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Gastric band Surgery In France BMI: A double-edged sword in your risk of dementia An analysis of international data on more than a million people who were followed over time confirms two links between BMI and dementia – one ties midlife obesity to higher risk, and the other ties being underweight near disease onset to higher risk. New research clarifies how both obesity and lower-than-average BMI are linked to dementia. A report on the longitudinal study, which was conducted by researchers across Europe and led by University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom, is published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. The findings may explain the mixed evidence on the relationship between higher body mass index (BMI) and dementia risk; there is some that points to higher BMI being tied to raised risk, and there is some that suggests the opposite. The reason for the confusion is because there are two things going on, says lead study author Mika Kivimäki, who is a professor in UCL’s Institute of Epidemiology & Health. “One is an adverse effect of excess body fat on dementia risk,” he notes. “The other is weight loss due to preclinical dementia.” This might explain why those who develop dementia tend to have above-average BMI two decades before disease symptoms appear, but nearer the time of onset, their BMI is lower than healthy counterparts who do not develop it. Dementia numbers rising Worldwide, there are around 47 million people living with dementia, an irreversible, deteriorating brain disease that progressively diminishes ability to remember, think, and live independently. The risk of developing dementia rises with age, and because of the rising number of elderly people in the world, global numbers of the disease are soaring. As there is currently no cure for dementia, or even treatments that slow it down, the already huge impact that the disease has on individuals, their families, communities, health systems, and costs will become overwhelming. Estimates suggest that by 2030, there will be 75 million people living with dementia worldwide, rising to 132 million by 2050. Alzheimer’s disease – a condition that gradually destroys cells and tissue in the brain – is the main cause of dementia, accounting for around 65 percent of cases. While estimates vary, it is thought that there are around 5 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States, where dementia is a leading cause of death among older people. High midlife BMI means higher dementia risk For their new study, Prof. Kivimäki and colleagues pooled and analyzed data from 39 longitudinal population studies. Altogether, the data covered a total of 1,349,857 individuals from France, Finland, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S. All were free of dementia when they enrolled and underwent measurement of weight and height to assess their BMI. By searching hospital and prescription records and death registries, the studies had established that 6,894 of the participants developed
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Gastric band Surgery In France Battle of the sexes: Are women fitter than men? A new study shows that when women exercise, their body processes oxygen a lot faster than men’s. This indicates superior aerobic fitness, explain the researchers. In other words, women may be naturally fitter than men. When it comes to aerobic fitness exercise – such as running – women may outperform men, suggests new research. As society is making more and more progress in the sociopolitical realm of gender equality, there are fields where, in addition to equality and fairness, physical differences between the sexes matter a great deal. Athletic training is one such field. But new research challenges the traditional belief that men are athletically superior to women. In fact, by measuring women’s response to aerobic training, a new study suggests that the opposite may be true. The new study examined sex differences in the body’s response to aerobic fitness; more specifically, it focused on how sex affects the body’s ability to process oxygen once it starts to exercise. Thomas Beltrame, from the University of Waterloo in Canada, led the research, and the findings were published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. Women outperformed men by 30 percent As Beltrame and colleagues explain in their paper, the previous studies that have decreed men are capable of faster oxygen intake – a standard measure of fitness – than women were conducted in children and older adults. However, the matter had not been investigated in healthy young adults. So, the researchers hypothesized that in this population sample, too, the findings of previous research would hold true – men would have a faster oxygen turnover. Beltrame and team set out to test out their hypothesis. They recruited 18 healthy young participants; nine of them were male, nine female. All participants were highly active, with similar ages, weight, and levels of aerobic fitness. Participants were asked to engage in an “incremental cardiopulmonary treadmill exercise test,” as well as in three treadmill exercise tests of moderate intensity. The tests revealed that “the peripheral and pulmonary oxygen extraction dynamics were remarkably faster in women.” More specifically, women circulated oxygen in their body 30 percent faster than men, on a constant basis. In other words, women may be naturally more athletic. The hypothesis was disproven. Findings may change athletic training Richard Hughson, a professor in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at Waterloo and a corresponding author of the study, explains the meaning of the test results. “We found that women’s muscles extract oxygen from the blood faster, which, scientifically speaking, indicates a superior aerobic system,” he says. Oxygen uptake is a standard measure of aerobic fitness, and it describes the amount of oxygen that the body can take in and use per minute. As the American College of Sports Medicine explain, our oxygen consumption
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Gastric band Surgery In France Exercise alone alters our gut microbiota It is well established – and perhaps unsurprising – that what we eat affects the microbes that live in our intestine, collectively known as the gut microbiota. According to two new studies, however, exercise has the same effect. Two new studies suggest that exercise – independent of diet – can alter the composition of gut microbiota. In mouse and human experiments, researchers found that physical activity – independent of diet – alters the composition of gut microbiota in a way that increases the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that are beneficial for health. According to Jeffrey Woods – a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the co-lead investigator of both studies – their research is the first to show that the diversity of gut bacteria can be modified through exercise alone. The first study, which investigated the effects of exercise on the gut microbiota of mice, was published in the journal Gut Microbes. This study included three groups of mice: one group of mice was sedentary, the other group had access to a running wheel (the exercise group), while the remaining group was sedentary and germ-free, meaning that they did not possess any gut microbiota due to being bred in a sterile environment. The researchers took fecal material from both the exercise and sedentary groups and transplanted it into the colons of the germ-free mice. Exercise increased beneficial gut microbes As a result of fecal transplantation, the previously germ-free mice developed gut microbiota that had comparable composition to their donor groups. Interestingly, the germ-free mice that received fecal material from the exercise group had higher levels of gut microbes that produce an SCFA called butyrate, which is known to reduce inflammation and promote gut health. Additionally, when these mice were given a chemical that triggers colitis, or inflammation of the colon, the researchers witnessed a surprising response. “There was a reduction in inflammation and an increase in the regenerative molecules that promote a faster recovery,” says study co-leader Jacob Allen, who was at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign at the time of the research. Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that “exercise-induced modifications in the gut microbiota can mediate host-microbial interactions with potentially beneficial outcomes for the host.” But do these findings ring true for humans? This is what the team sought to find out with their second study. Differences between lean, obese subjects The second study – published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise – included 32 sedentary adults, of whom 18 were lean and 14 were obese. The participants took part in a supervised exercise program, which involved 30-60 minutes of endurance exercise, 3 days per week, for a total of 6 weeks. Once the 6-week
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Gastric band Surgery In France Is this the formula for reversing type 2 diabetes? The first-year results of a clinical trial have shown that almost half of people partaking in an intensive weight management program delivered through primary care achieved remission of their type 2 diabetes without medication. A trial has shown that type 2 diabetes is reversible if weight is lost and kept off. The trial, which is called the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT), builds on earlier work by co-lead investigator Prof. Roy Taylor, director of the Magnetic Resonance Centre at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom. The earlier work showed that a radical change in diet can reverse type 2 diabetes. The results of the trial, recently reported in The Lancet, suggest that remission of type 2 diabetes may be achievable through intensive weight management programs supported by routine primary care. The team’s findings revealed that after 12 months of radical weight management, participants lost an average of 10 kilograms (22 pounds), and that 45.6 percent of them went back to being non-diabetic without medication. ‘Long-term maintenance of weight loss’ focus Prof. Taylor says that significant weight loss reduces the amount of fat in the liver and pancreas so that they can start working normally again. “What we’re seeing from DiRECT,” he remarks, “is that losing weight isn’t just linked to better management of type 2 diabetes: significant weight loss could actually result in lasting remission.” “Our findings suggest that even if you have had type 2 diabetes for 6 years,” adds trial co-leader Prof. Michael Lean, chair of Human Nutrition at the University of Glasgow in the U.K., “putting the disease into remission is feasible.” He says that their approach differs from the conventional way of managing type 2 diabetes in that it focuses “on the need for long-term maintenance of weight loss through diet and exercise and encourage flexibility to optimize individual results.” Diabetes is a global health problem Diabetes is a disease in which the body either does not make enough or cannot effectively use insulin, which is a hormone that helps cells to absorb and turn blood sugar into energy. In type 2 diabetes, the body’s cells do not react to insulin as they should, which is known as insulin resistance. The pancreas – an organ that produces insulin – tries to compensate by producing more insulin, but eventually it cannot make enough, and blood sugar levels go up. High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, damages many parts of the body and can lead to severe health problems, including heart disease, vision impairment, and kidney disease. Of the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who have diabetes, the vast majority have type 2, which results largely from carrying too much weight and not being physically active. In the United States, around 90-95 percent of the 30 million people with diabetes have type 2. And while it normally strikes people aged 45 and
Weight loss
Compare cost of Weight Loss Surgery In Europe price of gastric band MY 600 LB LIFE Diana Bunch lives by gratitude after losing more than 265 pounds… says she’s nothing but grateful for her time on the show, and for the successful gastric sleeve surgery that helped her lose 265 pounds and counting.See all stories on this topic Read more… Read more…
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Gastric band Surgery In France How to reduce Christmas stress “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” but also a time when stress levels soar. We have put together some top tips to stop stress in its tracks and make the season of goodwill more enjoyable. The holidays can be a time of high stress levels, but managing stress can help you to have a happy and healthy Christmas. While Christmas is known as “the season to be jolly,” it can be a significant source of stress, pressure, and conflict for many of us. Some people can feel overwhelmed by the excess, expectations, and exchange and become depressed during the holidays. A lack of time and money, credit card debt, and the pressure of gift giving can often contribute to stress during the holiday season. Most of us are aware of the adverse effects that stress can have on our body. It can impact our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and it can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity if left unchecked. In fact, research has shown that there is an increase in the occurrence of heart attacks and heart-related deaths during the festive season, which may be due to stress, heavy alcohol consumption, a fatty diet, or all three. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that holiday stress is dealt with – pronto. With all the cooking, decorating, visiting, and gift giving, the holidays can seem more like trying to meet a high-pressure deadline than a vacation. So, try these Christmas stress-busting strategies to ease the strain and help stress melt away. 1. Limit spending Money issues are one of the leading causes of stress during the holiday season, according to a poll conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2004. Recent data collected in the APA’s annual Stress in America survey reflect this finding and report that 62 percent of us feel stressed about money. Avoid overspending by setting a budget. Holiday retail sales in November and December 2017 are expected to increase between 3.6 and 4 percent and total between $678.75 billion to $682 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. These figures are up from $655.8 billion last year. Gift buying, entertainment, and travel can all fuel financial burden, even for the savviest shoppers. However, here are some steps that you can take to limit financial stress. Set a budget. First of all, make sure that all your usual expenses are accounted for so that you do not fall short on bills such as rent. Plan for any other spending over the holidays, including any parties you may be hosting or traveling to visit friends or family. Once these items have been subtracted from your budget, you can then work out how much you can spend on gifts. Being organized and realistic about your budget will help you to ensure that you do not overspend. Make one financial decision at a time. Make sure that you space spending-related decisions out. Trying to make too many decisions at once can be overwhelming, which can lead
Weight loss
Compare Affordable Gastric Banding Surgery in France cheap gastric band Write to Lose WeightEveryone who is trying to lose weight is aware of the fact that keeping track of the diet you have taken has extreme importance in getting fruitful results, but very few people realize the importance of maintaining the record of their weight loss related thoughts. Even if a person managed to lose a decent amount of weight, he or she never give proper credit to the routine journaling.See all stories on this topic Read more… Read more…
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Gastric band Surgery In France How a single bout of exercise instantly protects the heart A new review of existing studies examines the evidence behind the idea that an acute bout of exercise is able to offer immediate protection for the heart against cardiovascular disease through a mechanism called “cardiovascular preconditioning.” An acute episode of exercise can ‘train’ the heart and protect it against future damage. The results of the new research – led by Dick Thijssen, who is a professor of cardiovascular physiology and exercise at the Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom – have been published in the journal JAMA Cardiology. As Prof. Thijssen and colleagues explain, it is a widely accepted fact that exercise protects the heart over time. However, it is less known that it can also do so within hours, and that a single workout episode is enough to yield clinically significant benefits. This under-appreciated advantage of exercise may be due to a phenomenon called ischemic, or cardiovascular, preconditioning. The team explains the reasoning behind the theory of cardiovascular preconditioning: repeatedly exposing the heart to short, non-life-threatening episodes of ischemia – an inadequate supply of blood to the heart – makes the heart more resistant to a more serious, future ischemia episode. The “paradox” of ischemic preconditioning is a concept first introduced in the mid-1980s, and it has been suggested that one of the ways to induce this cardioprotective effect is through exercise. So, the review by Prof. Thijssen and colleagues aimed to examine the evidence for this theory in existing preclinical studies. Protection through exercise preconditioning The review found that between one and three workout sessions per week can provide “strong” protection for the heart. Moreover, one single workout episode can provide cardioprotection for 2-3 hours, and even stronger and longer-lasting benefits emerge 24 hours after the exercise session has finished. “Importantly,” the authors write, “these associations are present on the first episode of exercise, with subsequent exercise sessions reactivating protective pathways and leading to ongoing beneficial effects.” This cardioprotective effect could be explained by ischemic preconditioning, write the researchers, given that an intense episode of exercise can have systematic effects such as inducing myocardial ischemia. Although factors such as obesity and age may interfere with some of these immediate protective effects of exercise, regular training can restore these benefits. The authors explain: “Taken together, cardioprotection through exercise preconditioning is a facile, inexpensive, and potent therapy that deserves greater recognition and further resources to establish the optimal dose.” “Nonetheless,” they continue, “as is so often the case with the benefits of exercise, its prescription follows the cardinal rule: use it or lose it.” Prof. Thijssen comments on the results
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Gastric band Surgery In France Too much sitting doesn’t cause weight gain, says study I spend around 12 hours per day sitting down – 8 at my desk, 3 on the train, and possibly another watching TV. I am well aware of the risks that this poses to my health, but according to a new study, weight gain isn’t one of them. Prolonged sitting may not cause weight gain, but it is still harmful to health. My sedentary time is on par with the average person in the United States, which is worrying. Prolonged sitting has been linked to high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Some studies have even associated prolonged sitting with an increased risk of premature death. Adding insult to injury, it seems that no matter how much exercise I do in the time that I’m not sitting on my bottom, I can’t offset these heath risks. Great. But as I sit here (ironically) panicking about what I can do to stop my sedentary behavior becoming a health problem, I spot a study that provides some much-needed reprieve. It says that prolonged sitting is unlikely to make me pile on the pounds. Hooray! Celebration aside, as a writer for Medical News Today, I know that such studies should not be taken at face value. So, let’s have a look at the details. Prolonged sitting is still harmful Published in the journal Sports Medicine, the research was a systematic review and meta-analysis of 23 studies that investigated the effects of sedentary behavior on body weight and obesity risk among adults. Importantly, all studies included in the analysis adjusted their results to account for physical activity, since this can influence weight. Overall, the team only found “small, inconsistent, and non-significant associations” between sedentary behaviors – such sitting at work or watching TV – and body weight and obesity. The scientists did identify a slight increase in waist circumference with sedentary behavior: a 0.02-millimeter increase for every 1-hour increase in sitting time per day over 5 years. But don’t panic just yet; the researchers say that this increase is “basically negligible.” So, what do these findings mean for those of us who spend most of our day warming our chairs? Put simply, “The results show that the harmful effects of too much sitting is probably not caused by weight gain,” explains lead study author Dr. Meredith Peddie, of the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago in New Zealand. However, the findings do not suggest that sitting down for long periods is harmless – much to my disappointment. ” our intervention studies clearly show that sitting for long periods increases blood sugar and triglyceride levels,” says Dr. Peddie. Read more……>click Here< Read more... Read more…
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Gastric band Surgery In France All you need to know about fat-soluble vitamins As the name suggests, fat-soluble vitamins are a type of vitamin that is absorbed into the body through fatty tissue.The human body requires a variety of vitamins to keep working properly. There are two types of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamins are often obtained through regular food intake. Some people require or want additional vitamins provided through supplements. Though both types of vitamin are important to the body, this article focuses on the types, functions, and sources of fat-soluble vitamins. What are fat-soluble vitamins? Fat-soluble vitamins provide the most benefit when consumed alongside foods that contain fat. Fat-soluble vitamins will not dissolve in water. Instead, fat-soluble vitamins absorb best when taken with higher-fat foods. Once absorbed into the body, fat-soluble vitamins are stored in fatty tissues and liver. The body can use these stores for future use. The water-soluble vitamins are vitamins B and C. There are four types of fat-soluble vitamins: Each type of fat-soluble vitamin promotes different functions in the body. People deficient in the fat-soluble vitamins may require supplements to boost their supply. However, it is possible to take in too much of a fat-soluble vitamin, which could lead to toxicity and adverse reactions. Vitamin A Vitamin A plays an important role in maintaining healthy vision. Without vitamin A, a person would suffer from severe vision issues. Types Vitamin A does not refer to one single vitamin but is a collection of compounds known as retinoids. Retinoids can be found both in the human body and in some food sources. Function Vitamin A supports several functions throughout the body. Some of the most important functions it supports include vision and the immune system. Dietary sources Vitamin A can be obtained through natural sources. Some sources include: fish liver oil liver of animals butter Animal sources provide the active components to help create retinols within the human body. Some plants also provide pro-vitamin A compounds known as carotenoid antioxidants. The most common is called beta carotene, which can be found in foods such as: kale carrots spinach Recommended intake The recommended intake of vitamin A varies by age and gender. The following are some recommended daily allowance values: infants (0-12 months): 400-500 micrograms (mcg) children aged 1-3: 300 mcg children aged 4-8: 400 mcg children aged 9-13: 600 mcg adult women: 700 mcg adult men: 900 mcg Deficiency Vitamin A deficiency is not common in developed countries. However, vegetarians are at a higher risk of a deficiency because they do not get some kinds of vitamin A through their normal diet. Similarly, people in developing countries with limited food sources or people whose diet is low in meat intake may also suffer from vitamin A deficiencies. Some signs of vitamin A deficiency include: Overdose It is
