinuses bothering you? Use those nasal sprays regularly
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 1 day ago
Nasal saline and corticosteroid sprays are pretty standard treatment for individuals battling chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). They thin out thick mucus buildup and help ease the swelling in the nasal cavity that are the bane of anyone who has battled what physicians often refer to as the asthma of the sinuses. If used consistently and appropriately, these nasal sprays can lessen the need for antibiotics and oral steroids that are needed when symptom severities flare, according to a recent study from Dr. Ahmad Sedaghat, an ear, nose and throat specialist at the University of Cincinnati… more »
Aspirin may no longer be effective as cardiovascular treatment
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 1 week ago
A new paper in *Family Practice*, published by Oxford University Press, found that the widespread use of statins and cancer screening technology may have altered the benefits of aspirin use. Researchers concluded that aspirin no longer provides a net benefit as primary prevention for cardiovascular disease and cancer. Nearly half of adults 70 years and older have reported taking aspirin daily even if they don’t have a history of heart disease or stroke. Overall, an estimated 40% of adults in the United States take aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, making it… more »
Scientists discover multiple mechanisms at work in widely-used diabetes drug metformin
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 2 weeks ago
Salk Institute [image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *Computational analysis revealing targets of metformin. view more Credit: Salk Institute Metformin is the most commonly prescribed type 2 diabetes drug, yet scientists still do not fully know how it works to control blood sugar levels. In a collaborative effort, researchers from the Salk Institute, The Scripps Research Institute and Weill Cornell Medical College have used a novel technology to investigate why it functions so well. The findings, which identified a surprising number of biochemical “switches” for various cellular processes, could a… more »
Aspirin can be considered a possible clinical option to other, more costly treatment and preventive options for migraines
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 2 weeks ago
According to a new reportin *The American Journal of Medicine*, published by Elsevier, aspirin can be considered an effective and safe option to other, more expensive medications to treat acute migraines as well as prevent recurrent attacks. A review of randomized evidence suggests efficacy and safety of high dose aspirin in doses from 900 to 1,300 milligrams taken at the onset of acute symptoms. The data also support a lower dose of from 81 to 325 milligrams as a possible preventive option. “Aspirin provides a possible clinical option for primary healthcare providers to relieve … more »
Cannabis reduces headache and migraine pain by nearly half
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 3 weeks ago
Inhaled cannabis reduces self-reported headache severity by 47.3% and migraine severity by 49.6%, according to a recent study led by Carrie Cuttler, a Washington State University assistant professor of psychology. The study, published online recently in the *Journal of Pain*, is the first to use big data from headache and migraine patients using cannabis in real time. Previous studies have asked patients to recall the effect of cannabis use in the past. There has been one clinical trial indicating that cannabis was better than ibuprofen in alleviating headache, but it used nabilone,… more »
HPV vaccines & vaccine schedules in adolescent girls and boys
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 3 weeks ago
New evidence published in the Cochrane Library today provides further information on the benefits and harms of different human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines and vaccine schedules in young women and men. HPV is the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract in both women and men globally (WHO 2017). Most people who have sexual contact will be exposed to HPV at some point in their life. In most people, their own immune system will clear the HPV infection. HPV infection can sometimes persist if the immune system does not clear the virus. Persistent infection with some ‘hig… more »
Diet pills, laxatives used for weight control linked with later eating disorder diagnosis
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 3 weeks ago
Among young women without an eating disorder diagnosis, those who use diet pills and laxatives for weight control had higher odds of receiving a subsequent first eating disorder diagnosis within one to three years than those who did not report using these products, according to a new study led by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Boston Children’s Hospital. “We’ve known that diet pills and laxatives when used for weight control can be very harmful substances. We wanted to find out if these products could be a gateway behavior that could lead to an eating… more »
Sleep
Good sleep patterns offset genetic susceptibility to heart disease and stroke
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 15 hours ago
Getting a good night’s sleep could be beneficial for long-term health. A pioneering new study led by Dr. Lu Qi, director of the Tulane University Obesity Research Center, found that even if people had a high genetic risk of heart disease or stroke, healthy sleep patterns could help offset that risk. The study is published in the *European Heart Journal*. The researchers looked at genetic variations known as SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) that were already known to be linked to the development of heart disease and stroke. They analysed the SNPs from blood samples taken from m… more »
Nightly sleep disturbance linked to daily risk of migraines x
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 2 days ago
*Sleep fragmentation predicted migraine risk a day later while sleep duration and low sleep quality were not associated with risk of migraines * Nearly half of all patients who suffer migraines report sleep disturbance as a trigger for their headaches. But the relationship between sleep and migraine headaches is not well understood or well-studied. Investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have conducted the largest prospective study using objective measures of sleep to date to evaluate the relationship between sleep and migraine head… more »
Take long naps? Sleep more than nine hours a night? Your stroke risk may be higher
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 1 week ago
People who take long naps during the day or sleep nine or more hours at night may have an increased risk of stroke, according to a study published in the December 11, 2019, online issue of *Neurology*®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. People who took a regular midday nap lasting more than 90 minutes were 25 percent more likely to later have a stroke than people who took a regular nap lasting from one to 30 minutes. People who took no naps or took naps lasting from 31 minutes to one hour were no more likely to have a stroke than people who took naps lasting… more »
Skipping one night of sleep may leave insomniacs twice as impaired
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 1 week ago
A new study conducted by researchers at Washington State University shows that individuals with chronic sleep-onset insomnia who pulled an all-nighter performed up to twice as bad on a reaction time task as healthy normal sleepers. Their findings were published today in the online journal *Nature and Science of Sleep*. Poor daytime functioning is a frequent complaint among those suffering from insomnia, said lead author Devon Hansen, an assistant professor in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine and a researcher in the WSU Sleep and Performance Research Center. However, previous …
Science underestimated dangerous effects of sleep deprivation
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 3 weeks ago
Michigan State University’s Sleep and Learning Lab has conducted one of the largest sleep studies to date, revealing that sleep deprivation affects us much more than prior theories have suggested. Published in the *Journal of Experimental Psychology: General*, the research is not only one of the largest studies, but also the first to assess how sleep deprivation impacts placekeeping – or, the ability to complete a series of steps without losing one’s place, despite potential interruptions. This study builds on prior research from MSU’s sleep scientists to quantify the effect lack of … more »
Lack of sleep may explain why poor people get more heart disease
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 3 weeks ago
Insufficient sleep is one reason why disadvantaged groups have more heart disease. That’s the finding of a study published today in *Cardiovascular Research*, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 People with lower socioeconomic status sleep less for a variety of reasons: they may do several jobs, work in shifts, live in noisy environments, and have greater levels of emotional and financial stress. This was the first large population-based study to examine whether lack of sleep could partly explain why poor people have more heart disease. It found that short sleep e… more »
Mindfulness
Mindfulness training may help lower blood pressure
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 1 week ago
As the leading cause of death in both the United States and the world, heart disease claims nearly 18 million lives every year, according to the World Health Organization. Many of these deaths are due to hypertension, or abnormally high blood pressure, and could be prevented through medication or lifestyle changes such as healthier eating, weight loss and regular exercise — but behavior change is often challenging. That’s where mindfulness may be useful, says Eric Loucks, an associate professor of epidemiology, behavioral and social sciences, and medicine at Brown University. “We… more »
General Health
Early-life exposure to dogs may lessen risk of developing schizophrenia
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 15 hours ago
Ever since humans domesticated the dog, the faithful, obedient and protective animal has provided its owner with companionship and emotional well-being. Now, a study from Johns Hopkins Medicine suggests that being around “man’s best friend” from an early age may have a health benefit as well — lessening the chance of developing schizophrenia as an adult. And while Fido may help prevent that condition, the jury is still out on whether or not there’s any link, positive or negative, between being raised with Fluffy the cat and later developing either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder…. more »
A strong link between non-HDL cholesterol levels and long-term risk for cardiovascular disease in people aged under 45 years
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 1 week ago
– Study is the most comprehensive analysis of long-term risk for cardiovascular disease related to non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol – including almost 400,000 people from 19 countries who were followed for up to 43.5 years (median 13.5 years follow-up) between 1970 to 2013. – This longer-term evidence may be particularly important in people aged under 45 years. – Depending on cholesterol level and number of cardiovascular risk factors, men and women aged under 45 years have a 12-43% or 6-24% risk (respectively) of having fatal or no… more »
Analysis of US life expectancy
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report – 3 weeks ago
JAMA *Bottom Line:* Examining life expectancy in the United States over nearly 60 years and identifying factors that contributed to recent increases in mortality were the focus of this expansive report. Researchers used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Mortality Database to analyze changes in life expectancy and mortality rates, and they reviewed epidemiologic literature to add context to the vital statistics and explore explanations for the trends. Life expectancy increased almost 10 years, from 69.9 years in 1959 to 78.9 years in 2016, but the… more »
from Health News Report https://ift.tt/2Q4XloT - health news
Comments
Post a Comment