A dose of vitamin C may give a quick boost to the poorer-than-average blood circulation seen in healthy young smokers, a Japanese study suggests.The study of 25 healthy men found that although smokers initially showed poorer results on a test of blood flow to the heart, that changed after they took a large dose — 2 grams — of vitamin C.
Shortly after taking the vitamin, the 13 smokers showed blood circulation on par with that of the 12 non-smokers, according to findings published in the American Heart Journal.
However, lest smokers think they can undo heart damage by chasing a cigarette with a vitamin C pill, the researchers say their findings underline the dangers of smoking.
Study co-author Issei Komuro told that the “clear” message from the results is that smokers need to quit.
Komuro and colleagues at Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine report the findings in the American Heart Journal.
Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant, a substance that helps clear the body of cell-damaging molecules called oxygen free radicals. Because of this, it’s thought that the vitamin may counter the “oxidative stress” that smoking puts on the lining of the blood vessels — a mechanism by which smoking leads to artery disease.
The new study looked at the effect of oral vitamin C on coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR), a measure of how well blood flow speeds up to help the heart when it’s under high demands. Past research has shown that smokers show poorer blood-vessel dilation in response to blood flow, and have a diminished CFVR.
Komuro’s team used a non-invasive ultrasound technique to measure CFVR in smokers and non-smokers, before and after they took vitamin C.
They found that before taking the vitamin, smokers had a lower CFVR than non-smokers did. Two and four hours after the dose of vitamin C, however, smokers’ average CFVR was “restored” to a more-normal level.
Though the men in the study were given a large dose of vitamin C, Komuro pointed out that it’s probably useless to take doses beyond 200 milligrams, because the body will excrete the excess.
Moreover, it’s not clear that loading up on vitamin C can benefit smokers. Some trials have found that taking C supplements does not improve smokers’ blood vessel function, at least in the short term.
Komuro said further, large-scale trials should look at whether daily vitamin C supplements cut smokers’ long-term risk of coronary artery disease.
Mental distress common in adults with arthritis: Many adults with arthritis suffer frequent mental distress, and this goes hand-in-hand with an impaired quality of life, according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta.
However, the findings also suggest that patients can do some things to improve their situation.
Dr. Tara W. Strine and colleagues looked at data from the 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which included 48,577 participants with arthritis who were 45 years of age or older. The team defined frequent mental distress as having at least 14 self-reported mentally unhealthy days in the preceding 30 days.
They found that 13.4 percent of participants with arthritis had frequent mental distress, compared with 5.4 percent of subjects without arthritis who were included in the surveillance study.
Among the people with arthritis, those with frequent mental distress were 1.7 times more likely to be underweight than normal weight, and 1.2 times more likely to be obese, than those without frequent mental distress, the researchers report in the medical journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.
In addition, arthritic subjects with frequent mental distress were 1.6 times more likely to be inactive.
This group was also more likely to report their health as fair or poor and to have at least 14 physically unhealthy days in the past 30 days, compared with other people who had arthritis but did not suffer frequent mental distress.
“New public health interventions need to be developed that address the specific challenges of those with mental distress and arthritis,” the researchers write. “In addition, physicians should encourage their patients with arthritis and mental distress to participate in current educational and behavioral interventions proven to have both physical and psychological benefits.”
Beat bad breath: Everyone’s had a bout with bad breath, but when it becomes chronic, it’s time to see your dentist.
Some sources of bad breath include: what you eat; not brushing and flossing daily; tobacco products; or a medical disorder such as a respiratory tract infection, sinusitis, postnasal drip, bronchitis, diabetes, gastrointestinal disturbance, liver or kidney ailment, the American Dental Association (ADA) says.The ADA says you should brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste to remove food debris and plaque, remembering to brush your tongue, too. Once a day, use floss to clean between teeth.
source
No comments:
Post a Comment