Bone Mass | SilverScorpio.Com

Monitor Your Inner Health, From Naptime Brain Waves to Metabolic Age

July 6, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Manufacturer: Roundup:
Wired Rating: 0

A mirror will tell you how you look, but it won’t tell you what’s going on under your skin. These gadgets will help you monitor your inner health, so the contents match the wrapper.

1. Garmin Forerunner 110

The newest Forerunner is small enough to fit under the cuff of a dress shirt and yet it still talks to satellites. It’s also a great example of a company listening to its customers: Garmin users have been clamoring for a less expensive watch that records where they go and how fast they get there. The 110 does just that.

WIRED Small, affordable, accurate. Lets you use Garmin’s Connect Web site, where you can save and track all your workouts.

TIRED Clip-on USB adapter can be flaky. Getting a lock on the satellites can take a minute or two, so leave time to do some quality stretching before you take off.

$250, garmin.com

2. Zeo Personal Sleep Coach

Strap on the headband before you nod off and in the morning you’ll have a quantified picture of your night’s sleep. Zeo takes an EEG of your nappytime brain waves, so it knows how you doze. And it goes deeper too: By identifying “sleep stealers,” the device helps you find out how, for example, the light from your TV increases the time it takes to fall asleep.

WIRED Opt for detailed information or a single number—your “ZQ”—that measures quality of slumber. Can use your brain signals to determine the best time to wake you up.

TIRED You might sleep better without a transmitter strapped to your head. No wireless uploading.

$249, myzeo.com

3. Tanita BC-350

Your scale only measures your weight? Please. The BC-350 not only tracks your pounds but measures body fat, bone mass, metabolic age, and hydration level. Using a mild electric current (too small to feel), the scale measures the impedance of your body to analyze the nitty-gritty details.

WIRED If you can read standing up, you can use this thing. Allows multiple profiles, so you can see how you stack up against friends and family (eek).

TIRED No way to store data, so get comfy with Excel if you want to track your stats. Don’t expect any advice, either: Though it serves up lots of info, the scale offers no action plan or system for setting goals.

$270, tanita.com

4. GoWear Fit

Who knew so many sensors could fit into a single armband? The GoWearFit packs an accelerometer, a temperature monitor, and a galvanic skin detector. These three electronic superheroes join forces to provide an insanely accurate accounting of how many calories you burn in a given day.

WIRED Fits unobtrusively under clothes. Data uploads to an easy-to-navigate Web site.

TIRED Not waterproof, so it can’t crunch how many calories you burn in the pool (or the shower). Elastic armband gets a little ripe, snuggled up next to your armpit and all. Ugly display sold separately. The Web site has only basic goal setting, like “I want to get more active.”

$190, bodymedia.com

5. Philips DirectLife

Toss the DirectLife in your pocket or dangle it around your neck and its accelerometers keep tabs on how much you move. USB-sync it with a Web site account to track activity levels, identify trends, and set fitness goals. Wow, that was easy.

WIRED Online training coaches are just an email away; their periodic friendly reminders help you stay focused.

TIRED Do you really burn the same number of calories lifting weights as you do sitting on the sofa? (No.) There’s no display except some LED dots that show how much of your daily goal you’ve accomplished. No wireless data transfer. $12.50 monthly fee. Boo.

$99, philips.com

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: best time, bone mass, Brain Waves, dress shirt, eeg, forerunner, Gadgets, Garmin Users, headband, Impedance, Inner Health, mirror, nitty gritty details, profiles, roundup, satellites, sleep, Track Workouts, Uploading, Zq

Vigorous exercise strengthens hip bones in kids

May 11, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 11 (ANI): Vigorous physical activity in young children results in stronger hip bones, says a new study.

Researchers from Southhampton and Cambridge Universities in the UK presented the results at the World Congress on Osteoporosis (IOF WCO-ECCEO10) in Florence, Italy.

More than 200 six-year olds participated in the study. Using advanced scanning technology, the researchers measured bone mass and analysed the structure of the femoral neck (hip) and thigh bone. Physical activity was assessed for seven continuous days.

The results showed that there was a relationship between time spent in vigorous activity and strength of the femoral neck, both in terms of shape and volumetric mineral density.

This supports the argument that increasing physical activity in childhood is likely to improve childhood skeletal bone development, and is thus a potentially important public health strategy towards prevention of osteoporosis in later life. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: bone development, bone mass, Cambridge Universities, Continuous Days, Femoral Neck, florence italy, Hip And Thigh, hip bones, mineral density, Prevention Of Osteoporosis, Public Health Strategy, Scanning Technology, six year olds, Southhampton, thigh bone, universities in the uk, Vigorous Activity, vigorous exercise, vigorous physical activity, world congress

Maintaining energy balance may protect cyclists” bones during stage races

May 6, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 6 (ANI): A new University of Missouri research has suggested that elite cyclists should match their energy intake to the high-energy demands of stage racing to protect their bones.

Previous studies have demonstrated that competitive cyclists have significantly lower bone mineral density (BMD) than other endurance athletes, making them more vulnerable to fractures.

The reasons for the reduced bone mass in elite cyclists are not fully understood, but one explanation is an imbalance between bone formation and bone breakdown due to the high-energy cost of stage racing.

However, the latest study has shown that proper nutrition during multi-day stage races can prevent harmful changes in bone turnover.

The researchers involved in this study found that athletes who maintained energy balance by matching their energy intake to their energy expenditure showed increased markers of bone turnover – the process of breaking down old bone and forming new bone.

Because the increase in bone formation was greater than the increase in bone breakdown, the researchers concluded that these changes were not likely to negatively affect bone mass in the long-term.

“The findings suggest that participation in stage races might not have negative effects on bone turnover if energy intake matches the energy cost of high-intensity racing over several days,” said Pam Hinton, associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology.

“The results are consistent with the practical recommendation that elite cyclists should match their energy intake to the high energy demands of stage racing,” Hinton added.

In the study, Hinton examined markers of bone formation and bone breakdown in the blood of elite cyclists who participated in the Tour of Southland, a six-day, 10-stage cycling race.

Hinton found significant increases in markers of bone formation and bone breakdown among the athletes whose energy intake matched their energy expenditure throughout the race.

Disrupted bone turnover, that is, reduced bone formation and increased bone breakdown, due to inadequate energy intake relative to expenditure is just one possible cause of low BMD among cyclists.

Other factors include low-body weight, increased loss of calcium through sweat and significant time spent cycling, which exerts only minimal mechanical loading on the skeleton.

The study will be published in Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: BMD, bone breakdown, Bone Formation, bone mass, bone mineral density, Bone Turnover, Competitive Cyclists, Endurance Athletes, energy balance, energy cost, energy demands, Energy Expenditure, energy intake, Exercise Physiology, High Intensity, high-energy, Missouri Research, Proper Nutrition, southland, Stage Races

Novel way to improve bone health in cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 16 (ANI): Scientists looking for ways to reduce bone loss in astronauts claim to have found a novel way of improving the bone health of cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment.

“Our studies indicate significant bone loss at the radiation levels astronauts will experience during long missions to the moon or Mars,” said Ted Bateman, a member of NSBRI’s Musculoskeletal Alterations Team.

The study conducted over mouse models has shown that bone loss begins within days of radiation exposure through activation of bone-reducing cells called osteoclasts.

Under normal conditions, these cells work with bone-building cells, called osteoblasts, to maintain bone health.

“Our research challenges some conventional thought by saying radiation turns on the bone-eating osteoclasts. If that is indeed the case, existing treatments, such as bisphosphonates, may be able to prevent this early loss of bone,” he added.

He said even though the research is being performed to protect the health of NASA astronauts, cancer patients, especially those who receive radiation therapy in the pelvic region, could benefit from the research.

“We know that older women receiving radiotherapy to treat pelvic tumors are particularly vulnerable to fracture, with hip fracture rates increasing 65 percent to 200 percent in these cancer patients,” said Bateman.

Once a person loses bone, their long-term fracture risk depends on their ability to recover lost bone mass.

For older cancer patients, early introduction of bisphosphonates and other forms of treatment could help greatly since the process of regaining bone mass can be more difficult due to lower activity levels. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: bateman, Bisphosphonates, Bone Health, bone loss, bone mass, cancer patients, Cancer Radiation, cells work, fracture risk, hip fracture, missions to the moon, mouse models, Musculoskeletal, nasa astronauts, older women, pelvic region, radiation exposure, radiation levels, radiation therapy, Radiation Treatment, radiotherapy

Gene behind gum disease, osteoporosis, arthritis identified

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 31 (ANI): An international team of researchers have identified a gene that is common in the development of gum disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis.

Experts at Hospital for Special Surgery say that their findings about the gene, called interferon regulator factor-8 (IRF-8), may lead to new treatments in future.

“The study doesn’t have immediate therapeutic applications, but it does open a new avenue of research that could help identify novel therapeutic approaches or interventions to treat diseases such as periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis or osteoporosis,” said Nature magazine quoted Dr. Baohong Zhao, a research fellow in the Arthritis and Tissue Degeneration Program at Hospital for Special Surgery located in New York City, as saying.

The researchers discovered that downregulation of IRF-8 (meaning that the gene produces less IRF-8 protein) increases the production of cells called osteoclasts that are responsible for breaking down bone.

In humans and animals, bone formation and bone resorption are closely coupled processes involved in the normal remodelling of bone. Enhanced development of osteoclasts, however, can create canals and cavities that are hallmarks of diseases such as periodontitis, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

The genome-wide study showed that the expression of IRF-8 was reduced by 75 percent in the initial phases of osteoclast development.

The genetically engineered mice deficient in IRF-8 had decreased bone mass and severe osteoporosis.

The researchers concluded that IRF-8 suppresses the production of osteoclasts.

“This is the first paper to identify that IRF-8 is a novel key inhibitory factor in osteoclastogenesis (production of osteoclasts),” said Zhao.

“We hope that the understanding of this gene can contribute to understanding the regulatory network of osteoclastogenesis and lead to new therapeutic approaches in the future,” Zhao added.

The study has been published in the journal Nature Medicine. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: ANI, arthritis, Aug, avenue, Baohong, bone, Bone Formation, bone mass, bone resorption, Cavities, deficient, degeneration, Development, disease, Disease Osteoporosis, downregulation, enhanced, Enhanced Development, expression, factor, fellow, formation, future, gene, gum, gum disease, hallmarks, hospital, inhibitory, Inhibitory Factor, interferon, IRF, journal, magazine, mass, medicine, Nature, nature magazine, network, New York City, novel, osteoclast, osteoclasts, paper, percent, production, program, protein, regulator, Regulatory Network, Remodelling, Research, research fellow, resorption, Rheumatoid, rheumatoid arthritis, study, surgery, team, therapeutic applications, Therapeutic Approaches, tissue, understanding, Washington, Zhao

How dairy foods are nutritional bang for the buck

July 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 2 (ANI): A daily consumption of dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt can provide a unique package of nine essential nutrients at a low cost per serving, according to a recent review.

Several prominent nutrition researchers have detailed an updated review of the health benefits of consuming dairy foods, which contributes to the well-established evidence that consuming three to four daily servings of dairy foods each day is a convenient and affordable way to get several key nutrients.

Dairy products help in improving the following:

Child nutrition

Children and adolescents between the ages of 9-18 need, on average, four servings of dairy foods a day to meet calcium recommendations and at least three servings to meet magnesium recommendations. Adolescents who do not regularly consume dairy, on average, only meet 40 percent of the Adequate Intake for calcium.

Bone health

The evidence supports the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendation to meet nutrient needs through foods, including dairy foods, rather than supplements. Studies continue to show that dairy foods provide a unique nutrient package beneficial for bone mass and play a major role in lifelong bone health.

Cardiovascular health

Low-fat and fat-free dairy foods play a key role in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which has been shown to lower blood pressure and prevent hypertension. Eating the recommended servings of dairy foods can lower blood pressure and is associated with a lower risk of developing high blood pressure.

Healthy weight

Studies have shown that dairy foods may favourably impact body composition and weight maintenance, particularly in overweight or obese adults who consume three servings of dairy foods daily while moderately reducing daily caloric intake.

Shortfall nutrients

Dairy foods play a vital role in building a diet that contains the nutrients Americans consistently do not consume enough of including calcium, potassium and magnesium. The most practical way to meet these nutrient recommendations may be to add an additional serving of dairy to the current daily recommendation.

The review has appeared in a supplement to the current issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (JACN). (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: 2005 Dietary Guidelines, 2005 Dietary Guidelines For Americans, Adequate, adequate intake, adolescents, American, ANI, approaches, bang, blood, body, Body Composition, bone, bone mass, buck, Calcium Recommendations, calcium., cardiovascular, cardiovascular health., cheese, child, child nutrition, children, college, composition, consuming, consumption, cost, daily caloric intake, dairy, dairy foods, dash, Dash Diet, day, diet, dietary, Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension, eating, Essential Nutrients, evidence, following, Health, high blood pressure, Hypertension, intake, issue, JACN, journal, July, Lifelong Bone Health, Low Fat, lower blood pressure, magnesium, maintenance, mass, Milk, milk cheese, nutrient, nutrition, nutrition researchers, obese, obese adults, overweight, package, percent, potassium, pressure, recommendation, review, risk, role, shortfall, stop, supplement, Washington, way, weight, Weight Maintenance, yogurt

Boffins one-step closer to prevent bone loss during spaceflight

March 21, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 21 (ANI): Researchers from University of Washington have found a novel way to prevent bone loss during spaceflight.

Studies have shown that the absence of gravity is causing astronauts on the International Space Station to lose up to 10 times more bone mass in key regions of the body each month than most post-menopausal women do in the same period of time back here on Earth.

While using bedrest as an analog of spaceflight, scientists could able to prevent bone loss in a specific region of the hip.

They are at the mid-point of a study in which 22 volunteers remain in bed, in a six-degree, head-down tilt position for 84 days.

The head-down tilt mimics many of the physiologic adaptations astronauts experience during spaceflight, such as bodily fluid shifts toward the head.

The bedrest confinement mimics the complete “unloading” of the musculoskeletal system that astronauts feel as they float through space due to the lack of gravity, which accelerates bone loss.

During the study, half of the participants are randomized to perform individually prescribed intermittent treadmill exercise similar to workouts by astronauts in space — but with one important difference. They were pulled towards the treadmill surface by a harness applying greater force than what was previously measured during walking and running.

With the help of treadmill exercise countermeasure, the research team was able to prevent bone loss in important skeletal regions.

“We have found that we can, on average, prevent bone loss in an important region of the hip with this intervention,” said Dr. Peter Cavanagh, UW professor of orthopaedics and sports medicine, and principal investigator of the study.

“No bedrest study ever before has accomplished this,

“This study takes us another step closer to learning how to maintain bone health during and after these space missions,” he added. (ANI)

Filed Under: Health News Tagged With: absence, analog, ANI, Astronauts, bed, bedrest, body, boffins, bone, Bone Health, bone loss, bone mass, confinement, countermeasure, Degree Head, difference, Dr. Peter Cavanagh, Earth, exercise, force, gravity, half, harness, head, Health, help, hip, international, international space station, intervention, investigator, lack, Lack Of Gravity, loss, mar, mass, medicine, menopausal women, Mid Point, month, Musculoskeletal, Musculoskeletal System, novel, period, Peter Cavanagh, Physiologic Adaptations, position, post menopausal, professor, region, Regions Of The Body, Research, skeletal, space, Space Missions, space station, spaceflight, sports medicine, step, study, surface, system, team, tilt, Tilt Position, time, treadmill, Treadmill Workouts, University, Washington, way

Stem cells may stop osteoporosis, promote bone growth

March 5, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 5 (ANI): A new study has shown that tweaking a certain group of multipotent stem cells-mesenchymal stem cells-with a hormone called interferon (IFN) in our bodies, might stop osteoporosis and promote bone growth.

Scientists from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre say that IFN holds great promise to repair bones affected by osteoporosis.

“We have identified a new pathway, centered on IFN gamma, that controls the bone remodelling process both in-vivo and in-vitro.

More studies are required to describe it more precisely, but we are hopeful that it could lead to a better understanding of the underlying causes of osteoporosis, as well as to innovative treatments,” said Dr. Richard Kremer, the study’s lead author and co-director of the Musculoskeletal Axis of the McGill University Health Centre.

He added: “First, we stimulated cultured mesenchymal stem cells to turn into bone cells (osteoblasts) in-vitro. We realised that this differentiation process involved IFN gamma-related genes, but also that these bone cells precursors could both be stimulated by IFN gamma and produced IFN gamma.”

In the next step, the researchers focussed on an animal model where IFN gamma effect is blocked by inactivating its receptor-a model called IFN gamma receptor knock-out.

They later conducted bone density tests, comparable to those used to diagnose people with osteoporosis.

The results revealed that the animals had significantly lower bone mass than their healthy counterparts, and also the mesenchymal stem cells were found to have a decreased ability to make bone.

“These findings confirm that IFN gamma is an integral factor for mesenchymal stem cells’ differentiation into osteoblasts also in-vivo,” said Kremer.

Both in-vitro and in-vivo results proved that IFN gamma was key to the differentiation of mesenchymal cells into bone cells, and to growth process of the bone.

The findings provide hope that IFN gamma itself, or another molecule involved in its pathway, could soon become efficient drug-target for an antidote for osteoporosis.

The study has been published in the journal Stem Cells. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: animal model, bone cells, bone density tests, bone growth, bone mass, causes of osteoporosis, co director, differentiation, dr richard, ifn, integral factor, interferon, knock out, mcgill university health, mcgill university health centre, mesenchymal cells, mesenchymal stem cells, multipotent stem cells, university health centre, vivo results