PODCAST #15 8-1-07

WELCOME TO THE 15th EDITION OF THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS PODCAST

Asthma, Aging, Eyes (macular degeneration)

Asthma
A review of 26 published studies found that lowering salt intake to 1,500 mg of sodium per day reduces asthma severity and improves breathing in two to five weeks.

Aging
A pound of muscle burns 35 to 50 calories a day, compared with fat which burns 2 calories a pound.
Metabolism decreases by 1 to 2 percent every decade past the age of 30.
Bones reach their maximum strength and density some time between the ages of 25 and 30. All the bone you will have has been deposited by then, now you have to keep it and not lose your bone for the rest of your life.
When you hit your 40’s you may lose one-third to one-half a pound of muscle a year and gain that much in body fat if you are not active. That is why you might not gain weight but your belt gets tighter. Because of increased fat in your belly.
In your 50s you start to loose muscle fiber. You primarily loose the fast-twitch muscle fiber, the kind responsible for quick bursts of power. While the slow-twitch fibers, the ones responsible for your endurance, seem to better maintain their endurance.
The 70s and beyond, skeletal muscle fibers are fewer in number and may begin to shrink in size, resulting in smaller and weaker muscles.
Weight training should start at an early age. Three generations ago children played muscle building games, tag, jump rope, street ball, walked to school and walked any place they had to go. Now they sit in front of a computer or TV and get driven anyplace. Is it any wonder that 60% of the kids are over weight and 40% are obese?
Remarkable physical gains by frail nursing home residents in their 80s and 90s. By doing resistance-training for at least 6 weeks, the size and strength of their muscles significantly improved, as did their walking speed. Some said goodbye to their canes. You can get stronger at any age, if they can do it your can do it. Don’t wait till you are 90 to build muscle, if you don’t start early you might not reach a healthy 90.

Macular degeneration.
Macular degeneration is a disease of the eye that decreases the eyes ability to see. In the average person it starts later in life and gets worse as we age. There is no cure at the present time. But there is a vitamin and mineral regime that can slow the progression of the disease. The AREDS study showed that vitamins C, D, E and Beta carotene plus the minerals zinc and copper slowed vision loss. Another study in 2005 showed that the above nutrients were helpful in preventing age related macular degeneration (AMD). Also people who eat more fish are less susceptible to macular degeneration, most likely do to the Omega-3 oil in fish.
Research shows that people eating a high glycemic diet are more likely to develop AMD. A high glycemic diet is one that has sugar and  white bread in your diet.

That’s all for PODCAST #15. I hope you found it interesting and informative. The next PODCAST will be the week of September 1

IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED ON THE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS PODCAST OUR E-MAIL ADDRESS IS
health@lencolabs.com.

For more information on this subject and other subjects go to www.lencolabs.com, thank you for listening to the health and happiness podcast with–Leonard Austin