Healthwise 89     August 2007

Healthwise is a regular column written especially for laterlife.com members and visitors by Helen Franks, journalist and author. Welcome to healthwise 89.  

For previous articles in the healthwise series visit 'more healthwise'  

Omega-3 being prescribed for heart attack victims

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has released new NHS guidelines supporting the use of omega-3 fish oils for secondary prevention in heart attack victims. However, the advice on prescriptions was only applicable to coronary patients who have had a heart attack in the previous three months, and are not consuming enough fish in their diet.

The role of omega-3 was in patients with coronary artery disease and elevated triglycerides. It was concluded that omega-3 fatty acids are an effective method for lowering triglycerides in patients with statins, without increasing the risk of adverse side-effects.

Omega-3 and has positive effects on bone health. Findings from this confirm and expand a growing body of research highlighting the positive effects of omega-3 fatty acids and reduced levels of omega-6 / omega-3 ratios in bone health.

Music lovers face hearing-loss timebomb, RNID warns

The UK is facing a hearing loss timebomb, according to RNID research, which reveals that 90 % of young people experience the signs of hearing damage after a night out, yet do nothing to prevent it.

The charity's 'Like it Loud?' report, published today as part of its Don't Lose the Music campaign, shows that 70 % of clubbers, 68 % of gig-goers and 44 % of people who go to bars experience the symptoms of hearing damage after their night out.

Respondents visited a bar where they had to shout to be heard, at least once a week, and the same proportion went clubbing at least once a month. Yet worryingly, just a quarter of young people surveyed thought the music in these venues was too loud and just a third thought hearing loss would affect their lives.

RNID is calling on the Government to establish a recommended noise exposure level for audiences attending music venues and events, and educate young people about noise as a public health risk.

How much exercise do you need?

It’s far less than we’ve been told by government health agencies, who reckon on 20 minutes a day. Researchers have discovered that people who walk or cycle for just half that amount – 72 minutes a week, or just over 10 minutes every day – improve their overall fitness by 4.2 % says the Journal of the American Medical Association.

You could double the exercise time and your fitness level will improve by 6%, while those who walk or cycle for 27 minutes every day can see an 8 % improvement. The other good news is that everyone – in all the exercise groups – saw a 2cm average reduction in their waist measurement.

However, none of the group – made up of post-menopausal women who lived mainly sedentary lives – lost weight, and their cardiovascular risk factors didn’t reduce, either. So, some level of fitness is attainable for pretty much all of us, just as long as we’re prepared to walk 10 minutes every day.

Fly for four hours or more and you double your risk

People who fly long-haul on flights that last more than four hours double their risk of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) or pulmonary embolism, a World Health Organization study has revealed. 

And it’s the same for any traveller who sits immobile for more than four hours, whether on a bus, a train or in a car. The WHO stresses that the risk is small, and is likely to affect just one in 6000 passengers who regularly travel more than four hours each time.

Passengers can reduce the risk further by wearing loose clothing, and by exercising the calf muscles with up-and-down movements of the feet at the ankle joints.

Dark chocolate can ward off hypertension

Everyone knows that fresh vegetables and fruit are good for us, but so is a little dark chocolate. Even just one square a day can reduce blood pressure, researchers have discovered.

The researchers did a chocolate test on 44 people aged between 56 and 73 years who had the first signs of high blood pressure (hypertension). Half were given 6.3g of dark chocolate, containing 30 mg of polyphenols, every day for 18 weeks while the rest were given polyphenol-free white chocolate.

The dark chocolate group saw a fall in the prevalence of hypertension by 68 %, and systolic blood pressure fell by 2.9 and diastolic blood pressure by 1.9. There was no improvement in the group that received the white chocolate.

New drug for diabetes

A malaria drug could be effective as a drug for diabetes, says a study in the Journal of the American Association.

The drug, called hydroxycloroquine, is also used to treat rheumatism and raised levels of cholesterol, but now there is hope that the drug can treat diabetes.

Further trials are needed, but diabetes symptoms were lowered by 77%.
 

If in any doubt about any of the information covered in healthwise articles and it's relevance for you, consult your GP.

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