All About Life - Lifestyle and other news you can use

[Healthy Laughter]

Laughter Remains Good Medicine

A new study finds that “mirthful laughter,” coupled with standard diabetic treatment, raises good cholesterol and may lower heart attack risk.

April 2009

The connection between the body, mind and spirit has been the subject of conventional scientific inquiry for some 20 years. The notion that psychosocial and societal considerations have a role in maintaining health and preventing disease became crystallized as a result of the experiences of a layman, Norman Cousins. In the 1970s, Cousins, then a writer and magazine editor of the popular Saturday Review, was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. He theorized that if stress could worsen his condition, as some evidence suggested at the time, then positive emotions could improve his health. As a result, he prescribed himself, with the approval of his doctor, a regimen of humorous videos and shows like Candid Camera©. Ultimately, the disease went into remission and Cousins wrote a paper that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and a book about his experience, Anatomy of an Illness: A Patient’s Perspective, which was published in 1979. The book became a best seller and led to the investigation of a new field, known then as whole-person care or integrative medicine and now, lifestyle medicine.

Background
The unscientific foundation that was laid down by Cousins was taken up by many medical researchers including the academic medical researcher Dr. Lee Berk in the l980s. In earlier work, Berk and his colleagues discovered that the anticipation of “mirthful laughter” had surprising and significant effects. Two hormones – beta-endorphins (the family of chemicals that elevates mood state) and human growth hormone (HGH; which helps with optimizing immunity) – increased by 27% and 87 % respectively in study subjects who anticipated watching a humorous video. There was no such increase among the control group who did not anticipate watching the humorous film. In another study, they found that the same anticipation of mirthful laughter reduced the levels of three detrimental stress hormones. Cortisol (termed “the steroid stress hormone”), epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and dopac, (the major catabolite of dopamine), were reduced 39, 70 and 38%, respectively (statistically significant compared to the control group). Chronically released high levels of these stress hormones can be detremential to the immune system.

Lee Berk, DrPH, MPH, a preventive care specialist and psychoneuroimmunologist, of Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, has paired with Stanley Tan, MD, PhD an endocrinologist and diabetes specialist at Oak Crest Health Research Institute, Loma Linda, CA, to examine the effect of “mirthful laughter” on individuals with diabetes. Diabetes is a metabolic syndrome characterized by the risk of heart attack, blindness and other neurological, immune and blood vessel complications. They found that mirthful laughter, as a preventive adjunct therapy in diabetes care, raised good cholesterol and lowered inflammation. The researchers will present their findings entitled Mirthful Laughter, As Adjunct Therapy in Diabetic Care, Increases HDL Cholesterol and Attenuates Inflammatory Cytokines and hs-CRP and Possible CVD Risk. They will present the findings at the 122nd Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society (APS; www.the-aps.org/press), which is part of the Experimental Biology 2009 scientific conference. The meeting will be held April 18-22, 2009 in New Orleans.

The Study
A group of 20 high-risk diabetic patients with hypertension and hyperlipidemia were divided into two groups: Group C (control) and Group L (laughter). Both groups were started on standard medications for diabetes (glipizide, TZD, metformin), hypertension (ACE inhibitor or ARB)) and hyperlipidemia (statins). The researchers followed both groups for 12 months, testing their blood for the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine; HDL cholesterol; inflammatory cytokines TNF-α IFN-γ and IL-6, which contribute to the acceleration of atherosclerosis and C-reactive proteins (hs-CRP), a marker of inflammation and cardiovascular disease. Group L viewed self-selected humor for 30 minutes in addition to the standard therapies described above.

Results
The patients in the laughter group (Group L) had lower epinephrine and norepinephrine levels by the second month, suggesting lower stress levels. They had increased HDL (good) cholesterol. The laughter group also had lower levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6 and hs-CRP levels, indicating lower levels of inflammation.

At the end of one year, the research team saw significant improvement in Group L: HDL cholesterol had risen by 26 percent in Group L (laughter), and only 3 percent in the Group C (control). Harmful C-reactive proteins decreased 66 % in the laughter group vs. 26 percent for the control group.

Conclusion
The study suggests that the addition of an adjunct therapeutic mirthful laughter Rx (a potential modulator of positive mood state) to standard diabetes care may lower stress and inflammatory response and increase “good” cholesterol levels. The authors conclude that mirthful laughter may thus lower the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. Further studies need to be done to expand and elucidate these findings.

In describing himself as a “hardcore medical clinician and scientist,” Dr. Berk says, “the best clinicians understand that there is an intrinsic physiological intervention brought about by positive emotions such as mirthful laughter, optimism and hope. Lifestyle choices have a significant impact on health and disease and these are choices which we and the patient exercise control relative to prevention and treatment.”

Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create health or disease. The American Physiological Society (APS; www.The-APS.org/press) has been an integral part of this discovery process since it was established in 1887.

[admin]

Turtle Island Native Network is a No Smoking Zone!

We Need Smoke-Free Movies . . .
May 2009 . . .
viewtopic.php?p=10210#p10210
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[admin]

"I GOT YOUR BACK":
AN EXAMINATION OF THE PROTECTIVE FUNCTION OF GANG MEMBERSHIP IN ADOLESCENCE

MSU research: Despite increased danger, youth gang members feel safe
School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University

"One of the goals of my research agenda . . . is to understand the benefits (real or perceived) that gang members receive from their respective gangs. This paper, in particular, sought to build on recent research that has documented that while many members proclaim to join gangs for protection, on average their rate of victimization increases after joining their respective gangs. We found that while the gang members we surveyed (both before and after involvement in the gang) reported an increase in victimization upon joining a gang (consistent with other studies), their fear of victimization decreased. Thus, youth involved in gangs appear to receive some protective benefit from the gang, yet it is only an emotional benefit (decreased fear of victimzation) and not physical, as their rate of victimization increased." Chris Melde, Criminal Justice, Office: (517) 353-0850, melde@msu.edu


ABSTRACT
The threat of victimization has been regarded as a central feature in both the development and the continuation of youth gangs. Although many studies find the need for protection to be a common reason youth join gangs, recent literature suggests that gang members are at an increased risk of victimization.

Given this seeming contradiction between expectations and reality, the current article examines the "objective" and "subjective" dimensions of gang member victimization using panel data collected from youth between the ages of 10 and 16 years.

Findings reveal that gang members report higher levels of actual victimization and perceptions of victimization risk than non-gang-involved youth. Gang membership is associated with reduced levels of fear, however.

Overall, although gangs may not be functional in terms of actual victimization, they seem to decrease anxiety associated with the threat of future victimization.
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Author: Andy Henion, University Relations, Office:
(517) 355-3294, Cell: (517) 281-6949, Andy.Henion@ur.msu.edu

Published: June 03, 2009

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Children who join gangs feel safer despite a greater risk of being assaulted or killed, according to federally funded research led by a Michigan State University criminologist.

The findings by MSU’s Chris Melde, which appear in the online edition of the journal Criminology, may help explain why youth continue to join street gangs despite the well-established danger.

“It’s a paradox,” said Melde, assistant professor of criminal justice. “Gang members essentially are not allowed to show fear and this can have a profound impact on adolescents. Their quest for acceptance, along with their immersion into this culture steeped in violence, may ultimately numb their reaction to violence, including their fear of victimization.”

While many researchers look at the downside of gang membership, Melde’s research explores the potential benefits – or at least the perceived benefits. The current research is part of a larger project led by professor Finn-Aage Esbensen at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and funded by the National Institute of Justice, a department of the U.S. Department of Justice.

The project is believed to be the first long-term analysis of its kind. Melde and his colleagues studied 1,450 public school students in the sixth through ninth grades during a two-year period. The students came from 15 schools in four states: Arizona, New Mexico, Massachusetts and South Carolina.

The students who joined gangs said they had higher levels of victimization, but also reported a relatively large decrease in fear at the same time. Victimization ranged from the fear of home invasion to being attacked.

The study also highlights a possible intervention point. Because fear, which affects decision-making, generally peaks immediately following a violent action – and before the gang can organize a response – Melde said that might be the best time to try convincing gang members to quit.

“Intervening in their lives right then may impact their decision whether they stay in a gang or not,” he said.

[admin]

MEDIA RELEASE

JUNE 17, 2009

UBC researchers develop new method to study gambling addictions

UBC researchers have created the world's first animal laboratory
experiment to successfully model human gambling. The advance will help
scientists develop and test new treatments for gambling addictions, a
devastating condition that affects millions worldwide.

In addition to showing that rats can "play the odds," the study finds
that gambling decisions can be impaired or improved with drugs that
affect brain dopamine and serotonin levels suggesting that these
neurotransmitters may moderate gambling behaviour.

"For most individuals, gambling is enjoyable and harmless, but for
others, it is as destructive as being addicted to drugs," says Catharine
Winstanley, an assistant professor in UBC's Dept. of Psychology, whose
study was published today in the Nature journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

"This new model is an important next step because the neurobiological
basis of gambling is still poorly understood and few treatment options
exist," adds Winstanley, noting that gamblers experience higher rates of
divorce, suicide and crime than non-gamblers. "It brings us a step
closer to the goal of drug-based treatments for people suffering from
gambling disorders."

For the study, rats had a limited amount of time in which to choose
between four gambling options which were associated with the delivery of
different numbers of sugar pellets. If the animals won the gamble, they
received the associated reward. However, if they lost, they experienced
a time-out period during which reward could not be earned.
High-risk options offered more potential sugar pellets but also the
possibility of more frequent and longer timeouts. Rats learned how to be
successful gamblers, selecting the option with the optimum level of risk
and reward to maximize their sugar pellet profits.

The study found that rodents treated with drugs that reduced their
levels of serotonin levels - associated with impulse control in humans
-dramatically reduced their ability to play the odds. A drug that
reduced dopamine levels - associated with pleasure in humans - improved
their ability to optimize profits. The findings are consistent with
recent clinical findings in humans, helping to validate the technique as
a model for studying human gambling behaviours.

"We hope this will speed up the development of gambling treatments for
humans by giving us a working model to explore drugs and therapies,"
says Winstanley, a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research scholar
affiliated with the U.S.-based Institute for Research on Gambling
Disorders.

In future studies, Winstanley says she will seek to replicate other
aspects of human gambling behaviours, including "loss-chasing" - when a
gambler follows a loss with a high-risk gamble - and the "near-miss
effect," when a near-win motivates individuals to continue gambling.

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CONTACT

Prof. Catharine Winstanley
UBC Psychology Dept.
Tel: 604.822.3128
cwinstanley@psych.ubc.ca

[admin]

Insufficient Sleep may be Linked to Increased Diabetes Risk
August 2009

Short sleep times, experienced by many individuals in Westernized societies, may contribute to the development of insulin resistance and reduced glucose tolerance, which in turn may increase the long-term risk of diabetes, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

Sleep curtailment is an increasingly common aspect of the Western lifestyle, which is characterized by physical inactivity and overeating. Today, many Americans sleep fewer than six hours each night and individuals who report such short sleep times have in previous studies demonstrated an increased risk of developing diabetes. This new study examined whether reduced sleep duration itself may increase the risk of developing diabetes when combined with physical inactivity and overeating.

Researchers in this study subjected a group of healthy middle-aged men and women to two controlled 14-day periods of sedentary living with free access to food and 5.5 or 8.5 hour bedtimes. When the subjects had their bedtimes decreased from 8.5 hours to 5.5 hours they showed changes in their response to two common sugar tests, which were similar to those seen in people with an increased risk of developing diabetes.

“Our findings raise the possibility that when the unhealthy aspects of the Westernized lifestyle are combined with reduced sleep duration, this might contribute to the increased risk of many overweight and sedentary individuals developing diabetes,” said Plamen Penev, MD, PhD, of the University of Chicago and a senior author of the study. “If confirmed by future larger studies, these results would indicate that a healthy lifestyle should include not only healthy eating habits and adequate amounts of physical activity, but also obtaining a sufficient amount of sleep.”

Since the conclusions of this study are based on the detailed evaluation of a small group of subjects over a limited period of time under carefully controlled laboratory conditions, Dr. Penev emphasizes that additional intervention studies will be needed to examine the impact of habitual sleep curtailment on human glucose metabolism.

Other researchers working on the study include Arlet Nedeltcheva, Lynn Kessler and Jacqueline Imperial of the University of Chicago. The study was supported by NIH grants.

The article, “Exposure to recurrent sleep restriction in the setting of high caloric intake and physical inactivity results in increased insulin resistance and reduced glucose tolerance,” will appear in the September 2009 issue of JCEM.

Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest, largest and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society’s membership consists of over 14,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 100 countries. Society members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at http://www.endo-society.org

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Renowned canine researcher puts dogs' intelligence on par with 2-year-old human

Border collies are brightest

August 8th, 2009

TORONTO – Although you wouldn't want one to balance your checkbook, dogs can count.

They can also understand more than 150 words and intentionally deceive other dogs and people to get treats, according to psychologist and leading canine researcher Stanley Coren, PhD, of the University of British Columbia. He spoke Saturday on the topic "How Dogs Think" at the American Psychological Association's 117th Annual Convention.

Coren, author of more than a half-dozen popular books on dogs and dog behavior, has reviewed numerous studies to conclude that dogs have the ability to solve complex problems and are more like humans and other higher primates than previously thought.

"We all want insight into how our furry companions think, and we want to understand the silly, quirky and apparently irrational behaviors [that] Lassie or Rover demonstrate," Coren said in an interview. "Their stunning flashes of brilliance and creativity are reminders that they may not be Einsteins but are sure closer to humans than we thought."

According to several behavioral measures, Coren says dogs' mental abilities are close to a human child age 2 to 2.5 years.

The intelligence of various types of dogs does differ and the dog's breed determines some of these differences, Coren says. "There are three types of dog intelligence: instinctive (what the dog is bred to do), adaptive (how well the dog learns from its environment to solve problems) and working and obedience (the equivalent of 'school learning')."

Data from 208 dog obedience judges from the United States and Canada showed the differences in working and obedience intelligence of dog breeds, according to Coren. "Border collies are number one; poodles are second, followed by German shepherds. Fourth on the list is golden retrievers; fifth, dobermans; sixth, Shetland sheepdogs; and finally, Labrador retrievers," said Coren.

As for language, the average dog can learn 165 words, including signals, and the "super dogs" (those in the top 20 percent of dog intelligence) can learn 250 words, Coren says. "The upper limit of dogs' ability to learn language is partly based on a study of a border collie named Rico who showed knowledge of 200 spoken words and demonstrated 'fast-track learning,' which scientists believed to be found only in humans and language learning apes," Coren said.

Dogs can also count up to four or five, said Coren. And they have a basic understanding of arithmetic and will notice errors in simple computations, such as 1+1=1 or 1+1=3.

Four studies he examined looked how dogs solve spatial problems by modeling human or other dogs' behavior using a barrier type problem. Through observation, Coren said, dogs can learn the location of valued items (treats), better routes in the environment (the fastest way to a favorite chair), how to operate mechanisms (such as latches and simple machines) and the meaning of words and symbolic concepts (sometimes by simply listening to people speak and watching their actions).

During play, dogs are capable of deliberately trying to deceive other dogs and people in order to get rewards, said Coren. "And they are nearly as successful in deceiving humans as humans are in deceiving dogs."

###
Invited Address: "How Dogs Think," Stanley Coren, PhD, University of British Columbia, Session: 3282, 2:00 – 2:50 PM, Saturday, Aug. 8, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building – Level 800, Meeting Room 801A

For more information or an interview, contact Stanley Coren at 604-876-4658 or cell 778-869-5776 or by e-mail at scoren@psych.ubc.ca

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.

[admin]

The company you keep influences how much you eat

MEDIA RELEASE | AUGUST 24, 2009

Note: Video of the researchers discussing their work is available here: http://stream.fuqua.duke.edu/Content/Gr ... YouEat.qtl

Thin friends who eat a lot could put your waistline in danger. That's the warning from researchers studying how other people's weight and food choices influence how much we eat.

Researchers from Duke University, the University of British Columbia and Arizona State University used snack foods, an obesity prosthesis, and the ruse of a study related to movies to track how students' food consumption was influenced by a companion. Their findings will appear online this week in the Journal of Consumer Research.

"Obesity is obviously a tremendous public health concern," said Gavan Fitzsimons, F.M. Kirby Research Fellow and professor of marketing and psychology at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. "Because people often dine in social settings, we decided to investigate how someone's size and food choices could influence how much the people around them order and eat."

The research team recruited 210 college students to participate in a study ostensibly about movie watching. Upon arriving at a research lab, each student was informed that they would be paired with another student taking part in the same study. The other student was in fact a member of the research team whose size was manipulated to make her appear to be either size 0 and 105 pounds (her natural build), or size 16 and 180 pounds (when wearing the obesity prosthesis).

All of the students were offered snacks to enjoy while viewing a film clip. The undercover researcher was served first, and helped herself to either a large or small serving before the student participant was offered the same bowl of food.

In all cases, the amount of food the students took was influenced by the portion size chosen by the undercover researcher, regardless of her size.

"Most participants took a portion similar to what the researcher served herself," said Brent McFerran, assistant professor of marketing at the University of British Columbia. "However, it is clear that how much food each person took, and how much they ate, depended on whether their companion was thin or obese."

Although their serving sizes mimicked those of the researcher, participants dampened the researcher's influence when she was obese but not when she was thin. In other words, if the thin researcher ate a lot or only a little, the participant followed suit. But when the researcher was obese, participants adjusted the amounts they ate and diminished the influence the researcher had on them.

"This indicates that people are influenced, even without being aware of it, by other people's portion choices," said Darren Dahl, the Fred H. Siller Professor of Applied Marketing Research at the University of British Columbia. "Further, our dining companion's body type can lead us to adjust what we choose and consume ourselves."

"In terms of consumer health, our findings indicate that the size of the person you dine with matters much less than the size of the meal they order," said Fitzsimons. "If a heavy-set colleague eats a lot, you are likely to adjust your behavior and eat less. But a thin friend who eats a lot may lead you to eat more than you normally would."

The research team also included Andrea Morales, associate professor of marketing at the W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University. This research was funded in part by the Association for Consumer Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada, and the Society for Consumer Psychology.

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CONTACT

Derek Moscato
University of British Columbia
derek.moscato@sauder.ubc.ca
(604) 822-8345

Laura Brinn
Duke University
(919) 660-2903
laura.brinn@duke.edu

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Runaway girls reap strong benefits from nurse interventions: UBC-Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota study

MEDIA RELEASE |  AUGUST 26, 2009

A nurse intervention program that helps sexually exploited runaway girls re-connect to family, school and health care reduces trauma and restores healthy behaviors, according to a new study led by University of British Columbia researcher Elizabeth Saewyc and Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota nurse practitioner Laurel Edinburgh.

The study, published online this month in the Journal of Adolescent Health, and due out in print later this year, examined the effects of the Runaway Intervention Program (RIP) at Children's Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. Girls and their families reported significant improvements in family and school relationships, self-esteem and grades after participating in RIP. The researchers also found significant reductions in emotional distress, substance use, suicide attempts, and risky sexual behaviors.

"Runaways often become isolated from supportive family and school relationships, which are important for healthy development," says Saewyc, a professor in UBC's School of Nursing who also holds a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Public Health Chair in Youth Health. "When they are also sexually assaulted or exploited, where can they turn for help in coping with the trauma? RIP was designed to reintroduce protective relationships back into young girls' lives and help them heal."

Through the intervention program, nurses worked beyond the clinic to support girls and their families with home and school visits. In addition to providing health exams and health education, they used creative problem-solving strategies to improve communication between family members, help girls stay in school, and find the support they need to be healthy.

"Remarkably, by six and 12 months into the program, the girls had improved so much that in most areas they were indistinguishable from girls in school who had never been abused," says Saewyc, who is also a scientist at the Child & Family Research Institute at BC Children's Hospital.

Edinburgh attributes the program's success to the individualized approach to health care, which may include interfacing with law enforcement and community services.

"Every runaway girl has a unique set of circumstances, issues and needs and therefore require individualized intervention in order to restore a supportive environment that would help them heal," says Edinburgh. "These could range widely from working with the school's police officer to make the school a safe environment, free from threats of gang members to helping find free piano lessons as a reward for ongoing school attendance.

"A vital element of the program is utilizing the specialized training of nurses to bring well-rounded health care to these girls, identifying their unique issues and working with each girl - and their support networks, including family, school and the community - to address them head on."

"CIHR understands the importance of helping sexually exploited runaway girls reconnect with family members and return to school to ensure positive and healthy development," says Dr. Joy Johnson, Scientific Director of CIHR's Institute of Gender and Health, which helped fund the study. "Abuse has a devastating effect on people's lives, so it is essential to invest in programs that give victims an equal chance of success and hope for the future."

For a copy of the paper or to interview Dr. Saewyc or Ms. Edinburgh, please contact Brian Lin at 604.822.2234 or brian.lin@ubc.ca; or Lisa Shepherd at 952.836.8168 or lshepherd@webershandwick.com.

About Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
Serving as Minnesota's children's hospital since 1924, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is the seventh-largest pediatric health care organization in the United States, with 332 staffed beds at its two hospitals in St. Paul and Minneapolis. An independent, not-for-profit health care system, Children's of Minnesota provides care through more than 14,000 inpatient visits and more than 200,000 emergency room and other outpatient visits every year. Children's is the only Minnesota hospital system to provide comprehensive care exclusively to children, and in 2008 was ranked among the best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

About the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health-care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 13,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada. www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca

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********************************************
CONTACT

Brian Lin
UBC Public Affairs
Tel: 604.822.2234
Cell: 604.818.5685
E-mail: brian.lin@ubc.ca

Lisa Shepherd
Weber Shandwick
Cell: 952.836.8168
Email: lshepherd@webershandwick.com

[admin]

Too much TV, computers and Obesity . . .

Do lifestyle behaviours really differ between overweight and non-overweight girls and boys?

Overweight children and youth are just as active, but spend more time in front of the screen

What: Comparing Activity and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption by Weight Status Among Children and Youth

October 8, 2009—The most significant behavioural difference between overweight and non-overweight Canadian boys between age 6 and 17 appears to be the amount of time they spend in front of a television, video or computer screen. However, a new study from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) found that this does not apply to teenage girls. Instead, the main difference between overweight and non-overweight girls between age 12 and 17 is the daily consumption of fruit and vegetables.
http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=PG_2430_E&cw_topic=2430&cw_rel=AR_3090_E

The study, Comparing Activity and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption by Weight Status Among Children and Youth, is based on survey data from Statistics Canadai and compares lifestyle behaviours between overweight and non-overweight children (age 6 to 11) and youth (age 12 to 17). The behaviours examined in the study include screen time activities, fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activity.

“Over the past two decades, the proportion of overweight children and youth has grown tremendously in Canada, by more than 70%,” says Lisa Corscadden, Senior Analyst with CIHI’s Canadian Population Health Initiative and lead author of the study. “Our study examines how lifestyle behaviours between weight groups differ by age, as well as by sex. This is important to note when tailoring exercise and lifestyle programs for children and youth.”

Screen time most significant behavioural difference for grade school children and male youth

CIHI’s study found that overweight children between age 6 and 11, regardless of sex, were much more likely to report high levels of screen time than their non-overweight peers. According to the study, 48% of overweight children in this age group reported spending at least two hours a day in front of a television, video or computer screen, compared to 31% of their non-overweight peers. This difference was particularly pronounced among boys age 6 to 11, with more than half (52%) of overweight boys spending more than two hours of their spare time each day in front of a screen, compared to only 32% of their non-overweight peers.

Among male youth between age 12 and 17, the screen time percentages jumped to three out of four (75%) overweight boys spending two hours or more per day in front of a screen versus two out of three (67%) of their non-overweight peers.

“The amount of time spent in front of a television, video or computer screen emerged as the most significant behavioural difference between overweight and non-overweight children and male youth observed in our study,” explains Jean Harvey, Director of CIHI’s Canadian Population Health Initiative. “This is important for parents and educators to keep in mind as cooler weather sets in and young children spend more time indoors. Screen time, after all, is sedentary time—and our study shows a definite link between a child’s weight and so-called ‘couch potato’ behaviour.”

Fruit and vegetable consumption differs between weight groups in female youth

The study also found fruit and vegetable consumption did not differ by weight group among children, with 40% of both overweight and non-overweight boys and girls reporting eating fruit and vegetables five times or more daily. However, the study did not look at differences in other eating habits, such as the consumption of food of low nutritional value.

Sedentary behaviour more closely linked to weight status than reported physical activity

In this study, physical activity did not appear to differ by weight status of any group, with both overweight and non-overweight children and youth reporting very similar levels of daily physical activity. More than 80% of both overweight and non-overweight girls and boys age 6 to 11 had at least one hour or more a day of activity between in-school and extra-curricular activities. For 12-to-17-year-olds, physical activity levels dropped off, with roughly one out of three girls and one out of two boys engaging in physical activity for at least one hour a day—which applied equally for both overweight and non-overweight groups.

“The health benefits of increased physical activity among children and youth are unequivocal, regardless of their association with body weight or weight loss. Increased physical activity and decreased screen time are both effective, health-promoting strategies,” says Mark Tremblay, Chief Scientific Officer for Active Healthy Kids Canada and research scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. “Some studies informed by self-reported data fail to demonstrate significant benefits of physical activity. However, studies using more direct measures of physical activity typically show positive effects and reinforce the wisdom of establishing healthy active living behaviours as early in life as possible.”

About CPHI

The Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI) is part of the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). CPHI conducts and supports research to foster a better understanding of factors that affect the health of individuals and communities; and to contribute to the development of policies that reduce inequities and improve the health and well-being of Canadians.

About CIHI

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) collects and analyzes information on health and health care in Canada and makes it publicly available. Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments created CIHI as a not-for-profit, independent organization dedicated to forging a common approach to Canadian health information. CIHI’s goal: to provide timely, accurate and comparable information. CIHI’s data and reports inform health policies, support the effective delivery of health services and raise awareness among Canadians of the factors that contribute to good health.

http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=download_form_e&cw_sku=CAFVCWSPDF&cw_ctt=1&cw_dform=N

[admin]

Impact of Music, Music Lyrics, and Music Videos on Children and Youth

AAP ADVOCATES FOR SAFER MEDIA AND MUSIC LYRICS
October 2009

Exposure to media violence through television, movies, music and video games can contribute to a variety of physical and mental health problems for children and adolescents, including aggressive behavior, nightmares, desensitization to violence, fear and depression. Listening to explicit music lyrics can effect schoolwork, social interactions and produce significant changes in mood and behavior.

Two new policy statements from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “Media Violence,” and “Impact of Music, Music Lyrics, and Music Videos on Children and Youth” will be released on Monday, Oct. 19, at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition (NCE) in Washington, DC. They include recommendations for parents and pediatricians to take an active role in monitoring and controlling what their children are watching and listening to.

The lead authors of the reports will present the recommendations in a news briefing at 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, in Press Briefing Room 157 of the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Media attending the news briefing should first register in the Press Office in the West Registration area.

U.S. children between the ages of 8 to 18 are using media an average of 6 hours and 21 minutes each day. Children between 0 and 6 years of age spend an average of almost 2 hours a day using screen media (television, movies and computers). By age 18, most teens will have viewed an average of 200,000 acts of violence on television alone.

“Media violence is the single most negative aspect of entertainment media” said Victor Strasburger, MD, FAAP, lead author of the Media Violence policy statement. “Parents who bring young children to see PG-13 and R-rated movies take a risk that their child will see violence as an acceptable way to solve their problems.”

As previously recommended by the AAP, babies or toddlers younger than 2 years should avoid all screen media. Parents need to limit their children to 1 to 2 hours of screen time per day, and remove TVs, Internet connections, and video games from the child’s bedroom. Children with a TV set in their bedroom increase their risk of obesity by 31 percent, watch more PG-13 and R-rated movies, and double their risk of smoking.

Many parents find the entertainment industry’s various rating systems difficult to use. The movie ratings are used by approximately three-quarters of parents, but only half have ever used the TV and video game ratings, or music advisories as a guide. Most parents aren’t aware that a v-chip (viewer control) is installed on their TV, and only 20 percent of parents actually use it. The AAP suggests pediatricians advocate for a simple, universal content-based media ratings system to help parents make healthy media choices for their children.

According to the new policy statement, “Impact of Music, Music Lyrics, and Music Videos on Children and Youth,” it is important for pediatricians and parents to be aware of the music children are listening to, in addition to TV and video games.

“Music plays such a vital role in the socialization and identity of children and adolescents, and parents often don’t know what lyrics their children are listening to because of increasing use of downloaded music and headphones,” said Rosario Gonzalez, MD, FAAP, lead author of the new statement.

On average, American youth listen to music from 1.5 to 2.5 hours per day, and an analysis of at-risk youth revealed they listen up to 6.8 hours per day. Studies have shown that a preference for certain types of music or music videos with explicit references to drugs, sex or violence can be associated with negative effects on schoolwork, behavior and emotions. Heavy metal and hard rock music have also been associated with increased suicidal risk, depression and delinquent behavior.

The AAP recommends that pediatricians become familiar with the literature on the effects of music and music videos on children and adolescents. Pediatricians should also encourage parents to actively monitor the music their children listen to and purchase. Parents can find song lyrics on Internet search engines and discuss them with their children. In addition, parents should be aware of the parental advisory warning of explicit content, located on the front of the CD, album, or DVD.

[admin]

‘Two Thumbs Down’ for Movie Theater Popcorn

New Lab Tests of Movie Theater Popcorn Show It’s Still the Godzilla of Snacks

(NOTE: The following contains references to U.S. movie theatres but the popcorn is not unlike what's found elsewhere too)

November 2009

WASHINGTON—It's hard to picture someone mindlessly ingesting three McDonald's Quarter Pounders with 12 pats of butter while watching a movie. But according to new laboratory analyses commissioned by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, that food is nutritionally comparable to what you’d find in a medium popcorn and soda combo at Regal, the country’s biggest movie theater chain: 1,610 calories and three days’ worth—60 grams—of saturated fat. (Nutrition aside, that combo costs $12—for raw ingredients that must cost Regal pennies.)
http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/nahpopcorn.pdf


"Regal and AMC are our nominees for Best Supporting Actor in the Obesity Epidemic," said CSPI senior nutritionist Jayne Hurley. "Who expects about 1,500 calories and three days’ worth of heart-stopping fat in a popcorn and soda combo? That’s the saturated fat of a stick of butter and the calories of two sticks of butter. You might think you’re getting Bambi, but you’re really getting Godzilla."

A medium combo at Regal has 1,610 calories and 60 grams of saturated fat. That's roughly the saturated fat of a stick of butter and the calories of two sticks of butter.

Regal says that its medium popcorn has 720 calories and that its large has 960. But CSPI's lab tests found that those numbers were understated. Regal’s medium and large sizes each had 1,200 calories and, thanks to being popped in coconut oil, 60 grams of saturated fat. (The large size looks bigger, thanks to its titanic tub, but it costs a dollar more and comes with a free refill.) A "small" at Regal has 670 calories and 34 grams of saturated fat. That’s about as many calories as a Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pepperoni Pizza—except the popcorn has three times the saturated fat. Even shared with another person, that size provides nearly an entire day’s worth of the kind of fat that clogs arteries and promotes heart disease. And every tablespoon of "buttery" oil topping adds another 130 calories. Asking for topping is like asking for oil on French fries or potato chips, according to CSPI.
http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/nahpopcorn.pdf

AMC, the second largest theater chain, also pops in coconut oil but has smaller serving sizes. Its large popcorn has 1,030 calories and 57 grams of saturated fat. That's like eating a pound of baby back ribs topped with a scoop of Häagen-Dazs ice cream—except that the popcorn has an additional day’s worth of saturated fat. A medium has 590 calories and 33 grams of saturated fat; and a small has 370 calories and a day’s worth—20 grams—of saturated fat. (Like Regal, AMC reports calorie counts lower than those returned in CSPI's lab tests.)

Third-largest Cinemark pops in heart-healthy canola oil. A large has 910 calories with 4 grams of saturated fat; a medium has 760 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat; and a small has 420 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat. Though popping in canola gives this chain’s popcorn far less saturated fat than its competitors, it's almost as high in calories and has the most sodium—about twice as much as Regal or AMC. With 1,500 milligrams of sodium—a day's worth of sodium for most people—a large popcorn without topping from Cinemark will be less likely to clog your arteries but more likely to elevate your blood pressure. And while Cinemark uses a "buttery" oil topping similar to the toppings used at Regal and AMC, at some outlets, particularly in the West, it uses a topping made with real butter. That version has 9 grams—half a day’s worth—of saturated fat per tablespoon.

CSPI also took a look at the sodas and candies sold at the movies. A small non-diet soda ranges from 150 calories at Cinemark to 300 calories at Regal. Mediums have 300 calories at AMC and Cinemark and 400 calories at Regal. With 33 teaspoons of sugar in nearly 2 quarts—54 ounces—Regal has the most outsized large soda, with 500 empty calories.

http://cspinet.org/nah/index.htm

Eating an 8-ounce bag of Reese's Pieces is like eating a 16-ounce T-bone steak and a buttered baked potato.

The oversized boxes and bags (four to five ounces) of candy sold at movie chains are universally high in calories. A 5-ounce bag of Twizzlers has 460 calories and 15 teaspoons of sugar. A 7-ounce box of Nerds has 790 calories and 46 teaspoons of sugar. Chocolate candies like Butterfinger Minis, Raisinets, Sno-Caps, or M&M's have between 400 and 500 calories and at least a half day’s worth of saturated fat. An 8-ounce bag of Reese's Pieces is just a cup of candy. But with 1,160 calories and 35 grams of saturated fat, it's like eating a 16-ounce T-bone steak plus a buttered baked potato.

"Sitting through a two-hour movie isn't exactly like climbing Mt. Everest," Hurley said. "Why do theaters think they need to feed us like it is?"

The study, published as the cover story in the December issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter, updates a famous exposé the group conducted 15 years ago. For Regal and AMC, CSPI tested samples from theaters in the Washington, D.C., area. For Cinemark, samples came from Texas, Illinois, and Maryland.
http://www.cspinet.org/

[admin]

NEW STUDY HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR EDUCATION AND COLLABORATION TO ADDRESS CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE WEBSITES

Extreme young age of victims and severity of abuse underscores need for immediate action

November 18, 2009

Winnipeg, MB: The Canadian Centre for Child Protection today released a new study titled Child Sexual Abuse Images: An analysis of websites by Cybertip.ca

The study reinforces concerns regarding the scope and severity of child sexual abuse imagery and underscores the need for additional solutions.

"Child victimization of any kind is a horrifying crime," said Peter Van Loan, Canada's Minister of Public Safety. "That is why we continue to support the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, which helps bring those to justice who misuse changing technology to victimize children. Through the National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet, our government continues to enhance the tools law enforcement need to prevent, investigate and prosecute these serious crimes."

The report was based on the examination of nearly 16,000 incidents involving sites hosting child pornography and the analysis of more than 4,000 unique images of child sexual abuse. More than 82% of the images assessed by Cybertip.ca depicted very young, pre-pubescent children under 12 years of age. Most concerning was the severe abuse depicted, with more than 35% of all images showing serious sexual assaults.

"What makes this particularly concerning is the very young age of the children in the images. These children are most likely being accessed and sexually abused by someone they know. Not only is it devastating for a child to be abused, but to have the abuse recorded and distributed on the Internet adds another layer of trauma." said Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. "This is a call to action to all Canadians to learn to recognize the signs of abuse, and to report their suspicions of abuse. We need to disrupt and hopefully stop child sexual abuse and prevent it from being memorialized and traded on the Internet."

The report emphasizes the critical need for child sexual abuse education. Special attention should be given to educating children 12 years and under on this subject to help build their skills and confidence to possibly disrupt and disclose abuse. Building public awareness on the issue of child sexual abuse and encouraging adults to report is another highlighted outcome.

The study also provides an in-depth analysis of reports made by the public to Cybertip.ca. As a result of this analysis, a series of 12 recommendations were provided to assist educators, policy makers, and other stakeholders who are working to reduce the online sexual exploitation of children.

"This report clearly reiterates the importance of a national tipline through which members of the public can actively participate in child protection by reporting IT-enabled child sexual exploitation," said Superintendent John Bilinski, of the Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. "As a partner of the Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, Cybertip.ca plays a key triage role that allows police to focus their efforts on investigations while ensuring that the public receives accurate awareness and prevention information. This increased understanding enhances our collective ability to protect children."

At the time of the analysis, more than 60 countries were hosting child sexual abuse content. Additionally, in one 48 hour period, Cybertip.ca observed a website cycle through 212 unique IP addresses, located in 16 different countries.

"We know from our 35 hotlines around the world the challenges in addressing illegal website content. Offenders are taking full advantage of the architecture of the Internet, variances in legislation, and are deliberately moving sites to evade the law," says Ruben Rodriguez, President of Inhope (International Hotline Association). "International collaboration involving a variety of stakeholders is the only way we are going to successfully tackle Internet-facilitated crimes against children."

In addition, the study, which was done in partnership with Bell Canada, provides information on the global movement of child sexual abuse websites, identifies the challenges with the borderless nature of the Internet, and recommends additional solutions for tackling this problem.

"For several years, Bell Canada has been committed to fighting the online sexual exploitation of children by supporting Cybertip.ca. Our goal in funding this report is to look beyond traditional industry efforts and explore innovative solutions that may better assist in protecting children," said Mirko Bibic, Bell Canada's Senior Vice President Regulatory and Government Affairs. "We are optimistic that our investment in research and prevention will help ensure that technology is not misused to aid in the harm and abuse of children."

Solutions to accurately identify those who operate these child abuse websites include working with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to adopt standards for ensuring the validity of the registrant's personal information. This is one of the twelve recommendations identified in the report.

Cybertip.ca is Canada's tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children. The tipline is part of the Government of Canada's National Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet. Since its launch, Cybertip.ca has received close to 40,000 reports resulting in at least 52 arrests executed by law enforcement and numerous children removed from abusive environments. In partnership with Bell Canada, Cybertip.ca's Research Series pulls together the most crucial aspects of the tens of thousands of reports submitted by the Canadian public. This report is the first in a series that will include the publication of unique research in the area of online child sexual exploitation, and will promote the creation of best practices for child protection in Canada.

Media Note: to access a full copy of the report, the summary report, or backgrounders on the report's keys statistics, recommendations and priorities for education, please visit the Canadian Centre's website at: www.protectchildren.ca or the national tipline at: www.cybertip.ca.

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For more information please contact:
Carolyn Shimmin, Communications Coordinator
Office: (204) 945-8074 Cellular: (204) 801-6838
Email: carolyn@protectchildren.ca

Media Backgrounder:
Child Sexual Abuse Images: An Analysis of Websites by Cybertip.ca

What is the Canadian Centre for Child Protection? The Canadian Centre for Child Protection is a national non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to the personal safety of all children. The Centre's goal is to reduce child victimization by providing programs and services to the Canadian public.

What is Cybertip.ca? Owned and operated by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, Cybertip.ca is Canada's national tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children. Cybertip.ca accepts and addresses online and telephone reports from the public regarding child pornography (child abuse images and material), online luring, child exploitation through prostitution, travelling to sexually exploit children, and child trafficking. Cybertip.ca was launched as a provincial pilot program (Manitoba) in September 2002, and in May 2004, along with the RCMP's National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre, became part of the Government of Canada's National Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet.

On average, Cybertip.ca receives more than 700 reports and 100,000 page views to its website per month. Cybertip.ca analysts review all reports and forward those with potentially illegal content to police. Reports have resulted in a number of arrests, as well as numerous children being removed from abusive environments. (Analysts hold Special Constable Status in order to review and create these reports.)

What is Child Pornography? Child pornography is a permanent record of the sexual abuse of a child. It can be an image, an audio recording, a video, a drawing, or a story about the sexual assault of a child. It is created deliberately and can be shared easily through the Internet, online platforms, and portable technology devices. Child sexual abuse is a crime and a significant problem that the public can't ignore.

The Report - Child Sexual Abuse Images: An Analysis of Websites by Cybertip.ca: This study examines reports made by the public to Cybertip.ca between September 26, 2002 and March 31, 2009. It focuses on child sexual abuse images on websites and provides an overview of the problem of child pornography. Of the 35,111 website incidents (one public report may contain information about an email and a website- this would be considered two separate incidents, as they would have to be analyzed independently) processed by Cybertip.ca during this time, 15,662 involved sites hosting child pornography, thus the number of incidents analyzed in this report.

Findings about child abuse images: The results of this analysis provide some disturbing data on the issue of child pornography. Most concerning is the severity of abuse depicted, with 35% of all images that were analyzed depicting serious sexual assaults against a child. Also troubling are the ages of the children depicted in the images with children under 8 years old most likely to be abused through sexual assaults in the images. Even more alarming is the extreme sexual assaults (bondage, torture and bestiality) which occur against children under 8 years old. These statistics challenge the misconception that child pornography consists largely of innocent or harmless nude photographs of children.

Of the webpages analyzed, 78% had at least one abuse image of a child less than 8 years of age with many showing infants or toddlers being assaulted. Most often, images of children under 8 years of age depicted them being abused through sexual assaults. The images of older children typically depicted them posed nude or in a sexualized way.

Gender also played a role in the research with 83 per cent of the images depicting girls. This highlights the need for gender-related educational materials and working with organizations that work specifically with girls such as the Girl Guides. This may help in the effort to educate girls to recognize sexual abuse and report sexually abusive behaviour.

The marketing aspect of websites hosting child abuse images: The report revealed that there is a marketing component to many websites hosting child sex abuse images with the layout of websites designed to direct attention to the images and focusing on a variety of children. It was found that over 50 per cent of websites were accepting at least one form of credit card payment, and using language seen on adult pornography websites in an attempt to normalize the viewing of such images.

The study also provides information on the global movement of child sexual abuse websites, identifies the challenges with the borderless nature of the Internet, and recommends additional solutions for tackling this problem. The reality is that illegal content is widely and publicly available and moves in an effort to avoid being shut down. In a 48 hour period, Cybertip.ca observed one website cycle through 212 IP addresses, located in 16 different countries.

RECOMMENDATIONS: The report presents a series of 12 recommendations in the areas of education and public awareness, technical and policy development, and research opportunities.

1. The creation of educational materials for children 12 years and under in order to help young children recognize signs of the abuse process and disclose to a trusted adult if they are being abused or photographed inappropriately. Adults also need to learn to recognize the possible signs of abuse. Tools should be provided to caregivers in the areas of healthy parenting and understanding and recognizing the signs of abuse.
2. Collaboration between tiplines such as Cybertip.ca around the world to begin tracking infants and toddlers in child abuse imagery to allow a better idea if there is a growing audience for images of very young children being abused. This will also open a dialogue about prevention strategies to better protect pre-school children.
3. Creation of gender-related educational materials in response to the large percentage of girls depicted in abuse imagery.
4. Working with law enforcement and Internet service and content providers to remove illegal content from Canadian servers.
5. Establishing international standards for the personal information a registrant is required to provide when registering a new domain name.
6. Partnering with domain name registrants to have domains hosting illegal content discarded from use so new website owners cannot purchase domains known to host child pornography and reuse it for the same purpose.
7. Need for further research on the impact of child sexual abuse on victims and whether the Internet has changed the nature and extent of their trauma and healing process.
8. Collaboration and data sharing between organizations dealing with online sexual exploitation of children.
9. Research is needed to determine how words are being used on websites hosting online sexual abuse images.
10. Track the use of unique title bars on websites hosting child abuse images.
11. Establish a coalition of stakeholders such as law enforcement, the financial industry and Internet service providers, to develop solutions to the commercial aspects of child sexual abuse images.
12. When a site has been identified as fast flux (ever-changing network of compromised hosts acting as proxies) it is possible to determine which IP addresses are being used to serve the content, which means tiplines around the world could work with Internet service providers to notify them of compromised computers on their network. Internet service providers could choose to suspend the customer's service until the infected machine is fixed.

[admin]

The use of filtering and blocking software reduces exposure to unwanted sexual material among youth,
according to new research from the University of New Hampshire Crimes against Children Research Center.

November 2009

"The software looks to be helpful. But even for those with the software, the exposure rate is far from zero. That means we still have to find other ways to prevent unwanted exposure. There's no silver bullet. Any effective strategy is going to need to use multiple approaches," said David Finkelhor, director of the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center.

The research is presented in the current issue of the journal Child Abuse and Neglect in the article “Associations between blocking, monitoring, and filtering software on the home computer and youth-reported unwanted exposure to sexual material online.” Finkelhor, Kimberly Mitchell and Janis Wolak with the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center, and Michelle Ybarra with Internet Solutions for Kids conducted the study.

Researchers conducted a national survey of 800 households with home Internet access about their Internet prevention activities in the household and adolescent behaviors and exposures online.

According to the researchers, unwanted exposure to sexual material occurred in 32 percent of youth in homes with pop-up/spam blockers and 25 percent of youth in homes with filtering, blocking, or monitoring software on the home computer, compared to 43 percent of households without preventive software installed on the home computer.

In comparison to youth using home computers without preventative software, youth using home computers with pop-up/spam blockers were 59 percent less likely to report unwanted exposure to sexual material on the home computer. Those using home computers with filtering, blocking, or monitoring software were 65 percent less like to report exposure to sexual material.

In particular, the preventative software significantly reduced risk of unwanted exposure for youth ages 10 to 15 years old. This is the less experienced end of the youth spectrum, which may most need external filters to help them.

The researchers recommend parents and caregivers of boys and girls ages 15 years old and younger who want to reduce the likelihood of unwanted exposure to sexual material on the home computer should consider including preventive software — especially filtering, blocking, or monitoring software — in their Internet safety plan.

The UNH Crimes against Children Research Center (CCRC) works to combat crimes against children by providing high-quality research and statistics to the public, policy makers, law enforcement personnel, and other child welfare practitioners. CCRC is concerned with research about the nature of crimes including child abduction, homicide, rape, assault, and physical and sexual abuse as well as their impact.

Visit the center online at http://www.unh.edu/ccrc/index.html

[admin]

Turtle Island Native Network is reporting on a new study that provides more proof of the power of
and benefits of blueberries
(one of the richest sources of healthful antioxidants and other so-called phytochemicals),
and a traditional food source for many First Nations people and Native Americans.

January 2010

The research by scientists from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada department, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the University of Cincinnati
concluded that blueberries can help improve memory in older adults.

How old is old? In the study, volunteers in their 70s who were experiencing early memory decline, drank the equivalent of 2 to 2 1/2 cups of a commercially available blueberry juice every day for two months. Another group drank a beverage without blueberry juice. The scientists reported that the blueberry juice group showed significant improvement on learning and memory tests, "These preliminary memory findings are encouraging and suggest that consistent supplementation with blueberries may offer an approach to forestall or mitigate neurodegeneration".

From the Abstract of the research . . .

The prevalence of dementia is increasing with expansion of the older adult population.

In the absence of effective therapy, preventive approaches are essential to address this public health problem.

Blueberries contain polyphenolic compounds, most prominently anthocyanins, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

In addition, anthocyanins have been associated with increased neuronal signaling in brain centers, mediating memory function as well as improved glucose disposal, benefits that would be expected to mitigate neurodegeneration.

This study investigated the effects of daily consumption of wild blueberry juice in a sample of nine older adults with early memory changes.

At 12 weeks, improved paired associate learning (p = 0.009) and word list recall (p = 0.04) were observed. In addition, there were trends suggesting reduced depressive symptoms (p = 0.08) and lower glucose levels (p = 0.10).

We also compared the memory performances of the blueberry subjects with a demographically matched sample who consumed a berry placebo beverage in a companion trial of identical design and observed comparable results for paired associate learning.

The findings of this preliminary study suggest that moderate-term blueberry supplementation can confer neurocognitive benefit and establish a basis for more comprehensive human trials to study preventive potential and neuronal mechanisms.
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Blueberries for your health . . .
http://www.turtleisland.org/discussion/viewtopic.php?p=4783#p4783

Also of interest
First Nations, Native Peoples, Aboriginal Traditional FOODS . . .
http://www.turtleisland.org/culture/culture-food.htm

[admin]

Turtle Island Native Network is happy to be able to post this first of its kind research that suggests the happier you are, the healthier your heart is . . .

The study found that for each increase in the happiness scale there was a 22 per cent lower risk of developing heart disease.

Dr Karina Davidson, who conducted the study, said that spending a few minutes each day relaxed and enjoying yourself may improve your physical health.
Happy people sleep better, are less liable to suffer stress and be more able to move on from upsetting experiences, she said.

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Don’t worry, be happy: positive affect and reduced 10-year incident coronary heart disease:
The Canadian Nova Scotia Health Survey

Karina W. Davidson*, Elizabeth Mostofsky, and William Whang
Department of Medicine, Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health, Columbia University Medical Center,
622 West 168th Street, PH9 Room 948, New York, NY 10032, USA
Received 19 August 2009; revised 7 December 2009; accepted 17 December 2009

Published February 2010
http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2010/02/17/eurheartj.ehp603.full?sid=3495fa94-9e5f-4eef-8046-9c6aa17a52ce

Introduction

Previous studies have found that positive affect is associated with increased survival, improved immune function, and lower risk of diabetes and hypertension,1–4 whereas negative emotions such as anger/hostility 5 and depression 6,7 are associated with a higher risk of incident coronary heart disease (CHD). Positive affect is defined as the experience of pleasurable emotions such as joy, happiness, excitement, enthusiasm, and contentment.8 These feelings can be transient, but they are usually stable and trait-like, particularly in adulthood.3 Interestingly, positive affect is largely independent of negative affect, as someone who is generally a happy, contented person can also occasionally be anxious, angry, or depressed.9 Positive affect has been proposed as a protective factor for ill-health for many years.1–3 However, there has been little research to address the question of whether positive affect protects against CHD.2,4,10 We therefore examined whether clinically assessed positive affect is associated with a reduced risk of incident CHD independent of negative affect using data from a large population-based sample.

Conclusions and clinical implications

In summary, in this prospective population-based study, we found that positive affect was independently associated with risk of CHD. The positive affect we assessed is relatively easy to judge in a clinical situation. Does the patient smile and appear able to enjoy some aspects of life during the clinical interview or medical history taking? Do they report that they experience pleasure or excitement with some parts of their daily life? Assessment of positive affect may complement evaluations for CHD risk that only assess negative emotions such as depression.

Potential interventions to augment positive affect are usually labelled behavioral activation interventions, 46 in which a patient notes which hobbies, daily activities, or other habits are enjoyable, with instructions to pursue those activities with increased and documented daily frequency. Conducting such a simple intervention results in patient-reported increases in quality of life. In fact, most successful depression interventions include increasing positive affect, as well as decreasing negative affect, as key components to psychotherapy. 47
Furthermore, a recent study reports that the use of antidepressants without psychotherapy can result in lower levels of positive affect.48
Randomized controlled trials directly increasing positive affect in cardiopulmonary patients are now underway.49
However, as we report findings from an observational study, we do not yet have evidence to suggest that regular assessment of positive and negative affect should be recommended. Whether increasing positive affect would decrease the risk for CHD is an exciting, but as of yet untested hypothesis, remaining to be addressed.
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Abstract

Aims
Positive affect is believed to predict cardiovascular health independent of negative affect. We examined whether higher levels of positive affect are associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in a large prospective study with 10 years of follow-up.

Methods and results
We examined the association between positive affect and cardiovascular events in 1739 adults (862 men and 877 women) in the 1995 Nova Scotia Health Survey. Trained nurses conducted Type A Structured Interviews, and coders rated the degree of outwardly displayed positive affect on a five-point scale. To test that positive affect predicts incident CHD when controlling for depressive symptoms and other negative affects, we used as covariates: Center for Epidemiological Studies Depressive symptoms Scale, the Cook Medley Hostility scale, and the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory. There were 145 (8.3%) acute non-fatal or fatal ischaemic heart disease events during the 14 916 person-years of observation. In a proportional hazards model controlling for age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors, positive affect predicted CHD (adjusted HR, 0.78; 95% CI 0.63–0.96 per point; P = 0.02), the covariate depressive symptoms continued to predict CHD as had been published previously in the same patients (HR, 1.04; 95% CI 1.01–1.07 per point; P = 0.004) and hostility and anxiety did not (both P > 0.05).

Conclusion In this large, population-based study, increased positive affect was protective against 10-year incident CHD, suggesting that preventive strategies may be enhanced not only by reducing depressive symptoms but also by increasing positive affect.

http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2010/02/17/eurheartj.ehp603.full.pdf+html?sid=3495fa94-9e5f-4eef-8046-9c6aa17a52ce
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Also of interest
Laughter is the Best Medicine . . .
http://www.turtleisland.org/discussion/viewtopic.php?p=10151#p10151