Diet Soda Not Helpful for Dieters!

A new study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds that drinking diet soda may not help dieters lose weight. 

Using data from the long-term National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers discovered that, even though people who drink diet sodas are drinking fewer calories, they tend to consume just as many or more total calories than people who drink sugary beverages. 

According to lead author Dr. Sarah Bleich, "The results of our study suggest that overweight and obese adults looking to lose or maintain their weight--who have already made the switch from sugary to diet beverages--may need to look carefully at other components of their solid-food diet, particularly sweet snacks, to potentially identify areas for modification."  

American Journal of Public Health, January 2014

Green Tea Slows Prostate Cancer Progression.

New research shows that green tea polyphenols may help slow or prevent some types of cancer. 

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that premalignant prostate lesions were three times less likely to progress to malignant tumors in men who took a 600mg green tea catechins supplement daily for a year (9% vs. 30% in the control group). 

 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 2013

Exercise and Neuropathic Pain Relief

Neuropathic pain is a difficult-to-treat pain caused by nerve damage associated with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, some strokes, diabetes, metabolic conditions, immune disorders, trauma, cancer, or as a side effect of chemotherapy. 

New evidence shows that inflammation in nervous tissue is a large contributing factor to neuropathic pain and exercise can reduce this 30-50%. 

This is great news for neuropathic pain sufferers as common treatments for this condition involve antidepressant and antiepileptic medications that may have serious side-effects. 

 The International Anesthesia Research Society, June 2012

Drinking the Legal Limit of Alcohol Impairs Vision

It is known that alcohol affects motor skills and decision making skills, but what about vision? 

A new report states that vision is impaired up to 30% before an individual hits the legal limit for drinking in the United States (.08% blood-alcohol concentration by volume). 

This visual impairment makes distinguishing differences between objects based on lightness and darkness much more difficult. 

Researcher Dr. Brian Timney writes, "This is obviously important when you are driving at twilight, when objects are more difficult to see and more difficult to discriminate, even without alcohol. It's at those times when you are going to be most affected, and impaired."  

Perception, October 2013

Smoking is a $289 Million Dollar a Year Burden!

--> During the last half-century, 20 million Americans have died as a consequence of smoking and 16 million more continue to suffer from smoking-related conditions. 
The combined healthcare expenses and lost economic productivity that results from smoking-related illnesses costs the United States (US) about $289,000,000 each year. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every thirteen children alive in the US right now will die prematurely from smoking-related diseases unless current smoking rates drop!  

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 2014

Helpful for Chronic Whiplash Symptoms

A past case study reveals that chronic whiplash injury patients can respond well to conservative management including chiropractic spinal manipulation, soft tissue work, and post-isometric relaxation techniques in addition to active rehabilitation exercises, self stretches, and proprioceptive exercises. 

After seven treatments, a patient with chronic whiplash-associated disorder reported no neck pain, no headaches, and had unrestricted cervical spine range of motion. Four months after treatment ceased, the patient reported only mild, intermittent neck pain. 

Clinical Chiropractic, March 2003

Slow Metabolism in Humans Results in Long Life Span

A new report claims that humans and other primates burn 50% fewer calories each day compared to other mammals of similar size. 

Experts believe this reduced energy expenditure is responsible for our slower development and longer life spans. 

A human would need to run a marathon every day to burn the same amount of calories as a comparably-sized non-primate mammal.  

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, January 2014

Does Anti-Bacterial Soap Work?

--> The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that there is no evidence anti-bacterial soaps are any more effective at preventing illness that plain soap and water. Many anti-bacterial soaps contain potentially harmful chemicals, like triclosan and triclocarban, that may have unanticipated hormonal impacts on long-term users. Because of this potential risk, the FDA has issued a proposed rule that would require anti-bacterial soap manufacturers to provide more substantial data to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of their products.  
Food and Drug Administration, December 2013

Pain in the Neck?

The cervical spine is made up of seven bones called vertebrae, and these vertebrae are separated by disks filled with a cushioning gel-like substance. 

Your cervical disks stabilize your neck and help it to turn. Decades of movement can really take a toll on the neck as two-thirds of people will experience neck pain at some point in their lives. 

Researchers estimate that 50% of the population at 40 years of age and 70% of those at 65 years, have some level of cervical disk degeneration. 

Cervical disk degenerative processes can cause radiating pain, as well as numbness and weakness in your shoulders, arms, and hands. 

 Clinical Evidence Concise, 2004.

25% of Health Care Workers Carry Diarrhea Spores on Their Hands

-->
A new study suggests that one in four healthcare workers’ hands are contaminated with Clostridium difficile spores after caring for infected patients. 
Clostridium difficile is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. Many healthcare workers could be passing on C. difficile to patients, even after routine alcohol-based hand rubbing, supporting the need for routine hand washing with soap and water after treating any infected patient, regardless of the setting. 

Study leader Dr. Caroline Landelle explains, "Because C. difficile spores are so resistant and persistent to disinfection, glove use is not an absolute barrier against the contamination of health care workers' hands. Effective hand hygiene should be performed, even in non-outbreak settings." 

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, January 2014

Aerobic Exercise Better than Resistance Training for Obese Girls

In the past 30 years, adolescent obesity has tripled. 

Researchers divided 44 obese teenaged girls into three groups

1) one hour of aerobic activity performed on a treadmill or elliptical trainer three times a week for three months
2) one hour of resistance training using weight machines, also performed three times a week for three months
3) no structured physical activity for three months. 

Compared with the sedentary group, girls in both exercise groups had less total fat and intramuscular fat after the training period ended. 

However, the participants in the aerobic activity group also lost visceral and liver fat and experienced improved insulin sensitivity. 

In addition, they appeared to enjoy their workout more than the girls in the resistance training group. 

The authors of the study conclude, “Therefore, given the superior improvements in metabolic health with aerobic exercise and the enjoyment factor, we propose that aerobic exercise may be a better mode of exercise for adolescent girls of this age group”.   

American Physiological Society, November 2013

Get Your Kid Fit This Summer

Strength & Fitness training for kids is not about pumping iron or how much you can bench. Today's young athletes can enjoy greater success if they are instructed in proper movement patterns and the acquisition of speed, agility and quickness. 

Parents generally do not understand what personal training for children is all about. Below is an article from the Mayo Clinic about this very important topic. Enjoy.

From: Strength training: OK for kids? (Mayoclinic.com)
For kids, what are the benefits of strength training?

Done properly, strength training can:

* Increase your child's muscle strength and endurance
* Help protect your child's muscles and joints from injury
* Improve your child's performance in nearly any sport, from dancing and figure skating to football and soccer

And strength training isn't only for athletes. Even if your child isn't interested in sports, strength training can:

* Strengthen your child's bones
* Help promote healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels
* Boost your child's metabolism
* Help your child maintain a healthy weight
* Improve your child's self-esteem

What's the best way to start a strength training program for kids?

A child's strength training program isn't necessarily a scaled-down version of what an adult would do. Keep these general principles in mind:

* Seek instruction. Start with a coach or personal trainer who has experience with youth strength training. The coach or trainer can create a safe, effective strength training program based on your child's age, size, skills and sports interests. Or enroll your child in a strength training class designed for kids.
 
* Warm up and cool down. Encourage your child to begin each strength training session with five to 10 minutes of light aerobic activity, such as walking, jogging in place or jumping rope. This warms the muscles and helps reduce the risk of injury. Gentle stretching after each session is a good idea, too.
 
* Keep it light. Kids can safely lift weights, as long as the weight is light enough. In most cases, one set of 12 to 15 repetitions is all it takes. The resistance doesn't have to come from weights, either. Resistance tubing and body-weight exercises, such as push-ups, can be just as effective.
 
* Stress proper technique. Rather than focusing on the amount of weight your child lifts, stress proper form and technique during each exercise. Your child can gradually increase the resistance or number of repetitions as he or she gets older.
 
* Supervise. Adult supervision is an important part of youth strength training. Don't let your child go it alone.
 
* Rest between workouts. Make sure your child rests at least one full day between exercising each specific muscle group. Two or three strength training sessions a week are plenty.
 
* Keep it fun. Help your child vary the routine to prevent boredom.

Results won't come overnight. But eventually, your child will notice a difference in muscle strength and endurance — which may fuel a fitness habit that lasts a lifetime.


From: Strength training: OK for kids? (Mayoclinic.com)
 
Call Advanced Fitness (610-444-1711) to discuss our youth programs  

You will be amazed at what youth fitness training has evolved to over the last several years. Once you see how our Assessment and Programming model works, you will understand why every major health organization is touting the benefits of strength training for kids.

New Test Detects Brain Cancer in 30 minutes

--> Researchers have created a new technique that can speed up current methods of diagnosing brain cancer from two to three days to 30 minutes. 
The new technique uses infrared light on blood serum to detect whether gliomas (a type of tumor that starts in the brain or spine) are present.  

Analytical and Bio-analytical Chemistry, September 2013

Vitamin B12 Deficiency!

After analyzing the health data of over 200,000 patients, researchers have determined that long-term (>2 years) use of heartburn and ulcer medications can increase a person’s risk for vitamin B12 deficiency by 65%, with higher doses associated with an increased risk. 

Vitamin B12 is absorbed into the body with the help of stomach acid and any drugs that suppress or neutralize stomach acid can also keep the vitamin from entering the body. 

Chronic B12 deficiency can increase a person’s risk for dementia, nerve damage, and anemia.  

Kaiser Permanente, December 2013

Produce with the least amount of pesticides

The Clean Fifteen™

EWG's Clean Fifteen™ for 2014 - the produce least likely to hold pesticide residues - are avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, cabbage, frozen sweet peas, onions, asparagus, mangoes, papayas, kiwis, eggplant, grapefruit, cantaloupe, cauliflower and sweet potatoes. Relatively few pesticides were detected on these foods, and tests found low total concentrations of pesticides.
Notable findings:

• Avocados were the cleanest: only 1 percent of avocado samples showed any detectable pesticides.
• Some 89 percent of pineapples, 82 percent of kiwi, 80 percent of papayas, 88 percent of mango and 61 percent of cantaloupe had no residues.
• No single fruit sample from the Clean Fifteen™ tested positive for more than 4 types of pesticides.
• Detecting multiple pesticide residues is extremely rare on Clean Fifteen™ vegetables. Only 5.5 percent of Clean Fifteen samples had two or more pesticides. 

www.ewg.org