Red Bull is a drink which is sold by Red Bull, GmbH, Austria. It is the brand name of the drink, which originated in Thailand and was adjusted to suit the European (Austrian) palate. According to the manufacturers, Red Bull is aimed at people wanting to combat mental and physical fatigue.
A 250 ml (8.3 fl. oz) can contains -
-- 21.5 g sucrose
Table sugar
-- 5.25 g of glucose
A 'simple' sugar.
-- 50 mg of inositol
A type of sugar which has a different chemical structure to glucose. It is a basic part of cell membranes - crucial in brain, nerve and muscle function. It comes from plants and can be commonly found in many foods. It is currently being studied for potential cancer prevention.
-- 1000 mg of taurine
Also known as 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, or sulfonic acid, it is an organic acid. It is a major ingredient of bile. It is also present in small amounts in living tissues of humans and most animals. Cats cannot synthesize taurine - it is essential for the health of a cat. Taurine deficiency will cause irreversible blindness in cats, as well as tooth decay and hair loss - plus some other negative health conditions. Studies have not convincingly shown taurine to be an energy booster when added to drinks.
-- 600 mg of glucuronolactone
A naturally occurring chemical compound produced by the human liver during glucose metabolism. It is a crucial component for nearly all our connective tissues. It is commonly found in plant gums. It is added to drinks because it is said to boost the consumer's energy.
-- 20 mg of Niacin
A type of Vitamin B that increases blood HDL levels (good cholesterol)
-- 5 mg of Vitamin B6
Also known as pyridoxine, we need it for the synthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, and for myelin formation. People who suffer from pyridoxine deficiency have problems with their peripheral nerves, skin, mucous membranes and their blood cell system. The central nervous system of children with pyridoxine deficiency is affected. The number of people with mild pyridoxine deficiency is surprisingly higher than most of us realize.
-- 5 mg of Pantothenic Acid
Also called Vitamin B5. It is water-soluble - the body can't store it. If the body can't use all of the vitamin, the excess leaves the body through the urine. It must be replaced every day. As well as being essential for growth, it helps the body break down and use food (metabolism).
-- 0.005 mg of Vitamin B12
Also called cobalamin. We need it to make red blood cells and DNA - it is also used to keep nerves healthy. It is commonly given to cancer patients, along with folate, to help reduce the side-effects of cancer treatment with antimetabolites (type of drugs).
-- 80 mg of caffeine
It is the same compound as guaranine which is found in guarana, theine which is found in tea, and mateine which is found in mate. Caffeine is a mild diuretic (a substance which increases the amount of urine you pass - it makes you shed more water/liquid). Caffeine acts as a psychoactive stimulant drug. In humans caffeine can restore alertness temporarily. It is commonly found in coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks. It is the most popular psychoactive substance on earth.
Sugar-free Red Bull has no sucrose or glucose, and has aspartame and acesulfame potassium instead.
The makers of Red Bull say it is made so that it tastes of mixed berried. In 2006 over 3 billion cans of Red Bull were sold around the world, generating sales of 2.6 billion Euros.
A 250 ml can of Red Bull has about the same amount of caffeine as one would find in a 250 ml cup of coffee - about double what you would consume if you had a 330 ml can of Coke.
Some countries, such as France, have banned the sale of Red Bull, mainly because of its taurine and caffeine content and its popularity with young teenagers. Norway, Uruguay, Denmark and Iceland do not allow the sale of Red Bull.
Is Red Bull a Health Risk?
Red Bull is a controversial product. People either love or hate the taste, defend it faithfully or attack it furiously. Most studies have not shown that Red Bull is a serious hazard to health. However, as it can raise some people's heart rate and blood pressure some health care professionals advise those with heart conditions and hypertension to be careful.
Red Bull is very popular with young people. It is commonly mixed with vodka to make a cocktail. Some young people can consume excessive amounts of Red Bull and require medical attention.
Two weeks ago a 15-year-old boy suffered heart palpitations in Darlington, UK, after a Red Bull binge, according to paramedics. He had consumed eight cans in one sitting and had to be taken to the Memorial Hospital, Darlington on February 14th, 2008.
A Brazilian study found that those who mix Red Bull with alcohol may be drunker than they think they are - the energy drink may mask the alcohol effect.
Is Red Bull a Health Risk ?
Americans Believe Whole Grains Are Healthiest Foods, Decision Analyst Study Shows
What foods and beverages do people in the United States think of as offering the greatest health benefits? Whole grains (59.5%) top the list, followed closely by broccoli (57.6%), bananas (56.9%), oatmeal (56.1%), green tea (55.1%), garlic (54.6%), spinach (54.6%), and carrots (52.4%). Participants in the survey were asked, "Which of the following foods and beverages provide additional health benefits beyond basic nutritional needs?" The answer list contained 70 foods and beverages commonly thought of as healthful, as well as some that might not be perceived as healthful. This data comes from the Health and Nutrition Strategist™, a major ongoing study to track nutritional and health trends, based on 4,000 interviews per year conducted by Decision Analyst, a leading international marketing research and marketing consulting firm.
The least healthful products were "spirits," defined as bourbon, vodka, rum, and scotch. Only 3.4% of participants identified "spirits" as healthy. Also at the bottom was beer, believed to be healthy by only 5.3% of respondents.
Methodology
Decision Analyst's Health and Nutrition Strategist™ survey is conducted online using its American Consumer Opinion® panel (http://www.acop.com). The survey is based on a nationally representative, statistically balanced sample of 4,087 American adults, conducted on a continuous basis each year. The margin of error is less than 2 percentage points. The Health and Nutrition Strategist™ is a massive, integrated knowledge base of food and beverage consumption, restaurant usage, health habits, and nutritional trends.
About Decision Analyst
Decision Analyst , based in Dallas-Fort Worth, is a leading international marketing research and marketing consulting firm specializing in advertising testing, strategy research, new product development, and advanced modeling for marketing decision optimization. The 30-year-old firm delivers competitive advantage to clients throughout the world in the consumer packaged goods, telecommunications, retail, high technology, medical and pharmaceutical, utilities, and e-commerce industries. In addition, Decision Analyst owns and operates the American Consumer Opinion® online panel, which has more than seven million participants and is one of the largest such panels in the world.
Tags Health News
Safer Food Made Easy With New FSA DVD, UK
Caterers and food retailers will have extra help from in achieving the right standards in food hygiene and giving extra confidence to their customers.The Food Standards Agency, the UK's food regulator, has produced a new DVD for food businesses that aims to provide an additional route for accessing up-to-date guidance on safe methods for food preparation, handling and storage.
The DVD complements information packs already being used by thousands of small businesses under the Agency's 'Safer food, better business' programme (SFBB). It is aimed at managers, food handlers, trainers, and local authorities and is free of charge.
In order to be accessible to the widest range of businesses, the DVD has voiceovers available in 16 different languages. It also uses video scenes of realistic situations in small catering and retail businesses to demonstrate SFBB in action.
David Statham, Director of Consumer Protection and Enforcement at the Food Standards Agency, said: 'The DVD will prove to be an invaluable addition to the Safer food, better business material already available to help businesses implement a food safety management system and train their staff. It will build upon the overwhelming success of Safer food, better business in improving food safety and minimising red tape burdens on small catering and retail businesses.'
v SFBB was developed specifically for the UK's smaller food businesses to help them comply with new food safety management procedures, which had originally been developed for large manufacturers. SFBB helps managers adapt good practice to their own business, and keeps record keeping simple by encouraging the use of a simple diary.
An online version of the DVD is currently being developed and will be available through the link below. In addition to the DVD, the Agency will be launching an SFBB supplement for care homes later in the year and a new childminders pack.
Notes
For more information on Safer food, better business see the link below.
Recent FSA evaluation of the success of Safer food, better business shows that:
- 72% of businesses with a food safety management system (FSMS) said that the FSMS had changed at least one area of food safety management within their business
- 81% were using the FSMS for training their staff
- 70% said it improved effectiveness of their business and 45% said that it had increased profitability
- 87% said it helped them manage their business
Tags Health News
More Surgery Problems For Obese Children
An article in the March issue of Anesthesiology reports that obese children are more likely to have problems during surgery. Specifically, obese children are more prone to problems with airway obstruction and other functions pertaining to breathing compared to normal-weight children. They had higher rates of difficult mask ventilation, airway obstruction, and major oxygen desaturation - a decrease in blood oxygen levels.
Researcher Alan R. Tait of the University of Michigan Health System and colleagues performed a large-scale prospective study to analyze the effects of overweight and obesity on the results of children undergoing elective non-cardiac surgery. Tait remarks, "To our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind." The researcher argues that it is important to be aware of the higher risks of operating on obese children since it is highly likely that anesthesiologists will be caring for an increasing number of overweight and obese kids. In the United States, about 15% to 17% of children and adolescents are considered obese.
The researchers analyzed the surgeries of 2,025 children who were having elective surgery - 1,380 were normal weight, 351 were overweight, and 294 were obese. The participants were all between 2 and 18 years old.
Findings include:
* 19% of obese children suffered from major airway obstructions (11% of normal-weight children did).
* About 9% of obese children experienced difficult mask ventilation (2% of normal-weight children did).
* 17% of obese children experienced major oxygen desaturation (9% of normal-weight children did).
Tait indicates that obese children were also more likely to have conditions that can contribute to problems during surgical operations: asthma, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and Type II diabetes. For example, in the study, 28% of obese children had asthma compared to 16% of normal-weight children.
However, although obese children had a higher likelihood of adverse events during surgery, none resulted in severe illness.
New physical fitness game product called Wii Fit for U.S
The Wii Fit, which will debut on May 19, will come with a weight-and-motion sensing device called the Wii Balance Board, the company said in a statement
Nintendo is also planning to launch a new online service in the U.S. in May called WiiWare that will allow game publishers to distribute new titles over the Internet directly to users, instead of on discs.
Early WiiWare games will come from developers such as Square Enix, famous for the role-playing game franchise "Final Fantasy."
Tags Fitness
Obesity Linked To Several Cancers
The risk of many different kinds of cancers, both common and less common, has been linked to an increased body mass index (BMI.) This risk can vary between sexes and ethnic groups, depending on the type of cancer, as published in the February 16, 2008 issue of The Lancet.
Increased bodyweight is ever more recognised as a risk factor for many common cancers. This can be seen in overweight patients (BMI of 25-29.2 kg/m2) as well as obese patients (BMI of 30 kg/m2 or more.) To examine this, Dr. Andrew Renehan, of the University of Manchester and Christie Hospital of the NHS
Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK, and colleagues performed a meta-analysis, combining 221 datasets including 282,137 cases from previous studies.
They determined the risk of cancer associated with a 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI. This appeared to increase the risk of specific types of cancers in gender specific situations:
In men, the risk of oesophageal adenocarcinoma was increased by 52 percent, thyroid cancer by 33 percent, and colon and kidney cancers each by 24 percent.
In women, the risk of endometrial cancer was increased by 59 percent, gallbladder cancer by 59 percent, oesophageal adenocarcinoma by 51 percent and kidney cancer by 34 percent.
In men, weaker but significant increases in risk were associated with rectal cancer and malignant melanoma.
In women, weaker but significant increases in risk were associated with postmenopausal breast, pancreatic, thyroid, and colon cancers.
In both sexes, weaker but significant increases in risk were associated with leukaemia, multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
The association for colon cancer was stronger in men than in women (24 percent versus 9 percent.) When studies from North America, from Europe and Australia, and from the Asia-Pacific region were compared, similar associations were found. However, studies from the Asia-Pacific region showed a stronger association between the increased BMI and both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancers. These findings echo those reported last year by the World Cancer Research Fund as well as those published in November 2007 by the UK Million Women's study team.
The authors conclude with a summary of their results and future directions for research. "Increased BMI is associated with increased risk of common and less common malignancies. For some cancer types, associations differ between sexes and populations of different ethnic origins. These epidemiological observations should inform the exploration of biological mechanisms that link obesity with cancer."
Dr Susanna Larsson and Professor Alicja Wolk, Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, commented in an accompanying piece: "The number of deaths per year attributable to obesity is about 30 000 in the UK and ten times that in the USA, where obesity has been estimated to have overtaken smoking in 2005 as the main preventable cause of illness and premature death."
They conclude: "Efforts will be needed to increase education on diet and physical activity, train health professionals, restrict advertisements of high-calorie and low-nutrient foods, limit access to unhealthy foods in schools and workplaces, levy taxes on sugary drinks and other foods high in calories, fat, or sugar, lower the prices of health foods, and promote physical activity in schools and workplaces. National cancer plans should include all these factors to reduce obesity, and thus decrease cancer incidence and increase survival."
Body-mass index and incidence of cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies
Andrew G Renehan, Margaret Tyson, Matthias Egger, Richard F Heller, Marcel Zwahlen
The Lancet, Vol 371, February 16, 2008
Tags Health News, Obesity
Alzheimer's cure' from fruit ?
"'Alzheimer's cure' from fruit", read the headline in The Sun. "Fruit in the daily diet can stave off Alzheimer's and Parkinson's", the newspaper adds. The Daily Mail said, "extracts from apples, oranges and bananas were found to reduce the damage the illnesses do to neurons - nerve cells in the brain and spine".
The newspaper story is based on a laboratory study where researchers added extracts from unpeeled apples, oranges and bananas to rat cells, to see if they protected the cells from dying when they were exposed to a toxic chemical. Although the study did find that the extracts protected some of the cells from dying, this doesn't mean that eating these fruits would have similar effects on human nerve cells in the brain. Furthermore, this study does not look at how eating fruit would stop or slow a complex process such as the development of Alzheimer's disease.
Although the results of this study cannot make direct links between the benefits of eating fruit and Alzheimer's disease, there is a large body of evidence showing that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is beneficial in keeping healthy and avoiding disease.
Where did the story come from?
Professor Chang Yong Lee and colleagues from Cornell University and universities in Korea carried out this research. The study was funded by the Research Promotion Programme at Gyeongsang National University, and the Technology Development Programme for Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Republic of Korea. It was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal: Journal of Food Science.
What kind of scientific study was this?
This was an experimental laboratory study looking at the effects of extracts from certain fruits on cells taken from a type of rat tumour. These cells are known to develop into neurons (nerves) when grown in specific conditions in the laboratory.
The researchers grew the rat cells in a dish, then treated them with a toxic chemical - hydrogen peroxide - for two hours. They then looked at how many cells died using a dye that changes colour in the presence of living cells. Exposing the cells to hydrogen peroxide was designed to mimic the process of "oxidative stress", which is thought to play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers then repeated the experiment, but first they treated the cells for 10 minutes with different concentrations of compounds extracted from apples (unpeeled), bananas and oranges. Some cells were left untreated (a negative control) and some cells were treated with quercetin (a positive control), which is a chemical antioxidant found in some fruits and vegetables, including apples. In order to confirm the results, the researchers carried out a similar experiment but used two different ways of checking if the cells had died. These methods looked at whether the membrane surrounding the cell had remained intact or if it had been damaged by the hydrogen peroxide.
What were the results of the study?
The researchers found that treating the cells with fruit extracts before they were exposed to hydrogen peroxide reduced the proportion of cells that died. The higher the concentration of the compound used, the greater the protective effect. The apple extract had the greatest effect, followed by banana and then orange. The results were similar with all three methods that the researchers used.
What interpretations did the researchers draw from these results?
The researchers concluded that eating fresh apples, bananas, oranges and other fruit "may" protect nerves against damage and reduce risk of disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.
What does the NHS Knowledge Service make of this study?
This study assesses the protective effects of certain extracts from fruits on rat cells in the laboratory, when the cells are treated in a way that might represent the damage they sustain in diseases such as Alzheimer's. As it's not yet clear that this method of incubating rat nerve cells with hydrogen peroxide mimics any natural processes in the human brain, it's not possible to say from this study what effects eating fruit as part of a healthy diet might have on a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's. A diet rich in fruit and vegetables is already known to be beneficial in keeping healthy and avoiding disease.
Links to the headlines
'Alzheimer's cure' from fruit. The Sun, February 11 2008
An apple a day... How eating fruit could prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Daily Mail, February 11 2008
Links to the science
Effects of Banana, Orange, and Apple on Oxidative Stress-Induced Neurotoxicity in PC12 Cells.
Heo HJ, Choi SJ, Choi S-G, et al.
J Food Sci 2008; Jan 24
Tags Health News
Calculates Snacks To Help Kids Make Healthy Choices
Before letting your kids go to the movies or play video games, you probably check the rating to make sure it's appropriate for them. So why not do the same thing for the snacks they eat? It's estimated that 1 of every 3 children is now overweight in this country* and some experts say snacking on the wrong types of food is a big part of the problem. Now, making better snack choices is as easy as checking its rating.
Top Ten Healthy Vending Snacks
1. Clif Organic Z Bar
2. NutriPals Snack Bars, PediaSure, Peanut Butter Chocolate or Strawberry Yogurt
3. Oatmeal To Go, Apple Cinnamon for Kids
4. Pria Complete Nutrition Bar, Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisp
5. Solo Low Glycemic Nutrition Bar, Chocolate Charger or Mint Mania
6. Fig Newtons, 100% Whole Grain
7. Fruit Crisp Bites, Apple Crisp or Strawberry
8. Instant Quaker Oatmeal Express Cups, Cinnamon Roll, Golden Brown Sugar, Vanilla Cinnamon
9. Life Cereal, Single Serve Cup
10. Quaker Breakfast Cookie, Chocolate Chip
Black Raspberries Protect Against Cancer
It usually starts as reflux, but for 700 thousand Americans, it turns into something called Barrett's Esophagus.* Now the black raspberry may be one of the weapons Barrett's Esophagus patients have to stay strong and prevent the condition from turning into a deadly cancer.
For more than 10 years, Danny Harris has struggled with heartburn after he eats. He learned his reflux has turned into something more serious - a condition called Barrett's Esophagus. He also learned an interesting thing happened when he ate black raspberries.
"I really didn't have any flare-ups or episodes after I had taken the berries," says Harris.
Danny was part of a new study, led by a research team at Ohio State University's Comprehensive Cancer Center. For six months he and other Barrett's Esophagus patients drank a black raspberry powder and water mix. Turns out, the fruit helped many patients reverse the negative impact of the reflux acid. Nearly 4 in 10 saw a boost in a protective enzyme and 6 in 10 saw a decline in oxidative stress, which can cause cell damage.
"If we can feed something in the diet that may help us protect against these injurious agents, then that may potentially impact progression of this disease," says Laura Kresty, PhD at Ohio State University's Comprehensive Cancer Center.
That's important because 1 in 10 people with Barrett's Esophagus develops a deadly cancer of the esophagus. Researchers believe the fruit's combination of nutrients gives it super healing power.
"They're really strong antioxidants. They're also a good source of multi-vitamins and minerals," says Kresty.
A larger study is likely the next step to see if black raspberries yield more positive results for patients with Barrett's Esophagus.
Tags Health News
New Drug in Study To Celiac Disease
Alvine Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of autoimmune and gastrointestinal diseases, announced that the first study subject was dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial of its lead clinical candidate ALV003 which is in development for the treatment of patients with celiac disease. ALV003 is an orally administered combination of two proteases engineered to detoxify gluten.
Approximately 36 subjects are planned for enrollment in the Phase 1, single-blind, placebo controlled, dose-escalation clinical trial to be conducted in the United States. Both healthy human volunteers and subjects with celiac disease are expected to be dosed in this trial.
"We are very excited to begin our clinical program evaluating ALV003 for the treatment of celiac disease," said Dr. Abhay Joshi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alvine.
The October 25, 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine discusses gluten detoxification as an approach to treating celiac disease. Authors Peter H.R. Green, M.D. and Christophe Cellier, M.D., Ph.D. state in the article: "There is considerable interest in the development of nondietary therapies that might either replace or supplement the rigorous gluten-free diet. Currently, the most attractive alternative involves the use of recombinant enzymes that digest the toxic gliadin fractions in the stomach or the upper small intestine."
About ALV003
ALV003 is an orally administered combination of two proteases engineered to digest gluten. It targets the glutamine and proline residues that are common in gluten. ALV003 consists of a glutamine-specific cysteine protease (EP-B2) and a proline specific prolyl endopeptidase (PEP). The proposed mechanism of action of ALV003 is to digest gluten into non-immunotoxic fragments.
About Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is the most common hereditary autoimmune disease with prevalence as high as 1% in the U.S. and E.U. Celiac disease is triggered by the ingestion of gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. Gluten is a protein found naturally in wheat, rye, and barley, and is one of the most common food additives in the human diet. Patients with celiac disease mount an immune response to gluten and gluten fragments, resulting in systemic immune mediated damage in the gut and other organs. Gluten ingestion can be associated with symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, constipation and rash. Complications of celiac disease can include osteoporosis, anemia, dermatitis, weight loss, diabetes, central nervous system conditions, other autoimmune diseases and malignancies. There are currently no approved pharmaceutical therapies for celiac disease. The only available treatment for individuals diagnosed with celiac disease is a life-long adherence to a strict gluten-free diet which is difficult to follow. There is a high unmet medical need for celiac disease therapies.
About Alvine
Alvine Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a privately held biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing therapeutics for autoimmune/gastrointestinal diseases. Alvine's lead product candidate, ALV003, is a combination protease engineered to digest gluten. It is being developed to treat patients with celiac disease.
Tags Health News
Sedentary lifestyle reduced the chances of living to 90 from 54 to 44 per cent !
Two US studies have suggested that it's never too late to make a difference to one's odds of living longer. One study showed that having a healthy lifestyle in early elderly years was linked to greater odds of living to 90 in men, and a second study showed that although some people live to be over 100 by avoiding certain diseases, others do live with them to this age without becoming disabled.
Both studies are published in the 11th February issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
While research on twins has shown that genes play a part in how long we are likely to live, nearly three quarters of the odds of living to a ripe old age of 90 or more, is down to "modifiable factors", or things we can change, wrote researchers in one of the articles.
In the first study, Dr Laurel B Yates of Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, and colleagues examined records on 2,357 men of average age 72 when they became participants in the Physician's Health Study between 1981 and 1984.
The records included a range of demographic and health data such as height, blood pressure, weight, how often they took exercise, and cholesterol levels. The men also completed questionnaires twice in the first year and then once every following year until 2006. This asked them about their health, habits and ability to carry out every day tasks.
The results showed that:
* 970 men lived to be 90 or more (41 per cent).
* Several "modifiable" factors about their biology and behaviour were linked with survival for this group.
* Smoking, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure appeared significantly to reduce the odds of living to 90 or more.
* On the other hand, vigorous exercise, "substantially improved it".
* Also, men who lived to 90 and beyond had better physical function, mental wellbeing and rated themselves as healthier in late life than the men who died younger.
* Smoking, obesity and having a sedentary lifestyle were also significantly linked to poorer functional status in elderly years.
Yates and colleagues estimated that a 70 year old man who did not smoke, was of normal weight, had no diabetes, exercised two to four times a week, and had normal blood pressure had a 54 per cent chance of living to be 90 years old.
But, if he had any "adverse" risk factors, his chances of living to 90 were reduced, depending on what they were. Thus each factor would reduce the 54 per cent to the following amount:
* Sedentary lifestyle reduced the chances of living to 90 from 54 to 44 per cent.
* High blood pressure reduced it to 36 per cent.
* Obesity, 26 per cent.
* Smoking, 22 per cent.
* Three factors together, such as sedentary lifestyle, obesity and diabetes, 14 per cent.
* Five factors, 4 per cent.
The authors concluded that:
"Although the impact of certain midlife mortality [death] risks in elderly years is controversial, our study suggests that many remain important, at least among men."
They therefore recommended that:
"Healthy lifestyle and risk management should be continued in elderly years to reduce mortality and disability."
For the second study, Dr Dellara F. Terry of the Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, and colleagues, examined data on 523 women and 216 men age 97 or older. The data came from questions the participants had answered in a telephone interview or mailed questionnaire about their health and medical history and their ability to function.
Dellara and colleagues put them into groups according to gender and the age at which they developed diseases normally linked to aging, such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), dementia, hypertension, osteoporosis, Parkinson's disease, stroke, diabetes and heart disease. Those who developed these diseases at the age of 85 or more were called "delayers", and those who developed the diseases before they reached the age of 85 were called "survivors".
The results showed that:
* 32 per cent of the participants were survivors and 68 per cent were delayers.
* Centenarians who had developed heart disease and/or high blood pressure before they got to 85 showed similar levels of function as those who delayed illness until 85 or later.
* Levels of function were described as "independent" in men and "requires minimal assistance" in women.
* Though fewer men than women live to a an extremely old age, the men in this study who did so appeared to have better mental and physical function than the women.
Speculating on their results, the authors suggested that "men must be in excellent health and/or functionally independent to achieve such extreme old age." But women, they said, "may be better physically and socially adept at living with chronic and often disabling health conditions".
The researchers concluded that the timing of illness in centenarians may explain the "various ways in which people can survive to extreme old age".
"Determining the mechanisms that facilitate the delay or escape of disability in the face of clinically evident age- and mortality-associated morbidities merits further investigation," they added.
In an accompanying editorial, Dr William J. Hall, of the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, New York, wrote that the 85s and over is the fastest growing group of older Americans. They will need regular medical care, he added:
"The challenge to current health care providers is to become adept at caring for present and future centenarians with only the beginnings of concrete evidence-based research."
"Our ability to adapt to this challenge may be a prime determinant in shaping the nature of primary care practice in this country," wrote Hall.
Tags Fitness, Health News, Obesity
The Latest Findings From The Health Survey For England In : Cardiovascular disease - Diabetes - Blood Pressure - Obesity - And Diet
More people are taking recommended levels of physical activity and eating the recommended five daily portions of fruit and vegetables, according to the latest Health Survey for England. But they still remain a minority of the population. At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of people consuming more than the recommended intake of fats. What's more, there have been increases in diabetes, obesity (including among children) and cardiovascular disease.
"While it is encouraging that there are signs people are beginning to improve their lifestyles - eating more fruit and vegetables, exercising more, smoking less - many serious health conditions continue to increase, and we need to do more to reduce risks of heart disease," said Rachel Craig, Research Director of the Health Survey for England at NatCen.
The survey also looks at childhood overweight and obesity, which are linked with numerous long-term and immediate health risks. Around three in ten children aged 2-15 are either overweight or obese (31% of boys and 29% of girls). 17% of boys aged 2-15 are obese, and 15% of girls. While there have been fluctuations from year to year, overall increases in the average 'body mass index' (BMI) are evident for each age group since 1995. Average BMI increased by 0.7 kg/m2 for boys and 0.6 kg/m2 for girls.
"Marked inequalities in lifestyle and in health continue to exist in England. The lower your income, the more likely you are to smoke or be obese, and the less likely to eat sufficient fruit and vegetables or be active enough. So not surprisingly, people with lower incomes also have worse health, with more people reporting heart disease or stroke, and having diabetes or untreated high blood pressure," said Dr Jennifer Mindell of University College London, who leads the UCL team working on the Health Survey.
Health researchers from the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and UCL (University College London) have conducted a comprehensive national survey, interviewing and testing thousands of people, on behalf of the Information Centre, part of the NHS. Key findings from the annual Health Survey for England 2006, which is published today, include:
Cardiovascular disease
Around one in seven adults have some form of cardiovascular disease (14% of men and 13% of women). While heart disease is uncommon in those aged under 35, as many as 44% of men and 37% of women aged 75 and over suffer from some cardiovascular condition.
These conditions include heart attack, stroke and angina as well as other conditions such as heart murmur or abnormal heart rhythm. Heart attack, angina and stroke are more prevalent among men than women.
Since the Health Survey for England started recording data about cardiovascular disease in 1994, levels have increased, mainly among those aged 75 and over. While this disease is a major health burden, increasingly effective detection and treatment mean that death rates from cardiovascular disease in England have been falling - although it remains the main cause of death.
Diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity
Accompanying the increase in cardiovascular disease, there has been an increase in diabetes and obesity. 31% of men and 28% of women have high blood pressure, and around one in 20 have diabetes. Again, both of these conditions are much more common among older adults (65 and over). Cases of diabetes diagnosed by a doctor have more than doubled since 1994.
The proportion of people with high blood pressure has decreased among both men and women in more recent years (between 2003 and 2006). This includes fewer people with untreated high blood pressure. At the same time, there has been an increase in the proportion of people being treated successfully so that their blood pressure is controlled.
Levels of obesity continue to rise. 67% of men and 56% of women are either overweight or obese, based on BMI. This includes 24% of both men and women who are obese (compared with 14% of men and 17% of women in 1994). 41% of women and 32% of men have raised waist circumference, another measure of obesity.
Recent guidance from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) indicates that there are increased health risks for people with a high waist measurement, especially if they are overweight or obese, and the survey shows that more than half of men and women are at increased risk according to these criteria.
Physical activity, diet, and smoking and drinking
Many of the risk factors for heart disease are known, and lifestyle behaviour can influence the chances of developing it. The Health Survey for England report looks at physical activity, diet, smoking and drinking among the population:
- Only a minority of adults meet the Chief Medical Officer's recommendations for physical activity of five or more sessions of at least 30 minutes of moderate activity per week (40% of men, 28% of women). But this has increased since 1997, up from 32% of men and 21% of women, with people spending more time walking and taking part in sport and exercise.
- More people are eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, up five percentage points since 2004, from 23% to 28% among men and from 27% to 32% among women. But there has also been a marked increase in the proportion of men and women consuming more than the recommended fat intake since 2003: from 6% to 14% of men, and from 3% to 7% of women.
- 24% of men and 21% of women report smoking cigarettes (they were surveyed before the ban on smoking in public places came into force). Cigarette smoking has decreased between 1993 and 2006, falling from 28% to 24% among men, and from 26% to 21% among women.
- Exposure to other people's smoke is also higher among men than women: an average of 6 hours a week for men and 4.5 hours a week for women. This has fallen since 1998.
- There has been little change in drinking behaviour since 1998. According to a revised method of calculating units of alcohol drunk in the last week, 41% of men and 33% of women drank more than the recommended amounts (more than four units for men and more than three units for women) on at least one day in the last week.
Notes
Summary and full copies of the Health Survey for England 2006 can be obtained from http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/HSE06CVDandriskfactors, or by contacting NatCen's Press Officer using the details below.
The sixteenth annual Health Survey for England was conducted by health researchers from the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at UCL (University College London). The survey is funded and published by the Information Centre for health and social care.
A unique source of health information, the Health Survey for England is the most comprehensive heath survey undertaken in England, covering adults and children living in Britain's leading independent social research institute private households. It is designed to inform national health policy and stimulate research by providing accurate and detailed data about the health needs of the general population.
More than 14,000 adults and more than 7,000 children agreed to be interviewed and tested for the 2006 survey. It focused particularly on cardiovascular disease and the health and lifestyle risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease. The survey also looked at obesity and health risk factors among children.
National Centre for Social Research
Tags Health News
Families Could Spend Less And Eat A Healthier Diet
Although food prices rose 4.8% last year, eating nutritiously is still well within reach of the American family, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics. Analysis done by USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) indicates that families could, in fact, spend even less on food than what they currently spend and eat a healthier more nutritious diet.
USDA's Low-Cost Food Plan shows what a family on a budget can spend on food and still achieve a nutritious diet that meets current Dietary Guidelines for Americans. For December 2007, USDA estimates the cost of the Low-Cost Food Plan for a family of four (a couple ages 20 to 50 with two children ages 6 to 8 and 9 to 11) to be $167.70 per week. This compares to the $189.00 per week that the average four person household spent on food last year.
Families could spend less and eat a healthier diet. This is supported by a comparison of the foods in the Low-Cost Food Plan to what people are actually eating. The Low-Cost Food Plan contains more fruits, vegetables, and milk products than people are currently eating and less sweets and sugars.
"Eating healthier does not have to cost more and can even cost some families less," says CNPP Executive Director Dr. Brian Wansink. The United States continues to have the safest, most abundant, healthiest, and least expensive food in the world. As a percentage of household expenditures, Americans spend approximately 13 percent of their disposable income on food which includes food consumed both in and outside the home.
Tags Diets, Health News
Anti-Obesity Prescriptions Pass The Million Mark
More than a million prescriptions for anti-obesity drugs are dispensed to patients each year at an annual cost of £47.5 million, according to the NHS Information Centre for health and social care (IC).
The number of prescriptions is more than eight times of that handed out nine years ago, and two drugs - orlistat (Xenical) and sibutramine (Reductil) - make up the bulk of the prescriptions issued by GPs in England.
Sibutramine works by altering chemical messages to the brain that control feelings about food, and orlistat prevents some fat absorption.
The NHS also said that more than one in five men and nearly one in four women are now at very high risk of developing health problems, based on waist circumference and body mass index (BMI).
Exercise and healthy diet
Libby Dowling, Care Advisor at Diabetes UK, said: "People should not look to taking a pill to solve their weight problems.
"Anti-obesity drugs can help manage weight problems but should only be used as a last resort. In the first instance, Diabetes UK recommends a healthy diet and regular physical activity to manage weight and reduce serious conditions linked to obesity such as diabetes and heart disease."
The NHS report comes a week after the Government launched a £372m strategy to aimed at cutting levels of obesity in England.
Tags Health News, Obesity
