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Healthwise is a regular column written especially for
laterlife.com members and visitors by Jane
Feinmann (acting health and features editor). Jane is an
award winning medical journalist and author.
Welcome to healthwise 95.
For previous articles in the healthwise series
visit
'more healthwise'
Health tips of the month
Sunshine news
Getting sufficient exposure to sunshine could save your life,
say scientists. But they’re divided on the question: how do you
know when you’re getting too much of a good thing?
Sunshine triggers production of vitamin D - and that can
reduce your risk of dying from a range of internal cancers,
according to a new study from the Institute of Cancer Research
at Norway’s University of Oslo in collaboration with the US
Department of Energy. So anyone already diagnosed with (or at
risk of) cancer of the breast, colon, prostate or lung, should
get as many rays as possible?
Well possibly – though the risk of skin cancer from too much
sunshine cannot be ignored, the scientists say.
Now another researcher adds to the debate by recommending
sky-high levels of vitamin D. Dr James Dowd of the Arthritis
Institute of Michigan says that people with chronic disorders,
including arthritis and high blood pressure, will derive
dramatic benefits by taking high levels of the ‘sunshine
vitamin’ orally as a tablet.
Dr Dowd, author of The Vitamin D Cure (John Wiley) gives up to
15 times the recommended dose of the sunshine vitamin to
patients with joint pain, back pain and headaches – and has seen
huge improvement in their symptoms.
Most doctors and nutritionists are sceptical of his claims. But
Dr Dowd is adamant. ‘I believe that millions of people in
America and Europe are seriously deficient in vitamin D – and
taking high doses of vitamin D will bring improvements in a
range of long-term health problems,’ he says. ‘It may sound
magical but it’s just commonsense medicine.’
Soy helps midriff weight loss
Having a glass of soy milk every day may help 50-plus women
avoid gaining fat around the middle, according to a report in
the journal, Fertility and Sterility. The research is the first
to suggest that soy, a plant oestrogen, can affect fat
distribution in postmenopausal women in the same way as HRT can.
‘It’s not clear why soy protein might affect belly fat in
particular,’ says lead researcher, Dr Cynthia Sites of the
University of Alabama. ‘But we know that middle-age spread
raises the risk of diabetes and heart disease. So it’s certainly
worth consideration.’
Being specific keeps you on
diet
Routine is a diet-killer because it’s human to like experiences
less the more often they are repeated, scientists warn. So a
diet that involves salads and fruit ad infinitum will quickly
have you longing for variety, possibly in the form of fry-ups
and cream teas. But plan a detailed menu and you’ll stay excited
about the prospect of spinach and watercress salad with stewed
prunes for afters. An American researcher realised the secret of
successful dieting is in the detail after handing out jellybeans
in different flavours to a group of volunteers. Those who were
told the flavour of the jellybean maintained an interest in the
experiment for longer than those whose beans were differentiated
only by number.
Got diabetes? Take a statin…
If you don’t take statins yet, you almost know someone who
does. The cholesterol-lowering drugs are widely prescribed by
doctors following evidence that they dramatically reduce the
risk of heart attacks and stroke even in people who don’t have
obvious symptoms of heart disease, such as high blood pressure.
Now, research suggests that anyone with type 2 diabetes may also
benefit from taking the drug: it will reduce their risk of heart
disease by one third.
‘Even if a person has a one per cent per year risk of a heart
attack, there is still a benefit from statins,’ says lead
researcher, Professor Bernard Cheung of the University of
Birmingham, writing in the Lancet. ‘That means there are very
good reasons to treat people whose risk of a heart attack
increases over time. And after middle age, that applies to most
people with diabetes.’
Men on HRT?
Should men take HRT to keep their bones strong? Quite possibly,
according to Swiss researchers. A team based in Basel has found
that low testosterone levels put men over 60 more at risk of
osteoporosis - which means that a bone fracture, following a
fall is more likely. Osteoporosis is most common in women
following the menopause. But one in three of all osteoporotic
fractures occur in men – and a common characteristic in this
group is low levels of testosterone, the researchers
discovered. ‘We are not quite ready to recommend hormone therapy
to help men avoid osteoporotic bone fractures,’ says lead
researcher, Professor Christian Meier. ‘We first need to
establish that such a therapy is safe and effective at
preventing fractures in healthy older men. It is most likely to
be justified only in those with the most severe testosterone
deficiency.’
If
in any doubt about any of the information covered in healthwise articles and
it's relevance for you, consult your GP.
IN THE PREVIOUS EDITION
Botox for shoulder pain
Yet another use for the beauty industry’s favourite toxin.
UK 50 plus among happiest in Europe
People in France, Italy and Span seem to know all about
the good life and how to enjoy it.
Why the right red wine boosts the heart
Red wine drinkers have looked a trifle smug for the last four
or five years...........
Viagra online worry
The most searched for pharmaceutical term on the
internet during September 2007 was Viagra.
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