Cycling to Work - Research

Cycling to work, cuts the risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, research suggests.

Walking to work is also good for you, although it does not offer the same benefits as taking a bike, experts from the University of Glasgow found.
The new study on 264,337 people, 52% of whom were women, found cycling to work is linked to a 45% lower risk of developing cancer and a 46% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, compared to driving to work or taking public transport.
Overall, cyclists had a 41% lower risk of premature death from any cause.

The study also found some health benefits,

if people cycled part of their journey

Walking to work was also associated with a 27% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a 36% lower risk of dying from it.
But there was no link with a lower risk of cancer or dying early from any cause in walkers, the study found.
People who preferred to stroll to work also had to walk for two hours a week in total to see health benefits, at an average speed of three miles per hour.
Experts behind the study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), said the lower benefits seen for walking compared to cycling could be down to several factors.
These include the fact cyclists covered longer distances in their commutes than the walkers, cycling is a higher intensity exercise and cyclists were generally more fit.


Dr Carlos Celis-Morales, from the University of Glasgow, said: "Walking to work was associated with lower risk of heart disease, but unlike cycling was not associated with a significantly lower risk of cancer or overall death.
"This may be because walkers commuted shorter distances than cyclists, typically six miles per week, compared with 30 miles per week, and walking is generally a lower intensity of exercise than cycling."
The study also found some health benefits if people cycled part of their journey and took public transport or drove the rest of the way.
The people taking part in the research were aged 52 on average at the start of the study and were followed for five years.
About 2,430 people died during the study period, with 496 deaths related to cardiovascular disease, which covers all diseases of the heart and circulation, and 1,126 deaths from cancer.
Overall, 3,748 people developed cancer over the five years, and 1,110 had an event related to cardiovascular disease, such as a heart attack or stroke.

Three Decades Forwards!

In the mid 1980s, HIV/Aids terrified the world because of a lack of understanding, as well as misinformation.

In April 1987, Princess Diana opened the UK's first purpose built HIV/Aids unit that exclusively cared for patients infected with the virus, at London Middlesex Hospital.
In front of the world's media, Princess Diana shook the hand of a man suffering with the illness.
She did so without gloves, publicly challenging the notion that HIV/Aids was passed from person to person by touch.

She showed in a single gesture that this was a condition needing compassion and understanding, not fear and ignorance.
John O'Reilly was a nurse on the ward at the time of the Princess of Wales' visit.
He spoke to Witness about a landmark moment in the fight against HIV/Aids.

Grannies at School - Anniversary

Every afternoon, the grandmothers of Phangane village wrap pink saris around themselves and slip abacuses and chalkboard into their backpacks.They are going to school.

They live in Maharashtra state in India, a country where women are nearly a third less likely than men to be able to read and write.

Some of them have trouble with seeing the letters, and others feel chest pain when they talk.
But every day except Thursday, these women gather to learn from a teacher less than half their age.
International Women's Day 2017 is the one-year anniversary of the school, and photographer Satyaki Ghosh has been documenting the women's journey to literacy.

                            
Yogendra Bangar, is the founder of the school.

He started it after women in the village told him that if only they could read, they would be able to read about the life of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a 17th century king whose life is celebrated in the village every year.
"It is said that women have to be respected on Women's Day, so we thought that our grandmothers, who until now have not received respect, shall finally get the respect they deserve," he says.
"The people of our grandmothers' generation did not get any opportunity to go to school."                             

 

Connemara: Health-Landscape

The Connemara International Marathon is one of the world’s most scenic events, set in the dramatic scenery of the west of Ireland. 2017 will mark its sixteenth year in running, growing in numbers each year from 73 runners to our sell out point, in excess of 3,000 runners.



The next Connemarathon will take place on Sunday 23rd April 2017 join Team Croi for an unforgettable marathon experience.

The event comprises of half, full and ultra (39.3 mile) marathons. Participants will enjoy some of Ireland’s most beautiful scenery as they meander through bogs, hills, lakes, and the twelve pins mountain range, rising up over the great expanse of Killary Lough, through the sleepy village of Leenane, around the Maam Turk Mountains and all the way up to Maam Cross.

 

Support the fight against heart disease and stroke by taking on the challenge of the 2017 Connemara half, full or ultra marathon. 

Obesity - Ticking Time Bomb!

Ireland risks becoming the fattest nation in the world, unless it deals with the obesity crisis in the same way it tackled smoking, Minister for Health, Simon Harris has warned

 

Obesity is a “ticking time bomb” that has to some extent already “detonated”, Mr. Harris said at the launch of the Government’s policy and plan on the issue.

National eating guidelines, calorie posting legislation and the prioritisation of obesity services within the HSE form part of the plan, which will be implemented over the next decade.

A clinical lead to guide obesity policy within the health service will be appointed and a “whole of school” approach to healthy lifestyles is promised in collaboration with the Department of Education.

 

Compromise

The current plan contains specific targets and timelines and the appetite for tackling obesity is much greater, he said. While he was not happy the sugar tax was not being introduced quickly, he recognised the need for compromise.

Professor Donal O’Shea said there were 300 people waiting for weight-reducing surgery in his clinic in Loughlinstown and 150 in a clinic at Galway.

Mr. Harris said there was no question of the plan having been watered down to suit the food industry. The Government was not ruling out legislation in the area, but wanted to begin with a collaborative approach. Legislation requiring restaurants to post the calorie content of meals will be law by the end of next year, his officials confirmed.

Minister of State for Health Promotion, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy said the new document was a plan with specific timelines and “not designed to sit on the shelf”.

 

The plan supports the introduction of a sugar levy to cut consumption of sweetened drinks. It is expected the Department of Finance, which has rejected such a measure in the past two years, will in next month’s budget give the go-ahead for a levy from 2018.

The plan on obesity proposes the development of a policy on nutrition, and work with the food industry on a voluntary code of practice for food advertising, promotion and marketing. Agreement will be sought with the industry on reformulating food to make it more healthy.

 

Portion Sizes

The introduction of maximum portion sizes for “relevant” foods and drink will be considered, on a voluntary basis initially. Drinkable water will be provided in all centres of learning, and guidelines on reducing the “obese-ogenic environment” will be developed for use in urban development.

Some 60 per cent of Irish adults, and one in four children, are overweight or obese. The cost to society is estimated at more than €1 billion a year. One of the State’s foremost obesity experts, Professor Donal O’Shea, said the plan “could not be more different” from the 2006 report of the national obesity taskforce, on which he served. “That plan was dead in the water within the year and we weren’t even allowed hold a meeting to discuss it.”

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise Influencing Health - Sports Statistics

Exercise has taken a central position regarding health, especially within the western-world in recent decades with multiple studies, illustrating the links between exercise and health.

A contribution to this research is contained within a publication which has an NUI Galway lecturer as a primary author - John Newell:

Statistics for Sports and Exercise Science, A Practical Approach
is located at 613.71 NEW

This publication points the reader towards:
- Asking appropriate questions
- Designing a suitable study to answer those questions
- Choosing an adequate number of subjects for the study
- Producing appropriate graphs to describe the study area
- Carrying out a comprehensive analysis of these data
- Presenting clear and justifiable conclusions based on the data

  613.71 NEW                    Image not available Photos not available for this variation

 

Heart Disease - New Pathway

A new initiative to tackle heart disease and the issues that cause cardiovascular problems is being launched in Galway today.

Heart disease is still the main cause of death each year in Ireland. However, experts say 90% of cardiovascular illness could be averted with early intervention and increased awareness.

The NIPC will promote research and help develop new treatment practices, offering support and resources to hospitals and medics and will work to influence policy at a national level. The National Institute for Preventive Cardiology is a collaboration between the Croí charity and NUI Galway.

To mark the launch of the Institute, a National Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention will be held at the Croi Heart and Stroke Centre in Galway on Saturday, 29th November. National and international world leaders in CVD Prevention will speak at this inaugural event which will examine global challenges and future developments in preventive healthcare.

Click here to register and to view the full agenda and meeting details.

View more here

Linking Health to Lifestyle Changes

'Affluent lifestyle changes' to blame for cancer increase

A consultant oncologist at St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin has said "affluent lifestyle changes" are to blame for an increase in cancer cases in Ireland.

Dr Janis Walsh said increasing obesity, reduced exercise and increased alcohol intake are the main factors responsible and those with a body mass index (bmi) in excess of 25 tend to have an increased risk of cancer.
Dr Walsh said that changing lifestyle choices would radically cut the risk of cancer.

"It is estimated that we could reduce our cancers by between 30 and 50% by making sure we are of adequate weight, that we are exercising, and right now what's recommended is 30 minutes up to five times a week."

She added that studies have shown that reducing alcohol intake would also reduce the risk.
"So what we see in terms of cancer, particularly my area of interest would be breast cancer, we have many studies saying that if we go beyond two units a day there's an increased cancer risk associated with that and an increased cancer recurrence rate."

Dr Walsh said that an increase of cancers in the developing world is due to a lack of screening such as for breast and cervical cancer.

She said that new campaigns aimed at tackling obesity were very positive and that education would be the key to preventing cancer cases among younger generations.

"Education is the important thing here and I think that getting into our schools on an early basis will be key in terms of educating about careful sun exposure, appropriate foods to eat, the importance of getting out and exercising."

Study on the Health Effects of Pylons

European Commission

A preliminary study by the European Commission on the health effects of pylons, to be published later, is expected to cast doubt on fears that pylons pose health risks to humans.The report will trigger a consultation process on the alleged risks of Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) with a comprehensive report being published in mid April.

The study of the impact of power lines and pylons on human health has been compiled by a European Commission scientific panel and is based on a review of "hundreds" of studies carried out over the past five years.

A similar study published in 2009 found no serious risk to human health from pylons.
The forthcoming consultation process will invite submissions from interested parties and stakeholders, and will include public meetings.
A European Commission source said that the preliminary report will say there is no health risk caused by Electromagnetic Fields.

The report, entitled 'A Preliminary Opinion of the Committee on the Potential Health Effects of Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields', will become available online.

Endurance Training - Vitamin Supplements

Study cautions against high dosages of vitamin C and E, especially for athletes

Research finds pills could blunt metabolic response of muscles to fitness training



A study published today has raised concerns about the effects of vitamin C and E supplements on people involved in endurance training.

The research, published in the Journal of Physiology, found the vitamin pills could blunt the metabolic response of muscles to fitness training. Dr Gøran Paulsen, who led the study at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, said the study had identified a significant trend but further research was needed.

“Our results show vitamin C and E supplements blunted the endurance training-induced increase of mitochondrial proteins, which are needed to improve muscular endurance.”

In the 11-week trial, 54 young, healthy men and women were randomly allocated to receive either 1000mg vitamin C and 235mg vitamin E – the same amount found in shop supplements – or a placebo. They completed an endurance training programme which mostly involved running. Fitness tests, blood samples and muscle biopsies were taken before and after the intervention.

The supplements did not affect oxygen uptake or the results of a 20m shuttle test but they did show markers for the production of new muscle mitochondria – the power supply for cells – increased only in the group without supplements.

View article in the Journal of Physiology here

Recent Research on Obesity - January 2014

79% of over-50s obese are overweight - study

More than a third of over-50s in Ireland are obese, a major new report on ageing has revealed.

A further 44% are overweight, while problem drinking and reliance on multiple medications is also on the rise among older people.

Despite the obvious health risks, the over-50s generally report high levels of satisfaction with quality of life and their incomes have remained stable.

The findings are revealed in the latest report by the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (Tilda), a national survey of more than 8,000 people aged 50 and over.

The study was led by researchers in Trinity College Dublin.

Participants were interviewed between April 2012 and January 2013, during, as researchers note, a period of considerable social and economic change in Ireland.

Minister for Health James Reilly said the latest report flags up serious concerns about the health of the over-50s.

"I am encouraged by some of the findings in this report, particularly those that show that, in general, the over-50s enjoy a good quality of life and report their health as excellent or very good," he said.

"However, I am also struck by some worrying trends, particularly the levels of non-communicable diseases and their co-morbidities.

"The finding that 35% of the over-50s are obese with a further 44% overweight is another serious cause for concern."

Obesity is strongly associated with heart disease and diabetes.

The report also found about one third of the over-50s report low levels of physical activity, with more women than men reporting low exercise.

More than half of those aged 75 and over have arthritis.

Smoking among over-50s is down from just over 18% to 16.5% since participants were last interviewed in 2009 and 2010.

Problem drinking has risen for both men and women - from 17% to 22% in men and from 8% to 11% in women.

Those taking five or more medications has increased from 21% to 26%.

Key Findings

Full Report: The Over 50's in a Changing Ireland: Economic Circumstances, Health and Well-being. 2014

Atlas of Global Health

Winner of the BMA Board of Science Award for the Public Understanding of Science and the BMA Medical Book Award for Public Health.





This is a major new graphic profile of global health. The atlas maps the causes and incidences of the major diseases as well as the economic, social and environmental factors that impact on people's health worldwide. Bringing together the latest data and charting recent trends in health and disease, it also addresses how health needs are identified, health policy is developed and the delivery and quality of health services. 

The atlas covers a wide range of topics including:
Life Expectancy
Malnutrition and Obesity 
Water and Sanitation


The author of this book, Dr. Diarmuid O'Donovan, lectures on Health Promotion at NUI Galway and copies of 'The Atlas of Health' are available at shelf number 614.0233 ODO