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Bone loss study participants wanted
Vitamin C could be the key to better muscles in later life, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the United Kingdom.
Research shows older adults who eat plenty of Vitamin C – commonly found in citrus fruits, berries, and vegetables – have the best skeletal muscle mass.
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This is important because people tend to lose skeletal muscle mass as they get older leading to sarcopenia (a condition characterized by loss of skeletal muscle mass and function), frailty, and reduced quality of life. “People over age 50 lose up to 1% of their skeletal muscle mass each year, and this loss is thought to affect more than 50 million people worldwide,” said lead researcher Ailsa Welch, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School.
“It’s a big problem, because it can lead to frailty and other poor outcomes such as physical disability, type-2 diabetes, reduced quality of life, and death.
“We know Vitamin C consumption is linked with skeletal muscle mass. It helps defend the cells and tissues that make up the body from potentially harmful free radical substances. Unopposed, these free radicals can contribute to the destruction of muscle, thus speeding up age-related decline.”
Few studies have investigated the importance of Vitamin C intake for older adults. The study wanted to find out whether people ingesting more Vitamin C had more muscle mass than others.
The research team studied data from more than 13,000 people ages 42 to 82 who are taking part in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Norfolk Study.
Researchers calculated their skeletal muscle mass and analyzed their Vitamin C intakes from a seven-day food diary. They also examined the amount of Vitamin C in their blood. “We studied a large sample of older Norfolk residents and found that people with the highest amounts of Vitamin C in their diet or blood had the greatest estimated skeletal muscle mass compared to those with the lowest amounts,” said Dr. Richard Hayhoe, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School.
“We are very excited by our findings as they suggest dietary Vitamin C is important for muscle health in older men and women and may be useful for preventing age-related muscle loss.
“This is significant as Vitamin C is readily available in fruits, vegetables, or supplements, so improving intake of this vitamin is relatively straightforward.”
The study found nearly 60% of men and 50% of women participants weren’t consuming as much Vitamin C as they should, according to the European Food Safety Agency recommendations.
“We’re not talking about people needing mega-doses. Eating a citrus fruit, such as an orange, each day and having a vegetable side to a meal will be sufficient for most people,” Dr. Hayhoe said. (The University of East Anglia provided this information.)
Participants asked to wear a Spry Belt Women needed for UNMC bone loss study
The University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Allied Health Professions is collaborating with Theranova, LLC, an experienced medical device development company, to conduct a federally funded research study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Spry Belt in preventing bone loss in post-menopausal women.
The Spry Belt is worn for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, and delivers energy that may help prevent bone loss.
Laura Bilek, Ph.D., a professor and physical therapist in the UNMC College of Allied Health Professions is the principal investigator. Nancy Waltman, Ph.D., a professor and advanced practice registered nurse in the UNMC College of Nursing, is a co-investigator on the project.
Ten million Americans have severe bone loss or osteoporosis, and 34 million have low bone mass known as osteopenia. Four of five patients with osteopenia and osteoporosis are women. Without treatment, women with low bone mass will likely continue to lose bone, develop osteoporosis, and have a greater risk of fractures.
“One in every two women will suffer an osteoporotic fracture during her lifetime,” said Dr. Bilek. “Despite the high prevalence of low bone mass, few treatment options exist.”
Participants will be randomly assigned to wear an active Spry Belt or a placebo Spry Belt. After 12 months, outcomes measured will include lumbar bone strength and hip and spine bone mineral density.
Women also will be asked to take study supplied calcium and vitamin D supplements.
“Fractures are devastating to older adults. A non-invasive treatment for women at risk would be a dramatic contribution to health care decreasing the number of fractures as well as the associated disability experienced by older adults,” Dr. Bilek said.
Women age 50 or older are being recruited for the study. Study information can be found by contacting Kara M. Smith at beltstudy@unmc.edu or 402-559-6584.
211 telephone network
The 211 telephone network has been established in parts of Nebraska to give consumers a single source for information about community and human services.
By dialing 211, consumers can access information about human needs resources like food banks, shelters, rent and utility assistance, physical and mental health resources, support for older Americans and persons with a disability, support for children and families, as well as volunteer opportunities and donations.
The 211 network is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The information is also available online at ne211.org. Regulating body temperature, hydration becomes more difficult as we get older
Our ability to regulate body temperature and keep our bodies from becoming dehydrated declines as we get older. New research published recently in The Journal of Physiology improves our understanding of the relation between temperature regulation and dehydration.
This research can help us better tailor strategies for managing body temperature regulation and hydration during heat exposure in older adults. For example, because of reductions in thirst and our ability to preserve body fluid as we age, we may require more frequent reminders to drink water when working in the heat or during heatwaves.
Exercise, especially when performed in a hot environment, exposes the body to heat stress, which causes body temperature to increase.
In these situations, we rely on sweating to help remove heat from the body and prevent continued rises in body temperature which may increase the risk of heat-related illness or injury such as heat stroke.
Prolonged sweating, however, can cause too much fluid to be lost from the body. Unless the person drinks water or a sports drink, this can lead to dehydration. Dehydration also reduces the volume of circulating blood and increases the blood’s salt content.
Not only does dehydration make our mouths dry and make us want to drink water, it also impacts the regulation of body temperature. When we become dehydrated, we sweat less and, as a result, lose less heat and become less able to cool the body.
While this can be disadvantageous to regulating body temperature, these adjustments limit further fluid losses and slow the rate of dehydration. Thus, our body’s response to dehydration acts to balance the body’s fluid and temperature regulatory needs.
Until recently, however, our understanding of the effects of dehydration on body temperature regulation came primarily from studies conducted in younger adults.
Dehydration didn’t reduce heat loss or increase body temperature in the older adults during exercise. At first glance this seems like a beneficial response. However, this meant the older adults didn’t attempt to adjust the rate of sweat loss to prevent further dehydration. As a result, they experienced greater strain on the heart as evidenced by a more pronounced increase in heart rate compared to younger men.
Previous literature indicates as we age, our body responds less efficiently to dehydration. Some have suggested this is due to an impaired ability of the body to sense increases in salt levels in the blood (i.e. lack of water) that would normally trigger thirst and drinking.
A group at the University of Ottawa’s Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit had younger and older men perform exercise in the heat. Before exercise, blood salt content was increased artificially by giving them infusions of saline (saltwater).
The participants performed the exercise in a device called a whole-body direct calorimeter, which precisely tracks the amount of heat lost from the entire body caused by increases in sweating and blood flow to the skin.
The study’s primary finding was in contrast to younger adults, the regulation of body temperature in the older adults wasn’t influenced by increases in the saltiness of the blood.
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