Body Weekly - October 2011 Archives

Yoga and stretching exercises beneficial for chronic low back pain (10/31/2011)

Yoga classes were found to be more effective than a self-care book for patients with chronic low back pain at reducing symptoms and improving function, but they were not more effective than stretching classes, according to a study published online first by the Archives of Internal Medicine. ...> Full Article

Quality-of-life for women an issue: in some matters of the heart, women do not fare as well as men (10/31/2011)

A Heart and Stroke Foundation study has found that women under age 55 fare worse than their male counterparts following a heart attack -- and their health status declines more than that of their male counterparts after one month. ...> Full Article

Consumers don't pay as much attention to nutrition fact labels as they think (10/30/2011)

Are Nutrition Facts labels read in detail by consumers when making purchases? Do people read only certain portions of the labels? According to a new study published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, consumers' self-reported viewing of Nutrition Facts label components was higher than objectively measured viewing using an eye-tracking device. Researchers also determined that centrally located Nutrition Facts labels are viewed more frequently and for longer than those located peripherally. ...> Full Article

High to moderate levels of stress lead to higher mortality rate (10/29/2011)

A new study concludes that men who experience persistently moderate or high levels of stressful life events over a number of years have a 50 percent higher mortality rate.In general, the researchers found only a few protective factors against these higher levels of stress -- people who self-reported that they had good health tended to live longer and married men also fared better. Moderate drinkers also lived longer than non-drinkers. ...> Full Article

Calorie count plus points based on added sugars, sodium, and saturated and trans fats recommended as new front-of-package nutrition labeling system (10/28/2011)

Federal agencies should develop a new nutrition rating system with symbols to display on the front of food and beverage packaging that graphically convey calorie counts by serving size and a "point" value showing whether the saturated and trans fats, sodium, and added sugars in the products are below threshold levels. This new front-of-package system should apply to all foods and beverages and replace any other symbols currently being used on the front of packaging, added the committee that wrote the report. ...> Full Article

Blame backbone fractures on evolution, not osteoporosis (10/27/2011)

Osteoporosis is blamed for backbone fractures. The real culprit could well be our own vertebrae, which evolved to absorb the pounding of upright walking, researchers at Case Western Reserve University say. Compared to apes, human's have larger vertebrae made mostly of porous bone and a thin shell of hard bone. Apes have a thick shell of hard bone. Both lose bone at comparable rates as they age, but with less hard bone to begin with, humans suffer fractures. Apes don't. ...> Full Article

Early mortality risk reduced up to 40 percent through increased physical activity and sports (10/26/2011)

Even though previous studies have been shown the link between regular exercises and improved health the exact dose-response relation remains unclear. Guenther Samitz, researcher in physical activity and public health at the Centre for Sports Sciences and University Sports of the University of Vienna has investigated this relationship with a meta-study representing more than 1.3 million participants. ...> Full Article

21st century database of traditional Chinese medicine released (10/25/2011)

A comprehensive database developed by King's College London researchers that features the chemical components found in traditional Chinese medicines has been released to market this month, allowing researchers to explore age-old remedies in the search for tomorrow's new drugs. ...> Full Article

New study shows soy protein improves lipid profile in healthy individuals (10/24/2011)

A new study published online in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that soy protein compared to dairy milk protein supplementation improves the lipid profile in healthy individuals. ...> Full Article

'Drunkorexia:' A recipe for disaster (10/21/2011)

It is well-known that eating disorders are common among teens and college students. Heavy alcohol consumption is another well-known unhealthy habit of this age group. A new study from the University of Missouri shows that when college students combine these two unhealthy habits, their long-term health may be affected. "Drunkorexia" is a new term coined by the media to describe the combination of disordered eating and heavy alcohol consumption. ...> Full Article

Eating your greens can change the effect of your genes on heart disease, say researchers (10/20/2011)

A long-held mantra suggests that you can't change your family, the genes they pass on, or the effect of these genes. Now, an international team of scientists, led by researchers at McMaster and McGill universities, is attacking that belief. The researchers discovered the gene that is the strongest marker for heart disease can actually be modified by generous amounts of fruit and raw vegetables. The results of their study are published in the current issue of the journal PLoS Medicine. ...> Full Article

Use of vitamin E associated with increased risk of prostate cancer (10/19/2011)

In a trial that included about 35,000 men, those who were randomized to receive daily supplementation with vitamin E had a significantly increased risk of prostate cancer, according to a study in the Oct. 12 issue of JAMA. ...> Full Article

Ginger root supplement reduced colon inflammation markers (10/18/2011)

Ginger supplements reduced markers of colon inflammation in a select group of patients, suggesting that this supplement may have potential as a colon cancer prevention agent, according to a study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. ...> Full Article

Exercise just as good as drugs at preventing migraines (10/17/2011)

Although exercise is often prescribed as a treatment for migraine, there has not previously been sufficient scientific evidence that it really works. However, research from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has now shown that exercise is just as good as drugs at preventing migraines. ...> Full Article

If you don't snooze, do you lose? (10/16/2011)

An ongoing lack of sleep during adolescence could lead to more than dragging, foggy teens, a University of Wisconsin-Madison study suggests. ...> Full Article

Health benefits of broccoli require the whole food, not supplements (10/15/2011)

New research has found that if you want some of the many health benefits associated with eating broccoli or other cruciferous vegetables, you need to eat the real thing ? a key phytochemical in these vegetables is poorly absorbed and of far less value if taken as a supplement. ...> Full Article

Frequently used weight-loss method is light on evidence (10/14/2011)

Although the transtheoretical model stages of change (TTM SOC) method is frequently used to help obese and overweight people lose weight, a newly published Cochrane systematic review indicates there is little evidence that it is effective. "The use of TTM SOC only resulted in 2kg or less weight loss, and there was no conclusive evidence that this loss was sustained," says study leader Nik Tuah, who works at Imperial College London. ...> Full Article

Green tea helps mice keep off extra pounds (10/13/2011)

Green tea may slow down weight gain and serve as another tool in the fight against obesity, according to Penn State food scientists. ...> Full Article

A hormone that fights fat with fat (10/12/2011)

In a study published Oct. 5 in Cell Metabolism, Sanford-Burnham researchers discovered that the hormone orexin activates calorie-burning brown fat in mice. Orexin deficiency is associated with obesity, suggesting that orexin supplementation could provide a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of obesity and other metabolic disorders. An orexin-based therapy would represent a new class of fat-fighting drugs -- one that focuses on peripheral fat-burning tissue rather than the brain's appetite control center. ...> Full Article

When chefs move the fruit (10/11/2011)

A new Cornell University study presented by Professor Brian Wansink at this week's ADA Conference in San Diego, Calif., shows that schools can increase fruit sales by as much as 104 percent by just putting it in a colorful bowl. This is one of the changes proposed through the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement of the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs (BEN) which has garnered the White House's support to help fight childhood obesity. ...> Full Article

Pale people may need vitamin D supplements (10/10/2011)

Fair-skinned people who burn quickly in the sun may need to take supplements to ensure they get the right amount of vitamin D, new research finds today. ...> Full Article

Red wine ingredient resveratrol stops breast cancer growth (10/9/2011)

Cheers! New research in the FASEB Journal shows that resveratrol, the "healthy" ingredient in red wine, stops breast cancer cells from growing by blocking the growth effects of estrogen. This discovery suggests for the first time that resveratrol is able to counteract malignant progression since it inhibits the proliferation of hormone resistant breast cancer cells. This has important implications for treatment of women with breast cancer whose tumors develop resistance to hormonal therapy. ...> Full Article

Scientists discover the proteins that control development of varicose veins (10/8/2011)

A new discovery published in the October 2011 print issue of the FASEB Journal explains for the first time what kicks off the process that causes varicose veins. In the article, researchers from Germany describe a single protein that binds to DNA to control gene function (called "transcription factor AP-1") and the subsequent production of a newly discovered set of proteins that significantly affect the development of varicose veins. ...> Full Article

Oral steroids linked to severe vitamin D deficiency in nationwide study (10/7/2011)

People taking oral steroids are twice as likely as the general population to have severe vitamin D deficiency, according to a study of more than 31,000 children and adults by scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. Their findings, in the Sept. 28 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, suggest that physicians should more diligently monitor vitamin D levels in patients being treated with oral steroids. ...> Full Article

Lift weights, eat mustard, build muscles? (10/6/2011)

If you want to lean out, add muscle and get ripped, new research in the FASEB Journal suggests to look to your garden for help. Scientists have found that when a specific plant steroid was ingested by rats, it triggered a response similar to anabolic steroids with minimal side effects. The stimulatory effect of homobrassinolide on protein synthesis in muscle cells led to increases in lean body mass, muscle mass, and physical performance. ...> Full Article

Women have stronger immune systems than men and it's all down to a single chromosome (10/5/2011)

As anyone familiar with the phrase "man-flu" will know women consider themselves to be the more robust side of the species when it comes to health and illness. Now new research, published in BioEssays, seems to support the idea. The research focuses on the role of MicroRNAs encoded on the X chromosome to explain why women have stronger immune systems to men and are less likely to develop cancer. ...> Full Article

Increasing dosage of saw palmetto does not appear to reduce urinary symptoms from enlarged prostate (10/4/2011)

Men with urinary problems related to an enlarged prostate who received increasing doses of the fruit extract saw palmetto did not experience a reduction in these symptoms compared to men who received placebo, according to a study in the Sept. 28 issue of JAMA. ...> Full Article

Low vitamin B12 levels may lead to brain shrinkage, cognitive problems (10/3/2011)

Older people with low levels of vitamin B12 in their blood may be more likely to lose brain cells and develop problems with their thinking skills, according to a study published in the Sept. 27, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Foods that come from animals, including fish, meat, especially liver, milk, eggs and poultry, are usually sources of vitamin B12. ...> Full Article

African-American men living in poor sunlight areas at risk for vitamin D deficiency (10/2/2011)

African-American men living in low sunlight areas are more likely to experience vitamin D deficiency than European-American men living in the same environment. Researchers believe that these findings should change recommendations for daily intake of vitamin D. ...> Full Article

The body rids itself of damage when it really matters (10/1/2011)

Although the body is constantly replacing cells and cell constituents, damage and imperfections accumulate over time. Cleanup efforts are saved for when it really matters. Researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, are able to show how the body rids itself of damage when it is time to reproduce and create new life. ...> Full Article