MORE THAN 20 HOURS OF TV WEEKLY + LITTLE EXERCISE = LOW SPERM COUNT

Who knew?  A cheap, non-invasive form of male birth control

A team of researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed the results of the 2009 Rochester Young Men’s Study in which 189 men, ages 18 to 22, reported their levels of activity, inactivity and other factors, such as diet, smoking and stress, that could affect sperm count.

The results showed that the sperm count of men who watched more than 20 hours of TV during the week had a 44% lower sperm count than did men who watched little or no TV.

But men who exercised moderately or vigorously for 15 hours or more per week had a 73% higher sperm count than those men who exercised fewer than 5 hours per week.

Jorge Chavarro, senior author of the study and assistant professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the school of public health, observed, “The majority of previous studies on physical activity and semen quality had focused on professional marathon runners and cyclists who reach physical activity levels that most people in the world cannot match.”

The Harvard research team suspects that sedentary lifestyles may warm the scrotum and affect semen concentrations.  Physical inactivity has also been linked to increased levels of oxidative stress, a condition that promotes the degradation of cells by rogue oxygen compounds.

Still other studies have linked low sperm counts to obesity and high-fat diets.

Source:   examiner.com, February 16, 2013      Study published in British Journal of Sports Medicine, February 11, 2013

LOWERING AIR #POLLUTION RAISES U.S. #LIFE #EXPECTANCY

A new study by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) finds a correlation between reductions in fine particulate matter and an average extended life expectancy of .35 years in 545 counties in the US from 2000 to 2007.

The report showed a stronger association between declining air pollution and increased life expectancy in more urban, densely populated areas than in rural areas, possibly because the composition of the particulates may be of different composition from that in rural areas.

The results also suggest that reduced levels of pollution might be more beneficial to women than to men.

Lead author of the study, Andrew Correia, is a PhD candidate in the Biostatistics Department at HSPH.  He observed, “Despite the fact that the US population as a whole is exposed to much lower levels of air pollution than 30 years ago—because of great strides made to reduce people’s exposure—it appears that further reductions in air pollution levels would continue to benefit public health.”

Source:  Harvard School of Public Health Update, December 18, 2012       Study published in Epidemiology, December 3, 2012     Study funded by US EPA, NIH, Harvard-NIEHS Center for Environmental Health, NIEHS, MRC Strategic Grant and the Health Effects Institute.

4 NEW STUDIES THAT PROMOTE GOOD HEALTH

                                                                                                                                     

1.  Eating like a Mediterranean means better quality of life.  Recent Spanish research finds that the Mediterranean-style diet, already linked to low risk of chronic diseases, also promotes “better health-related quality of life.

Scientists analyzed adherence to a Mediterranean-style eating pattern among 11, 014 university students.  At the conclusion of the study, 4 years later, students scored their physical and mental health.   Those who most closely adhered to the diet at the start scored higher on the questionnaire.

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes fish, olive oil, whole grains, vegetables, fruits and nuts.

Study published in European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

 

2.  Skipping sugar-sweetened beverages may prevent heart attacks.

Harvard School of Public Health researchers studied the 42, 883 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and found that those consuming the most (6.4/week) sugar-sweetened sodas and other drinks were found to be 20% more likely to suffer a first heart attack over 22 years than those who drank no sweetened beverages.

Each additional daily serving of the beverages boosted men’s heart-disease risk by 19%.

In the previous Nurses’ Health Study, women who consumed the most sugar-sweetened beverages experienced a 15% risk of heart disease.

The association for both genders persisted after adjustment for blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, suggesting that “sugar-sweetened beverages may impact on coronary heart disease risk above and beyond traditional risk factors.”

No increased risks were found for consumption of artificially sweetened sodas.

Study published in Circulation

 

3.  Low-fat dairy linked to fewer strokes.   Swedish researchers at the Karolinska Institute followed nearly 75,000 initially healthy men and women for more than 10 years, during which time 4,000 suffered a stroke.

Those consuming the most (4 servings a day) low-fat dairy products were 12% less likely to have a stroke than non-dairy consumers.

Researchers speculate that proteins and Vitamin D in the dairy products may protect against stroke by lowering blood pressure, a key risk factor.  

Study published in Stroke:  Journal of the American Heart Association

 

4.  Get moving to protect against Alzheimer’s.   Researchers at Chicago’s Rush University measured the activity levels of 716 people free of cognitive impairment, average age 82.  Each participant was fitted with a wrist device called an actigraph that recorded movement of all kinds during the first 10 days of the study.

Over the next 4 years, 71 of the participants developed Alzheimer’s.  Those in the bottom 10% of recorded activity were twice as likely to develop the disease as were the most active 10%.

Researchers noted that animal studies showed that moving around in an enriched environment protected against cognitive decline, possibly by increasing the number of neurons and the size of blood vessels feeding the brain.

They concluded, “Even very old people who can’t participate in formal exercise may be able to derive the benefit.”

Study published in Neurology

Sources:  Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, August 2012        National Center for Biotechnology Information:  US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health

ADHD IN CHILDREN LINKED TO EARLY EXPOSURE TO LEAD AND MERCURY

      Here comes another unhealthy dose of  homegrown mercury in our air, lakes, fish and children.

Developmental psychologist Gina Muckle of Laval University in Quebec says mercury and lead exposures have a stronger effect on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms than do mothers who smoked during pregnancy.

In fact, children exposed to higher levels of mercury or lead are three to five times more likely to be identified by their teachers with ADHD-associated problems than are other children.

A recently published study surveyed teachers of 279 Inuit children, ages 8-14, in Nunavik, Arctic Quebec.  Muckle, senior author of the study, says the findings are significant because they show for the first time that mercury’s effects on children aren’t subtle; they’re noticeable in the classroom.

Though the study examined Arctic children, the results are likely universal.  “At similar levels of exposure without regard of the source of exposure, the effect should be similar,” Muckle said.  Down in the “lower 48s,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report one out of every ten children in the US has been diagnosed with ADHD.

Beluga whale meat and fish consumed by Inuit mothers were the sources of their children’s exposure to mercury.  Lead exposure came from food the children ate that contained lead shot from hunting.

Further analysis revealed that mercury was linked to attention deficits and lead associated with hyperactivity.  The explanation for the difference may be because of the timing of exposures: in the womb for mercury and during childhood for lead.

Harvard School of Public Health epidemiologist Joe Braun said the findings “suggest the brain may be sensitive to different environmental chemicals at different times in development.”

US children are more likely to be exposed to lead from contaminated soil and lead paint and exposed to mercury from contaminants belched from smoke stacks.

In a Public Radio International interview on Living on Earth, host Steve Curwood asked Muckle what the primary sources of lead and mercury throughout North America were.   Muckle said, “Mercury travels between countries through air currents—it’s reached the Arctic as well, and mercury emissions are the primary source of human exposure.

“Mercury emissions are primarily due to coal combustion for production of electricity in Canada.  It’s probably about the same as it was in the United States.  China was identified as the largest source of mercury deposition.  They are responsible for about 45 percent of the entire mercury deposition in Canada.”

Sources:   ScientificAmerican.com September 20, 2012       Environmental Health News  September 21, 2012       Transcript of Living on Earth broadcast, September 22, 2012       Study published in Environmental Health Perspective, September 2012

HARVARD: DECONGESTANTS CONTRIBUTE TO HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

People with allergies use decongestants such as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed, Actifed, others) or phenylephrine (Sudafed PE) to constrict the small blood vessels in the nose.

These decongestants do offer relief, but don’t stop at constricting only nasal blood vessels.  They constrict all blood vessels throughout the body, thereby making the heart work harder to pump blood, thereby increasing blood pressure.

If you’re taking an over-the-counter decongestant, choose one that doesn’t contain pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine, such as cetirizine (Zyrtec), chlorpheniramine, (Chlor-Trimeton), loratadine (Claritin) and dephenhydramine (Benadryl).  All can help relieve congestion and are safer for the heart.

Another option is to use a nasal spray, which acts directly on nasal blood vessels and has less impact on other blood vessels in the body.

If your allergies promote nasal congestion at night, they might be interfering with your breathing while you sleep.  This interference can lead to or worsen the type of fighting for breath known as sleep apnea, which in itself can cause high blood pressure.

Should your sleeping partner tell you that you snore and sound as though you’re choking or gasping for breath at times, ask your doctor to check you for sleep apnea.

from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) Healthbeat, May 4, 2012

 

THE MANY FACES OF DEPRESSION: COPING WITH & HELPING A DEPRESSED, SUICIDAL OR MANIC PERSON

As with living with an addict, those who are closest to a loved one experiencing a form of depression often suffer at least as much as the depressed, suicidal or manic person.

Here are some coping mechanisms:

Encourage him or her to get treatment and stay with it.  If necessary, remind the person of appointments and about taking medications on schedule.  If you suspect your loved one is suicidal, immediately call his or her therapist or doctor.  If neither is available, call a local crisis center or emergency room.

Take care of yourself.  You may want to seek individual therapy or join a support group.  Mental health organizations sponsor support groups where you can find information about the illness and the latest treatments.

Offer emotional support in the form of patience and love and hope.  Ask questions and carefully listen to the answers.  Don’t brush off or judge the other person’s feelings.  Suggest activities you can share.  Remember that healing takes time and that it’s a disease that’s making your loved one difficult.  Don’t blame him or her, any more than you would if it were physical pain making the person behave differently.

Try to prevent reckless acts during manic episodes, when judgment is impaired.  Limit access to cars, credit cards and bank accounts.  Learn to recognize situations that may trigger a manic episode.

Disruption of sleep patterns can trigger an episode, so support your loved one in keeping a regular sleep schedule.  Similarly, regular schedules for eating, exercising and socializing may also be a preventive measure.

from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Press Release   March 13, 2012

THE MANY FACES OF DEPRESSION: BIPOLAR DISORDER

from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Press Release   March 13, 2012   

Bipolar disorder always includes both episodes of mania—high mood, grandiose thoughts and erratic behavior and episodes of depression.

Persons experiencing a manic episode feel terrifically elated, expansive, or irritated over the course of a week or longer and would also experience at least three of the following symptoms:

1)  grandiose ideas and/or self-esteem in overdrive

2)  a need for far less sleep than usual

3)  an irrepressible need to speak

4)  distractibility and racing thoughts

5)  agitation or increased activity that may be directed toward a goal

6)  an overpowering urge to seek pleasure that may be expressed in sexual sprees, overspending or a variety of schemes, often with disastrous consequences.

 

 

 

 

THE MANY FACES OF DEPRESSION: DYSTHYMIA

from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Press Release   March 13, 2012   

Persons suffering dysthymia (dis THIGH me ah) experience a persistent low-level depression in which their actions and reactions to life are muffled and dull, even indifferent. 

Though it’s less crippling than major depression, unlike major depression, dysthemia lasts for an average of at least five years.

Though persons may carry out daily responsibilities, they never experience their full capacity for happiness, fulfillment or productivity. 

The depressed mood doesn’t lift for more than a month or two at a time.

Persons experiencing dysthemia have at least two of the following symptoms:

1)  overeating or loss of appetite

2) insomnia or sleeping too much

3) tiredness or lack of energy

4) low self-esteem

5) trouble concentrating or making decisions

6) hopelessness

At times an episode of major depression occurs on top of dysthymia and is known as double depression.

THE MANY FACES OF DEPRESSION: MAJOR DEPRESSION

from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Press Release   March 13, 2012   

Persons experiencing major depression feel constantly sad or burdened and are unable to enjoy any activities, even those previously enjoyable. 

Both personal and professional relationships seem derailed or on indefinite hold.

On most days, these feelings are present nearly all day and last at least two weeks.  During this interval, depressed persons experience at least four of the following signs of depression:

1)  A change in appetite that leads to weight loss or gain

2)  insomnia, or less often, oversleeping

3)  either a restlessness and inability to sit still or a slowdown in talking and performing tasks

4)  feeling tired most of the time, a loss of energy

5)  Problems making decisions or concentrating

6)  Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide plans or attempts

Other signs of depression include loss of sexual desire, pessimistic or hopeless feelings, anxiety, and physical symptoms such as headaches, unexplained aches and pains, or digestive problems.

My Take on depression:  A severely depressed friend told me he didn’t seek help because yesterday his life was rotten, today his life is rotten, and tomorrow his life will be even more rotten.  So why bother trying to change it?

My heart aches, just remembering the conversation.  Depression is the only disease that tells us there’s no cure for it.

RISK OF MEMORY LOSS FOR THOSE 70+ MAY BE INCREASED BY OVEREATING

 from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Press Releases    Study conducted by Mayo Clinic    

For those 70 and older, cutting back on calories could do more than only decrease the waist size—it might also decrease the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a stage between normal memory loss from aging and the onset of early Alzheimer’s disease. 

Scientists compared the calorie intakes of 163 persons exhibiting MCI to 1,070 normal control subjects.  People consuming more than 2,143 calories per day were more than twice as likely to have MCI than those people consuming fewer than 1,526 calories per day.

After researchers adjusted for history of stroke, diabetes, amount of education and other factors affecting memory loss, the results were the same. 

The findings of the report will be presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology next month.