Live longer, drink more and have stronger bones

Two news items this week to make me smile.

The first is research results showing that drinkers live longer - amazing but true.

Age and Aging: "Both men and women who drank alcohol had decreased mortality compared with nondrinkers. Those who drank 2 or more drinks per day had a 15-19% reduced risk of death. The reduced risk was not limited to one type of alcohol. Stable drinkers (those who reported drinking both at baseline and follow-up) had a significantly reduced risk of death compared with stable nondrinkers. Those who started drinking at follow-up also had a significantly lower risk. Those who quit drinking were at increased risk of death, which was significant in women."

The remark within the above quote, that women who gave up drinking had significant increased risk of death, is a strong message. We await publication of the full report with impatience.

The second item is in the June 2009 issue of Tufts Health and Nutrition Letter which arrived today and what is the front page story but "Moderate drinking linked to better bone density." Women who have 2 or more drinks a day had 5% to 8.3% better hip and spine bone mineral density i.e. stronger bones. For men the improvement in bone density was 2.4% to 4.5%.

The researchers go on to say that alcohol is a strange topic because it helps prevent heart disease but increases the risks for breast cancer. Nonetheless, the positive affect of alcohol on bone density is larger than that for any other nutrient - including calcium. Amazing.

Some balance is needed. Too much alcohol - bad. You only get the good effect from beer and wine - not from spirits.

Of course you need to be sensible. Watch this video:

Flossing to stop heart attacks

The reason you floss is to protect your heart.

You know that - right !

However many reasons you might have for not flossing - remember that your heart needs it.

I was convinced about this several years ago and now I floss twice a day - as close to 12 hours apart as possible. Usually 9.30am and 9.30pm.

Now there is the news that there is an underlying genetic link.

Vienna, Austria: The relationship between the dental disease periodontitis and coronary heart disease (CHD) has been known for several years. Although a genetic link seemed likely, until now its existence was uncertain. Now, for the first time, scientists have discovered a genetic relationship between the two conditions, a researcher told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Monday 25 May).

"These factors already indicated a possible mutual genetic basis underlying the two diseases", said Dr. Schaefer. Now we know for sure that there is a strong genetic link, patients with periodontitis should try to reduce their risk factors and take preventive measures at an early stage", he said. "We hope that our findings will make it easier to diagnose the disease at an early stage, and that in future a greater insight into the specific pathophsyiology might open the way to effective treatment before the disease can take hold."

What to do if the urge to snack is strong

Losing weight is a constant battle.


Every day the urge to snack can be strong. Just one small bite wont do any harm. Will it ?


There can be times when that siren call to snack is too loud to ignore. So what to do ?


On the way to the refrigerator to pick up a snack, stop and get down on your knees.


Then do exactly the same as this video.


Two minutes later you'll feel good and the urge to snack will have gone away.

The Amazon - anything to worry about ?

We are off on an expedition to the Brazilian Amazon.

So you have to buy a hat and it has to be a Tilley. This is an LTM3 Airflo hat. It turns out its made in Toronto, Ontario with an address on Don Mills Road which I've driven down many times.

We bought the hat, and a lot else besides at UV Gear. For anyone living in the Alpharetta - Johns Creek, Ga area, UV Gear is at the junction of Kimbal Bridge Road and Web Bridge Road [sandwiched between the bridal gowns shop and Bickram Yoga - by the way, the Yoga studio is the only place in Georgia that sells Lululemon exercise clothes].

UV Gear told us that they could equipment anyone for a two month trip with luggage weighing just 10 pounds. We did not test them on this, our credit card would have folded under the load.

Now we have had our injections: typhoid; yellow fever. The malaria tablets are ready for before we get to the malarial mosquito infected areas.

Bring on the Amazon.

Kathy Anne Art

I attended one of Kathy Anne's courses on Photoshop Elements at Art + Soul in Virgina.

Loved her.

http://www.kathyanneart.blogspot.com/

How to get a fast brain

Brain Health, brain processing speed seems to be an issue this month because both the Duke Medicine Health News and the Berkeley Wellness Letter featured articles on brain health. 

Duke even had a diagram to help us all understand how the brain works. This is it. I get clicking from my knees but perhaps the clicks are from inside my head.

Just in case you are wondering, the numbers in the diagram have some meaning:

1. Pre-frontal cortex which governs working memory
2. Primary auditory cortex for sound analysis and recognition
3. Wernicke's Area for speech recognition.

The people the research looked at were all healthy and aged 65 and up who did 8 weeks of brain exercises aimed at increasing brain speed. The results were amazing, possibly too good to be true, in that the people involved doubled their memory scores as compared to those who did not go through the 8 weeks of brain exercise.

So what exactly did they do ?

There were 6 different activities which started with separating low-pitched and high-pitched sounds. The machine used started to play the sounds slowly and distinctly but then gently increased the pace until the sounds started to fuse together. 

The details are in this paper but it is a challenge to read !

The Berkeley Wellness piece was nothing like as geeky as Duke's effort. Berkeley said that the brain does not change with age but it does process information more slowly with age. The slowdown starts at about 15. Berkeley quoted the same research as Duke but added the thought that the brain speed improvement seen by the researchers was probably only temporary.

So what to do:

• Exercise. This probably helps the brain by increasing blood flow and reducing blood pressure
• Keep using your brain to learn on a lifetime basis
• Blood Pressure - keep it down
• Diabetes - avoid if you can as the high levels of insulin which go along with Type 2 diabetes are associated with a declining memory
• Keep weight down
• Taking statins to keep cholesterol down on balance is good for the brain
• Raise good cholesterol [HDL] as there is a theory that HDL helps block formation of plaque in the brain. How do you raise HDL ? Intense exercise, if your body will take it, is the best approach.
• Aspirins (and similar) seem to reduce chronic inflammation that plays a role in Alzheimer's
• Healthy diet - a Mediterranean type diet
• Depression - get treatment as depression reduces mental activity.

Sharp Brains Guide to Brain Fitness might be worth looking at.

Vitamin D and Influenza

Vitamin D, if you have enough in your blood, stops influenza. Can it really be that simple ?

I blog'd about Swine Flu (H1N1) recently and came to the conclusion that the present outbreak is not a big worry. At least not a big worry compared to osteoporosis or something big of that nature. However come the Fall, after Swine Flu has had the chance to mutate while infecting the southern hemisphere during their Winter the situation might be very different. 6 months on Swine Flu might have turned into something to really worry about.



The solution to avoiding flu might be just to fool your body in believing that it's always Summer. Look at this chart showing Vitamin D concentrations in the blood through the year. This particular study followed a group of 45 year old Brit's to see what happened to their Vitamin D concentration. As you can see, even in Summer, Vitamin D was barely adequate (30 ng/ml is about as low as you'd want to go and 50 ng/ml is much better) and in Winter badly low. So this group of people were ripe candidates to get colds and flu.

I've blog'd about Vitamin D enough:

• Vitamin D
  
• Vitamin D - babies, children teenagers
• Vitamin D - from sunshine or food
• Vitamin D - get an accurate test

So when I came across On the epidemiology of influenza which links flu to Vitamin D, I thought I'd struck gold. This paper links low Vitamin D levels to the spread of flu of all kinds. This is part of the conclusions:
"Compelling epidemiological evidence indicates vitamin D deficiency is the "seasonal stimulus" [22]. Furthermore, recent evidence confirms that lower respiratory tract infections are more frequent, sometimes dramatically so, in those with low 25(OH)D levels [90-92]. Very recently, articles in mainstream medical journals have emphasized the compelling reasons to promptly diagnose and adequately treat vitamin D deficiency, deficiencies that may be the rule, rather than the exception, at least during flu season [40,41]. Regardless of vitamin D's effects on innate immunity, activated vitamin D is a pluripotent pleiotropic seco-steroid with as many mechanisms of action as the 1,000 human genes it regulates [93]. Evidence continues to accumulate of vitamin D's involvement in a breathtaking array of human disease and death. [40,41]"

The Vitamin D Council has more scientific papers than you could possibly read before this Fall's flu season. So the quick answer is take at least 1,000 IU's of Vitamin D every day and that should just be enough to have your bodies mechanisms to fight infections like colds and flu, fully primed and eager to fight off invaders.

Exercise does make a difference - even later inlife

Exercise makes a difference to health - more is better - less is worse - but it takes time to have an impact. We've all known this but at last a 35 year long (and still going strong) study from Uppsala, Sweden has proved it - finally.

I blog'd a few weeks ago about people, mainly men, who'd been laid off after decades in the same job, flocking to the gym and working out for hours, several times a week. You might be tempted to think "Too late to make a difference" but as it turns out "Not true." 

The study started to 1970 when all the men aged 50 years in Uppsala, Sweden were contacted to invite them to participate in this research. 2200 men said yes - over 80% of the men living in the area at the time. Why  were only men invited is not clear and is a weakness in the study. Do the results apply to women. Probably but likely with some gender twists.  The study has published every few years since then:

• list of all their publications
• the original at 50 years of age Uppsala Prevention Study
• the study when the participants were 82 years old

The investigations include anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, blood and urine sampling, bone density measurement by whole body DXA, ECG examination, tests of cognitive function, questionnaire, and a dietary investigation.

Long may it continue. It contrasts with what I said about this 4 week study on exercise and antioxidant supplements.

I also blog'd months ago about the long-term could health results of running.

• the active live longer and better than the inactive (no great surprise here but the Swedes quantify the extent)
• changes in exercise level ( up and down) take 5 to 10 years to show up in health and mortality. It's no surprise to learn that these things take effect slowly but this research shows pinpoints it to the range 5 to 10 years.
• if you've been inactive all your life and then start to exercise seriously then within 10 years (maybe even after 5 years) your health and mortality is as good as those who have been active all their life. Sad news for the always active but great news for those who's work has stopped them looking after their health and wellness.
• in the other direction, if you have been active but then join the couch potatoes, your health and mortality sinks after maybe 5 years (and at most 10 years) your risk is the same as those who have always laid back and taken life easy.

What the research did not show was exactly how hard and how much you had to workout to make a difference. This research sets the bar at 3 hours a week of exercise and is not too specific about how hard the exercise has to be to pay health dividends.

.

I blog'd months ago about the positive impact that running has on health.

Of course, you might have forgotten, brains get bigger with aerobic exercise - no kidding.

Could taking anti-oxidants really eliminate exercise health improvement ?

Taking anti-oxidants makes exercise a waste of time !

Can this really be true ?

German researcher Michael Ristow makes this bold claim in the paper published this week - "Antioxidants prevent health-promoting effects of physical exercise in humans". The paper is only 6 pages long, well written and fairly easy to read.

A few words of caution: in this research, health-promoting effects are simplified to decrease in insulin resistance. The paper, while excellent, is typical of most published research on exercise and health in that they are afflicted by the 3 S's.

1. SHORT time period over which the research is carried out. In this case 4 weeks. 
2. SMALL number of participants. In this case 40 (1 dropped out leaving 39).
3. SCANT information about the people participating in the research study. What was their general health; what else were they doing while the study was ongoing.

What is very different about Ristow's point of view is that he views the production of Reactive Oxygen Species [ROS] in the muscle mitochondria and the body's subsequent reaction to control them as being a promoter of good health (and probably a long healthy life). 

Until now everyone else has thought of Reactive Oxygen Species as dangerous and needed to be snuffed out as soon as possible using anti-oxidants. 

This statement from the Linus Pauling 

Institute summarizes the usual position on Reactive Oxygen Species: 

Antioxidants, both enzymatic and non-enzymatic, limit oxidative damage to biological molecules by various mechanisms. Dietary antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, significantly contribute to antioxidant defense systems in humans and may help protect us from certain age-related degenerative diseases.

Of course we all get antioxidants from food. Lots of fresh vegetables and plants are the best source. Nature is rich in antioxidants, there are probably at least a million different molecules with antioxidant properties. 

What exactly did Ristow do in the research ? 

He took 40 healthy men (25 to 25 years) and divided them into 4 groups;

1. Exercise program on trained fit men plus antioxidants
2. Exercise program on trained fit men but NO antioxidants
3. Exercise program on previously untrained men plus antioxidants supplements
4. Exercise program on previously untrained man but NO antioxidants.

Before and afterwards he measured:

• insulin sensitivity
  
• formation of Reactive Oxygen Species in the muscles by measuring the concentration of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance.

What he showed was that in both the fit, previously trained men and the unfit, not working out men, taking antioxidants (Vitamin C and Vitamin E) stopped improvement in insulin sensitivity. The clearness by which antioxidants stopped the improvement is both amazing and surprising.

Not surprisingly the nutritional industry has not taken this research too kindly at all. 

Alexander Schauss was quoted “The primary objective of this study was to study the effect of a 4-week intensive 5-days a week exercise program on insulin sensitivity. Yet the title of the paper leads one to believe otherwise,” he said.

“This is a small gender-biased study of 40 male subjects, 25 to 35 years of age. When I read through the study for the first time I had to wonder how could the authors have come up with such a title for their paper?” 

More of the same !

However for some time the nutraceutical industry has wondered whether antioxidants really did live up to the marketing claims.

So finally, should one give up on taking antioxidant supplements ?

A good question deserves another good question !

1. Are you exercising hard and eating a range of fruits and vegetables? If you believe this research then no to antioxidant supplements.
2. Are you exercising hard but eating poorly ? Safer to get antioxidants from supplements rather than none at all.
3. Not exercising hardly at all but eating poorly ? Probably safer to take a supplement.
4. Not exercising much but eating nutritiously ? No need for antioxidants.

Osteoporosis - best way to solve the problem

I thought I had the osteoporosis issue under-control: 

1. Take Alendronate (generic version of Fosamax)
2. Take calcium tablets to get calcium intake up to 1200 mg every day
3. Take Vitamin D to get up to 800 IU's every day

then in a year's time go back to my doctor and find out if bone mineral density in the spine is heading back to where it should be.

What's the  problem:

1. Should it be Alendronate or Boniva or Reclast ? The gastroeneterologist who's prescribing Omeprazole to deal with my acid reflux issues thinks the prescription should be Reclast or at least Boniva. If it stays at Alendrate then he says to double up on Omeprazole on the one day a week I take Alendrate. Issues still on-going.
2. Is 1200 mg a day of calcium enough ? Professor Heaney at Creighton University thinks that 2400 mg a day of calcium is the better amount for anyone who has been low on calcium (possibly my issue).
3. Is 800 IU's of Vitamin D enough or should I be aiming for 1000 IU's ?

Professor Heaney wrote a long paper on Calcium, Dairy Products and Osteoporosis that went through the evidence that low calcium is a big part of osteoporosis. For him, the answer is to get calcium intake up high - no thoughts about drug treatment. Medscape interviewed Prof Heaney about calcium and osteoporosis - this is a transcript. 

One view on drugs for osteoporosis.

A snippet from the interview: 

Medscape: Is there an amount of calcium that would be considered excessive? For example, if someone were already taking a supplement several times per day for osteoporosis prevention (ie, 1500 mg), could they also add 3 servings of dairy products without getting too much calcium?

Dr. Heaney: That quantity of calcium you have just described would not be too much. The published upper intact limit established for calcium is 2500 mg. And although it is not explicitly stated, I can tell you (because I have served on the committee that developed the recommendation) this amount applies only to supplements and not to food. There has never been a documented instance of calcium poisoning from food.

Prof Heaney also throws in that Calcium phosphate is a better supplement than the Calcium citrate I've been taking ? Something else to think about. 

Prof Healey explains the role of the Parthyroid in controlling the build up and breakdown of bones.

The total quantity of skeletal remodeling is regulated by circulating levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), which operates mainly by controlling the activation threshold for new remodeling loci. PTH is secreted in response to both systemic, i.e., nonskeletal, calcium demand and to the demands to mineralize bone undergoing the formation phase of the remodeling cycle. PTH secretion is reduced to low levels on high calcium intakes and rises to high levels on low intakes. As a direct consequence, the quantity of bone being remodeled at any given time is an inverse function of effective calcium intake. Thus, whenever calcium intake is raised experimentally in a group of adults, bone remodeling falls, first resorption, then, later, formation, as well. That response is an inescapable consequence of the way the system is controlled and does not necessarily have nutritional significance, particularly since it will happen even at calcium intakes well above the nutritional requirement.

Swine flu: Early findings about pandemic potential reported in new study

Researchers from the MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling at Imperial College London, working in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and public health agencies in Mexico, have assessed the epidemic using data to the end of April. Their key findings are as follows:

• The data so far is very consistent with what researchers would expect to find in the early stages of a pandemic.
• The researchers' best estimate is that in Mexico, influenza A (H1N1) is fatal in around 4 in 1,000 cases, which would make this strain of influenza as lethal as the one found in the 1957 pandemic. The researchers stress that healthcare has greatly improved in most countries since 1957 and the world is now better prepared.
• The epidemic of influenza A (H1N1) is thought to have started in Mexico on 15 February 2009. The data suggests that by the end of April, around 23,000 people were infected with the virus in Mexico and 91 of these died as a result of infection. However, the figures are uncertain – for example, some mild cases may have gone unreported. The numbers infected could be as low as 6,000 people or as high as 32,000 people.
• The uncertainty around the numbers of people who have been infected with influenza A (H1N1) in Mexico means that the case fatality ratio (CFR) of 0.4% (4 deaths per 1000) cannot be definitely established. The CFR is in the range of 0.3% to 1.5%, but at this stage the researchers believe that 0.4% is the most likely.
• For every person infected, it is likely that there will be between 1.2 and 1.6 secondary cases. This is high compared to normal seasonal influenza, where around 10-15 percent of the population are likely to become infected. However, it is lower than would be expected for pandemic influenza, where 20-30 percent of the population are likely to become infected.
• In an outbreak in an isolated village called La Gloria, Mexico, children were twice as likely to become infected as adults, with 61% of those aged under 15 becoming infected, compared with 29% of those over 15. This may suggest that adults have some degree of immunity against infection, because of having been previously infected with a related strain of influenza, or it may mean that children are more susceptible to infection because they interact much more closely together, for example in school, than adults.

Professor Neil Ferguson, the corresponding author of today's research from the MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling at Imperial College London, said: "Our study shows that this virus is spreading just as we would expect for the early stages of a flu pandemic. So far, it has been following a very similar pattern to the flu pandemic in 1957, in terms of the proportion of people who are becoming infected and the percentage of potentially fatal cases that we are seeing.

"What we're seeing is not the same as seasonal flu and there is still cause for concern – we would expect this pandemic to at least double the burden on our healthcare systems. However, this initial modelling suggests that the H1N1 virus is not as easily transmitted or as lethal as that found in the flu pandemic in 1918," added Professor Ferguson.

The above early findings about the emerging pandemic of a new strain of influenza A (H1N1) in Mexico are published May 11, 2009 in Science.

Swine Flu - something to worry about ?

Swine Flu virus - probably not worth worrying about until the summer is over.

This is what the little beauty looks like. A tryst of pig flu proteins on the outside with bird and human flu interior. 

Could it be dangerous ? For sure, humans are not going to have immunity to this new H1N1 virus until we've all had exposure to the virus. 

This H1N1  flu virus is not as dangerous as the H5N1 bird flu virus which has killed about half of the people it's infected.

H1N1 pig flu is nothing like as dangerous. The people who have died probably other other health issues at the same time. 

However H1N1 pig flu does spread easily from one person to another (if no precautions are taken) unlike the killer H5N1 which does not spread from one person to another.

In the meantime the H1N1 virus is going to keep on evolving and there is the chance that it could become much more dangerous. Another 6 months on, getting towards winter, I'll definitely get a flu shot even though I'm guessing that flu shots for winter 2009-2010 will be only weakly effective.

Why do I think that ? It's going to take at least 4 months to create a flu vacine against H1N1 pig flu. During those 4 months it's going to be Winter in the southern hemisphere and H1N1 will be spreading fast and possibly evolving even faster. So the H1N1 flu we'll see in the Fall will be quite different to the virus currently causing concern.

Stay informed on the global spread of Swine Flu with this constantly updated map.

The New England Journal of Medicine is taking H1N1 seriously - read what they have to say.

Look at video on how the world can protect itself.

Latest Trends in Exercise and Fitness

Are there any clear fitness trends emerging for 2009 ?

1. Number 1 for me is couple training together. This can be a challenge for a Personal Trainer because there are now two people to keep safe, keep interested and keep challenged. I'm happy with couples working out together as long as they are nice to each other - don't bring any married couple arguments into the gym. Luckily for me, all the married couples working out together get on really well.

2. The second big trend is men wanting to improve their flexibility. This has surprised me as until this year persuading men to stretch was a hopeless task. We could spend a few minutes stretching or squeeze in one more set - "Let's get in one more set" has always been the male attitude but no more. Stretching and flexibility are now front and center for most men. 

3. At least we've reached Number 3 before mentioning the economy. I've seen the fragile economy affecting training in two ways. People are being cautiously frugal, cutting back on monthly spend, maybe working out as couples or less often because no one can be certain how long we have to survive the economic winter. 

4. People who have been laid off are flocking to the gym like never before. Men and women who might have worked two, three or more decades for one organization have been told this is the end of road for you with us. Good people who previously have barely fitted in one workout in two weeks are now in the gym for hours on end  4, 5 or 6 times a week. It has to be a good trend.

5. Older people are wanting to workout seriously much more than ever before. At 65 I smile a little when I say older people as I'm not quite sure who or what I mean. Let's just say good souls of 50 and upwards, usually with an injury or two, often a serious health condition which is being managed, want to make sure they can enjoy life in the best condition possible. 

That's my list of fitness trends in 2009. 

The ACSM did a carefully calibrated survey and came up with their view of fitness trends. The full article is at

 http://www.acsm-healthfitness.org/pt/re/acsm/fulltext.00135124-200811000-00006.htm;jsessionid=KDWPzdK9QldQMXypVlk7tZJwVpwVK7Y9thP4xFpPyLh6wHnJ6zXn!1160382954!181195629!8091!-1

but without ACSM membership you'll probably find it difficult to gain access. The survey is carried out on behalf of the ACSM by Walter Thompson, PhD, FACSM, FAACVPR, Regent's Professor at Georgia State University:

The ACSM top 10 fitness trends:

• 1. Educated and Experienced Fitness Professionals

• 2. Children and Obesity

• 3. Personal Training

• 4. Strength Training

• 5. Core Training

• 6. Special Fitness Programs for Older Adults

• 7. Pilates

• 8. Stability Ball

• 9. Sport-Specific Training

• 10. Balance Training

Then ACSM goes all the way to 20.

• 11. Functional Fitness

• 12. Comprehensive Health Promotion Programming at the Works...

• 13. Wellness Coaching

• 14. Worker Incentive Programs

• 15. Outcome Measurements

• 16. Spinning (Indoor Cycling)

• 17. Physician Referrals to Fitness Professionals

• 18. Exercise and Weight Loss

• 19. Group Personal Training

• 20. Reaching New Markets

My take on ACSM: 

- everyone wants to feel safe with their Personal Trainer so one can see why in general Educated & Experienced makes it to Number One for ACSM;

- children are not in my demographic but I recognize the impact that childhood obesity has on the rest of life - most obese children go on to become obese adults with all the diabetes and metabolic syndrome risks;

- it's not just about personal training - one wants everyone who can safely exercise to do so in whatever shape or form is safe and enjoyable;

- strength training is definitely starting to make progress compared to "cardio" but I'd say that 75% of gym members only do cardio in one form or another;

- Core Training often gets translated into "Can I get my tummy flat ?" and that's OK because core training makes for better posture, deals with lower back pain as well as getting the tummy flatter and tighter.

Of course ACE has it's own take on Fitness Trends.

ART and SOUL

Total disaster to total delight in just a few days.

My beloved Cougar, 150,000 miles and good for another 150,000 miles, or so I thought, stopped coughed up green and brown engine fluid and would not go at all. Verdict, engine totally wrecked. Problem can be solved with a new engine.

A few days of emotional melt down but spirits were revived by a long week-end at Art & Soul in Hampton, Virginia.  The wonderful chirpy delightful Claudine Hellmuth even managed to wipe out memories of spinal osteoporosis. 

A whole week with no workout, no running, no stretching - doesn't happen often.

Instead I learned a lot about blogging from Kecia Deveney about how to make blog'n fun. Kecia AKA Lemoncholy made a beautiful papier mache bird while I struggled with a mish-mash but she has real artistic talent and it showed. 

Jan Harris gently pointed me to improving technique without ever saying that and was even nice about my bird.

Then I spent a whole day with Kathyanne White aka Art in Common who took me many steps higher in Photoshop Elements expertise. 

This is her image which she allowed me to play with - thank you.

Then I worked on a photo of me from long ago taken at the Parthenon in Greece. The original was a holiday snap and this was an opportunity to see if Photoshop could improve it. One day I'll do something about the teeth.

Osteoporosis in Men

This year's annual physical was mostly good, apart from the big bad news. Something that I had worried about in a post September 2008.

Cholesterol good, blood sugar good, blood pressure fine, heart looks OK in the EKG but the bones, they definitely could be thicker and stronger.

I didn't actually say "what do you mean, I have osteoporosis ?" but I wanted to say it. After all I run, get good exposure to the sun for the vitamin D production, my diet has lots of calcium, so my bones should be strong. I was wrong, badly wrong. 

The diagnosis is osteoporosis of the spine and osteopeania in the hips. The femoral neck (both the thigh bones) is OK - good news at last.

I thought I had all the bases covered: I exercise with weights and I run; I'm aware of acid-alkali balance in food (too great a swing to acid causes calcium to be extracted from the skeleton to buffer blood Ph); I try and keep Vitamin D high (sufficient exposure to the sun); enough calcium in my food from green vegetables and from the calcium added to rice milk). 

Next step is to start taking 70mg of alendronate once a week [more on alendronate]. The instructions for taking are quite clear that one needs to take this in the morning and be standing up for at least 30 minutes afterwards. The concern is that if the tablet, or bits of a tablet, get lodged in the throat then esophageal ulcers can result. 

Alendronate is the generic version of fosamax and a lot cheaper. I hope just as effective. 

I really like my doctor but there was something a little cold about, "take the prescription, get lots of calcium [ at least 1200 mg a day], lots vitamin D [at least 800 IUa day], weight bearing exercise and come back in a year and we'll see if the bone mineral density is coming back up.

Worst of all, I might just have to take my own medicine - look at this post of mine from the begining of 2009.