New study finds lowest risk of death was among adults who exercised 150-600 minutes/week
An analysis of more than 100,000 participants over a 30-year follow-up period found that adults who perform two to four times the currently recommended amount of moderate or vigorous physical activity per week have a significantly reduced risk of mortality, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation. The reduction was 21-23% for people who engaged in two to four times the recommended amount of vigorous physical activity, and 26-31% for people who engaged in two to four times the recommended amount of moderate physical activity each week.
In 2018, the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommended that adults engage in at least 150-300 minutes/week of moderate physical activity or 75-150 minutes/week of vigorous physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both intensities.
The analysis also found:
- Participants who met the guidelines for vigorous physical activity had an observed 31% lower risk of CVD mortality and 15% lower risk of non-CVD mortality, for an overall 19% lower risk of death from all causes.
- Participants who met the guidelines for moderate physical activity had an observed 22-25% lower risk of CVD mortality and 19-20% lower risk of non-CVD mortality, for an overall 20-21% lower risk of death from all causes.
- Participants who performed two to four times above the recommended amount of long-term vigorous physical activity (150-300 min/week) had an observed 27-33% lower risk of CVD mortality and 19% non-CVD mortality, for an overall 21-23% lower risk of death from all causes.
- Participants who performed two to four times above the recommended amount of moderate physical activity (300-600 min/week) had an observed 28-38% lower risk of CVD mortality and 25-27% non-CVD mortality, for an overall 26-31% lower risk of mortality from all causes.
In addition, no harmful cardiovascular health effects were found among the adults who reported engaging in more than four times the recommended minimum activity levels. Previous studies have found evidence that long-term, high-intensity, endurance exercise, such as marathons, triathlons and long-distance bicycle races, may increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular events, including myocardial fibrosis, coronary artery calcification, atrial fibrillation and sudden cardiac death.
Treating dementia with the healing waves of sound
Ultrasound applied to the brain could help treat patients with dementia.
Tohoku University (Japan), July 20, 2022
Ultrasound waves applied to the whole brain improve cognitive dysfunction in mice with conditions simulating vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The research, conducted by scientists at Tohoku University in Japan, suggests that this type of therapy may also benefit humans.
The team, led by cardiologist Hiroaki Shimokawa, found that applying low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) to the whole brain of the mice improved blood vessel formation and nerve cell regeneration without having obvious side effects.
"The LIPUS therapy is a non-invasive physiotherapy that could apply to high-risk elderly patients without the need for surgery or anaesthesia, and could be used repeatedly," says Shimokawa.
The Tohoku University team found that cognitive impairment markedly improved in mice with conditions similar to vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease when LIPUS was applied to the whole brain three times a day for 20 minutes each time.
Study: ADHD drugs do not improve cognition in healthy college students
University of Rhode Island, July 19, 2022
Contrary to popular belief across college campuses, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications may fail to improve cognition in healthy students and actually can impair functioning, according to a study by researchers at the University of Rhode Island and Brown University.
Study co-investigators Lisa Weyandt, professor of psychology and a faculty member with URI's George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, and Tara White, assistant professor of research in behavioral and social sciences at Brown University, had anticipated different findings. "We hypothesized that Adderall would enhance cognition in the healthy students, but instead, the medication did not improve reading comprehension or fluency, and it impaired working memory," she said. "Not only are they not benefitting from it academically, but it could be negatively affecting their performance."
This first-ever multisite pilot study of the impact of so-called "study drugs" on college students who do not have ADHD comes at a time when use of prescription stimulants such as Adderall, Ritalin and Vyvanse is common among young adults who believe the drugs will improve their academic performance.
Results of the study, published in the journal Pharmacy, show that the standard 30 mg dose of Adderall did improve attention and focus -- a typical result from a stimulant -- but that effect failed to translate to better performance on a battery of neurocognitive tasks that measured short-term memory, reading comprehension and fluency.
Weyandt has a theory about why working memory would be adversely affected by the medication. Brain scan research shows that a person with ADHD often has less neural activity in the regions of the brain that control executive function -- working memory, attention, self-control. For people with ADHD, Adderall and similar medications increase activity in those regions and appear to normalize functioning. "If your brain is functioning normally in those regions, the medication is unlikely to have a positive effect on cognition and my actually impair cognition. In other words, you need to have a deficit to benefit from the medicine," Weyandt said.
Guanabana: the cancer killer big pharma doesn't want you to know about
Northeastern University, July 16, 2022
Guanabana is known by a variety of names -- including soursop, cherimoya, custard apple, Brazilian paw paw and graviola.
As far back as the 1970s, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) investigated the merits of guanabana, and discovered the stems and leaves of the tree were successful in destroying cancer cells. "Inexplicably, the results [of the NCI research] were published in an internal report and never released to the public. Since 1976, guanabana has proven to be an immensely potent cancer killer in 20 independent laboratory tests, but as of now, no double-blind clinical trials," reports Christopher Lane, Ph.D., in Psychology Today.
Moreover, this study found that a compound derived from the leaves of guanabana was "selectively cytotoxic for the lung (A-549), colon (HT-29), and pancreatic (PACA-2) cell lines with potencies equal to or exceeding those of Adriamycin." And research in the Journal of Natural Products discovered that extracts of guanabana demonstrated pesticidal, antimalarial, antiviral and antimicrobial properties. Likewise, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center states that guanabana shows anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects in vitro and in vivo.
Revered for centuries in South America and Southeast Asia, the bark, leaves, root, seeds and fruit have been used to tame heart disease, asthma, liver issues and arthritis. Guanabana is also helpful for treating sleep disorders, fevers and cough. According to the article, "Guanabana--Medicinal Uses?" extracts of the plant:
- Attack cancer safely and effectively with an all-natural therapy that does not cause extreme nausea, weight loss and hair loss.
- Protect the immune system.
- Boost energy and outlook on life.
- Effectively target and kill malignant cells in 12 types of cancer -- including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer.
- Proved to be up to 10,000 times stronger in slowing the growth of cancer cells than Adriamycin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug.
- Selectively kill only cancer cells, unlike traditional chemotherapy treatments.
*A word of caution: Excessive consumption of guanabana can lead to neuronal dysfunction and degeneration with symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease. Consult with a qualified practitioner before taking guanabana on a daily basis.
High-strength cannabis linked to addiction and mental health problems
University of Bath (UK), July 25, 2022
As the strength or potency of cannabis products has increased internationally over the years, so have rates of people being treated for cannabis addiction, say the authors of a new study.
Researchers from the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath (UK) have systematically analyzed the relationship between the types of cannabis people use and their addiction and mental health problems. Their work draws on 20 studies involving almost 120,000 people.
The new study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, suggests that people who use high-potency cannabis are more likely to experience addiction than those using low-potency products. It also suggests that people using high-potency cannabis are more likely to experience a psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia.
These findings may help to explain why more people have received treatment for cannabis problems over recent years. Data from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction show a 76% increase in people entering treatment for cannabis addiction in the past decade.
