Dear Health-Conscious Friend,
If youve ever seen an older person with a humped back youve witnessed how bone disease can affect your life and health. You might not do anything intentionally to cause these problems, but
you might be helping your bones crumble just by taking the next swallow from a cola bottle!
In this weeks Monday Edition of Health News Weekly, Ill tell you about the latest research linking carbonated cola beverages and bone loss. Youll also find out how intense anger could be choking off the blood flow through your arteries!
And if you know someone suffering from dementia related to Parkinsons diseaseyoull find out which Alzheimers treatment drug the FDA says could be helpful.
Ive got lots to tell you, so lets get right to it!
Are Carbonated Cola Drinks
Giving You Brittle Bones?
If youre more likely to drink carbonated cola beverages than water, juice or other beveragesyou could be increasing your risk of suffering from osteoporosis. Researchers at Tufts University who studied thousands of men and women found that women who drank three or more cola-based sodas daily had almost 4% lower bone mineral density in the hip. Women who drank non-cola soft drinks, like Sprite or Mountain Dew, didnt appear to suffer bone loss.
Although researchers arent sure why drinking cola-based sodas is linked to osteoporosis, lead study author Katherine Tucker, PhD says phosphoric acida major component in most sodasmay be to blame. Phosphorus is an important bone mineral. But if youre getting too much phosphorus compared to the amount of calcium youre getting, this could lead to bone loss.
Caffeine could also be part of the link between cola beverages and bone loss. Experts have long known caffeine can interfere with calcium absorption. The Tufts study showed both caffeinated and non-caffeinated colas were associated with lower bone density. But the caffeinated drinks appeared to be more damaging to healthy bones.
If youre not ready to give up your carbonated colas, youll need to take extra precautions to protect your bones. Some things you can do include:
- Drink a glass of milk or fortified orange juice to add calcium to your diet.
- Get plenty of weight-bearing and resistance exercise.
- Take a calcium and vitamin D supplement.
You can also cut back on the number of cola beverages you drink each dayor switch to non-cola beverages. Just a few simple changes to your diet can help protect your bonesand keep you standing tall!
Anger Management a Surprising Cure
for Clogged Arteries!
If you often find yourself getting fighting madyou should know you could be increasing your risk for heart disease, a new study suggests. Dr. Timothy W. Smith and colleagues at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City found older adults whose spouses rated them high on the antagonism scale were more likely to have artery-clogging plaque in their heart arteries. Study findings, published in the June 2007 journal Psychosomatic Medicine, suggest antagonism is particularly hard on the heart.
The study defined antagonism as a persons tendency to be suspicious argumentative competitive emotionally cold. Study participants included 300 middle-aged and older married couples in which neither spouse had been diagnosed with heart disease.
Participants were asked to respond to questions about their own temperament and that of their spouses. Researchers also used CT scans to measure the amount of calcium in the participants arteries. Calcium is part of the plaque that hardens and narrows coronary arteries. More calcium indicates an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
People with higher antagonism scoresbased on their spouses answers to a standard questionnairewere more likely to have significant calcium build-up in their arteries. In contrast, no plaque build-up was observed in people whose hostility was mainly characterized by outbursts of anger.
Anger and other negative emotions can affect your blood pressure and stir up stress hormonesboth of which can take a toll on your heart. A WebMD report on the connection between anger and heart disease cites evidence from a large study published in Circulation in 2000. Study results of 12,986 middle-aged African-American and white men and women who rated high in traits such as angerbut had normal blood pressurewere more prone to coronary artery disease (CAD) or heart attack.
In fact, the angriest people faced roughly twice the risk of CAD and almost three times the risk of heart attack when compared to people with the lowest anger levels!
While some anger is a natural part of life, if you find yourself frequently antagonized and enragedyou might seek ways to calm yourself and keep negative emotions under control. Just remembera calm heart is a healthier heart!
Fast Fact
Oatmeal for fast pain relief Its not only for breakfast any more! Mix 2 cups of Oatmeal and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain.
FDA Approves Drug Patch for
Parkinsons Related Dementia
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a drug used to treat Alzheimers patients as an effective treatment for Parkinsons disease dementia. The Exelon Patch (rivastigmine) will be the first and only drug available to treat this form of dementia, which strikes about 2 out of 5 Parkinsons disease patients.
Parkinsons disease is a chronic and progressive neurological disorder that strikes about 1.5 million people in the U.S. Patients who develop Parkinsons-related dementia experience impaired movements memory loss and problems with attention span.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation says the rivastigmine patch will not cure Parkinsons disease. But unlike the drug in capsule formthe patch provides a regular and continuous dose of medication throughout the day. Since the drug enters your bloodstream directly, the patch reportedly eliminates some of the nausea and vomiting you can get when you swallow the drug in capsule form.
However, a Novartis drug fact sheet lists other possible side effects including:
- Depression
- Confusion
- Trembling
- Hallucinations
- Heart palpitations
- Blood in stools or vomit
Novartis says you can apply the Exelon Patch to your back, chest or upper arm to receive 24-hour continuous delivery of medication through your skin. Maintaining steady drug levels in the bloodstream are supposed to help improve your drug tolerance.
FDA approval of Exelon Patch is based on results from the international IDEAL (Investigation of Transdermal Exelon in Alzheimers disease) clinical trial. The study involved about 1,200 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimers disease. Exelon Patch showed similar efficacy to the highest doses of Exelon capsules. The target dose of 9.5 mg per 24 hours was well tolerated by patients. Novartis says the Exelon Patch should be available in U.S. pharmacies soon.
For a natural alternative to fight Parkinsons disease, scientists have recently completed a study at the University of California at San Diego with CoQ10. The studies conclusion was that those receiving 1,200 mg per day benefited with a 44% less decline in mental function, motor (movement) function, and ability to carry out activities of daily living, such as feeding or dressing themselves. The greatest effect was on activities of daily living. The groups that received 300 mg/day and 600 mg/day of CoQ10 developed slightly less disability than the placebo group, but the effects were less than those in the group that received the highest dosage of 1,200 mg per day of Coenzyme Q10 .
Health E-Hints
FDA Bans U.S. Imports of Chinese Toothpaste
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers to avoid using tubes of toothpaste labeled as made in China. The agency found several products which reportedly contain the poisonous chemical diethylene glycol (DEG). DEG is used in antifreeze and can cause depression poison your kidneys and liver and damage your central nervous system.
FDA has issued an import alert to stop all suspect toothpaste from entering the United States. An agency news bulletin said they will continue to investigate the problem and take further action, as needed, to address this important public safety issue.
For a full list of affected toothpaste brands, visit the FDA website at .