Diet Soda, Hurricanes, Sleep Loss & Blood Pressure, more…

Posted on April 1, 2015 by bob in NewsUCanUse

Questions to Ask About BP Meds

Taking charge of your healthcare can be as simple as asking questions. Here are some to consider if you’re taking, or are being prescribed, medications to lower your blood pressure.

— What’s the name of my blood pressure medication?

— It is brand name or generic? (This can affect the cost.)

— Should I be on a diuretic (water pill)?

— What are the possible side effects of this blood pressure medicine?

— Are there foods, beverages or dietary supplements to avoid when taking this medicine?

— What should I do if I forget to take my blood pressure medication?

(Scientific American, Health After 50, www.healthafter50.com/alerts/)

Easy Reading = Better Understanding

The size and type of font used to present health information, and the words used to describe it, can engage or discourage readers, indicates new research by the U. of Manchester and Leeds Beckett University, UK. When a program title was easy to pronounce and the information sheet presented in an easy-to-read font, study participants perceived the program to be less complex and easier to understand. When the same information was presented in a more awkward style, it was seen as more complex, less understandable, and participants were less likely to follow the recommendations of the program. The study concluded that practitioners should present participant information sheets in a clear manner if they are to maximize the program’s value to its intended recipients.

“In reality, such information is presented in all manner of styles, fonts and formats,” said lead researched Dr. Andrew Manley, “and we wanted use this study to explore just how much this impacts on people’s level of understanding and engagement. When it comes to people engaging with written information related to their health and wellbeing, it is vital that it is presented in the most accessible format.”

(Manchester University, via ScienceDaily, www.sciencedaily.com)

African Thunderstorms Breeding Atlantic Hurricanes?

Hurricanes require moisture, the rotation of earth, and warm ocean temperatures to grow from a mere atmospheric disturbance into a tropical storm. But where do these storm cells originate, and exactly what makes an atmospheric disturbance amp up full throttle?

A new study by Tel Aviv University Prof. Colin Price finds most hurricanes over the Atlantic that eventually make landfall in North America actually start as intense thunderstorms in Western Africa.

“Eighty-five percent of the most intense hurricanes affecting the U.S. and Canada start off as disturbances in the atmosphere over Western Africa,” says Prof. Price.

According to Price, only ten percent of the 60 disturbances originating in Africa every year turn into hurricanes. And while there are around 90 hurricanes globally every year, only ten develop in the Atlantic Ocean.

“We wanted to know what was so special about these 10% of disturbances that develop into hurricanes,” said Price. “Was there something different about these storms at their genesis?”

“If we can predict a hurricane one or two weeks in advance — the entire lifespan of a hurricane — imagine how much better prepared cities and towns can be to meet these phenomena head on,” Prof. Price says. He is currently examining the thunderstorm clusters around the eyes of hurricanes to study the intensification process of those destructive phenomena.

(American Friends of Tel Aviv University, via ScienceDaily, www.sciencedaily.com)

Sleep Loss & Blood Pressure

People exposed to prolonged periods of shortened sleep have significant increases in blood pressure during nighttime hours, Mayo Clinic researchers report in a small study of eight participants.

“We know high blood pressure, particularly during the night, is one of the major risk factors for heart disease, and Americans typically do not get enough sleep,” says lead author Naima Covassin, Ph.D. “For the first time, we demonstrated that insufficient sleep causes increases in nighttime blood pressure and dampens nocturnal blood pressure dipping by using a controlled study that mimics the sleep loss experienced by many people.”

(Mayo Clinic, via ScienceDaily, www.sciencedaily.com)

Age Discrimination Bad for Your Health

Being discriminated against by the healthcare profession or system can create or worsen disabilities in older people. A national survey, with results published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, shows that one in every three older Americans on the receiving end of age-related discrimination in the healthcare setting will likely develop new or worsened functional ailments.

One in every five survey respondents reported experiencing healthcare-related discrimination, with age the most common reason cited by both sexes and age groups. Follow-up studies showed almost a third of older adults frequently experiencing such discrimination developed new or worsened disabilities, in contrast to participants who never or seldom experienced such treatment.

The study concludes that reducing experiences of discrimination, and the perception of discrimination, should be a priority.

(Journal of General Internal Medicine, via ScienceDaily, www.sciencedaily.com)

Diet Soda & Obesity

A new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows that increasing diet soda intake is directly linked to greater abdominal obesity in adults 65 years of age and older. Increases in belly fat may contribute to greater risk of cardiovascular diseases. Previous research shows that in the past 30 years, artificial sweeteners and diet soda intake have increased, yet the prevalence of obesity has also seen a dramatic increase in the same time period.

The study authors recommend that older individuals who drink diet soda daily should try to curb their consumption of artificially sweetened drinks.

(American Geriatrics Society, via ScienceDaily)