Lazy Lifestyles trigger ill health in 2 weeks

We all know we need to have a healthy lifestyle in order to have the best chance of a long, happy life. But did you know it does not take long for your health to deteriorate if you slip up for a while?

According to a recent study, an unhealthy lifestyle change can trigger a decline in the your health in just a couple of weeks. Researchers have warned that inactivity sows the seeds for future disease such as Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Attacks, and Strokes.

However, they found that the ill-effects of idleness can be reversed - also kin just two weeks - by reverting back to normal activity and a better lifestyle.

The study was run by Liverpool University, funded by Diabetes UK. Lead researcher Dr. Daniel Cuthbertson, said: "advances have led society to be a lot more sedentary, which can harm health over time.

They recruited subjects with an average age of 36 who walked daily. They were asked to cut down on their walking, use lifts, and sit down in front of the television more. But it was stressed they must not change their diets, and to eat as they normally did.  In just two weeks their fat levels and waists increased, amid signs of muscle loss and lower heart-lung fitness. Subjects were less responsive to insulin, a symptom that can herald diabetes. The bad effects vanished after 14 days.

HMHB, as we know, is all about looking after your mind and body, being more active, eating better and thinking positively - even when you are stressed. This study does demonstrate why we need to focus all the time. When bad situations happen it is very easy to slip down into a hole of anxiety and depression - but if you make the effort, and are willing to push yourself, you can also recover quickly. Our bodies are amazing. Let's feed them right, treat them, right, and they can maintain themselves beautifully.  

Even small exercise can let you live longer

Regular exercise can help you:

1. Have a healthier heart. Regular physical activity raises healthy HDL cholesterol levels and reduces unhealthy LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. ...
2. Keep your brain sharp. ...
3. Control blood sugar levels. ...
4. Possibly lower cancer risk. ...
5. Stay strong and mobile

We all are inundated with information telling you that you have to exercise more, and that it naturally does you good. A recent study found that just an hour of exercise in short bursts throughout the day can slash the risk of early death by 57 per cent. It makes bleeding sense!!!! And those who cram in 100 minutes daily cut the risk by 75 per cent. Why do people not do this???

Exercise can be a scary word, but it includes things like a brisk walk, using stairs, and even walking faster on that trip to the corner shop!!  And all can be done in bursts of ten minutes or less.

These bursts of exercise during the day, once accumulated together, are as good at reducing the risk of early death as sustained exercise, said scientists from the Duke University School of Medicine in North Caroline, USA.  They studied 4840 over 40s who had participated in a health survey between 2003 and 2006.

HMHB actively promotes exercise and fitness - but in a fun way, that does not feel intimidating. People think they have to exercise for at least half an hour, maybe attend a gym, and if they cannot do this then they might as well do nothing at all. We try and show that you are responsible for the continuing health of your body, and that includes keeping it moving, flexible and energized. You can do this quite easily during the day, if you are willing to put in the time and effort.

Four in Ten Cancer cases are preventable. What can you do?

A major new review has claimed that more than 2500 cancer cases a week are due to smoking, being too fat and sunburn. Medics say that four in ten, 135,500 a year, are preventable if Brits were to ditch unhealthy lifestyles. That's an incredible figure..

Smoking remains the biggest cause of avoidable cancer. Obesity is the second, with cases rocketing by 15 per cent in five years.

The Chief Executive for Cancer Research, Sir Harpal Kumar, said: "Obesity is potentially the new smoking."

Obesity caused 13 types of Cancer in 2015 - including bowel, breast, pancreatic, liver, stomach, womb and kidney. Being fat was behind 6.3 per cent of cases, up from 5.5 per cent in 2010. Other risk factors include alcohol and sunburn.

HMHB says that thee links between unhealthy lifestyles and various diseases, including cancers, heart disease, strokes and dementia, cannot be ignored. It is our own responsibility to make better life choices around nutrition and exercise. How often do we leave it too late before we make a change? Don't wait for the doctor to warn you that your health is affected by the way you live. Take action now!!

"Your DNA can predict your intelligence" - let's take a look

Scientists can measure intelligence by testing saliva after showing for the first time that your Intelligence Quotient (IQ) can bee predicted by studying your DNA.

Researchers have identified 538 genes that can influence how clever people are, and say that can be obtained by using a simple mouth swab. They used data from the UK Biobank - a genetic study into health and disease - to compare DNA with IQ scores in more than 240,000 people.

They found that the genes accounted for a difference of up to 7 per cent in IQ by boosting the way neurons carry signals to the brain. Some influenced other biological processes, including the length of life.

Principal Investigator, Professor Ian Deary, of the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology at Edinburgh University, said: "this study suggest health and intelligence are related in part because some of the same genes influence them."

They concluded that intelligence can be a "heritable trait", and found the study was able to predict it in one study group "using only their DNA."

HMHB actively promotes and active lifestyle. Exercise boost the blood flow around the body, and oxygen intake, and this itself boost confidence and esteem. Staying hydrated too can help you focus better. There are many factors that influence intelligence, which includes what kind of help you get as a child from a parent. But it is interesting to see they link it to genes.

"Blue light pollution as harmful as junk food" - a bold claim here

England's top doctor has warned that light pollution from phones and tablets could be as harmful as junk food. She says it is fuelling an epidemic of sleep deprivation.

Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, said: "people should try to make sure their mobile phones are turned off well before bedtime. That goes for children as well."

It is estimated that more than three quarters of Brits are exposed to blue light before going to bed. Research has suggested it prevents production of the hormone Melatonin - an important factor in going to sleep - as the body is sensitive to its shorter wavelengths. The NHS warns that regular poor sleep increases the risk of various serious medical conditions, including obesity (as you then eat through boredom and being awake longer), heart disease and diabetes, as well as mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression.

HMHB has put various postings on this blog around sleep problems, and universally people continue to talk about media technology being a factor. Do we really need to be checking emails after 9pm? Do we have to find out what our friends are doing on social media right away? Do we have to be playing on a gaming app? Let's start to relax earlier, have conversations with actual people, or if you are on your own, take time for yourself. Get a bath, shower, book, or even meditate. Find some time for you away from technology.

Does Calorie Counting actually work?

Remember the days when you did not have that list on all foods, with calories, carbs (sugars), fats, salt etc. We, as a nation, and a world, continue to get fatter, so does it make a difference?

Putting calorie counts on menus could cut people's intake by 12 per cent and fight obesity, say researchers.  They are now calling on the Government to make these figures compulsory. (as of today).

Scientists analyzed data from 28 various studies looking at the impact of nutritional labelling on purchasing and consumption. Diners given the information averaged 48 fewer calories - or eight per cent - when eating a typical -calorie lunch - such as a pizza slice (people only eat a slice?) and a soft drink.  Other experiments in a laboratory suggested calorie counts may slash intake by up to 12 per cent.

Professor Susan Jebb, who worked on the review at the University Of Oxford, said: "this should provide policy makers with the confidence to introduce measures to encourage or even require calorie labelling on menus."

Her Co-Author, Professor Theresa Marteau, of the University of Cambridge, added; "while calorie labelling may help, other measures to reduce calorie intake are also needed."

Caroline Cerny, from the Obesity Health Alliance, said: "when we know the nutritional content of the food we are eating, the more likely it is that we will make healthier choices."

HMHB actively promotes a healthy diet as part of a lifestyle. Anything that can help you do that is great. Seeing calorie, sugar, salt, and fat content on products is great. But when you eat out, is that not meant to be a treat, a luxury, a time to indulge? As long as you do it sparingly, do enjoy yourself. But keep an eye on those targets!!!

Heavy Drinking causes Early Onset Dementia - interesting

This week we have already included two posting on the links between alcohol and the brain - and here is a third just to make things interesting. This study was more about heavy drinking, which the study claims is the cause of more than half of all early-onset dementia cases.

French scientists spent six years studying 57000 patients struck down by dementia before the age of 65, and found 57 percent had been heavy drinkers. 39 per cent of cases were  said to be directly related to regular boozing. Another 18 per cent of sufferers had been problem drinkers. Overall, those who drank too much were more than three times likelier to develop dementia.

Heavy drinking is defined as three daily pints of beer for men, and two large glasses of wine for women.  Government guidelines for both sexes suggest no more than 14 units of alcohol a week - which is thee equivalent to a daily pint of beer or glass of wine.  More than a quarter of UK adults are estimated to exceed these limits.

Lead researcher, Dr. Michael Schwarzinger, of Translational Health Economics Network in Paris, said: "heavy drinking is not a small problem. There is a strong effect of large alcohol consumption and brain damage."

Dr. Sara Imarisio of Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "taking steps to curb the amount you consume can have far-reaching health benefits."

Around 850,000 Brits have dementia, and this is expected to hit two million in the next three decades. One in 20 is said to be "early-onset".

Dr Doug Brown, of the Alzheimer;s Society, did add: "It in no way suggests moderate alcohol intake can cause early-onset dementia."

HMHB is all about promoting a healthy lifestyle, but also not telling people they cannot have something in their diet. Some people do get into heavy drinking - and that can cause many problems, physically and mentally. It is being responsible around all items of nutrition that will give you the best chance of a healthy life. Make better choices. If you think you may have a problem with alcohol then do please seek professional help.