Sunday, July 16, 2017

Running as a Key Lifestyle Medicine for Longevity

Researchers found that, compared to nonrunners, runners tended to live about three additional years, even if they run slowly or sporadically and smoke, drink or are overweight.

No other form of exercise that researchers looked at showed comparable impacts on lifespan.

The findings come as a follow-up to a study done three years ago, in which a group of distinguished exercise scientists scrutinised data from a large trove of medical and fitness tests. That analysis found that as little as five minutes of daily running was associated with prolonged life spans.

Overall, this new review reinforced the findings of the earlier research, the scientists determined. Cumulatively, the data indicated that running, whatever someone's pace or mileage, dropped a person's risk of premature death by almost 40 percent, a benefit that held true even when the researchers controlled for smoking, drinking and a history of health problems such as hypertension or obesity.

Perhaps most interesting, the researchers calculated that hour for hour, running statistically returns more time to people's lives than it consumes.

Figuring two hours per week of training, since that was the average reported by runners in the earlier study, the researchers estimated that a typical runner would spend less than six months actually running over the course of almost 40 years, but could expect an increase in life expectancy of 3.2 years, for a net gain of about 2.8 years.

In concrete terms, an hour of running statistically lengthens life expectancy by seven hours, the researchers report.

The gains in life expectancy are capped at around three extra years, no matter how much longer you run. The good news is that prolonged running does not seem to become counterproductive for longevity, according to the data.

Improvements in life expectancy generally plateaued at about four hours of running per week, but they did not decline. Meanwhile, other kinds of exercise also reliably benefited life expectancy, the researchers found, but not to the same degree as running.

Walking, cycling and other activities, even if they required the same exertion as running, typically dropped the risk of premature death by about 12 percent.

Why running should be so uniquely potent against early mortality remains uncertain, but it raises aerobic fitness, and high aerobic fitness is one of the best-known indicators of an individual's long-term health.

Another study shows running is a popular and convenient leisure-time physical activity (PA) with a significant impact on longevity.


In general, runners have a 25-40% reduced risk of premature mortality and live approximately 3 years longer than non-runners.

So running and jogging are good for us, but before you start this type of exercise, see and talk to your Doctor about whether this is good for you.

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Average age of onset for type 2 diabetes

Published in the MNT weekly Newsletter, written by Jennifer Huizen and reviewed by Alana Biggers, MD, MPH

My nephew who is in his 30’s went to Africa and developed Type 2 Diabetes, and he almost died because he did not know what he had and did not get diagnosed until he came back to Canada. My Aunt died on Type One Diabetes when she was in her 40’s. It is important to know be screened for Diabetes. The following article shows how serious this condition is in the US.

Many people with diabetes do not know they have it, making regular screening tests important for those at risk.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommend annual diabetes screening tests after the age of 45. But the age at which someone develops the condition depends on too many differing factors to accurately predict.

A wide mix of individual health and lifestyle factors can influence the progression of the condition. Many people have diabetes for years before being diagnosed, causing a large variation between the age of onset and age of diagnosis.

Meanwhile, some estimates claim that nearly one-third of those with diabetes do not know they have it, which further complicates estimates. And many national surveys and studies do not distinguish between rates of type 1 and 2 diabetes in adults.

According to the CDC, from 1997 through to 2011, the average age at which a person was diagnosed with diabetes in the United States was largely the same, at around 54 years of age.

While there might not be a set age for onset for type 2 diabetes, age greatly increases the chances of developing the condition.

In 2014, an estimated 4.3 percent of Americans over 20 years of age had diabetes, while 13.4 percent of those aged 45-64, and 11.2 percent of those aged 65 or older, had the condition.

A 2016 study found that the rates of type 2 diabetes were up to seven times higher in Chinese adults, aged 55-74 than they were in those aged 20-34 years.

The ADA report that rates of diabetes remain high in the elderly population, impacting some 25 percent of that aged 65-plus.

Once considered an adult-only condition, type 2 diabetes is becoming an increasing problem in children and adolescents worldwide. An estimated 12 out of every 100,000 American youths under the age of 20 are diagnosed as having type 2 diabetes, with diagnosis occurring at an average age of 14.

Risk factors 
Anything that impacts blood sugars increases the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes.

Common factors that can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes include:
·       being more than 45 years old
·       being overweight
·       having excess abdominal or belly fat
·       poor diet, especially those high in excess or refined sugars and fats
·       inactivity
·       having family members with diabetes
·       having diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes)
·       giving birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds
·       high cholesterol (high triglycerides and low levels of HDL)
·       high blood pressure
·       history of heart disease and, or stroke
·       liver and, or kidney disease
·       polycystic ovary syndrome
·       depression

Sex, race, or ethnic background
Differences between the chances of developing type 2 diabetes and the age of diagnosis may also depend on sex and race or ethnic background.

The CDC noted that from 1997 to 2011, American men were diagnosed roughly 2 years earlier than women and that African-Americans and Hispanics were diagnosed around 6 years earlier than Caucasians.

After experiencing fairly similar rates of diabetes for decades, prevalence rates between the sexes is slowly changing. In 2014, an estimated 6.6 percent of American men and 5.9 percent of women had diabetes.

According to the ADA, diabetes impacts people of some races or ethnic backgrounds far more than others.

Lifestyle factors, such as diet and physical activity levels, may be to blame for higher prevalence rates but the research is still inconclusive.

Current rates of people in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with diabetes according to race or ethnic background:
·       7.6 percent of non-Hispanic whites
·       9 percent of Asian Americans (4.4 percent of Chinese, 8.8 percent of other Asian Americans, 11.3 percent of Filipinos, 13 percent of Asian Indians)
·       12.8 percent of Hispanics (8.5 percent of Central and South Americans, 9.3 percent of Cubans, 13.9 percent of Mexican Americans, 14.8 percent for Puerto Ricans)
·       13.2 percent of non-Hispanic blacks
·       15.9 percent of Native Americans and Alaskan Natives

American children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes tend to be obese and have a family history of diabetes. Furthermore, they are either of African American, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, or American Indian descent.

Ways to reduce the chances of developing type 2 diabetes

Often those with type 2 diabetes do not know they have the condition until physical symptoms occur, such as increased thirst, hunger, and fatigue. That means most of what is known about the early progression of the condition is based on information gained from tracking people with prediabetes, the condition that precedes type 2 diabetes.

According to the CDC, at least 86 million Americans have prediabetes. Roughly 90 percent of people with prediabetes do not know they have it.

Without treatment, 15 to 30 percent of those with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years of diagnosis. But for people with prediabetes, making diet and lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58 percent.


Friday, July 14, 2017

Do you Jog, it may help you live longer if you do?

The following was taken from an article written by Honor Whiteman and published in MNT weekly Newsletter and published May 17th 

New research further emphasises the importance of physical activity, after finding that people who are highly active can knock years off their biological age.

Researchers say that running for 30 to 40 minutes over 5 days per week could reduce cellular ageing by 9 years. But we are not talking about a light workout we are talking about a more serious workout on a regular basis, according to one of the researchers who said, “If you want to see a real difference in slowing your biological ageing, it appears that a little exercise won't cut it. You have to work out regularly at high levels.”

A researcher from Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, found that running for 30 or 40 minutes every day for 5 days each week can reduce the shortening of telomeres and decrease cellular ageing by 9 years.

Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, which are thread-like structures in cells that hold our DNA. They are often compared to the plastic tips at the end of shoelaces, as they stop the ends of chromosomes from fraying and sticking to other chromosomes.

Telomeres are a marker of biological age. As we get older, telomere length shortens. When telomeres become too short, they are no longer able to protect chromosomes, which can cause cells to stop functioning and die.

Poor lifestyle factors, such as lack of exercise, can also contribute to telomere shortening by causing oxidative stress, which is the inability of the body to offset the cell damage caused by free radicals.

The new study - conducted by Prof. Larry Tucker of the Department of Exercise Sciences at Brigham - demonstrates just how important physical activity is for protecting against cellular ageing.

The findings were recently published in the journal Preventative Medicine. For his study, Prof. Tucker analysed the data of 5,823 adults who were a part of the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The researcher looked at the telomere length of each participant. In addition, he looked at subjects' participation in 62 physical activities over a 30-day period, using this information to calculate their physical activity levels.

Compared with participants who were sedentary, those who were highly active were found to have telomere lengths representing a biological age of 9 years less, and a biological age of 7 years less compared with those who were moderately active.

Thirty minutes of jogging daily for 5 days per week was deemed highly active for women, while 40 minutes of jogging every day for 5 days each week was considered highly active for men.


Prof. Tucker says that he was surprised to discover that the telomere length between sedentary participants and those who were moderately active were not significantly different. This indicates that in order to protect against cellular ageing, high levels of physical activity are best.

Eat Yogurt, it helps bone density

The largest observational study to date of dairy intakes and bone and frailty measurements in older adults has found that increased yogurt consumption was associated with a higher hip bone density and a significantly reduced risk of osteoporosis in older women and men on the island of Ireland, after taking into account traditional risk factors.

The study led by Trinity College Dublin in collaboration with St James's Hospital Dublin and co-investigators from Nutrition at Ulster University, Coleraine investigated participants from the Trinity Ulster Department of Agriculture (TUDA) ageing cohort study.

Total hip and femoral neck bone mineral density measures in females were 3.1-3.9% higher among those with the highest yogurt intakes compared to the lowest and improvements were observed in some of the physical function measures (6.7% better). In men, the biomarker of bone breakdown was 9.5% lower in those with the highest yogurt intakes compared to the lowest. This is an indication of reduced bone turnover.

To determine risk factors for being diagnosed as osteoporotic, the research team analysed a wide range of factors such as BMI, kidney function, physical activity, servings of milk or cheese, and calcium or vitamin D supplements as well as traditional risk factors for bone health (e.g. smoking, inactivity, alcohol etc.). After adjusting for all these factors, each unit increase in yogurt intake in women was associated with a 31% lower risk of osteopenia and a 39% lower risk of osteoporosis. In men, a 52% lower risk of osteoporosis was found. Vitamin D supplements were also associated with significantly reduced risks both in men and women.

Osteoporosis is a chronic condition associated with a reduction in bone strength and an increased risk of bone fracture. Over 300,000 people in Ireland are thought to suffer from the condition while the associated costs of osteoporotic fractures are estimated to be over €650 million annually in Europe.

Lead author of the study and research fellow at the Centre for Medical Gerontology, Trinity, Dr Eamon Laird said: "Yogurt is a rich source of different bone promoting nutrients and thus our findings in some ways are not surprising. The data suggest that improving yogurt intakes could be a strategy for maintaining bone health but it needs verification through future research as it is observational."

Dr Miriam Casey, senior investigator of this study and Consultant Physician at St James's Hospital Dublin said: "The results demonstrate a significant association of bone health and frailty with a relatively simple and cheap food product. What is now needed is verification of these observations from randomised controlled trials as we still don't understand the exact mechanisms which could be due to the benefits of micro-biota or the macro and micronutrient composition of the yogurt."

The study included 1,057 women and 763 men who underwent a bone-mineral-density (BMD) assessment and 2,624 women and 1,290 men who had their physical function measured. Yogurt consumption information was obtained from a questionnaire and categorised as never, 2-3 times per week and more than one serving per day. Other factors examined included daily intakes of other dairy products, meat, fish, smoking and alcohol and other traditional risk factors that affect bone health.

The TUDA study was funded by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Food Institutional Research Measure initiative and the Northern Ireland Department for Employment and Learning (DEL), Cross-Border Research and Development Programme: "Strengthening the all Island Research Base". The current research was a supported by the National Dairy Council, Ireland through a research award.

The above was taken from an article: Greater yogurt consumption is associated with increased bone mineral density and physical function in older adults, E. Laird, A. M. Molloy, H. McNulty, M. Ward, K. McCarrol, lL. Hoey, C. F. Hughes, C. Cunningham, J. J. Strain, M. C. Casey, Osteoporosis International, doi: 10.1007/s00198-017-4049-5, published online 1 May 2017.