DrMirkin's eZine: Brain cells, blood pressure, more . . .

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----- Forwarded Message ----"Gabe Mirkin, M.D." <dianaDrMirkin's eZine: Brain cells, blood pressure, more . . .Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-ZineExercise Increases Brain Cells Dr. Yu-Min Kuo, of the National Cheng Kung University Medical College in Taiwan, has shown how exercise helps to preserve brain function as you age (The Journal of Applied Physiology. November 2008). Dr Kuo trained mice to run daily for five weeks on wheels at 70 percent of their capacity. They started to exercise at 8, 12 and 24 months of age. These ages are equivalent in humans to ages of 40, 60 and 90 years. The

mice that exercised every day grew 2.5 times more new brain cells than those who did not exercise, and these new nerves helped them to learn and memorize new tasks. The increase in brain cells came from increased production of signaling molecules that promote brain cell growth. However, the mice that started exercise in early middle age (equivalent to age 40) did much better than mice that did not start exercising until later middle age (equivalent to age 60). This would indicate that the capacity of exercise to help you maintain intelligence decreases after middle age. When you are young, your body continuously creates new brain cells. As you age, your brain loses its ability to regenerate new nerve cells. This is why you gradually lose some of your ability to remember and learn. We don't know if Dr. Kuo's results would be found in humans, but

his study should encourage people to start exercising while young and continue throughout their lives.***********************************************Reports from DrMirkin.comBlood pressure drugs and exercisershttp://www.drmirkin.com/heart/blood_pressure_drugs_and_exercise.htmlSkin creamshttp://www.drmirkin.com/women/9377.htmlProbioticshttp://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/9829.html***********************************************Dear Dr. Mirkin: Since blood pressure varies throughout the day, what's the best way to tell if you really have high blood pressure? Check your blood

pressure just before you go to bed. High blood pressure can kill you and the people who are most likely to die from it are those whose blood pressures do not drop during the evening. Your blood pressure varies throughout the day, dropping to its lowest levels when you rest or sleep, usually in the late evening or early morning. If your systolic (heart contraction) blood pressure is greater than 120 just before you go to bed, you are at high risk for heart attacks and strokes. People who have systolic blood pressures up to 140 during the day and below 120 at night are at much lower risk than those who blood pressures do not drop at night. It is normal for many people to have a blood pressure of 200/80 when they run and 300/200 when they do a maximal leg press, as long as the systolic pressure drops below 120 at rest. See http://www.drmirkin.com/heart/8025.htm***********************************************Dear Dr. Mirkin: How could strong muscles affect cancer risk? Researchers at the University of Alberta used body scan imaging to show that cancer patients with the least muscles lived an average of 10 months less than patients who were more muscular, even after controlling for other variables such as cancer stage and severity (Lancet Oncology, January 2009). This supports many other studies that show people who exercise have lower risk of some cancers and better survival rates. A possible mechanism is that muscles are the source of the body's protein which is necessary to make antibodies and cells to prevent cancer from occurring and spreading. Extremely low muscle mass is associated with a poor

immunity. ***********************************************If you are interested in staying up-to-date on vitamin D research, you may want to to the free newsletter from the Vitamin D Council (a non-profit educational organization)http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/aboutUs.shtml***********************************************BR>Please visit our

Forumhttp://www.drmirkin.com/forum/. . . If you've visited in the past and been annoyed by junk commercial posts, please look again! We now have a volunteer moderator who is cleaning it up and making it a great place to exchange information on fitness, health and nutrition.You can help! If you find an offending post, click on the "Report" button to let us know.http://www.drmirkin.com/forum/***********************************************RSS Feed - Daily Blog:http://feeds.feedburner.com/FitnessHealthWithDrGabeMirkinRSS Feed - Weekly eZine:http://feeds.feedburner.com/DrGabeMirkinsFitnessAndHealthE-zineYOU ARE WELCOME TO COPY the e-Zine's contents for use in your own newsletter, company or club publication, BLOG or website. Please give proper credit and a link back to http://www.drmirkin.com The e-Zine is provided as a service. Dr.Mirkin's reports and opinions are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider. For more information visit http://www.drmirkin.com We DO NOT sell, rent or give your e-mail address to anyone. Copyright 2009 The Sportsmedicine Institute, Inc. http://www.DrMirkin.comGabe

Mirkin, M.D.10901 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington MD 20895, USATo or change r options visit:http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?zAwszEwstCxM7GzMbMwctEa0LEwMzAzsrA==