Tag Archives: health

You Have Time To Exercise

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Every four years the Olympics inspire not only a new generation of athletes to pursue their Olympic dreams, but also gives encouragement to the less physically active to incorporate some exercise into the daily schedule. Unfortunately already overloaded schedules and time commitments end up causing many if not most to quit the new exercise or activity, or even discourages them from starting in the first place.

Can you spare 30 minutes a week for exercise? This is 30 minutes per week total, broken up into ten minute sessions, three times each week? Even the busiest of us can probably find 30 minutes in the course of a week to commit to exercise.

Researchers from McMaster University in Canada enrolled sedentary men ages 19-37 and placed them into one of three different groups- a sprint interval training (SIT) group, a moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) group, and a control group.

The training protocols were straightforward. The sprint interval training protocol involved a two-minute warm-up on the stationary exercise bike, followed by three “all out” cycling efforts of twenty seconds each, separated by two minutes of low intensity cycling, and finally a two-minute cool-down, for a total of ten minutes. This was done three times each week.

The moderate intensity continuous training protocol consisted of a two-minute warm-up on the exercise bike, followed by 45 minutes of continuous cycling at 70% of maximum heart rate, and finally a three-minute cool-down, for a total of 50 minutes. This was also done three times each week.

A 12 week training program then followed. Researchers measured plasma glucose and insulin, and performed muscle analysis, among other measures.

What the researchers discovered was profound- the sprint interval training group (aka the 30 minute per week group) had comparable improvements in cardiopulmonary fitness, insulin sensitivity, and skeletal muscle mitochondrial content to the moderate intensity continuous training group (aka the 150 minute per week group) over the 12 week training program.

Another way to consider this is that the sprint interval group, with only 1/5 of the time commitment of the moderate intensity group, had equal cardiometabolic benefits.

McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario is one of the leading centers of research in High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). This recent paper adds to the growing body of research on this topic.

So you can you spare 30 minutes a week?

 

(Source- PLOS ONE, April 26, 2016)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone, Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

Acupuncture May Improve Exercise Performance and Recovery

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For some, seeing Michael Phelps and other swimmers on the starting blocks this week with the distinctive circular bruises left by cupping may have been their first exposure to this alternative health practice. However cupping in one form or the other has been in practice for thousands of years, and there are references in ancient Egyptian, Greek, Chinese and Persian texts regarding this technique. In honor of the Rio Olympics today’s post will examine another ancient health practice, acupuncture, specifically the use of acupuncture to enhance  both exercise performance, as well as post-exercise recovery.

Australian researchers reviewed data from four different acupuncture studies, three of which looked at its effect on exercise performance, while one study examined the effect of acupuncture on post-exercise recovery. There were 84 total participants in the four studies, both men and women. As the design of each study was varied (such as different treatment protocols, different outcome measures, different placebo controls, etc.) the Australian researchers did not pool the data from the four studies but instead examined each study on its own merits. One thing all four studies did have in common was the use of a cycle ergometer as the exercise method.

The Australian research group noted that one study (Li et al.) showed significantly increased peak power output in the acupuncture group versus the control group. On the other hand two studies (Dhillon et al. and Karvelas et al.) did not show benefit.

Also, in the  study that examined post-exercise recovery (Lin et al.) it was demonstrated that acupuncture needles inserted prior to exercise significantly lowers the blood lactate level sixty minutes after exercise.

Taken in whole the four studies show some possible benefits for acupuncture treatment, both for exercise performance as well as post-exercise recovery. What are now needed are additional well designed studies with larger numbers of participants to determine if these treatment effects are real. Acupuncture is a generally well tolerated treatment modality with a good safety profile, and may offer benefits to athletes and those that exercise.

(Source- The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Volume 19, Number 1, 2013).

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

More Reasons to Eat Blueberries- Part Two

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Metabolic syndrome is a growing problem, not only in the U.S., but worldwide. Some of the components of metabolic syndrome include increased abdominal fat, high blood pressure, high triglycerides associated with low HDL (“good cholesterol”), and impaired glucose tolerance. Some of you may be familiar with the term “insulin resistance” in the context of metabolic syndrome.

As metabolic syndrome may be a precursor to the development of diabetes there is considerable on-going research on this topic. A study performed at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University examined the effect of blueberry intake on obese men and women with metabolic syndrome. In particular, cardiovascular risk factors were examined.

Forty-eight participants were randomized to either a blueberry group or control group. Those in the blueberry group consumed a freeze-dried blueberry beverage twice a day, while the control group drank an equivalent amount of water.

Over the eight week course of the study the blood pressure in the blueberry group dropped 6% (systolic) and 4% (diastolic). Biomarkers of oxidative stress were also decreased in the blueberry group. Oxidized LDL dropped 28%, while combined serum malondialdehyde and hydroxynonenal concentrations dropped 17%. Both the decreases in blood pressure and oxidative stress biomarkers were substantially larger in the blueberry group than the control (water) group.

Interestingly this study shows a similar drop in blood pressure to the blueberry study we previously reviewed. This is simply more evidence of the beneficial effects of blueberries on cardiovascular health, in a particularly high-risk population.

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

(Source- The Journal of Nutrition, July 21, 2010)

Mom Was Right- Eat Your Wheaties

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“Hope makes a good breakfast. Eat plenty of it”.
Ian Fleming

 

In today’s installment in honor of Men’s Health Week I will review a study from Harvard University which examined the relationship between eating breakfast and risk of coronary heart disease, in a group of male health professionals.

Researchers look at data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS). which is an ongoing study of over 51,000 male health professionals from the U.S. The HPFS began enrolling subjects in 1986, and included men ages 40-75 at that time. After exclusions, nearly 27,000 men were enrolled in the sample. Dieting assessments were made by having the subjects fill out a dieting questionnaire. coronary heart disease (CHD)  was defined as non-fatal MI (heart attack) or fatal CHD, and was assessed by questionnaires as well as review of medical records and autopsy reports.

The results of the study showed that in age-adjusted models men who skipped breakfast had a 33% higher risk of coronary heart disease, compared to those who ate their breakfast.

Also, men who ate breakfast late at night (defined as eating that occurs after going to bed) had a 55% higher risk of coronary heart diseases, compared to men who are not late night snackers.

It should be noted that this study was comprised almost exclusively of Caucasian males, and as such, the results may or may not be applicable to women or other ethnic groups. It would be interesting to see if these same results could be replicated in women or other ethnic groups.

So, for those of us who were told that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”  or to “eat your Wheaties”, it appears that once again, mom was right.

(Source- Circulation 2013;128:337-343)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

Want to Avoid E.D.? Quit Smoking.

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“Smoking is harmful to the nose, harmful to the brain, and dangerous to the lungs”

King James I

June is Men’s Health Month, and this month I will write several articles about men’s health issues. In today’s post we will discuss the relationship between smoking and erectile dysfunction (ED).

A group of researchers at the School of Public Health at the Tongji Medical College in Wuhan China performed a meta-analysis of existing studies which covered the topic of smoking and ED. They eventually included ten studies which involved more than 50,000 men. Both smoking and ED were assessed by the use of questionnaires.

What the researchers discovered was that not only the quantity of cigarettes was positively associated with the risk of ED, but the duration (number of years) was associated with the risk of ED as well. For instance, the risk of ED increased 14% for smoking 10 cigarettes a day, and the risk of ED increased 15% for ten years of smoking.

One of the strengths of this meta-analysis is that is pools data from several countries, including Australia, China, U.S., Brazil and Italy, which increases the applicability of the results. Hopefully data like this will encourage men who smoke to think twice before they light up the next cigarette.

(Source- Journal of Sexual Medicine 2014; 11)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

 

 

Five Things Men Can Do To Help Prevent Heart Attacks

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“The problem with heart disease is that the first symptom is often fatal.” 

Michael Phelps

June is Men’s Health Month, and this month I will write several articles about topics related to men’s health. In this post we will discuss five simple things men can do to help prevent a heart attack in the future.

A research group from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm Sweden enrolled nearly 21,000 men in a study which began in 1997 and ended in 2009. The men were of ages 45-79. In general this was a healthy group of men, with no history of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.

The researchers looked at five different factors felt to be important in preventing heart attacks- diet, alcohol intake, use of tobacco, exercise level, and waist size. The men were assessed for these five elements by the use of a food frequency questionnaire and a physical activity questionnaire.

Researchers discovered that by following the five healthy diet and lifestyle habits-  quality diet (more fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and fish), moderate alcohol consumption (3 or less drinks per day), no tobacco, exercise (walked/cycled 40 minutes/day with more formal exercise of one hour/week), and with waist size 37 inches or less could prevent 79% of the heart attacks in the study group. This is a profound drop in heart attack risk.

The total reduction in heart attack risk consisted of a 36% reduction in risk for not smoking, 18% reduction for a healthy diet, 12% reduction for a lower waist size, 11% reduction for moderate alcohol intake, and 3% reduction for being physically active.

The 79% risk reduction in heart attacks is substantial, particularly since the participants in the study were considered “healthy” (no cardiovascular disease) at time of enrollment in the study. These five elements of risk reduction would seem to be low impact, with few side effects. If you are a middle age male how many of these elements could you easily incorporate into your lifestyle, to help lower your risk of heart attack in the future?

(Source- Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Vol. 64, No. 13, 2014)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does in create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

Walnuts. Good for the Brain.

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“The brain is wider than the sky”.

Emily Dickinson

This is the third in a series of three blog posts detailing recent research on walnuts, in honor of National Walnut Day. This post will look at research from UCLA, which examined the association between walnut consumption and cognitive function in adults.

In particular, the researchers looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The NHANES was designed to be a representative sample of the U.S. population, ages 20 to 90.

A group of participants who ate walnuts and other nuts were compared to a group who did not eat nuts. Adults ages 20-59 completed the simple reaction time test, the simple digit learning test, and the symbol digit substitution test. Adults ages 60 and over were administered the story recall test or the digital symbol substitution test.

Results from the study showed that walnut consumption had a positive association with cognitive functions in both the 20-59 year old participants, as well as those ages 60 and older.

This interesting study adds to the growing  body of evidence in support of the health benefits of walnuts.

(Source- Journal of Nutrition and Health Aging, Volume 19, Number 3, 2015)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

High Cholesterol? Try Walnuts.

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“The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul or we get fat”.

Albert Einstein

This is the second in a series of three blog posts in honor of National Walnut Day, detailing recent research regarding walnuts. This post will look at research from the Harvard School of Public Health, which examined the effects of walnut consumption on cholesterol.

Harvard researchers gathered data from 13 previously published studies on walnuts, which involved 365 participants in total. The various studies lasted from 4-24 weeks. Participants were placed into either walnut supplemented groups or control groups.

Researchers reported that the total cholesterol dropped 4.9% in the walnut diet group, while LDL (“bad cholesterol”) dropped 6.7% in the walnut diet group, compared to the control groups.The changes in total cholesterol and LDL were both statistically significant. Triglycerides also dropped in the walnut diet group, but this did not reach statistical significance. It is also important to note that weight did not change during the course of the studies.

This well done meta-analysis adds to the growing body of evidence in support of the health benefits of walnuts.

(Source- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009;90:56-63)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does is create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.