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October 2006 Vol. 11 No. 10
It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time.
Sir Winston Churchill
Table of Contents:
AFPA Press Releases
Cut Your Pancreatic Cancer Risks by Nearly Half With Vitamin D
Parents: The Weakest Link in the Childhood Obesity Epidemic
Low Vitamin D Increases Your Chances of Being Admitted to a Nursing Home
Vioxx Cousin, Celebrex, Also Found to Cause Heart Attacks
Obesity Raises Ovarian Cancer Risks
How Children Can Beat Obesity
Consuming Omega-3 Fats Better For Your Health Than Having a Defibrillator Close By
Does Your Multivitamin Contain Copper?
Choose the Commercial with the Worst Health Message
Obesity Fuels Diabetes
AFPA Press Releases
AFPA [American Fitness Professionals & Associates have received accreditation from 3 organizations in the past 4 months, including the following:
- Fitness Standards Council
- Vital Research
- American Association of Drugless Practitioners
American Fitness Professionals & Associates [AFPA] has been granted full board professional accreditation & certification by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. AFPA’s school curriculum fully meets the AADP’s accreditation board educational requirements, giving AFPA students a thorough knowledge of courses set-forth by the Institute. Graduates of AFPA are eligible to apply to be board certified holistic health care practitioners through the AADP.
For more information you may visit us at: http://www.afpafitness.com/aboutus.htm
Cut Your Pancreatic Cancer Risks by Nearly Half With Vitamin D
A study examining data from two large, long-term health surveys has found that taking the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin D in tablet form (400 IU per day) can cut the risk of pancreatic cancer almost in half.
Those who took the U.S. RDA of vitamin D reduced their risk of pancreatic cancer by 43 percent. In contrast, those who took less than 150 IUs per day experienced only a 22 percent reduction in their cancer risk.
The surveys examined more than 45,000 men between the ages of 40 and 75 and more than 75,000 women between the ages of 38 and 65. Of the survey participants, 365 developed pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth-leading cause of death from cancer in the United States. It has no known cure, and surgical treatments are often ineffective.
Science Daily September 12, 2006
Parents: The Weakest Link in the Childhood Obesity Epidemic
A wide variety of studies released this summer showed that children in all U.S. age groups are gaining too much weight, including babies. One-third of children and teens are either overweight or about to become overweight. Nutrition experts, after looking over these studies, point to the parents as being the single most important factor.
Most overweight children also have at least one parent who is overweight. The children learn unhealthy behaviors from their parents at an early age. Mothers and fathers may encourage their kids to eat more fruits and vegetables, but the message doesn’t come through unless the parents also do so themselves.
According to a survey of almost 1,500 children conducted by the America On The Move Foundation, 71 percent of children get information about how to be healthy from their mothers and 43 percent get such information from their fathers. Two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese.
Problems with home meal planning can include too many servings of sodas and sugary drinks, too much packaged and fast food, not enough fruits and vegetables, mixed messages from day to day about food choices, and no coherent meal schedule.
Obesity leads to an increased risk of diabetes, high cholesterol and other health problems.
Institute of Medicine September 13, 2006 Free PDF Brief
USA Today September 13, 2006
Low Vitamin D Increases Your Chances of Being Admitted to a Nursing Home
A study has shown that elderly men and women who were deficient in vitamin D were significantly more likely to be admitted to a nursing home than those with high levels.
Vitamin D deficiency is common among senior citizens. Up to 90 percent may suffer from the deficiency. One reason is their lower sunshine exposure, along with the reduced capacity of older skin to synthesize vitamin D when exposed to light. Poor nutritional intake is also a factor.
Low vitamin D concentrations may accelerate age-related decline in physical health. Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to be one cause of lower muscle strength, loss of muscle strength, and poorer physical performance.
There is also an association between lower vitamin D concentrations and higher mortality risk. Several studies have shown improvements in muscle strength, body sway, fall risk, and physical performance following vitamin D supplementation.
The greater risk of nursing home admission can in part be explained by the high risk of osteoporosis, falls, and fractures related to a lack of vitamin D. But it could also be related to the fact that vitamin D deficiency has been shown to be connected to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and numerous other health problems. Insufficient vitamin D could be a main cause of poorer health, and higher health care costs, among older people.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition September 2006; 84(3): 616-622
Vioxx Cousin, Celebrex, Also Found to Cause Heart Attacks
New research shows that Pfizer-made Celebrex, the only COX-2 painkiller still on the market, may pose heart risks, just like its more notorious cousin Vioxx.
Celebrex has been touted not only as a pain reliever but also as a method to prevent colorectal polyps, which can lead to cancer.
And a pair of Pfizer-funded studies, which together included almost 3,600 patients, did in fact find that Celebrex reduced the risk of recurrent polyps. But an analysis of the two studies in the journal Circulation demonstrated that Celebrex also doubles the risk of serious cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and death.
Celebrex elevated blood pressure in patients who took it twice a day, but not in those who took it only once a day, which suggests that the dose may affect safety. But an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, which published the Pfizer studies, still deemed Celebrex too risky to use for polyp prevention.
Many doctors stopped prescribing Celebrex to patients upon learning of the potential heart risks. Because of the potential side effects, the FDA has placed a “black box warning” on Celebrex.
New England Journal of Medicine August 31, 2006
Circulation August 30, 2006 Free Full-Text PDF
USA Today August 30, 2006
Obesity Raises Ovarian Cancer Risks
Obese women have a lower chance of surviving ovarian cancer, according to a new study. They may also have a shorter time before cancer recurrence. Researchers reviewed the medical records of more than 200 women with epithelial ovarian cancer (the most common type of ovarian cancer originating from the surface of the ovary) to determine the connections between cancer, obesity and tumors.
Forty-two percent of the patients surveyed were obese or overweight, while the rest were underweight or maintained a healthy weight. Women with body mass indices of more than 25 had shorter disease-free survival times and higher chances of death.
Obesity is a known risk factor for several cancers, including cancer of the kidney, breast and colon. This study, however, is the first to identify weight as an independent factor in ovarian cancer progression, and the chance for survival.
About 15,000 women die of ovarian cancer annually.
Cancer August 28, 2006
Yahoo News August 28, 2006
How Children Can Beat Obesity
Vigorous, sustained exercise is more effective at helping children stay fit than low-intensity exercise.
More Than 40 Minutes
A recent study of almost 800 children, ages 9 and 10, measured their activity levels over four days. Those children who engaged in vigorous physical activity for over 40 minutes each day had less body fat and better cardiovascular fitness than those who were only vigorously active for 10 to 18 minutes a day.
Total Daily Activity
The total daily physical activity, as opposed to the intensity, did not affect body fat, although it was associated with better cardiovascular fitness.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition August 2006; 84(2): 299-303
Yahoo News August 29, 2006
Consuming Omega-3 Fats Better For Your Health Than Having a Defibrillator Close By
A study of a computer-simulated community of 100,000 (resembling the population of Olmsted County, Minnesota), showed that a diet rich in omega-3s worked better for preventing death than defibrillators in homes and public places, and it even worked better than implanted defibrillators.
When the levels of omega-3 fats consumed by the virtual citizens were increased, the overall death rate in the simulated population went down by 6.4 percent. Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) reduced death rates by only 0.8 percent, and implanted defibrillators (ICDs) still only reduced deaths by 3.3 percent.
This suggests that increasing omega-3 fats in the general human diet would have roughly eight times the impact of distributing AEDs and twice the impact of implanting ICDs. This may also be a more cost-effective method; a population like that in the simulation could raise their omega-3 levels with daily supplements at a cost of $5.8 million a year. In contrast, equipping a similar number of households with AEDs would cost $201 million.
Science Daily August 29, 2006
Newswise August 29, 2006
Does Your Multivitamin Contain Copper?
Older people whose diets are heavy in copper, saturated fats and trans fats experienced a faster rate of mental decline.
A six-year study of more than 3,700 people aged 65 or older showed that those who consumed at least 1.6 milligrams of copper a day, along with high levels of saturated and trans fats, added almost 20 years to their ages in terms of mental decline. The U.S. daily recommended intake of copper is 0.9 milligrams.
Too much copper in the blood could block the body’s ability to destroy the proteins that form the plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Copper has been found at high levels in the blood of Alzheimer’s patients.
Many of those in the study with high copper levels took multivitamins containing the mineral.
Archives of Neurology August 2006; 63(8): 1085-1088
New York Times August 22, 2006
Scientific American.com August 14, 2006
Choose the Commercial with the Worst Health Message
Television advertisements play an important role in shaping eating habits. But can consumers trust what they see on TV? PCRM would like your opinion. Watch the commercials below, and then scroll down to vote on which one you think sends the most misleading or irresponsible health message.
The online voting results will be on PCRM.org by the end of October.
http://support.pcrm.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pcrm_worst_commercials &JServSessionIda006=2gtqj6o2b1.app12d
Obesity Fuels Diabetes
A new study confirms the role of obesity in diabetes risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compiled national health survey data from 1997 to 2003 to examine trends in the incidence of diagnosed diabetes among U.S. adults. Of those with diabetes in 2003, 89 percent were overweight or obese (30 percent and 59 percent, respectively). The total increase in diagnosed diabetes was 41 percent.
While this study did not distinguish between type 1 (formerly called ?childhood-onset?) diabetes and type 2 (?adult-onset?) diabetes, type 2 accounts for 90 percent to 95 percent of all diabetes cases. Because type 2 diabetes often relates to body weight, a change in diet and lifestyle can reduce the risk of the disease and aid in its treatment.
Geiss LS, Pan L, Cadwell B, Gregg EW, Benjamin SM, Engelgau MM. Changes in incidence of diabetes in U.S. adults, 1997-2003. Am J Prev Med. 2006;30:371-377.
Mark Your Calendars![upcoming AFPA events]
April 27-29 Beach Jam XIV Fitness, Trainer, Sports & Mind Body Conference, Ocean City, MD
May 10-12 Myrtle Beach Fitness, Trainer, Sports & Mind Body Conference,Kingston Plantation, Myrtle Beach,SC
Selected segments are reproduced from Dr. Mercola’s excellent website:
http://www.mercola.com/index.htm
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
http://www.pcrm.org