May 20, 2012

Going Nuts for Nuts? By Dr. Bushman

Going nuts for nuts?
 

In a recent publication in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, researchers highlight the health benefits of nut and tree nut consumption. For purposes of the study, “nuts” referred to peanuts, peanut butter, tree nuts, or tree nut butter. Specifically “tree nuts” included almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, and pine nuts. To be considered a consumer of nuts, at least ¼ ounce (7.09 grams) of nuts were consumed daily; non-consumers ate less the ¼ ounces per day. Subjects in the study included adults 19 years of age and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) over a 6 year period of time. Nut consumption was found in approximately 19% of individuals between 19 to 50 years of age and 21% of those over 50 years of age; tree nut consumption was about 5½ and 8½ percent for the two age groups respectively.
 

Nut consumers were found to have a number of positive health characteristics including lower body mass index, waist circumference, and systolic blood pressure as well as decreased prevalence of some risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome (including hypertension and low levels of HDL-cholesterol.)
 

Similarly, tree nut consumers had a decreased prevalence of hypertension and low HDL-cholesterol. In addition, tree nut consumers had lower body weight and a lower prevalence of abdominal obesity and high fasting glucose. Thus, consumption of nuts/tree nuts was associated with a lower prevalence of a number of risk factors for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. (Metabolic syndrome includes dyslipidemia, hypertension, abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, and high blood glucose.)
 

Does this mean that simply adding nuts/tree nuts to an individual’s diet will improve health? Since this study is cross-sectional (meaning behaviors and measurements are recorded at a particular point in time), a cause-and-effect relationship cannot be determined – future research will be required to look at specific ways nuts/tree nuts impact health. However, nuts as a general group are a good source of monounsaturated fatty acids while being relatively low in saturated fatty acids. Nuts are high in fiber as well as various other vitamins and minerals (e.g., vitamin E, folate, magnesium, potassium.)
 

At this point, researchers are encouraged by the association between nut/tree nut consumption and, coupled with the known nutritional profile of nuts, suggest that nut consumption be recommended by health professionals and dietitians.

 

SOURCE:  O’Neil CE, Keast DR, Nicklas TA, Fulgoni VL.  Nut consumption is associated with decreased health risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome in U.S. adults: NHANES 1999-2004.  Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 30(6):502-510, 2011.
 

Dr. Bushman is a Professor at Missouri State University and is American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) certified as a Program Director, Clinical Exercise Specialist, Health Fitness Specialist, and Personal Trainer. She is the editor of ACSM’s Complete Guide to Fitness & Health (Human Kinetics, 2011, http://www.humankinetics.com/products/all-products/acsms-complete-guide-to-fitness–health), a book focused on optimizing both exercise and nutrition to improve fitness and health for individuals of all ages. For more health and fitness related tips, join Dr. Bushman’s Fitness ID Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FitnessID) to discover, develop, evolve, and personalize your FITNESS ID. Dr. Bushman also is the lead author of ACSM’s Action Plan for Menopause (Human Kinetics, 2005, http://www.humankinetics.com/products/all-products/action-plan-for-menopause) and is the author of the “Wouldn’t You Like to Know” column in the ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal.

Fit or Fat: Research Explained by Dr. Bushman

Fit or Fat – can it be either one or the other for health?

How do fitness level and body fat affect health risks?  Fitness helps to lower one’s cardiovascular risk level; gaining weight or fatness, in contrast, increases risk. Although these relationships are widely supported, there is less consensus regarding the impact of being fat but fit on health.

In a prospective observational study of 3,148 healthy adults over a 6-year time period, researchers examined the effect of fitness and fatness – separately and combined – on the development of cardiovascular disease risk factors, including hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and metabolic syndrome. Fitness was determined using a maximal treadmill test (modified Balke protocol). Fatness was determined using percent body fat (7-site skinfold measures) and body mass index. Hypertension was defined as resting systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg or higher, diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or higher, or physician-diagnosed hypertension. Hypercholesterolemia was defined as total cholesterol of at least 240 mg/dl or physician-diagnosed hypercholesterolemia. Metabolic syndrome was defined as the presence of three or more of the following:  waist circumference of over 102 cm in men or 88 cm in women, triglycerides of over 150 mg/dl, HDL-cholesterol less than 40 mg/dl in men or less than 50 mg/dl in women, blood pressure of at least 130/85 or physician-diagnosed hypertension, and fasting glucose of 100 mg/dl or physician-diagnosed diabetes.

The researchers found changes in fitness and fatness were BOTH significantly associated with the development of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and metabolic syndrome; lower risk was associated with maintaining or improving fitness while the opposite was true for increasing fatness.

The researchers then examined the question – can fitness compensate for the health hazards of fatness? The answer appears to be not completely. Some of the negative effects of fat gain were lessened by maintaining or improving fitness BUT were not completely eliminated. Similarly, reducing body fat compensated for some health risk associated with loss of fitness but not entirely. 
 

Bottom line: maintaining or improving fitness ALONG WITH preventing fat gain are BOTH important for reducing risk of developing a number of risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. 

(Source:  Lee D, Sui X, Church TS, Lavie CJ, Jackson AS, Blair SN.  Changes in fitness and fatness on the development of cardiovascular disease risk factors.  Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2012; 59:665-72.)
 

Dr. Bushman is a Professor at Missouri State University and is American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) certified as a Program Director, Clinical Exercise Specialist, Health Fitness Specialist, and Personal Trainer. She is the editor of ACSM’s Complete Guide to Fitness & Health (Human Kinetics, 2011, http://www.humankinetics.com/products/all-products/acsms-complete-guide-to-fitness–health), a book focused on optimizing both exercise and nutrition to improve fitness and health for individuals of all ages. For more health and fitness related tips, join Dr. Bushman’s Fitness ID Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FitnessID) to discover, develop, evolve, and personalize your FITNESS ID. Dr. Bushman also is the lead author of ACSM’s Action Plan for Menopause (Human Kinetics, 2005, http://www.humankinetics.com/products/all-products/action-plan-for-menopause) and is the author of the “Wouldn’t You Like to Know” column in the ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal.

Ramp up Metabolism by Kathy Smart

This Article Brought To You By:
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Ramp up Metabolism

A sluggish metabolism can cause you to feel tired and have a lack of energy. Simple lifestyle and dietary changes can boost your metabolism and give you more energy throughout the day.

Trick your body into burning calories more efficiently! Your basal metabolic rate — the energy your body expends at rest — is generally determined by your genetics, but new research shows you can trick your body into burning calories more efficiently.

Stoke your system with B vitamins
B vitamins: B vitamins are key players in DNA synthesis, the central nervous system, metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and protein and energy production. Inadequate amounts of B6, B12, folate, thiamin and niacin can leave you feeling depressed and fatigued, slow the body’s metabolism and increase your risk for chronic diseases. Get the bulk of your B’s from food, where they pair up with other vitamins and minerals for a complete synergy of action. Foods high in the B’s include: spinach, asparagus, beans (navy, soy, black beans), melon, broccoli, fish, poultry and eggs.

Up the Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral needed by every cell in your body and is used in more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including proper muscle, nerve and heart function, protein synthesis and energy metabolism. The National Institutes of Health reports that most Americans are not getting enough magnesium in their diets for optimal health. Boost your intake of high magnesium foods to give your metabolism a boost. Go green with your vegetables. Green vegetables such as spinach provide magnesium because the center of the chlorophyll molecule contains magnesium. Other excellent sources of magnesium include: halibut, nuts such as almonds, cashews and peanuts, so, whole-grain cereals, oatmeal, and legumes such as black-eyed peas and lentils.

Spice it with Heat
Some plants contain the bioactive ingredient capsaicin, which not only makes them spicy hot, but also doubles energy expenditure for 3 hours after a meal. Plants belonging to this family are a hot ticket for boosting metabolism. Include red peppers, cayenne, jalapenos, habaneros, and tabasco to recipes. It may also work to decrease appetite centers in the brain by boosting the release of certain neurotransmitters.

Add Chromium
Chromium is an essential trace mineral meaning that it is essential for the metabolism of carbohydrates, and it also helps to regulate the metabolism of our blood sugar and thus helps deter diabetes. The benefits of chromium also include controlling fat and cholesterol levels in the blood, and if adequate amounts are provided to the body, it can help to prevent hypertension or high blood pressure. The best source of chromium is in true brewer’s yeast. Nutritional yeast is not the same and will not contain the same amount of chromium. It can also be found in grains and cereals although most of it is lost through refining.

Kathy Smart, TV nutritionist, host and chef of  Live the Smart Way ~ the world’s first vegetarian and gluten free TV show’ and author of ‘Live the Smart Way. www.livethesmartway.com

Interpreting Fitness Data by Jan Schroeder, PhD

The mind-body world has been shaken up lately with an article in the New York Times stating that yoga can wreck your body. The title of the article was quite shocking, but could it be true? What about all the benefits we hear about? The author of the article, William Broad, has a book coming out in February which discusses the benefits and risks of performing yoga.  The New York Times article focused solely on the damage that yoga can do. These claims are supported by a yoga teacher and a few research articles. Does this mean that yoga is now dangerous and you should stop your practice? To answer that question, we need to assess the source of where the claims are originating.

When assessing the legitimacy of a source, you must first understand the difference between anecdotal evidence and scientific evidence. Anecdotal evidence is based on casual observations rather than rigorous analysis. These observations may be true; however we cannot definitively say they are factual as they have not undergone the scientific method. Scientific research requires the scholar to adhere to strict protocols for investigation into an issue. Once, the issue has been studied in a controlled environment we can begin to formulate an educated opinion.

So does that mean if it is a statement supported by a research study, that it is true and you should believe it? No. One research study does not create an absolute decision in an area. Each research study is constrained by its participants and its methods. First, we need to ask the question, who was in the research study? For example, if all participants were post-menopausal Caucasian women, then the findings of the study can only be related to that specific population as the findings may not hold true for African American older men. We also need to determine how the study was conducted or how well controlled was the experiment? For example, if we were looking at the effects of walking on flexibility and our subjects walked in a structured program but we did not have them stop their swimming class, who is to say that walking and not swimming had an effect on flexibility. We cannot fault the researcher for these inherent issues with research as we cannot study all populations or control for every factor in an experiment. Therefore, we need to read many research articles to make an informed decision.

So where does this leave us in relationship to yoga and injuries? The author’s claims are supported by anecdotal statements and a few research studies which do not provide us with enough information to make an informed decision as to the safety or dangers of yoga. Until more research can be done in this area, remember as with any exercise, injuries can occur when we push our bodies past its limits. Respect the signals your body provides and enjoy your practice.

Jan Schroeder, PhD, is a professor of Kinesiology at California State University, Long Beach.

Optimal Exercise by Dr. Bushman

What is an “optimal” exercise prescription?
What will bring about the greatest results for the time invested in an exercise program? 

A study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center and East Carolina University published in the November 2011 issue of the American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism provides some insight. The researchers compared aerobic training to resistance training to see the impact on fat stores, along with some other health-related measures, in a group of overweight or obese inactive adults. Although both visceral fat (the fat within the abdominal cavity surrounding the internal organs) and subcutaneous fat (the fat just under the skin) were assessed, the focus was on visceral fat due to its relationship with type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers. Researchers found that aerobic exercise including use of treadmills, elliptical trainers, and/or cycle ergometers was superior to resistance training for reducing body mass, subcutaneous fat, and visceral fat. Aerobic exercisers included an equivalent of about 12 miles per week (about 132 minutes) at an intensity around 75% of their peak oxygen uptake while the resistance training group exercised 3 days per week, 3 sets per day with 8-12 repetitions per set, for 8 different exercises.

Based on the study results, for individuals with limited time to exercise, aerobic exercise appears to be more time-efficient and effective than resistance training to reduce body weight and fat. Does this mean that resistance training is of no value?  Rushing to that conclusion is premature. Realize this study focused on very specific outcome measures and thus did not examine the effect of resistance training on improvements in other important health parameters like blood pressure or bone mass, both of which have been found to be improved with resistance training in other studies.

Bottom line: Resistance training IS important for improving strength and lean body mass, even if its role in reducing visceral fat wasn’t found in this study.  Thus, don’t throw out the concept of a balanced exercise program for overall health, which includes both aerobic exercise and resistance training. 

For a complete look at the research study, see http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/301/5.toc.  For more information on the benefits and components of a complete exercise program, see ACSM’s Position Stand on Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory, Musculoskeletal, and Neuromuscular Fitness in Apparently Healthy Adults: Guidance for Prescribing Exercise (http://www.acsm.org/access-public-information/position-stands) or a summary of this material at http://www.healthyourwayonline.com/?s=bushman

Dr. Bushman is a Professor at Missouri State University and is American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) certified as a Program Director, Clinical Exercise Specialist, Health Fitness Specialist, and Personal Trainer.  She is the editor of ACSM’s Complete Guide to Fitness & Health (Human Kinetics, 2011, http://www.humankinetics.com/products/all-products/acsms-complete-guide-to-fitness–health), a book focused on optimizing both exercise and nutrition to improve fitness and health for individuals of all ages. For more health and fitness related tips, join Dr. Bushman’s Fitness ID Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FitnessID) to discover, develop, evolve, and personalize your FITNESS ID. Dr. Bushman also is the lead author of ACSM’s Action Plan for Menopause (Human Kinetics, 2005,

Sport Can Make Girls Happier by Maggie Ayre

A study conducted by the University of Leeds, in the UK, and published in The British Journal of Health Psychology discovered that “highlighting the emotional benefits of sport to young people increased their levels of physical activity more than highlighting the physical health benefits” according to Professor Reema Sirriyeh who led the study.

During the study girls who were sent a text message telling them “physical activity can make you feel cheerful. What activity will you do today?”completed an additional one and a half hours of activity each week compared to girls who received texts highlighting the traditional health benefits of exercise.

This study offers an insight into how we can motivate girls to become more active. We must stress the emotional benefits of sport that exist for girls.

So what are the emotional benefits?

Sport Increases Overall Mood and Happiness. Exercise helps to balance hormones in the body which can result in a feeling of well-being; we also see a balancing of the nervous system over time. Sport also helps increase body-awareness and the establishment of a body-mind connection which can help improve overall mood.

Sport Reduces Stress. Exercise can reduce stress. This can be particularly important during exam times or when an important piece of coursework is due in. When taking part in sport a girl must concentrate on the task in hand this makes them unable to think about what is stressing them and effectively gives them “time out.”

Sport Increases Concentration and Memory. Exercise wakes up both body and brain. There are an increasing number of studies that support the findings that active children concentrate better in class and have better memory. This may be because exercise relieves muscle tension and increases the heart rate – a combination that leaves you feeling more relaxed and alert and better able to study.

Maggie Ayre is the UKs Leading Fitness Coach for Teenage Girls. She has recently developed the 3G Program designed to be run in schools and youth clubs with the aim to get every teen girl active. She also offers Personal Training for Teenage Girls in person and via email, skype and video sessions. To learn more visit: www.maggieayre.com

Helping you RUN your business by Laura Ouimet

One of the fastest growing trends in corporate America may surprise you. Wellness programs are taking corporations by storm, not only encouraging employees to lead healthier lifestyles, but also giving them incentive to do so while at work and at home.

By promoting healthier lifestyles, corporations are creating healthier employees who will work more diligently and miss fewer days of work due to illness. Corporate wellness programs are designed to reduce the need for medical treatments and medications, translating to reduce healthcare expenses for the business. The added bonus of wellness programs is creating a working environment that produces less stress and is more inviting and balanced. 

There are various ways to integrate a wellness program at your organization. The basic premise is to provide your employees information and valuable tools they can use to initiate a diet and exercise program that each individual can then maintain as a lifestyle. This may be as extensive as an on-site health club, with a medical consultant, nutritionist, and personal fitness professional. It may even include a professional therapist for on-site counseling. Another option is to provide less extensive program that can be as simple as an on-line program, offering basic health and fitness information, downloadable logs, and referrals to resources. Serving as a third option, somewhere in the middle, may be a monthly workplace seminar, covering topics from physical fitness to mental and emotional well-being, to weight loss and nutrition.

Many corporations offer incentives to their employees to take part in wellness programs. These incentives may include the following:
Company Recognition
Cash Incentives for employees who achieve prescribed goals (i.e. weight loss, fitness level increase)
Wellness Spending Accounts (i.e. pedometer, running shoes, race entries)
Health Screenings
Flex Time for health-related activities

Wellness programs that provide training resources, such as access to a corporate running club, also produce effective results. Running and even taking part in a local race are great ways to encourage an active lifestyle, camaraderie, and even healthy competition. Running clubs are relatively inexpensive to create and to participate in, yet the cardiovascular benefits are huge.  Employees can run before or after work, even on their lunch hour, and do so as a team or individually. Corporate running clubs benefit the employee by lowering blood pressure, increasing heart and lung strength and capacity and improving sleep.

Whatever your wellness program, it’s important to provide proper resources to keep employees active to maximize their health both physically and mentally. Research conducted by American Sports Data showed that individuals who exercised frequently stayed home from work one day less per year than those who were sedentary.

By Laura Ouimet, Dana Point Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, and a marathon/ triathlon coach and trainer. To learn more about the Dana Point Turkey Trot and to sign up, visit www.turkeytrot.com.

Growing Pains Explained by Dr. Lisa Ipp

What specifically causes “growing pains” in a child?  Is there anything we can do to relieve the discomfort?

It is unclear what causes typical growing pains in young children, but they are most likely the result of a long day of rigorous activity such as jumping, climbing or running. These pains are real and relatively common. They usually occur in children between the ages of 3 and 5, and also between the ages of 8 and 12. Rates vary, but it has been estimated that anywhere from 25-40% of children will experience growing pains at some point in their childhood. It is important to remember that in the vast majority of cases, growing pains are not associated with a serious medical condition or disease, and thus do not require a physician’s treatment. Typical growing pains are generally described as sharp, throbbing pains in the muscles of the legs, and occur in the nighttime or late afternoon. They are usually gone by the morning when the child awakes.
 
As these pains may be very distressing to a young child, parental reassurance and attention is very helpful to ease the child’s anxiety. In addition, other interventions that may provide some relief include massaging the painful area, applying a heating pad, and helping with gentle muscle flexing of the painful limb. In some cases, the pain can also be treated with over the counter analgesics (ibuprofen or acetaminophen).

How do we know when it’s time to see a doctor?
Pain in the lower limbs that persists throughout the day, and/or interferes with the child’s daily activities. 
Pain that is accompanied by joint tenderness and/or swelling. 
Discomfort following a specific injury.
The presence of a fever or rash.
Leg weakness or limping.  

Source:  AAP, Healthchildren.org, 2010

Dr. Lisa Ipp is Assistant Attending Pediatrician at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. http://www.hss.edu/physicians_ipp-lisa.asp

Children and Eye Exams by Dr. Stephanie Burris, O.D.

Vision is closely related to a child’s overall mental and physical development. While some vision problems are obvious, some are very subtle. A child may pass the vision screening at school or at the pediatrician’s office with flying colors and yet still have a very significant visual problem.  Sustained visual tasks, such as reading or looking at an iphone, or tasks that require frequent eye focusing changes, like copying from a chalkboard or playing sports, stress the eyes in a different way than reading letters on a chart.
 
A thorough eye and vision exam will determine how clearly a child sees AND how well the child is able to use her eyes together. Each eye must receive a crisp, clear image on the retina for both distance and near viewing, and the eyes must work as a comfortable, binocular system. An eye care professional will perform the following:
 
• visual acuity for each eye, potential need for glasses
• eye health, checking for eye allergies, growths inside the eye, etc.
• coordination of the two eyes together, depth perception, etc.
• focusing (or accommodation) of the eyes for sustained near vision tasks
• the need for referral to a specialist for vision therapy or eye health conditions
• discussion of how eyes are affected by nutritional and environmental factors
 
The American Optometry Association recommends an eye exam for children at age 3 and age 5 to assess baseline visual function and eye health, and to determine the risk of any visual or health disorders for that child’s future. Please schedule an eye exam sooner if you notice any symptoms, such as closing one eye frequently, one eye turns in or out frequently, one eye appears different especially in photos, or redness, tearing, discharge from the eyes.

New ACSM Guidelines for Exercise Prescription, released July 2011 by Barbara Bushman, Ph.D., FACSM

What components make up a complete exercise program? The American College of Sports Medicine released an update on the quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults. The recommended components include the following:
 

Cardiorespiratory (aerobic) exercise. Three to five or more days per week depending on intensity. More specifically, this guideline includes continuous, rhythmic exercise using large muscle groups (e.g., brisk walking, running, biking, swimming, racquet sports, or team sports like soccer).  Target 150 minutes per week for moderate intensity activity (e.g., a walking program) or 75 minutes per week of vigorous intensity activity (e.g., running) or consider a mix of moderate and vigorous.

Resistance exercise. Two to three days per week. For example, free weights, weight machines, resistance bands/cords as well as body weight exercises like pushups and curl-ups. For those starting out, 10-15 repetitions will be effective. Once established, 8-12 repetitions per set are recommended to improve strength and power. One set is a good starting point with a target of 2-4 sets, including exercises for all the major muscle groups. 

Flexibility exercise. Two to three days per week, or even daily. Various methods can be used including static stretching (end position is held at the point of feeling tightness), dynamic stretching (slow movement stretching), ballistic stretching (faster movements, bouncing stretching, more typical in sport environments), and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (contract-relax stretching). Total stretching time per muscle-tendon unit should be 60 seconds (e.g., static stretching held 15 seconds for a given position would be repeated 4 times).

Neuromotor exercise training. Two to three days per week or more. Exercises involving balance, agility, coordination, and gait fall into this category for older individuals. Other younger and middle-age adults may also benefit. Multifaceted activities like tai chi and yoga are also potential ways to improve functional fitness.

For the complete ACSM Position Stand see http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2011/07000/Quantity_and_Quality_of_Exercise_for_Developing.26.aspx
Examples of exercises and progressive programs can be found in ACSM’s Complete Guide to Fitness & Health (Human Kinetics, 2011, http://www.humankinetics.com/products/all-products/acsms-complete-guide-to-fitness–health). 

For more health and fitness related tips, join Dr. Bushman’s Facebook page for ACSM’s Complete Guide to Fitness & Health http://www.facebook.com/FitnessID to discover, develop, evolve, and personalize your FITNESS ID.   Dr. Bushman also is the lead author of ACSM’s Action Plan for Menopause (Human Kinetics, 2005, http://www.humankinetics.com/products/all-products/action-plan-for-menopause) and is the incoming author of the “Wouldn’t You Like to Know” column in the ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal. She is a Professor at Missouri State University and is ACSM certified as a Program Director, Clinical Exercise Specialist, Health Fitness Specialist, and Personal Trainer.