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| Some seriously useful medical findings flew under the radar in 2009. Here, new ways to make your waist smaller, your heart stronger and your mind sharper EXERCISE CUTS HOT FLASHE Have you ever wondered why your hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms seem to have been going on forever, even though the conventional wisdom says they should have disappeared after two years? Turns out the conventional wisdom is wrong, according to the first studies to follow a group of women for as long as their symptoms lasted. The researchers found that, on average, menopause-related annoyances persist over five years—and some women endure them for a decade or more. The good news is that you may have some control over the duration: “In our research, women who exercised four to six times a week had menopause symptoms for less time,” says Nananda Col, MD, director of the Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, at Maine Medical Center Research Institute, in Portland. Use the news You’ll need to work out four or more times a week to attain the symptom-reducing benefits found in this study. The researchers didn’t look into exercise intensity, but as a general health guideline the American Heart Association recommends moving at a speed that allows you to talk but not sing. FEND OFF ALLERGIES BY EATING LEAFY GREENS Because most cereals and breads are fortified with folic acid (vitamin B9), few Americans are deficient in the vitamin. But a study of 8,000 people suggests that having higher blood levels of this micronutrient may decrease your risk of wheezing and allergies. What’s the connection? “Folic acid plays a role in silencing, or turning off, some genes, including those of the immune system,” explains study author Elizabeth Matsui, MD, of Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, in Baltimore. STATINS PREVENT HEART ATTACKS IN WOMEN Studies had confirmed that cholesterol-lowering drugs are effective for men without known heart disease—but until the blockbuster Jupiter trial, concluded this year, the results for women had not been reliably demonstrated. Jupiter was the first large-scale cardiovascular risk study of initially healthy individuals to include enough women that conclusions could be drawn. It confirmed that statins, a widely prescribed class of drugs that includes Crestor, really do pre-vent first heart attacks in women. “Prior studies [of this kind] were conducted almost exclusively with men,” says study co-author Paul M. Ridker, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. In the trial, which included almost 7,000 postmenopausal women with normal or low cholesterol levels, those with high amounts of the inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP) who took a daily statin slashed their risk of heart attack and stroke in half. Use the news For all women, diet, exercise and statins (if necessary) are important ways to control high cholesterol, says New York City cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, MD. If you’re at or near 60—the age when women’s heart disease rate leaps to the same level as men’s—and have normal cholesterol but high CRP (as determined by a simple blood test), Goldberg recommends talking to your doctor about whether statins are right for you. If you’ve had your CRP and cholesterol numbers checked, you can gauge your 10-year heart attack risk online at reynoldsriskscore.org. Want to eat heart-healthy? Try our recipes. DON’T SWEAT YOUR DIETING PAST (OR FUTURE) Losing 10 or 20 pounds on three separate occasions over the years (and presumably gaining it back in between) doesn’t seriously damage your health, says a Harvard study of 45,000 midlife and older women (part of the Nurse’s Health Study). Despite earlier fears that yo-yo dieting might be harmful, death rates were no worse for the weight-cyclers in the project, says Alison Field, ScD, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. Use the news If you’ve gained and lost (and gained and lost . . . ), don’t avoid dieting because you’re afraid that weight-cycling could damage your body. Overweight people always benefit from dropping pounds. PROBIOTICS HELP CONQUER TOUGH VAGINAL INFECTIONS The vaginal infection known as bacterial vaginosis (BV) is com-mon, but getting rid of it isn’t always easy. Frequently used antibiotics such as Flagyl typically have BV cure rates of 70to 80 percent, according to a study in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Researchers learned that success rates go up when the drugs are taken along with Lactobacillus, a probiotic bacteria. Found naturally in the vagina, Lactobacillus boosts acidity, which helps tamp down bacterial invaders; increasing your level by taking it in supplement form gives antibiotics a boost in fighting bacterial vaginosis. Use the news When you’re prescribed an antibiotic, buy probiotics to take with it (they’re available in health food stores or at amazon.com). Because probiotics contain living organisms, make sure you store the packages according to the manufacturer’s directions (some brands need to be refrigerated). EAT BURGERS WITHOUT FEAR OF GETTING BREAST CANCER Over the past two decades, studies have suggested that eating some red meat might cause breast cancer. The theory was that cooking meat at very high temperatures (by, say, grilling or barbecuing) created compounds that could bind to and damage your breast cells’ DNA. But when researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in New York City, examined the diets of more than 120,000 postmenopausal women over eight years, they found that eating red meat did not correlate with developing breast cancer, even among big-time carnivores. A large European study that included premenopausal women found similar results to the American study. Use the news Go ahead and enjoy that burger or steak. Still, because the saturated fat in red meat is bad for your heart, limit yourself to a few three-ounce portions a week. GET A TWO-FOR-ONE HEALTH BOOST Work on lowering your blood glucose level and you’ll not only reduce your risk of developing diabetes, you’ll also lower your odds of experiencing heart trouble. In a George Washington University study that followed more than 3,000 prediabetic men and women, those whose blood sugar level continued to rise over three years were more likely to develop hypertension and high triglycerides, both heart disease risk factors, as well as diabetes. But people who made blood sugar–lowering changes in their lifestyle avoided not only diabetes but also the heart-harming problems too. Use the news Protect your heart and health by losing weight, bumping up your exercise routine and eating low-fat, low-calorie fare. BITE-SIZE PORTIONS HELP YOU EAT LESS In a European study, when 22 people were given chocolate custard in spoonfuls of different sizes, they ate a lot less when the bites were smaller. “One thing that makes people feel full is the sensory exposure—the tex-ture, aroma and taste of a meal. When you eat smaller bites, you increase the sensory pleasure while eating less food overall,” explains study coauthor Rene de Wijk, PhD, of Wageningen University Research Center, in the Netherlands. Use the news Cut solid foods into smaller mouthfuls, use a teaspoon instead of a tablespoon for ice cream, and take little sips of soda rather than using a straw. “The food is just as satisfying, but you’ll consume fewer calories,” de Wijk says. THINK FASTER ON YOUR FEET Reasoning that when you’re backing away from a danger or difficulty, your mind goes on heightened alert, Dutch researchers asked 38 people to complete mental tasks after taking a few steps either backward, forward or sideways. The direction mattered when the task was challenging: Answer times were quickest when people had walked backward. “Because of the mental link between the backward movement and a vigilant state of mind, stepping backward seems to enhance cognitive functioning even in the ab-sence of actual danger,” explains study coauthor Severine Koch, PhD, of Radboud University Nijmegen, in the Netherlands. Use the news When you’re trying to solve a tough business problem, try pacing backward (perhaps after closing your office door). Want to feel smarter? Read MORE's interview with memory expert (and PBS star) John Medina. MILK AT BREAKFAST CUTS YOUR APPETITE FOR LUNCH An Australian study provided 34 people with breakfasts that included milk one day and a fruit drink another. When they drank skim milk, the subjects consumed 50 fewer calories at lunch than when they had a fruit drink. Milk drinkers also reported feeling less hungry between the two meals. Study author Emma Dove, PhD, a research associate at Australia’s Royal Perth Hospital, theorizes that the milk’s higher protein content, and maybe its thickness, are responsible for curbing appetite. Use the news You’re just an occasional milk drinker? Work out a breakfast menu that includes skim milk in your first meal every day. Skim milk is an anti-aging superfood. Read about 26 more. IF YOU’RE ENDING HORMONE THERAPY, DON’T GO COLD TURKEY After the Women’s Health Initiative study in 2002 made it appear that hormone therapy might increase the risk of breast cancer, many women decided to stop the treatment. Sally Haskell, MD, associate professor of medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine, found that women who ended therapy by tapering suffered fewer post-pill menopause symptoms than those who quit abruptly. “We believe tapering allows for a more gradual adjustment to the estrogen deficiency,” Haskell explains. Use the news When you’re ready to hang up your hormones, talk to your doctor about slowly reducing the dosage. (Haskell’s study didn’t identify the ideal timetable.) Why is everyone down on hormone therapy? See what the controversy is about. LOSE WEIGHT TO STAY SHARP Turns out that there’s at least one concrete thing you can do to protect yourself against dementia when you get older: Maintain a healthy weight. A Swedish study that followed more than 1,000 people for decades discovered that people who are overweight in mid-life (a BMI over 26.5 in this study) are a whopping 59 percent more likely to develop dementia later on. Although the researchers aren’t sure why the extra load is so dangerous, they speculate that additional fat makes you prone to conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and stroke, which can all affect your brain function. |
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