Too much (as little as three cups a day in one study) may cause fertility problems (women only were the subjects of this particular study).
Also, heart problems - caffeine causes a short-term increase in blood pressure, and can cause heart arrhythmias in some people.
Bone loss is a possibility due to increased calcium excretion in urine. Heavy coffee drinkers should pay attention to getting an adequate calcium supply in their diets.
Decaffeinated coffee is the choice of many who are concerned about sleep problems, but even the decaffeinated version has up to five mg of caffeine in a five ounce cupful. People with sleep or indigestion problems might be better off to forego coffee altogether.
An article in the April 1997, PENN STATE SPORTS MEDICINE NEWSLETTER about knee injuries, suggested knee extension exercises for strengthening the quadriceps muscles, hence the knee joint. But, not too long ago I was introduced to the concept of open chain/closed chain leg exercises.
Open chain leg exercises are those that allow free movement of the foot, like leg extensions. Athletic activities that make use of open chain quadriceps movements are football (punting) and soccer. On the other hand, closed chain leg exercises are characterized by the foot being stabilized on the floor or a platform, like with leg presses or squats.
According to some physical therapists, open chain exercises result in significant stress on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). They, therefore, recommend closed chain exercises.
They made it clear that knee extension exercises are not contraindicated, but they definitely support use of the closed chain variety because of the ACL stress. So, unless you are a soccer or football player (punter/kicker), you might want to stick to squats, leg presses, and lunges.
What is the secret to longevity? It seems that there isn't one. Most likely, "It" is actually a combination of genetic, environmental, and behavioral characteristics, including:
However; in the end, it isn't just longevity that is important, but the quality of each life, whatever it's might be. And right now, it is generally recognized that exercise is the best tool that we have to extend the quality of our lives. There is no concrete evidence that exercise can extend life, but it is clear that it can reduce falls and illness. Those two factors alone, will improve quality of life, and there is much more. As I've said before, exercise is as close as we have to the "magic pill."
Does selenium reduce cancer risk? Maybe. That's a big "maybe." In a single study on selenium's impact on skin cancer, there wasn't one; but, unexpectedly, it was discovered that it reduced the risk of getting lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer. But since the study was specifically designed to look at skin cancer, the results do not prove what they show.
Some animal studies have shown that selenium prevents some cancers, but there are no backup human studies for corroboration. It is thought by some scientists that selenium may induce cancerous cells to commit suicide, thereby eliminating precancerous lesions. [I like the suicide theory so much that it forced me to include this information in this month's Newsletter .]
If you eat a normal diet, including egg yolks, tuna, seafood, chicken, whole grains grown in selenium-rich soil (not in the southeastern U.S.), you should not need supplements. In fact, too much selenium (over 700 mcg) can be toxic, causing loss of hair, teeth, and nails.
Homocysteine and you - here is some more evidence that supports eating more fruits and veggies. A study from Tufts University involving 885 elderly subjects showed that those who ate lots of fruits, vegetables, and fortified breakfast cereals had a lower amount of homocysteine in their blood.
So what? You ask.
It turns out that earlier studies have shown that high levels of homocysteine in the blood elevate risk of heart disease, stroke, and dementia. And that folate (a.k.a. folic acid), a compound found in fruits and vegetables, helps reduce levels of homocysteine.
An obvious conclusion is that diet can help to reduce health risks, by lowering homocysteine levels.
High levels of folate are contained in broccoli and green leafy vegetables, citrus fruit, and fortified breakfast cereals. (As of January 1997, the federal government requires fortified breakfast cereals to include folate. For lupus (an autoimmune disease) patients (often young women), a cure may be as simple as taking a vitamin pill containing B vitamins (especially B6, B12, and folate). High homocysteine and low B vitamin levels are also frequently found in the elderly, and are linked to both blood clotting and hardening of the arteries.
The jury is still out on this whole question, and more studies are ongoing; but it is clear that a diet high in vegetables and fruits is beneficial.
Is there an anti-aging medicine? Sort of, it's called "exercise."
Currently the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population is the 85-and-above age group. In the 20th century, the expected life span has gone from 47 to 76. In the early part of the century, most of the longevity changes resulted from better sanitation and virtual elimination of many childhood diseases. Since the 1960's; however, the changes have been due largely from advances in medical science, like much better treatment of hypertension and heart disease. In the next few decades life expectancy may well exceed 100 years.
As much as 90% of all illness results from the degeneration of aging. Things like cancer, heart disease, Type II diabetes, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, autoimmune disease, Altzheimer's, and more. Many of these diseases can be prevented or cured, or have their effects lessened.
The weapons against aging disorders are:
The FDA has recently approved the use of HGH for adults deficient in growth hormone because of pituitary disease, surgery, radiation treatment, or injury.
The effects of HGH are still under study, but some doctors anticipate that, eventually, getting and taking HGH will be like taking vitamins.
In the meantime, many of HGH's benefits can be achieved through exercise, supplements, and diet, which stimulate our natural hormones. Loss of weight (fat) also helps with the anti-aging process.
One study has shown that aerobic exercise can increase the level of growth hormone by 11/2 to 21/2 times, and that high intensity weight training can boost it three to four times.
The preceding information was extracted from an article by Dr. Ronald Klatz, president of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, and Carol Kahn, a science writer.
Many runners, especially beginners, experience side cramps - the infamous runner's stitch. Most beginning runners experience side cramps, but eventually outgrow them. They are a breathing problem. When a person first starts to run, it is common to get out-of-breath rapidly, which often leads to rapid, shallow breathing. Your body gets too little oxygen, and a cramp results. While there are ways to get rid of them, such as running with your arms up, or pinching the cramped spot; it is vastly more effective to avoid them in the first place. That can usually be done by breathing using forceful expiration. Learn to blow out forcefully when you run, and your side cramps should disappear. This is also sometimes called "belly breathing," which is just another term for "deep breathing." This is not; however, just blowing out hard, like blowing out birthday candles. You should feel your abdominal muscles contract as you breath. Ultimately, it is your diaphragm that empties your lungs. As people's aerobic conditioning improves, deep breathing usually becomes natural, and side cramps disappear.
It seems that there are still people asking about whether to do squats with raised heels or not. Generally speaking, squats with a weight plate or board under your heels are not a good idea. Some women, because of long term use of high heels may have lost flexibility and can't do flat footed squats, in which case they might need a little heel support (maybe some men too); otherwise, forget those heel lifts. As was mentioned, that makes you lean forward which can lead to two form flaws: 1) knees forward of your toes (increases shearing force on your knees), and 2) excessive forward trunk lean, which puts too much weight on your lower back - your legs and hips should support the weight, not your lower back.
Technique may be part of the problem - you should sit back (stick your butt out) as you squat; then push up from your heels to stand up (another reason not to raise your heels - that position tends to encourage pushing up off the balls of your feet. The experience of the "squatter" is important. People, for instance, who are aspiring squat champions often abuse the "rules," and they generally have enough muscle strength to get away with it. Fitness lifters may want to exercise more caution.
If you can't get past the balance problem, the "front squat" may be a viable alternative. The bar is held across the top of the chest. Another option is holding a dumbbell between your legs as you squat. It is held in both hands and is perpendicular to your body. The amount of weight that can be used with this technique is obviously limited, but is otherwise excellent. As you sit back and squat, the db provides a counter balance, in addition to additional intensity.
Another good option is the one-legged squat. Standing side-ways to a small step, place one foot on the step, and the other foot flat on the floor. Now do what I call an "uneven squat." Squat normally (no extra weight to start), but since one foot is higher, the lower leg has to do more work.
A study done at the University of Wisconsin at Madison suggests that there is an obesity virus (an adenovirus designated as Ad-36) that may cause obesity in some humans. It has long been known that animals can become obese from exposure to some viruses, but no connection to humans had ever been found until now.
A preliminary study of obese and non-obese subjects revealed that 15% of the obese subjects had antibodies to the virus, which indicates that they were exposed to it. None of the non-obese subjects were exposed to it.
The idea that some human obesity can be caused by a viral disease is revolutionary, but also mostly speculative; but it opens up a new research direction, with potentially new methods of treatment.
What is really the best way to lose weight? Who knows; but a recent study at Baylor College of Medicine, as reported in the May/June 1997, issue of HEALTH magazine, came up with some interesting results. Three groups were collected for a weight-loss study: 1) dieters only, 2) exercisers/dieters, and 3) exercisers only.
Group 2 lost an average of 20 lbs in a year, Group 1 lost 15 lbs, and Group 3 lost six. Not a very remarkable finding; but after two years, Groups 1 and 2 were very nearly back to where they started. Group 3; however, maintained nearly all of its smaller loss, to the point of becoming #1 on the "loss" list. The bottom line seems to be that a weight-loss program involving dieting just can't be sustained; while a slower loss from exercise-only tends to be more permanent. Certainly not a new concept, but more validation for the "exercise and eat right" conundrum. In fact, it may be that just trying to eat "right" may be more effective for weight loss than dieting.
Is there a special exercise order? There is a theory that working from larger to smaller muscles is most effective. The theory is that if you work small muscles first (e.g., arms), you will be too tired to do justice to the larger muscles (e.g., chest or back). For intense workouts, this makes some sense; but for someone who is mainly toning (relatively light weights at higher reps), it probably doesn't make much difference.
Legs/hips and abdominal muscles can more-or-less go anywhere. Some heavy lifters like to do abs last, because they are used extensively as support muscles for all exercises, and they wouldn't be as effective if they got tired right off the bat. Some people like to do them first as part of a warmup. Again, it doesn't matter for most people. Here is the commonly recommended order: 1- Chest, 2- Back, 3- Shoulders, 4- Triceps, 5- Biceps.
For Hips/Legs, many people do separate workouts for upper and lower body. If you do full body workouts, doing those big leg muscles first, while you are fresh, makes sense. But there is no single right way to order your program. Many variations are successfully used. Some like a push-pull routine (e.g., chest-back, or triceps-biceps) where you use pushing muscles in one workout and pulling muscles in the next; or an opposing muscles routine.
At any rate, I hope that the point has been made that there is no magic order. Rather, there are a number of successful systems, and regularity and effort are more important than specific order anyway; although there are some who might disagree with that statement.
Can we reverse memory loss as we age? There are lots of products on the market that claim to improve memory, but do they? How about DHEA? It's hot on the market, but without quality research to backup the claims. Choline or lecithin? According to the May 1997 issue of Nutrition Action Health Letter there is no reliable evidence to show that either can treat or prevent memory loss. Well then, how about ginkgo biloba? Again, there is no reliable scientific evidence that ginko works as retailers claim. But then, surely, PS (better known as phosphatidylserine), must work. Maybe, but the version showing promise is different from what is on the market and is vastly under-tested.
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