The reasons why muscles wither with age is a problem that is intriguing a growing number of scientists. Drug companies are trying to develop drugs that can build muscles or forestall their weakening, while food companies are exploring nutritional products with the same objective.
Both doctors and patients need to be more aware that muscle deterioration is a major reason the elderly lose mobility.
According to the New York Times:
“... [S]arcopenia [age-related loss of muscles] affects about 10 percent of those over 60, with higher rates as age advances ... Causes of the loss of muscle mass or strength might include hormonal changes, sedentary lifestyles, oxidative damage, infiltration of fat into muscles, inflammation and resistance to insulin.”
The best approach to restoring or maintaining muscle mass and strength is exercise. I would recommend trying Peak Fitness, a term I am coining to represent a comprehensive exercise program that includes far more than typical cardio training. The major change is that once or twice a week you do peak exercises, in which you raise your heart rate up to your anaerobic threshold for 20 to 30 seconds, and then you recover for 90 secon...
According to results of a study, selenium intake is associated with decreased risk of bladder cancer.
Selenium is an essential micronutrient found in about 25 proteins. Most of these so-called selenoproteins are enzymes with antioxidant properties. The main dietary sources of selenium are plant foods grown in selenium-rich soils and animals who graze on such plants.
According to Eurekalert:
“The researchers noted a significant protective effect of selenium, mainly among women, which they believe may result from gender-specific differences in the mineral's accumulation and excretion in women.”
Allergan, which manufactures the cosmetic medication Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a federal investigation into its marketing of the botulin-based drug.
The company will plead guilty to one misdemeanor charge of "misbranding" – meaning the company's marketing led physicians to use Botox for unapproved uses. These uses included treatment of headache, pain, spasticity and cerebral palsy in children.
According to ABC News:
“Allergan said it will pay $375 million in connection with the plea, which includes the forfeiture of $25 million in assets. Additionally, the company will pay $225 million in civil fines -- $210 million to the federal governments and the rest to several states -- related to the investigation, although the company denies liability for the civil claims.”
A new study links the popular weight loss drug Meridia to an increased risk of heart attacks and stroke. According to the authors of the trial, which was funded by Meridia's maker, the findings are generally in line with what was already known about the drug.
Since January, Meridia has carried a label warning that it should not be used by people with preexisting heart disease.
Business Week reports:
“ The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is slated to meet in September to decide if more regulatory action -- perhaps a tougher ‘black-box’ warning or even removing Meridia from the market -- should be taken ... The drug did not seem to make people healthier ... Some people were actually made worse”.
By John Paul Catanzaro
Today, there are more training tools available for personal trainers than ever. How do you decide what equipment is best to use? Well, that really depends on the situation.
Let’s take resistance training, for example.
As far as I’m concerned, free weights reign supreme! Every time I’m asked what I think of this machine or that machine, my response is always the same: get yourself a simple barbell and dumbbell set with an adjustable bench and forget the rest. Period.
Many trainers find themselves in a situation where space and budget are limited, though, and free weights may not be the best option. Remember, resistance can come from many different sources.
Pros and Cons of Resistance Tubing and Bands
One such source that is quite popular in the field of personal training involves resistance tubing and bands.
These are portable devices that are relatively inexpensive and quite versatile. You can perform just about any exercise with a tube and they even come in different resistances (they are usually color-coded for this reason.)
With so many benefits, resistance tubes seem like the perfect training tool…except for a slight problem: If using elastics an...
A ten month old child cracks up watching his dad play golf on the Nintendo Wii.
A new study has found that that eating a diverse diet of vegetables and fruit can decrease your risk of developing lung cancer.
Scientists looked at the health information of more than 450,000 people. Researchers compared participants' diets, and found that regardless of the amount, the risk of lung cancer decreased when a variety of vegetables and fruits were consumed.
According to Paging Dr. Gupta:
“In addition, the risk of squamous cell carcinoma, which is common in smokers, decreased substantially when a variety of fruit and vegetables were eaten.”
This child was pronounced dead, but his mother’s touch revived him.
There are several reasons for the rising Caesarean section rate in the U.S., including increased use of drugs to induce labor, a tendency to give up on labor too soon, and a reluctance to allow women with previous Caesareans to give birth vaginally.
Nearly 1 in 3 U.S. births now occurs by Caesarean section, and the operations have been increasing steadily since 1996.
What’s more, according to the New York Times:
“... 44 percent of the women who were trying vaginal delivery had their labor induced. When Caesareans were done after induction, half were performed before the woman’s cervix had dilated to six centimeters, ‘suggesting that clinical impatience may play a role,’ ... Full dilation is 10 centimeters”.
Germany has banned all cultivation of MON 810, a form of GM corn. However, their arguments against it might not stand in court, and they could face millions of euros in fines if Monsanto decides to challenge the prohibition.
Under the new regulations, the cultivation of MON 810, a GM corn produced by Monsanto, would be prohibited in Germany, as would the sale of its seed. German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner told reporters she had reasons to believe that the corn posed “a danger to the environment.”
Break the Matrix reports:
“[Aigner] stressed that the ban should be understood as an ‘individual case’ and not as a statement of principle regarding future policy relating to genetic engineering.”
A simple marshmallow, simple instructions and simply hilarious results!
A mother whose son suffered severe brain damage after he was given MMR vaccine has been awarded £90,000 compensation. The judgment is the first of its kind since concerns were raised about the vaccine’s safety.
Robert Fletcher, now 18, is unable to talk or feed himself. He suffers frequent epileptic fits and requires round-the-clock care.
According to the Daily Mail:
“The Department of Health had always denied that the jab was the cause of Robert’s disability. But now, in a judgment which will give hope to hundreds of other parents whose children have been severely affected by routine vaccinations, a medical assessment panel consisting of two doctors and a barrister has concluded that MMR was to blame.”
Researchers took a look at 12 genetic variants known to increase the risk of obesity, and then tracked the physical activity levels of more than 20,000 people. They determined that physical activity can reduce the genetic tendency toward obesity by 40 percent.
Even being active just 30 minutes a day proved to be a good start in reducing the effects of the genes.
USA Today reports:
“U.S. experts say the study adds to the data on the importance of exercise for weight control. ‘This is more evidence that behavior can modify genetic predisposition,’ says Tim Church, director of preventive medicine research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.”
A study has discovered that the use of bariatric (weight loss) surgery has increased ten-fold in hospitals in England since 2000. One reason for this rapid rise is increased demand from obese patients.
Bariatric surgery is performed on people who are dangerously obese. Techniques include gastric banding, gastric bypass, or sleeve gastrectomy, which reduce the size of the stomach in various ways.
According to Science Daily:
“A total of 6,953 bariatric procedures were carried out during the study period. The number of procedures rose more than ten-fold from 238 in 2000 to 2,543 in 2007.”
Two high-fat diets can reduce and sometimes completely eliminate seizures in children with a common disorder known as absence epilepsy.
A report shows that more than 70 percent of the patients treated with either a ketogenic or modified Atkins diet experienced at least 50 percent fewer seizures. Many showed as high as 90 percent improvement.
According to Newswise:
“The ketogenic diet has been used since 1921 to successfully treat several forms of epilepsy ... Made up of high-fat foods and few carbohydrates, the diet works by triggering biochemical changes that eliminate seizure-causing short circuits in the brain’s signaling system.”
Newsfeed display by CaRP
