Short but intense
sessions of exercise may help women on bed rest stay strong and recuperate
more quickly, according to a NASA funded study by researchers at Ball State
University, Muncie, Ind. The findings of the first comprehensive bed rest
study focusing exclusively on women will help NASA develop more effective
countermeasures to mitigate strength and muscle loss in female astronauts
on long-duration missions to the International Space Station and, perhaps,
someday to Mars.
It also may have implications for women on Earth confined to bed rest
because of illness, injury or pregnancy.
"With NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson commanding the International Space
Station now and astronaut Pam Melroy commanding the last space shuttle
mission, we're reminded daily that women make up an important segment of
our astronaut corps and are taking on more and more leadership roles," said
Carl Walz, a former long-duration astronaut and head of NASA's advanced
capabilities division in the agency's Exploration Systems Mission
Directorate, Washington. "It's important that we look at how space travel
-- microgravity, radiation, and other factors -- affects women and men
differently."
Ball State's Human Performance Lab has been working with NASA for more
than a decade to examine the impact spaceflight has on humans, according to
Scott Trappe, the lab's director. He co-authored the study with fellow lab
researcher Todd Trappe, his brother.
"Until we completed this study, we had no solid research on how women
would adapt to long durations in space," Trappe said. "This information
should have a dramatic impact for NASA in the coming years."
Conducted in Toulouse, France, the study was sponsored jointly by the
European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, the French space agency
CNES, and NASA. Results were published recently in the Journal of Applied
Physiology and Acta Physiologica.
The study examined 24 female participants to determine whether specific
exercise regimens or nutritional supplements could prevent the loss of
lower body muscle mass and strength.
The women spent 60 days on bed rest. They lay with their heads pointing
downward at a 6-degree angle, which researchers believe most accurately
simulates the weightless conditions of space. One group was put on an
exercise regimen. A second group was put on a high-protein diet rich with
leucine, an amino acid. The control group did not take part in any exercise
or dietary protocols.
"When we looked at these women after two months, the difference in the
physical condition among the three groups was undeniable," Trappe said.
"The women who did not exercise lost nearly half their strength in some
cases. What's more, the group who ate a high-protein diet but did not
exercise lost even more muscle mass than the control group."
The exercise regimen included a 40 to 50 minute aerobic workout two or
three times a week and 20-minute strength training sessions two or three
days a week. While lying on their backs, the women did multiple sets of
thigh and calf exercises using a flywheel device similar to a typical leg
press machine at a gym. They also worked out on a vertical treadmill.
"The message for women and their doctors is that it really took very
little exercise to make an impact," said Trappe. "The total time spent
exercising was less than two percent of the time they spent in bed during
the entire 60-day period. In the end, a little bit of intense exercise goes
a long way."
Using a magnetic resonance imaging device, or MRI, researchers measured
muscle mass in all of the study subjects after the 60-day period. They
found that women in the control group lost 21 percent of the muscle mass in
their quadriceps, and the nutrition group lost more than 24 percent, but
the exercise group lost none. Results were similar for MRI scans of the
calf muscle.
The loss of muscle strength was even more significant. Researchers
tested strength using the flywheel device. Women who did not exercise
during the study lost as much as 33 percent of their strength in squat
exercises and 46 percent in calf press exercises. But the women who
exercised maintained their strength.
NASA's Human Research Program is working to understand the health
effects of spaceflight on astronauts in preparation for long-duration
missions. "It could take six months to reach the surface of Mars, and we
have to make sure our astronauts are healthy when they get there," Walz
said.
NASA
nasa
вторник, 27 марта 2012 г.
вторник, 20 марта 2012 г.
Obesity In Girls Triggered By Stress Hormone, Depression
Depression raises stress hormone levels in adolescent boys and girls but may lead to obesity only in girls, according to researchers. Early treatment of depression could help reduce stress and control obesity - a major health issue.
"This is the first time cortisol reactivity has been identified as a mediator between depressed mood and obesity in girls," said Elizabeth J. Susman, the Jean Phillips Shibley professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State. "We really haven't seen this connection in kids before, but it tells us that there are biological risk factors that are similar for obesity and depression."
Cortisol, a hormone, regulates various metabolic functions in the body and is released as a reaction to stress. Researchers have long known that depression and cortisol are related to obesity, but they had not figured out the exact biological mechanism.
Although it is not clear why high cortisol reactions translate into obesity only for girls, scientists believe it may be due to physiological and behavioral differences -- estrogen release and stress eating in girls -- in the way the two genders cope with anxiety.
"The implications are to start treating depression early because we know that depression, cortisol and obesity are related in adults," said Susman.
If depression were to be treated earlier, she noted, it could help reduce the level of cortisol, and thereby help reduce obesity.
"We know stress is a critical factor in many mental and physical health problems," said Susman. "We are putting together the biology of stress, emotions and a clinical disorder to better understand a major public health problem."
Susman and her colleagues Lorah D. Dorn, professor of pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and Samantha Dockray, postdoctoral fellow, University College London, used a child behavior checklist to assess 111 boys and girls ages 8 to 13 for symptoms of depression. Next they measured the children's obesity and the level of cortisol in their saliva before and after various stress tests.
"We had the children tell a story, make up a story, and do a mental arithmetic test," said Susman. "The children were also told that judges would evaluate the test results with those of other children."
Statistical analyses of the data suggest that depression is associated with spikes in cortisol levels for boys and girls after the stress tests, but higher cortisol reactions to stress are associated with obesity only in girls. The team reported its findings in a recent issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
"In these children, it was mainly the peak in cortisol that was related to obesity," Susman explained. "It was how they reacted to an immediate stress."
The National Institutes of Health supported this work.
Source:
Amitabh Avasthi
Penn State
"This is the first time cortisol reactivity has been identified as a mediator between depressed mood and obesity in girls," said Elizabeth J. Susman, the Jean Phillips Shibley professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State. "We really haven't seen this connection in kids before, but it tells us that there are biological risk factors that are similar for obesity and depression."
Cortisol, a hormone, regulates various metabolic functions in the body and is released as a reaction to stress. Researchers have long known that depression and cortisol are related to obesity, but they had not figured out the exact biological mechanism.
Although it is not clear why high cortisol reactions translate into obesity only for girls, scientists believe it may be due to physiological and behavioral differences -- estrogen release and stress eating in girls -- in the way the two genders cope with anxiety.
"The implications are to start treating depression early because we know that depression, cortisol and obesity are related in adults," said Susman.
If depression were to be treated earlier, she noted, it could help reduce the level of cortisol, and thereby help reduce obesity.
"We know stress is a critical factor in many mental and physical health problems," said Susman. "We are putting together the biology of stress, emotions and a clinical disorder to better understand a major public health problem."
Susman and her colleagues Lorah D. Dorn, professor of pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and Samantha Dockray, postdoctoral fellow, University College London, used a child behavior checklist to assess 111 boys and girls ages 8 to 13 for symptoms of depression. Next they measured the children's obesity and the level of cortisol in their saliva before and after various stress tests.
"We had the children tell a story, make up a story, and do a mental arithmetic test," said Susman. "The children were also told that judges would evaluate the test results with those of other children."
Statistical analyses of the data suggest that depression is associated with spikes in cortisol levels for boys and girls after the stress tests, but higher cortisol reactions to stress are associated with obesity only in girls. The team reported its findings in a recent issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
"In these children, it was mainly the peak in cortisol that was related to obesity," Susman explained. "It was how they reacted to an immediate stress."
The National Institutes of Health supported this work.
Source:
Amitabh Avasthi
Penn State
вторник, 13 марта 2012 г.
Managing Early-Onset Menopause
Menopause, which marks the end of a woman's reproductive years, usually occurs around age 50 or 51. But for various reasons, some women experience early menopause. Early menopause can be an emotional blow and can increase the risk of health problems, including osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
The February issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource describes types of early menopause.
Premature menopause: Though there is some debate over the age of onset that defines it, premature menopause is often defined as menopause before age 40. There are no more menstrual periods, no ovarian function, and pregnancy is no longer possible.
Premature ovarian failure: This is similar to premature menopause, but women can have intermittent, unpredictable ovarian function for years, may occasionally release an egg (ovulate) and, rarely, can become pregnant. About 1 percent of American women experience premature ovarian failure; the average age of onset is 27 years.
Treatment-induced menopause: Certain surgical or medical treatments can cause early-onset menopause, including ovary removal, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
The standard treatment for early-onset menopause is hormone therapy until you reach the average menopausal age. And that raises questions about the risks of hormone therapy. The results of the Women's Health Initiative trial, a study suggesting risks related to hormone therapy, don't apply in the same way to women with premature menopause or premature ovarian failure.
Early menopause, whatever the cause, is quite different from the average menopause experience. And each woman's experience differs. A knowledgeable, experienced doctor with expertise in reproductive hormone disorders is critical to helping you work out the best way to stay healthy during early-onset menopause.
Mayo Clinic
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55902
United States
mayoclinic/
The February issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource describes types of early menopause.
Premature menopause: Though there is some debate over the age of onset that defines it, premature menopause is often defined as menopause before age 40. There are no more menstrual periods, no ovarian function, and pregnancy is no longer possible.
Premature ovarian failure: This is similar to premature menopause, but women can have intermittent, unpredictable ovarian function for years, may occasionally release an egg (ovulate) and, rarely, can become pregnant. About 1 percent of American women experience premature ovarian failure; the average age of onset is 27 years.
Treatment-induced menopause: Certain surgical or medical treatments can cause early-onset menopause, including ovary removal, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
The standard treatment for early-onset menopause is hormone therapy until you reach the average menopausal age. And that raises questions about the risks of hormone therapy. The results of the Women's Health Initiative trial, a study suggesting risks related to hormone therapy, don't apply in the same way to women with premature menopause or premature ovarian failure.
Early menopause, whatever the cause, is quite different from the average menopause experience. And each woman's experience differs. A knowledgeable, experienced doctor with expertise in reproductive hormone disorders is critical to helping you work out the best way to stay healthy during early-onset menopause.
Mayo Clinic
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55902
United States
mayoclinic/
вторник, 6 марта 2012 г.
Statement Of Secretary Kathleen Sebelius On Women's Health Week, May 9 - 16, 2010
This is National Women's Health Week, an annual, week-long observance that reminds women to make their personal health a priority. But until this year, millions of women have found it difficult to follow through on that advice, because a broken health insurance system limited their access to medical care.
This past March, when President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, we took an historic step to fix our broken health care system, which far too often has charged women more for less than adequate insurance and unstable coverage.
In 45 states across the U.S., when a woman tried to buy health insurance through the individual insurance market, companies could legally charge women higher premiums, exclude benefits like breast cancer treatment, and reject your application if you were a victim of domestic violence. The vast majority of individual policies did not cover maternity care.
Under the Affordable Care Act, all of that will change. The new law will make landmark improvements to women's health security, banning insurance companies from discriminating based on gender, expanding coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, offering free coverage for preventive services, helping pregnant women and new mothers get the care they need, and prohibiting insurers from dropping women's coverage if they get sick.
For too many years, American women have been paying the price for a broken health care system that was not set up to help them. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Women's Health Week 2010 can be a true celebration of a healthier future for the women of America, and a new opportunity for all Americans to live longer, happier, and healthier lives.
Source
HHS
This past March, when President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, we took an historic step to fix our broken health care system, which far too often has charged women more for less than adequate insurance and unstable coverage.
In 45 states across the U.S., when a woman tried to buy health insurance through the individual insurance market, companies could legally charge women higher premiums, exclude benefits like breast cancer treatment, and reject your application if you were a victim of domestic violence. The vast majority of individual policies did not cover maternity care.
Under the Affordable Care Act, all of that will change. The new law will make landmark improvements to women's health security, banning insurance companies from discriminating based on gender, expanding coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, offering free coverage for preventive services, helping pregnant women and new mothers get the care they need, and prohibiting insurers from dropping women's coverage if they get sick.
For too many years, American women have been paying the price for a broken health care system that was not set up to help them. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Women's Health Week 2010 can be a true celebration of a healthier future for the women of America, and a new opportunity for all Americans to live longer, happier, and healthier lives.
Source
HHS
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