NYT: New Ebola Vaccine Gives 100 Percent Protection 

Posted on December 24, 2016 | Comments Off on NYT: New Ebola Vaccine Gives 100 Percent Protection 

I don’t know anyone who went into medicine or nursing seriously considering that their job might kill them. So this Ebola vaccine is good news:

“In a scientific triumph that will change the way the world fights a terrifying killer, an experimental Ebola vaccine tested on humans in the waning days of the West African epidemic has been shown to provide 100 percent protection against the lethal disease.

The vaccine has not yet been approved by any regulatory authority, but it is considered so effective that an emergency stockpile of 300,000 doses has already been created for use should an outbreak flare up again.”

RTWT.

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Seafood Farmed in China is Tainted with Antibiotics and Bacteria

Posted on December 24, 2016 | Comments Off on Seafood Farmed in China is Tainted with Antibiotics and Bacteria

The problem isn’t the antibiotics per se, but that fact that over-use of antibiotics lead to “super-bugs” (bacteria) that are hard to kill with standard antibiotics in the Western world.

Most of the smoked oyster tins I find in supermarkets in southern Arizona are from China. Now I wonder where the shrimp are from.

From PJMedia.com:

“Imported farm-raised seafood from China is tainted with antibiotics and often salmonella, U.S. regulators say, and the tainted fish is making its way to American tables.

The problem is, Asian fish farmers often supplement their fish feed with feces from pigs and geese, which contain harmful bacteria and antibiotics that have a direct impact on the seafood we eat. According to the latest research, up to 90 percent of the antibiotics administered to pigs pass through their urine and feces.

The U.S. Department of Commerce slapped a 112 percent tariff on Chinese shrimp, effective 2005, but unfortunately, Chinese suppliers have found ways to get around that.”

Source: Seafood Farmed in Asia is Tainted with Antibiotics

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Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 22, 2016 | Comments Off on Merry Christmas!
Stained glass window created by F. Zettler (1878-1911) at the German Church (St. Gertrude's church) in Gamla Stan in Stockholm, depicting a Nativity Scene. This window was created more than 100 years ago, no property release is required.christmas

Stained glass window created by F. Zettler (1878-1911) at the German Church (St. Gertrude’s church) in Gamla Stan in Stockholm, depicting a Nativity Scene. This window was created more than 100 years ago.

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Is It Time You Got a Pressure Cooker?

Posted on December 22, 2016 | Comments Off on Is It Time You Got a Pressure Cooker?
Vegetarian Fried Rice with bits of cabbage, carrot, celery, and (?) cilantro.

Vegetarian Fried Rice with bits of cabbage, carrot, celery, and (?) cilantro.

Judging from the bloggers I follow, pressure cookers started making a comeback within the last couple years. I remember my mother decades ago occasionally using one, for what, I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about a pressure cooker myself recently as I learn more about Indian cooking.

As you may know, many Indians are vegetarians. The eat lots of legumes, as do non-veg Indians, as an important source of protein. If you cook dried beans, it normally takes hours unless you get them from a can, pre-cooked. A pressure cooker reduces cooking time to 40 minutes.

Dr. Travis Saunders recently wrote about his pressure cooker, which was inspired by Dr. Stephan Guyenet. Travis wrote:

For those who are unfamiliar with pressure cookers, they’re a bit like slow cookers. The difference is that they seal in pressure (this is why the old fashioned ones sometimes exploded when left unattended), so they can cook food much faster than a regular stove or slow cooker. So things that would normally cook all day, can be cooked in under an hour.

Travis uses his to make yogurt and soup. It also cooks rice. 

I’m gonna get one.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Soft Drinks, Even Artificially-Flavored Ones, Increase Risk of T2 Diabetes and LADA

Posted on December 18, 2016 | Comments Off on Soft Drinks, Even Artificially-Flavored Ones, Increase Risk of T2 Diabetes and LADA
I enjoy an aspartame-flavored Fresca now and then

I enjoy an aspartame-flavored Fresca now and then

LADA is latent autoimmune diabetes in adults.

This new study is out of Sweden. The potential disease-inducing soft drink dose was 400 ml or 13.5 fl oz per day. In the U.S., a typical soda can is 10 fl oz or 355 ml. Surprisingly, artificially-sweetened soft drinks were just as guilty as regular beverages.

From MNT:

“The study included 2,874 Swedish adults, of whom 1,136 had type 2 diabetes, 357 had LADA, and 1,137 were healthy controls.

The team analyzed the self-reported dietary data of each adult, looking specifically at the number of soft drinks consumed up to 1 year before a diabetes diagnosis. Participants’ insulin resistance levels, beta cell function, and autoimmune response were also measured.

The researchers found that adults who reported drinking at least two 200-milliliter servings of soft drinks a day – whether they contained sugar or artificial sweetener – were twice as likely to develop LADA and 2.4 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, compared with those who consumed fewer than two soft drinks daily.

What is more, adults who consumed five 200-milliliter servings of soft drinks daily were found to be at 3.5 times greater risk of LADA and 10.5 times greater risk of type 2 diabetes, regardless of whether the drinks were sugary or artificially sweetened.”

Source: Diabetes risk doubles with more than two soft drinks daily – Medical News Today

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How Much Exercise Does It Take to Prevent Diabetes?

Posted on December 11, 2016 | Comments Off on How Much Exercise Does It Take to Prevent Diabetes?
Hop on and ride, ride, ride to prevent diabetes

Hop on and ride, ride, ride to prevent diabetes

Even if you have type 2 diabetes already, share this post with someone who has prediabetes or risk of getting T2 diabetes. You could save a life and prevent a lot of hassle.

From MNT:

A new study, published this week in the journal Diabetologia, takes a deeper look at the role of exercise in the development of type 2 diabetes. It is the most in-depth study to examine exercise independent from other influential factors, such as diet. The conclusions from the report are clear: “This research shows that some physical activity is good, but more is better.” (says study co-author Dr. Soren Brage)

Currently, physical activity guidelines in the U.S. and the United Kingdom recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week; this could include cycling, walking, or sports. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fewer than 50 percent of American adults meet these recommendations.

The current study was a result of collaborative work between two institutions – University College London and the University of Cambridge, both of which are based in the U.K. Data from more than 1 million people was collated. In all, the team analyzed 23 studies from the U.S., Asia, Australia, and Europe.

***

According to the analysis, cycling or walking briskly for 150 minutes each week cuts the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 26 percent.

Those who exercise moderately or vigorously for an hour each day reduced their risk by 40 percent. At the other end of the scale, for those who did not manage to reach the 150 minute target, any amount of physical activity they carried out still reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes, but to a lesser extent.

Source: Exercise vs. diabetes: New level of detail uncovered – Medical News Today

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: If you want to start an exercise program, my books will get you started.

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P.D. Mangan’s Science-Based Weight Training 

Posted on December 9, 2016 | Comments Off on P.D. Mangan’s Science-Based Weight Training 
No evidence of anabolic steroids here. Primarily estrogen.

She won’t be at your home gym

I am a huge advocate of weight training (aka resistance or strength training).

Folks new to weight training, or simply thinking about starting a program, are often intimidated by the jargon and contradictory information available. P.D. Mangan clears up a lot of the confusion in a brief article.

I quote:

“Misconceptions and wrong ideas abound in weight training, probably because so many enthusiastic amateurs are involved in it. In this article, I’ll try to clear up some of the misconceptions with a look at at science-based weight training.

In recent articles, we saw that brief workouts, at 15 minutes, done infrequently, at twice a week, can produce significant strength gains. We saw that compound lifts, not isolation lifts, are the most effective strength exercises, and are essential for the serious strength trainer. And we saw that hard weight lifting causes muscle damage, which necessitates recovery time.

Here I’ll focus on what science has to say about additional aspects of weight lifting (resistance training). These come from “Evidence-Based Resistance Training Recommendations” by Fisher et al.”

Source: Science-Based Weight Training – Rogue Health and Fitness

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Have We Reached Maximum Lifespan?

Posted on December 3, 2016 | Comments Off on Have We Reached Maximum Lifespan?
dementia, memory loss, Mediterranean diet, low-carb diet, glycemic index, dementia memory loss

“I don’t want to live that long if I’m disabled and a burden to others.”

Read the MNT article for details:

“Research, published this week in Nature, argues that humans have already achieved their maximum possible lifespan. The investigators believe that the oldest people on record have hit the ceiling of longevity.

New research challenges the notion that lifespan will increase indefinitely.

Alongside improvements in healthcare and diet, the human lifespan has steadily increased.

From 1900-2016, average life expectancy has gradually risen. Today, babies born in the United States can expect to live to 79. In 1900, it was just 47.

Since the 1970s, the age of the oldest people on earth has also risen. However, researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY, believe that we have now touched the upper limits of maximum age.”

Source: Have humans reached the maximum lifespan? – Medical News Today

Action Plan: Eat the Mediterranean diet to maximize your lifespan. Lose weight with this one.

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From Larry Husten: Saturated Fats Linked To Heart Disease Once Again

Posted on November 28, 2016 | Comments Off on From Larry Husten: Saturated Fats Linked To Heart Disease Once Again

“A prominent group of nutrition researchers have once again linked saturated fats to increased coronary heart disease.

The new paper, published in BMJ, is the third paper in the past year to decry saturated fats. Along with the previous two papers, published in JACC and JAMA Internal Medicine, the BMJ paper uses data from two large observational studies to support the widely held view that high intake of saturated fat should be replaced with unsaturated fats, complex carbohydrates, or plant-based proteins. The senior author of all three papers is Frank Hu, the Harvard University nutrition researcher who has been a leading figure in the prosecution of saturated fats.

But some critics, including a BMJ editorialist, continue to raise concerns that observational data like this is not capable of demonstrating the negative effect of saturated fats. The new paper also raises additional concerns about the role of co-authors who work in the food industry.’

Source: Saturated Fats Linked To Heart Disease Once Again

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Posted in Coronary Heart Disease, Diet-Heart Hypothesis

U.S. Lifespans Decreasing :(

Posted on November 17, 2016 | Comments Off on U.S. Lifespans Decreasing :(

“The latest, best guesses for U.S. lifespans come from a study (PDF) released this month by the Society of Actuaries: The average 65-year-old American man should die a few months short of his 86th birthday, while the average 65-year-old woman gets an additional two years, barely missing age 88.

This new data turns out to be a disappointment. Over the past several years, the health of Americans has deteriorated—particularly that of middle-aged non-Hispanic whites. Among the culprits are drug overdoses, suicide, alcohol poisoning, and liver disease, according to a Princeton University study issued in December.

Partly as a result, the life expectancy for 65-year-olds is now six months shorter than in last year’s actuarial study. Longevity for younger Americans was also affected: A 25-year-old woman last year had a 50/50 chance of reaching age 90. This year, she is projected to fall about six months short. (The average 25-year-old man is expected to live to 86 years and 11 months, down from 87 years and 8 months in last year’s estimates.) Baby boomers, Generation X, and yes, millennials, are all doing worse.”

Source: Americans Are Dying Faster. Millennials, Too – Bloomberg

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Posted in Longevity