Zoomer Report

Which is healthier whole wheat bread or white? Most people think the answer is whole wheat. But researchers at the Weizmann institutewere surprised when they did a study comparing specially baked fresh artisanal sourdough with processed, packaged white bread. They found different people reacted differently - about half the people had a better response to the white, and the other half had a better response to the whole wheat sourdough.

Half of the study participants were assigned to eat an increased amount of the processed, white bread for a week, representing about 25 per cent of their calorie intake.

The other half was told to consume an increased amount of whole wheat sourdough. Afterwards the diets for the two groups were reversed.

The researchers monitored health effects like levels of glucose essential minerals, cholesterol and kidney and liver enzymes They also looked at markers for inflammation and tissue damage.

They say the findings are potentially important because they can help people understand which foods are a better fit for them based on their genetics and their microbiome - in other words a personalized approach to choosing a diet similar to personalized medicine for the treatment of illness.

Here's important information if you smoke, or even if you used to. According to research presented at the 17th world conference on lung cancer, regular use of ibuprofen may lower the risk of lung cancer among those with a history of cigarette smoking. We know that chronic inflammation appears to increase the risk of lung cancer and medicines that reduce inflammation have been shown to reduce this risk.

With that as the premise, researchers from Ohio state university examined data for more than 10,000 participants. Over 18 years of followup, 269 people died from lung cancer. Most of them from the 5,800 who had a history of smoking. Researchers looked at the use of ibuprofen, which is in drugs like Advil and Motrin and found it was associated with a 48% reduction in the risk of dying from lung cancer.

On the other hand, taking aspirin and acetaminophen, which is the active ingredient in Tylenol, had no effect. Ibuprofen is in a class of drugs called ensades and the bottom line, according to the researchers, is that regular use of certain ensades may be beneficial for smokers as a lung prevention strategy.

These drugs can have side effects. So as always check with your doctor.

If you like chocolate (and who doesn’t?), here’s some good news: Eating chocolate has been linked to a lower risk of atrial fibrillation, the irregular heartbeat that can lead to stroke, heart failure and other forms of heart disease.

A Danish study followed 55,000 people aged 50 to 64 for 14 years and found more than 3000 cases of atrial fibrillation.

After accounting for things like smoking and alcohol consumption, they found that those who ate modest amounts of chocolate had a reduced risk. And a little more was better than a little less.

People who ate two to six one ounce servings a week reduced their risk by 20%, while those who ate only one to three one ounce servings a month had a 10 percent reduced risk.

The study authors say dark chocolate with higher cocoa content is better, but they warn against overindulgence. Bottom line: You can’t have as much chocolate as you want. The study is published in the journal Heart.

Do you eat yogurt every day? Some research out of Ireland shows that it’s a good idea, especially if you are a Zoomer. Researchers tracked the diet and lifestyle of more than 4000 people over 60. They then measured bone density and joint deterioration, and tested participants’ physical ability.

After adjusting for age and factors like exercise and smoking, they found that people who ate yogurt daily had a 3 percent to 4 percent increase in bone mineral density. Eating yogurt daily was also associated with a 39 percent lower risk of osteoporosis in women and a 52 percent lower risk in men. In addition, The yogurt eaters performed better on physical fitness tests.

The bottom line according to the researchers: yogurt is a good source of micronutrients, vitamins, calcium, protein and probiotics – while other dairy products do not have the same effect. The work is published in Osteoporosis International

Here’s an important finding about sleep as we age. A review from the University of California, Berkeley suggests that some seniors lose the ability to get deep, restorative rest, and this contributes to medical conditions including depression and dementia.

People who wake up multiple times during the night can miss out on the deep stages of sleep and that can cause a vicious cycle.

Medical conditions and the treatments for them, can be the cause of sleep problems, but poor sleep can also contribute to disease. Researchers say that when it comes to dementia, deep sleep helps "clear" the brain of the amyloid-beta proteins that build up in people with the disease .Similar cycles may be at work with other diseases, too. And while the study authors don’t want people to panic if they are sleeping less than they used to – they advise consulting a doctor if you routinely sleep less than six hours a night, or lack long "consolidated" blocks of sleep.

A healthy diet and exercise are critically important especially because regular exercise contributes to better-quality sleep.

Bottom line: the researchers say sleep is a key factor in successful aging.

If you have arthritis, you’re in good company. More than 4 and a half million Canadians are affected. Now a study finds that just a little physical activity seems to go a long way. If you’re a Zoomer with arthritis-related joint pain and stiffness you need to keep moving to remain functionally independent. I have arthritis in my knees and I swear by the healing power of exercise. But a study out of Northwestern University in the US found that only 10 percent of older Americans with this condition meet federal guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week. The good news: researchers found that doing even one-third of that is still beneficial.

The study involved more than 1,600 adults 49 or older who had arthritic pain or stiffness in their hips, knees or feet.

Researchers found that those who did a minimum of 45 minutes of moderate activity like brisk walking every week were 80 percent more likely to improve or maintain physical function and gait speed over two years, compared with those who did less activity.

The bottom line: for sedentary arthritis sufferers 45 minutes a week may be a more realistic goal and even a little activity is better than none. The study is published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Do you have asthma? It is extremely common, about three million Canadians have been diagnosed with the condition. But researchers now say if you are one of them, you should double-check. A study led by the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute found that fully a third of adults being treated for asthma don’t actually have the disorder, either because they have been misdiagnosed or have gone into remission..

Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the airways that causes shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing.

It can be brought on by a reaction to such allergens as dust, mould and pet dander, by sensitivities to paint fumes and tobacco smoke, and or even exercise or exposure to cold or hot, humid air.

In a study of more than 600 adults, doctors found 203 of the participants were being unnecessarily and less than half of that group had received the proper lung function test at the time of their initial diagnosis. Although the tests, which are called spirometry, are cheap and easy to perform, they are not necessarily readily available. The researchers want that to change. In addition to the misdiagnoses, at least 20% of the cases had gone into remission – another example of why it’s important to check to make sure you still need the medications you have been taking for a while.

Most of us probably know at least a few of those uber-Zoomers. Older people you can describe as “sharp as a tack” at the age of 80, 90 and beyond.

Well, now researchers have found they have certain brain characteristics that differ from their peers who show more typical age-related memory loss.

Scientists from Northwestern University's Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center identified 12 people aged 80 and older who did as well or better on memory tests as people who were 20 to 30 years younger. They dubbed them "SuperAgers."

MRI scans showed that the cortex of SuperAgers was thicker than a comparison group of people aged 80 and older. The cortex is the outer layer of the brain involved in memory, attention and other thinking abilities.

Brain scans also showed that people in their 80s and 90s who exhibited more typical memory declines had a thinner cortex. At the same time, SuperAgers also had a larger cingulate cortex, another brain region also involved in attention and memory, than even the middle-aged participants.

Researchers still have to figure out the chicken or egg question: does retaining brain volume protecs thinking abilities, or does maintaining thinking abilities protects brain volume.

The study is published in the current issue of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

A report, from the US "AAA" Foundation for Traffic Safety, finds that missing just an hour or two of shut-eye nearly doubles your chances of a car crash the next day. And getting behind the wheel after getting only four to five hours of sleep quadruples that risk. That's comparable to driving with a blood alcohol level that is considered legally drunk.

A study published in the Annals of internal medicine finds that Zoomers who regularly exercise are less likely to suffer a disability -- and if they do, they tend to recover faster.