Health Advice
Getting quality health advice can be a challenge in the world we live in. There are so many sources on the web, in the newspapers, on TV, even from friends and family, that it’s tough to tell where you can find real and reliable health advice. That’s where the Doctors Health Press comes in. Every day, we send out the free Doctors Health Press e-Bulletin for one purpose only: to cut through the clutter and give our loyal readers only the most comprehensive health advice they can find. This isn’t just a run-of-the-mill sort of publication. Everyone from the publisher to our writers, researchers and doctors take the utmost pride in giving you health advice that is not only thoroughly researched, but is backed by our commitment to giving you accurate and expert health advice. We provide this service every day to thousands of readers who count on our health advice to help them achieve better health and wellness.
Whether you’re concerned about preventing breast cancer, lung cancer or any other form of the dreaded disease or you want to know how to prevent the onset of diabetes or properly maintain your diabetes or you simply want to maintain your healthy blood pressure, you can count on the best health advice, every day, from the experts at the Doctors Health Press.
So What Really Is Considered High Blood Pressure?
Countless stories about health news hone in on a simple measurement: blood pressure. Measuring the pressure that the flow of blood exerts on your blood vessels is quick, easy and important. If high, these levels are a well-known risk factor for heart disease. But are we cooking the books a bit? A new study says that perhaps 100 million Americans might be told they have abnormal blood pressure — but don’t.
So let’s get to the new piece of health news. Researchers in Minnesota found that people with “abnormal” levels are not actually more likely to die prematurely than those with ‘normal’ blood pressure. That is known the world over as “120 over 80.” The study goes on to show that, in people under the age of 50, diastolic blood pressure is the more important predictor of mortality. Incredibly, for those over 50, it is the systolic levels that are stronger predictors.
What they argue is that we might need a new definition of “normal” blood pressure. In doing so, they looked at how diastolic and systolic blood pressure each affected mortality — and how these relationships might affect the number of Americans currently labeled as having abnormal blood pressure.
They looked at information on nearly 14,000 Americans enrolled in a program that began in the 1970s. They were followed for two decades, with the researchers studying blood pressure and long-term survival. They also looked at data for about 6,500 adults in a survey first carried out in 1959 and 1962.
Here are the important numbers to know. They found that, in people over 50, those with systolic levels above 140 were significantly more likely to die prematurely. For those under 50, diastolic levels above 100 were linked to significant increases in premature death.
The findings show that how we choose to define normal blood pressure will impact millions of American adults. The question becomes: if there is no reliable effect on death when you follow this large group of people for 20 years, should the condition be deemed abnormal?
This isn’t to say that blood pressure readings are not important. They remain a critical tool to understanding your heart’s health. Diastolic blood pressure is the lowest pressure within the bloodstream, occurring between heartbeats (when it’s relaxing). Systolic blood pressure is the highest pressure within the bloodstream, occurring during each heartbeat when the heart contracts.
Take this to Reduce Diabetes Risk
Magnesium is one of those “big players” when it comes to maintaining good health. It’s required for 300 biochemical reactions in your body, including its incredible ability to stop calcium from entering places where it would cause harm, such as the cells of your heart and muscles. For this reason, it is known as “nature’s calcium channel blocker.”
The mineral is also essential for the production of something called “adenosine triphosphate”, or ATP. ATP is your body’s primary energy-producing molecule. It helps your muscles to function properly.
Magnesium deficiency is relatively common in North America, due to either losing too much in your urine, poor absorption, or not getting enough in your diet. Some traits of a deficiency include low levels of calcium and potassium, confusion, disorientation, loss of appetite, depression, muscle cramps, fatigue, personality change, and tingling or numbness.
Want another reason why you should make sure to boost your dietary intake of magnesium? Take a look at the results from a recent clinical trial conducted at the University of North Carolina. Researchers there discovered that people who consumed the most magnesium were less likely to get diabetes.
The research team looked at magnesium intake and diabetes risk in 4,497 men and women 18 to 30 years old. None of the study participants were diabetic at the study’s outset. During a 20-year follow-up period, 330 of the participants developed diabetes.
The researchers found that people with the highest magnesium intake, who averaged about 200 milligrams of magnesium for every 1,000 calories they consumed, were 47% less likely to have developed diabetes during follow-up than those with the lowest intakes.
The research team also found that, as magnesium intake rose, levels of several markers of inflammation decreased. And, surprisingly, higher blood levels of magnesium also were linked to a lower degree of insulin resistance.
The results may help to explain, the researchers say, why consuming whole grains, which are high in magnesium, is also associated with lower diabetes risk. When looking for the reason why magnesium might be implicated in better insulin regulation, the researchers suggest that the mineral is needed for the proper functioning of several enzymes that help the body process glucose.
The research team concluded that increasing magnesium intake may be important for improving insulin sensitivity, reducing inflammation, and decreasing diabetes risk. They would like further large-scale clinical trials to be conducted to investigate the link between diabetes and magnesium intake, as well as the potential benefits magnesium supplementation could offer.
Tags: ATP, Free Health Advice, Health Articles, Health News, magnesium and diabetes, magnesium intake and diabetes, potential benefits of magnesium, reduce diabetes risk, Vitamins and Minerals
Scientists Zero in on Prostate Cancer Cause
—by Cate Stevenson, BA
The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system. Prostate cancer occurs when cells in the prostate mutate and begin to multiply out of control. The peripheral zone of the prostate usually develops cancer first. These small clumps of cancer cells attach to an otherwise healthy prostate. When and if the cells begin to multiply, they can spread to the surrounding prostate tissue. Eventually a tumor may invade nearby organs, such as the seminal vesicles, bladder or rectum. Or tumor cells may travel into the lymphatic system and the bloodstream. Often those with prostate cancer have no symptoms. Others experience similar symptoms to those found with BPH, including trouble with sexual function.
When looking for a cure for prostate cancer, scientists have focused on “androgen receptors.” Androgens are hormones (such as testosterone) that are important for normal male sexual development before birth and during puberty. Androgen receptors allow the body to respond appropriately to these hormones. Typical prostate cancer treatments involve drugs that slow production of androgen. But, according to researchers, this type of treatment generally becomes less effective over time, as cancer cell resistance strengthens and multiplies.
It’s exciting news then, to read about some cutting-edge research being done at the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology. There, scientists believe they have uncovered the primary cause of prostate cancer — and it has very little to do with androgen receptors. The main cause of prostate cancer could, in fact, be the fusion of two genes. When these two genes fuse, it sets the stage for abnormal prostate cell growth.
The research team likens gene fusion to an on switch for prostate cancer development. The cancer is set in motion with the initial fusion of a prostate gene with a cancer-causing gene. The researchers were able to use high-tech genetic mapping techniques to discover that, once fusion takes place, androgen receptors get blocked, in turn cutting off normal prostate cell growth while allowing cancer to spread.
The research team concludes that their study shows the underlying problem in prostate cancer is the presence of gene fusion, not the androgen receptor. In some contexts, androgen signaling is actually a good thing, but the presence of the gene fusion blocks androgen receptor signaling. This in turn alters normal prostate cell development.
It will be interesting to see if scientists can use this discovery to press forward and find a cure for prostate cancer. Perhaps there will be a way to stop gene fusion from happening, thereby protecting healthy prostate genes from cancer-causing genes. And if this could be figured out for prostate cancer, perhaps it might provide clues about how to prevent other types of cancer as well.
Tags: Free Health Advice, Health News, prostate cancer, Prostate Cancer Cause
