A large long-term human health study in New Zealand and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds people age at different rates. In addition, adults who look older than their years may be ageing at an accelerated pace. The international research group followed 954 people from the same town in New Zealand who were all born in 1972-73.
Scientists drew up a list of 18 biological markers that together reflect a person’s biological age. They included measures of kidney and liver function, cholesterol levels, cardiovascular fitness and the lengths of telomeres, which are protective caps that sit on the ends of chromosomes. The study also measured dental health and the condition of the tiny blood vessels at the back of the eyes, which are a proxy for the brain’s blood vessels.
The set of markers were measured when the volunteers were aged 26, then 32, and finally at the age of 38. The researchers then looked to see how much the markers changed over time, to determine a pace of ageing. It was found that for most young adults, biological age proceeds in sync with chronological age. However, the aging process isn’t all genetic; there’s a great deal of environmental influence as well.
The biologically older people also reported more difficulties with activities like walking up the stairs and/ or carrying groceries. Already, before midlife, individuals who were ageing more rapidly were less physically able, showed cognitive decline, brain ageing, self-reported worse health and looked older. A clear relationship between looking older on the outside and ageing faster on the inside.
Most people think of the aging process as something that happens late in life,, but signs of aging were already apparent in these tests over the 12 years of young adulthood: from 26 to 38. The researchers said it was unexpected to find such differences so early, but that the findings could help trial methods for slowing the pace of ageing and ultimately have implications for medicine.
The ultimate goal is to target ageing instead of the multiple separate diseases that people are increasingly likely to develop as they age.
Reference: Quantification of biological aging in young adults 10.1073/pnas.1506264112 PNAS July 6, 2015
For those wishing to lose weight and keep it off, here’s a simple strategy that works: step on a scale each day and track the results.
A two-year Cornell study, recently published in the Journal of Obesity, found that frequent self weighing and tracking results on a chart were effective for both losing weight and keeping it off, especially for men.
Subjects who lost weight the first year in the program were able to maintain that lost weight throughout the second year. This is important because studies show that about 40 percent of weight lost with any dietary treatment is regained in one year, and almost 100 percent of weight loss is regained at the end of five years.
By charting daily weights on an excel spreadsheet or even a piece of graph paper, it forces awareness of the connection between eating and weight.
There was no prescription for losing weight so everyone determined their own of method of losing the weight. Some people reduced portion size, stopped snacking or skipped a meal. Losing 1 percent of body weight requires most people to cut only about 150 calories a day for two weeks.
Once they maintained that weight loss for 10 days, the program then gave them a new target to lose another 1 percent, and so on. The goal was to lose a total of 10 percent of their starting body weight.
There was a significant difference between men and women, with women losing weight on the program, but far less than the men. This method seemed to work better for men than women, for reasons the researchers were unable to determine. Overall, the researchers believe that stepping on a scale and tracking one’s weight acts as a reinforcement for some behaviors, such as eating less. This daily activity also strengthens other behaviors such as going for a walk in order to maintain body weight.
References: Carly R. Pacanowski, David A. Levitsky. Frequent Self-Weighing and Visual Feedback for Weight Loss in Overweight Adults. Journal of Obesity, 2015; 2015: 1 DOI:10.1155/2015/763680
Known best as the substance in turmeric that gives the curry spice its characteristic yellow color, curcumin has been found by previous studies to exert antioxidant, anti-inflammation, anticancer, and lipid-lowering effects. Gautam Sethi, from Curtin University, and colleagues completed a review of past clinical trials involving curcumin for cancer. Observing that the compound potentially promotes potent anti-inflammatory effects, the team reports that curcumin is especially effective for multiple myeloma patients and those suffering from pancreatic cancer. Noting that doses up to 12 grams appear to be nontoxic, the investigators point out that curcumin targets the key oncogenic proteins.
The study authors write that: “anti-cancer effects are predominantly mediated through [curcumin’s] negative regulation of various transcription factors, growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, protein kinases, and other oncogenic molecules. It also abrogates proliferation of cancer cells by arresting them at different phases of the cell cycle and/or by inducing their apoptosis.”
Source: Shanmugam MK, Rane G, Kanchi MM, Arfuso F, Chinnathambi A, Zayed ME, Alharbi SA, Tan BK, Kumar AP, Sethi G. “The multifaceted role of curcumin in cancer prevention and treatment.” Molecules. 2015 Feb 5;20(2):2728-69.
If you’re prone to heavy snoring or sleep apnea, you could also be prone to something a lot more serious: memory and mild cognitive decline, including Alzheimer’s, at a much earlier age. So say researchers out of New York University in the journal Neurology. They studied 2,470 people with an average age of 73 and found that those with breathing disorders during sleep experienced some form of cognitive decline more than a decade before those without the breathing problems (at age 77 instead of age 90).
But all is not lost: Those who treated their breathing disorders with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, however, were able to delay mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s by roughly 10 years. “The age of onset of (mild cognitive impairment) for people whose breathing problems were treated was almost identical to that of people who did not have any breathing problems at all.
Given that so many older adults have sleep breathing problems, these results are exciting. (Snoring and sleep apnea are linked to these health problems, too.)
The relationship between hormones and sleep is multifaceted; hormonal influences can play an important role in breathing during sleep cycles. Restoring, maximizing and balancing hormones using Bioidentical Hormones can help maintain optimum health and vitality, and has shown promise in alleviating sleep apnea.
Sources: Eureka Alert, Neurology, New York Times. The study was published online April 15 in Neurology.
Holistic Health Services in Los Angeles With Dr. Judi Goldstone
Science now has an answer for midlife women wondering how long their menopausal heat waves can persist.
The answer: a long time. The typical duration of frequent hot flashes and night sweats is seven years, and for some women, symptoms persist for a dozen years or more, says a study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine.
That’s much longer than the six months to two years long thought typical. It is also longer than the time limits many doctors put on treating the symptoms with hormones.
The findings suggest a need for better, longer-lasting treatments, and they also should reassure some women. There’s a lot of variability, if you experience symptoms for a long period of time, that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong.
Hot flashes and night sweats can start at any point in that transition. A hot flash is a sudden, intense feeling of warmth, often accompanied by sweating and followed by chills. A night sweat is similar and often disrupts sleep.
Previous research showed that about 80% of U.S. women have at least some hot flashes. The cause is unclear, but it is thought that hormonal changes disrupt the body’s thermostat.
Among those who had frequent episodes, the median duration was 7.4 years, meaning half had symptoms longer and half had them for less time. Some were still having hot flashes after 13 years.
The median was 10.1 years for African-American women, 8.9 years for Hispanic women, 6.5 years for non-Hispanic white women, 5.4 years for women of Chinese descent and 4.8 years for women of Japanese descent.
The reasons for the racial and ethnic differences, seen in several studies, are unknown. Differences in genes, diet, childbearing histories and other factors could be at work.
Lifestyle changes can help with flashes!
• Avoid any hot flash triggers (such as spicy food, alcohol and caffeine).
• Sleep in a cool room.
• Dress in layers that can be removed easily.
• Have a cold drink of water when you fee a hot flash coming on.
• Don’t smoke.
In Dr. Goldstone’s opinion, bioidentical hormones combined with lifestyle changes are the best treatment options of all. Bioidentical hormones have the same structure as hormones in the human body and are made from plants.
Ref: JAMA Intern Med. Published online February 16, 2015. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8063
Now you can have your third daily cup of coffee and not feel unhealthy while you do it! According to a recent study, a third cup of coffee per day may be good for your heart.
Researchers found that people who drink between 3 to 5 cups of coffee per day are more likely to have less coronary artery calcium (CAC) than those who drink no coffee at all.
The study also found a correlation between people who drink between 1 to 3 cups of coffee a day and a reduced prevalence of CAC, according to a paper published Monday in the Journal Heart.
But you shouldn’t overdo it! Drinking more than 5 cups of coffee per day can be associated with higher levels of CAC, the authors note.
Calcium in the coronary artery isn’t always a major health risk, however at high enough levels it can be an early sign of coronary heart disease.
Coronary heart disease occurs when plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, which in turn reduces the flow of blood to the heart.
The authors of the study write that their results add to a growing body of evidence that moderate consumption of coffee is good for the heart.
