Archive for 'associate professor'

Study Finds Higher Suicide Risk in Teens Who See Themselves as Overweight

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 at 9:16 am  
Comments (12)

As if the many physical health concerns associated with the obesity epidemic weren’t worrisome enough, new research shines a light on an alarming mental health connection: Teenagers who are overweight are at higher risk of attempting suicide. Even teens who merely believe themselves overweight — but actually are not — are more predisposed to suicidal behavior, the researchers found.

The study, which appears online in the Journal of Adolescent Health, looked at more than 14,000 high school students to determine the relationship between a high body mass index (BMI) and suicide attempts, as well as the relationship between perceived overweight and suicide attempts, and found higher risk in both cases.

Contrary to what the researchers had originally expected, the association was as strong for boys as for girls, said lead study author Monica Swahn, PhD.

“This is a major concern since more and more children and youth are becoming overweight and obese,” said Swahn, associate professor in the Institute of Public Health at Georgia State University.

“The mental health issues and distress that some youth who are overweight may experience … appears to be a growing, but largely unaddressed, issue,” Swahn told Daily News Central. “We tend to overlook the need for mental healthcare and prevention and underestimate the scope and range of services needed.”

Reality vs. Perception

For the study, participants answered a survey question:”How do you describe your weight?” They could choose among five responses: very underweight, slightly underweight, about the right weight, slightly overweight or very overweight, Swahn said.

“In our analyses, we looked at those who said they were either slightly or very overweight to determine their potential increased risk for suicide attempts. Our study shows that those who felt that they were overweight were about 40 percent more likely to also report suicide attempt.”

Hatim Omar, MD, chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at the University of Kentucky, said his own experience has led him to believe that perceived obesity does increase both depression and suicide risk. “Teens are vulnerable because of their development,” he said, “and any actual or perceived changes in their lives, including weight issues, can potentially increase the risk of depression or suicide.”

Understanding these associations can help in the development of appropriate strategies for suicide prevention, according to the researchers.

“We cannot only focus prevention strategies on those who are overweight and who are concerned about their weight, but we also need to include youth who feel that they are overweight even though they may not be,” Swahn said.

Societal Pressures

“Youth feel very pressured to fit in and to fit certain limited ideals of beauty,” she added.

“Unfortunately, as a society, we are very focused on beauty and in particular weight,” she noted. “Weight gain and weight loss are pervasive issues that many of us struggle with. So, of course, these issues are linked to our well-being and our mental health.

The sad aspect of our findings is that it is not only those who actually are overweight that are at increased risk for suicide attempt, but also that those who perceive themselves as overweight, even if they’re not actually overweight, are at increased risk for suicide attempts.

This finding appears to reflect the very strong influence of social constructs related to body image and body ideals. It is also important to point out that in our study, the link between perceived overweight and suicide attempts was important for both boys and girls.”

Omar noted that “this study adds another wake-up call to providers, parents, teachers and society about the need for screening for depression and suicide risk in all teens, with special attention to teens with perceived or actual obesity.”

Signs of Depression

Swahn pointed to several common symptoms of depression that parents and caretakers can look for: persistent sad or irritable mood;loss of interest in activities once enjoyed;psychomotor agitation or retardation;feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt; recurrent thoughts of death or suicide;difficulty concentrating;difficulty sleeping or oversleeping;loss of energy;significant change in appetite or body weight.

“If five or more of these symptoms are present for more than two weeks, it is very likely that the person can be diagnosed as depressed,” Swahn said.

What should be the role of parents, teachers, healthcare professionals and others in providing appropriate feedback to teens regarding weight and body image? Is there a conflict between nurturing health and fitness on the one hand, and self-esteem on the other?

“It is very important that we find a balance between supporting healthy eating and exercise to achieve well-being and pushing too hard for quick fixes, weight loss and unrealistic body ideals,” Swahn said. “All of us, as parents, caring adults, teachers and healthcare professionals, can have active roles in promoting healthy youth development that support healthy eating and frequent exercise.

External Influences

“However, it is important to recognize the many external influences that manipulate our eating,” she continued. “I just read Dr. [David] Kessler’s new book, The End of Overeating, which is a fascinating account of how the food industry, together with the advertising industry, have made it nearly impossible for some people to control their food intake.

Food has been manipulated, packaged and sold in a way to increase the proportions of sugar, salt and fat, which lead most of us wanting more and on a downward spiral to weight gain. Given this heavy influence, particularly among our children who are growing up with all these messages, it is clear that we need to serve as advocates for our children as well.”

The study authors recommend and encourage future research to examine issues pertaining to perceived and actual weight and their role in suicidal behavior.

“There is growing empirical evidence that there is a strong link between these,” said Swahn, “and that concerns about weight can contribute to distress and suicidal behavior. Ideally, future research should disentangle these associations … and also examine the factors that may alleviate the risk among those who perceive themselves to be overweight.”

View the original article here

Tags: obesity epidemic, suicidal behavior, health concerns, Division of Adolescent Medicine at the University of Kentucky, energy;significant change

The Elixir of Life May Lie in Calorie Restriction

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010 at 10:47 am  
Comments (24)

Science has known for some time that a will tend to add years to the life span. Laboratory research conducted with mice and dogs dating back to the 1930′s demonstrated life extension by as much as 40%. While scientists knew this to be true based on empirical research, exactly why a has this surprising effect remained a mystery.

Now science has identified a gene that appears to play a critical role in the link between calorie restriction and longevity. In a study run by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, researchers have found that a gene identified in C. elegans roundworms, pha-4, may be a key link when it comes to understanding the mechanics of life extension. According to Andrew Dillin, an associate professor at Salk Institute, this discovery has important scientific implications … “we finally have genetic evidence to unravel the underlying molecular program required for increased longevity in response to calorie restriction.”

The gene in worms is associated with calorie restricted longevity. In humans three genes, part of the Foxa family, are similar to pha-4 and relate to the function of glucagon, a pancreatic hormone. The way the hormone works has important implications for this research. If you go on a fast, glucagon works essentially to increase blood sugar concentration and thus helps to maintain the balance of the body despite severe calorie restrictions.

The researchers arrived at their roundworm finding on pha-4 by a sort of knock-out process. They investigated the entire C. elegans genome and discovered 15 genes connected with DAF-16, a protein in the insulin/IGF pathway. Using a method known as RNA interference, researchers ‘knocked out’ genes one at a time to determine which of them interacted with DAF-16 in a manner that influenced the longevity of the worm. The only gene that had this effect was pha-4.

Most crucially, they also found that by increasing the pha-4 effect, they could in fact replicate what happens on a calorie restricted diet. This finding is so important that Dillin refers to pha-4 as “the cornerstone for defining the actual molecular pathways that respond to reduced food intake.”

Although the link in humans between calorie restriction and life extension has yet to be conclusively established, all the signs suggest that it is highly probable. One of the difficulties of course is that few people are prepared to survive on a restricted diet best suited to other-worldly ascetic types who don’t have to work 9 to 5, and deal with all of the associated stress. Science believes it may have the answer to this challenge.

The Salk research indicates that there are probably genetic “pathways” that help to modify the body’s response to a calorie restricted diet. That being the case, it is feasible that drug regimens can be developed in the future capable of mimicking this effect. This would mean that humans could enjoy some of the benefits of calorie restrictions, without actually having to subsist on a spartan diet.

Currently the research has expanded to include primates, and according to professor Dillin this research is showing a lot of promise. Primates are tending to exhibit the same life extension response to calorie restriction that was found in other test subjects.

Aidan Maconachy resides in Ontario, Canada. He has a BA Hons and a BEd. He taught in the UK and Canada, and has been a contributor to a variety of magazines and newspapers over the years.

You can visit his blog at http://aidanmaconachyblog.blogspot.com/

Tags: Salk Institute, california researchers, laboratory research, associate professor, Calorie restriction

Avoid the Afternoon Crash

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at 11:40 am  
Comments (22)

You’re so predictable. Every day, you run out of steam, lose juice, or otherwise hit the wall at nearly the exact same times.

How do we know? Because it happens to everyone. Okay, maybe not to Kelly Ripa, but to everyone else. In fact, it’s like clockwork, which actually makes sense, because your body clock is part of the problem — when your internal chronometer is out of whack, you feel wiped out. There are other reasons, too. We detail all of them on these pages, and provide a quick fix — or at least a work-around — for each power suck. Consider your energy crisis solved.

You would think that if there were one time you’d feel naturally alert and energized, it would be after 8 hours of resting and recharging. Instead, your mind is mush. Why? Blame a phenomenon called “sleep inertia.” When you first awaken, the parts of your brain associated with consciousness — the thalamus and brain stem — begin firing right away. But the prefrontal cortex, which handles problem solving and complex thought, is like a cold engine — it needs time to warm up.

“Sleep inertia can last for up to 2 hours, although it’s most severe within the first 10 minutes of waking,” says Kenneth Wright, Ph.D., an assistant professor of integrative physiology at the University of Colorado. Wright and his colleagues discovered just how severe in a new study, which shows that the mental impairment caused by sleep inertia is akin to being intoxicated. Adding to your addled state is the fact that you also have a nearly empty fuel tank. “Your brain needs a continuous supply of glucose to function optimally,” says Caroline Mahoney, Ph.D., a research psychologist at the U.S. Army Soldier Center.

Fill it up. Make your morning meal a bowl of instant oatmeal prepared with skim milk. Tufts University researchers recently found that people who ate one packet of instant oatmeal spiked with 1/2 cup of skim milk received a steady glucose infusion, which increased their alertness all morning and improved their ability to process information. And if you aren’t already jolting yourself with java, start; a University of Pennsylvania study shows that a dose of caffeine can combat sleep inertia.

Just don’t let a latte replace a real meal. “It will mask your low blood sugar by temporarily stimulating your brain,” says Dan Benardot, Ph.D., R.D., an associate professor of nutrition at Georgia State University. “But you won’t have done anything to satisfy the need for energy.”

1 p.m. — The Lunchtime LetdownIf your typical lunch consists of carbs à la starch, then you’ve experienced this early-afternoon brain drain. That’s because a high-carbohydrate meal is the surest way to cause your insulin levels to spike — and your concentration to crash.

“A high insulin response will rapidly take too much sugar out of your blood,” says Benardot. “Then your brain doesn’t have enough of its primary fuel, so you become mentally fatigued.”

Order a combo meal. If you can’t (or won’t) limit your lunchtime carbohydrate consumption, work in extra fiber to slow your digestion and the release of insulin, says Susan Kleiner, Ph.D., R.D., owner of the consulting firm High Performance Nutrition. For example, if your noon nosh includes a baked potato, make sure you eat the skin, which is dense with a type of fiber called pectin. “Pectin slows everything down in the gastrointestinal tract,” says Kleiner.

“When food passes more slowly through the intestines, absorption into the bloodstream proceeds in a more timed-release fashion.” (More ways to fortify your lunch with fiber.) In those instances when you give in to a binge, snack on grapes or an apple afterward; either fruit will help stabilize your blood sugar, says Benardot.

Go to the next page to learn how to beat the afternoon slump…

View the original article here

Tags: continuous supply, university researchers, University of Colorado, associate professor of nutrition, research psychologist

The Best Supplements for Men

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 at 11:12 am  
Comments (26)

If you condensed your most recent meal down to a few pills, would they be tiny dynamos, or the nutritional equivalent of Tic Tacs? If you’re like most men, what’s on your plate falls somewhere in between—that is, leaving plenty of room for improvement. “If men start to favor certain foods—meat and potatoes, for example—they may develop nutritional blind spots as a result,” says Kristie Lancaster, Ph.D., an associate professor of nutrition at New York University.

This can be a problem, because your body needs a basic roster of vitamins and minerals to run properly. If your regular diet comes up short, you may need a multivitamin to reach this nutritional baseline. But to actually boost your health, you need to consider moving beyond a multi by folding in some less common elements. Lycopene, for instance, is a powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes. Red yeast rice, a heart-healthy statin. Bottled boosters such as these can be insurance policies for your nutritional blind spots—and if you have specific health concerns, a form of extended coverage

The right supplements can help your heart, sharpen your immune system, and even improve your sex life. The wrong ones, however, can be ineffective or even harmful. “You run into problems because most men are ‘prescribing’ these things themselves,” says Tod Cooperman, M.D., president of consumerlab.com, an independent tester of health and nutritional products. “Don’t take supplements with abandon. They should be used carefully, because taking in too much of certain nutrients can cause problems.”

We consulted with top doctors, reviewed the latest research, and waded through marketers’ claims to bring you 18 of the best supplements for men. Use our guide—along with advice from your own doc, since many supplements can interact with other medications—to fine-tune your strategy.

View the here



Tags: Dietary supplements, nutritional equivalent, blind spots, fine tune, best supplements

SEO Powered By SEOPressor

Fitness Through Fasting Blog is Stephen Fry proof thanks to caching by WP Super Cache