STAY out of the sun, eat spinach for iron, don’t jog or it will give you arthritis. These are the sort of health rules many of us have tried to obey for years but now it seems we’ve got it all wrong. New research has turned these old adages on their head. Here, we put you right with the new health rules. OLD RULE: Running will give you arthritic knees NEW RULE: Running protects against arthritis JOGGING has long been thought to be bad for the hip and knee joints indeed, research showed that with every stride, a shock equivalent to three times someone’s bodyweight reverberated from the feet, through the legs and into the spine.But results of a groundbreaking study suggest the opposite is true.

Last year, American scientists reported that adults who run regularly can have 25 per cent less musculoskeletal pain and less arthritis than non-runners when they get older.

‘Although running is a highimpact exercise, if you run consistently your joints, tendons, ligaments, discs and muscles get used to the habitual pounding of the activity,’ says Sammy Margo, a spokesperson for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

‘The body accommodates and copes with the demands so that running doesn’t necessarily lead to pain. It is the people who take up running from time to time, stopping in between, who are more likely to suffer problems.’

OLD RULE: Stay out of the sun NEW RULE: Get a daily dose of sunlight FOR years we have been told to cut our exposure to sunlight because damaging UVA and UVB rays can increase the risk of skin cancer.

But as a result of our indoor habits, most Britons now receive too little vitamin D and consequently place themselves at greater risk of diseases ranging from cancer to multiple sclerosis.

Few foods contain the vitamin naturally (though egg yolks, oily fish and fortified margarine and cereal are good sources) and the main provider is the sun the vitamin is synthesised when chemicals in the skin react to ultraviolet rays.

At present, the Government sets no official daily intake for vitamin D, but if the American ‘adequate intake’ of five micrograms from food were applied in this country, then scientists have estimated that 90 per cent of the population would fall short.

The good news is that between 80 and 100 per cent of our vitamin D requirement can be met by moderate exposure to sunlight. In the UK, just 30 minutes of exposure to the face and arms each day between April and October (when the sun’s rays are strongest) is enough to ensure adequate levels for the rest of the year.

that many Britons are so sleepdeprived as a result of failing to get eight hours’ sleep a night that it is affecting their health, career, social life and mood. As a result, many feel anxious about their lack of sleep, thereby worsening the problem.

But Professor Jim Horne, director of Loughborough University’s Sleep Research Centre, says the eight-hour rule is a myth. ‘It’s nonsense.

It’s like saying everybody should have size eight shoes, or be 5ft 8in,’ he says.

‘There is a normal distribution the average sleep length is around seven-and-a-quarter hours, but some people manage on less, some may need more.’ Quite how much shut-eye you do need is determined partly by genes, partly by lifestyle. But if you do feel weary during the day, power-napping is an effective way to catch up.

Studies have shown that napping when you need it reduces stress and anxiety by triggering the release of sleep hormones that act as an antidote to stress.

OLD RULE: Your body mass index (BMI) determines if you’re healthy or not NEW RULE: Measure your waist circumference instead BODY mass index is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms and by height in metres squared.

It has been used to help categorise weight in relation to height for more than 100 years.

Someone with a BMI of less than 18.5 is considered underweight, between 18.5 and 24.9 is ‘normal’, 25 to 29.9 is ‘overweight’ and a BMI of 30 or greater is clinically obese.

BMI is currently the accepted calculation for use by many hospitals, insurance companies and drug companies. However, many experts now question its usefulness.

BMI does not take into account body composition whether or not excess weight is fat or muscle which is why fit people often fall into in the ‘fat’ category.

Muscle weighs more than fat, so someone can be extremely fit and yet still register as obese on the BMI scale Brad Pitt and Russell Crowe and most members of the England rugby and football teams have an obese BMI rating .

Instead, many experts now recommend taking a tape measure to your midriff, claiming waist circumference is a better indicator of ill- health.

A waistband of more than 88cm (35in) in women and 102cm (40in) in men indicates the highest risk of cardiovascular disease.

Even a small pot belly is bad news. Recent research from the University of Texas found large waist measurements relative to hip size were linked to early signs of heart disease. The study found that a waist size of 32in (8cm) for a woman and 37in (94cm) for a man represents a ’significant’ raised risk.

Another more accurate measure than BMI is the waist-to-hip ratio, calculated by dividing the measurement of your waist by that of your hips.

For men, a ratio should not be over 0.90. For women, that figure is 0.85. The higher the number above these values, the greater your risk of heart disease.

OLD RULE: Eat no more than three eggs a week NEW RULE: Eat as many eggs as you like UNTIL recently the advice was to limit egg consumption to three per week to avoid increasing blood cholesterol levels. Egg yolks do contain cholesterol, but nutritionists say it is the saturated fat found in meat, dairy products and cheese, not cholesterol itself, that raises blood cholesterol levels.

Last year, Dr Bruce Griffin of the University of Surrey’s Centre for Nutrition and Food Safety, analysed 30 egg studies carried out over the past 30 years.

He found that eggs have no significant impact on heart disease or cholesterol levels..

Just one egg provides 13 essential nutrients, all in the yolk (egg whites contain albumen which is an important source of protein, but no fat), and nutritionist Joanne Lunn says they are ‘an excellent source of the B vitamin group needed for vital bodily functions’.

They also provide good quantities of vitamin A, essential for growth and development, and are rich in iodine, required in making thyroid hormones, and phosphorus, essential for healthy bones and teeth.

The Government’s Foods Standards Agency now sets no limit to the number of eggs you can eat in a week, provided your diet is well- balanced overall.

OLD RULE: Take vitamin C to cure a cold NEW RULE: Eat fruit and vegetables to prevent it in the first place FOR years, people have taken a daily megadose of up to 1,000mg of vitamin C at the first sign of a cold. But researchers have now poured cold water on this notion, first popularised in the 1970s, saying it offers little protection.

A review of 30 studies involving more than 11,000 people earlier this year found that vitamin C supplements do little to reduce the length or severity of a cold.

However, says Bridget Aisbitt, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, eating vitamin C-rich foods such as fruit and vegetables on a daily basis can have an immune-boosting effect.

‘Fresh fruit and veg contain a range of immune-boosting compounds, not just vitamin C, that boost immunity from infection when eaten regularly,’ she says.

OLD RULE: Eat carrots to improve your eyesight NEW RULE: Eat peas, broccoli and sweetcorn CARROTS are a good source of beta- carotene, converted by the body to vitamin A, which is essential for good vision. But people who eat lots of broccoli, sweetcorn and peas may have sharper vision as they age, scientists suggested last year.

Those vegetables contain two key nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin that may lower the risk of developing agerelated macular degeneration (AMD) before age 75.

AMD is one of the leading causes of irreversible vision loss among those aged over 40.

Another tip for healthy eyes is to avoid too much of the flavouring monosodium glutamate (MSG), present in many convenience foods.

This was found by Japanese scientists to raise the risk of thinning retinas and vision problems.

OLD RULE: You need three vigorous gym work-outs a week to get fit NEW RULE: Half an hour of any ordinary daily activity such as walking or doing the housework is enough EXERCISE physiologists, including those at the renowned American College of Sports Medicine, recommend three gym sessions of an hour or more to ensure an improvement in super-fitness.

But if you are looking to improve your health rather than run a marathon, then you don’t need to spend a fortune on gym membership.

Both Government and World Health Organisation guidelines recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of any moderately intense physical activity at least five days a week to prevent obesity and its related problems, such as heart disease and diabetes..

Any activity counts from housework, to dog walking and cycling, to playing football with the kids. Just make sure you put in as much effort as you can each time.

OLD RULE: Eat spinach to boost iron intake NEW RULE: Eat kale, endive or meat instead ALTHOUGH spinach is rich in iron, it contains substances called phytates that block the absorption of iron from the body.

So with one third of UK women at risk of low iron levels and many failing to reach the recommended intake of 14.8mg a day (men need 8.7mg), where should they be getting their iron from? Red meat and oily are the best sources. Green leafy vegetables such as endive and broccoli are also good providers of non-haem iron, although this isn’t absorbed into the body as easily, says Bridget Aisbitt.

‘Non-meat eaters should ensure they consume vitamin C-rich foods such as orange juice or tomatoes with each meal as it helps with the absorption of iron from other sources,’ she says.

OLD RULE: Drink at least eight glasses of water a day NEW RULE: You don’t need eight glasses and any nonalcoholic fluid will do NUTRITIONISTS recommend we stay well hydrated water is needed to help every cell in the body function, and without it we quickly become tired and listless and they suggest eight glasses of water as a benchmark.

But, says dietician Jane Griffin, that target can include tea, coffee, juice and smoothies, too. ‘It’s a risky misconception that only water keeps us hydrated,’ she says.

‘Even watery foods like soup and tomatoes contribute to our daily fluid intake.’ Her advice is backed up by a report published in the British Medical Journal last week, which added that drinking too much water can actually be bad for you.

Drinking eight glasses of water on top of lots of other drinks can raise the risk of hyponatremia, or water intoxication, a condition in which sodium levels and other body salts or electrolytes in the blood become dangerously diluted.

The kidneys struggle to excrete the excess fluid, and as a result the body retains water especially in the highly absorbent brain cells.

Eventually, the pressure becomes such that the body shuts down its primary functions such as breathing and heart rate.

In the worst-case scenario, sufferers can slip into a coma and the condition is potentially fatal..

(c) 2007 Daily Mail; London (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

PEOPLE with Type 2 diabetes now have a new treatment option - a drug called Sitagliptin. Sitagliptin belongs to the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 group of drugs (DPP-4) which is used to enhance the body’s own ability to lower blood sugar (glucose) when it is elevated.It comes in the form of tablets and is taken once a day, alone or in combination with other drugs.

“Type 2 diabetes is a highly prevalent and serious chronic condition, a growing epidemic with clear un-met medical needs,” said senior consultant endocrinologist Prof Datuk Dr Mafauzy Mohamed. “It is one of the most significant diseases affecting the modern age, and is the fifth leading cause of death globally.”

Reports show that more than 98 per cent of the nearly 1.2 million Malaysians with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, more than half are unaware that they have the disease. Patients with diabetes can develop heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, vascular or neurological problems that can lead to amputations, and they can suffer increased mortality.

“People with Type 2 diabetes need to be proactive in taking measures to control the disease because it can lead to other health complications,” said Dr Mafauzy.

He said when blood sugar is elevated, incretins work in two ways to help the body regulate high blood sugar levels. They trigger the pancreas to increase the release of insulin and signal the liver to slow down glucose production.

“The mechanism of action of DPP-4 inhibitors is different from currently available classes of glucose-lowering agents. The inhibitors work by enhancing a natural body process that lowers blood sugar, the incretin system,” said Dr Mafauzy.

Sitagliptin was approved by the Drug Control Authority of Malaysia in June. The Type 2 diabetes pill from Merck Sharp & Dohme is a prescription medicine and patients are advised to seek their doctors’ opinion regarding the suitability of this medication for their conditions.

“Side-effects have been reported in less than five per cent of patients on the medication, and include stuffy or runny nose, upper respiratory tract infection and headache,” said Dr Mafauzy.

“Patients need to not only look beyond medical treatment options but seriously consider a change in their lifestyle activities as well as diet. Malaysians need to learn to take care of their own health and be disciplined about keeping to healthy diet and regular exercise.”

Another consultant endocrinologist, Dr Yap Piang Kian, said “When a patient is given a dose of glucose by mouth, the sugar will be absorbed and the blood glucose level will rise. In response to this, insulin is released by the beta cells of the pancreas to enable the glucose to be stored in the muscles and liver, to be used when the need arises. Because glucose can be stored for future use, we do not have to eat continuously to function and can manage with only a few meals a day.”

He said the DPP-4 inhibitors can be taken orally, an advantage for injection-shy patients.

“Unlike exenatide, this group of drugs is weight-neutral, that is, it neither causes weight loss nor weight gain. It should be noted that most of the older anti-diabetic agents, with the exception of metformin, cause weight gain.”

Perhaps the biggest advantage of this class of drugs, said Dr Yap, is that they are “smart”; they only exert their effects when the blood glucose level is raised, so that the risk of hypoglycaemia is minimised.

Hypoglycaemia, or a low blood sugar level, is one of the dreaded complications of diabetes treatment because it is distressing to patients and may even lead to death.

The mimetics and enhancers work well by themselves or in combination with other traditional anti-diabetic agents. To date, he said, no significant adverse side-effects have been identified. However, these drugs are relatively new and it may take years for uncommon adverse reactions to surface.

Busting myths on diabetes

1. Myth: All forms of diabetes is inherited

Fact: Not everyone who gets diabetes inherits it. People tend to inherit the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes more than type 1. You are considered at risk for developing Type 2 if any first-degree relative has diabetes.

2. Myth: People with diabetes should never eat sugar and sweets

Fact: Sugar and sweets do raise your blood glucose, but people with diabetes can safely eat sugar as part of their meal plan. And just to clear up another myth, you can’t get diabetes from eating too much sugar.

3. Myth: You can have borderline diabetes for many years.

Fact: There is no such thing as `borderline diabetes’. You either have it or you don’t. You have diabetes if: a) Your fasting blood glucose readings are greater than 126 mg/dl, or b) Your random blood glucose is above 200 mg/dl on at least two separate occasions.

4. Myth: Once you start taking pills or insulin, you can eat anything that you want.

Fact: The pills or insulin that you take for diabetes are more effective when they don’t have to work as hard to lower your blood glucose. Combining your medicines with a healthy meal plan and physical activity gives you the most for your money.

5. Myth: There are no natural remedies for diabetes.

Fact: The most natural remedy is eating a healthy diet and exercise. Healthy eating and physical activity help to lower your blood glucose levels.

6. Myth: Insulin causes impotence

Fact: Some men who have diabetes may become impotent, but not because they take insulin. Impotence or erectile dysfunction is caused by damage to nerves caused by many years of high blood glucose.

7. Myth: The best way to judge your blood sugar level is by the way you feel.

Fact: Some people have symptoms when their blood glucose is too high or low, others do not. Because some of the symptoms of high and low blood glucose are similiar, it can be hard to know what your symptoms mean. The only way to be sure is to check your blood glucose.

8. Myth: It’s a good idea to soak your feet every day if you have diabetes.

Fact: This used to be a common practice, but soaking your feet can make your skin dry and is no longer recommended.

9. Myth: If my blood sugar is usually over 180 mg/dl, that must be normal for me.

Fact: No. Just because your blood glucose level is usually high, this does not mean that this is good. High blood glucose levels that are above recommended goals do damage to many organs and systems in your body.

10. Myth: Type 2 diabetes is not serious.

Fact: This is a very dangerous myth, because people who believe this may not take proper care of themselves. All types of diabetes are serious, and need to be taken seriously by people who have it and their families.

11. Myth: I don’t have a family history of diabetes, so I won’t get it.

Fact: Some people are born with a greater chance of developing diabetes than others. However, plenty of people diagnosed with the disease don’t have a family history of diabetes. Your weight and lifestyle can be factors in whether you develop diabetes.

Source: http://www.diabetesdigest.com

(c) 2007 Sunday Mail; Kuala Lumpur. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

It’s cold season, and germ-phobics are preparing for battle. They don’t have to look far to find plenty of weapons.Nutritionally enhanced drinks, with names such as House Call and Rescue, stand ready to boost weakened immune systems. Green tea, probiotics, herbs and a slew of vitamin-spiked drinks promise to help fight off those nasty viruses lurking on doorknobs and elevator buttons.

But most of these products are more about marketing than strengthening the immune system, said Dr. Damon Schranz, a medical director and assistant professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center.

Germs are everywhere, from ATMs to escalator rails.

“Those places are just filthy,” Schranz said. “And there’s really no way to avoid them.”

So is there anything consumers can do to protect themselves?

Mother’s advice to practice healthy habits is still the best way to dodge a cold. But short of becoming a recluse, there’s not a lot that can be done to boost immunity and prevent colds.

“It’s just luck,” Schranz said. “If you’re gonna get sick, you’re gonna get sick.”

Here’s what works, and what doesn’t.

1. Soap and water

Most colds are transmitted by shaking hands, but a 2006 survey found that only 34 percent of respondents washed their hands after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are less effective than ordinary soap. Liquid dishwashing soap may be best of all. In one study, dishwashing soap was up to 100 times more effective than the antibacterial variety.

Bottom line: If you doing nothing else, do this.

2. Probiotics

Long used in Europe, probiotic dairy drinks have hit the U.S. market with promising results. As the commercials for Dannon’s probiotic drink suggest, 70 percent of the body’s immune cells are found in the intestinal immune system. Probiotics, which help stimulate immune cells and reduce inflammation, are commonly used to treat gastrointestinal problems. But a 2001 study in the British Medical Journal found that probiotics also appeared to decrease the severity of colds. Children who drank Lactobacillus milk had 17 percent fewer complicated respiratory infections than those who did not.

Bottom line: There’s growing evidence to suggest probiotics can reduce respiratory symptoms and boost immunity. But a cup of plain yogurt does the trick just as well as the drink.

3. Exercise

It has to be in moderation. One study found that marathon runners were six times more likely to get colds than those who skipped the race. But 30 minutes of brisk walking most days can pay off. One study found that women who walked for 45 minutes, five days a week suffered half as many sick days for colds as couch potatoes did. Walking appears to increase immune cells in the bloodstream, leading researchers to theorize that regular exercise can fight off germs. One study found that active people had 25 percent fewer colds than others.

Bottom line: Exercise has lots of benefits, but don’t wait until the sniffles start to hit the treadmill.

4. Fruits and veggies

Carrots, pumpkin, squash, spinach and broccoli are packed with immune-boosting carotenoids. Dried fruit, such as raisins and blueberries, may also be helpful. Avoid processed foods, sugary treats and polyunsaturated vegetable oil.

Bottom line: This is a good practice year-round.

5. Avoid germs

Sounds simple enough, but the list of places where germs thrive is long. Anything a sick person touches can get infested with germs, including money, mail, ATM keypads, credit cards, pens, shopping cart handles, door knobs, telephones, elevator buttons, public computers and handrails.

Bottom line: Take no chances. Use your own pen when signing receipts and such. Use it again to punch numbers on the ATM. But don’t get obsessive. Stressing out can weaken immunity.

6. Vitamin C

Ever since the 1970s when Nobel laureate Linus Pauling claimed that taking 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily would reduce colds by 45 percent, people have grabbing a bottle after their first sneeze.

Doctors say there’s no evidence that vitamin C can prevent a cold, and they have decades of research to support that. Extra C may reduce the duration and severity of a cold, but not significantly.

Bottom line: Since this is a water-soluble vitamin, it’s tough to overdose, but doctors say that anything more than 500 milligrams at one time gets washed out of your system. A better strategy is to get vitamin C through oranges, tomatoes and other natural sources.

7. Echinacea

A 2005 National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine study found no evidence that that Eechinacea (also known as purple coneflower) prevents colds. A 2003 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed it had little effect on upper respiratory infections in children. But plenty of people swear by it. It is said to increase the number of infection-fighting white blood cells.

Bottom line: Use with caution and stop use prior to surgery.

8. Green tea

Green tea’s claim to fame is its antioxidants, which may help boost the immune system. People drink green tea to fight aging, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease and many other conditions. But can it prevent the common cold? A 2007 study found the ingredients in green tea can enhance the body’s immune system by 28 percent. The antioxidants in green tea are said to be 100 times more effective than vitamin C.

Bottom line: It may not prevent a cold, but it does have other health benefits and it tastes good.

9. Zinc

Several studies have found zinc nasal sprays can cut cold symptoms by a couple of days. But other studies have shown it does nothing to ease the misery of a cold or prevent the sniffles. Too much (50 milligrams or more) can deaden taste buds and interfere with the body’s absorption of copper, a mineral essential to immune function.

Bottom line: Skip the supplement or limit it to the recommended dietary allowance: 11 milligrams for men and 8 for women.

10. Sleep

Research links chronic sleep deprivation to high blood pressure, heart disease and other health problems. When people don’t get enough sleep, the body’s T lymphocytes, which help destroy infections, don’t work as well.

Bottom line: Between 20 million and 30 million people in the United States don’t get enough sleep from time to time. Sleep deprivation is estimated to cost Americans more than $100 billion annually in lost productivity, medical expenses and sick leave. Even if extra sleep doesn’t boost immunity, it certainly makes people feel better.

Sources: Dr. Damon Schranz, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, Dr. Andrew Weil’s’ Healthy Living, Quackwatch, National Sleep Foundation, HealthNewsDigest.com, Mayo Clinic, Weight Watchers

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(c) 2007, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

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