Vonnies Health Spot

LIPOIC ACID MAY HELP IN THE QUEST FOR HEALTHY ARTERIES AND LOWER BODY WEIGHT

By now I think all of us are aware that heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. Atherosclerosis, or what used to be called “hardening of the arteries,” is a long-term process that is now seen as a chronic inflammatory disease, which begins when certain types of white blood cells called monocytes bind to “adhesion molecules” on the walls of the arteries. This in turn allows the monocytes to enter the arterial wall, there they become inflammatory macrophages that, in the presence of low density lipoprotein, or LDL, can transform into lipid-laden foam cells — ultimately, an arterial fat deposit. This chronic process often begins during adolescence, can continue for a lifetime, and has been linked to obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise, diabetes, high blood pressure, genetic predisposition and other causes.

In a study recently published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association, scientists affiliated with the Linus Pauling Institute and College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University and the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington reported that in mouse-model studies, they found lipoic acid associated with inhibited formation of arterial lesions, lower triglycerides, reduced blood vessel inflammation, and less weight gain — all key issues for addressing cardiovascular disease.

The investigators warn that, as of now, the results cannot be directly extrapolated beyond the laboratory, but results of the study strongly suggest that lipoic acid supplementation in humans may become useful as an inexpensive, but effective adjunct strategy in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic vascular diseases. “These findings reinforce the need for more comprehensive human studies,” according to Balz Frei, professor and director of the Linus Pauling Institute. “That will be the next step in our research, in double-blind, randomized, clinical studies during the next five years with Oregon Health and Science University.”

Alpha lipoic acid is a naturally occurring nutrient found at low levels in green leafy vegetables, potatoes and meats, especially organ meats such as kidney, heart, or liver. The amounts used in this research would not be obtainable by any normal diet, and for human consumption might equate to supplements of about 2,000 milligrams, or 2 grams, per day.

For more information, click on www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/080114162506.htm _______________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer: The purpose of this weblog is not to dispense medical advice nor in any way is meant to be construed as diagnostic or prescriptive. Always check with your physician before beginning any new program or trying any of the items discussed in the posts that appear on this site.

REVERSE BRAIN ATROPHY WITH EXERCISE?

Science told us in the past that we’re born with all the brain cells we will ever have (the moral of the story being “take care of what you’ve got, because you ain’t gonna get no more”). Well, surprise, surprise! New research shows that the old tale is not true.

In the late 1990s, several lines of research began turning investigators’ concepts of mood disorders upside down.

BRAIN CELL REGENERATION
Research showing that neurogenesis—the birth of new brain cells—can continue throughout life. They have found that the process of neurogenesis is an ongoing one, with new brain cells being born even as old brain cells die off. Researchers have also found that depression appears to inhibit this birth of new brain cells. In animal studies, stress puts a halt to the process of neurogenesis. Under stress, existing cells shrink and the total number of cells decreases. Exercise and “environmental enrichment,” on the other hand, have a beneficial effect. In humans, there are hints that exercise may help reverse brain atrophy.

THE ROLE OF DEPRESSION
People who’ve had depression are likelier to have a smaller hippocampus (a part of the brain that plays a role in emotion and is associated with memory and learning). The more severe and long-lasting the depression, the greater the loss of brain volume. This process of brain atrophy also affects the frontal lobes, which are involved in managing emotional reactions. The good news is that most of the change seems to be related to cell shrinkage, rather than outright cell death, and thus can potentially be reversed.

HOW DO ANTIDEPRESSANTS HELP?
What about the familiar neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine? They are still understood to play a significant role in mood disorders—but with a new twist. Most people are familiar with the research that underlies the use of fluoxetine (Prozac) and similar antidepressants. These drugs block the reuptake of certain neurotransmitters at receptor sites in the brain, thus increasing the concentrations of serotonin and other neurotransmitters in the synapses (gaps) between cells in the brain. This increase is believed to be responsible for the elevation of mood.

PROMISING DISCOVERIES
The twist? More recently, instead of focusing on tinkering with the level of neurotransmitters between cells, researchers have looked at what happens when the neurotransmitter binds to the cell membrane. The reactions that then go on inside the cell are now thought to be more important to the cell’s functioning than the binding of the neurotransmitter to the outside. For instance, researchers have found that antidepressants increase levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which helps nourish neurons, helping them become more active and make more connections to other cells. Researchers also have found that antidepressants are involved in neurogenesis—at least in rats, increasing the production of new neurons in the rat hippocampus.

THE CAVEAT
The extent of the response varies among individuals and may be moderated by how severe a person’s depression has been, and how often it has recurred. And psychotherapy still has a role to play because how we interpret a stressful event can have a significant impact on our emotional response and ability to recover.

The above was excerpted from The Anatomy of Mood -- Biology and the Brain, published by Johns Hopkins Medical Research Hospital. For more information, go to www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com.

______________________________________________________

In a recent comment, Tim Wang asked about whether I plan to publish a collection of the posts I have authored in the past and the answer is yes! Watch for the first volume of Vonnies Health Spot to appear by the end of January 2008! Soon there will also be CDs available and in the future we hope to produce DVDs of health lectures and exercises.

_______________________________________________________________________ 
Disclaimer: The purpose of this weblog is not to dispense medical advice nor in any way is meant to be construed as diagnostic or prescriptive. Always check with your physician before beginning any new program or trying any of the items discussed in the posts that appear on this site.

DANCING YOUR WAY TO HEALTH

A few years ago I was acting in commercials and one day my agent asked me if I knew how to ballroom dance. Off the cuff, I said “sure.” Driving home, I gave it a little more thought and decided, yes, I know how to dance a few steps and I have always been pretty good at following, but do I really know the patterns? The answer was no. So rather than call my agent and 'fess up, I called the nearest Arthur Murray dance studio. My reasoning was that I could take a few quickie lessons and get the moves I needed, then next time I was sent on an audition that involved dancing, I would nail the part.

I started my lessons, commuting 50 miles twice a week. First I started group classes, then I decided that wasn’t fast enough for me, so I took up private sessions. Long story short … I got hooked and started competing. I lost the 40 pounds I needed to shed, got the most toned I ever been in my life (except once about 10 years previously when I had been studying tae kwan do). I felt like an athlete. But those were the days ... not too long ago ... when people outside the dance subculture would snicker when I told them I was a competitive ballroom dancer. People on the inside knew what great workouts we were getting, but those outside looked upon ballroom dancing as kind of cheesy. Now …  finally … the rest of the world is figuring it out. My, how times have changed!

Thanks to the International Olympic Committee for giving ballroom dancing provisional recognition and to the television production of Dancing with the Stars, partner (ballroom) dancing is finally getting the mainstream attention that it deserves.

Writer Nancy Christie says in the fall issue of HealthSmart Today, “Long before ABC’s Dancing with the Stars became a blockbuster success, passionate souls—hidden away in small studios across the nation—have been waltzing their way to lean legs, tight glutes and sleek waistlines for years. Although the exhilaration of the music, the intricate moves and the closely held partner is what inspires most ballroom dancers to take to the floor, ballroom dancing is now being heralded as a great form of cardiovascular exercise.”

A recent study completed by Dr. Hermes Ilarraza of the National Institute of Cardiology in Mexico, which he subsequently presented at the World Congress of Cardiology in Barcelona, Spain, showed that partner dancing can give as good an aerobic workout as more conventional forms of exercise. And let’s face it … it’s a lot more fun than running on a treadmill.

The study was small … a group of 40 heart disease patients, all of whom committed to doing half an hour of exercise a day, five days a week, for five weeks. Twenty of the study’s participants got their exercise from a dance routine choreographed by a professional dancer, while the others worked out on stationary bicycles. Ilarraza found that the dance group’s exercise capacity increased by 28 percent, just 3 percent shy of the cycling group who came in at 31 percent.

In addition to cardio health, burning calories is important too. The chart below gives some typical calorie burns for the average-size person. Of course, the calorie-burn total can be higher or lower, depending on your age, weight and muscular development (even at rest, muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue).

Calories Burned
Per Hour            Activity       
    207            Ballroom (slow)
    306            Swing
    306            General
    326            Twist
    378            Ballroom (fast)
    394            Disco
    465            Hip Hop

According to Christie, “ … In addition to toning your leg muscles, dancing contributes to good posture and body alignment, it works your core and upper body, encourages gentle stretching, increases your flexibility and stamina, is weight-bearing so it builds healthy bones, and all that whirling and twirling helps you develop your balance like nothing else.” Also, for those of you who struggle with that ol’ demon depression, dancing pumps massive amounts of feel-good hormones into your system.

So if joining a gym seems worse than a trip to the dentist for you, try going to a dance studio instead. You will probably be pleasantly surprised.

_______________________________________________________________________ 
Disclaimer: The purpose of this weblog is not to dispense medical advice nor in any way is meant to be construed as diagnostic or prescriptive. Always check with your physician before beginning any new program or trying any of the items discussed in the posts that appear on this site.