Health & Wellness - August 2012 Archives

Mayo Clinic has announced its first births resulting from in vitro fertilization (IVF) using a new time-lapse incubator. It minimizes disturbances from human handling and helps fertility ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — August 29, 2012.  Mayo Clinic recently marked its first births resulting from in vitro fertilization using a new time-lapse incubator that minimizes ...

MEDIA ADVISORY:   Nutritionist Available to Talk about Healthy Eating at State Fairs It's state fair time in much of the country and that means amusement rides, games, people watching, ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — August 29, 2012.  It's state fair time in much of the country, and that means plenty of intriguing people watching, enjoying amusement rides, games and live music and, in nearly every scenario, eating a hearty amount of less-than-healthy food. How unhealthy? State fair food booths are famous for deep-frying most anything — even butter — and it's not unusual for a single serving to hit 500 or even 1,000 calories with dozens of grams of fat. As unlikely as it may sound, it is possible to get a taste of a state fair without overindulging, says Donald Hensrud, M.D., a Mayo Clinic specialist in nutrition and preventive medicine. "There is no question that the food at state fairs is not usually health supporting," Dr. Hensrud says. "However, it's important to remember it is possible to eat sensibly and still have a good time with family and friends." Some tips from Dr. Hensrud: Give yourself a good start and eat something healthy before you go. Have some fruit to start the day or a salad before you go in the afternoon. Work off the extra calories through walking — easy to do at the fair. Burn off extra calories by getting in an extra workout or two, before or after the fair. Decide ahead of time how much and what you'll indulge in. If you have a plan, you're less likely to overeat. Split portions with family or friends. This will not only help decrease calorie intake, but also lets you enjoy more tastes and may help to save money. Go for quality and new tastes instead of quantity. When you're full, stop eating, even if you have some food left. The extra calories you get from being a member of the 'clean plate club' have no health benefit. The time to be frugal is before you take food — once you've taken it, it's OK to toss it when you're full. If you're drinking alcohol, have a drink of water between drinks. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and aid the digestive process. Try and stay away from non-diet soda. It's loaded with calories and sugar and has no nutritional benefit. Drink water instead. Avoid too many deep-fried foods. Don't panic if you overindulge. Return to your normal eating routine the following day.

Exercise can have a powerful affect on cancer care and recovery. Regular exercise has been found to reduce recurrence of the disease by up to ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — August 28, 2012.  Numerous studies have shown the powerful effect that exercise can have on cancer care and recovery. For patients who have gone through breast or colon cancer treatment, regular exercise has been found to reduce recurrence of the disease by up to 50 percent. But many cancer patients are reluctant to exercise, and few discuss it with their oncologists, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video of Andrea Cheville, M.D., available on the Mayo Clinic News Network. "As doctors, we often tell patients that exercise is important, but to this point, nobody had studied what patients know about exercise, how they feel about it and what tends to get in the way," says lead author Andrea Cheville, M.D., of Mayo Clinic's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The study is part of a series of investigations looking at exercise habits among cancer patients. Researchers found that patients who exercised regularly before their diagnosis were more likely to exercise than those who had not. Many patients considered daily activities, such as gardening, sufficient exercise. "There was a real sense of 'What I do every day, that's my exercise,'" says Dr. Cheville, noting that most patients didn't realize daily activities tend to require minimal effort. "Most were not aware that inactivity can contribute to weakening of the body and greater vulnerability to problems, including symptoms of cancer." In addition, researchers found that patients took exercise advice most seriously when it came directly from their oncologists, but none of those studied had discussed it with them. "Generally, patients are not being given concrete advice about exercise to help them maintain functionality and to improve their outcomes," Dr. Cheville says. Exercise can improve patients' mobility, enable them to enjoy activities and keep them from becoming isolated in their homes. It can contribute to overall feelings of strength and physical safety, ease cancer-related fatigue and improve sleep. The researchers plan to investigate how to make the message about exercise meaningful to patients to optimize symptom relief and enhance recovery.

MEDIA ADVISORY:  Mayo Clinic Experts Available to Discuss Football, Fall Sports Injuries  Common football, soccer and other fall sports injuries include concussions, stingers, MCL and ACL sprains/tears, meniscus tears, hip pointers, hamstring pulls, muscle contusions and ankle sprains. As the new season gets underway, Mayo Clinic experts can discuss the full range of athletic injuries and are available for interviews.       For interviews with experts, contact: Bryan Anderson  507-284-5005 newsbureau@mayo.edu Read entire media advisory. Read more about sports injuries and experts who are available:

ROCHESTER, Minn. — August 27, 2012.  People who are of normal weight but have fat concentrated in their bellies have a higher death risk than those who are obese, according to Mayo Clinic research presented today at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Munich. Those studied who had a normal body mass index but central obesity — a high waist-to-hip ratio — had the highest cardiovascular death risk and the highest death risk from all causes, the analysis found. "We knew from previous research that central obesity is bad, but what is new in this research is that the distribution of the fat is very important even in people with a normal weight," says senior author Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. "This group has the highest death rate, even higher than those who are considered obese based on body mass index. From a public health perspective, this is a significant finding." The study included 12,785 people 18 and older from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a representative sample of the U.S. population. The survey recorded body measurements such as height, weight, waist circumference and hip circumference, as well as socioeconomic status, comorbidities, and physiological and laboratory measurements. Baseline data were matched to the National Death Index to assess deaths at follow-up. Those studied were divided by body mass index into three categories (normal: 18.5–24.9 kg/m2; overweight: 25.0–29.9 kg/m2; and obese: >30 kg/m2) and two categories of waist-to-hip ratio (normal: The mean age was 44; 47.4 percent were men. The median follow-up period was 14.3 years. There were 2,562 deaths, of which 1,138 were cardiovascular related. The risk of cardiovascular death was 2.75 times higher, and the risk of death from all causes was 2.08 times higher, in people of normal weight with central obesity, compared with those with a normal body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio. "The high risk of death may be related to a higher visceral fat accumulation in this group, which is associated with insulin resistance and other risk factors, the limited amount of fat located on the hips and legs, which is fat with presumed protective effects, and to the relatively limited amount of muscle mass," says Karine Sahakyan, M.D., Ph.D., a cardiovascular research fellow at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

People who are of normal weight but have fat concentrated in their bellies have a higher death risk than those who are obese. The Mayo Clinic ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — August 27, 2012.  With the fall sports season getting under way, Mayo Clinic experts are available to discuss the full range of athletic injuries. Common football, soccer and other falls sports injuries include concussions, stingers, MCL and ACL sprains/tears, meniscus tears, hip pointers, hamstring pulls, muscle contusions and ankle sprains. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Graphics and animation on common injuries available on the Mayo Clinic News Network. Mayo Clinic fall sports injury experts include, but are not limited to: Edward Laskowski, M.D., co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. His specialties include sports medicine, fitness, and strength and stability training. Dr. Laskowski has served on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the Chicago Marathon medical staff and the 2002 Winter Olympics medical staff at the Olympic Polyclinic in the Olympic Village. David Dodick, M.D., a neurologist with Mayo Clinic in Arizona and president of the American Headache Society. Dr. Dodick can discuss head injuries including concussions. Michael Stuart, M.D., vice chair of orthopedic surgery and co-director of the Sports Medicine Center. He can discuss arthroscopy, knee ligament reconstruction, partial knee replacement, concussions and doping. He was a team physician for the U.S. men's Olympic team in 2010. Richard Berger, M.D., Ph.D., an orthopedic surgeon specializing in the biomechanics and nerves of the hand and wrist, including injury and repair. He discovered and pioneered treatment of the wrist injury that nearly ended Major League Baseball player Jayson Werth's career. Diane Dahm, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with Mayo's Sports Medicine Center and Sports Performance Training Program in Minnesota who has served as an Olympic and professional sports team physician. She is an expert on ACL injuries, reconstruction and sports activities following knee arthroplasty and shoulder trauma. Jay Smith, M.D., of The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. is an expert on sports injuries including shoulder injuries and biomechanics. He has been a team trainer for the Minnesota Twins. Michael Joyner, M.D., is an anesthesiologist and specialist in exercise science with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Joyner is an expert on aging athletes, the relationship of environment to training, performance-enhancing drugs and how genetic variation and gender affect competition. Max Trenerry, Ph.D., specializes in sports psychology with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He can discuss the role of psychological factors in athletic performance and how to keep children interested in sports. Dr. Trenerry is also a soccer coach who routinely talks to parents and coaches about what is appropriate in coach-athlete relationships. Mary O'Connor, M.D., is chair of Orthopedic Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Dr. O'Connor specializes in women's health, hip and knee replacement and bone damage and treatment. She was a member of the Olympic rowing team in 1980 when the United States boycotted the games.

  MEDIA ADVISORY: Hurricane Season Food Safety and Meal Plans: Mayo Clinic Experts Offer Storm Prep Suggestions As another storms brews in the Atlantic, ...

For news outlets covering the solanezumab Alzheimer’s drug trial results:  Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s expert and neurologist Ronald Petersen, M.D. sees good news and bad news in the trial results announced today, regarding the Eli Lilly Alzheimer’s drug, solanezumab.  MP3 audio clips and a photo of Dr. Petersen are available in the downloads above; transcripts of the sound bites are below. Dr. Petersen is a neurologist with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., chair of the federal Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care and Services and a leader in drafting the first U.S. national plan to address Alzheimer’s disease. To interview Dr. Petersen, please contact: Brian Kilen 507-284-5005 (days) 507-284-2511 (evenings)  newsbureau@mayo.edu.