Middle-age spread is dangerous

According to 2 long term studies - the Nurse's Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study- the more weight you gain after the age of 20, the greater your risk of developing certain diseases.

Middle-aged men and women that gained 11-22 lbs after the age of 20 were up to 3 times more likely to develop heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and gallstones compared to those that gained 5 lbs or less, even if they were at a normal weight to begin with.

According to Dr. Walter Willett, the Nurse's Health Study's Principal Investigator and author of Eat, Drink, and be Healthy , adult weight gain or the so-called 'middle-age spread' is "neither inevitable nor innocuous".

Vitamin supplements undo benefits of exercise

First, some facts:

Exercise has loads of health benefits including decreasing your risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes by making your body’s cells more sensitive to insulin.

The more sensitive your cells are to insulin, the easier it is for the glucose (sugar) that’s in the foods you eat to get used up by your body. When your cells become insensitive or resistant to insulin, the glucose doesn’t get used up by your body but instead stays floating in your blood, causing high blood sugar. You body cries out for the glucose it needs to function causing your pancreas to over-compensate and produce even more insulin. This combination of insulin-resistance and insulin over-production by the pancreas leads to diabetes and/or obesity, increased risk of heart disease.

Inhaling oxygen produces free radicals. These free radicals attack the body causing you to age and also causes illnesses like heart disease and cancer and, eventually, death. 2-3% of the oxygen consumed by our cells is converted into free radicals.

When we exercise, we use lots of oxygen, increasing free radical production and all the stuff that goes with that.

Antioxidants are those highly publicized substances found in plant foods like fruits and vegetables that neutralize free radicals.That's why eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is good for you!

The Study:

It seems logical that taking supplemental antioxidants, like Vitamins C and E, would reduce the harmful effects of the free radicals produced during exercise and promote longer life and better health, right?

That’s what German researchers thought when they decided to observe 40 young healthy men (half were pretty sedentary and half exercised about 6 hours a week)- randomly assigned, half took a combination of 1000mg of vitamin C (btw, the recommended intake is 75mg and 90mg/day for women and men respectively) and 400 IU of vitamin E (recommended intake is 33 IU/d)- these amounts are commonly found in over-the-counter supplements- for 4 weeks while the other half didn’t. Both groups exercised, supervised, 85 minutes a day, five days a week for the 4 weeks of the study (workouts included biking, running and circuit training).

What they Found:

The exercisers NOT taking the antioxidants did have more free radicals floating around in their bodies but had a significant increase in insulin sensitivity (a good thing), as predicted. However, there was no increase in insulin sensitivity in those taking the antioxidants... but there were less free radicals.

It seems that the supplemental antioxidants prevent the health benefits of exercise when it comes to diabetes prevention. According to the authors, the free radicals produced during exercise are actually a good thing as they activate the body’s defense systems against exercise-induced stress, allowing it to use carbohydrates (glucose) more efficiently, thus helping to prevent diabetes and possibly other diseases. Taking supplemental antioxidants blocks this process and therefore health promoting effects of exercise.

Bottom Line:

Antioxidants like Vitamins C and E found in food protect our body from damage and help prevent diseases like cancer- this doesn’t change. However, taking high doses in supplemental form can be harmful.

As I’ve said before, if you're healthy and eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, you don’t need supplements!

Previous blog entries that drive this point home: Vitamin Supplements Can Kill You & Get Rid of your Multivitamin and Eat Real Food!

Running makes you live longer

Over 26 000 people are currently running the Boston Marathon (congratulations!), so this post will appropriately deal with running!

A 2008 study followed 284 runners and 156 controls, all over the age of 50 at baseline, for 21 years and found that elderly runners lived longer and had less disabilities than non-runners.

At the beginning of the study, the runners ran an average of about four hours a week and were younger, leaner and less likely to smoke compared to the controls.

After 21 years, their running time declined to an average of 76 minutes per week but health benefits were still apparent.

After 19 years, 34% of control had died compared to only 15% of runners!

Running has often been blamed for causing knee problems and osteoarthritis over time. The same researchers published a companion paper showing that running was not associated with greater rates of osteoarthritis and did not require more total knee replacements than nonrunners. On average both groups in the study became more disabled after 21 years of aging, but for runners the onset of disability started 16 years later than nonrunners.

What surprised the authors even more was that the gap between the physical abilities between runners and nonrunner kept increasing, even as the subjects entered their 90s. The authors speculate that this is a result of the runners' healthier habits and lower BMIs.

Bottom line:
Vigorous exercise (running) at middle and older ages is associated with reduced disability in later life and a notable survival advantage.

Do you have diabetes and not know it?

Did you know that being over the age of 40 alone puts you at risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes? Everybody over that age should get their blood sugar checked at least every three years.

More than 2 million Canadians and 23.6 million Americans have diabetes but at least a quarter of them don't know it!

Most people diagnosed with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes.

If you're over the age of 40 and have any of the following risk factors, you're at a higher risk of developing diabetes and should have your blood sugar checked earlier and more often:

Overweight or obese,
Have a family history of diabetes,
Are a member of any of the following high-risk ethnic groups: African, Hispanic, Native American/Aboriginal, Asian American and South Asian, Pacific Islander,
Have high blood pressure or high cholesterol,
Had gestational diabetes when you were pregnant,
Gave birth to a baby that weighed more than 9lbs (4kg),
Been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, acanthosins nigricans or scizophrenia.

Click here to determine your risk for having diabetes.

Symptoms of diabetes include:

Being very thristy,
Having to urinate frequently,
Weight change,
Low energy and fatigue,
Blurred vision,
Recurring infections,
Cuts that take time healing,
Tingling or numb hands and feet,
Trouble getting or maintaining an erection.

If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor.
If diabetes goes undiagnosed and untreated, you have a high risk of having a stroke or heart attack, of organ and nerve damage, of having eye problems than can lead to blindness, gum and mouth disease and skin disorders.

The good news is that all these complications can be avoided with early detection and treatment.

Visit the CDA and the ADA websites for more information and talk to your doctor to schedule your next blood test!

Diet and Age-Related Macular Degeneration

A client asked for this information so thought I'd post it for you!

According to Dr. Max Snodderly, Ph.D., head of the laboratory at The Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, “Improved nutrition could help to retard the loss of visual sensitivity with age. Perhaps the gradual loss of vision in many older people is not an inevitable consequence of the aging process. ”

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 55. Macular degeneration occurs when the macula (the central part of the retina responsible for sharp focus) is damaged. This damage causes permanent loss of central vision. Regular eye exams can detect the disease early on and laser treatments can slow down the central vision loss.

For most AMD cases, there’s no known cure or treatment. Symptoms of AMD include blurred or fuzzy vision, the illusion that straight lines, such as sentences on a page, are wavy and the appearance of a dark or empty area in the center of vision. Risk factors for the disease include cigarette smoking and family history of AMD. Exposure to sunlight, having light irises, and even being a woman seem to be additional risk factors.

Research shows that the consumption of fruits and vegetables containing two carotenoid (phytochemicals) pigments may be linked to a reduced risk for AMD. These carotenoids are lutein and zeaxanthin, primarily found in broccoli, corn and dark green vegetables like spinach and kale. Lutein and zeaxanthin are actually part of the retina of the eye. Increasing the concentration of these pigments in the eye may prevent vision loss.

Average lutein intake is 1-2 mg per day for American adults. Studies that have found improved visual function with lutein intake used a dosage of 10-15mg lutein. However, some researchers recommend lower levels, more in keeping with actual intakes, until the risks and benefits of these carotenoids are known. Studies done at Harvard University found that 6 mg per day of lutein lead to a 43% lower risk for macular degeneration.

Pharmaceutical companies have added the carotenoids to their dietary supplements but there is no definitive evidence about the safety and effectiveness of these supplements.

According to Linda Nebeling, Ph.D., R.D., of the National Cancer Institute, national data shows an overall decline in lutein & zeaxanthin intake, particularly in groups at greatest risk for age-related macular degeneration, as a result of a decrease in fruit and vegetable intake.

LUTEIN & ZEAXANTHIN CONCENTRATION IN FRUITS & VEGETABLES

Food	Per 100g (mg)	Per Serving (mg)	Serving size
Kale, raw	39.6	22.2	1 cup
Kale, cooked & drained	15.8	16.9	½ cup
Turnip greens, cooked & drained	8.4	9.0	½ cup
Collards, cooked & drained	8.0	8.7	½ cup
Spinach, cooked & drained	7.0	7.5	½ cup
Spinach, raw	11.9	6.7	1 cup
Broccoli, cooked & drained	2.2	1.7	½ cup
Corn, sweet, cooked & drained (not canned)	1.8	1.5	½ cup
Lettuce, Romaine, raw	2.6	1.5	1 cup
Peas, green, canned & drained	1.4	1.1	½ cup
Brussel sprouts, cooked & drained	1.3	1.0	½ cup
Corn, whole kernel, canned & drained	0.9	1.0	½ cup
Beans, snap green, cooked & drained	0.7	0.4	½ cup
Tangerine juice, fresh	0.2	0.3	¾ cup
Orange juice, unsweetened	0.1	0.3	¾ cup
Orange, Fresh	0.2	0.2	1 medium

The combination of antioxidants (vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene) and zinc, alone or with lutein, has also shown a modest benefit in reducing the risk for progression from moderate to advanced age-related macular degeneration and vision loss.

Food sources of Vitamin C include: broccoli, green and red peppers, collard greens, pineapple, strawberries, citrus fruits.

Food sources of Vitamin E include: Asparagus, avocado, nuts, olives, seeds, spinach and leafy greens, wheat germ, vegetable oils (corn, sunflower, soybean, cottonseed).

Food sources of beta-carotene include: Carrots, cantaloupe and other fruit and veggies with red, orange and yellow pigments.

Food sources of zinc include: Red meat, poultry, oysters, fortified cereals

Sources:

http://www.macular.org/nutrition/l_chart.html

Practice-Based Evidence in Nutrition http://www.dieteticsatwork.com/pen/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macular_degeneration

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/life-vie/seniors-aines_vc-sv_e.html

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/136/10/2519