Health in a Heartbeat

There’s a whole host of problems we expect to encounter as we age: aching joints, slower metabolism and hearing loss, just to name a few. But a new study shows that one malady typically associated with old age — an inability to sleep soundly — may be nothing more than a myth. In fact, the quality of your sleep may actually improve as you grow older. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania surveyed more than 150,000 people about the quality of their sleep and daytime fatigue. The results were surprising. The research showed that quality of sleep tended to improve with age, with the exception of a slight increase in sleep problems during middle age, especially among women. In fact, people aged 80 and older scored the highest on sleep quality when compared to other age groups. The research echoes earlier findings, including one study that showed older people had a better ability to withstand the effects of sleep deprivation. Another study found that most changes in sleep patterns occurred among people between the ages of 20 and 60, and that healthy, older people had little difficulty falling asleep. So what accounts for the persistent myth? Researchers aren’t really sure, but they suspect the problems older people report when it comes to sleeping stem from underlying illnesses, not the aging process. Difficulty sleeping may also be a reaction to medication. No matter how old you are, there are a few good rules to help you get a good night’s sleep. Make your bedroom comfortable. Don’t eat or drink too much — or too little — before turning in for the night. Limit daytime naps. And be sure to incorporate some physical activity into you daily schedule. Take a long walk, ride a bike or go for a swim. A little exercise will you fall asleep and could help you stay in shape, too.  

Obesity and low self-esteem tend to go hand-in-hand, especially when it comes to adolescents. A new study shows that even when the pounds come off, teenage girls won’t necessarily feel better about themselves or their bodies. For the decade-long study, researchers at Purdue University followed more than 2,000 girls starting at ages 9 and 10. Based on their body mass trends, the girls were divided into three groups: normal weight, transitioned out of obesity and obese. The researchers also categorized the girls by race. The researchers found the girls who transitioned out of obesity continued to see themselves as fat, even though their body mass was lower. Also, white obese girls had lower self-esteem than their normal weight peers, and the self-esteem level stayed flat even if they transitioned out of obesity. Black teenage girls did show a difference in self-esteem. Once they transitioned out of obesity, their feelings about themselves climbed to the highest level of any of the groups of girls. However, both races continued to have negative body perceptions despite the weight loss. Why is this important? Researchers say that if girls continue to see themselves as fat even after they have lost weight, there’s less motivation to continue to diet and exercise. This suggests mental health counseling may be needed as part of a successful weight-loss regime. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 17 percent of children ages 12 to 19 are considered obese. Unanswered questions remain. As the number of obese children continues to grow, will this have an effect on self-esteem? Is there greater acceptance for obesity today than there was 10 years ago, or is it counteracted by recent anti-obesity campaigns? The scientists say more research is necessary before drawing any conclusions.  

A few hours at the gym each week is sure to lead to health improvements for obese individuals. Now, research shows even just two minutes of light to medium activity throughout the day may improve health and wellness, too. Sitting for long periods of time has become routine, especially in the workplace. To determine the long-term effects of such sedentary behavior on health, researchers in Australia studied a group of overweight and obese adults. Specifically, the scientists looked for the potential health benefits people might achieve by performing small amounts of activity during a typical deskbound day. Each subject participated in three tests. In order to mimic eating a high-calorie meal, all participants began each experiment by ingesting a drink made of glucose and fat. Then, for the first trial, all had to sit for five hours after consuming the drink, with no activity. The second trial was identical, except every 20 minutes the subjects walked on a treadmill for two minutes. In the third experiment, participants did the same as the second, except the pace of the treadmill was slightly more intense. Their glucose and insulin levels were monitored after each experiment to compare the body's reaction to the varying amounts of activity. Even after adjusting for age, gender, weight and glucose levels, the researchers saw a 30 percent improvement in the way the body processes glucose in subjects who took periodic walking breaks during the five hours of non-activity. The more intense workout produced even better glucose management. If you work in an office, you might not always have access to a treadmill. But that’s not the only way to get moving. Researchers say other methods, like taking stairs instead of the elevator or walking during a lunch break, can help do the trick, too.  

Losing keys, forgetting birthdays and unable to remember just why you walked into the room in the first place? It could be plain old forgetfulness or a “senior” moment, but new research shows women may be able blame it on the female brain. Add “brain fog” to the list of womanly woes associated with menopause, including hot flashes and temper flares. In a study published in the journal Menopause, researchers tested various aspects of thinking and memory in women on the verge of menopause. They found that women who reported memory complaints performed worse on tests measuring working memory. That’s the ability to take in new information and manipulate it, like calculating the tip at a restaurant. But on a positive note, the study didn’t find much proof of problems with storing and recalling information, a trait common in age-related memory loss. In fact, menopausal women are much better than older people at taking note of and evaluating their memory problems — probably because they are already so acutely aware of all the other changes taking place in their bodies. Menopausal women with memory problems should minimize distractions and avoid multitasking, especially when trying to absorb new information. Some other tricks to boost brainpower and memory include sticking to a routine and completing tasks in the same order each time you do them. To remember a person’s name, repeat it out loud or in your head after meeting them. Also, always store items like keys and remote controls in the same place. Employ lists, notes and others’ memories to help you remember tasks and to-dos. Reducing your stress, which debilitates memory, can help too. Make sense of numbers to help memorize them, like making your PIN number your kid’s birthday. Just don’t forget their birthday — even menopause can’t excuse that mistake.  

Vowing to have and to hold in sickness and in health can really pay off during those not-so-healthy times, and not just when you’ve been hit with a horrible case of the flu. When the going gets tough, good spouses help each other get through the “in sickness” part of “In sickness and in health.” New research from Emory University found that married adults are three times more likely than singles to survive the three months after having heart surgery. The study, published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, evaluated surveys from 500 patients before they underwent emergency or voluntary coronary bypass surgery. Then they compared the results of married patients with those of singles. Singletons were sadly about 70 percent more likely to die in the five years following surgery. But the benefit of wedded bliss carried well past the three-month recovery period and extended five years afterward. Although an analysis of the data showed that smoking history accounted for the lower survival rates in the single patients over this longer term, interviews with the patients found that marrieds felt more optimistic about their outcome and were better able to manage pain and anxiety about surgery. And all that nagging from your spouse to take your medicine and stop smoking can pay off in the long run. But other studies show it’s not all bad news for the single set. The health of unhitched people has improved in recent years, closing the gap with wedded couples. Though married folks are still healthier than lone wolves, a bad marriage isn’t better than no marriage. Unhealthy marriages can affect your health in very real ways, increasing stress and even increasing the chance of getting heart disease. So be sure to choose your spouse wisely — your health is counting on it.  

Summer is a great time of year to play outdoors, and not just for kids relishing freedom from school. Clear skies, sunny days and vibrant green forests and fields draw adventure seekers of all ages to hike, bike, fish, camp, ride horses and partake in many other kinds of summertime fun. While these outdoor activities are entertaining ways to stay active and get some vitamin D, they may put you at risk for a serious illness: Lyme disease. Deer ticks are tiny parasites that live in grassy and wooded areas and latch onto people and animals to suck their blood. They also can carry Lyme disease and may pass it to their hosts. According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lyme disease that is not treated, or is treated late, can cause a myriad of serious symptoms. These include bulls-eye-shaped rashes, arthritis, fever, nausea, heart problems, meningitis and neurological problems. Swift treatment with antibiotics once initial symptoms appear will vanquish these problems for most patients. But avoiding Lyme disease in the first place is better yet. The key is protection from tick bites. When you’re enjoying the great outdoors, prevent tick bites by wearing insect repellent with DEET, closed shoes and dark-colored pants and long-sleeved shirts. Once inside, thoroughly check your hair and skin — including crevices and scalp — for ticks. Use a mirror, or have someone else check if needed. Don’t forget to examine clothes and outdoor gear for ticks that are still roaming free. Also, be sure to inspect pets for ticks that might hitch a ride into your home. If you find a latched-on tick, remove it promptly using the proper technique to help avoid bacteria spread. Visit cdc.gov/lyme for instructions Doing so may prevent Lyme-disease transmission … and an unpleasant interruption of summer fun.  

Could HIV testing soon move out of the clinic and into the home? Maybe. A look at global success rates of a HIV saliva test shows that it’s nearly as effective as the more common blood test. And, since showing up for a blood test can discourage at-risk people from learning their status, the oral test — Oraquick — could lead to more thorough screening. A team from McGill University in Montreal, Canada reviewed published reports of Oraquick in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases. They found that Oraquick was 99 percent as effective in at-risk populations as the traditional blood test. In low-risk populations, the oral test was 97 percent as effective. The saliva test is faster, pain-free and non-invasive, too — all of which could lead to better testing of at-risk populations. That means earlier treatment for those infected. Better administration and ensuring tests are used promptly could further improve the success of the oral test. But the real promise for public health is that this oral test could soon allow patients around the world — including in the hardest-hit countries in southern Africa — to avoid the persistent stigma and shame of an HIV test by taking it at home. Oraquick received FDA approval for use with saliva in 2004 and has been used in home-based testing efforts in Kenya and Uganda. In the future, countries, including the United States, could approve it as an over-the-counter HIV test, extending its confidentiality. National HIV Testing Day is June 27. While eradication of HIV remains an elusive goal, increased testing could reduce its spread, an important step. While testing at home may give more people early knowledge of their infection status, the report’s authors caution that without access to treatment, the test alone won’t improve disease outcomes.  

If you find yourself often straining to hear what others have to say, better watch where you’re walking. Information recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that adults with poor hearing are more likely than those with normal hearing to fall. In fact, people with a hearing loss greater than 25 decibels … considered mild hearing loss … were almost three times as likely to report falling in the previous year. This association isn’t limited to seniors. The study that provided these results included about 2,000 subjects ages 40 to 69. There are several possible ways that hearing decline could be linked to an increased risk of falling. In some situations, poor hearing may mean people aren’t aware of environmental factors that could lead to a fall. Other times, hearing loss is a symptom of the real culprit behind falls — overall cognitive decline. Another possibility is that the ears are to blame. Their network of tiny, sensitive parts affects both hearing and balance, so a problem in this part of the anatomy might cause hearing decline and more tumbles on the sidewalk. Noise exposure is one of the most prevalent causes of hearing loss in adults. Prevent loud sounds from degrading your hearing by limiting your exposure to them. If you work in an extra noisy environment, invest in a good set of protective ear covers to block some of the din. Some medications are a danger, too. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, more than 200 medications are known to damage cells in the ear, causing hearing and balance problems. Some of these drugs, which include prescription and non-prescription medicines, are necessary to treat life-threatening conditions. Others are less important. To be safe, ask your pharmacist when starting a new medication if it may cause ear damage. Your hearing and your hips will thank you.  

For many athletes, lining up under center or going long for a well-thrown football is the American dream. It takes good teamwork, stamina and skill to even make it as a competitive football player on a high school or college team, let alone in the NFL. Now, research shows it also may take the ability to withstand warmer outdoor temperatures and higher humidity … or serious health issues may emerge for high school and college-aged players. Statistics show that the number of deaths among football players due to higher outdoor temperatures tripled to almost three per year between 1994 and 2009. The average had been only one per year for the preceding 15 years. Using these numbers as the basis for their research, investigators constructed a database that included the temperature, humidity and time of day, as well as the height and weight for 58 high school and college football players who died from overheating during practice. Their initial findings show that overall, morning temperatures were hotter the air more humid during the latter half of the 30-year study period. They also found that most of the deaths occurred in August, and on days when the practice sessions ended before noon. While any respectable football program carefully monitors the weather and heat index, the researchers noted other factors come into play as well, including exposure time to direct sunlight, a person's general involvement in athletic activity, and the increase in body temperature due to the protective helmets and pads. Coaches should slowly acclimate players to intense workouts outdoors, closely monitor players for subtle overheating and have a robust emergency plan already in place before the season begins. These safety measures could help not only keep players in the game … but also alive.  

Eyes, unlike wine, don’t get better with age, but they might be able to clue us in to another characteristic of growing old: memory loss. New research from the University of California at San Francisco found that people with even a little eye damage due to vascular disease have a higher risk for developing memory and thinking problems. The key to this visual vexation is blood vessels, say scientists. If the blood vessels in the retina are damaged, it could mean blood vessels in the brain aren’t fully functioning either. The study involved more than 500 older women who underwent periodic mental testing and brain scans. Compared with women who had no blood vessel damage in their eyes, those with impaired retinas also had more blood vessel damage in their brains and scored lower on memory and thinking tests. Other blood pressure problems such as diabetes have also been related to a higher risk for memory and thinking troubles. Since eyes could be the first sign of trouble, clinicians may start looking for sign of dementia there. To help avoid the problem altogether, look to basic nutrition to keep both your eyes and brain in the clear. Nutrients like omega-three fatty acids, found in fish and nuts, and lutein, found in leafy green vegetables, can ward off eye problems. Zinc and vitamins C and E also help maintain healthy eyes. Citrus, eggs and beans have been shown to protect peepers, too. Sport shades in the sun and give your eyes a break from staring at a computer screen every 20 minutes. And to safeguard sight at the source, follow a heart-healthy diet to preserve blood vessels. Avoid smoking to ensure healthy blood flow and make sure to get enough aerobic exercise. The benefits of a well-balanced diet and active lifestyle are twofold: both your brain and your eyes will be better for it.  

Trying to get pregnant? It might not be the news you were hoping for, but the latest research in fertility found that adding a little sweat to your get-pregnant regimen just might do the trick. A recent study shows that just the right amount of moderate exercise increased the chance of conception for women of all body weights. The study of more than 3,000 women labeled intense exercise as running, biking and vigorous swimming, while moderate exercise was considered walking, leisurely bicycling and golfing. Among normal-weight women who were already struggling to conceive, intense workout sessions decreased the chance of conception by 42 percent. This effect was not seen in women who were overweight or obese. But one thing is certain, for women of all shapes and sizes, moderate exercise was linked with slightly speeding up the time it took to conceive. Regardless, if you’ve got a good workout routine going, there’s no need to stop sweating as you try for a bun in the oven, especially not if your time in the gym helps you relieve stress. Carrying extra pounds is a risk factor for infertility and dropping five to 10 percent of body weight can dramatically improve ovulation and pregnancy rates. Though O-B-G-Y-Ns in the past cautioned against exercise because they feared it would cause preeclampsia, other studies have found that the opposite is true. Exercise before conception and in the early part of pregnancy can actually protect blood vessels. More research is needed to determine whether different types of vigorous exercise affect fertility more than others, but until then, physicians encourage women to stay active. Also, if you really want to increase the odds of expecting, eat more foods that are rich in folic acid and organic. A greener, cleaner diet combined with moderate exercise might help you take a few baby steps toward pregnancy.  

You know exercise burns calories, improves your mood and can help your heart … but did you know it can actually change your genetic makeup? New research published in the journal Cell Metabolism shows that subtle shifts in D-N-A start taking place soon after we make the move from couch to treadmill. Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm put 14 relatively sedentary young men and women on an exercise bike and took a biopsy of muscle cells from their quadriceps before and after twenty minutes of exercise. They found that more genes were activated after exercise and that their D-N-A displayed less methylation. Methylation is a process in which chemicals called methyl groups clog the D-N-A and limit the cell’s ability to switch on certain genes. Methylation dictates whether a cell develops into an eye or a lung, for example, but it also primes muscles for more efficient work. The more intense the sweat session, the more methyl action in muscles and the better the participants worked. They also found that caffeine mimicked the muscle morph, but your daily cup of joe is no excuse for a date with the gym. You would have to drink almost 50 cups of coffee a day, way too much for even the most avid java junkie, to get the same effect afforded by exercise. The study discounts the previous belief that adult cells don’t change their D-N-A methylation. It just goes to show that if you don’t use it, you lose it — but you can certainly get it back by putting in a little sweat equity. If you’ve fallen off the workout wagon, start slowly to get yourself back into shape, and be sure to check in with your doctor before starting a new regimen. Too much too soon can cause quick burnout. It’s not too late to adapt your D-N-A for the better.  

How far under does a patient need to be during a colonoscopy? As health care costs continue to skyrocket, it’s a question more and more doctors are asking. New research suggests that a growing number of patients are opting for full anesthesia when undergoing this relatively simple procedure. Some doctors are speaking out in hopes of reversing this trend, which they say is unnecessary and wastes money. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA, just 14 percent of patients had an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist during a colonoscopy in 2003. By 2009, that number had climbed to more than 30 percent. This is no trivial matter: If anesthesia services were used for all 20-million endoscopies and colonoscopies performed each year, it would cost 8 billion dollars. This cost is typically paid by insurance companies, who pass it on to their customers. Or, for those who don’t use private insurance, the tab gets picked up by Medicare. In some cases, doctors recommend patients be put under full sedation for a colonoscopy. But the JAMA study showed the majority of patients were healthy and didn’t have a condition that required anesthesia. Most patients would be just fine taking moderate sedatives, which would also create fewer risks than anesthesia. So, what’s the solution? Some are saying the costs need to move from the insurance companies to the patients. If a healthy patient who doesn’t require anesthesia wants it, he should be willing to pay a little extra for the procedure, or so the thinking goes. One thing’s for sure: Doctors don’t want to do anything to discourage colonoscopies, which are an important early detector of cancer. So just make sure to talk to your doctor before your procedure. Find out which level of sedation is the best fit for you.  

What did you have for breakfast this morning? Maybe some cereal with sliced banana, or eggs and toast with a side of orange juice … or cadmium? The toxic and potentially carcinogenic metal used in fertilizer is making the trip from farmland to food, showing up in breads, cereals, potatoes, root crops and vegetables. Cadmium has been linked to learning disabilities in kids, and now a study published in the journal Cancer Research shows it may contribute to breast cancer, as well. The study followed almost 56,000 Swedish women for more than 12 years and found that those with the highest level of exposure to cadmium had a 21 percent increased risk of developing breast cancer. The concern with cadmium is that it can mimic estrogen, which in high levels stimulates breast cancer growth. The risk is stronger for estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer. Scientists also found that the risk was higher in normal-weight and lean women than in overweight women, but whatever your weight, researchers say it’s no reason to avoid whole grains and veggies. In fact, the abundant antioxidants available in these foods may outweigh the hazards of cadmium. The World Health Organization recommends ingesting no more than 25 micrograms of cadmium per kilogram of body weight each month. For a 120-pound woman, that’s about 45 micrograms a day. The researchers stress that the correlation between cadmium and cancer does not prove that exposure to the chemical causes the disease. But it’s still smart to steer clear of cadmium. Your best bet is to go organic. Also avoid toys and jewelry products made in China, which have been found to contain high levels of cadmium. And if you need one more reason to quit smoking, know that tobacco smoke is chock full of the stuff. Clearing your environment and diet of cadmium could help keep your health in check.  

The scenario is distressingly familiar: A patient goes to the hospital, complaining of chest pains. He’s discharged after passing a cardiac check-up, but then suffers a heart attack a few days later. To help prevent situations like this from happening, doctors have now developed a blood test they hope will serve as an early detection system for heart attacks. To understand how the blood test works, you have to know why most heart attacks occur. In most cases, cardiac arrest comes after a fatty deposit breaks free of an artery and a blood clot forms to seal the break. If the clot is too large, it blocks the passage of blood through the artery and sends the patient into cardiac arrest. The problem is even the most sophisticated tests can’t predict what’s going to happen in the future. That’s where the new blood test comes in. Doctors search the blood for cells that appear to have flaked off severely distressed arteries, which indicates a break may be imminent. The test was developed by researchers at Scripps Translational Science Institute in California, who were studying cells shed from the lining of arteries. The team took blood from heart attack patients and healthy volunteers. They found a high number of cells in the blood from the heart attack patients and almost none in the blood from the healthy volunteers. One drawback: The researchers couldn’t tell when the cells started to appear in the blood, so it’s hard to know how early a warning signal it may be. But based on their findings, the doctors theorize the cells begin to appear between one to two weeks before an attack. The doctors believe that with almost 1 million incidents of cardiac arrest in the U.S. each year, every little bit of warning could make a sizable difference.