Antioxidants & The Tango
Posted On Monday, March 31, 2008 at at 8:06 PM by Aishah Abd Latiff
A study in the January issue of The Archives of Ophthalmology enrolled more than 35,000 women who were followed for an average of 10 years.
After statistically adjusting for smoking, alcohol use, body mass index and other variables, the researchers found that the more vitamin E and lutein the women used, the less likely they were to have cataracts. Compared with the one-fifth of women who consumed the least antioxidants, the one-fifth who consumed the most reduced their risk for cataracts by 14 percent with vitamin E and 18 percent with lutein.
Vegetable oils, nuts, leafy green vegetables and whole grains are sources of vitamin E, and lutein is found in various fruits, corn, kale, spinach and other vegetables. William Christen, the lead author and an associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said this study was observational only and that "there is no solid randomized trial for any specific nutrient to prevent eye disease."
Still, Christen said, the findings suggest that there is a benefit to antioxidants and that people should eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. "This is advice you may have heard before," he said. The research was supported in part by a grant from DSM Nutritional Products.
whereas in another story,
THE TANGO MAY HELP PARKINSON'S PATIENTS
When the band strikes up a tango, people with Parkinson's disease may want to head for the dance floor. That is the lesson from a new study reporting that when Parkinson's patients took tango classes, their balance improved.
Problems with walking and balance are common among people with the disease, and often lead to falls. Among the difficulties, the researchers said, are shuffling and trouble turning while walking.
Patients may experience a sudden "freezing" that can either slow them down or stop them entirely. They also have trouble walking while performing another activity at the same time.
The study appears in the December issue of The Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy. The lead author is Madeleine Hackney of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.
The researchers described what happened when 19 Parkinson's patients were given either 20 tango classes or 20 exercise classes. The exercise class consisted of one hour of movement, much of it in chairs or using chairs for support. The tango class was more vigorous, and focused on stretching, balance, footwork and timing.
Both groups demonstrated general improvement, but only the tango students appeared to do better when it came to balance. The improvement was fairly limited, and the researchers said more study was needed.
