Type 2 Diabetes 2 Step Mediation

Pump iron and jog to manage Type 2 diabetes

Adeceptively simple exercise routine could significantly improve the health of people suffering from diabetes, a Canadian study suggests.

The key to its success is using two types of exercise, rather than just one.

The study found that diabetics who combined endurance exercises (such as brisk walking or jogging) with strength training (like weightlifting) saw their blood-sugar levels improve at twice the rate of those who only did one form of exercise.

People with Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, either don't produce enough insulin or their bodies cannot use it effectively, a condition known as insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone that plays a major role in moving glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into the body's tissues, where it is needed for energy. As a result of insulin resistance, glucose levels build up in the bloodstream which, in turn, can lead to heart disease, blindness and kidney damage.

Doctors have long known that regular workouts help to control blood-sugar levels. But there was very little research on what exercises work best to manage the disease, which afflicts two million Canadians.

The new Canadian study, by researchers at the University of Calgary and the University of Ottawa, suggests that a combo approach appears to offer clear benefits.

Ron Sigal, who led the study, speculated that endurance (also known as aerobic) exercises combined with strength (resistance) training worked on muscles in different but complementary ways that led to an overall improvement in blood-sugar levels.

"It makes insulin work better and makes the muscle use more glucose," said Dr. Sigal of the University of Calgary.

Although the approach sounds easy, he cautioned diabetics who are in poor shape not to jump into a new exercise routine without first talking to their own doctors.

Source: The Globe and Mail.com

Live Longer with Less Food

Eating fewer calories could mean living longer: study

Eating fewer calories might protect the body from the effects of aging, U.S. researchers have found in studies on rats.

Their findings are published in the Sept. 21 issue of the journal Cell.

Researchers from Harvard Medical School, Cornell Medical School and the National Institutes of Health have discovered two genes that determine the lifespan of cells. When cells are exposed to certain types of stress, such as a reduction in calories, the genes go into overdrive, and fend off diseases associated with aging, such as cancer, diabetes and dementia.

The newly found genes, SIRT3 and SIRT4, do this by keeping the "heart" of the cell, its mitochondria, alive when it would typically wane and die.

When cells undergo a restriction in calories, they send signals through the membranes and activate a gene called NAMPT. When that gene's levels increase, a small molecule called NAD begins to collect in the mitochondria, in turn stimulating the mitochondrial enzymes created by SIRT3 and SIRT4.

The end result are mitochondria that grow stronger and increase their energy output, decreasing cells' aging processes.

Mitochondria are the guardians of cell survival," said David Sinclair, associate professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School and senior author of the paper. "If we can keep boosting levels of NAD in the mitochondria, which in turn stimulates buckets more of SIRT3 and SIRT4, then for a period of time the cell really needs nothing else."

Researchers conducted tests on rats in which one group was fed a sucrose diet and the other group fasted for 48 hours. In the rats that had fasted, NAD levels increased in their livers, they found.

The scientists believe that SIRT3 and SIRT4 may now be potential drug targets for diseases associated with aging. "We hope that these insights into the importance of mitochondrial NAD will facilitate a new understanding of and the development of novel approaches to treating diseases such as cancer and neurodegeneration," reads the report.

Source: CBC.ca

Quarter Pounder of Green House Emissions

Save the planet, 1 less burger at a time: study

Cutting meat consumption could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a study published Wednesday maintained, as it urged meat eaters to cut back and the agriculture industry to change its ways. burgher.

The study, published in the prominent U.K. journal The Lancet, said one-fifth of total worldwide greenhouse gas emissions are caused by agricultural production.

About 80 per cent of emissions come from the production of meat, including through the transport of livestock and feed, mostly from methane emitted by animal's flatulence.

The study by Tony McMichael of the Australian National University in Canberra and John Powles of Britain's University of Cambridge said that, realistically, global consumption of red meat could be reduced by 10 per cent.

The global average meat consumption stands at 100 grams per person a day, but varies widely between countries. Citizens of developed countries consume about 200 grams per person a day, while those in poorer countries eat around 20 grams.

Those in developed countries should progressively decrease their daily intake to 90 grams by 2050, the researchers said.

"If people are already thinking about the need to ration air travel maybe they need to think also about rationing their meat consumption," said Powles.

Powles said those in the agricultural industry also need to commit to lowering emissions.

"Clearly there's going to need to be incentive structures put in place for them to adopt methods of production that minimize the release of greenhouse gases," said Powles.

But some farmers, such as Eric Butters, bristled at the suggestion, saying his industry is being unfairly targeted.

"It's not too many cattle that's hurting the environment, it's too many people," said the cattle farmer from southern Alberta. "And if we controlled our population growth and parked our SUVs, it'd be far more environmentally beneficial."

The report's authors said they hope leaders in developed countries will take their recommendations seriously.

Source: CBC.ca

High Lead in Kid's Phone Accessories

Health Canada warns of high lead levels in some cellphone charms, zipper pulls

Health Canada is warning that some cellphone charms and zipper pulls from China contain high levels of lead and should be kept out of the reach of young children.

The department says children could be exposed to lead if they chew, suck on or accidentally swallow the zipper pulls or cellphone charms. It is estimated that more than 83,000 of the zipper pulls and nearly 54,000 of the cellphone charms were sold at Dollarama stores in Canada between July 2006 and August 2007.

Lead is highly toxic to humans, especially young children, and exposure can lead to brain damage.

Health Canada says there haven't been any Canadian cases of lead poisoning linked to these items, which are being voluntarily recalled by Dollarama.

Sample pictures of the charms and zipper pulls are posted in the warnings and recalls section of Health Canada's website.

Health Canada says if the items are used for their intended purpose they pose no health risk, but they shouldn't be in the possession of young children.

The zipper pulls are approximately 65 millimetres long and seven mm wide. They are silver with letters that are painted in various colours. Some feature the names and symbols of astrological signs, while others bear words like "diva," "friend" or "cute."

Testing conducted by Health Canada found that total lead content of the zipper pulls was over 90 per cent.

The cellphone charm, which is about 15 mm in diameter, is silver and in the shape of a purse with a handle. A yellow painted flower is painted on the purse. The charms are sold attached to a bright pink card bearing the "Diva" label.

Health Canada testing found the lead content of the cellphone charm was 94 per cent.

Source: CBC.ca

On the Net:

www.hc-sc.gc.ca.

Food Additives Adverserly Impact Hyperactivity

Food additives found to fuel hyperactivity

Drink with preservative, artificial colouring had 'significantly adverse' effect, study says

Ordinary food colouring and a common preservative found in everything from fruit drinks to jam have been conclusively linked to hyperactivity in children for the first time, according to British researchers.

Their findings, published today in The Lancet medical journal, could have profound implications for the regulation of additives and the diets of children who exhibit frenetic behaviour, researchers said.

Within hours of announcing the results of the study, the Guardian newspaper reported that the British government had taken the significant step of recommending that parents avoid giving products containing multiple additives to children who show signs of hyperactivity.

The study involved 153 preschool children and 144 aged 8 or 9 who were given ordinary fruit juice or one of two drinks identical in look and taste that contained varying levels of artificial food colouring and a set amount of the common preservative sodium benzoate.

One batch with the additives contained the average daily intake of food colouring for both age groups. The other had elevated levels equivalent to two 56-gram bags of sweets for the three-year-olds and four bags for the older children.

None of the children had extreme hyperactivity or attention-deficit disorders, and they did not consume other foods containing sodium benzoate during the six-week study.

Investigators reported that the drink containing benzoate spiked with the higher level of food colouring had a "significantly adverse" effect on the three-year-olds, while both mixes increased hyperactivity in the eight- and nine-year-olds.

Across the board, the children who consumed the elevated mix moved about 10 per cent closer to an internationally accepted definition of hyperactivity.

"We now have clear evidence that mixtures of certain food colours and benzoate preservative can adversely influence the behaviour of children," said researcher Jim Stevenson, a professor of psychology at the University of Southampton.

Citing previous research that suggested that some children with behavioural disorders could benefit from removing certain food preservatives and colours from their diet, Dr. Stevenson said simply removing the additives from food would not prevent hyperactivity in children. "We know that many other influences are at work, but this at least is one a child can avoid," he said.

Links between diet and hyperactivity have been vigorously debated for more than three decades, with researchers on both sides dismissing the others' findings as inconclusive.

Experts on hyperactivity and food additives attribute the failure to arrive at any firm conclusions in part to the difficulty of isolating for study the numerous additives and preservatives commonly found in food.

Fluctuations in hyperactive behaviour among children under the microscope have also muddied past research.

So the news yesterday that researchers claimed to lay to rest any doubt that food additives contribute to hyperactivity was greeted with skepticism by the International Food Additives Council, an Atlanta-based trade association.

"It's been my impression that, when it comes to anecdotal studies, there are people who tend to think food additives have something to do with hyperactivity. But when you put these studies into more carefully controlled situations, they don't pan out," said Andrew Ebert, a consultant for the trade association, who noted that he could not comment directly on the study because he had not seen it. Dr. Ebert said the organization would review the findings in the coming days.

The theory that hyperactive children could benefit from a diet devoid of artificial colours and flavours was pioneered in the 1970s by Ben Feingold. His Feingold Cookbook for Hyperactive Children, published in 1979, proposed eliminating such things as soft drinks, cake and luncheon meat from the diets of youngsters.

While much of Dr. Feingold's work remains controversial, pediatricians who specialize in treating overactive children say it is generally accepted that some foods worsen hyperactivity in some children. They note, however, that no evidence suggests certain foods cause hyperactivity, and that behavioural reactions to food are often subtle.

Bill Mahoney, associate professor of pediatrics at McMaster University, said after reviewing the British study yesterday that its findings reinforced those notions. "This isn't taking very placid children and turning them into kids who are running all over the place," Dr. Mahoney said. "The effects, in general, are very small."

Philip Shaw, a clinical fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Md., said the study was probably the most comprehensive of its kind, but questioned whether it would have the sort of far-reaching implications that its researchers imagined.

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Sodium benzoate

What is sodium benzoate?

E211, also known as sodium benzoate, is a derivative of benzoic acid. It is added in large amounts to carbonated drinks to prevent bacterial growth.

What other health concerns are related to sodium benzoate?

Health Canada found 20 per cent of soft drinks and other beverages it analyzed in a spot check last year included benzene, a known carcinogen. Where are additives like sodium benzoate and food colouring found?

Sodium benzoate is widely used in carbonated beverages, and artificial food colouring is used in candies, ice creams, drinks and many other kinds of snacks.

What happens if children eat them occasionally anyway?

The study showed that some children appear to be more susceptible to hyperactivity than others. Kids with behavioural problems may benefit from eliminating these additives from their diets, while others are able to handle occasional exposure.

Source: The Globe and Mail and the Guardian