Lifestyle Underwriting

Statin-Exercise Combo Lowers Mortality Risk

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Patients who took statins and were physically fit had as much as a 70% reduction in the risk of dying during the follow-up period as compared with the least physically fit patients who were taking statins, according to Peter Kokkinos, PhD, of George Washington University in Washington, and colleagues.

Physical fitness also had an independent effect on mortality risk among patients who were not taking statins, reducing the likelihood of death during follow-up by as much as 47%, they reported online in The Lancet.

via Statin-Exercise Combo Lowers Mortality Risk.

I really need to get the gym more often.

Heavy Drinking May Lead to Early Stroke

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Drinking three or more alcoholic beverages a day may raise the risk for spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage at a much younger age than typical, researchers found.

These strokes occurred at an average age of 60 with such high alcohol consumption, 14 years earlier than seen without heavy drinking (P<0.0001), Charlotte Cordonnier, MD, PhD, of the University of Lille Nord de France in Lille, France, and colleagues,

Heavy drinking also predicted a near doubling in 2-year mortality risk after a deep intracerebral hemorrhage before age 60, the group reported in the Sept. 11 issue of Neurology.

via Heavy Drinking May Lead to Early Stroke.

Health Toll of Fast Food Spreads Eastward

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Eating Western-style fast food on a regular basis significantly increased the risk of diabetes and coronary heart disease in a large Asian cohort, investigators reported.

The diabetes odds increased by 27% and CHD risk by 56% among Singapore residents who ate fast food at least twice a week.

The results changed little with overall dietary pattern, energy intake, or body mass index (BMI), as reported online in Circulation.

via Medical News: Health Toll of Fast Food Spreads Eastward – in Cardiovascular, Atherosclerosis from MedPage Today.

Consider Loneliness in Senior Health Assessments

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Researchers evaluated six years of data on 1,604 people 60 and older and found that 43% were classified as lonely. Compared with other study participants, those individuals were more prone to have their mobility decline, lose upper body strength, have trouble climbing stairs and decrease their daily activities. Loneliness also was associated with an increased risk of death, the study said.

A separate study of 8,594 adults 45 and older found that those between age 45 and 65 who live alone have significantly increased risk of mortality — and particularly cardiovascular-related death — than those who don’t live alone. That study also was published online June 18 in Archives of Internal Medicine.

via Doctors asked to consider loneliness in senior health assessment – amednews.com.

Helmet Use Among Motorcyclists Who Died in Crashes US 2008–2010

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During 2008–2010, a total of 14,283 motorcyclists were killed in crashes, among whom 6,057 (42%) were not wearing a helmet. In the 20 states with a universal helmet law, 739 (12%) fatally injured motorcyclists were not wearing a helmet, compared with 4,814 motorcyclists (64%) in the 27 states with partial helmet laws and 504 (79%) motorcyclists in the three states without a helmet law

via Helmet Use Among Motorcyclists Who Died in Crashes and Economic Cost Savings Associated With State Motorcycle Helmet Laws — United States, 2008–2010.

East ‘Meats’ West: Diabetes on Rise in China

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The Chinese people are eating more food per serving, have more money to buy and eat food — particularly junk food — when they’re not hungry, and engage in less physical activity, Xiaohui said.

He said that many people still eat a traditional Chinese meal, but along with rice and veggies will be more meat, and portions will be bigger as well. In addition, fast-food restaurants such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald’s are enjoying success at the price of a growing obesity epidemic among children and teens, he said.

via Medical News: East ‘Meats’ West: Diabetes on Rise in China – in Meeting Coverage, AACE from MedPage Today.

Traditional ethnic diets are preferable for your particular ethnicity.  You want fries with that?

Berry Good News

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In the current analysis, Elizabeth Devore, an instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and her colleagues addressed the gap in the research by reviewing the eating habits of a single cohort of 16,000 women participating in the Nurses Health Study. During their 50s and 60s, every four years the women answered questions by phone about what they ate. And in their 70s, they came into the lab for six different cognitive function tests. Devore and her team also had information on the women’s education, income and other socioeconomic factors that can affect cognitive function.

 

She and her colleagues focused their attention on berries because rodent studies showed that the key compound in berries, a flavonoid called anthocyanidin, could seep through the blood and into brain tissues — specifically concentrating in the hippocampus, which is responsible for learning and memory. As an antioxidant, flavonoids also fight inflammation and oxidation, both processes that affect aging brain cells.