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Researchers identify environmental components that affect gene expression in cardiovascular disease – The South End

Posted: June 19, 2020 at 7:48 pm

A research team led by Francesca Luca, Ph.D., associate professor of Wayne State Universitys Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, has published a study that annotated environmental components that can increase or decrease disease risk through changes in gene expression in 43 genes that could exacerbate or buffer the genetic risk for cardiovascular disease. Their results highlight the importance of evaluating genetic risk in the context of gene-environment interactions to improve precision medicine.

Interpreting Coronary Artery Disease Risk Through GeneEnvironment Interactions in Gene Regulation was published in Genetics, the journal of the Genetics Society of America.

The study, said Dr. Luca, also of the WSU Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, illustrates that combining genome-wide molecular data with large-scale population-based studies is a powerful approach to investigate how genes and the environment interact to influence risk of cardiovascular disease.

By identifying regions of DNA important for endothelial cell response to different common environmental exposures, the researchers discovered that caffeine can influence the risk of cardiovascular disease. The study demonstrates the potentially beneficial and/or detrimental effects of certain environmental exposures on the cardiovascular disease risk differ depending on individual DNA sequence.

The study focused on cardiovascular disease, Dr. Luca said, because it is the leading cause of death, both in the United States and worldwide. Also, the disease is highly multifactorial, with large contributions from both environmental and genetic risk factors. By treating endothelial cells under a controlled environment, we can discover how these genetic and environmental risk factors influence each other at the molecular level, she said. Our lab has developed expertise in cardiovascular research, with additional projects using endothelial cells to develop new assays to test the regulatory activity of genetic variants. The approach outlined in this paper can be applied to many different diseases; for example, our lab has also focused on how bacteria in the human gut affect gene expression in the colon, and also on the effect of psychosocial stress on asthma.

While the work identified regions of the genome important for how endothelial cells respond to the environment and can influence the risk of cardiovascular disease, the researchers do not yet know exactly which genetic variants are directly responsible. A former graduate student, Cynthia Kalita, developed an assay to test thousands of genetic variants for gene regulatory activity. The researchers can test the variants discovered in their study using that assay to validate and explore the mechanisms by which they exert their effects, Dr. Luca said. They also are developing computational/statistical methods that can yield better personalized risk scores.

We have extended our approach to study cardiomyocytes, which are the muscle cells of the heart. Healthy heart tissue is difficult to obtain, so we have collaborated with researchers at the University of Chicago to derive cardiomyocytes from stem cells, Dr. Luca said. This will allow us to shift our focus from the vasculature to the heart itself, where we can study diseases like cardiomyopathies and arrhythmias.

As the cost of DNA sequencing continues to decrease, Dr. Luca expects that genetic testing will play a greater role in preventive health care. To fully realize the potential of precision medicine, we need to consider both genetic and environmental risk factors of disease, and how they interact. While there are already direct-to-consumer tests that prescribe an individualized diet based on DNA, these products currently offer no demonstrated clinical value. However, with very large numbers of individuals for whom we have both DNA sequencing and information on diet and lifestyle, we may one day be able to offer better recommendations.

Others involved in the study included Anthony Findley, an M.D./Ph.D. student; Allison Richards, Ph.D., a research scientist; Cristiano Petrini, of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics; Adnan Alazizi, lab manager; Elizabeth Doman, of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics; Alexander Shanku, Ph.D., research scientist; Gordon Davis, of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics; Nancy Hauff, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Yoram Sorokin, M.D., professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Xiaoquan Wen, of the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Michigan; and Roger Pique-Regi, Ph.D., associate professor of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, and of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

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Researchers identify environmental components that affect gene expression in cardiovascular disease - The South End

Kids as young as eight showing signs of adult diabetes due to poor diet and lack of exercise, study war – The Scottish Sun

Posted: June 19, 2020 at 7:48 pm

COUCH-potato children as young as eight have tell-tale signs showing theyll become diabetic adults.

Researchers said a poor diet and lack of exercise makes them susceptible to the disease decades before it is usually diagnosed.

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Their findings could help doctors nip it in the bud before it becomes life-threatening.

Researcher Dr Joshua Bell said: We knew diabetes doesnt develop overnight. What we didnt know is how early in life the first signs of disease activity become visible and what these early signs look like.

The University of Bristol researchers investigated the emergence of type 2 diabetes, which is associated with obesity, usually in middle-age, but preventable.

They took blood samples from 4,761 people when they were eight, 16, 18 and 25.

Those most at risk had low levels of so-called good cholesterol and high levels of bad cholesterol.

By their mid to late-teens there was also an increase in chemicals linked to chronic inflammation. All the differences widened over time.

Dr Bell said the markers were clear signs of susceptibility to developing diabetes later in life. He added: We see signs of susceptibility very early on about 50 years before it is usually diagnosed.

Its remarkable we can see signs of adult diabetes in the blood from such a young age. These findings help reveal the biology of how diabetes unfolds.

What is type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is the more common form of the disease accounting for between 85 and 95 per cent of all cases, according to Diabetes UK.

It develops when the insulin-producing cells in the body are unable to produce enough insulin.

It can also be triggered when the insulin that is produced doesnt work properly.

Typically, people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes from the age of40, butthere are some exceptions.

In people from southern Asia the disease can appear as early as 25.

And the condition is becoming more prevalent in children, teenagers of all ethnicities.

Experts suggest the rising rates of type 2 diabetes is due to the obesity epidemic a key cause of type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes can be treated with drugs, and many people can reverse their condition by adopting a healthy lifestyle a healthy diet and exercise.

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Knowing what these early signs look like widens our window of opportunity to intervene much earlier and stop diabetes before it becomes harmful.

The findings confirm fears of rising levels of diabetes among young people 745 were treated for the condition in 2018/19, up by nearly half from five years earlier.

Of the under-25s who received treatment for the condition, 85 per cent were obese, while nearly half also had high blood pressure.

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Kids as young as eight showing signs of adult diabetes due to poor diet and lack of exercise, study war - The Scottish Sun

Guy Follows Mike Tysons Insane Diet And Workout Routine And One Of The Meals Includes 6 Bananas – BroBible

Posted: June 19, 2020 at 7:48 pm

Weve all seen Mike Tysons insane sparring videos. The 53-year-old is in phenomenal shape.

Theres no secret formula to Iron Mikes success he trains hard, eats right, and still does the same intense workouts he did in his younger days.

If the Mike Tyson way works for Mike Tyson, will it work for everyone?

YouTuber Will Tennyson wanted to find out.

Tennyson loves to follow training and eating regimens of famous athletes and actors and has done 24-hour challenges following Mark Wahlberg and bodybuilder Renaldo Gairys routines.

Tennysons plan was to eat just like Mike around 3,000-4,000 calories and do running, boxing technique training, and calisthenics to get into fighting shape.

His day started with a 4-mile jog at 4 am. Tyson likes to run early while his opponents are sleeping.

Tennyson completed the run and somehow managed to go back to bed until 10 am. How thats possible, I have no idea. Once Im up and the adrenaline kicks in after a run, Im not sleeping for a while.

After shoving down a breakfast of oatmeal, milk, and daily vitamins, Tennyson moves onto sparring training.

He completes 10 rounds of sparring for 2 minutes, each with a 45-second rest in between rounds.

After the 10 rounds, Tennyson moves to a high-rep, low-weight workout which includes:

2,000 squats 500 triceps extensions 500 pushups 500 shrugs with 30 kilos (65 pounds) 500 neck crunches

Tyson spreads out the workout throughout the day, and so does Tennyson, choosing to do 50 reps for his first session.

Lunch is 150 grams of white rice, a 9 oz. chicken breast, and a tall glass of orange juice. After lunch, its back to sparring.

After 6 more rounds, its time for a snack 6 bananas and a protein shake.

It seems a little bit overkill, admits the YouTuber, but I definitely need the carbs right now.

Tennyson finishes up the rest of the workout, eats a dinner of 9-ounce sirloin steak, pasta, and fruit juice.

The meal digests for a while, and Tennyson completes the final workout for the day 30 minutes on an exercise bike.

Im very sore. My neck is super stiff, and I know Im going to be feeling it for a few days after this, he admits.

[via Mens Health]

***

Chris Illuminati is a 5-time published author and recovering a**hole who writes about running, parenting, and professional wrestling. Reach out to him on Instagram & Twitter.

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Guy Follows Mike Tysons Insane Diet And Workout Routine And One Of The Meals Includes 6 Bananas - BroBible

7 benefits of walking and how it can improve your health – Business Insider Australia

Posted: June 19, 2020 at 7:47 pm

Walking is a form of exercise that can significantly improve your physical and mental health. Not only can it extend your life and prevent disease, but it can also boost your energy and mood.

In addition, studies show that if you walk regularly and quickly enough, it could be the only aerobic exercise you need to keep your heart and lungs healthy.

Its also accessible, easy, and free. So if youre one of the 47% of adults in the US who dont meet the CDCs Physical Activity Guidelines for aerobic activity, then walking is a habit worth pursuing and keeping.

Heres seven research-backed health benefits of walking, as well as how fast, long, and regularly you should walk to reap them.

Walking increases your heart rate, causing you to expend energy and burn calories just like other forms of physical activity such as running, swimming, or cycling. How many calories you burn depends on how fast you walk, for how long, the terrain, and your weight.

A 2020 study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research found that participants burned an average of 89 calories walking 1,600 meters (about 1 mile). That was only around 20% less than the 113 calories other participants burned running the same distance.

And across the results of nine different walking studies in this 2008 review published in the Annals of Family Medicine, participants lost an average of 0.05 kilograms (0.1 pounds) per week as a result of increasing their step count by between 1,827 and 4,556 steps per day. Overall, that translated to a weight loss of about 5 pounds a year on average across all studies.

The American College of Sports Medicine offers recommendations for how much time people who are overweight or obese should dedicate to physical activity each week to prevent and promote weight loss. It goes as follows:

Its important to note that, if you consume more calories than you burn every day, no amount of walking or any other physical activity will help you lose weight.

Walking increases blood flow around the body so that more blood containing oxygen and nutrients for fuel can reach the large muscles in the legs as well as the brain. This is what makes you feel energised, according to Pete McCall CSCS, exercise physiologist, personal trainer, and author.

In addition, walking and other types of physical exercise have been shown to increase the amount of a type of protein found in the brain, called brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF may be responsible for how well you can think, learn, and memorise amongst other functions in the brain.

There is a correlation between a brisk walk and elevated levels of BDNF, which can help improve overall cognition, or thought processing, says McCall.

A 2008 study published in the Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic journal found that previously sedentary adults reported feeling more energetic and less fatigued after just 20 minutes of low to moderate aerobic exercise including walking for three days a week over a six week period.

And this 2017 study conducted on sleep deprived women aged 18 to 23, published in the journal of Physiology & Behaviour, found that walking up and down the stairs for just 10 minutes at a low to moderate intensity was more energising than consuming 50mg of caffeine, or about half a cup of coffee.

Walking briskly and regularly can also help protect you from getting a cold, the flu, or other immune-related illnesses.

Thats because physical exercise like walking increases the amount of white blood cells circulating in your blood. These cells fight infection and other diseases as part of the bodys immune system.

A 2013 study of 800 young adults over six years published in the World Journal of Experimental Medicine showed that white blood cell count increased significantly after just five minutes of exercise.

And this 2005 study published the American College of Sports Medicines flagship journal measured the white blood cell count of 15 adults immediately after a 30 minute walk as well as after sitting down for the same amount of time. It also found a significant increase in white blood cells.

Walking has also been linked to a lower number of sick days taken. A 2011 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine tracked 1000 adults during flu season. Those who walked at a moderate pace for 30 to 45 minutes a day had 43% fewer sick days and fewer upper respiratory tract infections overall.

Their symptoms were also less severe if they did get sick. That was compared to adults in the study who were sedentary.

Walking can also help relieve pain from stiffness in your body by warming up your muscles, making it easier to move, according to McCall.

The motion can elevate tissue temperature making it easier for muscles to lengthen and shorten as temperature increases, muscles move more easily, says McCall.

In addition, walking can increase levels of certain types of chemicals in your brain known scientifically as neurotransmitters which help your nervous system work effectively. This can include a type of neurotransmitter that reduces pain.

The first few minutes of walking might be uncomfortable but after five to seven minutes the body warms up, blood is flowing, and neurotransmitter production increases helping reduce pain, says McCall.

For this reason, walking is often recommended to alleviate pain and reduce disability in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions that is, pain that affects the bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves such as lower back pain.

There is also evidence of patients who are hospitalized with chronic musculoskeletal pain in the spine or limbs reporting less pain the more they walked.

Walking has been found to reduce your risk of cardiovascular events thats any incident which causes damage to your heart, such as a heart attack by 31%.

This was evident even at a moderate pace of about 2 miles per hour and at distances of just over one mile a day for five days a week, or 5.5 miles per week.

But the longer and faster you walk, the greater the benefits and protection of your heart. A 2017 study of more than 50,000 adults in the UK, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that people who walked at an average or quick pace between five and 10 hours a week were about 24% less likely to die from heart disease compared to slow walkers.

Aerobic exercise including walking can help you feel more relaxed, reduce stress, and fight depression.

The reason aerobic workouts lift our spirits seems related to their ability to reduce levels of natural stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, according to this 2015 study in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science.

Just a 30-minute walk is enough to lift the mood of someone suffering from major depressive disorder, according to a 2005 study published in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

And a 2019 study published in the official journal of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) found that three hours of exercise a week, no matter the type of activity, decreased the risk of depression in people who had already experienced feeling depressed.

Walking has also been linked to a decreased risk of mortality, or a longer life expectancy. And the longer and faster you walk, the more it increases your life expectancy.

This 2011 study published by the British Medical Association followed 27,738 participants aged 40 to 79years for a 13 year period and found that participants who walked for more than one hour a day had a longer life expectancy than participants who walked for less than one hour a day.

Following 50,225 walkers over 14 years, another 2018 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine looked at the association of walking at a faster pace with factors like overall causes of death, cardiovascular disease, and death from cancer.

The researchers found that the quicker you walk, the lower your risk of overall death. For example, walking at an average pace resulted in a 20% reduced risk of overall death when compared to walking at a slow pace. And walking at a brisk or fast pace at least 4 miles per hour reduced the risk by 24% compared to walking at a slow pace.

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7 benefits of walking and how it can improve your health - Business Insider Australia

COMMENTARY: Teachers need opportunities to heal before the school year begins – EdSource

Posted: June 19, 2020 at 7:47 pm

Photo: Beatrix Hauptmann

As school districts and county offices of education make plans for safely reopening schools in the fall and helping students cope with their trauma, it is urgent that they also recognize and make space for teachers to process and heal from their own feelings of loss and grief.

Nearly every teacher we have ever worked with puts their emotional needs aside in order to address the emotional needs of their students when tragedy inevitably occurs in our schools. We experienced this firsthand in our own classrooms when we were high school teachers. That capacity to harness deep empathy for others is one of the most admirable characteristics of teachers but is also deeply damaging for their mental health in the long run without support.

But now, in the face of racial violence and the immense loss of life due to the global pandemic, teachers are coping with tremendous loss, anxiety and sorrow even as they work harder than ever at their rapidly evolving jobs.

Saddled by this emotional weight as well as anxiety for the precarious financial situations families are facing, many are approaching a breaking point. According to a recent USA Today poll, nearly two-thirds of teachers dont feel they are able to properly complete their jobs under current conditions and 1 in 5 may not return for the fall.

Teachers will be the first to tell you that students are the highest priority. The need of students to heal in the time of this pandemic is substantial and long-lasting. We know the widespread illness, death and economic insecurity will have a lasting effect on this generation of young people.

But teachers are also calling out for help and ignoring them will only hurt students further. Concern for student wellbeing and trauma is frequently brought up right now, but we fail to provide the same empathy for teachers, treating them as unfeeling automatons within our fragile and bruised education system.

Yet, real recognition of the trauma teachers face is almost entirely absent from district and state-level discussions around how to reopen schools. While we do not know how every district is responding to teacher needs, we know that as a whole it is not enough. In weekly digital gatherings with hundreds of English teachers from across the country, we consistently hear that teachers are hurting and need support to process complicated emotions.

Unfortunately, there are no quick-fix solutions for teacher healing. Mandating teachers to attend training courses on how to handle trauma and loss likely would only increase the burdens on time and capacity that they already face. Likewise, it is not enough to assume that the upcoming summer break will heal all wounds. Simply ignoring teacher loss does not make trauma disappear regardless of the weeks or months of time. Further, with current infection rates around the country rising sharply right now, we can assume that this summer will not serve as respite from the losses and uncertainty our nation continues to face.

Yet many plans for supporting teachers largely amount to providing additional professional development and resources that teachers may elect to access. On top of that, already overworked administrators are asked to monitor teacher wellness. In short, the proposed plan further taxes the energies of not just teachers but also administrators while they are attempting to operate schools under unimagined circumstances.

Acknowledgement from state and national officials of teachers need for time to process and heal from these traumas would be a start. Such acknowledgement would let parents, students and community members know the difficulties teachers now face every day on top of a host of new work demands. It also would help teachers accept that its OK to grieve.

Online sessions for teachers to share their feelings candidly are one way to help teachers process their emotions. Ensuring that teachers have and can use official bereavement leave to take compensated time for healing would be another.

Districts are moving quickly with plans for the next school year. But measurements for how far apart desks can be, staggered reopening schedules and class-size reduction plans and mask protocols will not salve the pain teachers are feeling right now. A reconfigured school cannot function effectively without the energy, ingenuity and love imparted by teachers.

How students learn and process their grief and feelings in schools will depend on how well their teachers are mentally and emotionally prepared to return to the classroom.

We owe our teachers space, time and resources for healing.

Antero Garcia is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Nicole Mirra is an assistant professor of urban teacher education at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education, the State University of New Jersey.

The opinions in this commentary are those of the author. Commentaries published on EdSource represent viewpoints from EdSources broad audience. As an independent, non-partisan organization, EdSource does not take a position on legislation or policy. We welcome guest commentaries that reflect the diversity of California. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review ourguidelinesandcontact us.

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COMMENTARY: Teachers need opportunities to heal before the school year begins - EdSource

The importance of physical activity for the over 40s – Wales247

Posted: June 19, 2020 at 7:47 pm

With the majority of the population in Wales still at home, many are using this time to improve their health and fitness.

Here, Dr Peter Herbert, a Physiologist at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and a leading authority on fitness in the older generation discusses why its the middle aged or elderly that will benefit the most from leading a more active lifestyle.

If any good comes from this pandemic it will be highlighting the importance of physical activity. In 2015, my research colleagues and I, presented four scientific papers from my work with elderly people, presented at the American College of Sports Medicines World Conference in San Diego. These papers provided the evidence how older people can benefit from exercise programmes that take less time to complete than traditional, longer duration programmes and achieve greater fitness and health benefits.

The findings of the study received a massive amount of publicity proving the interest and appetite for learning more about the health and fitness of our ageing population. This led to me establishing the Centre of Health and Ageing at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in 2016 has enabled many people from mainly the local community, to benefit from regular exercise both physically and positive lifestyle changes.

Since the Coronavirus changed our lives back in the UK in March, I am now seeing more people walking, jogging or cycling during the lockdown many of whom are often new to exercise. What I hope, is that the physical and mental benefits theyre starting to enjoy, will encourage them to continue to exercise once the constraints of the pandemic are over.

I need to point out that this podcast is aimed at the over 40s and I am using that age as an indicator of when health and fitness often declines and illnesses become more prevalent.

The facts are that exercise can significantly improve health and enables a more active lifestyle and it is usually the middle aged or elderly that will benefit the most. There is irrefutable evidence of the effectiveness of regular physical activity in the prevention of several chronic diseases. These include; cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, obesity, depression, osteoporosis and premature death. This good news is further enhanced by the linear relationship between physical activity and health status, meaning any increase in physical activity and fitness will lead to additional improvements in health.

Almost daily I get asked by people who desperately want to become more active, what exercise should they be doing and how much. My first response would always be Check with your doctor to find out if you are well enough to do so.

Before any start can be made lets make sure we know exactly what types of fitness should be included in an exercise regime. The two most important are aerobic capacity, also known as cardiovascular fitness or CV, and muscle strength.

Ill talk about CV first. This is exercise that can maintain and improve the efficiency of your heart and lungs.

Unfortunately, for those beginning exercise for the first time there is a lack of straight forward guidance on what type of exercise to take, how long should it last and how hard to push themselves.

If you regard yourself as extremely unfit then walking is a good place to start. Make sure you have comfortable shoes, ideally training shoes and a fairly flat route. The speed you walk should be casual and does not make you breathless. No more than 20 minutes. Your feelings when arriving home will give you a good indication of how to approach your next walk. If you found it extremely easy you can make things a little harder the next time by making ONE of the following changes. You either slightly increase the speed of walking, or walk further, or include some small hills. Any one of these will cause your breathing rate to increase, meaning your heart is having to work harder and therefore get stronger. These will all be great indicators of how your fitness is improving. In time when you are able get more out of breath, but still be able to hold a conversation you could introduce what we call interval training. Try walking casually for 4 minutes, briskly for 1 minute which will get you breathing more heavily, then casually for 4 minutes and so on. This will raise your heart rate followed by some minutes of recovery, then speed the walk up for another higher intensity effort. This can be continued a number of times, depending on your fitness.

Should you be starting to exercise, and already having some degree of fitness you might want to begin by jogging.

Exactly the same progression principles apply; gradually raising the intensity of the exercise by increasing the speed, the distance or hills. Initially, you will get some muscle soreness, or stiffness but this will disappear after a few days

There is a possibility that jogging, and maybe even walking does not suit you due to arthritic aching knees that do not take kindly to repeated foot impacts.

If jogging is not for you cycling could be the answer. The downside is that you might have to buy a bike! The upside is there is no repetitive impact, so less aching after exercise; you can travel further and you will usually recover more quickly after cycling than a long run. Again, the same principles apply. Intensity, which means increasing the speed, how long your session lasts and how difficult is the route.

All of these forms of exercise will cause the heart rate to increase, raise the bodys metabolism and cause it to use more calories. Provided you do not eat any more than you usually do you will lose body fat. The greater the intensity of the exercise up to a moderate level is excellent for weight loss. But remember, this does not always come easy. The slower you walk or jog the fewer calories used, so to get a higher calorific expenditure you need increase the length of the session. An important reward from losing weight, particularly body fat, is it has a remarkable effect on general health, and activities will get easier. It can decrease the risk of heart problems, it can lower your blood pressure, and lower your cholesterol levels. Reversingtype 2diabetesis possible, but it requires meal planning, healthyeating, and regularexercise.

The second and other very important aspect of fitness is muscle strength. I should point out that there are many people that already have good strength because of the physical nature of their work, and it would be less important for them to use this type of training. Should they stop working, it can be substituted by resistance training. If we dont use our muscles, they will weaken, very quickly. This, combined with ageing, is called sarcopenia.

The benefits of maintaining body strength is it enables us to continue to perform tasks that would not be possible with weakened muscles. As we age these strength improvements can provide greater independence and improved quality of life. Muscle losses which are almost always caused by lack of use, can be delayed and often reversed by resistance training. The most common method of exercising muscles, but not the only one, is weight training. This usually means going to the gym.

If that is what you prefer, you should insist on getting qualified advice on how to use the weights and perform the correct exercises. If the gym is not for you, you might want to train at home, and there are a number of exercises, such as press ups, sit ups, leg squats, arm curls that can achieve significant improvements in strength and muscle mass.

For more information on how to perform any of these exercises you can go to http://www.physicalliteracy.cymru and click on the Centre of Health and Ageings page.

The Centre for Health and Ageing provides the opportunity for all members of the community in South West Wales who are over 50 years of age to have access to personalised exercise programmes and one-to-one expert advice on aspects of health, fitness nutrition and lifestyle.

Before current restrictions, we ran regular classes throughout the year and have now started producing online videos to support exercising at home. Remember, before commencing any fitness routine,please consult your doctor. Our programmes support and improve quality of life by addressing the unique needs relating to physical activity in middle and later life, ensuring that each of us can enjoy active healthy lives throughout the life-course.

Listen toDr Peter Herbert delivering this piece as part of UWTSDs Perspectives podcast series on thePerspectives page as well as onSpotifyApple,iheart,Deezer,Google,CastboxandPodchaser.

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The importance of physical activity for the over 40s - Wales247

The Hurry-Up: Cornerback Jaylin Davies Comes Off the Board, An Introduction to Rising In-State Sophomore Defen – Eleven Warriors

Posted: June 19, 2020 at 7:47 pm

The Hurry-Up is your nightly dose of updates from the Ohio State football recruiting trail, keeping tabs on the latest from commits and targets from around the country.

It had been expected for a little more than three weeks, but on Friday, Mater Dei (Calif.) four-star cornerback Jaylin Davies officially came off the board, announcing his commitment to Mario Cristobal and the Oregon Ducks.

Davies heading to Oregon, however, should not be chalked up as a loss for the Buckeyes on the recruiting trail. That runs contrary to the recruitments of Troy Stellato, JC Latham and Hudson Wolfe, who each committed to Southern programs and should be marked as misses for Ohio State. Those were tough for the Buckeyes to take, but Davies' situation was different.

When Davies put Ohio State in his final four in May, the Buckeyes looked to be the clear favorite for the top-150 talent, and we believed that if they pushed for him, Davies would have committed to the 2021 class. That would have required a visit from Davies, however, and that would not have happened until at least August with the recruiting dead period extended and perhaps even longer.

Instead, the Buckeyes essentially chose to take Saguaro (Ariz.) High School cornerback Denzel Burke in the class over Davies. Though Burke has not yet visited Columbus, either, Ryan Day has been able to meet the young athlete face-to-face and evaluate him in person.

The Buckeyes, Eleven Warriors was told, weregoing to continue to recruit Davies, but there was unlikely to be room for him in Ohio States defensive backs haul and a commitment would not occur until at least the fall. Either way, Davies is now officially off the board, and the Buckeyes lone remaining defensive back targets in the class are Derrick Davis Jr., Jordan Hancock and Tony Grimes in that order of most likely to least likely to wind up in the class.

Davis recruitment is likely to come down to Ohio State and Penn State with Clemson and Georgia also involved.Flipping Hancock from Clemson to Ohio State is starting to gain a small bit of steambut remains largely unlikely as we sit here today.And Grimes-to-Ohio State also remains unlikely,though a visit and continued push from Kerry Coombs and Matt Barnes could change things there.

Obviously, Ohio States top priority is closing out its 2021 class with a bang, with the five highest remaining uncommitted targets being J.T. Tuimoloau, Tywone Malone, Emeka Egbuka, Jager Burton and Davis (probably in that order).

They are also keeping a keen eye on the 2022 class, as steady and thorough film evaluation continues on that front before they are able to start making stronger pushes there.

But the coaching staff is also looking at the horizon toward the 2023 class, especially toward in-state prospects, as the relationship-building process begins very early with the best players in the state.

This weekend, we are introducing two key in-state names to get to know early on in this process, as you are likely to hear about these two players quite a bit in the years ahead.

Today, we are looking at Mentor rising sophomore Brenan Vernon, a strongside defensive end with nine offers to his name alreadyfrom Duke, Indiana, Kent State, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame and West Virginia.

Vernon is a 6-foot-5, 245-pounder who has a quick get-off at the snap, great lateral quickness and great athleticism, especially for his age. There is a lot of chatter already that Vernon could be the top-ranked player in the state of Ohio by the time he is a junior or a senior, and if he does earn that billing, he would join Zach Harrison (2019) and Jack Sawyer (2020) as recent in-state defensive ends to earn the No. 1 spot in the state. Vernon says he is aware of those expectations, but he is not letting those burden him.

I definitely feel pressure, but I like to just stay in my own little zone and just worry about myself, Vernon told Eleven Warriors. I try not to worry about what's going on with others in the football community. I'm just worried about myself and the work Im producing.

Vernon touches base with Ohio State director of football relationsTim Hinton and defensive line coach Larry Johnson every week, as he and Johnson continue building a relationship that started last summer at a one-day Ohio State camp. Johnson worked with Vernon at that camp, critiquing and correcting technique in how Vernon was using his hips and upper body, and he showed Vernon some hand-throwing techniques, as well.

Johnson and Co. have not yet offered Vernon, but it feels like its only a matter of time before that occurs.

And while it's still very early in the recruiting process for Vernon and he has yet to get enveloped in the crazinessof it all, he is already heeding advice on how to handle himself when things do begin to ramp up. Hesays some weeks are more hectic than others when it comes to recruiting.

The biggest advice I get is from my coaches, Vernon said. When times get rough, they'd really be the ones stepping in and getting me in a right state of mind when it comes to all this.

Theyve said to just do your thing and let the recruiting take care of itself, meaning don't mess your head up by continuously thinking of it and stressing about it.

In the meantime, Vernon is focused on improving his own play and taking his team to another level. Vernon and his Mentor teammates have been getting back onto the field for workouts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and hes happy to be back out between the lines.

It was real frustrating not being able to be working with my team each and every day, Vernon said. Weve adjusted to it quickly. I just don't think about the fact that everythings different. I just go in and put in the work that has to be done.

While Vernon says there was a bit of an adjustment period on that first day back to the field, he says that he was staying in shape during the quarantine by doing sprints around his cul-de-sac, bodyweight exercises and being fortunate enough to get into a weight room twice a week.

He says some results started to show: I was able to put on some good weight with what I was doing.

Last season, Mentor went 13-1 before losing to Pickerington Central, 28-21, in the Division I state semifinals. The Cardinals outscored their opponents, 368-42, backed by one of the best defenses in the state. Theycapturedthe Greater Cleveland Conference championship with a 7-0 mark in conference games.

This season, Vernon and his teammates are back for more.

Theres some growth to occur in all of us, but we definitely got a squad, Vernon said. Its just a matter of how bad they and myself want it.

As a freshman in 2019, Vernon finished seventh on the team in the three main tackling categories total tackles (45), solo (27) and assisted (18) and finished ninth with three tackles for loss. Hetallied two sacks. In his sophomore season, Vernon is hoping to make more strides.

The main goal is to be the best the best that offensive tackles ever played and the best player that team has ever seen, Vernon said. My goals to be the best in whatever I do.

Read more here:
The Hurry-Up: Cornerback Jaylin Davies Comes Off the Board, An Introduction to Rising In-State Sophomore Defen - Eleven Warriors

Suicide by the Numbers: Myths and Facts – Psychiatric Times

Posted: June 19, 2020 at 7:46 pm

Paul Nestadt, MD, a psychiatrist and epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, discusses suicide.

Transcript (edited for clarity)

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the US. In fact, it is the second leading cause of death in Americans under 40. And the rates have been steadily increasing, with a 30% increase since 2000.

Lets start with some basic epidemiology:

Suicide attempts are far more common in women but almost 80% of suicide deaths are men, who tend to use much more violent methods, like guns, in their attempts.

In fact, even though firearms are only used in 5% to 6% of attempts, they are responsible for half of all suicide deaths and are by far the most common method of suicide. And in turn, suicide is by far the most common manner of gun death in the US, far outpacing homicides and accidents.

To understand why the method matters so much, you have to understand a little of the phenomenology of suicide.

We know that suicide is most often an impulsive act. People may be depressed for a time, but studies have found that in 87% of cases, the decision to die and the attempt itself happen in the same day. In a quarter of cases, the act follows within 5 minutes.

When that suicidal impulse comes, if what you have in the nightstand is a bottle of pills, an overdose will have a fatality rate of only about 2%. You will probably survive. If you have a gun, the chance of death approaches 90%.

But, if someone survives an attempt, won't they just try some other way? No.

This is a myth. Several studies have followed attempt survivors for decades after they survive a serious attempt and found that 93% never go on to die by suicide. If you survive that impulsive act, you will probably continue to survive to a ripe old age, likely because depression is eminently treatable, and the attempt may be followed with good treatment. Most who do die have never attempted before.

So the difference between being one of the 1.4 million Americans each year who attempt suicide but survive and thrive, versus being one of the 47,000 who die, essentially comes down to the method used.

That may be why a NEJM study last week found that rates of suicide are over 3 times higher in male firearm owners compared to male non-owners. Among women, firearm owners are 7 times as likely to die by suicide. That is all driven by the firearm use itself; there is no increased rate of suicide by other means among firearm owners in those models.

In other countries, banning lethal pesticides or bulk packages of paracetamol have reduced suicides significantly. In the US, the most lethal and accessible common method, the gun, is more politically untouchable

So what can we do as physicians? Well, there are other risk factors for suicide, such as the presence of a psychiatric illness.

But although psychological autopsy studies have shown that over 90% of suicide decedents had been suffering from a psychiatric illness, large scale chart reviews found that only about half of these decedents had a mental illness formally diagnosed and documented before their death.

This means that we dont always know, on an individual level, who is at risk. If we did, we could intervene much more effectively, because doctors are commonly seeing these patients in the weeks leading up to their suicides. Last week, a large French study found that the majority, 60% ,of suicide decedents had seen a doctor in the month of their death. Clearly individual risk assessments, though sometimes helpful, are inadequate. We need a public health based approach to suicide.

What does that look like?

Gun access is tangible. We should be screening all of our patients for firearm access so that we know their risks if a crisis looms. We should educate them regarding the numbers above, reminding them to store their firearm safely, without giving free access to others in the home who may enter into a crisis. Or when the owner himself is in a crisis, they must make sure that they are not holding the keys to the gun safe.

COVID has brought with it a dramatically increased risk of suicide at the population level, with increases in isolation, unemployment, economic turmoil, decreased access to care, and grief both for loss of a way of life and for actual lost loved ones: all risk factors for suicide. During the 2003 SARS epidemic in Hong Kong, suicides increased by 30% among the elderly, those most impacted by isolation and grief. Here, this high risk context tinderbox was heated up when, during the first month of the pandemic, there was a record run on firearm sales. More new guns were bought in March than all but one other month in the history of our keeping track. And anecdotally, these are largely new gun owners.

Its important to ask if your patient is one of these new gun owners, impulsively arming themselves without adequate training or knowledge of the risks and the importance of safe storage.

Those conversations are lifestyle interventions, much like discussing a healthy diet or seatbelt use, or smoking cessation. And just like those interventional conversations, the firearm safety conversation can save your patients life.

Read the rest here:
Suicide by the Numbers: Myths and Facts - Psychiatric Times

OVER THE COUNTER: How to reduce stress during the pandemic – Wicked Local Franklin

Posted: June 19, 2020 at 7:46 pm

Theres no denying it. You are stressed out. We all are.

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on each of us in myriad ways. A lot of folks have lost their job or know somebody who has. Many people in our area are working long hours donning PPE as essential workers. Families are mostly cooped up at home watching tragic TV news reports and reading negative newspaper headlines, with limited access to the healthy foods and rigorous fitness regimens we enjoyed as recently as early March.

Most discouraging of all, were missing our friends, families and countless milestones.

And all of that is piled on top of our already stressed lives. One pre-pandemic study by the American Psychological Association found that nearly 1 in 4 Americans feel highly stressed.

Our stress is having a significant effect on our mental health and physical well-being. Dont get us wrong, stress can be a great stimulant and motivator, but too much of it drains our energy, keeps us up at night, causes weight gain and sexual dysfunction, and contributes to high blood pressure. It also can impact our relationships with family and friends, given our sometimes less-than-pleasant demeanor due to cabin fever or reduced social interaction during the pandemic.

What can we do? As the pandemic continues to unfold over the summer, there are a number of steps we can take to reduce our stress:

Eat healthy foods. While we discussed the benefits of eating healthily on your immune system in a previous column, each of those recommendations can actually do wonders for managing your stress. By supporting our body with a balanced and nutritious diet and consuming more brain foods for instance, polyunsaturated fats like fish oil and sunflower oil that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids we can strengthen the nervous system and brain.

Step away from the computer and phone and connect with the earth. Several studies have shown us that hours upon hours of screen time is detrimental to our stress levels, anxiety, sleep patterns and mental health. Couple this with the barrage of bad news from the global pandemic, and we have a tougher situation. We recommend taking time every day to step away from screens, whether its the big flat screen in the living room or the little gadget buzzing in our hands. In those moments, find time to relax, meditate, walk around the block, or try earthing, also known as grounding. This is a simple technique to connect you to the earth by either laying down on the grass or removing your shoes and going barefoot for about 20 minutes. Many people say they notice a sense of calmness and make it a daily routine to reduce stress.

Exercise. Until gyms reopen, this may be the most difficult thing to work on. Many people have lost access to their go-to gym or fitness classes, but there are plenty of exercises that can be done in the comfort of your home or right outside the door. Virtual yoga sessions, workout classics like sit-ups and push-ups, or a simple 30-minute walk or bike ride (while wearing a mask when necessary) all can reduce stress through the stimulation of your brain. Keep moving to boost energy, burn fat and promote sleep.

Supplements and other natural remedies. While theres no magic pill that can reduce your stress, sometimes supplements can help us get over the hump of reducing anxiety and help us relax. Given the importance of sleep to managing stress, taking melatonin, lavender, or CBD oil may help you fall asleep after a long day of working from home. Because stress can impact our immune system, supplements like vitamin C, zinc, elderberry, andrographis and astragalus can give our immune system the support it needs during the pandemic.

Be social, safely. While this can be a challenge as we keep our distance for health reasons, building and maintaining a supportive social network of friends and family can help us cope. Calling a friend after a rough day, conversing with a friendly neighbor during your walk and video chatting with family are great ways to de-stress. People who will lend an ear or a virtual shoulder to lean on can support us and help alleviate our anxieties. If you are suffering from severe anxiety or depression, seek advice or treatment from a health care professional.

Remember, we are all in this fight together. We hope that these tips can help you take a step back, relax, breathe and face this challenge head on.

Gary Kracoff has a degree in naturopathic medicine and is a registered pharmacist and John Walczyk is a compounding pharmacist at Johnson Compounding & Wellness in Waltham, Mass. For more information, visit http://www.naturalcompounder.com. Readers with questions about natural or homeopathic medicine, compounded medications, or health in general can e-mail gary@naturalcompounder.com or call 781-893-3870.

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OVER THE COUNTER: How to reduce stress during the pandemic - Wicked Local Franklin

MIND diet: Eating these foods can improve brain health – The Indian Express

Posted: June 19, 2020 at 7:45 pm

By: Lifestyle Desk | New Delhi | Updated: June 19, 2020 12:32:02 pm MIND diet recommends eating nuts and berries to prevent loss of brain function. (Source: getty images)

As the name suggests, MIND diet aims to prevent dementia and loss of brain function as one ages. It is a combination of Mediterranean diet and DASH diet, considered to be healthy diet plans.

Mediterranean diet is plant based and involves consumption of foods rich in vitamin and other nutrients. is heavily dependent on seafood, fresh produce, whole grains, nuts and seeds. In a study recently published in Alzheimers and Dementia Journal, researchers claimed that this type of diet benefits people with high genetic risk of Alzheimers.

DASH diet or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, on the other hand, focuses mainly on consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats, to reduce the risk of heart disease. The diet is low in red meat, salt, added sugars and fat.

Researchers combined the two forms of diet to design MIND diet. According to Healthline, it involves eating more of the 10 foods MIND diet encourages eating and less of the five foods that it suggests you limit.

The 10 foods that MIND diet recommends include:

* Green leafy vegetables for six or more servings per week.

* Other vegetables in addition to leafy vegetables at least once a day.

* Berries at least twice a week. They are known to have antioxidant benefits.

* Nuts up to five servings or more each week.

* Olive oil for cooking.

* Whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, whole-wheat bread or brown rice for at least three servings daily.

* Beans, including lentils and soybeans at least four times a week.

* Chicken (not fried) at least twice a week.

* Red wine, not more than one glass at a time. Red wine contains a compound resveratrol. In a study published in Neurology, Dr R Scott Turner and his team found the compound to slows down Alzheimers.

The five unhealthy food groups in MIND diet include red meats, butter and stick margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried/fast food.

Read| Alzheimers: Understanding the disease, and attitude to dementia in India, world

Another study published in Alzheimers and Dementia Journal in 2015 concluded that MIND Diet promoted a slower rate of cognitive decline equivalent of 7.5 years. It added that following the diet, even in a moderate amount, could significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimers.

MIND Diet, according to International Food Information Council Foundation, is also known to reduce oxidative stress as it is rich in antioxidants. And because it is a combination of Mediterranean and DASH diet which prevent cardiovascular diseasesit is known to have a similar effect on improving heart health and reducing the risk of diabetes, which could otherwise become risk factors for Alzheimers disease.

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MIND diet: Eating these foods can improve brain health - The Indian Express


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