Last weekend, next weekend and the1-Page Health News

After spending a long weekend with my wife in Santa Barbara, I’m back in the office ready to roll. I didn’t see any unusual wildlife this weekend (1 seal, no sharks). The place was really nice, it’s called the Bacara Resort outside of Santa Barbara.

This Sunday I’ll be heading up to Xterra Lory at Horsetooth Reservoir for my final race of the season. Should be fun!

Mental Attitude: Feeling Sleepy? One third of all workers sleep less than six hours each day, instead of the recommended 7-9 hours. People especially at risk of not getting enough sleep include those in the health care, social assistance, and transportation fields. CDC, June 2012

Health Alert: Cancer and Aging. Why does our risk of developing cancer increase as we age? By the time we stop growing in our teens, we accumulate a large percentage of the mutations we will have during our lifetime. There’s a mismatch between the mutation curve and the cancer curve, meaning that if cancer is caused by reaching a tipping point of mutations, then we should see higher cancer rates in 20-year-olds, as this is when the mutation rate is highest. The body’s healthy cells function best in healthy, younger tissue; however, in older tissue, cancerous cells may adapt better in that environment than healthy cells and more easily propagate. Oncogene, June 2012

Diet: Food Industry Should Be Regulated? “The obesity crisis is made worse by the way industry formulates and markets its products, and so must be regulated to prevent excesses and to protect the public good,” writes Kelly Brownell, a leading food expert. He argues that left to regulate itself, the food industry has the opportunity, if not the mandate from shareholders, to sell more products irrespective of their impact on consumers. Thus, government, foundations, and other powerful institutions should push for regulation of, and not collaboration with, the food industry.

PLoS Medicine, July 2012

Exercise: Good Reasons. Exercise reduces your risk of developing Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes, reduces the risk of developing breast cancer and improves mental cognition (a short-term effect only).

Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996

Chiropractic: Joint Friction? The supplement chondroitin sulfate significantly reduces the friction coefficient of articular cartilage, which, in turn, leads to a decreased risk of joint degeneration. Journal of Biomechanics, 2007

Wellness/Prevention: Vitamin D and Fractures. Taking 800-2,000 IUs of vitamin D per day significantly reduces the risk of most fractures in men and women age 65 and older. In a study, the top 25% of Vitamin D consumers sustained

30% fewer hip fractures and 14% fewer fractures of other bones. There was no benefit to taking Vitamin D supplements in doses below 800 IUs. The cost of treating a hip fracture is $26,912. New England Journal of Medicine, June 2012

Quote: “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” ~Unknown