http://www.lazyfitness.org PHP-Nuke Powered Site en-us http://www.lazyfitness.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=217 Scientists from Imperial College, London have found that blood pressure depends more on diet than genes. Chemicals in urine called metabolites have a direct relation to blood pressure and are linked to diets rich in meat and alcohol and low in fibre. The research is published in Nature. http://www.lazyfitness.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=216 A study from the University of Kuopio in Finland and presented at the American Academy of Neurology conference suggests that people as young as 40 with high cholesterol are at risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The study followed the health of almost 10,000 men and women in northern California from 1964 to 2007. The volunteers were aged between 40 and 45 when they study began. Those with cholesterol levels between 249 and 500 milligrams in their 40s were one-and-a-half times more likely to have Alzheimer’s 40 years later than those with less than 198mg. A separate study by the Mount Sinai Medical Centre in Florida suggests that other lifestyle factors could also have a dramatic effect. Heavy drinkers (more than 2 alcoholic beverages a day) developed Alzheimer’s nearly 5 years earlier than non-heavy drinkers. Heavy smokers (at least 20 cigarettes a day) developed the disease 2.3 years sooner that patients who smoked less or were non-smokers. http://www.lazyfitness.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=215 Scientists analysing 5 separate studies across the world have found young children who take vitamin D supplements could cut their chances of developing type 1 diabetes. Children given additional vitamin D were around 30% less likely to develop the disease than those not given the supplement. The report states that the higher and more regular the dose, the lower the likelihood of developing the condition. Nutrition experts recommend that children under 6 months have 8.5 micrograms a day and seven micrograms a day from 7 months to 3 years. A spokesman for Diabetes UK said the findings require further research and the charity. http://www.lazyfitness.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=214 A team of scientists from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina has concluded that diets rich in fish oil fatty acids may help men survive prostate cancer. Tests on mice show that omega-3 fatty acids can slow progress of the disease. http://www.lazyfitness.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=213 A team at Southampton University, carrying out a £750,000 study for the Food Standards Agency (FSA), have suggested that as well as causing behaviour problems seven food colourings could also affect children’s intelligence by up to five IQ points. The Southampton study was published in September but the FSA ignored calls for swift action after the Committee on Toxicology said additives had only a moderate effect on some children. Last month Professor Jim Stevenson, leader of the research, wrote to the FSA demanding immediate action as artificial colourings could be as harmful to children’s development as leaded petrol. Professor Stevenson’s letter was published at the end of last week. A spokesman for the Food and Drink Federation said: “The use of food additives is strictly regulated under European law and they must be approved as safe by the appropriate European scientific committee before they can be used.” http://www.lazyfitness.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=212 Just one 45 to 60-minute workout can reduce levels of LDL cholesterol over the following couple of days. American cardiologists discovered LDL was cut by seven per cent after just one workout. Dr Jason Gill from the University of Glasgow says: “Exercise stimulates production of an enzyme which transports artery-clogging triglyceride fats from your blood to your muscles, where they are burnt for fuel.” http://www.lazyfitness.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=211 A study carried out by German and Swiss doctors between 1996 and 1999found that obese and very obese patients who have been treated for a heart attack are less than half as likely to die in the next three years as people with a normal bmi. Dr Heinz Buttner who led the study suggested fatter patients may benefit more from the drugs prescribed to control cholesterol and blood pressure after treatment. Dr Buttner said that, although the study provided important information, people who were obese should not delay trying to lose weight. http://www.lazyfitness.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=210 Research from Aberdeen’s Rowett Research Institute has discovered a link between consuming carbohydrate and the production of a fatty acid called butyrate in the gut, which protects against colorectal cancer. The researchers found that low-carb diets can cause a four-fold reduction in the bacteria. http://www.lazyfitness.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=209 Analysis by the Scottish Crop Research Institute tested a number of fruits and found the blackcurrant contained the most vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Researchers said that compounds in the berry called anthocyanins can help to prevent a myriad of ailments, including MRSA infection and diabetes. http://www.lazyfitness.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=208 A study of 2,000 men over a period of 35 years by Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden found that regular exercise could stave off osteoporosis in men as well as women. Men who did little or no exercise were two and a half times more likely to suffer a broken hip than those who did at least three hours of sport a week. This is the first study to show that keeping fit can benefit men’s bones.