Large waist, not weight, better indicator of stroke risk

New York: A large waist circumference, which is known to raise the risk of cardiovascular disease, may also raise the risk of stroke or mini-stroke, researchers from Germany report.
    A large waistline seems to be a better indicator of a person's risk for suffering a stroke or mini-stroke, also known as "transient ischemic attack" or TIA, than a person's overall body weight, they report. Tobias Back at Saxon Hospital Arnsdorf in Arnsdorf/Dresden and colleagues investigated the extent to which various markers of obesity were associated with the risk of stroke or mini-stroke in 379 adults with a history of stroke or TIA and 758 strokefree controls of similar age and gender.
    While being overweight in general (that is, having a high body mass index or BMI) increased the risk of stroke, this association became nonsignificant after the investigators accounted for "confounding" factors, like being physical inactive, smoking, having high blood pressure or diabetes.
    However, being fat around the middle remained strongly associated with an increased risk of stroke or TIA.
    For example, individuals with the highest so-called "waist-to-hip ratio" had a greater than 7-fold increased risk of stroke or TIA compared with those with the lowest waist-to-hip ratio.
    Waist-to-hip ratio is calculated by dividing the circumference of the waist by the circumference of the hips. More belly fat results in higher ratios. "If the waistto-hip ratio values were greater than 0.97 for men and 0.84 for women, then individuals faced 8 times increased risk for stroke compared to individuals with a waist-to-hip ratio less than 0.92 in men or less than 0.78 in women," Back stated.
    A large waistline also showed a strong association with stroke and TIA. If the waist circumference was greater than 40.2 inches for men or 34.6 inches for women, the risk of stroke increased more than 4-fold compared with individuals with a normal waist size, according to the researchers. REUTERS
Whole grains good for heart: Expert
New York: Each serving of whole grains may lessen heart failure risk by 7% among middle-aged African-American and white men and women, according to findings from a long-term study.
    Conversely, each serving of high-fat dairy and egg appear to increase heart failure risk by 8 and 23%, respectively, Jennifer Nettleton, of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, and colleagues found.
    "A refined grain here, a full fat yogurt there, and the occasional egg aren't going to result in heart failure, but a continued pattern of such behaviors could," Nettleton said. Heart failure is a chronic disease in which the heart gradually loses its ability to pump blood efficiently, leaving organs starved for oxygen.
    The researchers found lower heart failure risk associated with greater intake of whole grains, and higher risk associated with greater amounts of eggs and high fat dairy. REUTERS

The magic of belonging and believing

Ihave been actively involved with the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, following its phenomenal growth over the years and observing the influence and effect it has had on our city of Mumbai. Its magic galvanizes the entire city, the machinery that governs the city kicks into overdrive to showcase Mumbai's best face to the world. For that one day, Mumbai's streets are converted into one of the world's largest sporting stages, a unique platform shared with the other major metros around the world like New York, London, Berlin, Tokyo, to name a few.
    So what is this magic that transforms the city? What turns Mumbai from a city that's busy and frenetic, into one that breaks barriers amongst strangers and promotes health and fitness? What is this magic that makes people give of themselves for people they never meet and will never know… to give of themselves irrespective of social standing, background or age… to get together on one platform, in order to better the lives of those less privileged? Quite simply, it's the magic of belonging and believing.
    In the short span of five years, the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon has made every Mumbaikar fiercely proud of the fact that such an incredible event belongs to their city. It has also helped them believe that by participating in the event they are not only making a huge positive change in their own lives but are helping bring about a change for the better in the lives of so many others by helping raise money for charity.
    Mumbai is witnessing a health and fitness revolution like never before with people, for whom exercise was an alien concept, now following a supervised training schedule to meet their goals on Race Day. Families, friends, social groups, offices, corporates, and what have you, are all coming together to run in the event and raise money for causes of their choice.
    It is relatively easier to dig into one's own pocket and donate some money for charity, but it requires much more commitment and drive to train hard and run for a cause, even while convincing friends and acquaintances to donate money for charity, a unique concept the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon espouses.
    The event has raised in excess of Rs 28 crore over five years and as the final preparations are on to host the sixth edition of the event in January 18, 2009, I am sure there are thousands of committed individuals who are striving hard to add another substantial chunk to that figure from this year.
    While registrations for the event closed some months ago, there is still scope for people to imbibe the magic of Race Day by coming out in huge numbers to cheer on the elite athletes from all over the world and India as well as the thousands of participants who are fighting personal battles by hoping to cross the finishing line of the events they choose.
    I will definitely be there on Race Day. How about you?

Music helps lower cholesterol

MELODIOUS MEDICINE

'Madonna's Songs Boost Endurance, Symphonies Improve Mental Focus'

Los Angeles: Take a tune and come back to see me in the morning. Doctors have found that prescribing music can improve heart health and lower cholesterol levels.
    Their research found that if a patient listens to 30 minutes a day of their favourite music, it can go far beyond simply relaxing them mentally — it benefits them physically by expanding and clearing blood vessels.
    Doctors have tried the method on some patients in America and it has been welcomed by British experts. It is believed to work by triggering the release into the bloodstream of nitric oxide, which helps prevent the build-up of blood clots and harmful cholesterol.
    The findings are part of a growing body of research into the effects of music on the human body. Scientists have found that songs by Red Hot Chili Peppers and Madonna can improve endurance, while 18th century symphonies can improve mental focus.
    When it comes to the effect on the bloodstream, however, the key is not the type of music but what the listener prefers. The same is true of volume and tempo.
    "The music effect only lasts in the bloodstream for a few seconds but the accumulative benefit of favourite tunes lasts and can be very positive in people of all ages," said Michael Miller, director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at Maryland University, who carried out the research. He added: "We were looking for cheaper, non-pharmacological aids to help us improve our patients' heart health, and we think this is the prescription."
    The Maryland study, based on healthy non-smoking men and women with an average age of 36, found the diameter of blood vessels in the upper arm expanded by 26% in volunteers listening to music they found enjoyable.
    Miller said blood vessel expansion indicated that nitric oxide is being released throughout the body, reducing clots and LDL, a form of cholesterol linked to heart attacks. He also warned that listening to stressful music can shrink blood vessels by 6% — the same effect, according to previous studies, as eating a large hamburger.
    His findings follow a study by Brunel University, west London, confirmed that music can improve mood and boost athletic performance.
    In experiments on 30 volunteers, the researcher, Costas Karageorghis, found that tracks from Madonna and Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as Queen and the R&B singer Rihanna, increased endurance on a treadmill by up to 15% and most participants did not realise they were working harder.
    Music may "pump" the brain and the body. At Stanford University, near San Francisco, researchers found that listening to 18th century symphonies improved listeners' focus between movements, when they mentally updated shopping lists. SUNDAY TIMES

More facts about cholesterol

Cholesterol can build up on the walls of the blood vessels that feed the heart and the brain. This condition is called atherosclerosis, which is a type of arteriosclerosis, says Dr H K Chopra

 In this article we take further our understanding of cholesterol and how they affect our health. Cholesterol and other fats can build up on the walls of the blood vessels that feed the heart and the brain. This condition is called atherosclerosis, which is a type of arteriosclerosis. In this case, the fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin build-up in the inner lining of the artery. This build-up is called plaque. These plaques may be vulnerable or nonvulnerable. The vulnerable plaques may rupture, as they have thin fibrous cap, with high lipid core and they promote clot formation. This in turn narrows the arteries and diminishes blood supply to the heart, which causes heart attack. This also reduces blood supply to the brain, causing paralysis and by reducing the blood supply to the lower limbs it can cause problem in the legs too. Cholesterol and other fats are transported in the blood to and from the cells by special carriers called lipoproteins. There are several kinds of lipoproteins. We are most concerned with two of them—Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) and High Density Lipoproteins (HDL)—both of which are carriers for cholesterol. Normal range of blood cholesterol is 150-250 mg/dl. Ideally, the recommended levels of blood cholesterol in an adult should be less than 150 mg/dl. The LDL cholesterol levels range from 70-150 mg/dl. Ideally, the recommended levels of LDL in adults should be less than 70 mg/dl. The normal triglyceride level should be less than 150mg/dl. If the level is between 150-199 mg/dl it is a borderline case. The recommended level of VLDL in adults should be 24-45 mg/dl. Higher levels of HDL cholesterol are better. The normal HDL cholesterol levels should be more than 40 mg/dl in men and more than 50 mg/dl in women. The cholesterol/HDL ratio should be less than four and LDL/HDL ratio should be less than three The main source of triglycerides is the diet. One should therefore, eat low-fat and low-sugar diet and exercise to maintain good health. High triglycerides are a major risk factor for heart attack and paralysis.

Skipping sleep can trigger heart disease

Just 1 Hour Extra Shuteye Reduces Risk Of Calcium Deposits In Arteries, A Precursor To An Attack, Says Study

Chicago: Just one extra hour of sleep a day appears to lower the risk of developing calcium deposits in the arteries, a precursor to heart disease, US researchers said on Tuesday.
    The finding adds to a growing list of health consequences — including weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure — linked to getting too little sleep. "We found that people who on average slept longer were at reduced risk of developing new coronary artery calcifications over five years," said Diane Lauderdale of the University of Chicago Medical Center, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "It was surprisingly strong." Calcium deposits in the coronary arteries are considered a precursor of future heart disease.
    Unlike other studies looking at the risks of getting too little sleep, which use people's own estimates of their sleep patterns, Lauderdale's team set out to measure actual sleep patterns.
    They fitted 495 people aged 35 to 47 with sophisticated wrist bands that tracked subtle body movements. Information from these recorders was fed into a computer program that was able to detect actual sleep patterns. The team used special computed tomography, or CT, scans to assess the buildup of calcium inside heart arteries, performing one scan at the start of the study and one five years later.
    After accounting for other differences such as age, gender, race, education, smoking and risk for sleep apnea, the team found sleep duration appeared to play a significant role in the development of coronary artery calcification.
    About 12% of the people in the study developed artery calcification during the five-year study period. Among those who had slept less than five hours a night, 27% had developed artery calcification. That dropped to 11% among those who slept five to seven hours, and to 6% among those who slept more than seven hours a night.
    Lauderdale said it is not clear why this difference occurred in people who slept less, but they had some theories. Because blood pressure tends to fall off during sleep, it could be that people who slept longer had lower blood pressure over a 24-hour period.Or, it could be related to reduced exposure to the stress hormone cortisol, which is decreased during sleep.
    Kathy Parker, a sleep researcher from the University of Rochester's School of Nursing in New York, said the study underscores the role sleep plays in health.
    "People think that sleep doesn't matter but clearly it does. Sleep deprivation is a public health problem and studies such as this show how increasing sleep duration can have tremendously positive effects," Parker said. REUTERS

LIVING HEALTHY: During sleep, blood pressure tends to fall and there's less exposure to stress hormone cortisol

Breathing awareness

Evidence shows that stress causes ailments and significantly affects breathing. Changes in breathing pattern can radically alter the internal chemistry of the body, says Dr Vasant Joshi

 The health and happiness of an individual depends on an understanding that body, mind, and consciousness or spirit are intrinsically connected. Healing and wellness is four dimensional — physical wellness, psychological or mental wellness, spiritual wellness and universal wellness. Primarily, physical wellness implies respecting one's body and taking responsibility which may include keeping an exercise routine, eating a balanced diet and avoiding tobacco and other intoxicants. It essentially requires one to be proactive in taking preventive measures for maintaining an overall quality of life. The key to health and wellbeing is awareness. Evidence shows that stress causes ailments and significantly affects breathing. Changes in breathing pattern can radically alter the internal chemistry of the body. Breathing with awareness can substantially enhance the intake of oxygen and discard carbon dioxide from the body. Osho gives the following exercise for breathing awareness:
    Sit on a chair. Take whatever posture you are most comfortable with. Close your eyes and relax the body. Starting from the toe to the head, find out where you are feeling the tension. If it is at the knee then relax the knee. Touch it and say to it, 'Please relax.' Wherever you find tension, touch that place with love and compassion.
    Next, bring your consciousness into your breathing and relax the breathing. The breath is the bridge between the body which is the outermost part, and consciousness which is innermost part. Once the body is relaxed, just close your eyes and see your breathing and relax that too. Talk to your breath and ask it to relax. The moment you do this, there will be a subtle click.
    Now with each relaxation, say, "one." When you breathe in, say nothing. When you breathe out say, "one". As you repeat 'one', you'll find that the whole existence is one, a unity. No need to say that; just saying 'one' will help.

Dr. Kataria's Laughter Yoga Club.

From: Dr. Sallaudin Laughter is the best medicine Article By: Dale Ross Join a club whose members gather to laugh? No joke – it can benefit your health. In 1995, Dr. Madan Kataria, a physician from Mumbai, India, created a club whose members gather every day to laugh. He called it Laughter Yoga. Sessions begin with participants clapping rhythmically and chanting "Ho-ho, ha-ha-ha." This faked laughter soon becomes real laughter. (See a clip of Laughter Yoga). Laughter Yoga combines yoga deep breathing and simulated laughter exercises. Dr. Kataria believes that faked laughter has the same benefits as real laughter. "I believe that even if you are faking laughter, your body is not intelligent enough to make out the difference," he says on his website, Laughter Yoga. "Even if you pretend laugh, the same set of happy chemicals (endorphins) are released from your brain cells." The program proved so popular that today there are over 5,000 laughter clubs in more than 50 countries. (For information on Canadian clubs, click here.) Actor/comedian John Cleese, of Monty Python fame, visited a laughter club in India with Dr. Kataria for the BBC TV series Human Face and was moved by the experience. "I'm struck by how laughter connects you with people," Cleese said. "It's almost impossible to maintain any kind of distance or any sense of social hierarchy when you're just howling with laughter; laughter is a force for democracy." (Watch the media report.) Important health benefits Laughter can also bring important health benefits. Pent up negative emotions like anger, sadness and frustration can be released in a healthy way. It is also a helpful coping mechanism. Humor can help us view stressful events as "challenges" rather than "threats." As Bill Cosby has said, "If you can laugh at it, you can survive it."         Laughter may even help to prevent heart disease, according to astudy at the University of Maryland. When you laugh you improve the function of the endothelium, which is the inner lining of blood vessels, the study suggested. In fact, viewing laughter-provoking clips from movies like Kingpin(MGM, 1996) relaxed blood vessels in 19 of the 20 study volunteers and increased blood flow by an average of 22 percent. Film clips that caused stress, like the opening scene of Private Ryan(DreamWorks, 1998) narrowed blood vessels in 14 of 20 volunteers and decreased blood flow by an average of 34 percent. "The endothelium is the first line in the development of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, so, given the results of our study, it is conceivable that laughing may be important to maintain a healthy endothelium, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease," said Michael Miller, M.D., principal investigator of the study. More reasons to laugh Studies by Dr.Lee Berk at Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California show that laughter may strengthen the body's immune system and decrease stress hormones. His research also suggests that laughter can boost mood-elevating endorphins and lower blood pressure. "For the most part, when you go and get medical treatment, a clinician is not necessarily going to tell you to take two aspirins and watch Laurel and Hardy," said Berk. "But the reality is that's where we are and it's more real than ever. There's a real science to this. And it's as real as taking a drug." (Source: ocmetro.com) Laughter can also: --reduce physical pain by releasing endorphins --be aerobic for the heart --stimulate both sides of the brain, making learning easier --ease muscle tension       There are lots of easy ways to bring more laughter into your life: • Make a point of watching funny movies and/or TV shows. • Read funny books. • Hang out with happy, upbeat people. • Lighten up; don't take yourself too seriously.

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Way to weight loss

 Dr Shashank Shah, is a laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon of international repute working with Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital. He is a director of Laparo-Obeso Center, an organisation of medical consultants devoted for the field of obesity and metabolic syndrome and interventional treatment for T2DM. According to Dr Shah, obesity is on the rise in India especially in the metros. Genetic predisposition, medical illnesses and environmental factors, which discourage physical activity, promote unhealthy eating, have lead to this rise. Co-morbidities are illnesses associated with obesity i.e. decreasing weight decreases the co-morbidities. The more common co morbidities are diabetes type 2, hypertension and heart diseases at younger age, infertility due to polycystic ovarian disease, sleep apnoea, breathlessness, urinary stress incontinence, gall bladder diseases etc. A correct combination of diet, exercise and a permanent behaviour modification is required to weight loss. Drugs help moderately and temporarily. However only 5 per cent of people achieve long-term success. For the morbidly obese this is just impossible to achieve. Bariatric (obesity) surgery is recommended for those with BMI >33 kgs/m with co-morbidities. It consists of procedures which give satiety in spite of decreased intake. Some procedures have the additional advantage of the restricting the amount of calories absorbed from the food. Experts recommend considering surgical weight loss options for these patients as the risk of death from not having surgery is greater than the risks of surgery. Bariatric surgery is seen to cure and control the associated co morbidities (especially Diabetes type 2). A total of 55 per cent to 90 per cent of the Excess body weight is seen to disappear giving a boost to the self confidence and self esteem with resultant improvement the quality of life of the person and the family. For further details, contact: Dr Jayshree Gangwani : 9702803377 and Manish Joshi: 9819261222. OPD timing is on Wednesday and Saturday between 12 noon to 3.00 p.m. Add: Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital Laparo-Obeso Center, Hillside Avenue, Hiranandani Business Park, Powai. Mumbai – 400 078 Tel: 2576 3300, 2576 3333; Fax: 2576 3344, 2576 3311. E-mail: wecare@hiranadanihospital.org Website: www.hiranandanihospital.org 

Dr Shashank Shah