Therapist Unlimited Blog

Those persons who wish to avoid depression when they reach middle age better start eating healthy diet now.
A recent study from the United Kingdom has shown that eating healthy foods such as  high proportion of fruits, vegetables and fish, protects middle aged people against depression compared to a processed food diet containing a high proportion of high fat dairy
food, processed meat, fried food, refined grains and sugar-laden desserts.
The research was made possible through the effort of researchers from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London (UCL), UK and the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), and University of Montpellier, France.
Based on their study, the researchers revealed that much research on diet and depression tends to focus on individual nutrients so they thought they would look at links between overall dietary patterns and depression.
To get the data, the researchers looked at 3,486 participants of average age 57 years (nearly three quarters were men) who were part of the Whitehall II study.
The Whitehall II study was created by co-author and UCL Professor Sir Michael Marmot to investigate links between disease and social class, psychosocial factors and life style. It began by looking at the health of working people, and is now also looking to answer questions about how previous and current circumstances affect health and quality of life in an ageing group of participants.
The data allowed the researchers to identify two dietary patters: a whole food diet and a processed food diet. The whole food diet comprised mainly fresh fruits and vegetables and fish, while the processed diet comprised mainly sweetened desserts, fried foods, high fat
dairy foods, processed meat and refined grains.
To assess depression, the researchers used self-reported data that had been gathered five years after the dietary data using the CES-D scale. CES-D, short for Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, is a commonly used self-report questionnaire for assessing depression.
It asks a series of multiple choice questions about how the participant has been feeling over the past week, covering topics such as concentration, loss of appetite, worry, how well they have been able to shake off depressive moods, quality of sleep, feelings of
loneliness, self-worth, energy levels, and so on.

 

 

 

To avoid depression in middle age it is time to engage in a healthy diet now.

 

 

 

When they analysed the results and ruled out potential confounders such as age, gender, education, smoking, exercise, and chronic diseases, the researchers found that:
* Participants in the top 33 per cent (top tertile) of the whole food diet pattern, ie whose diet most closely matched the whole food diet, had a 26 per cent lower risk of receiving a CES-D depression assessment five years later (odds ratio 0.74, with 95 per cent probability of this being in the range 0.56 to 0.99) compared to the bottom 33 per cent (bottom tertile), ie whose diet least closely matched the whole food diet.
* In contrast, participants whose diet was high in processed foods had a 58 per cent higher risk of receiving a CES-D depression rating five years later.
The researchers concluded that:
"In middle-aged participants, a processed food dietary pattern is a risk factor for CES-D depression 5 years later, whereas a whole food pattern is protective."
According to BBC News, co-author Dr Archana Singh-Manoux, who works at UCL and INSERM, suggested there was a possibility that the finding could be explained by a lifestyle factor they had not accounted for.
In other words the study does not prove that a processed food diet causes depression: it could be that people destined to become depressed become inclined to eat more processed foods, that there is a yet undiscovered factor behind both.
However, when results as strong as these emerge, and a consistent pattern linking diet and depression is found by several studies, it would tend to suggest that a healthy diet does protect against mental ill health.
The Chief Executive of the UK-based Mental Health Foundation, Dr Andrew McCulloch told the BBC that:
"This study adds to an existing body of solid research that shows the strong links between what we eat and our mental health."
He said major studies like this were crucial in helping us understand more about how diet contributes to mental illness. He said people in the UK were increasingly adopting unhealthy diets, and eating less nutritious and fresh food and more saturated fats and sugars.

 

 

Those people who have large thighs around the world better start rejoicing now.
A recent research has shown that individuals whose thighs are wider than 60cm have a lesser risk of premature death and heart disease.
Lead author, Professor Berit Heitmann, based at Copenhagen University Hospital, says the research may help GPs identify patients who are at an increased risk of early death and developing heart disease.
Heitmann revealed while several studies have already demonstrated that being either very overweight or underweight are related to premature death and disease, this is the first to investigate the implications of thigh size on health.
Almost 3000 individuals took part in the study in Denmark this included 1463 men and 1380 women.
Participants were examined in 1987/88 for height, weight, thigh, hip and waist circumference and body composition.
They were then followed up for 10 years for incidence of heart disease and 12.5 years for total number of deaths.
 

 

 

 

Those who have large thighs have lesser chance of suffering from heart disease and experiencing early death.
 

 

 

During the follow-up period 257 men and 155 women died, also 263 men and 140 women experienced cardiovascular disease and 103 men and 34 women suffered from heart disease.
When assessing the results, the authors found that the survivors had higher fat-free thigh circumference levels.
The relationship between thigh size and early death and disease was found after taking body fat and other high risk factors (such as smoking and high cholesterol) into account.
The researchers therefore suggest that the risk from narrow thighs could be associated with too little muscle mass in the region.
This is problematic because it may lead to low insulin sensitivity and type 2 diabetes and, in the long run, heart disease, they explain.
Moreover, the researchers conclude that the study "found that the risk of having small thighs was associated with development of cardiovascular morbidity and early mortality.
This increased risk was found independent of abdominal and general obesity, lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure and lipids related to early cardio vascular morbidity and
mortality".
The researchers believe that doctors could use thigh size as an early marker for at risk patients and suggest that individuals increase lower body exercise in order to increase the size of the their thighs if necessary.
Further research would be needed, however, to assess whether this approach was worthwhile.

 

A recent medical study has shown that early stage cancers of the esophagus can be treated as effectively by less-invasive,organ-sparing endoscopic therapy as compared to more complex surgical removal of the esophagus.
In a research made by Mayo Clinic it was discovered that 20 percent of esophageal cancer cases in the United States, the cancer is detected in the early stages.
Ganapathy Prasad, M.D., gastroenterologist and lead author on the study revealed that traditionally, esophageal cancer patients undergo a complicated surgery to remove the esophagus.
Prasad added their team compared surgery to the use of endoscopic therapy, where a scope is inserted in the esophagus and the cancer cells are shaved off.
He said the results showed the less-invasive therapy was just as effective as surgery for early-stage cancers.

 

 

To treat esophageal cancer minimal invasive treatment is found effective.

 

To get the data, some 178 patients with early-stage esophageal adenocarcinoma, 132 (74 percent) were treated with endoscopic mucosal resection and 46 (26 percent) were treated surgically.
The endoscopic mucosal resection patients underwent a procedure where a liquid is injected under the lesion and then an endoscope is used to shave off the lesions. The other patients underwent more traditional esophagectomy or removal of the esophagus.
In following these patients for nine years, both groups had a comparable overall mortality rate of approximately 20 percent.
Cancer recurred in 12 percent of patients treated endoscopically, but recurrence could be re-treated endoscopically.
Moreover, Prasad explains that esophagectomy surgery patients are typically in the hospital for a week, and 30 to 50 percent of patients have complications post surgery.
Prasad cited, patients whose esophagus has been removed face lifelong dietary restrictions.
Endoscopic treatments, however, are performed in an outpatient care setting, and patients can eat full meals in a couple of days.

 

According to medical experts one of the best ways to prevent kidney stones is to live on a healthy diet.
Studies have shown that partaking fruits, vegetables, nuts, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains, while limiting salt, red and processed meats, and sweetened beverages in a regular basis is an effective way to ward off kidney stones.
The experts said the findings is very significant since kidney stones are linked to higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, increased body weight, and other risk factors for heart disease, the findings have considerable health implications.
The data was taken by Eric Taylor, MD (Maine Medical Center) and his colleagues at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who all conducted a large study to determine the effects of healthy eating habits on the formation of kidney stones.
The researchers collected information from individuals enrolled in three clinical studies: the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (45,821 men followed for 18
years), the Nurses’ Health Study I (94,108 older women followed for 18 years), and the Nurses’ Health Study II (101,837 younger women followed for 14 years).

 

 

Eating lot of fruits and vegetables is a great way to avoid kidney failures.

 

 

Dr. Taylor’s team assigned a score to each participant based on eight components of a DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) style diet: high intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains and low intake of salt, sweetened beverages, and red and processed meats. Individuals with higher DASH scores consumed diets that were higher in calcium, potassium, magnesium, oxalate, and vitamin C and lower in sodium.
Some 5,645 incident kidney stones developed in the participants in the three studies.
The researchers said in each study, participants with the highest DASH scores were between 40% and 45% less likely to develop kidney stones than participants with the lowest DASH scores.
The researchers added the reductions in kidney stone risk were independent of age, body size, fluid intake, and other factors.
Because a DASH-style diet may affect the development of hypertension, diabetes, and other chronic diseases associated with kidney stones, the researchers also performed an analysis limited to study participants without hypertension or diabetes.
Even among those individuals the DASH diet reduced the risk of kidney stones.
Moreover, the researchers said since many of the medications used to treat kidney stones have unpleasant side effects adopting a DASH-style diet may be an effective alternative.

 

Researchers have recently have out that washing your hands after digging in beach sand, could greatly reduce risk of ingesting bacteria that could make you sick.
Based on their study, the researchers have determined that, although beach sand is a potential source of bacteria and viruses, hand rinsing may effectively reduce exposure to microbes that cause gastrointestinal illnesses.
Dr. Richard Whitman, the lead researcher of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study explained simply rinsing hands may help reduce risk, but a good scrubbing is the best way to avoid illness.
To get the data they are looking for, the researchers measured how many E. coli bacteria could be transferred to people’s hands when they dug in sand.
They analyzed sand from the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago.
Using past findings on illness rates, scientists found that if individuals were to ingest all of the sand and the associated biological community retained on their fingertip, 11 individuals in 1000 would develop symptoms of gastrointestinal illness.
Ingestion of all material on the entire hand would result in 33 of 1000 individuals developing gastrointestinal illness.
In a further laboratory experiment, the researcher also discovered that submerging one’s hands four times in clean water removed more than 99% of the E. coli and associated viruses from the hands.
Previous studies have shown that concentrations of E. coli bacteria in beach sand are often much higher than those in beach water.
Recent analysis of seven beaches across the nation by the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency showed that beachgoers digging in sand were more likely to develop gastrointestinal illness after a day at the beach compared to those not digging in sand.

 

 

 

To keep you free bacteria and stomach aches make it a habit to do hand washing in a regular basis.

 

The association with these illnesses was even stronger for individuals who reported being partially covered up in sand. Because children played in the sand more frequently and were more likely to get sand in their mouths, they were more likely to develop gastrointestinal illness after a day at the beach.
According to medical facts, E. coli is an indicator of recent sewage contamination and if it is present, pathogens harmful to human health are also likely present.
The origin of these bacteria is often unknown. They can persist throughout the swimming season, remaining a potential contamination source to beach visitors.
The researchers said through these studies there is a need to intensify efforts to determine sources of microbial contamination to beaches and associated risk of playing in beach sand.

 

 

To protect your lungs against any form of diseases better start eating soy products now.
A recent medical research has shown that those people who eat lots of soy products have better lung function and are less likely to develop the smoking-associated lung disease COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
The study noted that eating a wide variety of soy products could be associated with a reduction in the risk of COPD and other respiratory symptoms.
To get the data, Dr. Fumi Hirayama and Professor Andy Lee from Curtin University of Technology, Australia, worked with a team of respiratory physicians to poll 300 patients with COPD from six Japanese hospitals and 340 age-matched control subjects from the same areas as the patients talk about their soy intake.
Hirayama revealed soy consumption was found to be positively correlated with lung function and inversely associated with the risk of COPD.

 

To those people who want to get protection against lung diseases better start eating soy products now.

 

He explained flavonoids from soy foods act as an anti-inflammatory agent in the lung, and can protect against tobacco carcinogens for smokers.
Despite the relevant information they gathered on their research, he believe further research is needed to understand the underlying biological mechanism.
Based on medical facts, soy is a constituent of many Japanese foods, including tofu (soybean curd), natto (fermented soybeans), miso soup (fermented soybean paste), bean sprouts and soymilk.
It is said that soy foods also reduces cholesterol and can alleviate menopause symptoms.
The common symptoms of COPD are the progressive decline in lung function, and encompass chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Long-term cigarette smoking causes almost 90% of COPD.
Moreover, the researchers said their study only shows an association between soy intake and a reduced risk of developing the condition; the best preventive measure is still to abstain from tobacco entirely.