Healthy Aging Archives - Page 18 of 45

Your Rate of Breathing Can Reveal Your Health!

Mike Rickett/14 July 2021/ All MFN blog/

Minute Ventilation (VE) is the amount of oxygen we breathe in or out over a given period, usually a minute. Hence Minute Ventilation.

Healthy Minute Ventilation is between 5 and 8 liters/minute of oxygen (normally 12-14 breaths per minute). There are times when Minute Ventilation is increased, for example, during exercise, which is good. But other times could be an indication of disease.

During exercise, the physiological demands on the body require you to consume more oxygen to offset the lactic acid and CO2 that are byproducts of increased activity. Our respiration therefore increases from 35 to 45 breaths /minute in healthy young adults, to elite athletes which can achieve 60+ breaths per minute. This is necessary to offset the effects of increased activity. This amazing process continues throughout our lives keeping us in balance!

An interesting recent twist to this is breathing aware athletes have been taking less breaths, utilizing more oxygen, and recovering faster with conscious breathing techniques. The number of breaths per minute now have dropped to the low 20s for intense exercise! Research from Patrick McKeown, the author of The Oxygen Advantage, has shown that controlled nasal diaphragmatic breathing can greatly decrease the number of breaths needed, increase the oxygen uptake, enhancing performance!

Disease states are a different story. Certain conditions like cardiovascular disease or diabetes require more oxygen to provide the same recovery process that a healthy person requires, therefore putting more stress on the body.

Here are some examples of corresponding disease states and the corresponding oxygen needs at rest:

Healthy Subjects ~8 L/min
Heart Disease ~16 L/min
Diabetes ~15 L/min
Asthma ~15 L/min
COPD ~15 L/min
Cancer ~14 L/min
Sleep Apnea ~16 L/min
Hyperthyroidism ~16 L/min
Epilepsy ~14 L/min
Panic Disorder ~13 L/min

Referenced from www.normalbreathing.com

As you can see, disease states put a heavy burden on the respiratory system and have a detrimental effect on overall health. In essence, their bodies are constantly exercising!

Deep breathing techniques, specifically diaphragmatic breathing are an easy, learnable, and quick way to help offset the burden of disease states on our health. The better you breathe the less you need to!

Conscious breathing along with recognition of triggers of stress (for another blog) can create almost immediate changes in our health.

Take a deep breath!

Reprinted with permission from authors.

Mike Rickett MS, CSCS*D, CSPS*D, RCPT*E is a nationally recognized health and fitness trainer of the trainers, fitness motivator, author, certifier, educator, and the 2017 NSCA Personal Trainer of the Year. He has been a fitness trainer for more than 35 years. With Cheri Lamperes, he co-directs BetterHealthBreathing.com, a conscious breathing educational program focusing on the diaphragmatic technique to enhance overall wellness. In addition, he also directs the personal training site ApplicationInMotion.com.

From Stifled Screams to Suicide: More People 85+ Choose the Latter

Adrienne Ione/13 July 2021/ All MFN blog/

In my private practice, I hear people repeatedly say, “I feel so ____ and I just want to yell.”

“Do you?” I ask. Fairly often the answer is, “No.”

I ask, “What stops you from yelling?” We may explore this reluctance, or I might ask, “What would need to be different for you to feel comfortable yelling, screaming, humming or making some other audible release?”

Perhaps you too feel like releasing energy in this way. Recently, a woman in her eighties shared with me, “I was shopping with my friend who is 35-years younger than me and all the store clerks’ directed their answers to her when I was the one asking the questions. Even if I screamed, right there in the store, I am certain I wouldn’t be heard.”

There is a disproportionate number of older adults who commit suicide. Many countries are witnessing declining rates, while the US is seeing higher rates – with older Americans having the highest suicide rate of any age group. While older Americans contribute to 13 percent of the population, this age group accounts for 20% of the people who commit suicide.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reported in 2019, that suicide among those 85 years and older represented the second largest number of suicides by age range, with the greatest number being among those in the 45 to 64-year age range.

There are many reasons why a person may seek out mental health support – fear, stress, anger, sadness, confusion, substance abuse concerns – and yet the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates a mere 3% of people 65 and older have made the brave move of utilizing mental health services.

We can turn to the research of Speer & Schneider to see a direct link between untreated mental health and physical manifestations – immune and cardiac functions, increased susceptibility of infections, higher levels of reported pain, asthma and increases in length of recovery following surgery. Just think of how much less physical health needs there might be if we tend to our mental health.

Some older adults are much more likely to get a physical check-up than access mental health services. Another reason for some older adults not accessing mental health services may be due to insurance payment disparity. Medicare covers 80 percent of procedures and processes related to physical health and only 50 percent of mental health. Discussions of cataracts, glaucoma and hip procedures flow from the mouths of some older adults as freely as the Neuse River flowed once the Milburnie Dam was removed. And yet when it comes to talking about mental health, chatter is at a minimum.

I invite you to tap into your primal roots and begin making noise. Harmonize your body by screaming, yelling, humming or something else. Let it out. Perhaps love can fill the space that is being occupied with years of stifled screams.

Adrienne Ione is a cognitive behavioral therapist and personal trainer who integrates these fields in support of people thriving across the lifespan. As a pro-aging advocate, she specializes in the self-compassion of dementia.

Website: yes2aging.com
Guided Meditations: insighttimer.com/adrienneIone
Facebook: silverliningsintegrativehealth

References

Speer & Schneider. (2013). Mental health needs of older adults and primary care: Opportunities for interdisciplinary geriatric team practice. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(1).

Mountain Grit: Meet Jim

Pat VanGalen/12 July 2021/ All MFN blog/

For all you medical fitness professionals out there, meet Jim, 75. Jim exemplifies the mindset towards aging that we all can emulate.

From urban to suburban, rural to remote, ‘the glass is half-full – so let’s fill-it-up’. SPIRIT truly can change the way and the pace at which we age.

[Excerpted from The Training Corner column in the Lone Peak Lookout]

Q: Hi Pat! I am sick and tired of my family members and friends telling me to slow down.

I am 75 and in pretty darn good health. I was blessed with some good genes. Both of my very active parents lived well into their 90s. I’ve never gotten fat, and I quit smoking and heavy drinking back in my 20s. I drive my wife crazy because I am one of those ants-in-pants guys who just can’t sit still until the day is done. OK, I have some aches and pains, wear a hearing aid and need glasses just for reading. No big deal!

Right now, I am in the throes of remodeling my daughter’s kitchen. I thrive on projects. They are a challenge, so I am always looking for something to fix. I am also the go-to guy when my neighbors need a helping hand. My true passion is calf-roping, so I mentor and teach the younger dudes. Yeah, I can still do it, but I lost my favorite horse last year, so I coach instead. My wife and I love the outdoors, and enjoy hiking, fly fishing, skate skiing and snow shoeing 1-2X/week.

We do all of our own outdoor maintenance, too. If for some reason, my day is void of physical work or play, I walk for 30 minutes, just to keep the pump pumping.

I did construction all my life, and my back and shoulders act up on occasion. But over the years, I have collected a bag of maintenance tricks from various physical therapists. I have a morning routine of breath-work with tai-chi like moves, and some core preservation exercises. I use that foam roller with the bumps, too, my best friend for about 10 years, now. This regimen seems to work.

Pat, am I just plain oblivious to this aging thing? Isn’t the body in motion the best brain and overall health potion? I am confident in my skills and abilities, so why would I slow down? Any suggestions on telling the naysayers to put a sock in it?

Jim, 75

Pat’s Answer: Hi Jim! No, you are not oblivious. Yes, a body in motion is the best path to aging younger. Continue to get up and get after it every day. You have purpose, passion, meaning and relevance in your life. There is no need to slow down. You are thriving at 75, and are inspiring others. Keep up the pace, unless something rocks your competence and confidence. We CAN continue to learn, grow and discover throughout our lifespan, if we avoid ruts, complacency and stagnation.

Here is some ammunition for you:

Traditional retirement is dead. We reWIRE! 60+ is the time to wind up, not wind down. Act III is ripe with opportunity, adventures, vocations, projects, dreams and sharing the wisdom. You chart your journey.
The way and the pace at which we age is malleable. It is deeply rooted in Hardiness and GRIT, not talent. When we invest in our 5 Pillars of Hardiness (Purpose, Movement, Diet, Rest-Recovery-Regen, and Stress Ops), through DAILY habits, patterns and practices, we fortify our resilience, durability and robustness for the long haul. Aging is NOT a disease. It is an accumulation of how we react and respond to the ‘ups and downs’ of life, how we adapt to and bolster our reserve capacity.
Aging is living life to the fullest, a journey. 35 is seasoned, that is we have reached our peak biological development. This does not mean that we cannot continue to learn, grow and discover, nor set personal bests in physical endeavors. Check out the Senior and Master Games.
We are individuals. We age at different rates. We are unique in personality, upbringing, physical work-play experiences, life lessons, and ‘what makes us tick’. “If I choose to climb a ladder and clear snow off the roof, quit barking at me. I know my limits, after doing it for 40 consecutive years. And by the way, I take no MEDS, so my balance is pretty darn good.”
“We don’t live life to be safe and healthy; we live safely and healthfully to live life to the fullest!”

From Albert Einstein, and so relevant today, “A ship is always safe at shore, but that’s now what it was built for.” Reasonable risk is the springboard into learning, growth and discovery. Push out of the comfort zone, or slide backwards. A fool-proof safe, static and secure mentality can lead to stagnation, apathy, and even depression.

In summary, Jim, keep moving, working and playing ‘til you can’t. Vintage vehicles need DAILY maintenance to run well, so continue your morning regimen. If you notice that you are losing strength, you may need to tweak your training for strength and power gains. Mentor and lead by example. No need to preach to the naysayers. Just ask them, “What makes YOU tick? Ok, I’m not YOU.”

In the soon to be released, Cardiac Rehab Fitness Specialist course, be prepared to rethink your approach to coaching people up to living life to their fullest. In my Pillars and 7S Buckets approach to reclaiming, restoring and rebuilding Hardiness for the long haul, you will be inspired to change the way and the pace at which you age. Jim has the Spirit, and Hippocrates had it right…

“Know the person who has the disease; not just the disease who has the person.” —Hippocrates

Patricia ‘Pat’ VanGalen, M.S. brings a unique blend of education, practical experience, common sense application, science and research to her lecturing, teaching, training and coaching. She launched her professional career 40+ years ago in physical education and coaching, then spent the next 10 years in corporate-industrial fitness, health promotion, cardiac rehab and injury risk reduction programming design, implementation and management. Visit her website, activeandagile.com.

After a fall, would you make it back up? Moves for Functional Fitness

Emma Spanda Johnson/8 July 2021/ All MFN blog/

The primary reason we move to a long-term care facility is not an illness but dependence on others due to physical weakness. Deconditioned seniors have the greatest potential to improve functional strength. With practice, you can develop muscles to recover from a fall. Fear only increases our risk.

A Recovery

Imagine you fell. Take deep breaths. Do toes and fingers move? Where is the phone? If it’s not close, you roll, drag, crab walk or crawl. Once near a chair or low table:

Roll onto your belly. Rest.
Raise onto forearms and knees. Rest.
Aim your buttocks toward the chair. Rest.
Press up to hands and feet. Rest.
Go backwards to the chair.
Back your hips onto the chair. Rest.

The 10 Moves

Hopefully, you never fall, but practiced weekly, these exercises can improve strength and stamina for moving in bed, sitting up and life. Do these on your bed. Have a friend nearby. Start with one exercise 1-3 days a week for 1-3 weeks. Then add on. To gain more, try them under the weight of your covers. Listed in progression:

Practice rolling. Lie sideways across the bed; feet hanging off. Exhale away from the bed. The exhale stabilizes your low back and releases pressure on the heart. Face up, roll to each side. Rest. Repeat 10 times. Roll from face down to your sides. Rest. Repeat. Roll from the foot of the bed to head of the bed. Rest. Repeat 10 times. Avoid rolling from edge to edge on the bed.
Lie on your side; place your upper hand on the bed. Exhale- push on your lower elbow and top hand to lift shoulders and head up. Rest. Repeat 10 times. Switch sides.
With no pillow, lie on your back to lift your hips. Exhale before and during the lift. Rest. Repeat, but stay up for a count of 5. Do not hold your breath! For low back issues, try it with one leg straight. Rest. Alternate. Repeat.
Lie on your side with a head pillow. Keep head, shoulders and knees down; lift your hips with an exhale. Rest. Repeat. Stay up for a count of 3. Switch sides. Try it up, on one elbow. Rise out of the shoulder. Press into your upper hand too.
Practice scooting: Lie face up. Exhale- lift your hips, shift them to one side, lower hips. Then lift to return to center. Repeat, alternating sides. Try scooting twice to each side, adding your upper body to travel. Stay on the bed!
Crawl onto the bed on all fours. Engage your abdominals for support. Practice staying on forearms and knees. Rest. Repeat, adding a few seconds. Practice on hands if your wrists allow. Rest. Repeat.
Crawl onto your bed from the foot of the bed. Crawl to the headboard. Crawl backward. To practice crawling sideways, enter the bed from the side. No slippery bedspreads!
Drag your hips or crab walk on forearms or hands. Use deep breathing to move. Rest often. Use your glutes. Stay aware of your location on the bed.
Standing with back of legs touching a chair, walk hands down the legs and back up to standing. Sit to rest. Repeat. Stop if dizzy. From a fall, standing is not a goal, but prepares us for the next move.
When you feel ready to walk on all fours on the floor, stay near a couch or low table. Look behind to go backward. Sit to rest. Repeat.

Please Note

Do whatever you can. Many of us feel dizzy or have joint limitations that affect performance. The biggest mistake is to quit, because of temporary discomfort or lack of confidence. With consistent practice, discomfort typically lessens.

Another way to recover from a fall involves kneeling to a lunge position next to a chair. This works for able-bodied seniors. Find what is best for you. Every week, practice your weakest steps until you gain confidence.

As an ACE-certified Medical Exercise Specialist with decades of experience training fragile to fit seniors, Emma Spanda Johnson designs adaptive exercise programs, for clients of all abilities. She is a nationally certified personal trainer with an Orthopedic Specialty. Emma offers virtual training sessions, visit her MedFit Network profile for details.

References and Resources

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/functional-fitness/art-20047680
Fallproof! A Comprehensive Balance and Mobility Training Program 2nd Edition by Debra J. Rose Human Kinetics; 2nd edition (January 1, 2010) ISBN-13: 978-0736067478

Smiling elderly woman training in a group

It’s time to play!

Pete Guzman/7 July 2021/ All MFN blog/

I had just returned home from an amazing educational conference in Arizona. Some of the most educated and credentialed humans in the fitness world had come together to share and learn the most up-to-date and evidenced-based systems in the fitness world. My thoughts felt like a bag of ping pong balls had been dropped, bouncing in many directions at once.

I was getting out of my car on the way to get groceries. All the lessons, lectures, and workouts swirling in my mind. I was looking for a common thread. What was the connection to all that I have learned? Then, I hear this clippity clack clippity clack! I look over my shoulder in the parking lot of a Publix. There was this young girl holding her mother’s hand. She had her princess outfit on, crooked crown, fake jewels and plastic shoes. The shoes skipping on the pavement was the clippity clack sound that made me look. I giggled at the difference between mom’s face, stress, deep thought and worry, and the young girl’s free and happy smile. Then I see them in the store. The young princess was leaping from colored tile to colored tile. I could see the imaginary moat she might be trying to cross while being chased by the creatures below.

I flashback to a seminar and one of the drills I just experienced with Master Instructor, Andy Hainey. Bounding in multiple planes of motion to challenge the athlete’s ability to accelerate and decelerate force efficiently. This beautiful happy princess was naturally doing some of the most advanced programming I flew thousands of miles to study.

BOOM! It hit me. PLAY…. she was PLAYING! The sessions and lessons that shone brightest and stayed with me from the workshops, were those that felt like play. They were technical and evidence-based, and they were fun! No one used jargon or spoke of the sagittal plane or the eccentric phase. They made it fun.

Benefits of Incorporating “Play” into Your Programming for All Ages

The are many studies of the benefits of play and physical relation between activity in youth populations. The evidence shows a positive relation between physically active youth, and seven areas of cognitive performance (perceptual skills, intelligence quotient, achievement, verbal tests, mathematics tests, developmental level/ academic readiness, and other). Sibley et al., 2003

Playing increases enjoyment and adherence at all ages. It creates a positive reaffirming cycle of success. The more you enjoy something, the more time spent doing it. The more time spent doing an activity, the more skilled you become. The greater the skill level you achieve or the higher the achievement, the more you will enjoy doing the activity.

We forget what it was like to play as we age with all the responsibilities and stresses we have We are told to put childish things aside. As a “fitness professional” we are blessed to keep playing in many senses of the word. I have spent many hours of my life educating myself and gaining certifications. While I believe that time has been well spent, my clients continually tell me their favorite aspect of our time together is the fun factor.

Many feel as though they haven’t repeated a workout ever. This is not the case. I do follow the NASM OPT model. It is a progressive system that can be applied to every aspect of fitness training. Our body has a miraculous ability to adapt to specific demands placed on it. That is my primary guide to programming for my clients. Once we establish their baseline abilities through comprehensive assessments, and what goals they want. Then we create the program based on the S.A.I.D. principle (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands). The assessments many times feel intimidating and clinical and set that as the tone for you and your client. If we as trainers and coaches make the assessments fun and non-intimidating games (I use the term drills in place of games for my adults many times) or play, we can start creating a positive nurturing environment for our clients. Don’t just show them where they are deficient. Let them show and celebrate what they are capable of.

Bottom line is, have fun and play! You will enjoy every session. Your clients will look forward to each session. They will give their all and get better results. Keeping clients training is one of the most challenging parts of what we do. Embrace your inner child, and theirs. Get them to hop from stone to stone in monster infested waters or bring out the agility ladder. Either way just play!

Coach Pete Guzman is a NASM Master Trainer with CES, PES, YES, CNC, SGPT MMACS and 4th degree Black Belt. Look for his upcoming seminar in June to find out more about youth programming and adding fun to your clients’ journeys.

Pandemic of Panic Is Worse than COVID-19

Dr. Mario Martinez/29 June 2021/ All MFN blog/

While the threat of the COVID-19 needs to be taken with great concern, it is as important to understand the useless and counterproductive effects of panicking. Whether you take the vaccine or not, prevention is the best approach to any viral challenge. Panic is an extreme fear response triggering stress hormones that suppress immune function increasing susceptibility to any pathogen, including viruses.

Eat Plant Protein to Live Longer

Dr. Joel Fuhrman/28 June 2021/ All MFN blog/

Scientific research continues to show consuming red and processed meats or a high-animal protein diet has a profoundly damaging effect on overall health and longevity. It is vitally important that red meat in our diet should be replaced (or at least greatly limited) in favor of foods that are proven to offer protection against cancer – such as green vegetables, berries, beans, nuts and seeds. This should not be seen as controversial and is supported by an overwhelming amount of data.

Long-term studies

Large, long-term studies investigating intakes of animal and plant protein with regard to mortality have consistently concluded that more plant protein and less animal protein is linked to a longer life. (1-4) Studies consistently link greater red meat consumption to a greater risk of premature death. (5-7)

Here’s an example:

A 2016 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine investigated the relationship between animal vs. plant protein sources and mortality risk from almost 30 years of follow-up from the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Together, these two studies included over 170,000 participants.

Interesting findings came out of one particular question the researchers asked: What would happen if the participants replaced some of their animal protein with plant protein?

They analyzed the data to estimate how participants’ risk of death from all causes over the follow-up period would change if some of the animal protein sources (equivalent to 3 percent of total daily calories) were replaced with plant protein sources:

Replace processed red meat: 34 percent decrease in risk
Replace unprocessed red meat: 12 percent decrease in risk
Replace poultry: 6 percent decrease in risk
Replace fish: 6 percent decrease in risk
Replace eggs: 19 percent decrease in risk
Replace dairy: 8 percent decrease in risk3

Higher intake of plant protein sources is associated with better health: for example, seeds and nuts reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and are linked to longevity, and micronutrient and fiber-rich beans are linked to improved blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, body weight, insulin sensitivity and enhanced lifespan. (4, 8-13)

Prospective cohort studies are observational and cannot prove causality, but these studies are crucial to our understanding of health and longevity, because heart disease and cancer – our two biggest killers – develop over the course of multiple decades, not just a few months. Studies that follow tens of thousands of people for 10 or 20 years or more, and evaluate hard endpoints (death, heart attack, stroke, cancer, etc.) provide valuable insights into the habits that may promote or prevent these diseases. The significance of findings from observational studies is supported by laboratory studies showing there are plausible mechanisms for the association – good reasons why it’s not just a random correlation, but likely a causal relationship.

Many meat-centered diet proponents dismiss these important studies out of hand, ignoring the careful collection of data and complex mathematical analysis by skilled epidemiologists that control for potential confounding factors and detect potentially significant associations.

The correlations between animal protein intake and all-cause mortality in long-term prospective studies are consistent with other observational studies on specific diseases, and are backed up by laboratory studies that have uncovered the plausible cellular and molecular mechanisms behind the correlations:

High animal protein intake excessively elevates insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which promotes cancer development. (14-18)
Research on nutrient-sensing pathways that respond to protein intake suggests reducing essential amino acid intake (i.e. reducing animal protein) promotes longevity. (19) (Note that the elderly require more protein than younger adults. (20, 21))
The pro-inflammatory effects of dietary saturated animal fats. (22-25)
The pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory properties of excess heme iron. (26, 27)
Cooking-produced carcinogens in meats, such as heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. (28-31)
Genotoxic N-nitroso compounds produced from processed meats. (30-33)
Detrimental effects of carnitine and choline on the gut microbiome that promote inflammation. (34-37)

Although eating a keto or carnivores’ diet can lower blood sugar and promote weight loss in the short term, the long-term effects of a diet so high in animal products (according to the preponderance of evidence) is damaging over the long term. That is why I reiterated that it is important to see the long-term studies with hard endpoints. Looking at short-term weight loss studies will lead you on a path to damage your potential for optimal longevity.

Although the disease-promoting effects take many years to build up, several short-term studies point to the beginnings of the damage of a high-animal product diet:

Measured after a single meal, butter impaired vascular function compared to nuts and other predominantly unsaturated plant fats. (38)
A study comparing Atkins, South Beach, and Ornish weight maintenance diets (all with the same calorie counts) assigned participants to each diet for four weeks each. At the end of the Atkins diet phase, LDL cholesterol was higher and vascular function lower compared to the other diets. (39)
Participants (who lived at the study site during the study) were fed 420 g red meat or a vegetarian meal daily for 15 days, with the rest of their diets kept exactly the same. Stool samples and colon cells collected after 10 days on each diet showed an increase in production of carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds during the red meat diet compared to the vegetarian diet, and an increase in N-nitroso compounds binding to DNA in colon cells (which leads to DNA damage and colon cancer). (40)
A study comparing about two servings daily of fiber-rich whole grains to red meat for three weeks each suggested the whole grain diet improved gut microbiome diversity compared to the red meat diet. Body fat mass was also lower after the whole grain intervention. (41)
After four weeks, a diet containing red meat increased production of the pro-inflammatory compound TMAO, compared to white meat and vegetarian diets. (36)

Meat-heavy diets get one important thing right: They cut out weight gain-promoting, disease-promoting high-glycemic refined carbohydrates. But large amounts of animal products are unquestionably disease-promoting, too. The Nutritarian diet does more than just restrict one type of harmful food. It limits or completely avoids all other disease-promoting foods and focuses heavily on foods that are richest in protective nutrients and are linked in scientific studies most consistently to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases.

Joel Fuhrman, MD is a board-certified family physician specializing in nutritional medicine. He is President of the Nutritional Research Foundation and the author of 7 New York Times bestselling books, including his most recent book, “Eat to Live”. Visit his website, DrFuhrman.com.

👉👉Get $10 off $150 or more on Dr. Fuhrman’s website. Use coupon LS10OFF150.

Originally posted on DrFuhrman.com. Reprinted with permission.

References

Budhathoki S, Sawada N, Iwasaki M, et al. Association of Animal and Plant Protein Intake With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality. JAMA Intern Med 2019. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.2806
Huang J, Liao LM, Weinstein SJ, et al. Association Between Plant and Animal Protein Intake and Overall and Cause-Specific Mortality. JAMA Intern Med 2020. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.2790
Song M, Fung TT, Hu FB, et al. Association of Animal and Plant Protein Intake With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality. JAMA Intern Med 2016, 176:1453-1463. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.4182
Tharrey M, Mariotti F, Mashchak A, et al. Patterns of plant and animal protein intake are strongly associated with cardiovascular mortality: the Adventist Health Study-2 cohort. Int J Epidemiol 2018. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyy030
Wang X, Lin X, Ouyang YY, et al. Red and processed meat consumption and mortality: dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Public Health Nutr 2016, 19:893-905. doi: 10.1017/S1368980015002062
Pan A, Sun Q, Bernstein AM, et al. Red Meat Consumption and Mortality: Results From 2 Prospective Cohort Studies. Arch Intern Med 2012. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.2287
Sinha R, Cross AJ, Graubard BI, et al. Meat intake and mortality: a prospective study of over half a million people. Arch Intern Med 2009, 169:562-571. doi: 169/6/562 [pii] 10.1001/archinternmed.2009.6
Grosso G, Yang J, Marventano S, et al. Nut consumption on all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies. Am J Clin Nutr 2015, 101:783-793. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.099515
Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Augustin LS, et al. Effect of legumes as part of a low glycemic index diet on glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial. Arch Intern Med 2012, 172:1653-1660. doi: 10.1001/2013.jamainternmed.70
Bazzano LA, Thompson AM, Tees MT, et al. Non-soy legume consumption lowers cholesterol levels: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD 2011, 21:94-103. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2009.08.012
Papanikolaou Y, Fulgoni VL, 3rd. Bean consumption is associated with greater nutrient intake, reduced systolic blood pressure, lower body weight, and a smaller waist circumference in adults: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002. J Am Coll Nutr 2008, 27:569-576. doi:
Darmadi-Blackberry I, Wahlqvist ML, Kouris-Blazos A, et al. Legumes: the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people of different ethnicities. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2004, 13:217-220. doi:
Li SS, Blanco Mejia S, Lytvyn L, et al. Effect of Plant Protein on Blood Lipids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Am Heart Assoc 2017, 6. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.117.006659
Travis RC, Appleby PN, Martin RM, et al. A Meta-analysis of Individual Participant Data Reveals an Association between Circulating Levels of IGF-I and Prostate Cancer Risk. Cancer Res 2016, 76:2288-2300. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-15-1551
Vigneri PG, Tirro E, Pennisi MS, et al. The Insulin/IGF System in Colorectal Cancer Development and Resistance to Therapy. Front Oncol 2015, 5:230. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2015.00230
Anisimov VN, Bartke A. The key role of growth hormone-insulin-IGF-1 signaling in aging and cancer. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2013, 87:201-223. doi: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2013.01.005
Key TJ, Appleby PN, Reeves GK, Roddam AW. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), IGF binding protein 3 (IGFBP3), and breast cancer risk: pooled individual data analysis of 17 prospective studies. Lancet Oncol 2010, 11:530-542. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(10)70095-4
Kaaks R. Nutrition, insulin, IGF-1 metabolism and cancer risk: a summary of epidemiological evidence. Novartis Found Symp 2004, 262:247-260; discussion 260-268. doi:
Mirzaei H, Raynes R, Longo VD. The conserved role of protein restriction in aging and disease. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care 2016, 19:74-79. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000239
Bauer J, Biolo G, Cederholm T, et al. Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2013, 14:542-559. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2013.05.021
Volpi E, Campbell WW, Dwyer JT, et al. Is the optimal level of protein intake for older adults greater than the recommended dietary allowance? J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2013, 68:677-681. doi: 10.1093/gerona/gls229
Erridge C. The capacity of foodstuffs to induce innate immune activation of human monocytes in vitro is dependent on food content of stimulants of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4. Br J Nutr 2011, 105:15-23. doi: 10.1017/S0007114510003004
Erridge C, Attina T, Spickett CM, Webb DJ. A high-fat meal induces low-grade endotoxemia: evidence of a novel mechanism of postprandial inflammation. Am J Clin Nutr 2007, 86:1286-1292. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/86.5.1286
Masson CJ, Mensink RP. Exchanging saturated fatty acids for (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids in a mixed meal may decrease postprandial lipemia and markers of inflammation and endothelial activity in overweight men. J Nutr 2011, 141:816-821. doi: 10.3945/jn.110.136432
Fritsche KL. The science of fatty acids and inflammation. Adv Nutr 2015, 6:293S-301S. doi: 10.3945/an.114.006940
Cornelissen A, Guo L, Sakamoto A, et al. New insights into the role of iron in inflammation and atherosclerosis. EBioMedicine 2019, 47:598-606. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.08.014
Brewer GJ. Risks of copper and iron toxicity during aging in humans. Chemical research in toxicology 2010, 23:319-326. doi: 10.1021/tx900338d
Zheng W, Lee S-A. Well-Done Meat Intake, Heterocyclic Amine Exposure, and Cancer Risk. Nutrition and Cancer 2009, 61:437-446. doi: 10.1080/01635580802710741
National Cancer Institute. Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures and Cancer Risk.
International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization. Press Relsease No. 240. IARC Monographs evaluate consumption of red meat and processed meat. 2015.
Turesky RJ. Mechanistic Evidence for Red Meat and Processed Meat Intake and Cancer Risk: A Follow-up on the International Agency for Research on Cancer Evaluation of 2015. Chimia (Aarau) 2018, 72:718-724. doi: 10.2533/chimia.2018.718
Lunn JC, Kuhnle G, Mai V, et al. The effect of haem in red and processed meat on the endogenous formation of N-nitroso compounds in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Carcinogenesis 2007, 28:685-690. doi: 10.1093/carcin/bgl192
Herrmann SS, Granby K, Duedahl-Olesen L. Formation and mitigation of N-nitrosamines in nitrite preserved cooked sausages. Food Chem 2015, 174:516-526. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.11.101
Koeth RA, Wang Z, Levison BS, et al. Intestinal microbiota metabolism of L-carnitine, a nutrient in red meat, promotes atherosclerosis. Nat Med 2013, 19:576-585. doi: 10.1038/nm.3145
Tang WH, Wang Z, Levison BS, et al. Intestinal microbial metabolism of phosphatidylcholine and cardiovascular risk. N Engl J Med 2013, 368:1575-1584. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1109400
Wang Z, Bergeron N, Levison BS, et al. Impact of chronic dietary red meat, white meat, or non-meat protein on trimethylamine N-oxide metabolism and renal excretion in healthy men and women. Eur Heart J 2019, 40:583-594. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehy799
Wang Z, Klipfell E, Bennett BJ, et al. Gut flora metabolism of phosphatidylcholine promotes cardiovascular disease. Nature 2011, 472:57-63. doi: 10.1038/nature09922
Keogh JB, Grieger JA, Noakes M, Clifton PM. Flow-mediated dilatation is impaired by a high-saturated fat diet but not by a high-carbohydrate diet. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2005, 25:1274-1279. doi: 10.1161/01.ATV.0000163185.28245.a1
Miller M, Beach V, Sorkin JD, et al. Comparative effects of three popular diets on lipids, endothelial function, and C-reactive protein during weight maintenance. J Am Diet Assoc 2009, 109:713-717. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2008.12.023
Lewin MH, Bailey N, Bandaletova T, et al. Red meat enhances the colonic formation of the DNA adduct O6-carboxymethyl guanine: implications for colorectal cancer risk. Cancer Res 2006, 66:1859-1865. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-05-2237
Foerster J, Maskarinec G, Reichardt N, et al. The influence of whole grain products and red meat on intestinal microbiota composition in normal weight adults: a randomized crossover intervention trial. PLoS One 2014, 9:e109606. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109606

Fitness parners in sportswear doing exercises at gym. Fitness sp

The Perils of Taking the Easy Way Out When It Comes to Fitness

Ke Wynn Lee/24 June 2021/ All MFN blog/

We are by nature lazy creatures. We try to get by with as little effort as possible; we love to minimize work but maximize enjoyment. Sadly, this concept applied to exercise can have severe consequences to our bodies.

Weak links, in essence, are parts of our bodies that are not as strong as the others. Logically, it would make sense for us to strengthen these weak links in order to build our bodies as a whole.

However, our bodies usually choose to perform a movement with the least amount of effort and resistance. If one of our muscles is weak, instead of activating it, our body will compensate or cheat by making the other muscles around it work harder to complete the movement.

This results in strong muscles growing stronger, and weak links growing weaker. The only way to overcome our cheating tendency is to consciously activate our weak links and establish proper movements.

Once fundamental movements are established, only then can you add in other factors such as strength, endurance, speed, agility and athletic skills, which will help play a big role in improving performance and injury prevention.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link

There’s no point building big muscles if your joints, tendons, and bones can’t stand the strain. Instead, it is wiser to first build your foundation — and for many people, that means revisiting the weakest parts of your body.

Perhaps it came from a previous injury, or maybe it’s just a muscle you didn’t pay attention to previously. Whatever the case, tending to your weakest link will lay the necessary groundwork for true fitness. Skip this step, and you may end up doing yourself more harm than good.

It’s not just limited to gym-goers who overload their muscles by lifting too much weight. In fact, women who are supposedly “flexible” and great at yoga can get into trouble too. On one hand, the gym-goers are building strength without flexibility; on the other hand, yoga enthusiasts are pushing the limits of their stretches without increasing their strength. This can result in joint laxity (looseness of joints) that makes them vulnerable to injury.

Weak links due to injuries

Some of you reading this right now may have suffered injuries before, whether major or minor. And most of you would be able to relate to the fact that you never feel the same after an injury. The weak links caused by injury are often hard to repair and can lie dormant for a long time before resurfacing to cause discomfort and pain.

That’s why it is important to identify your weak links. Even if you’ve never been injured, there are other factors that may cause weak links:

old injuries that you were unaware of
surgery
poor movement
incomplete rehabilitation
alignment issues
muscle imbalances
aging
mindset
genetics

As you may realize, weak links are not always caused by outward injuries, but may also develop due to intangible factors like age, mentality and physical habits.

Nevertheless, many people suffer because they do not rehabilitate completely from an injury. A lot of people go through physio and recovery program, but stop once they reach 80% wellness. However, it’s at this stage where it’s the easiest to experience re-injury. Instead, it’s always better to achieve 110% fitness before you go back to your usual workout or sports routine. This ensures your weak link has been strengthened and prevents injury from occurring easily.

Getting fit the right way

Ultimately, your body is unique. Although most of us want to go straight to training like Arnold, or run like Usain Bolt, our body has its own sets of strengths and weak links that need to be addressed individually first. And the best way to do that is through a personally tailored corrective exercise program, measured out specifically for you.

The shortcut to fitness is doing it right in the first place.

Ke Wynn Lee, author and an international award-winning corrective exercise specialist, currently owns and operates a private Medical Fitness Center in Malaysia. Apart from coaching, he also conducts workshops and actively contributes articles related to corrective exercise, fitness & health to online media and local magazines.

Be Physically Active to Boost Your Immune Response

Sheri Colberg, Ph.D./16 June 2021/ All MFN blog/

In these challenging times, if we only could get a medication that would boost our immune system and response to viruses, lower all stress associated with still being in a pandemic, and treat most of the pre-existing health conditions that are associated with a higher risk of dying from COVID-19, we would all be lined up for it! Guess what? We already have something that does all these things already—and that is physical activity.

Let’s consider its impact on how well your immune system works. While physical activity can boost your immune function, here’s what else we know about the immune system and all the lifestyles factors we can manage:

Exercise: A single workout may temporarily suppress your immune system, but chronic training (assuming it is not excessive) boosts immunity to the common cold, other viruses, and a whole host of pathogens (1). Being regularly active generally makes you less likely to get sick.

Stress: Any type of stressor, be it physical or mental, can weaken your immune system, most commonly through increases in levels of the hormone cortisol and other factors (2). Exercise overtraining raises cortisol levels and can make you more likely to catch a cold or the flu.

Sleep: Lack of sleep—particularly deep REM sleep—and short sleep duration cause a rise in cortisol levels that can dampen immune function (3). Many people with type 2 diabetes and overweight/obesity also have sleep apnea that interferes with getting quality sleep, making them more susceptible to getting sick. Better management of all of these conditions helps.

Nutrition: Chronic malnutrition lowers the ability of the immune system to function optimally. Low levels of vitamin D (which acts as a prohormone) in the bloodstream has also been tied with lower immunity, and many people with diabetes and older adults have low vitamin D status. Getting adequate vitamins, minerals, and calories in your diet can boost your immunity.

Alcohol: While a moderate intake of alcohol may give you some health benefits, abuse of alcohol suppresses your immune system (4). “Moderate” is one drink per day for females, two for males—and there is no rollover from one day to the next if you miss one!

Smoking: Tobacco smoking increases inflammation and lowers immune function, and it may also lower your immune response to certain vaccines. Quitting smoking can help restore immune function.

We also need to discuss how our bodies react to vaccinations. All of us are facing possible vaccination for COVID-19 once we all can get access to the many safe and effective vaccines that are now slowly being distributed around the US and the world. You may be, like I was previously, assuming that vaccines work the same for everyone. In reality, there is no guarantee of a universal and equally protective response, and a whole host of factors (inside your body and out) can impact how well a vaccine actually works for you (5). Not surprisingly, all of the lifestyle factors listed above can impact the strength of your immunity post-vaccination, and making improvements in any/all of them can help. But your age can also have a negative effect.

COVID-19 is unlikely to be the last threat to our collective health, so it is worth discussing why we are more vulnerable to threats to our immune system as we get older. For starters, older adults have a less robust immune response to everything, including strains of influenza, and they suffer from a more rapid waning of antibodies. Basically, our immune systems are getting less robust and effective as we age—and that potentially impacts our response to vaccines.

Generally, older adults have a lesser immunity to any virus that they have been vaccinated against, and that will likely include the current global coronavirus once a vaccine is available. However, engaging in regular aerobic training improved flu vaccine responses in a group of older adults who had been previously sedentary (6): participants who did a regular moderate-intensity physical activity like brisk walking were 30 to 100 percent more likely to have an antibody response sufficient to keep them from getting the flu. Although research on this topic remains limited, exercise is likely to help boost the immune systems in people who are currently sedentary and start being active.

Other confounding health issues may make immune responses weaker when you are exposed to a virus or vaccinated. For instance, many seniors with diabetes develop kidney disease requiring dialysis. In these individuals, many fail to have an adequate immune response when given a vaccine for hepatitis B; how well it works depends on their age, how long they have been on dialysis, their diet, and other factors (7). In children (and adults) with type 1 diabetes, certain vaccines have been shown to be less effective, particularly when they also have celiac disease and consume gluten (8).

So, what can you do? Fight back by adopting the healthiest lifestyle that you can—one that includes being regularly moderately active—and stay as healthy as you can for when the next virus comes along. Protect yourself with a daily dose of exercise!

Sheri R. Colberg, PhD, is the author of The Athlete’s Guide to Diabetes: Expert Advice for 165 Sports and Activities (the newest edition of Diabetic Athlete’s Handbook). She is also the author of Diabetes & Keeping Fit for Dummies, co-published by Wiley and the ADA. A professor emerita of exercise science from Old Dominion University and an internationally recognized diabetes motion expert, she is the author of 12 books, 30 book chapters, and over 420 articles. She was honored with the 2016 American Diabetes Association Outstanding Educator in Diabetes Award. Contact her via her websites (SheriColberg.com and DiabetesMotion.com).

References

Cerqueira É, Marinho DA, Neiva HP, Lourenço O. Inflammatory Effects of High and Moderate Intensity Exercise-A Systematic Review. Front Physiol. 2020 Jan 9;10:1550. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01550. PMID: 31992987.
McEwen BS. Central effects of stress hormones in health and disease: Understanding the protective and damaging effects of stress and stress mediators. Eur J Pharmacol. 2008 Apr 7;583(2-3):174-85. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2007.11.071. PMID: 18282566.
Vgontzas AN, Zoumakis M, Bixler EO, et al. Impaired nighttime sleep in healthy old versus young adults is associated with elevated plasma interleukin-6 and cortisol levels: physiologic and therapeutic implications. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 May;88(5):2087-95. doi: 10.1210/jc.2002-021176. PMID: 12727959.
Rodríguez-Rabassa M, López P, Sánchez R, et al. Inflammatory Biomarkers, Microbiome, Depression, and Executive Dysfunction in Alcohol Users. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jan 21;17(3):689. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17030689. PMID: 31973090.
Zimmermann P, Curtis N. Factors That Influence the Immune Response to Vaccination. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2019 Mar 13;32(2):e00084-18. doi: 10.1128/CMR.00084-18. PMID: 30867162.
Woods JA, Keylock KT, Lowder T, et al. Cardiovascular exercise training extends influenza vaccine seroprotection in sedentary older adults: the immune function intervention trial. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2009 Dec;57(12):2183-91. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02563.x. PMID: 20121985.
Udomkarnjananun S, Takkavatakarn K, Praditpornsilpa K, et al. Hepatitis B virus vaccine immune response and mortality in dialysis patients: a meta-analysis. J Nephrol. 2020 Apr;33(2):343-354. doi: 10.1007/s40620-019-00668-1. Epub 2019 Nov 7. PMID: 31701375.
Opri R, Veneri D, Mengoli C, Zanoni G. Immune response to Hepatitis B vaccine in patients with celiac disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2015;11(12):2800-5. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2015.1069448. Epub 2015 Sep 17. PMID: 26378476.