Body Mass Index etc.

B.M.I. is a reliable indicator of total body fat, which is related to the risk of life-threatening diseases. The score is valid for both men and women, but it may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build. It may also underestimate body fat in older people and others who have lost muscle mass.

To determine your B.M.I., click on this link:BMI calculator

(Read the full story at The New York Times)

Lack of outdoor play linked to short-sighted children

The time children spend outdoors could be linked to a reduced risk of being short-sighted, research suggests.

An analysis of eight previous studies by University of Cambridge researchers found that for each additional hour spent outside per week, the risk of myopia reduced by 2%.

Exposure to natural light and time spent looking at distant objects could be key factors, they said.

The studies involved more than 10,000 children and adolescents.
Researchers are presenting their findings at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting in Florida.

Dr Justin Sherwin and his research team concluded that short-sighted children spent on average 3.7 fewer hours per week outdoors than those who either had normal vision or were long-sighted. But they said the reasons why were not yet clear. They expected to find that children who spent more time outdoors also spent less time doing activities like reading, studying or playing computer games, but no such link was found in two of the eight studies which looked at this relationship.

(Read the full story at BBC News - Health)

Vitamin D helps control Multiple Sclerosis gene

The first evidence of how vitamin D deficiency and genetics interact to increase the risk of multiple sclerosis has been reported by researchers.

 

A UK and Canadian team found that vitamin D helps to control a gene known to increase MS risk, the PLoS Genetics journal reports. 

It suggests that vitamin D supplements taken during pregnancy and early in life could prevent the disease.

More than 85,000 people in the UK are thought to have MS.
The condition results from the loss of nerve fibres and their protective myelin sheath in the brain and spinal cord, causing neurological damage. 

It is not entirely clear what causes MS but other research has suggested vitamin D, produced in the body through exposure to sunlight, plays a part.
Specifically there is evidence that populations from Northern Europe have an increased risk of developing MS if they live in areas receiving less sunshine.

Various pieces of research have also pointed to genetic causes.

In the latest study, researchers at the University of Oxford and University of British Columbia looked at a section of the genome on chromosome six which had been shown to have the strongest effect on MS risk.

While one in 1,000 people in the UK is likely to develop MS, this number rises to around one in 300 among those carrying a single copy of the gene variant - known as DRB1*1501 - and one in 100 of those carrying two copies.

The researchers found that proteins activated by vitamin D in the body bind to a particular DNA sequence next to the gene, altering its function.They believe that vitamin D deficiency in mothers or even in a previous generation may lead to altered expression of the gene in their offspring. 

....



It is thought that in people who carry the gene variant, a lack of vitamin D during early life might impair the ability of the thymus to delete rogue T cells, which then go on to attack the body, leading to a loss of myelin on the nerve fibres. 

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And it is also recommended that children under five take daily vitamin D supplements. 

(Read the full story at BBC News)

Fit at Any Age: Your 50s Strength Workout

Strong bones are important at any age, but even more so in middle age. Bone density peaks at age 30 and then starts to drop.

 The good news is that exercise, particularly strength training, can slow this process down.

This 15-minute routine helps build and maintain bone and muscle, and increases your metabolism.

Do it 2–3 times a week.

(Read the full story & see the exercises here)

Cancer? More exercise, not less, may be best

In the past, doctors often told cancer patients to take it easy during treatment. Although the appropriate amount of exercise varies from patient to patient, that conventional wisdom is now considered old hat. In fact, new guidelines on cancer and exercise from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) urge cancer patients to be as physically active as possible both during and after their treatment.

"The idea that you should be staying put and resting is ultimately doing more harm than good," says Kathryn Schmitz, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in Philadelphia. Schmitz, who studies the role of physical activity in chronic diseases, presented the guidelines at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting last week.

The last thing people overwhelmed by cancer's psychological and physical impact may want to hear is "exercise more." During treatment, bone-crushing fatigue, nausea, and body-changing surgery -- not to mention the emotional drain of coping with worried children, friends, and life partners -- often puts exercise very last on the list of priorities.

Still, experts now say that exercise may help with -- not add to -- those problems. It boosts energy, helps stave off the weight gain often associated with treatment, and provides a psychological pick-me-up at a time when a person's morale is likely to be battered.

How much exercise is enough? The ACSM recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, which works out to about 20 minutes a day -- the same amount recommended to the general public.

That said, the organization is realistic about how cancer and its treatment can alter mood and energy levels. Any kind of activity -- even a short walk -- is better than none, the ACSM says.

(Read the full story by Kate Stinchfield of Health.com as posted on CNN.com)