Dr. David Koivuranta reviews six recent studies on health and prevention. Air pollution raises blood pressure in kids; vitamin D in pregnancy may lower gestational diabetes risk; high-intensity interval training drops cortisol after an initial spike; flavonoid-rich foods are linked to lower dementia risk; 80% of strokes are preventable; posture monitoring and active breaks cut office neck and back pain by half.
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Hello everyone, it's Dr. Dave. Hopefully you're all doing well, enjoying your week. It's Wednesday once again. Congratulations, you made it. Hopefully it's been a healthy one so far. Coming at you on behalf of the Toronto Neck and Back Pain Clinic with your daily health update for Wednesday, June 9th, 2021. Gonna look at 6 areas of health and wellness. Somewhere around this video you can read through all 6 areas if you'd like, and, um, you can also DM us on social, give us a call at the clinic, or send us an email if you'd like a copy of that to look at and/or if you have any questions. We're always happy to help. Not going to treat, diagnose, prevent, or cure any illness or disease with our time together today. However, by looking at some of the latest and greatest in the research and literature when it comes to health and wellness, it may stimulate your own thoughts, decisions, and actions today and each day when it comes to your own health and wellness and the health and wellness around you and those people around you. And, uh, that's always a good thing, keeping health and wellness at the forefront of your mind because health is your greatest and best investment. Time, effort, and money well spent. The Journal of the American Heart Association, May 2021, looked at an interesting correlation between air pollution and how it increases kids' blood pressure. A review of 14 studies that included more than 350,000 children found that boys and girls as young as 5 experienced increases in blood pressure following either short-term exposure to coarse air pollution or long-term exposure to fine particulate matter and long-term exposure to traffic exhaust as well. This concerns researchers because cardiovascular risk, risk factors like high blood pressure can persist into adulthood and lead to an elevated risk for heart disease and stroke. Our bodies are a big filter. The pollution that we encounter, our body has to deal with. So all the different filters— liver, lungs, skin, and our tissues in general— can get exposed to toxins that are found within that air pollution, can have an effect on our overall health and wellness. So other than trying to avoid contact with that pollution, depending on where you are in the world, that may easier or harder. You also just want to support your body and keep it as healthy as it can to clean those filters out. And the way that you do that is with good nutrition, especially those vegetables. You want to get enough activity to get your heart rate up to pump fluid and nutrients and air into and out of your tissues, so exercise of some kind, fitness, and a good sleep so your body has an opportunity to rest and repair. That's— that cycle repeated daily with those three fundamentals will help hopefully combat the effects of an environment that can be challenging for our body. The Libyan Journal of Medicine touches on something, May 2021, that we've talked about before in the Daily Health Update with vitamin D and gestational diabetes. Dietary assessments completed by 120 women during their pregnancy revealed that a higher intake of vitamin D may reduce the risk for gestational diabetes. So making sure that you're as healthy and fit when you're bringing this wonderful creation into the world is a good idea. And one of the things you can do is ensure that your vitamin D level is adequate and will help support you through that pregnancy. The Scandinavian Journal of Medicine, Science and Sports, May 2021, looked at high-intensity exercise and stress. HIIT training, HIIT as you may know it, high-intensity, high-intensity interval training, is a form of exercise that involves short intervals of near-maximal effort such as sprinting or stair climbing. —separated by intervals of moderate-intensity exercise such as jogging or fast walking. A review of data from 60 studies found that after an initial increase following a HIIT session, blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol quickly dropped to below pre-workout levels and can remain low until the following day. So there you go. Many of you know that when you get out and move and get engaged in some activity, especially if it's intense, it's a good stress reliever, not only because it feels that way, but physiologically it helps your body as well. The Alzheimer's and Dementia Report, May 2021, looked at flavonoids and how they may protect the brain. Those are compounds found in fruits and are known to act as powerful antioxidants with anti-inflammatory and immune system benefits. A review of data from the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study revealed that a moderate intake of flavonoid-rich foods may be associated with a reduced risk for dementia. 5 Steps to Prevent a Stroke, courtesy of the American Heart Association, May 2021. Always good information. Dr. David Koivuranta, MD, PhD. 80% of strokes can be prevented by making it a lifelong practice to exercise, not smoke, maintain a healthy blood pressure, and eat a heart-healthy diet. So there you go. Uh, it's things that we know, but always a good reminder that those lifestyle factors are valuable. Sometimes no immediate gratification, but in the long term, the thinner a line you tread when it comes to the quality of those steps, uh, the better off you just might be. And finally, the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment, and Health, May 2021, looked at reducing neck or low back pain risk in the office. Neck and back pain are common complaints in office workers. A study that included 186 of those office workers found that using a device to monitor posture and taking active breaks are both effective interventions for reducing the risk of neck and/or low back pain by 50% or more. Awareness is tough. We get busy, it's not always on the forefront of our mind, and we cave in to the effect of relentless gravity and with some awareness we could catch ourselves and improve that situation. However, sometimes it's just tough. So there are some devices that you can wear that will remind you that when you've fallen forward from that position that you should go back, and/or there are some prompts you can engage through apps and/or on computer software that will help you do the same. And taking breaks, just building that into your schedule, whether that's with a SitStand station or even without, those breaks throughout the day are more effective at reducing or negating the effects of that office work in real time than trying to catch up after work by doing, say, a stretch session, a yoga class, Pilates, or a gym session. Those are good for you and you should do them as well, but the buildup of the desk work and computer work throughout the day, depending on how sedentary it is and repetitive it is, is hard to undo with a session in the evening. That's what the research and literature is showing. So negating it in real time By increasing your awareness and taking some breaks is a good idea. All right, so that's your daily health update for Wednesday. Keep you going through the week. We'll catch up to you with you tomorrow again, Thursday, with another video format. And in the meantime, take good care of yourself, have some fun, and if you have things to do, don't worry, you'll get them done. But also make sure you're watching out for yourself so that you can keep doing those things you need to want to get done. All right, we'll see you tomorrow. Have a good day. Take care.
