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Switching white rice for brown could significantly reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a study has shown.By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor Telegraph Online
Published: 15 Jun 2010
Eating two or more servings of brown rice per week was linked with an 11 percent reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes when compared with those eating almost none Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston found that while eating white rice increased a person's risk of type 2 diabetes, brown rice had the opposite effect and reduced the likelihood of them developing the condition.
They found that replacing 50 grams of white rice with the same amount of brown reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by around 16 per cent. When they looked at white rice alone, they found people who ate five or more portions of white rice a week increased their risk of diabetes by almost a fifth - 17 per cent - compared with those who ate little white rice. White rice starts life as brown rice before it is refined and milled to remove the outer husk which contains minerals, vitamins and fibre. This means white rice is processed by the body much faster and causes a surge in blood sugar levels whereas brown rice and other whole grains are digested much slower, releasing energy more slowly and keeping blood sugar levels more stable.
Diabetes occurs when the body does not make insulin or enough of it which controls blood sugar levels. Replacing white rice with lots of different whole grains, such as whole wheat and whole barley, reduced the likelihood of diabetes by even more - and by more than a third in some cases.
Lead author Dr Qi Sun, investigated 39,765 men and 157,463 women and adjusted for other factors that can influence diabetes. Dr Sun wrote in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine: "The consequence of the refining process includes loss of fibre, vitamins, magnesium and other minerals many of which may be protective factors for diabetes risk. "From a public health point of view, replacing refined grains such as white rice by whole grains, including brown rice, should be recommended to facilitate the prevention of type 2 diabetes."
There are thought to be around 2.5 million people in Britain with diabetes and type 2 is the most common form which usually develops in adulthood and can be linked to obesity.
Eat more protein to avoid hip fractures, elderly told10 May 2010 The Daily Mail
Elderly people who eat more protein are less likely to suffer hip fractures, according to a new study published today. Consuming meat, eggs, fish or cheese helps to build stronger muscles in the legs, which can reduce the chances of falls. Most fractures occur after a fall, which may be caused by less muscle mass and decreased leg strength. The new research lends support to other studies that have shown that protein intake is also linked with higher bone density.
The study by the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston, which is affiliated to Harvard Medical School, examined the daily protein intake of 946 pensioners. It found that individuals who were in the lowest 25 per cent of dietary protein intake had approximately 50 per cent more hip fractures than those who consumed greater amounts of dietary protein. Those who suffered hip fractures consumed less than the 46 grammes of dietary protein per day recommended for adults.
‘Study participants who consumed higher amounts of protein in their diet were significantly less likely to suffer a hip fracture,' says study author Dr Marian Hannan, co-director of the Musculoskeletal Research Programme at the Institute for Ageing Research. Dr Hannan, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, recommends that older women consume at least 46 grammes of protein per day, and that older men consume at least 56 grammes of protein daily. This can come from both animal sources (meal, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese and yoghurt) and plants (grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables). The study did not examine the type of protein consumed. In addition to increased dietary protein, Dr Hannan says regular exercise to build stronger muscles and better balance, as well as other falls prevention strategies, such as reducing hazards in the home, can help protect seniors against falls and hip fractures.
York care home resident centenarian's secret to a long life is hard work and a daily glass of whisky
York care home resident centenarian's secret to a long life is hard work and a daily glass of whisky York care home resident and great-granddad Ted Binge celebrates his 100th birthday in his care home with his favourite tipple - a glass of straight whisky in the morning. Whereas most would suggest an occasional glass of red wine for good health, Mr Binge, a former railwayman, swears by a glass of whisky each morning and estimates he has had a grand total of 2,100 since his first taste as a young man.
Mr Binge, who lives in Armana House Care Centre in Rosetta Way, York, which has a fully stocked bar, quipped, "It's beautiful, wonderful stuff. I love it. It's never done me any harm, maybe they should put it on prescription. I had my first taste of it as a young man, when I had a bit of a cold and my father gave me a nip of whisky saying ‘that will make you feel better'. It did the trick and I liked it straight away, so I started having a glass of it on a morning. I like it straight, as it should be."
Born in 1910 in Malton, North Yorkshire, Mr Binge worked on the land until he was 15, when he met his wife Irene when he was working at a country house in Kent. They returned to Yorkshire to marry and Mr Binge then worked as a fitter for 37 years. Even when reaching retirement age, he continued to work for 5 years as a butcher. Full of life and vigour even at 100, Mr Binge thoroughly enjoys his time at the care home, and offer this advice: "I always say work as long as you can because it's good for you. And I love to have a laugh and a joke, sometimes a bit of a sing, it keeps you going."
Powerful new drugs that could 'switch on' memory in the brain giving hope to Alzheimer's sufferers
The Daily Mail 07 May 2010
By Fiona MacRae
A memory 'masterswitch' has been identified in the brain, raising hopes of powerful new drugs to treat Alzheimer's and other diseases. When the switch is turned off by ageing and illness, memories fade. But when a drug is used to flick the switch back on, the brain's ability to store information dramatically improves. Triggering the switch in mice led to elderly creatures regaining the memory power of their youth, the journal Science reports.
The researchers are confident that a similar switch exists in the human brain - and say that drugs that capitalise on their discovery could be in use in ten years. The drug used on the mice, Vorinostat, is already used to treat a rare blood cancer but is too destructive for use in the human brain.
There is an urgent need for new Alzheimer's treatments because the number of Britons affected by the disease is forecast to double from the current 400,000 within a generation. Current drugs can halt the progression of the disease but do not work for everyone and their effects wear off over time. Researcher André Fischer said: 'This is a very important development. It will not cure Alzheimer's alone - that will require many different approaches - but it could certainly help.'
Dr Fischer, of the European Neuroscience Institute in Goettingen, Germany, pinpointed a tiny protein called H4K12 that controls genes key to memory and learning in the mouse brain. He said: 'The drug companies need to know what they need to specifically target for Alzheimer's disease. 'I am pretty optimistic that in at least the next ten years we are going to have some good stuff we can actually use.'
In an accompanying article, Professor David Sweatt , a U.S. neurobiologist, said that turning on H4K12 was likely to help with both Alzheimer's and age-related memory loss. He said the German results 'provide important proof of principle that this might be a viable approach to therapeutic interventions in ageing'. 'These studies will hopefully lead to more effective prevention strategies to improve quality of life in the aged, as well as contribute to a better understanding of memory function,' he added. The treatment of other brain conditions, such as schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease, could be improved by finding other switches that act in a similar way.
Dr Marie Janson, of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said: 'Although in mice, this research gives us clues about how memories are formed and function in the brain. 'We now need to find out if the same processes happen in the human brain. 'This understanding is vital if we are to develop ways to protect the ageing brain from cognitive decline.
'Alzheimer's and other dementias are complex, with many things happening in the brain, so it's likely that we'll need several drugs to treat them effectively. 'We hope that these findings will stimulate further research towards developing new dementia treatments that are so urgently needed.'
Professor Clive Ballard, of the Alzheimer's Society, said: 'A lot more work is needed to see how this links to later life diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.' He added: 'One in three people will die with dementia yet dementia research is desperately under-funded.'
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