Red Grapes, Red Wine Good for the Brain

General Posted by anthony Date July 10, 2015

A compound found in common foods such as red grapes and peanuts may help prevent age-related decline in memory, according to new research published by Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. Ashok K. Shetty, Ph.D. has been studying the potential benefit of resveratrol, an antioxidant that is found in the skin of red grapes, as well as in red wine, peanuts and some berries. Resveratrol has been widely touted for its potential to prevent heart disease, but Shetty and a team that includes other researchers from the health science center believe it also has positive effects on the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is critical to functions such as memory, learning and mood. Because both humans and animals show a decline in cognitive capacity after middle age, the findings may have implications for treating memory loss in the elderly. Resveratrol may even be able to help people afflicted with severe neurodegenerative conditions such as AlzheimerÛªs disease. In a study published in Scientific Reports, Shetty and his research team members reported that treatment with resveratrol had apparent benefits in terms of learning, memory and mood function in aged rats. ÛÏThe results of the study were striking,Û Shetty said. ÛÏThey indicated that for the control rats who did not receive resveratrol, spatial learning ability was largely maintained but ability to make new spatial memories significantly declined between 22 and 25 months. By contrast, both spatial learning and memory improved in the resveratrol-treated rats.Û Shetty said neurogenesis (the growth and development of neurons) approximately doubled in the rats given resveratrol compared to the control rats. The resveratrol-treated rats also had significantly improved microvasculature, indicating improved blood flow, and had a lower level of chronic inflammation in the hippocampus. ÛÏThe study provides novel evidence that resveratrol treatment in late middle age can help improve memory and mood function in old age,Û Shetty said.

Awkward Positions, Distractions and Fatigue May Trigger Low Back Pain

General Posted by anthony Date July 8, 2015

Awkward Positions, Distractions and Fatigue May Trigger Low Back Pain New research reveals certain physical and psychosocial factors significantly increase the risk of low back pain onset. Results published in Arthritis Care & Research show that being engaged in manual tasks involving awkward positions will increase the risk of low back pain by eight times. Those who are distracted during activities or fatigued also significantly increase their risk of acute low back pain. At some point, nearly 10% of the worldÛªs population experience back pain, which is the leading cause of disability according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Burden of Disease report (2010). WHO reports that low back pain has a greater impact on global health than malaria, diabetes, or lung cancer; yet little progress has been made to identify effective prevention strategies. Researchers recruited 999 participants from 300 primary care clinics in Sydney, Australia, who had an acute low back pain. Study subjects were asked to report exposure to 12 physical or psychosocial factors in the 96 hours prior to the onset of back pain. The risk of a new episode of low back pain significantly increased due to a range of triggers, from an odds ratio of 2.7 for moderate to vigorous physical activity to 25.0 for distraction during an activity. Researchers found that age moderated the effect of exposure to heavy loads, with odds ratio for individuals 20, 40, or 60 years of age at 13.6, 6.0, and 2.7, respectively. A new finding not reported previously was that back pain risk was highest between 7:00 a.m. and noon.