The Lancet Oncology, Volume 14, Issue 11, Pages 1112 - 1120, October 2013
Effect of comprehensive lifestyle changes on telomerase activity and
telomere length in men with biopsy-proven low-risk prostate cancer:
5-year follow-up of a descriptive pilot study
Prof Dean Ornish MD et al
Background
Telomere shortness in human beings is a prognostic marker of ageing,
disease, and premature morbidity. We previously found an association
between 3 months of comprehensive lifestyle changes and increased
telomerase activity in human immune-system cells. We followed up
participants to investigate long-term effects.
Methods
This follow-up study compared ten men and 25 external controls who had
biopsy-proven low-risk prostate cancer and had chosen to undergo active
surveillance. Eligible participants were enrolled between 2003 and 2007
from previous studies and selected according to the same criteria. Men
in the intervention group followed a programme of comprehensive
lifestyle changes (diet, activity, stress management, and social
support), and the men in the control group underwent active surveillance
alone. We took blood samples at 5 years and compared relative telomere
length and telomerase enzymatic activity per viable cell with those at
baseline, and assessed their relation to the degree of lifestyle changes.
Findings
Relative telomere length increased from baseline by a median of 0·06
telomere to single-copy gene ratio (T/S)units (IQR—0·05 to 0·11) in the
lifestyle intervention group, but decreased in the control group (−0·03
T/S units, −0·05 to 0·03, difference p=0·03). When data from the two
groups were combined, adherence to lifestyle changes was significantly
associated with relative telomere length after adjustment for age and
the length of follow-up (for each percentage point increase in lifestyle
adherence score, T/S units increased by 0·07, 95% CI 0·02—0·12,
p=0·005). At 5 years, telomerase activity had decreased from baseline by
0·25 (—2·25 to 2·23) units in the lifestyle intervention group, and by
1·08 (—3·25 to 1·86) units in the control group (p=0·64), and was not
associated with adherence to lifestyle changes (relative risk 0·93, 95%
CI 0·72—1·20, p=0·57).
Interpretation
Our comprehensive lifestyle intervention was associated with increases
in relative telomere length after 5 years of follow-up, compared with
controls, in this small pilot study. Larger randomised controlled trials
are warranted to confirm this finding.
Friday, November 29, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Fitness trumps weight when it comes to the good cholesterol
There's no question that high levels of good cholesterol
- also known as high-density lipoprotein (HDL) - seem to be protective against heart disease. Rather than depositing fat into the blood vessels the way the "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein (LDL)) does, HDL appears to carry cholesterol away from blood vessels to the liver. From there, the liver processes it
for removal from the body.
However, adequate levels of HDL might not be enough. Several recent
studies have suggested that many cases of heart disease occur in people
with normal levels of HDL cholesterol. Consequently, some researchers
believe that even if people have adequate amounts of HDL cholesterol, it
might not work well. Such HDL may not fulfill this molecule's other
important duties in the body, such as reducing inflammation
and acting as an antioxidant.
Because exercise has the potential to protect against heart disease in a
variety of ways, Christian K. Roberts and his colleagues at UCLA tested
whether HDL in men who weight trained regularly behaved in a healthier
way than HDL in sedentary men. They found that the men who didn't
exercise were more likely than those who weight trained to have
dysfunctional HDL. Having faulty HDL was associated with numerous other
risk factors for heart disease, including high triglycerides and a
higher trunk fat mass. This finding held true regardless of the men's
weight, which suggests that maintaining a "healthy" weight isn't as
important for healthy cholesterol function as being active by regularly
performing strength training.
The article is entitled "Untrained Young Men Have Dysfunctional HDL
Compared to Strength Trained Men Irrespective of Body Weight Status." *
It appears in the Articles in Press section of Journal of Applied
Physiology, published by the American Physiological Society.
*Methodology*
The researchers worked with 90 men between the ages of 18 and 30 who
already had established exercise habits. They separated these
participants into three groups: lean men who weight trained at least
four times each week, overweight men who also weight trained at least
four times each week, and overweight men who had no structured exercise
regimen. The researchers took some basic physical measurements from the
volunteers, including height and weight, waist circumference, blood
pressure, and body composition. They tested the volunteers' muscle
strength and their carotid artery thickness (a sign of heart disease),
and they took a blood sample. The researchers analyzed that sample for a
variety of different molecules present, including cholesterol, insulin,
various markers for heart disease including triglycerides and C-reactive
protein, and sex hormones. They also checked the volunteers' HDL to see
how well it functioned as an antioxidant, a sign of how well their HDL
works in general.
*Results*
The study authors found that HDL functioned better in the participants
who had a regular weight-lifting program, regardless of their
weight-overweight exercisers' HDL has similar effectiveness as an
antioxidant as the lean exercisers' HDL cholesterol. Both groups' HDL
performed significantly better than those who didn't exercise. Such
dysfunctional HDL was associated with numerous other factors associated
with heart disease, such as elevated triglycerides and trunk fat mass.
*Importance of the Findings*
These findings suggest that regular weight training might improve HDL
function and protect against heart disease, even in those who remain
overweight. Although indices of weight were associated with HDL
cholesterol function, differences in fitness, the authors say, may be a
better measure of who has healthier functioning HDL cholesterol, and
therefore, who is at risk of heart disease.
"The role of obesity in the risk of coronary heart disease may indeed be
largely accounted for by differences in fitness," the authors say.
- also known as high-density lipoprotein (HDL) - seem to be protective against heart disease. Rather than depositing fat into the blood vessels the way the "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein (LDL)) does, HDL appears to carry cholesterol away from blood vessels to the liver. From there, the liver processes it
for removal from the body.
However, adequate levels of HDL might not be enough. Several recent
studies have suggested that many cases of heart disease occur in people
with normal levels of HDL cholesterol. Consequently, some researchers
believe that even if people have adequate amounts of HDL cholesterol, it
might not work well. Such HDL may not fulfill this molecule's other
important duties in the body, such as reducing inflammation
and acting as an antioxidant.
Because exercise has the potential to protect against heart disease in a
variety of ways, Christian K. Roberts and his colleagues at UCLA tested
whether HDL in men who weight trained regularly behaved in a healthier
way than HDL in sedentary men. They found that the men who didn't
exercise were more likely than those who weight trained to have
dysfunctional HDL. Having faulty HDL was associated with numerous other
risk factors for heart disease, including high triglycerides and a
higher trunk fat mass. This finding held true regardless of the men's
weight, which suggests that maintaining a "healthy" weight isn't as
important for healthy cholesterol function as being active by regularly
performing strength training.
The article is entitled "Untrained Young Men Have Dysfunctional HDL
Compared to Strength Trained Men Irrespective of Body Weight Status." *
It appears in the Articles in Press section of Journal of Applied
Physiology, published by the American Physiological Society.
*Methodology*
The researchers worked with 90 men between the ages of 18 and 30 who
already had established exercise habits. They separated these
participants into three groups: lean men who weight trained at least
four times each week, overweight men who also weight trained at least
four times each week, and overweight men who had no structured exercise
regimen. The researchers took some basic physical measurements from the
volunteers, including height and weight, waist circumference, blood
pressure, and body composition. They tested the volunteers' muscle
strength and their carotid artery thickness (a sign of heart disease),
and they took a blood sample. The researchers analyzed that sample for a
variety of different molecules present, including cholesterol, insulin,
various markers for heart disease including triglycerides and C-reactive
protein, and sex hormones. They also checked the volunteers' HDL to see
how well it functioned as an antioxidant, a sign of how well their HDL
works in general.
*Results*
The study authors found that HDL functioned better in the participants
who had a regular weight-lifting program, regardless of their
weight-overweight exercisers' HDL has similar effectiveness as an
antioxidant as the lean exercisers' HDL cholesterol. Both groups' HDL
performed significantly better than those who didn't exercise. Such
dysfunctional HDL was associated with numerous other factors associated
with heart disease, such as elevated triglycerides and trunk fat mass.
*Importance of the Findings*
These findings suggest that regular weight training might improve HDL
function and protect against heart disease, even in those who remain
overweight. Although indices of weight were associated with HDL
cholesterol function, differences in fitness, the authors say, may be a
better measure of who has healthier functioning HDL cholesterol, and
therefore, who is at risk of heart disease.
"The role of obesity in the risk of coronary heart disease may indeed be
largely accounted for by differences in fitness," the authors say.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Children With Type 1 Diabetes Helped To Produce Their Own Insulin With Diet Additions
Adding foods rich in specific amino and fatty acids to the diets of youth with Type 1 diabetes kept them producing some of their own insulin for up to two years after diagnosis, said researchers at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill."
The youth still required supplemental insulin, but they may have reduced risk of diabetes complications by continuing to produce some of their own insulin, said Elizabeth Mayer-Davis, professor of nutrition at Gillings and medicine at UNC's School of Medicine, who led the study of more than 1,300 youth. "This also opens the door for a new approach that could really benefit the lives of these children."
The study, "Nutritional Factors and Preservation of C-Peptide in Youth with Recently Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes," was published in the July 2013 issue of the journal Diabetes Care.
The participating youngsters, ranging from toddlers up to age 20, are part of a multi-center "SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth," the largest U.S. study of childhood diabetes. Mayer-Davis is national co-chair of SEARCH, funded by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.
Type 1 diabetes is almost always diagnosed between infancy and young adulthood, according to the American Diabetes Association. The body's pancreas is unable to produce adequate amounts of the hormone insulin, required to metabolize food properly and create energy for the body's cells.
Leucine, one of the branched-chain amino acids researchers looked at, is known to stimulate secretion. It is found in dairy products, meats, soy products, eggs, nuts and products made with whole wheat. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish such as salmon.
The researchers analyzed how much (if any) insulin the subjects were producing up to two years after their diagnosis and compared this with nutritional intake.
Mayer-Davis noted the study reflects subjects eating actual foods rich in these nutrients, not taking supplements.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Risk of hospitalization or death from ischemic heart disease among British vegetarians and nonvegetarians
Risiko kejadian penyakit jantung iskemik 32% lebih rendah pada Vegetarian dibanding non-vegetarian. Antara lain disebabkan 1.indeks massa tubuh lebih kecil ; 2.kolesterol non-HDL lebih rendah ; 3.sistolik lebih rendah.
Risk of hospitalization or death from ischemic heart disease among British vegetarians and nonvegetarians: results from the EPIC-Oxford cohort study
Francesca L Crowe, Paul N Appleby, Ruth C Travis, and Timothy J Key
Abstract
Background: Few previous prospective studies have examined differences in incident ischemic heart disease (IHD) risk between vegetarians and nonvegetarians.
Objective: The objective was to examine the association of a vegetarian diet with risk of incident (nonfatal and fatal) IHD.
Design: A total of 44,561 men and women living in England and Scotland who were enrolled in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)–Oxford study, of whom 34% consumed a vegetarian diet at baseline, were part of the analysis. Incident cases of IHD were identified through linkage with hospital records and death certificates. Serum lipids and blood pressure measurements were available for 1519 noncases, who were matched to IHD cases by sex and age. IHD risk by vegetarian status was estimated by using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models.
Results: After an average follow-up of 11.6 y, there were 1235 IHD cases (1066 hospital admissions and 169 deaths). Compared with nonvegetarians, vegetarians had a lower mean BMI [in kg/m2; −1.2 (95% CI: −1.3, −1.1)], non-HDL-cholesterol concentration [−0.45 (95% CI: −0.60, −0.30) mmol/L], and systolic blood pressure [−3.3 (95% CI: −5.9, −0.7) mm Hg]. Vegetarians had a 32% lower risk (HR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.81) of IHD than did nonvegetarians, which was only slightly attenuated after adjustment for BMI and did not differ materially by sex, age, BMI, smoking, or the presence of IHD risk factors.
Conclusion: Consuming a vegetarian diet was associated with lower IHD risk, a finding that is probably mediated by differences in non-HDL cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure.
Objective: The objective was to examine the association of a vegetarian diet with risk of incident (nonfatal and fatal) IHD.
Design: A total of 44,561 men and women living in England and Scotland who were enrolled in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)–Oxford study, of whom 34% consumed a vegetarian diet at baseline, were part of the analysis. Incident cases of IHD were identified through linkage with hospital records and death certificates. Serum lipids and blood pressure measurements were available for 1519 noncases, who were matched to IHD cases by sex and age. IHD risk by vegetarian status was estimated by using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models.
Results: After an average follow-up of 11.6 y, there were 1235 IHD cases (1066 hospital admissions and 169 deaths). Compared with nonvegetarians, vegetarians had a lower mean BMI [in kg/m2; −1.2 (95% CI: −1.3, −1.1)], non-HDL-cholesterol concentration [−0.45 (95% CI: −0.60, −0.30) mmol/L], and systolic blood pressure [−3.3 (95% CI: −5.9, −0.7) mm Hg]. Vegetarians had a 32% lower risk (HR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.81) of IHD than did nonvegetarians, which was only slightly attenuated after adjustment for BMI and did not differ materially by sex, age, BMI, smoking, or the presence of IHD risk factors.
Conclusion: Consuming a vegetarian diet was associated with lower IHD risk, a finding that is probably mediated by differences in non-HDL cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)