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Plant-Based Diet Protects Against Multiple Chronic Illnesses

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Shifting to a plant-based diet can help keep people from being plagued by multiple health problems as they age, a new study says. People whose diets included more veggies, fruits, whole grains, legumes and plant-based foods had 32% lower odds of developing two or more chronic illnesses, researchers report in The Lancet Healthy Longevity. Specifically, people who adhered more strongly to a healthy plant-based diet had a lower risk of cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, researchers said. “You don’t have to cut out animal products entirely,” lead researcher Reynalda Córdova, a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Vienna, said in a news release. “Shifting towards a more plant-based diet can already have a positive impact.” For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 400,000 people between 37 and 70 years of age from six European countries who were participating in two large-scale health research projects. During a follow-up of around 11 years, more than 6,600 participants fell ill with cancer, heart disease or diabetes. Results showed that a person’s risk for multiple chronic illnesses fell by 11% to 18% for every 10-point increase in a score assessing healthy plant-based eating.  Middle-aged folks younger than 60 got more benefit from shifting toward a plant-based diet, researchers said. Their risk of developing multiple chronic ailments fell 29% for every 10-point increase in their plant-based…  read on >  read on >

Plant-Based Diet Protects Against Multiple Chronic Illnesses

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Shifting to a plant-based diet can help keep people from being plagued by multiple health problems as they age, a new study says. People whose diets included more veggies, fruits, whole grains, legumes and plant-based foods had 32% lower odds of developing two or more chronic illnesses, researchers report in The Lancet Healthy Longevity. Specifically, people who adhered more strongly to a healthy plant-based diet had a lower risk of cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, researchers said. “You don’t have to cut out animal products entirely,” lead researcher Reynalda Córdova, a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Vienna, said in a news release. “Shifting towards a more plant-based diet can already have a positive impact.” For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 400,000 people between 37 and 70 years of age from six European countries who were participating in two large-scale health research projects. During a follow-up of around 11 years, more than 6,600 participants fell ill with cancer, heart disease or diabetes. Results showed that a person’s risk for multiple chronic illnesses fell by 11% to 18% for every 10-point increase in a score assessing healthy plant-based eating.  Middle-aged folks younger than 60 got more benefit from shifting toward a plant-based diet, researchers said. Their risk of developing multiple chronic ailments fell 29% for every 10-point increase in their plant-based…  read on >  read on >

School Connection May Protect Teens From Depression Linked To Bullying

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Teens who feel connected to their school may be better protected from depression linked to bullying, new research suggests. The study — published in the journal BMC Public Health — analyzed data from 2,175 adolescents born in large U.S. cities between 1998 and 2000.  Researchers found that bullying during adolescence was more strongly linked to anxiety and depression than bullying in childhood. “This finding might be due in part to the heightened social sensitivity of adolescents to their peers and the significant influence of peer relationships amongst teenagers than children,” said co-author Dr. Nia Heard-Garris, a pediatrician and researcher at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. “Likewise, we saw that school connectedness was more protective against depression in teens than in younger children,” she added in a news release. The study showed that school connectedness — feeling safe, included and supported at school — significantly reduced the risk of depression for teens who had recently been bullied, but not for those bullied earlier in childhood. “Teachers can foster peer support by encouraging students to learn more about each other and incorporating collaborative projects into the curriculum to better enable groups of students to work together,” Heard-Garris said. Researchers found that: 11.9% of participants experienced bullying at both ages 9 and 15 (long-term). 43% experienced bullying only at age 9, while 5.7% reported…  read on >  read on >

School Connection May Protect Teens From Depression Linked To Bullying

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Teens who feel connected to their school may be better protected from depression linked to bullying, new research suggests. The study — published in the journal BMC Public Health — analyzed data from 2,175 adolescents born in large U.S. cities between 1998 and 2000.  Researchers found that bullying during adolescence was more strongly linked to anxiety and depression than bullying in childhood. “This finding might be due in part to the heightened social sensitivity of adolescents to their peers and the significant influence of peer relationships amongst teenagers than children,” said co-author Dr. Nia Heard-Garris, a pediatrician and researcher at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. “Likewise, we saw that school connectedness was more protective against depression in teens than in younger children,” she added in a news release. The study showed that school connectedness — feeling safe, included and supported at school — significantly reduced the risk of depression for teens who had recently been bullied, but not for those bullied earlier in childhood. “Teachers can foster peer support by encouraging students to learn more about each other and incorporating collaborative projects into the curriculum to better enable groups of students to work together,” Heard-Garris said. Researchers found that: 11.9% of participants experienced bullying at both ages 9 and 15 (long-term). 43% experienced bullying only at age 9, while 5.7% reported…  read on >  read on >

Fatty Foods Might Contribute To Childhood Asthma

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Fatty foods might contribute to asthma in children, a new study says. Fats found in certain foods are linked to neutrophilic asthma, a non-allergic type of asthma triggered by microbial and bacterial proteins, researchers reported Aug. 27 in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Specifically, a type of saturated fatty acid called stearic acid – often found in animal fat and processed foods – appears to start a chain reaction that can lead to neutrophilic asthma, researchers said. “Prior to this study, many suspected that childhood obesity was causing this form of asthma,” said senior researcher Dr. David Hill, an attending physician in allergy and immunology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “However, we were observing neutrophilic asthma in children who weren’t obese, which is why we suspected there might be another mechanism,” Hill said in a news release. “What we found in both preclinical work and studies in children was that diets containing certain saturated long chain fatty acids can cause neutrophilic asthma independent from obesity.” Neutrophilic asthma is more difficult to treat than allergic asthma, researchers said in background notes, and more likely to cause symptoms severe enough to land patients in a hospital. Work with laboratory mice revealed that stearic acid can cause an accumulation of lung macrophages, a type of white blood cell that coordinates immune function during inflammation, researchers report. On the…  read on >  read on >

Fatty Foods Might Contribute To Childhood Asthma

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Fatty foods might contribute to asthma in children, a new study says. Fats found in certain foods are linked to neutrophilic asthma, a non-allergic type of asthma triggered by microbial and bacterial proteins, researchers reported Aug. 27 in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Specifically, a type of saturated fatty acid called stearic acid – often found in animal fat and processed foods – appears to start a chain reaction that can lead to neutrophilic asthma, researchers said. “Prior to this study, many suspected that childhood obesity was causing this form of asthma,” said senior researcher Dr. David Hill, an attending physician in allergy and immunology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “However, we were observing neutrophilic asthma in children who weren’t obese, which is why we suspected there might be another mechanism,” Hill said in a news release. “What we found in both preclinical work and studies in children was that diets containing certain saturated long chain fatty acids can cause neutrophilic asthma independent from obesity.” Neutrophilic asthma is more difficult to treat than allergic asthma, researchers said in background notes, and more likely to cause symptoms severe enough to land patients in a hospital. Work with laboratory mice revealed that stearic acid can cause an accumulation of lung macrophages, a type of white blood cell that coordinates immune function during inflammation, researchers report. On the…  read on >  read on >

Middle-Aged Folks At Risk For Irregular Heartbeat, Especially If They Don’t Work Out

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Middle-aged folks who don’t exercise are putting themselves at risk of life-threatening complex heartbeat irregularities, a new study says. Adults 40 to 65 with low fitness levels had a 52% increased risk for irregular heartbeat disorders, also known as arrhythmias, according to findings presented Wednesday at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual meeting in Madrid. Age also played a factor, with people’s risk rising as they advanced through middle age, researchers found. These sort of irregular heartbeats can be a red flag for heart disease, and indicate that docs need to pay closer attention to the heart rhythms of middle-aged adults, researchers said. “These findings are a powerful reminder that the heart often whispers before it shouts,” lead researcher Dr. Amit Moses, an internal medical resident at Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Israel, said in a news release. “Subtle signs, such as frequent irregular heartbeats and complex arrhythmias, give us an early warning of future risk before symptoms occur,” Moses said. “This could allow early intervention to alter the trajectory of disease, allowing us to move to a new era of anticipatory heart medicine.” For the study, researchers screened 1,151 healthy adults 40 to 65 who didn’t have any heart symptoms or structural heart disease — disease that affects the heart’s walls, valves and chambers. About 88% were men, and the average age was 52.…  read on >  read on >

Middle-Aged Folks At Risk For Irregular Heartbeat, Especially If They Don’t Work Out

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Middle-aged folks who don’t exercise are putting themselves at risk of life-threatening complex heartbeat irregularities, a new study says. Adults 40 to 65 with low fitness levels had a 52% increased risk for irregular heartbeat disorders, also known as arrhythmias, according to findings presented Wednesday at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual meeting in Madrid. Age also played a factor, with people’s risk rising as they advanced through middle age, researchers found. These sort of irregular heartbeats can be a red flag for heart disease, and indicate that docs need to pay closer attention to the heart rhythms of middle-aged adults, researchers said. “These findings are a powerful reminder that the heart often whispers before it shouts,” lead researcher Dr. Amit Moses, an internal medical resident at Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Israel, said in a news release. “Subtle signs, such as frequent irregular heartbeats and complex arrhythmias, give us an early warning of future risk before symptoms occur,” Moses said. “This could allow early intervention to alter the trajectory of disease, allowing us to move to a new era of anticipatory heart medicine.” For the study, researchers screened 1,151 healthy adults 40 to 65 who didn’t have any heart symptoms or structural heart disease — disease that affects the heart’s walls, valves and chambers. About 88% were men, and the average age was 52.…  read on >  read on >

Diet, Exercise Protect Liver Health From Alcohol Damage, Study Says

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Enjoy a pint of beer, a glass of wine or a dram of whiskey? Then make sure you have some healthy eats and a good dose of exercise on the side, a new study says. A healthy diet and regular physical activity can protect your liver at least partially from the harmful effects of alcohol, researchers reported Aug. 27 in the Journal of Hepatology. Any amount of daily alcohol intake or binge drinking increases a person’s risk of death from liver damage, researchers found. But a good diet and more exercise significantly blunt that risk, even if you’re a heavy drinker or binge drinker, results revealed. “We found that adherence to high levels of physical activity and/or diet quality was associated with a lower risk of liver-related death across all drinking patterns,” said senior researcher Dr. Naga Chalasani, a professor of gastroenterology and hepatology at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. In the U.S., more than half (53%) of adults regularly imbibe, and about 178,000 people die from excess alcohol use each year, researchers said in background notes. For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 60,000 participants in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1984 and 2018. The survey asked people about their alcohol use, diet and exercise. Researchers defined heavy drinking as more than three drinks per day…  read on >  read on >