REPORTING POINT 01/09

HEALTH NEWS

“Live healthy…Live well”

Health News is published by Larry Kline of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association. Articles are made available by permission.

Past issues of “Health News” are available at here. It includes a search engine; just enter a key word to find past articles.

ONE-A-DAY – light to moderate alcohol consumption (up to one drink a day) may help prevent, or at least delay, dementia in people with mild age-related memory problems or cognitive impairment. This finding, from an Italian study of people 65 to 84 who drank mostly wine, found that consuming more than one drink a day was not beneficial. Alcohol may help protect the brain by preventing blood clots and raising HDL (good) cholesterol. It may also help prevent “mini-strokes”, which can lead to mental deterioration, and have positive effects on brain chemistry. The researchers believe that moderate alcohol drinking may be an indicator of a complex set of favorable social and lifestyle factors.

Other related research has revealed that light to moderate alcohol consumption may help maintain mental abilities in older women.

Finally, light to moderate alcohol consumption may reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. All it takes is half a drink a day, and there is no added benefit from drinking more. The American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association advise women to limit themselves to no more than one drink a day, and men, to no more than two drinks a day. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 4/05, 6/05, and 8/07.

PIMPLES AND PROSTATE CANCER – believe it or not, there is a connection: acne-prone skin may portend prostate cancer. Johns Hopkins researchers found that men with a history of bad outbreaks were significantly more likely to develop the disease than men with clear complexions. A previous study detected acne-related bacteria in a third of prostate glands removed from cancer patients. According to the authors of the study, the bacteria may cause chronic inflammation in the gland, possibly increasing the risk of cancer. Men’s Health 5/08.

NON-FATAL SKIN CANCERS SIGNAL OTHER RISKS – patients who have had usually non-fatal forms of skin cancer, including basal and squamous cell carcinomas, have double the risk of other cancers. The study released in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, indicates that genetic predisposition to skin cancer may be linked to other forms of cancer. USA Today 8/27/08.

GO FOR A HIKE – to reduce breast cancer risk. Walking, even for a few hours a week, significantly reduces breast-cancer risk, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The reason for the reduced cancer risk is that walking helps reduce levels of body fat, a source of estrogen. The research looked at 74,000 postmenopausal women between the ages of 50 to 79 and found those at normal weight lowered their risk by 30 percent; those who were overweight lowered their risk by 10 to 20 percent. Younger women may also gain similar benefits. Health 6/08.

OLIVE OIL GRADES – olive oil comes in regular, virgin, and extra virgin grades. The difference is in the processing, which yields oils of different acidity, and therefore, taste. To extract the oil, the olives are crushed and ground into a paste, which is ten pressed.

“Extra virgin” olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olives, using only physical means – no extreme heat or solvents. It has the lowest acidity and is most green and flavorful. It is also the most expensive.

“Virgin” olive oil, the next best grade, also comes from the first pressing, but is more acidic and milder in flavor.

A product simply labeled “100 percent pure” olive oil is the oil extracted from further pressing of the paste, using heat (which helps liquefy the oil so more comes out) and solvents. This higher-acid, lower-quality oil must then be refined to remove impurities and, because it is often bland, is often combined with virgin olive oil to add flavor. The flavor of olive oil also depends on the type of olive tree and where it grows. Generally, the deeper the color, the more flavor.

Nutritionally, all olive oils are essentially the same. They have 120 calories per tablespoon and 14 grams of fat, most of which is heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. Nearly all vegetable oils lower blood cholesterol, but monounsaturated oils (including canola) may help reduce cardiovascular risk in other ways. Olive oil does contain small amounts of phytochemicals, which are beneficial for reducing heart disease and cancer risk. Less processed (extra virgin and virgin) oils retain more of these compounds, but probably not enough to make much of a health difference. “Light” olive oil means that the oil is light in color, taste, or fragrance, not that it has fewer calories or less fat. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 6/05.

GROWING PAINS – soreness may not be the best indicator of whether or not to repeat a workout. Researchers in Taiwan found that performing heavy biceps curls with sore muscles did not slow recovery from a bout of exercise three days earlier. Although soreness can linger for several days after you lift, previous research has shown that muscles grow for just 48 hours after a training session. This suggests that working each muscle group every other day is the best way to build size, regardless of how sore you might be. One caveat: if you notice that you do not perform as well from one workout to the next, i.e. you cannot complete at least as many sets and repetitions with the same weight, consider it a sign that the muscles need an additional day or two of rest. Men’s Health 6/06.

OVARIAN CANCER WARNING SIGNS – there were over 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer in 2007 and over 15,000 deaths nationwide from this disease. The five-year survival rate overall is 45 percent, but 93 percent when caught early and only 30 percent after it has spread.

It has generally been accepted that this disease was fairly asymptomatic until it was too late. However, recent information from the American Cancer Society has been published to educate women and their physicians about its early warning signs.

Possible symptoms include:

-Pelvic or abdominal pain

-Bloating

-Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly

-Urgent or frequent urination

Women with one or more of these conditions may want to see a gynecologists, especially if the problems are new, severe, and occur almost daily for more than two or three weeks. It should be noted that most women with these symptoms – which are relatively common – do not have cancer.

Only about 20 percent of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed early, when the disease is curable. Cancer researchers report that 89 percent of women with early ovarian cancer have symptoms six to twelve months before diagnosis, along with 97 percent of those with advanced disease.

Gynecologists may perform pelvic and rectal exams, a transvaginal ultrasound and a blood test for a cancer marker called CA-125. Unfortunately, the CA-125 test misses about half of the ovarian cancers, and half of its positive tests turn out to be false-positives.

Diagnosing ovarian cancer involves far more invasive testing than those used in prostate and breast cancers, which are typically confirmed through needle biopsies. Surgeons may remove a suspicious cyst and, if cancerous, take out the entire ovary. The researchers are concerned that publishing the symptom list can increase anxiety in women and may result in unnecessary surgeries, which pose their own risks of infection and bleeding. In the end, it is a difficult balance which every woman must decide for herself. USA Today 6/14/07.

ARTIFICIAL SUGAR AND WEIGHT GAIN – You may have read several recent articles about the possibility that artificial sweeteners can lead to weight gain. This was based on a study of rats that found those fed artificially sweetened food for 10 days and then switched to sugar-sweetened food, actually ate more calories after the change. The theory being that the rat found that the artificially sweetened foods did not provide the energy they needed and they would eat more to meet their daily needs. Once they became accustomed to eating more food and then changed back to the regular sugar, they continued to eat the same amount of food and thereby gained weight. The research also found that those taking thickened liquids with a specific amount of calories ate less than rats taking a thin version of the same liquid. The articles concluded that the same thing must happen in humans. Some of these articles also state that we have seen an increase in the intake of artificially sweetened foods at the same time we have seen an increase in obesity so the authors concluded that these must be related.
Food intake in humans is very complex. If everyone ate only enough food per day to meet their energy needs, no one would be overweight. Unfortunately, multiple factors affect the way humans eat. As per the study, the texture of food may influence how much you eat or drink. It is much easier and less filling to drink an 8 oz. glass of apple juice versus eating two apples. Bulk can make you feel full faster. Advertising, social situations, and taste are just a few of the factors that affect how humans eat. Regarding the increase in obesity at the same time we have seen in increase in artificially sweetened foods, please note we have also seen an increase of portion size, an increase in the consumption of fatty foods, and a reduction in activity; all which could account for increased obesity.

A study conducted in 2002 (Nutrition Research Letter: Nov. 2002, Raben, Vasilaras,Moller, Astrup) took two groups of people ages 20-50 years old and gave one group artificially sweetened beverages and one group sucrose sweetened beverages. Total caloric intake was significantly higher in the sucrose group with an average weight gain of 1.6 kgs after 10 weeks while the artificially sweetened group lost 1.3 kg after 10 weeks. No differences were found between hunger nor degree of palatability or general well being.

Another study quoted in Pediatrics, 2007, Oct. 120(4) e869-79, took two groups of children and had each group change their lifestyle by walking 2000 steps per day while the second group also completed the 2000 steps per day but also replaced dietary sugar with an artificial sweetener. During the six month period, both groups lost some weight due to the increased physical activity, however, the group using the artificial sweetener had a significantly higher portion of children who lost more weight and reduced their BMI versus those taking sugar.

Basically, artificial sweeteners can be very helpful as part of the weight management process. They should not be the only solution. Increasing physical activity, reducing fat, and reducing portion sizes are all very important changes that must take place to lose more weight and keep it off. Christine Kline (Registered Dietician 2/14/08.)