Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Alexander Jimenez investigates the mediterranean diet, and what it can do for people taking statins for heart attacks and strokes.
Q: How Does The Mediterranean Diet Stack Up Against Statins In Preventing Heart Attacks & Strokes?
A: Research suggests that the Mediterranean diet and statins can be effective in helping to lower the risk of potentially fatal complications of heart disease. But there has been no published scientific research in which a large number of people were given either statins or a Mediterranean-style diet at random and then followed carefully to see what became of their heart health.
As Rosemary Stanton, nutritionist and visiting fellow at the School of Medicinal Sciences, University of New South Wales, explains in an article posted by The Conversation, “Such a trial is unlikely to occur, as withholding medication from people at risk of heart attack or stroke would be regarded as unethical.”
But there is evidence that both approaches are helpful and that the optimal choice, at least for those at high risk of cardiovascular disease, would be a combination of diet and statins. Research also suggests that, for people at lower risk, lifestyle measures like the Mediterranean diet could be sufficient.
Traditionally, the Mediterranean diet includes lots of fruit, nuts, vegetables, cereals and oil from olives; a moderate intake of fish and poultry; a low intake of dairy products, red meat, processed meats and sweets; and — taken with meals — wine in moderation. (Researchers tested two versions, one with lots of olive oil and the other with lots of oil from nuts.)
“I don’t view these things as either-or,” said Dr. Meir Stampfer, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “My advice is to start with the Mediterranean diet because it’s good for you in multiple ways — lowering risk of cognitive decline, reduction in some cancers, lower risk of diabetes — that go beyond what statins do.”
If Cholesterol Numbers Remain High Despite A Healthy Diet, Statins Or Other Medical Treatments Can Be Added
In 2009, Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association, reported research that showed statin therapy resulting in a 44 percent reduction in heart disease-related problems including heart attacks, strokes and deaths. (The study can be downloaded at bit.ly/2lX1tuF.)
In 2013, a large and rigorous study published by The New England Journal of Medicine found that switching to a Mediterranean diet prevented about 30 percent of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from heart disease in people at high risk. That study, which looked at two versions of the diet, can be found at bit.ly/2np3VY2.
Statin takers often wrongly think they don’t have to worry about diet and exercise.
“Quantitatively, you get more mileage from optimal exercise and diet than statins, so it’s not one or the other,” Stampfer said. “Everybody needs the diet and exercise, and some people, despite that, will still need statins. It’s not a failure; it’s not a character flaw — if you need it, you need it.”
The bottom line is that the Mediterranean diet helps even if one is taking statins and, along with other potential benefits, might help avoid the need for statins altogether.
Anyone who’s tried Zumba knows what a fun, heart-pumping workout it is. Thanks to the lively music and challenging dance moves, these classes help burn calories and strengthen your body from head to toe. But before Zumba classes started appearing everywhere, there was samba reggae. This music genre (which combines Brazilian samba with Jamaican reggae) originated in Bahia, Brazil.
And of course, what’s music without some dancing? It’s no surprise this upbeat music gave rise to a style of dance with a similar name. Samba reggae is upbeat, fun, freeing, and all about connecting with your body and the rhythm of the music.
Ready to rock this dance for yourself? In this video, dance teacher Quenia Ribeiro of the renowned dance school Ailey Extension demonstrates an easy-to-follow samba reggae workout to get your heart pumping and body flowing. Just hit play and follow-along.
Chiropractor, Dr. Alexander Jimenez gives insights into the most common questions about whiplash.
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What Is Whiplash?
Whiplash, although not technically a medical term, can be quite painful and is quite serious. We call it whiplash because, within an accident, your neck actually can whip back and forth�first backward (hyperextension) and then forwards (hyperflexion). Doctors call whiplash a neck sprain or strain. Whiplash is an injury to the soft tissues of your neck and upper back that occurs when ligaments and your muscles get overstretched in the strength of an accident.
What Causes Whiplash?
The most common source of whiplash is car accidents. Nonetheless, you can even get whiplash from a sports injury or a fall. It’s also possible to get whiplash when you are hit or shaken.
What Are Some Non-Surgical Ways To Take Care Of Whiplash?
Time is just one of the greatest non surgical treatment options for whiplash. Most instances of whiplash recover by themselves to some months in several weeks. Your doctor may also indicate: wearing a cervical collar, cervical traction, chiropractic adjustment, physical therapy, and pain drugs as you heal.
Will I Need Surgery?
Patients with whiplash quite, very rarely need surgery. If, nevertheless, you’ve been through wide-ranging non-operative treatments and also you have pain, surgery may be considered by you. There are several kinds of surgery useful for whiplash
Corpectomy:
Sometimes whiplash induces the spinal canal to narrow because of how a soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, and tendons) and bones moved throughout the first injury. By removing area of the vertebra and the intervertebral disc using a corpectomy, the surgeon is wanting to make more room in your spinal canal.
Discectomy:
The surgeon will remove section of the intervertebral disc, which may be pressing on your own spinal cord or alternative nerves and causing pain. Sometimes, the surgeon will have to do a spinal fusion at the same time as the discectomy. The fusion plans to permanently stabilize that region of your spine, although not everyone who has a discectomy will need a fusion.
Foraminotomy:
As with a corpectomy, a surgeon uses a foraminotomy to make more room for your nerves that could have gotten pinched and compressed throughout the harm. In this process, the foramina (the place where the nerve roots leave the spinal canal) is removed to boost the size of the nerve pathway.
Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Alexander Jimenez discusses mitochondria and one’s health.
Mitochondria: you might not know what they are, but they are vital to your health. �Rhonda Patrick, PhD is a biomedical scientist who has studied the interaction between mitochondrial metabolism, aberrant metabolism, and cancer.
She�s also done research on aging at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences in La Jolla, California.
�I�ve had a variety of experiences doing research on aging, cancer, and metabolism,� she explains. �Now, currently, I�m in Oakland, California, where I�m doing my post-doctoral research, working with Dr. Bruce Ames�
The primary focus of the research is the role of nutrition in preventing age-related diseases like cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and different inflammatory-related diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes.
I�ve been doing a lot of research currently on nutrition, specifically what roles micronutrients play in biological processes; how inadequacies and certain micronutrients can lead to insidious types of damage that can accumulate over decades, [and how they] lead to things like cancer and Alzheimer�s disease.�
Part of her work involves the identification of early biomarkers of disease. For example, DNA damage is an early biomarker for cancer. She then tries to determine which micronutrients might help repair that DNA damage.
She�s also investigated mitochondrial function and metabolism, which is one of my own most recent passions. Dr. Lee Know�s book, �Life � The Epic Story of Our Mitochondria�, is a really good primer if you want to learn more about this topic after listening to this interview.
Your mitochondria have enormous potential to influence your health, specifically cancer, and I�m starting to believe that optimizing mitochondrial metabolism may in fact be at the core of effective cancer treatment.
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The Importance Of Optimizing Mitochondrial Metabolism
Mitochondria are tiny organelles, originally thought to be derived from bacteria. Red blood cells and skin cells have very little to none, while germ cells have 100,000, but most cells have one to 2,000 of them. They�re the primary source of energy for your body.
In order for your organs to function properly, they require energy, and that energy is produced by the mitochondria.
Since mitochondrial function is at the very heart of everything that occurs in your body, optimizing mitochondrial function � and preventing mitochondrial dysfunction by making sure you get all the right nutrients and precursors your mitochondria need � is extremely important for health and disease prevention.
For example, one of the universal characteristics of cancer cells is they have serious mitochondrial dysfunction with radically decreased numbers of functional mitochondria.
�The mitochondria can still function in cancer cells. But one of the things that occur [in cancer cells] is that they immediately become dependent on glucose and they�re not using their mitochondria even though they have mitochondria there. They make this metabolic switch,��Patrick says.
Dr. Otto Warburg was a physician with a Ph.D. in chemistry and was close friends with Albert Einstein. Most experts recognize Warburg as the greatest biochemist of the 20th century.
He received a Nobel Prize in 1931 for his discovery that cancer cells use glucose as a source of energy production. This is called the �Warburg Effect� and, sadly, to this day it is essentially ignored by nearly every expert.
I am beyond convinced that using a ketogenic diet, which radically improves mitochondrial health, could help most cancers, especially if used in conjunction with glucose fermentation poisons like 3-bromopyruvate.
How Mitochondria Produce Energy
To produce energy, your mitochondria require oxygen from the air you breathe and fat and glucose from the food you eat.
These two processes � breathing and eating � are coupled together in a process called oxidative phosphorylation. That�s what the mitochondria use to generate energy in the form of ATP.
Your mitochondria have a series of electron transport chains in which they pass electrons from the reduced form of the food you eat to combine it with oxygen from the air you breathe and ultimately to form water.
This process drives protons across the mitochondrial membrane, which recharges ATP (adenosine triphosphate) from ADP (adenosine diphosphate). ATP is the carrier of energy throughout your body.
However, that process also produces byproducts such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are damaging to your cells, and your mitochondrial DNA, which are then transferred to your nuclear DNA.
So there�s a trade-off. In producing energy, your body also ages from the damaging aspects from the ROS that are generated. How quickly your body ages largely depends on how well your mitochondria work, and how much damage can be minimized by diet optimization.
Mitochondria�s Role In Cancer
When cancer cells are present, the reactive oxygen species produced as a byproduct of ATP production normally send a signal that sets in motion a process of cellular suicide, also known as apoptosis.
Since you generate cancer cells every day, this is a good thing. By killing off damaged cells, your body can eliminate and replace them with healthy cells.
Cancer cells, however, are resistant to this suicide protocol, and have a built-in defense against it as articulately explained by Dr. Warburg and subsequently by Thomas Seyfried, who has done extensive research on cancer as a metabolic disease
As explained by Patrick:
�One of the mechanisms by which chemotherapeutic drugs work is they create reactive oxygen species. They create damage, and that�s enough to push that cancer cell to die.
I think the reason for that is because, a cancer cell � which is not using its mitochondria, meaning it�s not producing those reactive oxygen species any longer � all of a sudden you force it to use its mitochondria and you get a burst of reactive oxygen species because that�s what mitochondria do, and boom, death, because that cancer cell is already primed for that death. It�s ready to die.�
The Benefits Of Avoiding Late-Night Eating
I�ve been a fan of intermittent fasting for quite some time for a variety of reasons, certainly longevity and health issues, but also because it appears to provide powerful cancer prevention and treatment benefit. And the mechanism for that is related to the effect fasting has on your mitochondria.
As mentioned, a major side effect of the transfer of electrons that the mitochondria are involved in is that some leak from the electron transport chain to react with oxygen to form the free radical superoxide.
Superoxide anion, the product of a one electron reduction of oxygen, is the precursor of most reactive oxygen species and a mediator in oxidative chain reactions. These oxygen free radicals attack the lipids in your cell membranes, protein receptors, enzymes, and DNA that can prematurely kill your mitochondria.
Some free radicals are actually good and your body requires them to regulate cellular function, but problems develop when you have excessive free radical production. Sadly that is the case for the majority of the population and why most diseases, especially cancers, are acquired. There are two possible solutions to this problem:
Increase your antioxidants
Reduce mitochondrial free radical production
I believe one of the best strategies for reducing mitochondrial free radical production is to limit the amount of fuel you feed your body. This is a noncontroversial position as calorie restriction has consistently shown many therapeutic benefits. This is one of the reasons why intermittent fasting works, as it limits the window that you are eating and automatically reduces your calories.
It is particularly effective if you avoid eating several hours before going to sleep as that is your most metabolically lowered state. A review paper1 that provides much of the experimental work for the above explanation was published in 2011, titled �Mitochondrial DNA Damage and Animal Longevity: Insights from Comparative Studies.�
It may be too complex for many laypeople, but the take-home message is that since your body uses the least amount of calories when sleeping, you�ll want to avoid eating close to bedtime because adding excess fuel at this time will generate excessive free radicals that will damage your tissues, accelerate aging, and contribute to chronic disease.
Other Ways Fasting Promotes Healthy Mitochondrial Function
Patrick also notes that part of the mechanism by which fasting works is that your body has to rely on lipids and stored fats for energy, which means your cells are forced to use their mitochondria. Your mitochondria are the only mechanisms by which your body can make energy from fat. So, fasting helps activate your mitochondria.
She also believes this plays a huge part in the mechanism by which intermittent fasting and a ketogenic diet may kill cancer cells, and why certain drugs that activate mitochondria can kill cancer cells. Again, it�s because it creates a burst of reactive oxygen species, the damage from which tips the scale and causes the cancer cells to die.
�Of course, there are a lot of very other interesting mechanisms that occur when you�re fasting,� she says. �Your body also clears away damaged cells through a process called autophagy, which basically means when a cell that�s damaged, it can die. But if it doesn�t die, sometimes it becomes what�s called senescent and this happens a lot with aging. What that means is that the cell is not dead but it�s not really alive either. It�s not doing its function.
It�s just kind of sitting around in your body secreting pro-inflammatory molecules, things that are damaging other nearby cells thereby accelerating the aging process because inflammation drives aging in so many different ways. Autophagy clears away those cells that are just sitting there creating damage and not doing much else, which is nice because that�s also a very important biological mechanism for staying healthy.�
Feeding Your Mitochondria
In terms of nutrition, Patrick emphasizes the importance of the following nutrients; important co-factors needed for your mitochondrial enzymes to function properly:
All B vitamins, including riboflavin, thiamine, and B6
Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA)
As noted by Patrick:
�I prefer to get as many micronutrients as I can from whole foods for a variety of reasons. One, they are complexed with fiber help with absorption. The nutrients are also in the right ratios. You�re not getting too much. The balance is right. And there are other components that are probably yet to be identified in there.
You have to be very vigilant in making sure you�re eating a very broad spectrum [of foods] and getting the right micronutrients. I think that taking a B complex supplement is good for that reason.
It�s the reason I take one, and also for the reason that as we age, we also do not get B vitamins into ourselves as readily, largely due to our cell membranes getting stiffer. This changes the way B vitamins are transported into the cell. B vitamins are water soluble so they�re not stored in fat. There�s not really an upper toxicity associated with them. If anything, you�re going to pee a little bit more out. But I really think they�re beneficial.�
Exercise Helps Keep Your Mitochondria Young
Exercise also promotes mitochondrial health, as it forces your mitochondria to work harder. As mentioned earlier, one of the side effects of mitochondria working harder is that they�re making reactive oxygen species, which act as signaling molecules. One of the functions they signal is to make more mitochondria. So, when you exercise, your body will respond by creating more mitochondria to keep up with the heightened energy requirement.
Aging is inevitable. But your biological age can be quite different from your chronological age, and your mitochondria have a lot to do with your biological aging. Patrick cites a recent study showing how people can age biologically at very different rates. The researchers measured over a dozen different biomarkers, such as telomere length, DNA damage, cholesterol LDL, glucose metabolism, and insulin sensitivity, at three points in people�s lives: ages 22, 32 and 38.
�What was found was that, if you look at someone who was 38, they biologically could look 10 years younger based on their biological markers, or 10 years older. Even though they were the same age, they aged biologically at very different rates.
In fact, if you took a photograph of these individuals and showed it to another bystander and ask them to guess their chronological age, what was interesting, and this is part of the publication, is that people would guess their biological age rather than their chronological age.� �
So regardless of your actual age, how old you look corresponds with your biological biomarkers, which are largely driven by the health of your mitochondria. So the point is that while aging is inevitable, you have enormous control over the way you age, which is really empowering. And one of the key factors is keeping your mitochondria in good working order.
As noted by Patrick, �youthfulness� is not so much about your chronological age, but rather how old you feel, and how well your body works:
�I want to learn how to optimize my own cognitive performance and my athletic performance. I want to also increase the youthful part of my life. I want to be 90. I want to be out there, surfing in San Diego just like I was when I was 20. I would like to not degenerate as rapidly as some people do. I like to stave off that degeneration and extend the youthful part of my life as long as I possibly can so I can enjoy life.�
More Information
To learn more about Patrick�s work, please visit her website, FoundMyFitness.com. She also has a podcast�where she interviews health professionals and scientists on a variety of topics related to health. On her website, you can find videos in which she summarizes key information in clear and easy to understand layman�s terms. You can also sign up for her newsletter, in which she publishes longer, heavily referenced articles.
Click here for the free report, �Nutrigenomics, Epigenetics, and Stress Tolerance: A New Heuristic for Lifestyle Strategy,� which covers some of the topics covered in this interview today, including: the role of DNA damage in aging cells and cancer cells, how blood cells from people show they age at different rates, how intermittent fasting increases autophagy (which clears away damaged cells) and increases genes that produce more healthy mitochondria, and more! You may also want to review her report, �How to Personalize Your Nutrition Based On Your Genes.�
Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Alexander Jimenez examines people that see�a chiropractor and their reduced�usage of opioids and other types of drugs.
The draft Guidance for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, issued in December 2015 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, included �many complementary and alternative therapies (e.g., manipulation, massage, and acupuncture)� among its recommended non-pharmacologic approaches. However, when the final Guidance was released three months later, manipulative therapy and its 75,000 licensed chiropractic practitioners was not directly referenced. A recent study from James �Jim� Whedon, DC, MS, pictured, suggests that the CDC harmed its mission with its excision of explicit reference to manipulation. Patients using chiropractors were less likely to use prescription opioids.
Whedon is currently a researcher at the Southern California University of Health Sciences, and is co-chair of the Research Working Group of the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health. He is a relatively rare resource in the integrative health community, as a specialist in diving into huge data sets of insurers and seeking to extract useful information. Whedon is a veteran of arguably the most important research center in this type of work, The Dartmouth Institute at the Geisel Medical School at Dartmouth College.
Whedon�s research began with awareness that �little is known about the comparative effectiveness of non-pharmacological care for low back pain as a strategy for reducing the use of opioid analgesics.� What is well known, as Whedon shared in his poster and presentation at the 2016 conference of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, is that patients with such pain are swimming in opioid prescriptions. Whedon�s presentation included a Baskin-Robbins-like list of 39 opioid varieties. He postulated that opioid use would be less likely among those receiving chiropractic care.
Association Between Utilization Of Chiropractic For Back Pain & Use Of Prescription Opioids
Preliminary results of a health claims study,� Whedon reports what he found through examining the New Hampshire All Payer Claims Database.� Of roughly 33,000 adults registered as having low back pain, slightly over a third saw a chiropractor. Of these, 38 percent had at least one opioid prescription. Of those who did not see a chiropractor, 61 percent had at least one opioid prescription.
The core question that interested Whedon was how many prescription fills the two sets of insured patients received. Those whose opioid prescription was integrated with chiropractic care had an average of 3.9 fills. Those who did not receive chiropractic manipulative therapy averaged 8.3 fills per patient. He estimated that the average per person opioid charges were $88 for those using chiropractors. The figure was $140, or 60 percent higher for those not using chiropractic care.
Whedon�s conclusions were, first, that the likelihood of filling a prescription for a high-risk drug of any type was 27 percent lower. Secondly, the likelihood of filling a prescription for an opioid analgesic was 57 percent lower in the chiropractic-using population.
�These are preliminary results,� Whedon cautioned. �We intend to analyze the data further, applying robust methods to reduce the risk of bias that can result from other differences between people who use chiropractic care and those who do not.�
Comment: While Whedon takes care to note that �no causal inferences can be made,� the associations should be of real interest to the CDC and other policy makers. A follow-up study might attempt to compare the whole costs of the chiropractic-using population and those who didn�t.� These costs could include, on the one hand, the cost of chiropractic treatment, and on the other, the costs of other medications or treatment that may be prescribed for those on longer-term opioid treatment who may end up cycling into the addiction.
Boxing is all the rage right now—everyone from models like Gigi Hadid and Ashley Graham to celebs like J.Lo and Demi Lovato have picked up the powerful workout as their go-to way to stay fit. And they’re definitely on to something. Boxing is great way to up your heart rate and tone your body from head to toe.
It’s no coincidence that so many people who love boxing rock killer physiques. Boxing (as well as the challenging conditioning work that goes along with training) strengthens and sculpts the entire body. That’s because boxing isn’t just about aggressively throwing punches—it’s an amazing total-body workout that tightens and tones everything from your arms to your core.
That said, stepping into a boxing gym or class can be a bit intimidating if you’re a total newbie. So Health teamed up with two-time boxing world champion Chris Algieri to get the lowdown on must-know boxing basics. Watch this video to learn everything from how to get in fighter stance, throw a 1-2 punch (also known as a jab-cross), and master other classic moves, such as upper cuts and hooks. Whether you’re a boxing novice or just looking to perfect your form, here’s what you need to know for a total knockout workout.
The Conference USA champion UTEP men�s golf team learned on Thursday morning that it will be one of eight squads participating in the Sammamish (Wash.) NCAA Regional May 15-17.� The regional will be contested at the Aldarra Golf Club with 54-hole stroke play as the format.
�I think it could be a great place for us to go,� UTEP coach Scott Lieberwirth said.� �We haven�t been out to that golf course, and I don�t think many teams have.� [Regional host] Washington has never hosted an event out there, so it�s going to be a new experience for any team besides Washington.� I think that�s good in that we don�t have any teams with an advantage over another.� I think it bodes well for us going back to cool season grass, something that most of our team has grown up with and is familiar with.� I think that�s a definite positive for us.�
UTEP is seeded eighth in the regional and will be joined by top seed USC, no. 2 seed Kent State, no. 3 seed Texas A&M, no. 4 seed Florida State, no. 5 seed Washington, no. 6 seed Alabama, no. 7 seed San Diego State, no. 9 seed Penn State, no. 10 seed Michigan, no. 11 seed Michigan State, no. 12 seed Seattle, no. 13 seed Marquette and no. 14 seed Bryant.
�That�s maybe the drawback of going to this region in that at least in the top five lines, it�s statistically the toughest region having #1 [USC], #12 [Kent State] and #13 [Texas A&M] in that field,� Lieberwirth said.� �We have seen USC.� They are awesome.� We know Texas A&M has had an extremely strong year.� Washington, the host, is also very dangerous, especially on their home golf course.� Alabama has come back and played really well later on this spring.� We will definitely have our hands full.�
A total of 81 teams earned NCAA Regional bids and are disbursed among six regionals.� The top five teams in each regional will advance to the NCAA Championship at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. May 26-31.
�In the end, it is going to come down to how we execute and if we do a good job of that, I think we are going to position ourselves to get to the championship,� Lieberwirth said.� �There�s nothing different.� It�s still the same game we have played all year.� The stakes are higher so it�s about managing our options, not getting ahead of ourselves and being patient, moreso this tournament than in any other tournament we�ll play.�
UTEP is participating in NCAA Regionals for the 14th time, and the first time since 2004.� The Miners are tying to advance to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1995.
�I�ll tell our guys to have fun.� We don�t really have anything to lose at this point,� Lieberwirth said. ��There are some higher ranked teams that sometimes play with a lot of pressure because of an expectation of getting to the national championship.� We need to just go play golf and forget about any expectation. �We�ll add the scores up at the end.� And I think we do a pretty good job of that as a team in general, not really looking at leaderboards, not looking at where we�re placed, let�s just play well for us and if we have a good tournament, we�re going to be in that mix.�
Researchers say they’ve found an enzyme in mice associated with obesity and a loss of exercise capacity in midlife, suggesting that the discovery could eventually lead to new weight-loss medications.
The team at the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) gave one group of mice a drug that inhibits the activity of the enzyme called DNA-PK. Another group of mice wasn’t given the drug. Both groups were fed a high-fat diet.
The group that received the inhibitor had 40 percent less weight gain than the other group, according to the study in the journal Cell Metabolism.
The findings challenge current ideas about why people gain weight as they age, the researchers said.
“Our society attributes the weight gain and lack of exercise at midlife [approximately 30-60 years] primarily to poor lifestyle choices and lack of willpower,” said study lead author Dr. Jay Chung, head of the institute’s Laboratory of Obesity and Aging Research.
The researchers said the average weight gain between age 20 and 50 is about 30 pounds, even though the amount of food a person consumes generally decreases during this time.
Chung and his colleagues looked for biochemical changes in animals during midlife and found that DNA-PK increases in activity with age. Also, the researchers said the enzyme helps the conversion of nutrients to fat.
“This study shows that there is a genetic program driven by an overactive enzyme that promotes weight gain and loss of exercise capacity at midlife,” Chung said in a NHLBI news release.
“Our studies indicate that DNA-PK is one of the drivers of the metabolic and fitness decline that occurs during aging, which makes staying lean and physically fit difficult and increases susceptibility to metabolic diseases like diabetes. The identification of this new mechanism is very important for improving public health,” he said.
Obesity is linked with a number of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
“The study opens the door to the development of a new type of weight-loss medication that could work by inhibiting DNA-PK activity,” Chung said.
However, it’s important to note that research that seems promising in animals doesn’t always translate well to humans.
For now, middle-aged people fighting obesity need to focus on calorie reduction and increased exercise, the researchers recommended.
The idea that diet could have a role to play in preventing the signs of asthma is starting to gain ground, with studies highlighting certain deficiencies in patients or warning against the consumption of certain foods. On World Asthma Day, May 2, Relaxnews spoke to Dr. Bertrand Delaisi, a pediatric pulmonologist at Clinique Marcel Sembat in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, for an overview of what’s currently known on the subject.
The prevalence of asthma has increased considerably in recent decades, in parallel with changes in lifestyles and dietary habits, tending towards diets rich in carbohydrates and fat, and low in fiber.
As well as pollutants, allergens, passive smoking and air pollution, allergy specialists are increasingly interested in how diet can promote or modify the development of asthma on a physiopathological level.
Eating ham, cured sausage or smoked meats at least four times a week could aggravate the symptoms of asthma over time, concludes a study carried out by researchers at Inserm, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, published in January in the medical journal Thorax.
On the contrary, consuming fiber may influence the gut flora and could reduce inflammation in the bronchial tubes. A diet rich in fruit and vegetables and vitamin C — and especially vitamin D (calf’s liver, soy, egg yolks) — could, therefore, help limit the risks of asthma, according to Dr. Bertrand Delaisi, a pediatric pulmonologist at Clinique Marcel Sembat in Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
The same goes for omega-3 fatty acids, present in oily fish and other foods (walnuts, canola oil), which can relieve inflammation, including in the respiratory airways. People whose diets are rich in omega-3 have a lower risk of suffering from asthma than those whose intake is limited. They could also be beneficial to people who already suffer from the condition.
Foods containing quercetin could reduce the frequency of asthma attacks, as this antioxidant flavonoid is an anti-inflammatory. Studies carried out in vitro found that quercetin inhibited the liberation of inflammatory substances by mast cells, which play a role in allergic reactions, mirroring certain anti-asthma medications. This antioxidant is found in onions, mustard oil, tea and apples.
An estimated 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma.
Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Alexander Jimenez looks at high heels at what they do to the back.
Ladies, ever wonder why you suffer from regular bouts of lower back pain?� Achy hips?� How about crazy tight leg muscles?� Don�t blame it on your cycling class, or too many squats or, the trainer you only see once or twice a week.� Look down.� Are you wearing high heels?� Bingo!� You�ve heard high heels are bad for you.� But it�s not just because they cause all kinds of pain and trauma to your feet.� High heels are also messing up your physical fitness. �They throw you out of proper postural alignment causing your joints and spine to take on more�wear and tear, which means aches and pains.
Is it possible to still look rockin� and save your joints? �My suggestion is more Athleisure-wear. �I know some fashion hard-liners say, no way will I walk around in yoga pants on a weekday!� But we�ve come a long way since those flare-leg, fold-over yoga pants.
Let�s chat for a moment about the evils of high heels.
First there�s the obvious.� They make your feet hurt.� Blisters, calluses and swelling are par for the course.� And pointy toes, fuhgeddaboutit!� I�m sure they were invented by someone on the Marquis de Sade�s payroll.� Second, they can lead to foot injuries like plantar fasciitis (usually from a bone spur that makes your heels hurt), hammertoes, bunions, and neuromas.� �Then there�s the domino effect.
Not only do high heels make your feet hurt, but problems with the feet can travel up the leg and cause injuries in the back, knees and hips. �Your knees take on extra pressure from the weight being pushed forward onto the balls of the feet. �Walking in this position makes your hip flexors and calf muscles short and tight. �And it doesn�t stop there.� Back problems are incredibly common in women who don�t give up their high heels.
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Back Problems are incredibly common in women who don�t give up their high heels
Here�s why:
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Postural changes:�The S-curve of your spine has cushiony discs in between the vertebrae that act as a shock absorbers to protect them from stress. Like when you�re bending or jumping. �Wearing heels causes the lower back to arch more than normal because the body weight is pushed forward.� To compensate, the upper body has to lean back to maintain balance.� This puts extra stress on the discs. ��Spending hours with your body in funky alignment can lead to muscle spasms and back pain. �Tight hamstring muscles, which�attach to back of the pelvis and lower back, can also make your back ache.
Anatomical changes: Wearing high heels on a daily, or very regular basis, over years, can actually cause anatomical changes to your body.� In addition to the extra strain on your back and knees, the calf muscles can also shorten and the tendons can get tighter and thicker.
And It Can Get Even Nastier If You Get One Of These Spine Injuries:
Spondylolisthesis: it�s a mouthful, but is a common injury that can happen in the lower back from too much hyperextension (arching the back).� It�s when one vertebra slips forward over another.
Foraminal stenosis: I have this one congenitally and it sucks. This is a spine and nerve issue that occurs when anatomical abnormalities reduce the spaces the nerves travel through as they exit the spinal column.� The spaces are called foramina, and when they get blocked, the nerves get squeezed.� The pain can radiate through the buttocks and down the legs.� Symptoms are shooting pains, numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, spasms and, or cramping.
Sciatica:�The sciatic nerve is the longest one in the body. �It runs from the bottom of the lumbar spine all the ways down the legs. �When the sciatic nerve gets compressed it causes radiating pain, tingling, numbness and muscle weakness down the leg and can The pain can travel all the way to the bottom of the foot.
What Can You Do? �My Case for Athleisure-Wear To Combat Back Pain
It�s time for stuffy office attire to retire. �Comfy clothes and flat shoes can be very chic. �Have you seen the boards on Pinterest?� Thanks to this hopefully permanent fashion style, my jeans and heels spend more time in my closet than on my body.� Leggings and cute kicks are my go to�s.� Night out?� No prob.� I reach for my sleek workout leggings, a ruched top or off the shoulder top with some high heel sneaks (they�re wedges so not nearly as bad for you). �I also discovered these by Bluprint which I put to the test at 2 huge conventions where I walking and standing for hours on end.� The soles made of memory foam � like those beds!
My podiatrist friend, Steven Rosenberg, DPM has been preaching the need for comfy shoes to his female clients for years. �(Fortunately for his practice, not everyone listens!) �Dr. Steve says, wearing shoes designed more for comfort can help you live more pain-free. ��Because comfort shoes are made of�soft cushiony materials�with soft foam innersoles, those are what you should turn to for shopping, walking or standing for long periods of time to avoid�blisters, muscle spasms or arch cramps.� � He also says to check for arch support in your shoes. �If there�s none, you can buy ones to put inside.
Even after reading this, you may still not be willing to give up high heels for good. �Me either.� I still get glammed up once in a while.
Here Are Some Tips For When You Must:
Wear them for as little time as possible.
Try to opt for heels around 2� high
Steer clear of pointy toes.
Buy shoes with leather insoles to so your foot doesn�t slide.
Buy arch inserts or use orthotics to support your arches.
Vary your footwear so you�re not wearing high heels every day.
Gradual or lower slopes are a little better, go for platforms or wedges instead of stilettos
Thicker heels are better than spiky heels
Stretch and strengthen the overworked muscles.
Here�s How:
Stretch your leg muscles and hip flexors before and after wearing heels.� For the calves, stand on a step and let one heel hang down until you feel a stretch.
Try this convenient device, the foot rocker by Vive.� It stretches the calf and the sole of the foot relieving pain from plantar fasciitis.
Front of the hip and thigh stretch for before and after wearing high heels
Hamstring stretch for before and after wearing high heels
Massage and stretch the muscles in the soles of your feet.� Roll your foot on a golf ball before and after wearing heels and, get regular foot massages.
Strengthen and increase the range of motion in your ankles and feet.� Put a rag on the floor.� Using your foot, write the letters of the alphabet.� Also put a bunch of marbles on the floor.� Pick one or a few of them up using just your foot.� Put them down about 6 inches away without lifting your foot off the floor.� Try that 10 times.� If you don�t have marbles, you can do it with a hand towel.
So next time you�re shopping for shoes, think about your foot fitness first. �Look for fashion that keeps you closer to the ground and that will hopefully keep you farther away from the doctor.
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