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31

Faculty Sections / যে মসলাগুলো কমায় ক্যান্সারের ঝুঁকি

« on: May 18, 2015, 03:48:51 PM »

  ক্যান্সারের মতো মারাত্মক মরণব্যধির কথা আমাদের কারোরই অজানা নেই। আজ পর্যন্ত প্রতিষেধক তৈরি না হওয়া এই মরণব্যধি তাই নির্মূলের চাইতে প্রতিরোধ সহজ। পুরো বিশ্বের অনেক গবেষণা অনুযায়ী বলা হয় ক্যান্সারকে প্রতিরোধ করতে হলে ২ ধরনের প্রতিরোধমূলক ব্যবস্থা নিতে হবে। প্রথমত, ডায়েট ও দ্বিতীয়ত, ব্যায়াম।
গবেষণায় দেখা যায় কিছু নির্দিষ্ট খাবারের মধ্যে ক্যান্সার প্রতিরোধের গুন রয়েছে। এবং এই ক্যান্সার প্রতিরোধ সম্ভব কিছু মসলার মাধ্যমেও। এগুলো প্রতিদিনের খাদ্য তালিকায় রাখলে ও নিয়মিত ব্যায়াম করলে ক্যান্সারকে দূরে রাখা সম্ভব।
আসুন দেখে নিই প্রতিদিনকার খাদ্য তালিকায় যে উপকারী মসলাগুলো যোগ করলে ক্যান্সারের হাত থেকে আপনি নিজেকে ও নিজের পরিবারকে রক্ষা করতে পারবেন।
হলুদ
মসলার রাজা হলুদ, কারণ আমাদের দেশের প্রায় প্রতিটি খাবারেই এই জিনিসটির ব্যবহার রয়েছে। সেই সাথে অনেক রোগের ঔষধও এই হলুদ। হলুদে রয়েছে পলিফেনল কারকিউমিন যা মূত্রনালির ক্যান্সার, মেলানোমা, স্তন ক্যান্সার, ব্রেইন টিউমার, প্যানক্রিয়েট ক্যান্সার ও লিউকোমিয়া প্রতিরোধে বিশেষভাবে কার্যকর।
জিরা
ফোটো নিউট্রিয়েন্টস ও অ্যান্টিঅক্সিডেন্টে ভরপুর জিরা দেহে ক্যান্সারের কোষ বৃদ্ধি প্রতিরোধে সহায়তা করে। এটি ক্যান্সার বৃদ্ধিকারি এনজাইমগুলোকে প্রতিহত করে থাকে।
জাফরান
জাফরানে রয়েছে প্রাকৃতিক স্যারোটেনয়েড ডাইকার্বোক্সি এসিড যা ক্রোসেটিন নামে পরিচিত। এই ক্রোসেটিন প্রাথমিক পর্যায়ের ক্যান্সার নির্মূলে বিশেষভাবে সহায়তা করে থাকে। যদিও এটি বিশ্বের সবচাইতে দামি মসলাগুলোর মধ্যে একটি, কিন্তু খুবই সামান্য পরিমাণে এই জাফরানের ব্যবহার আপনার দেহকে রাখবে ক্যান্সারের ঝুঁকি মুক্ত।
দারুচিনি
প্রতিদিন মাত্র আধা চা চামচ দারুচিনি গুঁড়ো খাওয়ার অভ্যাস আপনাকে ক্যান্সারের ঝুঁকি মুক্ত রাখবে সারাজীবন। আয়রন, ক্যালসিয়ামে ভরপুর এই মসলাটি দেহে টিউমার বৃদ্ধি প্রতিরোধ করে এবং ক্যান্সার দূরে রাখে। সকালে ১ কাপ দারুচিনির চা এবং রান্নায় সামান্য দারুচিনি গুঁড়ো যোগ করেই আপনি থাকতে পারেন নিশ্চিন্তে।
অরেগেনো
পিৎজা ও পাস্তার ওপরে টপিং হিসেবে অরেগেনো অনেকেরই পছন্দের। এর পাশাপাশি এই মসলাটি আপনাকে রাখবে ক্যান্সারের ঝুকিমুক্ত। অরেগেনোর অ্যান্টি মাইক্রোবিয়াল উপাদান সমূহ দেহে ক্যান্সারের কোষ বৃদ্ধিকে প্রতিহত করে।
আদা
সাধারণ নানা ছোটোখাটো রোগের থেকে মুক্তি দেয় এই আদা। কিন্তু অনেকেই জানেন না এটি আমাদের মুক্তি দিতে পারে মরনব্যধি ক্যান্সার থেকেও। আদা আমাদের দেহের কলেস্টোরলের মাত্রা কমায়, হজমে সহায়তা করে এবং ক্যান্সারের কোষ ধ্বংস করতে সহায়তা করে। রান্নায় আদার ব্যবহার বাড়িয়ে পরিবারকে রাখুন ক্যান্সার মুক্ত।
অন্যান্য
লবঙ্গ, রসুন, মেথি, সরিষা, পুদিনা, রোজমেরি, তাজা লেবু, ভিনেগার ইত্যাদি মসলাগুলোর মধ্যেও রয়েছে ক্যান্সার প্রতিরোধের গুনাগুন।

32

Faculty Sections / হাড়ের ক্ষয় রোধ করতে কিছু টিপস

« on: May 18, 2015, 03:47:06 PM »

আমাদের দেহের পুরো কাঠামোটি হাড়ের ওপর নির্মিত। আর সেই হাড় যদি ক্ষয় হতে থাকে, তবে তা মারাত্মক ঝুঁকি ও কষ্টের কারণ হয়ে দাড়ায়। প্রচন্ড ব্যথায় রোগী নড়াচড়া করতে পারে না। শয্যাশায়ী হয়ে যন্ত্রণায় কাতরাতে থাকেন। সুতরাং বুঝতেই পারছেন হাড় আমাদের জন্য কতোটা গুরুত্বপূর্ণ। কিন্তু এতো গুরুত্বপূর্ণ এই জিনিসটির জন্য আমরা তেমন কিছুই করি না। তবে নিয়মিত যত্নের মাধ্যমে এই সমস্যাটিকে দূরে রাখা সম্ভব। হাড়ের ক্ষয় রোধ করতে হলে নিয়মিত কিছু ছোট্ট কাজ করলেই যথেষ্ট।
১) দূরে রাখুন মানসিক চাপ
অনেকে না জানলেও, মানসিক চাপের সাথে হাড়ের গুরুত্বপূর্ণ সম্পর্ক রয়েছে। মানসিক চাপ থাকলে আমাদের দেহে কারটিসোল নামক একটি হরমোনের নিঃসরণ হয়। যা হাড় ক্ষয়ের জন্য বিশেষভাবে দায়ী। তাই মানসিক চাপটাকে যতো দূরে রাখবেন আপনার জন্য ততো ভালো হবে।
২) দূর করুন ভিটামিন ডি এর অভাব
খাবারের মাধ্যমে আমরা যে ক্যালসিয়াম গ্রহণ করি তা ভিটামিন ডি এর মাধ্যমে হাড় দ্বারা শোষিত হয়। যদি দেহে ভিটামিন ডি এর অভাব থাকে তবে ক্যালসিয়াম সমৃদ্ধ খাবার খাওয়ার পরও হাড়ের সমস্যা থেকে মুক্ত থাকা সম্ভব হয় না। তাই হাড়ের সমস্যা ও ক্ষয় রোধ করতে সর্তকভাবে ভিটামিন ডি এর অভাব পূরণ করতে হবে। মাছ, মাছের তেল, দুধ, সয়া দুধ, ফলমূলে রয়েছে ভিটামিন ডি। সূর্যের আলোর মাধ্যমেও দেহে ভিটামিন ডি এর চাহিদা পূরণ সম্ভব। ভোরের আলো গায়ে লাগালেও অনেক উপকার পাবেন।
৩) হাড়ের জন্য পুষ্টিকর খাবার
মজবুত হাড়ের জন্য খাদ্যতালিকায় অবশ্যই ক্যালসিয়াম সমৃদ্ধ খাবার রাখতে হবে। কম ফ্যাট যুক্ত দুধ ও দুগ্ধজাত খাবার খেতে হবে প্রতিদিন। দুধ, ডিম, কাঠবাদাম, ক্যালসিয়াম সমৃদ্ধ সামুদ্রিক মাছ, সবুজ শাকসবজি, ব্রকলি, প্রচুর পরিমাণে ফলমূল রাখতে হবে খাদ্য তালিকায়। এতে করেই আপনি পেতে পারেন মজবুত হাড়।
৪) বন্ধ করুন ধূমপান ও মদ্যপান
ধূমপানের ফলে হাড়ের ক্ষয় বাড়তে থাকে এবং এজন্য হাড়ের ভঙ্গুরতা বৃদ্ধি পায়। যারা নিয়মিত ধূমপান ও মদ্যপান করেন তাদের দেহ খাবারের পুষ্টি সঠিকভাবে দেহে সরবরাহ হয় না। খাবার খাওয়ার পরও পুষ্টি সঠিকভাবে হাড়ে না পৌঁছানোর কারণে হাড় ক্ষয় হতে থাকে। তাই সুস্থ দেহ ও হাড়ের জন্য ধূমপান ও মদ্যপান বন্ধ করে দিন।
৫) শারীরিক পরিশ্রম প্রতিদিন
যারা একটানা বসার কাজ করেন তাদের দেহে হাড়ের ভঙ্গুরতা বৃদ্ধি পায় অন্যান্যদের তুলনায় অনেক বেশি। যারা একেবারেই শারীরিক পরিশ্রম করেন না তাদের হাড় অপেক্ষাকৃত নরম ও দুর্বল হয়ে পড়ে। শারীরিক ব্যায়াম, খেলাধুলা, নাচ, সাইকেল চালানো, সাতার কাটা ইত্যাদি বেশ ভালো শারীরিক পরিশ্রম। যা হাড়কে মজবুত করে তোলে এবং হাড়ের ক্ষয়রোধে সহায়তা করে।

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Faculty Sections / ডায়াবেটিস নিরাময়ের জন্য শ্রেষ্ঠ ৬টি ফল (Six best fruits for curing Diabetis)

« on: May 18, 2015, 03:43:19 PM »

ফলে যে শর্করা রয়েছে তা ডায়াবেটিস এবং অতিরিক্ত ওজনের ব্যক্তির উপর নেতিবাচক প্রভাব ফেলে। কিন্তু আপনি গ্রীষ্মের ফলসমূহ যেমন- আম, আঙ্গুর ইত্যাদি মনমত উপভোগ করতে পারেন। ডাক্তারেরা ডায়াবেটিস রোগীদের ইনসুলিন নিয়ন্ত্রণ করার জন্য এবং স্বাস্থ্য ভাল রাখার জন্য বিভিন্ন ধরনের ফল খাওয়ার পরামর্শ প্রদান করেন। এখানে, ডায়াবেটিক বন্ধুত্বপূর্ণ কিছু ফলের তালিকা উপস্থাপন করা হল-
১. লাল জাম্বুরা:
জাম্বুরা আপনাকে কমলার কথা মনে করিয়ে দিতে পারে। কিন্তু, জাম্বুরা মিষ্টি, ঝাল ও সরস। ডায়াবেটিসের জন্য জাম্বুরা অনেক স্বাস্থ্যকর খারাপ। ডায়াবেটিসের রোগীদের প্রতিদিন একটি অর্ধ-জাম্বুরা খাওয়া উচিৎ।
২. বাঙ্গি:
তরমুজ, খরমুজ বা প্রাকৃতিক মধু ইত্যাদিতে প্রচুর পরিমাণে ভিটামিন বি, সি, বিটা উদ্ভিদে বিদ্যামান পিঙ্গল পদার্থ, পটাসিয়াম এবং লিকোফেন রয়েছে। এ সকল ফলের কোন একটি ফালি আপনার শরীরের প্রয়োজনীয় ভিটামিন পূরণ করতে পারে।
৩. চেরি:
চেরিতে অ্যান্টি-অক্সিডেন্ট বৈশিষ্ট্য বিদ্যামান। এছাড়াও এতে কার্ব এবং গ্লাইকেমিক এর মাত্রা কম। প্রতিদিন মাত্র ১২টি চেরি সেবন করলেই আপনার শরীরের চাহিদা পূরণ হবে।
৪. আপেল:
আপেল কখনও ছুলে খাবেন না। কারন, আপেলের চামড়াতে অ্যান্টি-অক্সিডেন্ট রয়েছে এবং আপেলে প্রচুর পরিমাণে ফাইবার ও ভিটামিন সি রয়েছে।
৫. কমলা:
কমলা ভিটামিন সি এর জন্য অনেক বেশি পরিচিত। এছাড়াও, কমলায় কার্ব কম থাকে এবং পটাসিয়াম থাকে। ডায়াবেটিসের জন্য কমলা নিরাপদ।তাই, প্রতিদিনের খাদ্যতালিকায় কমলা রাখতে পারেন।
৬. নাশপাতি:
পটাসিয়াম ও ফাইবারে সমৃদ্ধ এবং কম পরিমাণে কার্বের খাবার হল নাশপাতি। তাই, অবশ্যই আপনার খাদ্যের অংশে নাশপাতি রাখা উচিৎ।
ডায়াবেটিসের রোগীরা নিঃসন্দেহে এই ছয়টি ফল খেতে পারেন। এতে আপনাদের স্বাস্থ্যের উন্নতি হবে এবং ইনসুলিন নিয়ন্ত্রনে থাকবে।–সূত্র: টাইম্‌স অফ ইন্ডিয়া।

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Faculty Sections / Men: Wearing red can make you appear angry, dominant

« on: May 18, 2015, 01:31:28 PM »

Men who wear red clothes send out a signal that they are angry and aggressive, in much the same way as if their face had reddened, suggests research published by Durham University in England.

When 50 male and 50 female volunteers were showed images of men in different colored t-shirts, they rated those wearing red as more aggressive and angry than those in blue or grey.

However, while the male volunteers also tended to consider men wearing red as 'dominant', the female volunteers did not.

The results of the research may have parallels in nature and could provide insights into whether it is advisable to wear red in certain social situations, said Rob Barton, Professor in Evolutionary Anthropology at Durham University, who led the study.

Red often signals aggression in animals -- and the tendency for men to turn red-faced when they are angry is believed to be inherited from our ancient ancestors as a warning sign. In some animal species, red may be displayed by competing males trying to dominate each another to win the right to mate with females, he said.

Professor Barton worked with colleagues Dr Russell Hill and PhD student Diana Wiedemann in the Department of Anthropology, and Dr Mike Burt, of the Department of Psychology, all at Durham University.

Ms Wiedemann, who conducted the experiments, said: "We know that the color red has an effect on the human brain. This is embedded in our culture, for example the idea of wearing a red tie -- known as a 'power tie' -- for business, or issuing a red alert."

"The implications of our research are that people may wish to think carefully about wearing red in social situations and perhaps important meetings, such as job interviews. Being perceived as aggressive or dominant may be an advantage in some circumstances but a disadvantage in others, for example where teamwork or trustworthiness is important."

Durham University researchers have previously shown that wearing red can have effects in sport, promoting aggression and competitiveness within teams and intimidating opponents. Professor Barton and his team are currently talking to organisers of combat sports about the possibility of introducing new rules on competitors wearing red, to avoid the color being used to unfair advantage.

However, the study published today, in the Royal Society journal, Biology Letters, is believed to be the first into the effects of color on social perceptions of dominance and aggression in neutral settings.

To carry out the research, images of men were digitally manipulated, so they appeared to wear a variety of differently colored t-shirts. These were shown to the volunteers, who rated them on a scale of 1-7 for both aggression and dominance.

The volunteers were also asked to decide on the emotional state of the man in each image. They tended to choose 'angry' for those wearing red, in preference to the other choices of happy, frightened and neutral.

Professor Barton said: "Taken together, our findings suggest a clear association between the color red and perceptions of anger, possibly related to the role of facial reddening as a natural sign of anger."

The Durham research team studied only the effects of men wearing red to limit the number of variables -- the results would have been much harder to analyse if they had presented the volunteers with images of both sexes. However, the perceptions of women wearing red may be a topic for future research.

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Faculty Sections / High milk intake linked with higher fractures and mortality, research suggests

« on: May 18, 2015, 01:29:59 PM »

A high milk intake in women and men is not accompanied by a lower risk of fracture and instead may be associated with a higher rate of death, suggests observational research published in The BMJ this week.

This may be explained by the high levels of lactose and galactose (types of sugar) in milk, that have been shown to increase oxidative stress and chronic inflammation in animal studies, say the researchers.

However, they point out that their study can only show an association and cannot prove cause and effect. They say the results "should be interpreted cautiously" and further studies are needed before any firm conclusions or dietary recommendations can be made.

A diet rich in milk products is promoted to reduce the likelihood of osteoporotic fractures, but previous research looking at the importance of milk for the prevention of fractures and the influence on mortality rates show conflicting results.

So a research team in Sweden, led by Professor Karl Michaëlsson, set out to examine whether high milk intake may increase oxidative stress, which, in turn, affects the risk of mortality and fracture.

Two large groups of 61,433 women (aged 39-74 years in 1987-1990) and 45,339 men (aged 45-79 years in 1997) in Sweden completed food frequency questionnaires for 96 common foods including milk, yoghurt and cheese.

Lifestyle information, weight and height were collated and factors such as education level and marital status were also taken into account. National registers were used to track fracture and mortality rates.

Women were tracked for an average of 20 years, during which time 15,541 died and 17,252 had a fracture, of whom 4,259 had a hip fracture.

In women, no reduction in fracture risk with higher milk consumption was observed. Furthermore, women who drank more than three glasses of milk a day (average 680 ml) had a higher risk of death than women who drank less than one glass of milk a day (average 60 ml).

Men were tracked for an average of 11 years, during which time 10,112 died and 5,066 had a fracture, with 1,166 hip fracture cases. Men also had a higher risk of death with higher milk consumption, although this was less pronounced than in women.

Further analysis showed a positive association between milk intake and biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation.

In contrast, a high intake of fermented milk products with a low lactose content (including yoghurt and cheese) was associated with reduced rates of mortality and fracture, particularly in women.

They conclude that a higher consumption of milk in women and men is not accompanied by a lower risk of fracture and instead may be associated with a higher rate of death. Consequently, there may be a link between the lactose and galactose content of milk and risk, although causality needs be tested.

"Our results may question the validity of recommendations to consume high amounts of milk to prevent fragility fractures," they write. "The results should, however, be interpreted cautiously given the observational design of our study. The findings merit independent replication before they can be used for dietary recommendations."

Michaëlsson and colleagues raise a fascinating possibility about the potential harms of milk, says Professor Mary Schooling at City University of New York in an accompanying editorial. However, she stresses that diet is difficult to assess precisely and she reinforces the message that these findings should be interpreted cautiously.

"As milk consumption may rise globally with economic development and increasing consumption of animal source foods, the role of milk and mortality needs to be established definitively now," she concludes.

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Faculty Sections / Milk: Two glasses a day tones muscles, keeps the fat away in women, study shows

« on: May 18, 2015, 01:28:34 PM »

Women who drink two large glasses of milk a day after their weight-lifting routine gained more muscle and lost more fat compared to women who drank sugar-based energy drinks, a McMaster study has found.

The study appears in the June issue of Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise.

"Resistance training is not a typical choice of exercise for women," says Stu Phillips, professor in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University. "But the health benefits of resistance training are enormous: It boosts strength, bone, muscular and metabolic health in a way that other types of exercise cannot."

A previous study conducted by Phillips' lab showed that milk increased muscle mass and fat loss in men. This new study, says Phillips was more challenging because women not only steer clear of resistance training they also tend to steer away from dairy products based on the incorrect belief that dairy foods are fattening.

"We expected the gains in muscle mass to be greater, but the size of the fat loss surprised us," says Phillips. "We're still not sure what causes this but we're investigating that now. It could be the combination of calcium, high-quality protein, and vitamin D may be the key, and. conveniently, all of these nutrients are in milk.

Over a 12-week period, the study monitored young women who did not use resistance-training exercise. Every day, two hours before exercising, the women were required not to eat or drink anything except water. Immediately after their exercise routine, one group consumed 500ml of fat free white milk; the other group consumed a similar-looking but sugar-based energy drink. The same drinks were consumed by each group one hour after exercising.

The training consisted of three types of exercise: pushing (e.g. bench press, chest fly), pulling (e.g. seated lateral pull down, abdominal exercises without weights), and leg exercises (e.g. leg press, seated two-leg hamstring curl). Training was monitored daily one on one by personal trainers to ensure proper technique.

"The women who drank milk gained barely any weight because what they gained in lean muscle they balanced out with a loss in fat" said Phillips. "Our data show that simple things like regular weightlifting exercise and milk consumption work to substantially improve women's body composition and health." Phillips' lab is now following this study up with a large clinical weight loss trial in women.

Funding for the study was provided by McMaster University, CIHR, and the Dairy Farmers of Canada.

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Faculty Sections / Exercising first, dieting later protects patients from muscle loss

« on: May 18, 2015, 01:20:29 PM »

Younger and older women tend to lose lean muscle mass, along with fat, unless they engage in physical activity before they attempt weight loss, a new study from Israel finds. The results were presented at the joint meeting of the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society: ICE/ENDO 2014 in Chicago.

"To preserve muscle in metabolic syndrome, irrespective of age, exercise should precede the initiation of weight loss and not be started at the same time as diet," said lead study author Yonit Marcus, MD, PhD, endocrinologist at the Institute of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Hypertension of Tel Aviv Medical Center in Tal Aviv, Israel.

The recommended treatment for metabolic syndrome (MetS) patients is a combination of proper diet and exercise, yet most attempted weight loss periods end with later weight regain. Muscle loss often occurs during diet, so repeated weight loss attempts may lead to increasing loss of muscle mass, frailty and disability.

"The metabolic syndrome and obesity have become the pandemic of the 21st century," Dr. Marcus said, "and the only measures taken to counter this problem are exercise and diet. Exercise and diet are commonly started at the same time, but this should be reconsidered."

For this study, Dr. Marcus and colleagues recruited 38 patients with MetS, aged 19 through 71 years. All patients completed a 1-year intervention program involving frequent interactions with physicians, a dietician and a physiologist. Overall, 9 men and 8 women were above the median age of 53 years, and 12 men and 6 women were below the median age. At the beginning and the end of the year, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) bone scans were performed to determine body composition.

The DEXA scans showed that women and men younger than 53 years lost 11% and 10% of their body weight, respectively, while those over 53 years lost only about 6% of their body weight. Younger women and men lost about 17% of their fat mass but older women and men lost only 10% and 15%, respectively. Younger men lost less of their muscle mass than women (1% vs 5%), and both older men and women lost 3% of their muscle mass.

Strikingly, the authors wrote, all patients who gained or lost less than 2.9% of muscle mass were exclusively those who engaged in physical activity prior to beginning the program and continued throughout the year.

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Faculty Sections / Can diet and exercise prevent muscle loss in old age? Maybe not

« on: May 18, 2015, 01:18:06 PM »

Scientists at the University of Southampton have shown that although some studies find diet can enhance the effects of exercise to prevent muscle loss in later life, current evidence about what works is inconsistent.

Between the ages of 40 and 80, an estimated 30 to 50 per cent of muscle mass is lost, resulting in lower strength and less ability to carry out everyday tasks. This process -- known as sarcopenia -- is common and clearly linked to frailty and poorer health in older people. The associated health care costs are substantial.

Exercise training and diet supplementation have been shown to be effective in preventing sarcopenia in some studies, but little is known about the combined effects of training with supplements, particularly in older people.

In the study, published in Clinical Interventions in Aging, scientists from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit at the University of Southampton carried out a review of combined diet and exercise training trials in men and women aged over 65 years old. Almost 5,000 scientific articles were screened, with more than 100 reviewed in detail and 17 of these were included in the review. The review shows that findings differ across studies and suggests more research is needed.

Professor Sian Robinson, who led the review, says, "Poor diets and being physically inactive are common in older age. Understanding the benefits of maintaining sufficient levels of physical activity and diet quality to prevent sarcopenia is therefore a priority.

"Although some studies have found enhanced effects of exercise training when combined with diet supplementation, our review shows that current evidence is incomplete and inconsistent. Further research to determine the benefits of supplementation and exercise training for older people is therefore needed."

Professor Cyrus Cooper, Professor of Rheumatology and Director of the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, adds: "This study is part of an important programme of research at the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit that aims to improve our understanding of the effects of environment and lifestyle on musculoskeletal health and the process of aging."

Professor Avan Aihie Sayer, Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit who oversaw the work, comments: "Sarcopenia is now recognised as a major clinical problem for older people. Gaining insights into the effects of lifestyle on losses of muscle mass and strength will be essential for the development of future public health strategies to promote better health in later life."

The study Prevention and optimal management of sarcopenia: A review of combined exercise and nutrition interventions to improve muscle outcomes in older people was funded by the Medical Research Council.

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Faculty Sections / Daily breakfast is associated with a lower type 2 diabetes risk profile in child

« on: May 11, 2015, 06:51:50 PM »

Regular consumption of a healthy breakfast may help children lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in this week's PLOS Medicine. The study, conducted by Angela Donin of St. George's University of London and colleagues, found an association between children who reported skipping breakfast most days and higher levels of known diabetes risk factors.

The researchers reached these conclusions after conducting a cross-sectional study of 4,116 primary school children 9-10 years old in the UK. The children responded to questions about how often and what they ate for breakfast, and blood tests measured diabetes risk markers such as fasting insulin, glucose, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Twenty-six percent of children reported not having breakfast every day.

Children who reported usually not having breakfast had higher fasting insulin (percent difference 26.4%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 16.6%-37.0%), higher insulin resistance (percent difference 26.7%, 95% CI 17.0%-37.2%), slightly higher HbA1c (percent difference 1.2%, 95% CI 0.4%-2.0%), and slightly higher glucose (percent difference 1.0%, 95% CI 0.0%-2.0%),) than those who reported always eating breakfast. Additionally, among children who completed a 24 hour dietary recall, those who reported eating a high fiber, cereal breakfast had lower insulin resistance than those eating other types of food, such as biscuit-based breakfasts.

Though a limitation of cross-sectional studies is the risk of identifying false associations as a result of confounding factors, the associations identified in this study remained significant even after adjusting for potentially confounding factors such as socioeconomic status, physical activity, and body fat. Still, the authors note the need for future studies to demonstrate whether increasing breakfast consumption among children leads to improvements in their diabetes risk profile.

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Faculty Sections / Can breakfast make kids smarter?

« on: May 11, 2015, 06:50:04 PM »

New research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing has found that children who regularly have breakfast on a near-daily basis had significantly higher full scale, verbal, and performance IQ test scores.

In one of the first studies to examine IQ and breakfast consumption, researchers examined data from 1,269 children six years old in China, where breakfast is highly valued, and concluded that children who did not eat breakfast regularly had 5.58 points lower verbal, 2.50 points lower performance, and 4.6 points lower total IQ scores than children who often or always ate breakfast after adjusting for seven sociodemographic confounders.

"Childhood is a critical period in which dietary and lifestyle patterns are initiated, and these habits can have important immediate and long-term implications," said lead author Jianghong-Liu, PhD, RN, FAAN, associate professor at Penn Nursing. "Breakfast habits appear to be no exception, and irregular breakfast eating has already been associated with a number of unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, frequent alcohol use, and infrequent exercise."

At age 6, a child's cognitive ability as both the verbal and performance levels is rapidly developing. Both the nutritional and social aspects of breakfast play a role. After a whole night of fasting, breakfast serves as a means to supply "fuel" to the brain. Meanwhile, social interaction at breakfast time with parents may promote brain development. Mealtime discussions may facilitate cognitive development by offering children the opportunity to expand their vocabulary, practice synthesizing and comprehending stories, and acquire general knowledge, noted the authors.

The researchers suggest that schools play a role in stressing the importance of eating breakfast by delaying start times and/or providing breakfast to allow students to profit from the cognitive benefits of eating before a morning curriculum.

"Because adequate nutrition in early childhood has been linked to increased IQ through childhood, which is related to decreased childhood behavioral disorders, better career satisfaction, and socioeconomic success in adults, breakfast consumption could ultimately benefit long-term physical and mental health outcomes as well a quality of life," said Dr. Liu. "These findings may reflect nutritional as well as social benefits of breakfast consumption on children and hold important public health implications regarding regular breakfast consumption in early young children.

This study was based on data collected from the China Jintan Child Cohort Study, led by Dr. Liu, an on-going prospective longitudinal study with the main aim of assessing the early health risk factors for the development of child neurobehavioral outcomes. The study was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

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Faculty Sections / Regular breakfast helps reduce lead poisoning in children

« on: May 11, 2015, 06:48:35 PM »

It is known that fasting increases lead absorption in adults and consequently regular meals and snacks are recommended for children to prevent lead poisoning. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Environmental Health demonstrates that having a regular breakfast is associated with lower blood lead levels in children.

This NIH/NIEHS-funded study was carried out by scientists led by Dr. Jianghong Liu of the University of Pennsylvania.

Data from the China Jintan Child Cohort Study compared blood lead levels to social factors, eating patterns and intake of micronutrients. While there were no differences in breakfast patterns for age or gender of the child there were differences in blood lead levels. The risk of lead poisoning in boys was almost twice that of girls, and four and five year olds had twice the risk of lead poisoning than three year olds. Nevertheless, when variables, such as age and the gender of the child were taken into account, children who ate a regular breakfast had 15% lower blood lead levels than those who skipped breakfast.

Breakfast habits were determined by family tendencies with both the parents and grandparents of children who ate breakfast tending to be professionals or more educated. Dr. Liu said, "Parental or caregivers' characteristics, including education and occupation, are major determinants of breakfast frequency. Consequently improving parent's knowledge about the links between nutrition and blood lead might help to prevent lead poisoning in these children."

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Faculty Sections / Changing breakfast habits may not affect weight

« on: May 11, 2015, 06:46:41 PM »

Those trying to lose weight are often told to not skip breakfast. A new study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham shows that while an association exists between breakfast and weight management, the question of whether eating vs. skipping breakfast affects weight has not been answered by research.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating a nutrient-dense breakfast to promote calorie balance and weight management, since not eating breakfast has been associated with excess body weight. A team led by David Allison, Ph.D., associate dean for science in the UAB School of Public Health, said that studies designed to find links between two things, like breakfast habits and obesity, often do not prove that one causes the other.

Andrew Brown, Ph.D., first author of the new study recently published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, spearheaded the examination of 92 studies about the proposed effect of breakfast on obesity (PEBO). The PEBO-related research literature, the authors found, seemed to be influenced by factors that led to exaggerated beliefs and statements about the purported effects of breakfast consumption on obesity. These include research that lacks probative value and biased research reporting.

Probative value is the extent to which a study can move knowledge forward from the current status quo. The authors explain that probative value of a given study on a topic tends to decrease as similar types of studies are repeated excessively.

"Another way to look at it is to ask, 'Do we really feel any more confident about the relationship between skipping breakfast and obesity after the 78th compared to the 77th cross-sectional association study,''' Brown said.

Biased research reporting, the authors explain, entails distorting research findings in ways that support a particular hypothesis beyond what the data support.

"We specifically found that research articles tended to overstate the strength of study designs and ignored evidence that did not support the proposed effect of breakfast on obesity," Brown said. "These distortions leave readers believing that the relationship between breakfast and obesity is more strongly established by science than the data actually support."

Allison and his team, which included Brown and Michelle Bohan Brown, found that scientists collectively do not know as much about the relationship between skipping breakfast and obesity as previously thought, based on the current state of PEBO-related research.

Their meta-analysis indicated that there is certainty that breakfast-skipping and obesity are associated, but it cannot confirm whether there is a causal effect of skipping breakfast on obesity.

"Although we know that breakfast-skippers are more likely to be overweight or obese, we do not know if making breakfast-skippers eat breakfast would decrease their weight," Brown said. "Nor do we know if making breakfast-eaters stop eating breakfast would cause them to gain weight."

"Uncertainty should not be confused with evidence of no benefit or harm, though," Allison aid. "It just means that right now we don't know how changing breakfast-eating habits will influence obesity -- eating versus skipping breakfast could help control weight, cause more weight gain or have no effect -- and the effect may vary from person to person."

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Faculty Sections / Big breakfast generally doesn't help weight loss

« on: May 11, 2015, 06:44:18 PM »

Does eating a big breakfast help weight loss or is it better to skip breakfast altogether? Available information is confusing but new research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition Journal clears a path through these apparently contradictory reports.

Dr Volker Schusdziarra, from the Else-Kröner-Fresenius Center of Nutritional Medicine, conducted a study on over 300 people who were asked to keep a journal of what they usually ate. Within the group sometimes people ate a big breakfast, sometimes small, and sometimes skipped it all together.

Schusdziarra said that "the results of the study showed that people ate the same at lunch and dinner, regardless of what they had for breakfast," this means that a big breakfast (on average 400kcal greater than a small breakfast) resulted in a total increase in calories eaten over the day of about 400kcal. The only difference seen was the skipping of a mid morning snack when someone ate a really big breakfast, however this was not enough to offset the extra calories they had already eaten.

The group addressed previous research, which suggests that eating a big breakfast reduces total calorie intake over the day, and showed that this data is misleading. This earlier research only looked at the ratio of breakfast calories to daily calories and in Schusdziarra's study this ratio seems to be most affected by people eating less during the day. In other words their breakfast was proportionally, but not absolutely, bigger. So it seems that there is no magic and that, unfortunately, in the fight for weight-loss, eating a large breakfast must be counteracted by eating substantially less during the rest of the day.

In order to lose weight sensibly NHS guidelines (UK) suggest restricting calorie intake, cutting down on saturated fat and sugar, and eating 5-a-day fruit and veg.

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Faculty Sections / Breakfast habits affect teens' metabolic responses to protein-packed meal

« on: May 11, 2015, 06:42:17 PM »

Breakfast habits may play a role in how individuals metabolize high-protein breakfasts, according to a recently published University of Missouri study. An MU researcher compared young women who habitually skip breakfast to those who routinely eat breakfast and found that their metabolic responses to eating a high-protein breakfast were different. Specifically, the habitual breakfast skippers experienced poorer glucose control throughout the day when they consumed a high-protein breakfast, whereas those who typically ate a high-carbohydrate breakfast had improved glucose control after they ate a high-protein breakfast.

"Current scientific evidence shows that sustained elevations in post-meal glucose is a strong contributor of poor glycemic control and is associated with an increased risk for the development of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular complications." said Heather Leidy, an assistant professor in the MU Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. "Because of the potential risk in the long term, identifying dietary strategies that individuals can begin when they are young to reduce post-meal elevations in glucose might prevent the occurrence of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease."

The researchers studied 35 overweight young women who habitually ate breakfast or habitually skipped breakfast. For the study, the habitual breakfast skippers ate a high-carbohydrate breakfast, a high-protein breakfast or continued to skip breakfast consecutively for three days. The habitual breakfast consumers ate a high-carbohydrate breakfast or a high-protein breakfast consecutively for four days. On the fourth day of each pattern, the researchers measured the subjects' blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels throughout the day.

The researchers found the young women's glucose responses to high-protein versus high-carbohydrate breakfasts were influenced by their typical breakfast habits. For habitual breakfast skippers, eating a high-protein breakfast led to elevated glucose levels throughout the day compared to skipping breakfast, whereas the standard, high-carbohydrate breakfast did not influence these responses. However, among those who routinely ate breakfast, the high-protein breakfasts led to reduced glucose levels throughout the day.

"These findings may indicate an increased inability among habitual breakfast skippers to metabolize a large quantity of protein," Leidy said. "Unfortunately, we don't yet know how long someone who has been skipping breakfast needs to continue eating breakfast to experience benefits. However, our data would suggest that once someone begins to eat breakfast, they should gradually transition to a breakfast with more protein -- or about 30 grams -- to elicit improvements in glycemic control."

Leidy said young women should routinely aim for a 350-calorie breakfast with approximately 30 grams of protein. To meet the recommended 30 grams of protein, Leidy suggests foods such scrambled eggs, breakfast burritos with eggs and lean meats, or Greek yogurt.

The study, "The effect of breakfast type and frequency of consumption on glycemic response in overweight/obese late adolescent girls," was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

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Faculty Sections / A breakfast of champions for diabetics

« on: May 11, 2015, 06:40:54 PM »

Our modern epidemic of obesity has led to an alarming rise in the incidence of diabetes. More than 382 million people on the planet suffer from diabetes, predominantly type-2 diabetes. For these people, blood sugar surges -- glucose spikes after meals -- can be life threatening, leading to cardiovascular complications.

A new Tel Aviv University study published in Diabetologia proposes a new way to suppress deadly glucose surges throughout the day -- eating a high-caloric breakfast and a more modest dinner. According to TAU's Prof. Daniela Jakubowicz and Dr. Julio Wainstein of the Wolfson Medical Center's Diabetes Unit, Prof. Oren Froy of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Prof. Bo Ahrén of Lund University in Sweden, the combined consumption of a high-energy breakfast and a low-energy dinner decreases overall daily hyperglycaemia in type-2 diabetics.

"We found that by eating more calories at breakfast, when the glucose response to food is lowest, and consuming fewer calories at dinner, glucose peaks after meals and glucose levels throughout the day were significantly reduced," said Prof. Jakubowicz.

All in the timing

The new study was conducted on eight men and 10 women aged 30-70 with type-2 diabetes. Patients were randomized and assigned either a "B diet" or "D diet" for one week. The B diet featured a 2946 kilojoule (kj) breakfast, 2523 kj lunch, and 858kj dinner, and the D diet featured a 858 kj breakfast, 2523 kj lunch, and 2946 kj dinner. Both diets contained the same total energy measured in kilojoules, a food energy measurement similar to a calorie, but were consumed at different times through the day, with the larger meal taking place during breakfast in the B diet. The larger meal included two slices of bread, milk, tuna, a granola bar, scrambled egg, yoghurt and cereal; the smaller meal contained sliced turkey breast, mozzarella, salad and coffee.

Patients consumed their diets at home for six days before the day of testing. On the seventh day, each group consumed their assigned meal plan at the clinic, and blood samples were collected just before breakfast and at regular intervals after the meal. Blood sampling was repeated at the same intervals after lunch and dinner. Post-meal glucose levels were measured in each participant, as well as levels of insulin, c-peptide (a component of insulin), and glucagon-like-peptide 1 hormone (GLP-1, also known as incretin: an indicator of glucose metabolism that stimulates insulin release). Two weeks later, patients switched to the alternate diet plan, and the tests were repeated.

The results of the study showed that post-meal glucose elevations were 20% lower and levels of insulin, C-peptide, and GLP-1 were 20% higher in participants on the B diet compared with those on the D diet.

What -- and when -- to eat

Despite the fact that both diets contained the same calories, blood glucose levels rose 23 percent less after the lunch preceded by a large breakfast.

"By demonstrating that a diet of high-energy breakfasts and more modest dinners is more effective in lowering overall daily post-meal glucose surges, we suggest that such a regimen is a powerful therapeutic approach for improving glycemic control and may potentially reduce cardiovascular complications in type- 2 diabetics," said Prof. Jakubowicz. "It is not enough to tell the diabetic patient what he or she should or should not eat. It is more important to emphasize that a more advantageous meal schedule should be followed."

The researchers are currently engaged in an extended study of the benefits of high-energy breakfast and reduced-calorie dinners over time.