Dear Health-Conscious Friend,
Age related memory loss affects millions of Americans each year. But you may be surprised to learn why some researchers say earning your college degree could actually SPEED UP the process!Read on for more information about these surprising study results
And find out why government recommendations for vitamin E could be far lower than what you need for maximum heart protection!
Youll find all this and much MORE in todays Monday Edition of Health News Weekly. So lets get started!
Well-Educated People Experience More
Rapid Memory Loss, Study Concludes
People with more years of formal education could lose their memory twice as fast as people with less education. This latest finding could mean some folks with a Ph.D. could wind up re-learning their A-B-Cs!
A study published in the October 23, 2007, issue of Neurology included 117 people who developed dementia. They were part of an original study group of 488 people.
The study was supported by the National Institute on Aging. It included other researchers from the Einstein Aging Study.
Researchers conducted annual cognitive tests on participants for an average of six years. Participants education had anywhere from less than three years of elementary school to people with postgraduate education.
Study author Charles B. Hall, Ph.D., with Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York said study results showed higher levels of education delay the onset of dementia. But once it begins, the memory loss is more rapid in people with more education.
Hall said the study showed a person with 16 years of formal education would experience a rate of memory decline 50% faster than someone with just four years of education.
For example, a college graduate with 16 years of education whose dementia is diagnosed at age 85 would have started to experience accelerated memory decline nearly four years earlier at age 81.
In contrast, a person with just four years of educationwho was also diagnosed at age 85would experience a less rapid rate of mental decline around age 79.
Hall says this is the first study to confirm predictions of the effects of cognitive reserve in people with preclinical dementia.
He also notes the study is limited because participants were born between 1894 and 1908. Their life experiences and education may not represent that of people entering the study age range today.
Vitamin E Recommendations Based on Flawed
Data, Researchers Say
Many older Americans take recommended doses of vitamin E daily as an antioxidant to protect against heart disease. But new research suggests the levels needed to reduce potential heart risks are far higher than those commonly used in clinical trials.
In a new study and commentary in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, researchers concluded that levels of vitamin E necessary to reduce oxidative stress are about 1,600 to 3,200 I.U. daily. This is four to eight times higher than those used in almost all past clinical trials!
The methodology used in almost all past clinical trials of vitamin E has been fatally flawed, said Balz Frei, one of the worlds leading experts on antioxidants and disease. He said the new findings could help explain the inconsistent results of many vitamin E trials for its value in preventing or treating cardiovascular disease.
Frei is a professor and director of the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. He co-authored the new vitamin E commentary with Jeffrey Blumberg, at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.
According to Frei, previous vitamin E trials never measured oxidative stress. This means researchers cant determine whether it was actually reduced or not.
New research shows the level of vitamin E that can be shown to reduce oxidative stress higher than the level that could be obtained in any diet. It is also above the tolerable upper intake level outlined by the Institute of Medicine, which is 1,000 I.U. a day.
OSU researchers are not yet recommending that people should routinely take such high levels. But they do say controlled clinical trials studying this issue should be aware of the latest findings and seriously consider using much higher vitamin E supplement levels in their studies.
Fast Fact
Need a low cost way to reduce blood pressure? Try adopting a regular, moderate exercise program!
Exercise helps improve your blood vessels flexibility. This improves blood flow by lowering the pressure needed to move it throughout your body!
By adding about 20 minutes of jogging dailyor about 40 minutes of brisk walkingyou can help unclog the plumbing of your cardiovascular system!
Energy Drinks May Send Your Blood
Pressure Levels Soaring!
If youre struggling to keep your hypertension in checkthink twice before you buy a drink designed to provide a quick energy burst.
Researchers at Wayne State University say some of these drinks may boost your blood pressure and heart. They say this could pose significant risks to people with hypertension and heart disease!
The study was expected to be presented November 6 at the American Heart Association annual meeting, in Orlando, FL.
Study leader James Kalus said his team analyzed 15 healthy adults, with an average age of 26. The research team found that within a few hours of drinking two cans of a popular energy drinkvolunteers systolic blood pressure (the top number) increased by as much as 9.6%.
And diastolic blood pressure increased by as much as 7.8%. Participants heart rates increased by as much as 11%.
Kalus said this increase occurred while participants were sitting in chairs watching movies. The increase in heart rate and blood pressure werent enough for something to happen acutely, but a person on hypertension medication or who has a cardiovascular disease may not respond as well.
Researchers noted that most energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine and an amino acid called taurine. Both substances have been shown to affect heart function and blood pressure.
The study team emphasized that energy drinks are different from sports drinkswhich dont contain ingredients designed to heighten alertness.
Health E-Hints
Got a Cold or the Flu? Heres Why
Antibiotics WONT Help You!
Chances are great youll catch one of the 1 billion colds that sweep across the United States each year. But dont think an antibiotic prescription from your doctor will help you fight the bug.
Antibiotics do not work at all in treating the common cold. These medicines kill bacteria, NOT viruses.
Antibiotics can actually make colds worse. They can kill helpful bacteriaand make your body MORE susceptible to the cold viruses!
And get thisthe side effects of antibiotic use can cause diarrhea, yeast infections and even bacterial super-infections.
To help prevent infection from cold and flu germs, wash your hands frequently. You can also use a nasal wash to help flush germs out of your nostrilsbefore they invade your system!