Tai Chi And CBT Decrease Inflammation

Poor sleep has been linked to increased inflammation. Inflammation is known to cause or exacerbate musculoskeletal disorders as well as more serious diseases such as heart disease, stroke and cancer. Irwin and his colleagues conducted a randomised controlled trial looking into the effects of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and Tai Chi on the inflammatory markers of subjects with insomnia. The participants were offered 2 hour weekly sessions for 4 months.

CBT was found to reduce systemic inflammation whereas Tai Chi reduced cellular inflammatory responses. Both interventions reduced the expression of genes encoding proinflammatory mediators.

High Cholesterol Linked To Tendon Problems

A group of Australian researchers have conducted a systematic review of literature to find articles that looked at the relationship between fat levels in blood and tendon pathology and/or pain. Their results were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. They found that people with altered tendon structure or tendon pain had significantly higher total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (“bad cholesterol”) and triglycerides, as well as lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (“good cholesterol”).

The researchers conclude that although a relationship exists between an individual’s lipid profile and tendon health, further longitudinal studies are required to determine whether it is a cause and effect relationship.

Interestingly, the results of the China Study, one of the most comprehensive studies of nutrition ever conducted, found that one of the best predictors of diseases of affluence (heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc.) was blood cholesterol.

Positive Emotions Improve Health-Related Behaviours

Positive psychological states have been linked to better health and longevity. It’s believed to be partly due to the effect of positive emotions and moods on behaviour. Nancy Sin and her colleagues from the university of Penn State evaluated 5-year associations between positive affect and health behaviours in patients with coronary heart disease.

At baseline, they found that subjects with higher positive emotions and moods tended to have better health behaviours such as: physical activity, sleep quality, non-smoking and medication compliance. However, the baseline measurements of positive affect were not predictive of health behaviours at follow-up. Instead, it was increases in positive affect over the 5 years that were linked to improved physical activity, sleep quality and medication compliance.

The authors conclude that “efforts to sustain or enhance positive affect may be promising for promoting better health behaviours”. Although this may be easier said than done, positive psychology does offer methods and techniques to help achieve this aim.

Bedtime Affects Weight

A group of researchers from Berkeley and Columbia University looked at the relationship between bedtime and weight gain in young people. Their findings have been published in the journal Sleep. They followed over 3000 adolescents between 1994 and 2009. They found that a later bedtime during the workweek was associated with an increase in body mass index (BMI) over time. Even after controlling for sleep duration, screen time and exercise, the relationship was not attenuated. However, fast-food consumption was recognized as a mediator of the relationship. To summarise, if we want to keep off excess pounds we should get to bed earlier and obviously keep away from fast food!

Yoga Helps People With Arthritis

A group of researchers from McGill University looked at the effects of yoga on people with arthritis. Their findings were published in The Journal of Rheumatology. 75 sedentary adults with either rheumatoid arthritis or knee osteoarthritis and with a mean age of 52 years were randomly assigned to a yoga group or a waiting list. The yoga group took part in two 60 min classes and one home practice each week for 8 weeks duration. Yoga poses were modified to suit individual requirements.

Significant improvements were noted in physical, pain, general health, vitality, and mental health scales with most benefits still evident 9 months later. The researchers conclude that this new evidence suggests yoga may help sedentary individuals with arthritis safely increase physical activity, and improve physical and psychological health.

Why Do Statins Sometimes Cause Muscle Problems?

Statins are widely used to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Like a lot of drugs, statins come with some side effects. Myopathy, in the form of muscle weakness, pain and cramps is one of the most important adverse effects. A group of researchers from Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands may have found out why statins can sometimes cause muscle problems. Their findings are published in this month’s issue of Cell Metabolism.

They found that statins can significantly inhibit mitochondrial (complex III) activity. This effect is primarily from statin lactones rather than the acid forms. These findings could lead to new classes of cholesterol-lowering drugs without the unwanted muscle effects.

Tomatos May Trigger Gout Fare-Ups

Apparently tomatoes are the 4th most mentioned trigger for gout flare-ups after seafood, alcohol and red meat. This is according to a group of researchers from the University of Otago in New Zealand. They have published a new paper in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders that may have found a biological basis to substantiate the claim. The study revealed a positive association between the consumption of tomatoes and blood urate levels.

Acupuncture Decreases High Blood Pressure

A recent study published in Medical Acupuncture has shown that electroacupuncture can significantly reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive subjects. After the treatment, plasma levels of norepinephrine, renin and aldosterone were all significantly decreased and this is thought to be related to the beneficial effects of the electroacupuncture.

Tips For Weight Loss

Last month a group of researchers from Tufts University published a fascinating article in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Their objective was to determine how changes in intake of protein foods, glycemic load (GL) of carbohydrates, and the interrelationship between the two influence long-term weight gains.  The GL of food is a number that estimates how much the food will raise a person’s blood glucose level after eating it. Glycemic load accounts for how much carbohydrate is in the food and how much each gram of carbohydrate in the food raises blood glucose levels.

They followed a group of over 120,000 men and women for 16 to 24 years whilst adjusting for body mass index and lifestyle changes such as smoking, physical activity, television watching and sleep duration.

Protein

• Meat, chicken (with skin) and regular cheese were positively associated with long-term weight gain
• No association for milk, legumes, peanuts, eggs
• Yogurt, peanut butter, nuts, chicken (without skin), low-fat cheese and seafood were associated with weight loss

Glycemic Load

• Increases in GL were associated with weight gain

Protein & Glycemic Load Synergy

• Changes in GL of carbohydrates affect the usual weight changing effects of protein foods; for example, increased cheese intake was associated with weight gain when GL increased, with weight stability when GL did not change, and with weight loss when GL decreased.

“Our study adds to growing new research that counting calories is not the most effective strategy for long-term weight management and prevention,” said senior author Dariush Mozaffarian. “Some foods help prevent weight gain, others make it worse.  Most interestingly, the combination of foods seems to make a big difference.  Our findings suggest we should not only emphasize specific protein-rich foods like fish, nuts, and yogurt to prevent weight gain, but also focus on avoiding refined grains, starches, and sugars in order to maximize the benefits of these healthful protein-rich foods, create new benefits for other foods like eggs and cheese, and reduce the weight gain associated with meats.”

Paracetamol Ineffective For Back Pain And Osteoarthritis

Most of us have us have used paracetamol at some point in our lives, whether to bring down a fever, for a headache, joint pain or some other painful condition. In fact, if we have a look in our medicine cabinets we’ll probably find a box…or two! Machado et al. from George Institute for Global Health at the University of Sydney recently reviewed the scientific literature with the aim of investigating the efficacy and safety of paracetamol (acetaminophen) in the management of spinal pain and osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. They included 13 randomised controlled trials in their review and the results were published in the BMJ.

They found that for low back pain, paracetamol was ineffective at reducing pain or disability and at improving quality of life. It’s important to point out that by “ineffective”, they mean that paracetamol did not provide more benefit than a placebo. For hip and knee osteoarthritis they found that there was a significant, although not clinically important, effect on pain and disability in the short term. Adverse events were not more likely with paracetamol than placebo but patients taking paracetamol are 4 times more likely to have abnormal results on liver function tests.

Although the clinical importance of the last finding is uncertain, paracetamol has been linked to increasing incidence of mortality, increased risk of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and renal disease. This study has prompted the BMJ to release an editorial discussing the use of paracetamol for back pain and osteoarthritis. One of the problems for GPs is that the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends paracetamol as the first port of call for low back pain and arthritis. Taking this option away leaves NSAIDS and opioids which both present even more health risks… Non-pharmalogical options should be pursued and developed i.e. physical activity and exercise, weight loss, nutritional supplements and physiotherapy of course!