Archive for July, 2006
Americans are more likely to have chronic kidney disease progress to life-threatening end-stage disease than are Norwegians of similar age and health at the beginning of the progression.
Norwegian doctor Stein Hallan links this finding to the fact that Americans are more likely to be very overweight and to have (probably because of the weight) a higher incidence of type 2 diabetes. He emphasizes the important of early referral to a nephrologist. See the summary in HealthDay here.
July 13th, 2006
A recent multi-institutional study funded by the National Institute on Aging (click here) has found that predicting cardiovascular complications later in life is as simple as observing how much one walks on a daily basis. A related finding reported elsewhere generalizes that seniors who expend the most energy in their daily activities live longer (reported in Reuters, click here).
Nearly 3,000 seniors between 70 and 79 were chosen at random from Medicare recipients in Pittsburgh, PA and Memphis, TN. Their performance on a quarter-mile walking test was recorded every six months and evaluated for an average of 4.9 years. The study has shown that “those who were able to complete a quarter-mile extended walking test were three times as likely to live longer and were less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease and physical infirmity as they aged.” This study implies that the benefits of walking on a daily basis will greatly decrease mortality and more importantly increase the quality of life for aging seniors.
July 12th, 2006
Some more big news from the Womens Health Study: Researchers report in the Archives of Internal Medicine that women with healthy lifestyles (never smoked, moderate alcohol consumption, regular exercise, low body mass index (a measure of body fat ratio), and a healthy diet) had significantly fewer strokes. Specifically, they report that women with a healthy lifestyle had a “significantly reduced risk of total and ischemic stroke but not of hemorrhagic stroke.” Click here to see the abstract.
For a somewhat more detailed article on this subject check out this in EurekAlert! (click here).
July 11th, 2006
ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) has teamed up with several organizations to organize a Strategic Health Initiative on Aging. Visit the Active Aging Partnership (click here) for information on this health initiative and find short articles on beginning an exercise routine. You will find info like “5 causes of Inactivity” and “Three ways to Test Fitness”, as well as many great links to health and fitness information! They say “the greatest risk to starting an exercise program is NOT starting…” so Get Serious with YOUR fitness! Check it out…
July 8th, 2006
Need one more reason to control your weight? If you have a conditiion called gastoesophageal reflux disease (GERD) look no further. MSN reports that even small weight gains can increase the risk of GERD (click here).
Rates of GERD have been increasing rapidly right along with the increasing rate of obesity. A recent study found that even moderate increases in weight can increase the risk. While GERD might not seem as serious as some of the other consequences of weight gain including heart disease, diabetes and some forms of cancer, it can be serious. In fact severe gerd is a risk factor for esophageal cancer. While serious, conditions such as heart disease and diabetes often have no symptoms so people often lack the motivation to lose weight to prevent or control them. GERD on the other hand can be be very irritating and might be a stronger motivator for people to lose weight. It doesn’t really matter what motivates you to lose, as long as you do it in safe way, sensible way.
July 5th, 2006
Would you believe that a healthy lifestyle is more important than drugs in maintaining your health?
Reuters reports a new study (click here) coming out soon in Circulation: Journal of The American Heart Association that says it is. Tracking 43,000 men, the study showed that adopting a healthy lifestyle improved outcomes for men whether or not they started the study on medications for high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
The point: it is truly never too late to begin. Declare your own independence.
July 4th, 2006
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