PETER'S PRINCIPLES - July 30 - August 3, 2007
Paul from Sylvan Lake is concerned about getting older and how that will affect his health. Is there any advice I could give him to help him stay healthy as he ages?
Paul one the best things you can do is keep your weight under control.
A new study finds gaining too much weight can speed up the decline in testosterone levels. Researchers followed two groups of men for several years. They found the men who didn't watch their weight saw a 14 percent drop in total testosterone levels for every decade of life. But the men who followed a healthy lifestyle decreased that number by 4 percent to only a 10 percent drop in testosterone.
A decline in testosterone can cause health problems like diabetes, loss of bone and muscle mass and sexual dysfunction.
Emily from Berkely emails asking how serious her risk of disease increases as she gets older.
Emily I'm glad you asked that question.
A new study found middle-aged women face more than double the risk of stroke than men the same age. Researchers followed more than 17 thousand men and women for 5 years. They found women aged 45 to 54 were 2 point 3 times more likely to suffer a stroke than men. The researchers believe obesity in these women may be partly to blame.
Strokes occur when the blood flow to the brain stops, causing brain cells to begin dying within minutes. The best way to prevent strokes-keep your weight in check, lower your blood pressure and cholesterol and keep your blood sugar at a normal level.
Paul from Farmington Hills emails wondering what he can do to reduce his risk of oral cancer?
Paul it's as easy as eating an orange .
A new study found people who ate oranges reduced their oral pre-cancer risk by 50 percent! Researchers followed more than 42 thousand men and women and found only those that got their vitamin c from natural sources saw the benefit of the reduced cancer risk. All fruits and vegetables contain some amount of vitamin C, oranges provide a whopping 70 milligrams.
If oranges aren't for you, you could add some peppers. Green peppers have three times the Vitamin C as oranges . Red and yellow peppers pack twice as much vitamin C as green peppers.
Melanie from Sterling Heights emails saying she's been told whole grains can help fight heart disease, is this true?
Yes Melanie, it is. A new study found eating whole grains can keep your arteries healthy which can fight off heart disease and stroke.
Researchers followed a group of men and women and found those who ate a diet rich in whole grains had the thinnest carotid artery walls and showed the slowest progression in artery wall thickness. Thickening of the lining of the carotid arteries increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Doctors say about 90 percent of Americans don't get the recommended three servings of whole grains a day. They suggest adding a serving of whole grains to each meal to help improve your heart health.
Brian from West Bloomfield emails saying he's battling prostate cancer. He's taking medication but wonders if there's anything else he can do.
Yes Brian, there is-it could be a simple lifestyle change.
Researchers followed a group of men battling prostate cancer. They put half the group on a healthy lifestyle program which included a low fat vegan diet, supplements, an exercise program and stress reduction. The other half of the group got no advice on lifestyle changes.
At the end of one year, researchers found a small but significant difference between the two groups. The average PSA in the intensive lifestyle group fell. While the psa in the untreated men rose.
The lifestyle group also showed favorable cancer fighting changes in their blood.
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