Friday 26 June 2015

Diet and lifestyle changes for healthy kidneys



Lifestyle changes:
  • Normal blood pressure = less work for the kidneys.
  • Normal blood glucose = health cardiovascular system = healthy kidneys.
  • Normal blood cholesterol = less work for the kidneys.
  • Physical activity = good blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels = healthy kidneys.
  • Normal weight = less work for the kidneys.
  • No smoking = healthy cardiovascular system = healthy kidneys.
Nutrition guidelines:
  • Less salt and sodium = normal blood pressure = less work for the kidneys.
  • Less protein foods = less work for the kidneys.
    • Animal-protein Foods:
      • Chicken
      • Fish
      • Meat
      • Eggs
      • Dairy
    • Plant-protein Foods:
      • Beans
      • Nuts
      • Grains
  • Less phosphorus = less work for the kidneys.
    • Foods Lower in Phosphorus:
      • Fresh fruits and vegetables
      • Breads, pasta, rice
      • Rice milk (not enriched)
      • Corn and rice cereals
    • Foods Higher in Phosphorus:
      • Meat, poultry, fish
      • Bran cereals and oatmeal
      • Dairy foods
      • Beans, lentils, nuts
      • Colas
  • Good potassium = less work for the kidneys.
    • Foods Higher in Potassium
      • Oranges, bananas
      • Potatoes, tomatoes
      • Brown and wild rice
      • Bran cereals
      • Dairy foods
      • Whole wheat bread and pasta
      • Beans and nuts
    • Foods Lower in Potassium:
      • Apples, peaches
      • Carrots, green beans
      • White bread and pasta
      • White rice
      • Rice milk
      • Cooked rice and wheat cereals, grits
  • Right amount of water = less work for your kidneys.
    • Do not drink more or less than you normally do - listen to your body.
  • Healthy heart = less work for your kidneys.
    • Grill, broil, bake, roast, or stir-fry foods, instead of deep frying.
    • Cook with olive oil instead of butter.
    • Trim fat from meat and remove skin from poultry before eating.
    • Heart-healthy Foods:
      • Lean cuts of meat, like loin or round
      • Poultry without the skin
      • Fish
      • Beans
      • Vegetables
      • Fruits
      • Low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese
  • Less alcohol = healthier kidneys.

Thursday 4 June 2015

Universal lifestyle behaviors that promote longevity




Buettner talks about universal lifestyle behaviors that promote longevity, why they're so hard to adopt in the U.S., and how one town undertook its own Blue Zone experiment, to great effect.

Are you also interested in taking the True Happiness Test? Or the Vitality Test?

Thursday 28 May 2015

Effects of abdominal binding on field-based exercise responses in Paralympic athletes with cervical spinal cord injury





Effects of abdominal binding on field-based exercise responses in Paralympic athletes with cervical spinal cord injury.

Christopher R. West, Ian G. Campbell, Victoria L. Goosey-Tolfrey, Barry S. Mason, Lee M. Romer

Abstract

Abdominal binding has been shown to improve resting cardiorespiratory function in individuals with
cervical SCI, but it is not yet clear whether this approach improves the exercise response.

Objectives: To determine the effects of abdominal binding on parameters relating to wheelchair sports performance in highly-trained athletes with cervical SCI.

Design: Repeated-measures field-based study.

Methods: Ten Paralympic wheelchair rugby players with motor-complete SCI (C5–C7) completed a series of exercise tests in two conditions (bound and unbound). The following parameters were assessed: agility and acceleration/deceleration performance; cardiorespiratory function and gross efficiency during submaximal wheelchair propulsion; anaerobic performance and propulsion kinematics during a 30s Wingate test; repeated sprint performance during a 10 × 20 m test; and aerobic performance during a repeated 4 min push test.

Results: Compared to unbound, 6 of 17 field-based performance measures changed significantly with binding. Time to complete the acceleration/deceleration test decreased (p = 0.005), whereas distances covered during the repeated 4 min push test increased (p < 0.043). Binding elicited significant reductions in minute ventilation during submaximal wheelchair propulsion (p = 0.040) as well as blood lactate accumulation and limb discomfort during the second set of the repeated 4 min push test (p = 0.012 and 0.022). There were no statistically significant effects of binding on any other variable.

Conclusions: Abdominal binding improves some important measures of field-based performance in highly-trained athletes with cervical SCI. The changes may be attributable, at least in part, to improvements in trunk stability, ventilatory efficiency and/or haemodynamics.

Wednesday 27 May 2015

Obesity and the role of adipose tissue in inflammation and metabolism



Obesity and the role of adipose tissue in inflammation and metabolism

Andrew S Greenberg and Martin S Obin

Abstract

Recent discoveries, notably of the hormones leptin and adiponectin, have revised the notion that adipocytes are simply a storage depot for body energy. Instead, adipocytes are also endocrine organs, with multiple metabolic roles in regulating whole-body physiology. Small adipocytes in lean individuals promote metabolic homeostasis; the enlarged adipocytes of obese individuals recruit macrophages and promote inflammation and the release of a range of factors that predispose toward insulin resistance. Exercise activates the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in muscle and other tissues, a pathway that increases fat oxidation and glucose transport. Importantly, the adipocyte hormones leptin and adiponectin also activate AMPK; remarkably, the same pathway is activated by certain antidiabetic agents such as thiazolidinediones. Increasingly, our understanding of the adipocyte as an endocrine organ is leading to new insights into obesity and health.

Tuesday 26 May 2015

Dietary patterns in relation to quality-adjusted life years



Dietary patterns in relation to quality-adjusted life years in the EPIC-NL cohort

Heidi P. Fransen, Joline W.J. Beulens, Anne M. May, Ellen A. Struijk, Jolanda M.A. Boer, G. Ardine de Wit, N. Charlotte Onland-Moret, Yvonne T. van der Schouw, H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquit, Jeljer Hoekstr, Petra H.M. Peeters.

Abstract

Background

Dietary patterns have been associated with the incidence or mortality of individual non-communicable diseases, but their association with disease burden has received little attention.

Objective

The aim of our study was to relate dietary patterns to health expectancy using quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) as outcome parameter.

Methods

Data from the EPIC-NL study were used, a prospective cohort study of 33,066 healthy men and women aged 20-70 years at recruitment. A lifestyle questionnaire and a validated food frequency questionnaire were administered at study entry (1993-1997). Five dietary patterns were studied three a priori patterns (the modified Mediterranean Diet Score (mMDS), the WHO-based Healthy Diet Indicator (HDI) and the Dutch Healthy Diet index (DHD-index)) and two a posteriori data-based patterns. QALYs were used as a summary health measure for healthy life expectancy, combining a person’s life expectancy with a weight reflecting loss of quality of life associated with having chronic diseases.

Results

The mean QALYs of the participants were 74.9 (standard deviation 4.4). A higher mMDS and HDI were associated with a longer life in good health. Participants who had a high mMDS score (6-9) had 0.17 [95% CI 0.05;0.30] more QALYs than participants with a low score (0-3), equivalent to a two months longer life in good health. Participants with a high HDI score also had more QALYs (0.15 [95% CI 0.03; 0.27]) than participants with a low HDI score.

Conclusion

A Mediterranean-type diet and the Healthy Diet Indicator were associated with approximately 2 months longer life in good health.