Sunday 19 July 2015

Inactivity reduces people’s muscle strength & aerobics such as bike training is not enough to reverse muscle strength loss. You need weight training

Inactivity reduces people’s muscle strength

Aerobics such as bike training not enough to reverse muscle strength loss. You need weight training

NEWS release from The Center for Healthy Aging and the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen who conducted the research.

 New research reveals that it only takes two weeks of not using their legs for young people to lose a third of their muscular strength, leaving them on par with a person who is 40-50 years their senior.

Time and again, we are told that we need to stay physically active and exercise daily. But how quickly do we actually lose our muscular strength and muscle mass if we go from being averagely active to being highly inactive? For example when we are injured, fall ill or simply take a very relaxing holiday. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have examined what happens to the muscles in younger and older men after a period of high inactivity, by way of so-called immobilization with a leg pad.

Both older and younger people lose muscular strength
"Our experiments reveal that inactivity affects the muscular strength in young and older men equally. Having had one leg immobilized for two weeks, young people lose up to a third of their muscular strength, while older people lose approx. one fourth. A young man who is immobilized for two weeks loses muscular strength in his leg equivalent to ageing by 40 or 50 years, " says Andreas Vigelsø, PhD at the Center for Healthy Aging and the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen.

Young people lose twice as much muscle mass
With age, our total muscle mass diminishes, which is why young men have approx. one kilogram more muscle mass in each leg than older men. Both groups lose muscle mass when immobilized for two weeks – young men lose 485 grams on average, while older men lose approx. 250 grams. The participants’ physical fitness was also reduced while their one leg was immobilized in a pad.

"The more muscle mass you have, the more you’ll lose. Which means that if you’re fit and become injured, you’ll most likely lose more muscle mass than someone who is unfit, over the same period of time. But even though older people lose less muscle mass and their level of fitness is reduced slightly less than in young people, the loss of muscle mass is presumably more critical for older people, because it is likely to have a greater impact on their general health and quality of life, " Martin Gram, researcher at the Center for Healthy Aging and the Department of Biomedical Sciences, explains.

Cycling is not enough
After two weeks of immobilization, the participants bicycle-trained 3-4 times a week for six weeks.
"Unfortunately, bicycle-training is not enough for the participants to regain their original muscular strength. Cycling is, however, sufficient to help people regain lost muscle mass and reach their former fitness level. If you want to regain your muscular strength following a period of inactivity; you need to include weight training", Andreas Vigelsø states.

"It’s interesting that inactivity causes such rapid loss of muscle mass, in fact it’ll take you three times the amount of time you were inactive to regain the muscle mass that you’ve lost. This may be caused by the fact that when we’re inactive, it’s 24 hours a day," Martin Gram concludes.


These results have just been published in the scientific Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine. The Nordea-fonden supports the research carried out by the Center for Healthy Aging.

Wednesday 15 July 2015

Sleep - Every hour less per night for teenagers increases the risk of sadness, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts

Teenagers Who Don't Get Enough Sleep at Higher Risk for Mental Health Problems

Every hour less per night increases the risk of sadness, substance abuse and suicidal thoughts

The researchers surveyed an ethnically diverse sample of 27,939 suburban high school students in Virginia. Although teenagers need about nine hours of sleep a night on average, according to the National Institutes of Health, only 3 percent of students reported getting that amount, and 20 percent of participants indicated that they got five hours or less. The average amount reported was 6.5 hours every weekday night. After controlling for background variables such as family status and income, the researchers determined that each hour of lost sleep was associated with a 38 percent increase in the odds of feeling sad and #hopeless, a 42 percent increase in considering suicide, a 58 percent increase in #suicide attempts and a 23 percent increase in substance #abuse.


Journal of Youth and Adolescence February 2015

Tuesday 14 July 2015

Cherries may reduce upper respiratory Symptoms



Juice made from Montmorency cherries may reduce the development of upper respiratory tract symptoms after running a marathon

Abstract
Background
Prolonged exercise, such as #marathon #running, has been associated with an increase in respiratory mucosal #inflammation. The aim of this pilot study was to examine the effects of Montmorency cherry juice on markers of stress, immunity and inflammation following a Marathon.

Methods
Twenty recreational Marathon runners consumed either cherry juice (CJ) or placebo (PL) before and after a Marathon race. Markers of mucosal immunity secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), salivary cortisol, inflammation (CRP) and self-reported incidence and severity of upper respiratory tract symptoms (URTS) were measured before and following the race.

Results
All variables except secretory IgA and IgG concentrations in saliva showed a significant time effect (P <0.01). Serum CRP showed a significant interaction and treatment effect (P < 0.01). The CRP increase at 24 and 48 h post-Marathon was lower (P < 0.01) in the CJ group compared to PL group. Mucosal immunity and salivary cortisol showed no interaction effect or treatment effect. The incidence and severity of URTS was significantly greater than baseline at 24 h and 48 h following the race in the PL group and was also greater than the CJ group (P < 0.05). No URTS were reported in the CJ group whereas 50 % of runners in the PL group reported URTS at 24 h and 48 h post-Marathon.

Conclusions

This is the first study that provides encouraging evidence of the potential role of Montmorency cherries in reducing the development of URTS post-Marathon possibly caused by exercise-induced hyperventilation trauma, and/or other infectious and non-infectious factors.

Lygeri DimitriouJessica A HillInfluence of a montmorency cherry juice blend on indices of exercise-induced stress and upper respiratory tract symptoms following marathon running—a pilot investigation, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2015, 12:22 doi:10.1186/s12970-015-0085-8

Monday 13 July 2015

Diet and Nutrition for Success: Promoting good nutrition and lifestyle in a company can increase productivity and job satisfaction.


For the first time in Australia this heart centred conference is bringing together leaders in creating successful businesses and careers in the new paradigm of co-creation and collaboration.


Ignite your vision and empower your purpose in your business or your career with tools and strategies for marketing, social media, communication and enlightened enterprise.

This conference has the goal of supporting businesses engaged in the co-creation of a sustainable conscious world of peace harmony and abundance. It is designed around the five pillars or elements that we integrate into all Conscious Living events: Earth; Food; Health; Arts and Spirit.

In line with these five elements, the conference will connect practitioners, authors, trainers and individuals who are evolving a new paradigm for heart centred collaborative business owners and employees working in food, health, creative arts, environment and spirit.

Exchange  experiences and ideas; develop ongoing collaborative associations and  link up with a community of business owners and employees with similar ethics in running their businesses.



RUSSELL SETRIGHT

Diet and Nutrition for Success

FOOD – FUELING AND ENERGISING

Speaker 1 –Russell Setright

Diet and Nutrition for Success: Promoting good nutrition and lifestyle in a  company can increase productivity  and job satisfaction.
Learn how  a little knowledge  about the positive  effect of nutrition can help  prevent and treat some diseases, Migraine, ADHD, Memory and Cancer.

Speaker 2 –Mason Taylor

Unifying Health, Abundance and Purpose
Find out how to infuse your core message and purpose into the projects you are pursuing, allowing you to create financial, physical, emotional and spiritual abundance.
Artist – Chris James
Vocal Tune Up –  Find your voice, de-stress and  let your spirit soar

Speaker 3 – Cameron Little

Green Shopping Consumer Choices

Cameron  will share with you  some critical concepts around which to base your day to day shopping patterns so that you can make your purchasing consistent with your personal values and the principles of sustainable development.  You can help  minimise the negative environmental and social impacts of your business transactions.

Q & A with All Speakers and Audience

Purchase a ticket for the whole conference or 1 day and you will receive a FREE One Day Training Workshop with Robert Kirby – Jump Start Your Business plus a coaching session with Katrena Friel – valued at over $995 . Earlybird Tickets are available until July 31st and you can bring a guest for free before July 31


Russell Setright is an accredited Naturopath, Medical Herbalist, and an educator in Advanced Life Support, First Aid, Emergency Care and Rescue. He is an Honorary Life Member of St John Ambulance and member of ATMS. He is the author of seven books on complementary medicine with one published in the Chinese and Malay languages and he currently has a Health Talk Back Radio Show with Brian Wilshire on Sydney’s Radio 2GB.
He was also the Naturopathic Director Blackmores Ltd. Russell has been on a number of Government assessment panels for degree programs in Australia and New Zealand and is currently a member of the advisory committee NSW Oncology Group, Cancer Institute, NSW Health.

Sunday 12 July 2015

Diabetes in Australia and Vitamin D deficiency. Is there a link?

Diabetes in Australia and Vitamin D deficiency. Is there a link?

Literature review
Russell Setright

CVD and Diabetes
Recent research has found significant association between low serum levels of 25(OH)vit D and an increase in the incidence of diabetes, CVD and metabolic syndrome. This research examined 28 studies that included 99,745 men and women across a variety of ethnic groups. The studies revealed a significant association between high levels of vitamin D (25(OH)VitD) and a decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (33% compared to low levels of vitamin D), type 2 diabetes (55% reduction) and metabolic syndrome (51% reduction)  ( Levels of vitamin D and cardiometabolic disorders: Systematic review and meta-analysis J.Maturitas Volume 65, Issue 3, 225-236, March 2010).

Further evidence relating to the befits of adequate vitamin D levels was presented at the American College of Cardiology’s annual scientific session in Atlanta March 2010. Researchers from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Murray, Utah, reviewed 31,000 of their patients aged 50 or older found that those with the lowest levels of serum 25(OH)vitD had a 170-per-cent greater risk of heart attacks than those with the highest serum levels.
Also, according to the authors of this study, the benefits of having more vitamin D were not limited to a cut in heart-attack risk. Those with the lowest readings also had an 80-per-cent greater risk of death, a 54-per-cent higher risk of diabetes, a 40-per-cent higher risk of coronary artery disease, a 72-per-cent higher risk of kidney failure and a 26-per-cent higher risk of depression.

Diabetes
The incidence of diabetes in Australia is increasing and, at the same time we are seeing a corresponding deficiency in vitamin D levels. As the above studies show there is a strong link between the development of diabetes type-2 and vitamin D deficiency. The following study examines the link in childhood type-1 diabetes and vitamin D supplementation.
A review and meta-analysis of the data from five trials that included 6455 infants, of which 1429 were cases and 5026 controls was published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. The data from the five observational studies, found that infants who received vitamin D supplements were 29 per cent less likely to develop type-1 diabetes than non-supplemented infants (Zipitis C et al. "Vitamin D supplementation in early childhood and risk of type 1 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis" Archives of Disease in Childhood (British Medical Journal) .2007).

Also, a study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, September 2007 looked at 1770 children at high risk of developing type-1 diabetes.
Their study reported that an increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids from marine sources may reduce a child's risk of developing type-1 diabetes by 55 per cent.Vitamin D found in cod liver oil, a popular marine supplement, may have been a contributing factor.

Cardio Vascular Disease
Results of a large case-control study (Health Professionals Follow-up Study) was conducted in 18, 225 men. During the proceeding 10 years of follow-up, 454 men developed nonfatal myocardial infarction or fatal coronary heart disease. After adjustment for matched variables, men deficient in 25(OH)D less than 37.4nmol/Lt were at increased risk for MI (heart attack) compared with those considered to be sufficient in 25(OH)D 74nmol/mL.  And, after additional adjustment for family history of myocardial infarction, body mass index, physical activity, alcohol consumption, history of diabetes mellitus and hypertension, ethnicity, region, marine n-3 intake, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels, this relationship remained significant.
Even men with intermediate 25(OH)D levels were at elevated risk relative to those with sufficient 25(OH)D levels .

The authors concluded that Low levels of 25(OH)D are associated with higher risk of myocardial infarction, even after controlling for factors known to be associated with coronary artery disease (Giovannucci, E. et al. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Risk of Myocardial Infarction in Men, Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(11):1174-1180).

These benefits in part may be explained by maintaining optimal vitamin D can slow the turnover of leukocytes by inhibiting pro-inflammatory overreaction resulting in a reduction of leukocyte telomere shortening. Shortening of leukocyte telomeres is a marker of aging and a predictor of aging-related disease. Length of these telomeres decreases with each cell division and with increased inflammation.

A  study that examined whether vitamin D levels would attenuate the rate of telomere attrition in leukocytes, such that higher vitamin D concentrations would be associated with longer LTL. The results of this study suggested that higher vitamin D (25(OH)VitD) concentrations, which can be modified through vitamin D  supplementation, are associated with longer LTL, would explain the potentially beneficial effects of vitamin D on aging and age-related diseases.

(Richards J, et al.  Higher serum vitamin D concentrations are associated with longer leukocyte telomere length in women, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 5, 1420-1425, November 2007)


Discussion
Although I have only included a few of the many studies that were evaluated, the message is consistent and clear in all of the studies.  Vitamin D deficiency is a major health issue and must be addressed.
Excessive sun exposure causes skin damage and in an endeavour to curb the incidence of skin cancer, the advice to cover up, apply sun screen and keep out of the sun is widely being practised. OH&S legislation has made this policy mandatory for workplace and schools. 
However, this practise has in part contributed to the vitamin D dilemma in Australia and diseases associated with this deficiency, including melanoma are on the increase and of major concern.

Governments and Health Care Professionals urgently need to examine the role that vitamin D deficiency plays in their disease treatment and prevention plans and consider supplementation and dietary changes as an effective alternative to dangerous sun exposure practises.
Also, periodic 25(OH)VitD blood tests would be advisable.