Ra 4 Food - Health and Nutritional Tips

Over ninety per cent of young people listen to a personal music player, many at full volume, which could cause permanent damage to their hearing.

In an article published recently in the British Medical Journal, Peter M Rabinowitz - associate professor of medicine at the Yale school of medicine in the US. – said that the popularity of MP3 players has grown so fast that the technology has overtaken the ability of scientists to assess their potential impact on our health. Consequently there is no way of knowing exactly what effect MP3 players will have for hearing loss, & as yet there is not any conclusive evidence of damage.

Professor Rabinowitz states many users listen to the music for several hours a day at full volume often using earphones that are inserted into the ear canal which produce higher sound levels. These can exceed one hundred & twenty decibels, which is the equivalent to a jet engine.

With regard to the lack of concrete evidence Rabinowitz mentions some small studies but also refers to the discrepancy between them, “Several small studies have found that reported use of personal music players is associated with worse hearing function in adolescents and young adults.” In 2001, an analysis of health survey data collected in the USA found that 12.5% of children between the ages of six and 19 showed signs of noise-induced hearing loss. But a separate study showed that the hearing of young adults entering the workforce improved between 1985 and 2004.”

He goes on to hypothesize about this, “Several possible reasons exist for this discrepancy. Given the recent rapid rise in usage, the true population effects may only now be starting to be detectable. For many people the pattern of listening may not produce sufficiently damaging levels of noise. In addition, animal studies suggest that chronic exposure to low level noise may actually “condition” or “toughen” ears and make them more resistant to damage from noise trauma.”

Despite the lack of hard evidence Rabinowitz feels that “the importance of hearing loss as a public health problem makes it reasonable to encourage patients of all ages to promote “hearing health” through avoidance of excessive noise exposure.”

He emphasizes the need for ongoing, comprehensive research, but in the meantime suggests precautionary measures are taken. “As with any emerging health concern, feasible measures for reducing exposure should be explored where possible. This could be achieved by limiting the noise output of the devices but allowing sufficient volume for use in environments with high background noise.”

In fact a default setting of eighty five decibels, which can be overridden if necessary, will be required by new European regulations.

The Royal National Institute for the Deaf responded positively to Professor Rabinowitz’ cautionary statement saying, “Our research shows 66% of personal music player users are listening to music at louder than 85 decibels, which according to the World Health Organization, can cause permanent hearing damage over time.”

An estimated six hundred women die each year in England from breast cancer caused by their excessive alcohol consumption. A new study suggests that drinking heavily from an early age can increase that risk.

The research – carried out in America – analysed the alcohol consumption of 7000 girls, aged between nine & fifteen when the study began, using annual questionnaires from 1996 to 2001, followed by questionnaires in 2003, 2005 & 2007. The study was unique in that it asked the young participants about their alcohol consumption in real time, rather than asking them to recall it many years later. On the 2005 & 2007 surveys, the women – then aged between eighteen & twenty seven – were asked if they had ever been diagnosed with benign breast disease, & whether that had been confirmed by a biopsy.

Benign breast disease includes cysts & lumps that are non-cancerous, as well as skin & nipple problems. About eighty per cent of breast lumps are non-cancerous, but women who have them are more at risk of going on to develop breast cancer. Dr. Graham Colditz, associate director of prevention and control at the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, & co-author of the study said, “We know from many other studies of adult women that alcohol intake later in life increases breast cancer risk, but many women begin drinking alcohol as adolescents right at the time in which breast tissue is going through stages of rapid proliferation, so we wanted to see if the effect of alcohol on breast cancer risk was operative in this younger group.”

The results of the study showed that the more alcohol the participants consumed, the more chance there was of them developing benign breast disease, a key indicator of breast cancer risk. Girls & young women who drank six or seven times a week were five & a half times more likely to develop benign breast disease. Drinking three to five days a week trebled the risk. Those who were diagnosed with the disease tended to drink more on each occasion & had an average daily consumption twice that of participants who didn’t develop the disease.

The results of the study reinforce the fact that steps can be taken to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Dr Colditz said: “Our study clearly showed that the risk of benign breast disease increased with the amount of alcohol consumed in this age group. The study is an indication that alcohol should be limited in adolescence and early adult years and further focuses our attention on these years as key to preventing breast cancer later in life.” He said, “There’s growing evidence that physical activity can lower breast cancer risk. We also know that diet and weight are important factors. Now it is clear that drinking habits throughout life affect breast cancer risk as well.”

A new study suggests that attempting to lose weight solely by reducing the amount of calories consumed is likely to be ineffective.

The research was conducted at Oregon National Primate Research Center using adult female monkeys. Eighteen of the monkeys were fed a high fat diet for a number of years. They were then given a lower fat diet containing thirty per cent less calories for a period of one month.

During this time their weight & activity levels were carefully monitored, the latter via a device worn on a collar. The results were not what you would have expected. One of the researchers conducting the study describes what happened. “Surprisingly, there was no significant weight loss at the end of the month. However, there was a significant change in the activity levels for these monkeys. Naturally occurring levels of physical activity for the animals began to diminish soon after the reduced calorie diet began.”

During a second month calorie intake was reduced even further to sixty per cent of the base line diet. Physical activity in the monkeys decreased even further, & there was a corresponding decrease in metabolic rate.

A second group of monkeys were fed a normal diet & trained to run on a treadmill for an hour each day for five days resulting in an increase in calories used. This group of monkeys did lose weight.

Judy Cameron - a senior scientist at Oregon Health & Science University’s national primate research center, and a professor of behavioral neuroscience and obstetrics & gynecology in the OHSU School of Medicine - was one of the two scientists who conducted the research. She said, “This study demonstrates that there is a natural body mechanism which conserves energy in response to a reduction in calories. Food is not always plentiful for humans and animals and the body seems to have developed a strategy for responding to these fluctuations … physicians frequently advise their patients to reduce the number of calories they are consuming on a daily basis. This research shows that simply dieting will not likely cause substantial weight loss. Instead, diet and exercise must be combined to achieve this goal.”

The researchers conclude by saying that, “…undertaking a commonly prescribed exercise program for people seeking to improve fitness is sufficient to prevent the compensatory decrease in physical activity-associated energy expenditure that slows diet-induced weight loss.”

It is hoped that the results of the research will help health professionals when giving advice to patients, and that it may also lead to interventions within the community to help combat the growing problem of childhood obesity.

Diet can’t totally eliminate the risk of dementia, but watching what we eat may lower it.

Given its importance as a potentially modifiable factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, there has been an increasing emphasis on research into the links between diet & the disease. Some of the current information on the impact of specific foods is inconsistent, & this is thought – in part – to be due to the variety of foods people eat, & the complex interactions between them.  A group of researchers from Columbia University has carried out a new study with this in mind, looking at dietary patterns & food combinations.

The study collected & analysed dietary information from 2148 residents of New York over the age of sixty five who did not have dementia. Each participant underwent a comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological assessment approximately every eighteen months for an average of four years. Several dietary patterns were identified with varying levels of seven nutrients based on previous knowledge regarding their potential link to Alzheimer’s disease: saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin B12 and folate. During the follow up period two hundred & fifty three of the participants developed Alzheimer’s disease.

When the results of the study were analysed, one dietary pattern emerged as being significantly related with a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This was characterized by higher intakes of salad dressing, nuts, fish, tomatoes, poultry, cruciferous vegetables (brassicas), fruits, and dark and green leafy vegetables and a lower intake of high-fat dairy products, red meat, organ meat, and butter.

The authors of the research say that the seven selected  nutrients reflected multiple pathways in the development of Alzheimer’s disease - ‘For example, vitamin B12 and folate are homocysteine-related vitamins that may have an impact on Alzheimer’s disease via their ability of reducing circulating homocysteine levels, vitamin E might prevent Alzheimer’s via its strong antioxidant effect, and fatty acids may be related to dementia and cognitive function through atherosclerosis, thrombosis, or inflammation via an effect on brain development and membrane functioning or via accumulation of beta-amyloid.

Throughout the world there are approximately thirty five million people suffering from Alzheimer’s & other dementias, a figure which it is predicted will increase significantly. The need to discover more about this devastating condition is vital. The authors of the study conclude in a similar vein when they say of their study – ‘Our findings provide support for further exploration of food combination based dietary behaviour for the prevention of this important public health problem.’

It is estimated that fifteen million people in the UK suffer from hay fever. Find out what this year’s season has in store & what might help.

Following in the footsteps of spring, the hay fever season has begun a little late this year & it is predicted that it may be briefer than usual. This is in contrast to the long term trend of ever earlier seasons which last for longer. This is likely to be due to the harsh winter we had followed by a cold wet spring, which means that most plant are flowering a little later this year. The earliest pollens come from trees, birch pollen causing the most severe allergic symptoms after grass. The birch pollen season, however, usually starts at the end of March but is running a couple of weeks or so late this year. The grasses - which normally start in May – could follow suit, though if May turned out to be wet & warm, the grasses could well catch up.

If you know which particular pollens you’re allergic to then you can try & limit your exposure, as well as starting any possible treatment at the appropriate time. Tree pollens are usually around in April, grass pollens May, June & July, weed pollen in August, & mould pollens from late August to the end of November. You can keep a diary to see when symptoms occur to try & identify your pollen allergy, or alternatively you could have a test for this at your GP practice or a specialist centre.

When the pollen count is high you can try & stay indoors with the windows shut, particularly in the mornings, at night & on windy days as levels are higher then. If you have to go out then avoid open planted spaces, & if travelling by car try & keep the windows closed. Pollen can cling to your hair & clothes, so if you have been out a shower & change of clothes when you come in may help. You should avoid mowing the lawn & hanging your washing outside to dry. It’s possible to check the daily pollen count for your area by clicking on the following link     http://www.zirtek.co.uk/support/pollen-forecast.php

If you are going to use conventional medications when it comes to treating symptoms, it is always best to consult your GP or pharmacist. These include antihistamine tablets, nasal sprays & eye drops. Usage sometimes needs to begin two weeks prior to expected symptoms. The newer tablets are less likely to cause drowsiness than older types.

For those who would prefer to avoid the possible side effects of traditional treatments, there are a variety of more natural alternatives, though as yet not all have been rigorously tested to evidence positive results. One treatment showing moderate success is a balm which is applied to the nostrils as a pollen barrier. Available with essential oils of lavender or aloe vera, or unscented, & certified as organic by the soil association, a jar of this product - Haymax should last the whole summer. Some people swear by green tea, & again limited studies have shown the catechin it contains to be effective as an antihistamine. Ideally the tea should be organic to avoid the possibility of chemicals destroying the catechin. Acupuncture, acupressure & Indian head massage have also been cited as remedies to prevent or minimize symptoms.

And finally, research in Denmark has shown that the fibres in paper tissues, & the chemicals used to bleach them, can irritate mucous membranes, so by using them to blow your nose you could actually be exacerbating your misery!

Losing weight may not always be the healthy thing it’s cracked up to be.

Kate Moss famously said, ‘nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’. Evidence is starting to emerge, however, regarding the potentially damaging effects of extreme dieting on the brain processes, & hence the moods, of those who undertake such weight loss programmes.

At one time losing a lot of weight in a short space of time was considered to be unhealthy, but concern for rising obesity levels appears to have made it much more acceptable, even among health professionals. Surgery has also become more commonly used as a way of addressing weight problems, & the Royal College of Surgeons recently demanded that gastric weight loss surgery be made more widely available on the NHS.

There seems to be a lot of anecdotal evidence of family & friends being shocked by the apparent personality changes that can accompany extreme weight loss dieting. Often people report their loved one as looking half starved or unwell, & while losing some weight can be a healthy thing to do if you’re overweight, losing too much, too quickly ban be unhealthy leading to loss of energy, & affecting the immune system. But it is the psychological changes that can be an unexpected & unpleasant result of extreme dieting. Anxiety, panic attacks, difficulty in concentrating, impaired memory, & slower reaction times are some of the possible side effects that have been noted. Often people can become obsessive about food, going out of their way to avoid it, & this can mean withdrawing from the very social aspect of eating which can be integral to our relating to others.

There is also some evidence that our brain is affected - not just as a result of having too little food - but in response to the emotions attached to food deprivation. Experiments have shown that it is this feeling of deprivation that results in the altered mood so often reported by friends & family members of the person on a weight loss ‘programme’. Psychologist Susan Quilliam has this to say on the subject, ‘Food is one of the most fundamental ways of showing self-love, and it nurtures our spirit as well as our body. Depriving ourselves of food could easily make us feel diminished and punished on a subliminal level even if on a conscious level we think it’s what we want. So, even with the weight loss, we might not be happy until we start looking after ourselves again.’ To come full circle & return to Kate Moss’ well known quotation at the start, maybe skinny doesn’t feel quite as good as she thinks it does; witness her addiction problem & trips to re-hab.

The message seems clear - for most of us a healthy balanced diet, gradual weight loss, & exercise. For those who really need it a calorie controlled diet should only be undertaken with the support of an expert.

A research study in Florida found that rats that were fed junk food developed compulsive eating habits. Does this have implications for humans?

An interesting research study carried out at Scripps Research Institute in Florida has found what its lead researcher – Dr. Paul Kenny – has described as …‘the most thorough & compelling evidence that drug addiction & obesity are based on the same underlying neurobiological mechanisms’.

In the well conducted study there were three groups of rats, each fed a different diet. All three groups had unlimited access to the standard lab food diet. A diet laden with sugar, salt, fat, & of course, calories, including bacon, sausages, cheesecake, & chocolate was fed to one group. Another had access to the same diet, but only for an hour each day. The third group had no access to the junk food diet.

The rats in the first group became so ‘taken’ with the junk food that they were willing to endure painful - but harmless – electric shocks to their feet so that they could eat it. The rats very soon began to eat the junk food compulsively, overeating & becoming obese.

The rats in the second group displayed binge eating type behaviour, consuming sixty six percent of their daily calorie intake from the junk food available to them for the daily hour.

With the use of electrodes implanted in the rats’ brains, the researchers were able to measure their pleasure stimulation & chemical balance. In the group fed only the junk food they found that the rats needed more & more stimulation to release the same amount of pleasure. This indicates that the rats in this group quickly became used to the amounts of junk food they were consuming & needed to continually increase these amounts in order to derive the same pleasure, losing control over their eating behaviour in the process. The parallel with drug addiction – where the addict requires more & more of the drug in order to feel good - is clear. Indeed such behaviour is characteristic of all addictions.

In the UK one in four people are obese & predictions are that by 2020 seven out of ten women & eight out of ten men will be overweight or obese, with a corresponding increase in related health problems of a serious nature - such as cardiovascular disease & diabetes. While additional research is needed to establish how transferable the findings are for humans, it is of undoubted benefit to help understand the underlying effects of reward on food intake. Dr. Kenny pointed out that the research substantiated what obese patients have been claiming for years about how hard it is to stop this sort of eating behaviour. The obvious similarities with drug addiction may indicate possible treatments for addressing obesity.

In the Florida study the altered chemical pathway continued for weeks after the rats no longer had access to the junk food diet. Indeed the rats were initially inclined to do without food rather than return to a normal diet. Further research is required to examine the long-term effects of changing the reward system – it may well be that there is a permanent change in the responses food elicits – which would further help in understanding the complex relationship with food that us humans can have.

In the meantime the evidence from this research presents yet more grounds for eating a healthy balanced diet & encouraging our children to do likewise.

Everyone seems to be concerned about it, but the British Government insists there’s no threat to public health.

For some time there has been growing concern among environmentalists with regard to the use of bisphenol A (BPA), the controversial chemical found in an extensive range of consumer goods, including food packaging, the lining of cans, baby & (hard) water bottles, water filters, coffee makers, water pipes, water storage tanks, & dental sealants. In fact it is so widespread that most people will come into contact with it on a daily basis. One study found that ninety five percent of adults tested, had BPA in their urine. The results of a Harvard study last May found a sixty nine percent increase of BPA in the urine of people who drank out of clear polycarbonate bottles for a week. A survey conducted by ‘The Independent’ this week found that eighteen out of the twenty of the most popular canned products, including baked beans, soup, tomatoes, sweet corn, & fish contained BPA transferred via the lining of the can. So even buying cans of organic kitchen cupboard staples won’t necessarily be the healthy option if they are lined with BPA containing materials.

Suspicions as to the potentially hazardous nature of bisphenol A have been around since the 1930’s, but it is really over the last fifteen years or so that scientific evidence regarding adverse effects began to be reported, resulting in growing fears over its safety, & escalating campaigns regarding its use.

The major concern is around the leaching of the toxic chemical from the plastic end product into our bodies, & in particular the bodies of babies & young infants. Heat appears to increase the leaching effect. BPA is known to mimic & block hormones. It has been linked with numerous health problems, including breast & prostate cancer, behavioural problems, heart disease, diabetes, liver toxicity, fertility & miscarriage. Mounting scientific evidence points to babies being developmentally at risk from even very low doses. At present there is no clear labelling of containers containing BPA.

Despite the growing body of research - as well as consensus among scientific experts - on the detrimental effects for infants, the UK government via the Food Standards Agency continues to proclaim that exposure to BPA is well within the permissible safe limits, & refuses to introduce even a temporary ban on food contact products for babies. Some retailers have voluntarily removed the products from sale; others have declared a short or long term phasing out. An increasing number of Western governments are taking action – either banning the use of BPA outright in food containers for young children as in Denmark & Canada, or introducing a temporary ban until further evidence is available, as in France. Even America has changed its long held position with regard to the safety of BPA, announcing in January that reasonable measures should be taken to limit exposure to BPA, & three states have banned its use in baby products.

The conflicting advice & information is confusing for consumers. Some of the research cited with regard to the safety of BPA is either outdated, or funded by the plastics industry & therefore with a vested interest. The evidence pointing to the harmful effects is so strong that it surely isn’t worth taking the risk of exposure, especially for the more vulnerable young members of society. The experts have this week expressed outrage at the Government’s inaction. If we want to protect our children then we need to not copy the Government’s inertia! Lobbying our MPs & making an effort to make more meals from scratch are a couple of the positive things we can do.

Each year 200,000 people in the UK die from cardiovacular disease. Now a new study by the German Institute of Human Nutrition brings hope that this can be reduced in a surprising & simple way, by regularly eating small amounts of chocolate!

The research involved looking at the health – including diet - of over 19,000 participants aged between thirty five & sixty five, over a minimum period of ten years. It found that  eating just a small amount of chocolate on a daily basis resulted in lower blood pressure, with a consequent reduction in the incidence of stroke, & - to a lesser extent – heart attack. It is the flavanols in the cocoa which are thought to be the active ingredient. They work by increasing  the supply of nitric acid in the body, & this in turn helps lower blood pressure & increase blood flow around the brain. Dark chocolate with its higher cocoa content is thought to have more impact as it contains higher levels of flavanols.

In spite of what seem like really good health benefits, it is important to realize that these apply to a very low intake – on average equal to one square of chocolate per day. However, people who ate approximately 7.5 grams of chocolate per day had a 39% lower risk of stroke or heart attack than those who ate only 1.7 grams. Eating large amounts of chocolate would be likely to prove counterproductive, given the high levels of saturated fat they contain, as well as their high calorific value. The potentially high cholesterol levels - as well as the increase in body weight - that could result from eating lots of chocolate, need to be borne in mind.

 
Further  research will be required to establish the viability of harnessing this as a preventative treatment. In the meantime its essential  - as ever - to have a healthy balanced diet & plenty of exercise to promote a healthy body. And perhaps one little square of chocolate a day won’t go amiss……………!

A new study may have found the first modifiable risk factor for endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a medical condition which affects around 2 million women – that’s one in ten women  - in the UK. Small pieces of the lining of the womb – the endometrium – are found in other areas of the body. Each month, as part of the menstrual cycle, this tissue is similarly stimulated by the release of oestrogen to thicken, & then break down & bleed, but it has no way of leaving the body. While for some women there may be no symptoms, or they may be of low intensity, for many these are debilitating resulting in severe pain, swelling & possible damage to the ovaries & fallopian tubes which can result in infertility.

Although there are several theories as to what causes endometriosis, none of these are conclusive & the actual cause is therefore uncertain. There is as yet no cure for the condition & few modifiable risk factors have been identified, though some improvement of symptoms has been linked with fish oil supplements.

Now a new study carried out with over 70,000 nurses in America over a twelve year period – the largest to examine the link between diet & endometriosis – has found that specific types of fat may have an impact on the incidence of the condition. While overall fat consumption appeared to have no impact, the results found that women who ate the highest quantity of trans fats as part of their diet were 48 per cent more likely to develop endometriosis. The study also suggested that a diet containing a higher consumption of animal fat could also potentially carry an increased risk. Women who ate the highest amount of long-chain omega 3 fatty acids – commonly found in oily fish such as salmon, tuna & mackerel - appeared to have a 22 per cent less risk of developing the condition. Trans fats are typically found in processed foods, including snacks & ready meals. Artificially produced by turning liquid oil into solid fat – hydrogenation - they increase shelf life & add bulk to foods. They have no nutritional value of their own & have also been linked to other diseases & medical conditions such as heart disease & stroke.

Dr. Stacey Missmer - the lead author of the study - stressed the need for further research to confirm the results & also said that a further step could be to examine whether the symptoms of women already suffering from the condition could be alleviated by applying this dietary knowledge regarding fat consumption.

Certainly the results are an indication of a preventative measure that can be taken by women. In a statement Dr. Missmer said, “Many women have been searching for something they can actually do for themselves, or their daughters to reduce the risk of developing the disease, and these findings suggest that dietary changes may be something they can do.”

As well as the direct implications for endometriosis, Dr. Missmer felt that the results were significant in highlighting a further health concern for removing trans fats – already banned in some countries - from the food supply.