Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Are you tired? You might get diabetes! A new report Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism claims poor diet, sedentary lifestyle and insufficient sleep heightens risk of diabetes:

Dr. Plamen Penev, of the University of Chicago, Illinois, and a senior author of the study and colleagues subjected 11 healthy but sedentary middle-aged men and women to two 14-day periods of sedentary living with free access to food and either 5.5 hours or 8.5 hours of sleep each night.

As nightly sleep times changed from 8.5 to 5.5 hours, the participants went to bed later and got out of bed earlier and, as a result, average sleep duration was reduced by about two hours a day.

When the adults had their bedtimes decreased from a healthy 8.5 hours to 5.5 hours they showed changes in their response to two common sugar tests, which were similar to those seen in people with an increased risk of developing diabetes.

Go to bed already! Previous studies have linked lack of sleep to weight-gain, getting the common cold and obesity. Now, do you really need to know why sleep is a good idea? Here Dr. Fuhrman explains the importance of getting shuteye:

During sleep, your body removes the buildup of waste in the brain. Sufficient sleep is necessary for the normal function of your nervous and endocrine systems. Most civilizations in human history recognized the value of mid-afternoon naps. The desire for a rest, short sleep, or “siesta” after lunch should not be seen as an abnormal need, but rather a normal one. People who “cover up” their lack of sleep by using drugs (such as caffeine) as food and/or food (such as highly processed, sugary foods) as drugs sometimes claim (even boast) that they can get by with very little sleep. As you begin to live more healthfully, you may quickly recognize that you need more sleep than you previously thought.

Via Reuters.

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Evolving from hulking apes to car driving suburbanites isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Some health officials claim that America’s love for driving is a bad habit, resulting in poor health. Driving more means you walk less and walking is a great exercise. Walking is something us bipedal hominids are specialized to do. Experts say people should take about 10,000 steps a day to maintain good health, but driving a car all day causes that number to drop to about 1,000; Reuters explains.

I drive my friends crazy. I always park far away. So I can walk a little. But listen, exercise is very important. According to Dr. Fuhrman, regular exercise pays huge dividends, such improving mood, building stronger bones and reducing risk of disease, like type-2 diabetes.

In related news, walking for 30 minutes each day was found to reduce age-related weight gain and taking the stairs helps lowers lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

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• Sex is important, especially if you’re not getting any, and for women with type-1 diabetes sex can be a real drag. According to a new study in the journal Diabetes Care involving 652 women with type-1 diabetes, completing a survey on sex and undergoing a physical examination, mood evaluation and laboratory testing, 51% of women reported orgasm problems; Reuters explains.

• Presented at the American Thoracic Society's annual meeting, researchers found overweight mothers are 65% more likely to have children with asthma. The study assessed the weight of mothers of nearly 4,000 children prior to pregnancy, following them from birth to age 8. The average age of mothers was 30, and almost 21% were overweight; HealthDay News reports.

• Also discussed at Thoracic Society's meeting was research claiming vitamin D may slow the decline in asthmatic people’s ability to breathe, specifically those with human airway smooth muscle (HASM) proliferation. HASM causes remodeling of the airway, leading to reduced lung function. Vitamin D was shown to lower growth rate of proliferation cells; via ScienceDaily.

• Another study in Diabetes Care reveals sleep apnea is going largely undiagnosed among obese people with type-2 diabetes. Of the 306 obese patients with type-2 diabetes studied, almost 87% of individuals reported symptoms but received no diagnosis. The scary part is 30% of people had 16 to 20 episodes of stopped breathing per hour of sleep; from EurekAlert!

• Back to the annual meeting, experts determined flu shots are not effective at preventing flu-related hospitalizations in kids with asthma. Researchers examined 263 children from six months to 18 years of age. Each had influenza between 1996 and 2006. Data revealed kids getting the flu shot were three times more likely to be hospitalized than kids not getting the shot; via NewsWise.

• One more from Diabetes Care, a new report suggests girls with poorly manage type-2 diabetes have a higher risk of cardiac abnormalities, than healthy kids with type-1 diabetes. Testing showed certain heart dimensions were larger in type-2 diabetics. And only 1 of the 8 girls studied with type-2 diabetes had no cardiac abnormalities; Reuters investigates.

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Stop yawning! It’s a bad sign. Discussed at the American Thoracic Society's International Conference, a new study suggests body mass index and sleep share a strong relationship. Scientists analyzed sleep, activity levels and energy expenditure of 14 nurses enrolled in a heart-health program, which included stress management and sleep improvement. Data revealed numerous conclusions, but most notably that insufficient sleep causes or worsens stress, leading to stress eating and weight-gain; via EurekAlert!

Sleep is very important. According to Dr. Fuhrman, sleep allows your body to clean up brain waste, which helps keep your nervous and endocrine systems functioning normally. Your immune system too! Not getting enough sleep makes you more likely to get the sniffles.

And just last week, a report conveyed the grim news that lack of sleep in areas with extended seasons of daylight, like Greenland, increases the number of suicides. Eek!

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New research in the journal BMC Psychiatry claims constant sunlight may cause sleep disturbances, leading to insomnia and ultimately raising suicide risk. For the study, scientists analyzed suicides in Greenland between 1968 and 2002, finding a cluster of suicides during summer months when the days are longer. Experts speculate days of constant sunlight may cause an imbalance of brain chemicals linked to mood and when paired with lack of sleep, could be deadly; Reuters investigates.

I’d have to put tinfoil on the windows! Dr. Fuhrman told me it’s about balance. Sunlight is necessary, our bodies convert the sun’s ultraviolet rays into vitamin D, which improves bone health, but sleep is important too. When we sleep our body removes brain waste and this allows for normal function of the nervous and endocrine systems.

In related news, expectant mothers getting enough sun are more likely to have children with stronger bones and sunlight helps older people avoid depression.

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• I guess I’m going to die soon, because I’m a big dummy! New findings in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine reveals an association between higher IQ and decreased mortality, i.e. death, in men. Researchers believe people with higher IQ test scores are less likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and drinking alcohol and more likely to eat better and exercise; ScienceDaily reports.

• More bad news for obesity! A study published in the current issue of the Archives of Surgery claims obese pancreatic cancer patients are 12 times more likely to see their cancer worsen and spread to their lymph nodes. Individuals with a body mass index greater than 23 survived an average of 13.2 months after cancer surgery, while patients with a BMI of less than 23 lasted 27.4 months; via Health Magazine.

• Presented at the American Heart Association's Joint Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention and Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism, scientists have determined teenagers with higher intakes of vitamin D may have less abdominal fat than adolescents with vitamin D deficiencies. Data revealed white boys had the highest intake of vitamin D, with African-American girls having the lowest; from NutraIngredients.

• Bisphenol A, a toxic compound used to make plastic and found to interfere with brain cells, may be banned from food and drink containers under a new federal bill proposed to the House and Senate last Friday. Spearheaded by senators from New York, Massachusetts and California, the bill aims to protect children from BPA, which has also been linked to cancer, such as breast and testicular; The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explains.

• Another study discussed at the Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention and Nutrition suggests not getting enough sleep may heighten the risk diabetes. Experts said people who sleep less than six hours per night were 4.5 times more likely to have abnormal blood sugar levels than individuals getting more sleep. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend people get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night; Reuters reports.

• A federal judge has rejected the appeal by 15 California organic almond growers to stop regulations mandating that raw almonds to be treated before sale. Current laws require almonds to be chemically pasteurized or heat-treated. This stem from fears over health risks such as salmonella, but is angering raw food devotees who rely on raw almonds for vitamins and foods like almond milk; via TreeHugger.

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Wow, new findings in the Journal of Applied Physiology suggest being mentally tired may cause you to become exhausted more quickly during exercise, but researchers claim your muscles and heart don’t underperform. It’s your “perceived effort” that’s dragging you down. On one day 16 participants were given a demanding 90-minute test and on another day they watched TV for 90-minutes. When put on a stationary bike 15% of subjects stopped exercising sooner when they were mentally pooped; Reuters explains.

I relate to this big time! Tell me if you do too. A year ago I exercised a ton; Yoga, running, weights and more running! But I couldn’t do it anymore, too busy. Nowadays, DiseaseProof draws major attention, so I had to step up my game, hopefully you’ve noticed. Long story short, I was leaving the gym near death. Now I’ve cut back. I still exercise 6 days a week, but for shorter intervals and no more working out twice a day. That was crazy!

Clearly, pushing yourself to mental and physical exhaustion is a dumb idea. Our bodies need sufficient rest and recovery to function properly and previous reports insist Americans are overworked and under-slept. So cut yourself a break. You probably need it.

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This is ironic. I’m both exhausted and sniffley today. A new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine claims people who sleep for less than 7 hours every night may get more colds. Researchers examined healthy men and women between 2000 and 2004 and found participants who didn’t get enough sleep were more likely to develop a cold after being exposed to a cold virus, backing up previous studies suggesting sleep deprivation may impair immune system function; Newswise reports.

Crap! I better go buy some tissues. Now, not getting enough sleep is no joke. Other research has associated lack of sleep with heart problems and obesity and 40 million Americans aren’t getting enough sleep. That means there are a lot of sleepy fat people running around with bad hearts. Eek!

And another way to avoid a cold, and even the flu, is practicing good hygiene, like washing your hands.

Via Vitamin G.

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When it comes to curbing hunger, aerobic exercise, like running on a treadmill, is more effective than non-aerobic activities, such as weightlifting. So says a new study in American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. Participants doing aerobic exercise had decreased ghrelin levels and increased peptide YY levels, meaning appetite was suppressed. The non-aerobic group also had lower ghrelin, but no significant change in peptide YY levels; HealthDay News reports.

Actually, sleep has a lot to do with ghrelin too. Previous research reveals not getting enough sleep boosts ghrelin levels and increases hunger and appetite, which can contribute to weight gain and obesity. Just another reason why getting sufficient sleep is a good idea!

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You need shuteye. Dr. Fuhrman calls adequate sleep a necessary component of good health. And new research in the American Journal of Epidemiology agrees. Experts have determined sleep-duration is linked to heart health and sleeping 7 hours a night appears to be the magic number. Study participants getting 5 or less hours of sleep or 9 or more hours of sleep were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease; Reuters reports.

Lucky for me I get 7 a night. But, if I do get less, it’s because I’m up late blogging!

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