From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
To read more click on following link: https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/resources/factsheets.html
Category Archives: Health
Boomers Health: New Blood Test Can Detect Alzheimer’s Protein Amyloid Beta 2 Decades Before Disease Onset
From a Washington University School of Medicine news release:
A blood test to detect the brain changes of early Alzheimer’s disease has moved one step closer to reality. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report that they can measure levels of the Alzheimer’s protein amyloid beta in the blood and use such levels to predict whether the protein has accumulated in the brain. The findings represent a key step toward a blood test to diagnose people on track to develop the devastating disease before symptoms arise.
Up to two decades before people develop the characteristic memory loss and confusion of Alzheimer’s disease, damaging clumps of protein start to build up in their brains. Now, a blood test to detect such early brain changes has moved one step closer to clinical use.
Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report that they can measure levels of the Alzheimer’s protein amyloid beta in the blood and use such levels to predict whether the protein has accumulated in the brain. When blood amyloid levels are combined with two other major Alzheimer’s risk factors – age and the presence of the genetic variant APOE4 – people with early Alzheimer’s brain changes can be identified with 94% accuracy, the study found.
To read more click on following link: https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/blood-test-is-94-accurate-at-identifying-early-alzheimers-disease/
Boomers Health: New Geriatric Surgery Verification Program Targets Communication And Screening For Vulnerabilities (Video)
Today, 10,000 people in the U.S. turn 65 every day. The U.S. Census Bureau projects the number of older adults to grow by 55 percent from 2010 to 2050, eventually making up 21 percent of the population.1 Currently, older adults account for more than 40 percent of all inpatient operations, and 33 percent of outpatient procedures performed annually in the U.S. This number will grow as the population ages, and the need for surgical services concurrently rises
The GSV Program will help hospitals of any size prepare for the influx of older adults considering surgery with care standards that define the resources hospitals need to have in place to perform operations effectively, efficiently, and safely in this vulnerable population. The standards take into account that older adults have distinct physical and social vulnerabilities, as well as unique goals for their care, that warrant a more thorough and individualized approach to surgery.
The standards outline processes for systematically improving older adult surgical care, including, but not limited to:
- Improving communications with patients before surgical procedures to focus on outcomes that matter most to the patient
- Screening for geriatric vulnerabilities
- Better management of medications
- Providing geriatric-friendly rooms
- Ensuring proper staffing is in place
To read more click on following link: https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/geriatric-surgery
Boomers Health: New Study Confirms Superior Weight Loss Benefits Of Morning Exercise
From an International Journal of Obesity July 2019 study:
This study, combined with the results of previous studies, supports the hypothesis that engaging in morning exercise may result in more weight loss compared to engaging in a similar amount of exercise later in the day. Furthermore, we observed individuals who performed most of their exercise sessions in the afternoon or evening tended to have slightly higher levels of EI and reduced NEPA and NEEx, suggesting that there are potentially important differences in the components of energy balance based on time of day exercise is performed.
Background/objectives
Circadian physiology has been linked to body weight regulation and obesity. To date, few studies have assessed the association between exercise timing and weight related outcomes. The aim of this secondary analysis was to explore the impact of exercise timing (i.e., 24 h clock time of exercise session) on weight loss and components of energy balance.
To read more click on following link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41366-019-0409-x
New Research Reveals Huge Hidden Costs Of Alzheimer’s Disease And Related Dementias
From a Science Daily online article:
“We found staggering inconsistencies between how costs of dementia are calculated across studies and our analysis strongly supports that current estimates fail to recognise the true costs of the diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, that cause dementia. Some studies have estimated that out of pocket expenses for people with dementia are up to one third of their household wealth in the final five years of their life, and that caregivers have healthcare costs that are twice as high as non-caregivers. We also found evidence that costs begin rising up to 10 years prior to diagnosis — we need to better measure and factor all these into future societal cost estimates.”
Some of dementia’s hidden costs explored in the analysis include:
- People developing other health conditions, such as anxiety or depression, as a result of caring for someone with dementia.
- Families forced to cut back on spending or to use savings to support their loved ones.
- Reduced quality of life for people with dementia and their care partners/carers.
- Costs that are incurred in the years before a diagnosis of impairment or dementia is made.
Currently, dementia is estimated to cost the US economy $290bn a year; the UK economy £26bn a year, and $1tn globally. A team of experts from institutions in the UK, Canada, Spain and the US reviewed existing evidence to assess what different costs are associated with dementia and analyse how these costs are measured.
To read more click on following link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190730092616.htm
Research: UC Berkeley Announces First Large Scale Study Of Healthy Lifestyle On Aging Brains
From a Berkeley News online article:
“A healthy diet and lifestyle are generally recognized as good for health, but this study is the first large randomized controlled trial to look at whether lifestyle changes actually influence Alzheimer’s disease-related brain changes,” said Susan Landau, a research neuroscientist at Berkeley’s Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, and principal investigator of the add-on study.
UC Berkeley was awarded a five-year grant expected to total $47 million from the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA) to incorporate advanced brain imaging into an Alzheimer’s Association-led study to explore whether lifestyle changes can protect memory in those at risk of developing dementia.
The expanded study will be the first large-scale investigation of how lifestyle interventions, which include exercise, diet, cognitive stimulation and health coaching, affect well-known biological markers of Alzheimer’s and dementia in the brain.
To read more click on following link: https://news.berkeley.edu/2019/07/29/47-million-grant-to-explore-how-a-healthy-lifestyle-changes-the-aging-brain/
Sleep Studies: Hot Bath Or Shower (104 Degrees), 1-2 Hours Before Bedtime Improves Duration And Quality Of Sleep
From Sleep Medicine Review, August 2019:
PBHWB of 40–42.5 °C was associated with both improved self-rated sleep quality and SE, and when scheduled 1–2 h before bedtime for little as 10 min significant shortening of SOL. These findings are consistent with the mechanism of PBHWB effects being the extent of core body temperature decline achieved by increased blood perfusion to the palms and soles that augments the distal-to-proximal skin temperature gradient to enhance body heat dissipation.
To read more click the following link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1087079218301552?via%3Dihub
The following is from “Health News from NPR”:
In their research review, Haghayegh and his colleagues examined results from 17 studies that met criteria for their analysis, i.e. studies that looked at using warm water exposures of various types to aid sleep onset and quality. Some involved body baths, some involved footbaths and one involved a shower. Thirteen of the studies had the full amount of data needed for a quantitative review.
Based on scientists’ review of these studies, a bath or shower of about 104 degrees Fahrenheit before bedtime that lasted for as little as 10 minutes was significantly associated with improved sleep quality, and increased the overall amount of time slept. In at least a couple of studies, taking a bath one or two hours before bedtime decreased the average amount of time it took the study participants to fall asleep — by about nine minutes.
To read more click on following link: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/07/25/745010965/a-warm-bedtime-bath-can-help-you-cool-down-and-sleep-better?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20190728&utm_campaign=health&utm_term=npr%20news&utm_id=46633831
Boomers Health Tips: C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Blood Tests Can Help Predict Heart Disease
From a Harvard Medical School “Harvard Heart Letter”:
Chronic inflammation often begins with a similar cellular response but morphs into a lingering state that persists far longer. Toxins such as cigarette smoke or an excess of fat cells (especially around the belly area) can also trigger inflammation. So can the fatty plaque inside arteries, which causes inflammatory cells to cover and wall off the plaque from the flowing blood. But the plaque may rupture, mingle with blood, and form a clot. These clots are responsible for the majority of heart attacks and most strokes.
A buildup of cholesterol-rich plaque inside arteries — known as atherosclerosis — is the root cause of most heart attacks and strokes. Researchers have long recognized that chronic inflammation sparks this artery-damaging process (see “Understanding inflammation”). Now, they’re zeroing in on better ways to tackle that aspect of the problem.
Addressing inflammation is vital. Even when people take steps to lower their risks for heart disease, such as reducing their cholesterol and blood pressure, they may still face life-threatening cardiovascular events.
Click on following link to read more: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/new-insights-about-inflammation
Boomers Health Tips: Kaiser Health News And NPR Team Up To Explain Confusing Medical Bills
From a Kaiser Health News article:
In 2018 Kaiser Health News and NPR teamed up to create “Bill of the Month,” a crowdsourced investigative series in which we dissect and explain medical bills you send us. We have received nearly 2,000 submissions of outrageous and confusing medical bills from across the country.
https://khn.org/news/your-go-to-guide-to-decode-medical-bills/
Each month we select one bill to thoroughly investigate, often resulting in the bill being resolved soon after the story is published. But what about the large number of Americans who receive surprise medical bills that reporters can’t examine?
Healthy Diets: Adults Need 45 Grams Of Protein Per Day From A Balanced Diet
From a Wall Street Journal article by Heidi Mitchell:
Unlike carbohydrates or fats, proteins are the only nutrients that can be used to build new cells that can form tissue, said Dr. Walter, a registered dietitian.
“These have to be supplied by food, and the best source of them is what we call a complete protein, which includes meat, chicken, fish, milk or eggs,” she said. A total of eight ounces, or about 45 grams of protein, is all an adult needs each day, she said, and the type of complete protein it comes from doesn’t matter in a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables and grains.
To read more click on the following link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-much-protein-should-you-eat-each-day-11563374327
Boomers Daily 