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More Than 8 Hours Sleep is Risk of Alzheimer’s

How your morning lie-in could double risk of Alzheimer’s.
……….woman_sleeping

Those who sleep for more than eight hours a day are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s, research suggests.

The danger affects both those who enjoy regular lie-ins in the morning and those who take naps in the afternoon, a study found.

The reason for the trend remains unclear. It could be that excessive sleep is an early sign of Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.

Staying in bed could also be a sign of depression, which is known to increase the risk of dementia in the elderly.

But it is also possible that excessive sleep actually increases the risk of developing the disease.
Researchers urged doctors to be on the look-out for long sleep as a warning that a patient is at risk.
Alzheimer’s affects an estimated 750,000 Britons and this is expected to rise as the population lives longer.

The latest research into the disease was carried out by experts at the University Hospital of Madrid in Spain.
They studied 3,286 men and women aged 65 or over.
Each one was asked about their health and lifestyle, such as how many hours of sleep they averaged over a 24-hour period, including afternoon naps.

The volunteers were then followed for more than three years, during which 140 went on to develop Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia.
The results showed those who averaged more than eight or nine hours of sleep a day were twice as likely to have developed dementia.

In a report on their findings, published in the European Journal of Neurology, the researchers said: ‘We found a significant association between long sleep duration and dementia.

‘Long sleep may be an early symptom of dementia, or could lead to an increased risk of it. But the mechanisms underlying this association are not readily explainable.’

Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘This report demonstrates that sleeping longer than normal and feeling sleepy during the day is linked to getting dementia within three years.
‘There is no apparent physiological link and it is unlikely that sleeping more than normal is a direct risk factor for dementia; it may simply be an early sign of a yet undiagnosed condition. As currently only a third of people with dementia ever receive a formal diagnosis, more research is now needed to investigate these results.’

Alzheimer’s destroys chemical messengers in the brain.
It starts with the build-up of deposits called plaques and tangles which can disrupt normal messaging systems by causing inflammation.

The cause remains unknown but research suggests keeping the mind active, such as by doing quizzes, puzzles or crosswords, may help protect against this.

Earlier this week a report found that exercising regularly and sticking to a Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, vegetables, oily fish and nuts could cut the risk of Alzheimer’s by 80 per cent.

A study earlier this year found too much sleep is also linked to type two diabetes.
Regular lunchtime siestas increased the risk by 26 per cent, possibly by disrupting the body’s hormonal balance.


Source:Mail Online. Dated:Aug.15.2009

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Wine, Veg & Meat: Key to Long Life

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Want to know the perfect recipe for a long and healthy life? Drinking a goblet of red wine as well as eating adequate fruit, vegetablesand a small portion of red meat  everyday all add up to it, says a new study.
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Previous research has found that sticking to the diet can protect the brain against developing Alzheimer’s and other memory problems, cut the chances of developing heart disease and even reduce the risk of being diagnosed with cancer.

The latest study, which followed 23,000 people, found that those who adhered most closely to a typical Mediterranean diet were 14 per cent more likely to still be alive at tView Posthe end of eight years, ‘The Daily Telegraph‘ reported.

“The analysis suggests that the dominant components of the Mediterranean diet are moderate consumption of alcohol, mostly in the form of wine during meals, low consumption of meat and meat products, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil and legume,” said lead researcher Dimitrios Trichopoulos of Harvard School of Public Health.

Drinking wine had the most benefit on life span the findings suggest, followed by reducing meat consumption and then eating high numbers of fruit, vegetables and nuts.

Source: The Times Of India

 
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Nuts Help Cut Risk of Heart Disease

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Here’s a health tip in a nutshell: Eating a handful of nuts a day for a year — along with a Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, vegetables and fish — may help undo a collection of risk factors for heart disease.

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Spanish researchers found that adding nuts worked better than boosting the olive oil in a typical Mediterranean diet. Both regimens cut the heart risks known as metabolic syndrome in more people than a low-fat diet did.

“What’s most surprising is they found substantial metabolic benefits in the absence of calorie reduction or weight loss,” said JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
In the study, the people who improved most were told to eat about three whole walnuts, seven or eight whole hazelnuts and seven or eight whole almonds. They didn’t lose weight, on average, but more of them succeeded in reducing belly fat and improving their cholesterol and blood pressure.

Manson, who wasn’t involved in the study, cautioned that adding nuts to a western diet — one packed with too
many calories and junk food — could lead to weight gain and more health risks.

“But using nuts to replace a snack of chips or crackers is a very favorable change to make in your diet,” Manson cautioned.

The American Heart Association says that over 50 million Americans have metabolic syndrome, a combination of health risks, such as high blood pressure and abdominal obesity.

Nuts help people feel full while also increasing the body’s ability to burn fat, said lead author Jordi Salas-Salvado of the University of Rovira i Virgili in Reus, Spain.

“Nuts could have an effect on metabolic syndrome by multiple mechanisms,” Salas-Salvado said. Nuts are rich in anti-inflammatory substances, such as fiber, and antioxidants, such as vitamin E. They are high in unsaturated fat, a healthier fat known to lower blood triglycerides and increase good cholesterol.

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Sources: The Times Of India

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Low-Carb Diet Beats Low-Fat Diet

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A low-carb diet and a Mediterranean-style diet both helped people lose more weight than a traditional low-fat diet in one of the longest and largest studies to compare the various weight-loss techniques.

The low-carb diet also improved cholesterol more than the other two, even though some critics had predicted the opposite result.

The two-year study was done in a controlled environment — an isolated nuclear research facility in Israel, where participants received their lunch at a cafeteria (and did not have easy access to fast-food outlets). Each of the 322 participants was assigned to one of three meal plans:

1. The low-fat diet, which restricted calories and cholesterol and focused on low-fat grains, vegetables and fruits as options.
2. The Mediterranean diet, which emphasized poultry, fish, olive oil and nuts.
3. The low-carb diet, which set limits for carbohydrates and urged dieters to choose vegetarian sources of fat and protein.
Although all three approaches achieved weight loss and improved cholesterol, the Mediterranean diet, and especially the low-carb diet, had the most beneficial effects.

Sources:
Washington Post July 17, 2008
The New England Journal of Medicine July 17, 2008, Volume 359:229-241 (Free Full-Text Article)

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The Mediterranean Diet Can Stop Diabetes

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A Mediterranean-style diet rich in vegetables is already known to protect against heart disease. Now, researchers have found that it also appears to help ward off diabetes.

Food in the Mediterranean diet: The main factor in the appeal of the Mediterranian diet is the full flavored and rich food. Hydrogenated oils and margarine are considered to be bland and lack the flavor that olive oil imparts to food items. It is not easy to understand and define the Mediterranean nutrition and diet. The traditional diets in southern Italy and Greece have been studied extensively over the past few years. This is because of the low incidence of chronic diseases and rates of high life expectancy that is attributed the traditional food in the Mediterranean diet. As much as 40% of total daily calories from fat is delivered by this diet, yet there has been a significant decrease in the incidences of cardiovascular diseases. This is because olive oil is a monounsaturated fatty acid, and does not have the same effect of raising cholesterol levels, compared to saturated fats. It is also a good source of antioxidants. The people of Mediterranean benefit a lot by eating fish, which they consume several times in a week. This increases the amount of omega-3 fatty acids. The consumption of red meat is also beneficial to health. According to a general consensus among health professionals, the Mediterranean diet is healthier than the American or North European diet due to the consumption of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, olive oil, and grain-based food like spaghetti.

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A four-year study of 13,000 people showed that those who stuck closely to the diet were 83 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

Even those who smoked, were older, and had a family history of diabetes experienced protective benefits from the Mediterranean diet.

The World Health Organization estimates more than 180 million people worldwide have diabetes. This number is likely to more than double by 2030, as more nations adopt a Western lifestyle.

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Sources:

* Reuters May 29, 2008
* British Medical Journal May 29, 2008

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