Check out a few of the most popular News Network stories on @mayoclinic social media this past week.

Mayo Clinic Minute: How stress affects your body

It's the time of year when expectations are often high and, for some, so are stress levels. Stress can affect your body, mind and behavior. Recognizing symptoms can help you manage your stress and prevent health issues like high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, obesity and diabetes.

Breakthrough in the fight against glioblastoma

Currently there is no cure for glioblastoma, but results of a new study conducted at Mayo Clinic show patients experienced improved overall survival while maintaining quality of life after undergoing a novel approach to treatment.

Mayo Clinic Q and A: Exercise tips for heart health

Busy schedule? Just 30 minutes of exercise a day can make a difference. Whether it's climbing stairs, brisk walking or gardening, every little bit counts. ⁠Start small, stay consistent and build a habit. Your body will thank you.

Mayo Clinic Minute: Treating liver cancer

Liver cancer rates have more than tripled in the U.S. since 1980 and continue to rise. More than 41,000 people will be diagnosed with liver cancer in the U.S. this year, and about 29,000 will die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

A journey of resilience and hope

Joshua Abelson has shown remarkable resilience through numerous health challenges. Seeking care at Mayo Clinic in Florida, Joshua was added to the lung transplant waitlist and successfully received a transplant in August 2024.⁠

The post In case you missed it: This week’s Top 5 stories on social media appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Dr. Summer Allen, a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician, explains how stress affects your body, and she offers tips to manage it.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

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"Stress can activate your body's 'fight-or-flight response,'" says Dr. Allen.

When your brain senses a threat, it signals your body to release hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones can make your heart race, raise your blood pressure and boost energy.

"Physically, this can lead to headaches. For people, this can lead to poor sleep. It can affect someone's ability to concentrate," she explains.

Managing stress depends on each person's individual needs.

"Stress is often going to be our body's response to a certain trigger to a certain situation. So ways to respond are going to need to be personalized," Dr. Allen says.

Reducing or managing stress could include journaling, meditation, reading a book or physical activity.

Dr. Allen says yoga could be another strategy. She says it's important to make changes one step at a time.

"If we try to change everything all at once, we end up setting ourselves up for further stress or feeling overwhelmed," she says.

Additional strategies include:

• Eat a healthy diet, get regular exercise and plenty of sleep.
• Take time for hobbies, such as reading or listening to music. 
• Foster healthy friendships and talk with friends and family.
• Volunteer in your community.
• Organize and focus on what you need to get done at home and work, and remove tasks that aren't needed.
• Seek professional counseling. A counselor can help you learn specific coping skills to manage stress.

Related posts:

• Seasonal affective disorder: More than feeling sad
• Loneliness and social isolation through the holidays
• Mayo Clinic Q and A: Emotional exhaustion: When your feelings feel overwhelming

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: How stress affects your body  appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Finding the time to exercise with my busy work schedule seems impossible. How much exercise do I need to benefit my heart, and what kind? If I like to play pickleball, is that a better form of exercise than say, weightlifting? 

ANSWER: Finding time within busy schedules can feel difficult, but if you dedicate at least 30 minutes of exercise on a daily basis, that can be enough. And any type of exercise is good for your body, even if you're just climbing the stairs for five minutes. Any type of physical activity that you perform on a daily basis will benefit your body. Even doing everyday housekeeping such as gardening is a good way to get in some physical activity.

We recommend that you exercise for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week, such as walking at a brisk pace (that's around 30 minutes five times a week or 50 minutes three times a week) or 75 minutes per week of more intense activity such as running or jogging. If you run or jog, 75 minutes can be enough. 

Sometimes, we dedicate that time to other things like checking social media or watching TV. It's a matter of finding the right time for you to exercise, such as catching up on Instagram or the news while on the treadmill. Trying to remain active is the key.

Remaining active as much as possible has been shown to be one of the best ways to control stress. Another one of the biggest benefits of exercise is how it positively affects our sleep. After daily physical activity, you tire, and it's easier for you to fall asleep. Getting enough sleep is important in preventing chronic conditions in the future, such as heart attacks, diabetes and strokes. For optimal heart health, sleeping at least seven to eight hours per night is usually recommended. This allows enough time for your body to recover and be ready for the next day. Fewer hours than this can lead to side effects that can negatively affect your heart and your overall health. 

One of the tips I always recommend to my patients is to try to get into a schedule in which you're going to sleep at the same time and waking up at the same time. Consistency is very important for sleep and building exercise habits. In addition to getting daily physical activity not too close to bedtime, we recommend that you turn off any type of electronic device at least an hour and a half to two hours before bed to set up an environment that is easier for your body to fall asleep. 

Sometimes it starts little by little, just by taking baby steps. It's always better to take baby steps and remain constant than take huge leaps you're not able to handle later on. When you start little by little, maybe with 5-10 minutes of physical activity on a daily basis with a progressive increase in the time to achieve your physical activity goals, this is going to become a habit. Don't let it go. Keep trying. If you want to remain healthy for your kids and see them grow and thrive in life, the best time to start is now. — Juan Cardenas Rosales, M.D., Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida

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On Dec. 18, 2023, the world went silent for Thomas Campbell. The active and vibrant 70-year-old lost his hearing in his left ear when he was 33 years old. And without much warning, on that December day, his hearing went out in his right ear, leaving him completely unable to hear.

When other medical centers couldn't help, Thomas turned to Mayo Clinic for answers. Dr. Nicholas Deep, a Mayo Clinic otolaryngologist, had a plan. 

Watch: Hope, healing, hearing: How a cochlear implant helps a man hear again

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In an instant, Thomas feared he would never hear the laughter of his grandkids again.

"I started getting this weird, you know, weird kind of weird noises, and hearing just subsided. And then, they just went out," says Thomas.

Thomas lost hearing in his left ear nearly 40 years ago, likely from exposure to loud industrial noises. Now, suddenly, the hearing in his right ear was gone.

"All kinds of things are just flashing through your mind — you know, got grandkids, can't hear anything. How am I going to get around? How am I going to communicate? You know, it's just, it's just … it's pretty, uh, pretty emotional," he shares.

After seeing multiple doctors who couldn't help, Thomas turned to Mayo Clinic and Dr. Deep.

"This is a person who was getting by with one ear — very busy running a business — that all of a sudden was sidelined by complete, profound, bilateral hearing loss. We treat hearing loss, sudden hearing loss, as an ENT, as an emergency. And so, of course, we got him right in. We got him a hearing test, confirmed the hearing loss and started working to rehabilitate his right ear," Dr. Deep says.

But rehabilitating that ear would take time. And Dr. Deep had another idea.

"His left ear has been deaf for over 35 years, and so I brought up the conversation of a cochlear implant," says Dr. Deep. "Those nerve synapses and connections between that ear and the brain, although they haven't been stimulated in many years, they can be revived, and so I felt confident that we could certainly get him back online." 

The surgery itself was less than an hour.

"The cochlear implant has two components: an internal component that we place the time of surgery, and the external component, which is the microphone. That's sort of like a hearing aid, but it sticks on by a magnet," Dr. Deep says.

Implanting the cochlear device was one step. Next was programming the device.

"An audiologist's job is to make the implant work. So we are actually determining what sound is sent through the implant to get the patient hearing optimally," shares Dr. Courtney Kolberg, a Mayo Clinic audiologist who worked with Thomas to program the implant.

She says success for patients is about collaboration.

"The patient journey is really a journey that we take together," Dr. Kolberg says.

And for Thomas, it's been quite the journey.

"I can't say enough about it — about the implant, the doctor — about Mayo Clinic. That's just been unbelievable. Hearing grandkids again … pretty incredible," says Thomas.

Thomas continues to work with Dr. Deep and team to help restore his full hearing. He will have surgery soon to have a second cochlear device implanted.

The post (VIDEO) Hope, healing, hearing: How a cochlear implant helps a man hear again appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

There is new hope in the fight against glioblastoma, the deadliest and most aggressive form of primary brain cancer.

Currently there is no cure, but results of a new study conducted at Mayo Clinic show patients experienced improved overall survival while maintaining quality of life after undergoing a novel approach to treatment.

Watch: Breakthrough in the fight against glioblastoma

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (2:45) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

Richard Casper was one of the study participants. The Arizona man enrolled in the clinical trial at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix after his diagnosis of glioblastoma in 2019. Richard was given only months to live, but his family says thanks to his strength, perseverance, and innovative medical care, he survived nearly double the amount of time.

"To be almost two and a half, three years in after being told you only have a few months, it's quite remarkable," says Susan Casper, Richard's daughter.

Richard succumbed to the disease in 2023. During the treatment, his family says he had little to no side effects. In the months before his passing, Richard stated, "I feel great. If someone didn't tell me I have the glioblastoma, I wouldn't even know it."

The clinical trial was led by Dr. Sujay Vora, a radiation oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. The small, single-arm study incorporated the use of advanced imaging technology combined with cutting-edge radiation therapy in patients over the age of 65 with newly diagnosed World Health Organization (WHO) grade 4 malignant glioblastoma.

"The patients lived longer than we expected. This patient population is expected to live six to nine months. Our average survival was 13.1 months. There were some patients that were out closer to two years. The results exceeded our expectations. We are very pleased," says Dr. Vora.

The study is published in The Lancet Oncology.

Why is glioblastoma so deadly?

Glioblastoma is among the most challenging cancers to treat. The disease is aggressive and invades healthy brain tissue with hairlike tentacles. "That is why doing a complete surgery is very difficult, as compared to say breast cancer, where a lumpectomy can be performed to remove not only the tumor, but a healthy rim of tissue around it," explains Dr. Vora.

Surgery for glioblastoma presents a different set of obstacles. "When it comes to glioblastoma, it is challenging to do that level of surgery. You try to surgically remove whatever you can safely without leaving the patient worse off after surgery."

Another factor that makes glioblastoma so lethal is that it can be fast- growing and unresponsive to treatment.

"These cancer cells are quite challenging to overcome," says Dr. Vora. "There are some patients we see after their surgery, and by the time we are ready to start their treatment, they've already had a recurrence of the disease."

An estimated 14,500 people will be diagnosed with glioblastoma in the U.S this year. "In the best of circumstances the average survival rates are in the 14-15 month range. But for patients 65 and older, the group that was the focus of our study, patients do even worse. The prognosis for this population is between six and nine months," says Dr. Vora.

Symptoms of glioblastoma

• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Confusion or decline in brain function
• Memory loss
• Personality changes
• Vision changes
• Speech difficulties
• Trouble with balance
• Muscle weakness
• Seizures

Attacking glioblastoma with a triad

For the clinical trial, Dr. Vora and his team mapped out a plan that would allow them to be more intentional and precise with treating the location of the glioblastoma.

The imaging incorporated the use of ¹⁸F-DOPA PET and contrast-enhanced MRI. "¹⁸F-DOPA PET is an amino acid tracer that can cross the blood brain barrier, and it can accumulate within the glioblastoma cells itself," says Dr. Vora.

Researchers combined these images to determine the location of the most metabolically active "hot spots" of the cancer in the brain.

Taking aim with proton beam therapy

Study investigators used one of the most advanced forms of radiation treatment, called proton beam therapy.

"With standard radiation, the beams go through the brain tissue, so there's an entrance dose and the exit dose. But with proton beam therapy, we dial up how deeply we want the radiation to go," explains Dr. Vora. "It drops off its energy in the tumor, and then there's basically no radiation after that. It allows us to be more preferential into the delivery of radiation and protect more of the healthy surrounding tissue."

During proton beam therapy, a patient lies on a table while the machine rotates around the patient's head targeting the tumor with an invisible beam. The patient is awake for the procedure. It is painless with many patients reporting fewer to no side effects.

Unlike traditional radiation for glioblastoma, which is typically delivered over the course of three to six weeks, treatment with proton beam therapy for the study was conducted in one to two weeks.

"I am hopeful that this is the first step of many where we can continue to move the needle and allow patients to live longer and live well," says Dr. Vora. "The goal is to improve the outcomes for our patients allowing them to spend more time with their families."

Nadya's story

2022 was a tough year for Nadya El-Afandi. She was on the verge of celebrating a long but successful battle with breast cancer.

"Out of the blue, I had a seizure. I went to the hospital, they did an MRI. After additional tests they told me the news: 'You have a glioblastoma,'" recalls Nadya. She asked her doctor if she should continue her breast cancer treatment. "He said, 'No'-meaning the glioblastoma would kill me before the breast cancer."

Nadya was not about to give up.

Nadya is a wife and mother of four children. She lives just outside of Rochester, Minnesota. "My children said to me, 'Mom, you're a unicorn. Of course you'll live.' My mother has had a number of medical conditions and we never expected her to live this long. And she's still alive and with us," says Nadya. "My children have also said, 'You've got grandma's blood in you. You will live.'"

Nadya is receiving care at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. That's where she learned about a new clinical trial called SAGA, or stereotactic ablative radiation treatment for glioblastoma. The phase 2 clinical trial is building upon Dr. Vora's research and studying a larger group of patients. The study is being led by Dr. William Breen, radiation oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

It has been 15 months since Nadya began treatment for glioblastoma. So far, there is no sign the glioblastoma has returned. "Nadya has already exceeded the time that's expected time to have a tumor recurrence, and she continues to do well," says Dr. Breen. "Nadya is beyond some measures of what the average, overall survival time would be."

While Nadya's progress in encouraging, Dr. Breen says it is important to note that it is too early to draw any conclusions about safety or efficacy of this approach to treatment until the study is completed.

Meanwhile, Nadya is focused on living her life to the fullest. Fifteen months after undergoing treatment, Nadya embarked on an adventure to Hawaii, where she spent time taking helicopter tours, snorkeling and hiking.

Related articles

• Breakthrough in treatment approach showing promise in the fight against glioblastoma, the deadliest and most aggressive type of brain cancer
• (VIDEO) Focus on hope: Brescia’s Story
• All-Star pitcher Liam Hendriks shares how he closed out cancer at Mayo Clinic in Arizona
• Cancer is tough. Evelyn Owens is tougher
• https://cancerblog.mayoclinic.org/2021/12/21/glioblastoma-in-older-adults-improving-survival-and-quality-of-life/
• https://cancerblog.mayoclinic.org/2024/05/15/technology-clinical-trials-offer-hope-after-glioma-diagnosis/

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PHOENIX — Mayo Clinic announces the results of an innovative treatment approach that may offer improvement in overall survival in older patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma while maintaining quality of life. Glioblastoma is the most lethal type of primary brain cancer due to its aggressive nature and its treatment-resistant characteristics. It is the most common form of primary brain cancer. Each year an estimated 14,500 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with the disease. Results of Mayo Clinic's phase 2, single-arm study are published in The Lancet Oncology.  

Sujay Vora, M.D., radiation oncologist at Mayo Clinic, led a team of researchers investigating the use of short-course hypofractionated proton beam therapy incorporating advanced imaging techniques in patients over the age of 65 with newly diagnosed World Health Organization (WHO) grade 4, malignant glioblastoma.

Results showed that 56% of participants were alive after 12 months and the median overall survival was 13.1 months." As compared to prior phase 3 studies in an older population having a median survival of only six to nine months, these results are promising," says Dr. Vora. "In some cases, patients with tumors that have favorable genetics lived even longer, with a median survival of 22 months. We are very excited about these results."

Glioblastoma is among the most challenging cancers to treat. The disease invades healthy brain tissue with hairlike tentacles, making surgical removal intricate. Surgeons must carefully balance removing as much of the tumor as possible while avoiding harm to critical areas of the brain responsible for essential functions such as movement and speech. Additionally, the tumor's cellular composition and its ability to evade therapies further challenge treatment efforts.

Standard radiation therapy is commonly used to treat glioblastoma and can be effective. However, a limitation is that it also exposes healthy brain tissue to radiation, potentially causing collateral, unintended damage. For the Mayo Clinic study, investigators used one of the most innovative and advanced forms of radiation treatment, called proton beam therapy. The cutting-edge, nonsurgical form of radiation therapy destroys cancer cells with targeted precision while minimizing side effects to surrounding healthy tissue.

Mayo investigators mapped the target area in the patient's brain by combining the advanced imaging technologies, including ¹⁸F-DOPA PET and contrast-enhanced MRI. "Combining advanced imaging allowed us to determine the most metabolically active, or aggressive, regions of the glioblastoma," says Dr. Vora.

Treatment was completed in one to two weeks instead of the traditional three to six weeks. "The advanced imaging along with the proton beam therapy allowed us to be more focused with radiation and protect surrounding healthy brain tissue from the effects of radiation. We were able to see that patients tolerated the treatments well and lived longer than we expected."

According to Dr. Vora, the study at Mayo Clinic is the first clinical trial of its kind investigating the use of short-course hypofractionated proton beam therapy incorporating advanced imaging technology, including ¹⁸F-DOPA PET and contrast-enhanced MRI targeting, for patients 65 and older with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

The study included patients from Arizona and Minnesota. One of the study participants, Richard Casper, lived nearly two years longer than his prognosis. "I feel great. If someone didn't tell me I had the glioblastoma, I wouldn't even know it," reported Casper after undergoing treatment. He succumbed to the disease in 2023. "We miss our dad dearly," says his daughter, Susan Casper. "We will forever be grateful for the extra time we had with our father. The time gave us a chance to make memories that will last us a lifetime. It was also important to my father to participate in this study in hopes of helping others fight glioblastoma."

A larger, randomized clinical trial is now underway at Mayo Clinic. One of the study participants is Nadya El-Afandi, a wife and mother of four, who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2022. El-Afandi is now 15 months post-treatment with no sign of glioblastoma. "I feel wonderful," says El-Afandi. "I've had my fourth MRI, and we're not seeing any return of the glioblastoma."

El-Afandi is back to her regular activities and just returned from a trip to Hawaii, where she spent time snorkeling and hiking. "We are living on the edge of medical miracles, and we are riding that tide. There's no cure for glioblastoma yet, but I've been able to take advantage of this medical opportunity, and it has given me a quality of life that is just outstanding," adds El-Afandi.

While El-Afandi's results are encouraging, William Breen, M.D., radiation oncologist and principal investigator of the current study says it is too early to draw any conclusions about the safety and efficacy of the treatment until the study is complete. "Our goal is to transform the way we treat glioblastoma using shorter courses of radiation to minimize the burden on patients and their families and help them complete safe and effective treatment in a shorter amount of time."

The clinical trial, known as SAGA, or stereotactic ablative radiation treatment for glioblastoma, includes patients from Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. "We are now adding another component that builds upon Dr. Vora's work to help us best visualize the tumor," says Dr. Breen.

Meanwhile El-Afandi is focusing on living her life to the fullest. "I'm so grateful," says El-Afandi. "Every day is the best day, and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it."

The study was funded by The Kemper and Ethel Marley Fund in Cancer Research and the Lawrence W. and Marilyn W. Matteson Fund in Cancer Research. For a detailed list of the authors and disclosures, see the full paper here.

Press kit, including b-roll, photos and interviews, available here.

###

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Marty Hames, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

Related content:

• (VIDEO) Breakthrough in the fight against glioblastoma
  

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Check out a few of the most popular News Network stories on @mayoclinic social media this past week.

Mayo Clinic Minute: Exercise modifications help manage multiple sclerosis

Regular aerobic exercise has been shown to ease symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr. Eoin Flanagan, a Mayo Clinic neurologist, says people living with MS can modify their exercise routines so they don't aggravate symptoms such as poor balance or heat intolerance.

Mayo Clinic Minute: Using voice to detect neurodegenerative disease

There's a lot of brain power that goes into speech. Because of that, changes in voice and speech can provide the first clues to a neurodegenerative disease.⁠ Dr. Hugo Botha, a Mayo Clinic behavioral neurologist, explains how voice samples collected for research can help diagnose neurodegenerative diseases early.

Are you getting enough protein?

Are you getting too much protein, not enough or just the right amount? The answer? It depends. Your gender, age, activities, use of weight-loss medication or supplements, and other factors can affect your protein needs.

Health tips and lookouts to help you power through the holiday season

Whether it's overeating, catching an illness, or feeling stress or sheer exhaustion, a busy calendar of holiday festivities can take a toll on health, says Safia Debar, M.B.B.S., a general practitioner and stress management expert at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London.

Researchers discover an aging and inflammation biomarker

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that a specific plasma protein, called IL-23R, increases with age. The finding reveals a connection between a cellular aging process, called senescence, and specific plasma proteins in the blood that increase with age and decrease in response to therapeutics targeting senescent cells.

The post In case you missed it: This week’s Top 5 stories on social media appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Dr. Robert Jacobson, medical director of Mayo Clinic's Primary Care Immunization Program, says there are tools to help reduce the risk of becoming severely ill from these respiratory infections.

Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

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"We're all at risk for getting the flu, and we can actually get (it) more than once a year. Every year, about 10% to 20% of us get the flu," says Dr. Jacobson.

Along with the flu, COVID-19 and RSV are among the most common respiratory illnesses. These viruses share similar symptoms, risks and prevention strategies.

Dr. Jacobson's No. 1 tip: Get vaccinated.

"This is specific protection your body can make to protect you and your loved ones," he says.

Along with vaccination, Dr. Jacobson stresses the importance of hand-washing.

"Especially before you eat, when you come home from work, when you come home from bringing your child from day care — both of you should go to the sink — wash your hands with soap and water after using a bathroom, before serving other people food, after being with a group of people, shaking hands with people, wash your hands," he says.

Wash your hands well and often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water aren't available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Make sure friends and family whom you're around regularly, especially kids, know the importance of hand-washing.

Tactics to avoid respiratory infections:

• Avoid touching your face. Keeping your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth helps keep germs away from those places.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes. Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow. Then wash your hands.
• Clean surfaces. Regularly clean often-touched surfaces to prevent the spread of infection from touching a surface with the virus on it and then your face.
• Avoid crowds. The flu spreads easily wherever people gather — in child care centers, schools, office buildings, auditoriums and on public transportation. By avoiding crowds during peak flu season, you lower your chances of infection.

And if you get sick, stay home to avoid spreading infection to others.

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: Reduce risk of respiratory infections appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Are you getting too much protein, not enough or just the right amount? The answer? It depends. Your gender, age, activities, use of weight-loss medication or supplements and other factors can affect your protein needs.

Here are some answers to your questions about protein needs:

Are you getting too much protein?

Contrary to all the hype that everyone needs more protein, most people in the U.S. meet or exceed their needs. This is especially true for males ages 19-59. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025 indicates that men in that age range exceed their protein recommendations, especially from meat, poultry and eggs.

Even athletes often get more protein than they need without supplements because their calorie requirements are higher. With more food comes more protein.

Are you getting enough protein?

Concerns about not getting enough protein arise when you're undereating or taking a weight-loss medication. People on a restrictive diet, diagnosed with an eating disorder or taking a weight-loss drug tend to skip meals. That starts a cascade of effects including not getting enough protein and greater loss of muscle mass, which isn't the type of weight you want to lose.

If you're trying to lose weight, it's essential that you don't skip meals. Eat a good source of protein three times a day to meet your body's needs.

Does a bigger steak equal bigger muscles?

Although adequate protein throughout the day is necessary, extra strength training is what leads to muscle growth — not extra protein intake. You can't build muscle without the exercise to go with it.

The body can't store protein, so once its needs are met, any extra protein is used for energy or stored as fat. Excess calories from any source will be stored as fat in the body.

Extra protein intake can also lead to elevated blood lipids and heart disease since many high-protein foods are high in total and saturated fat. Because it can tax the kidneys, extra protein intake poses an additional risk to people predisposed to kidney disease.

How much protein do you need?

Protein should account for 10% to 35% of your calories. So, if your daily needs are 2,000 calories, that's 200-700 calories from protein or 50-175 grams.

If you're an average adult.
The recommended dietary allowance to prevent deficiency for an average sedentary adult is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For example, a person who weighs 165 pounds, or 75 kilograms, should consume 60 grams of protein per day.

If you're over age 40-50.
Once you're between the ages of 40 and 50, sarcopenia — losing muscle mass as you age — begins to set in. To prevent this and to maintain independence and quality of life, your protein needs increase to about 1-1.2 grams per kilogram or 75-90 grams per day for a 165-pound person.

If you exercise regularly.
People who exercise regularly also have higher needs, about 1.1-1.5 grams per kilogram. People who regularly lift weights or are training for a running or cycling event need 1.2-1.7 grams per kilogram. Excessive protein intake would be more than 2 grams per kilogram of body weight each day.

If you're overweight.
If you are overweight, your weight should be adjusted before calculating your protein needs to avoid overestimating. A dietitian can help with this calculation and develop a personalized plan. Consulting with a dietitian is also a good idea if you're underweight or on weight-loss medications.

Where does protein come from?

The healthiest protein options include:

• Egg whites
• Fish or seafood
• Lean meats, such as skinless, white-meat chicken or turkey
• Low-fat dairy
• Plant sources, such as soy, nuts, seeds, beans and lentils

In general, you should try to meet your dietary protein needs with these whole foods instead of supplements, as long as your energy intake is adequate for building lean mass. Manufactured foods don't contain everything you need from food, and manufacturers don't know everything that should be in food.

When is the best time to consume protein?

It's better to spread out your protein consumption evenly throughout the day. On average, people get most of their protein from evening meals and the least from breakfast.

Some newer studies show that moving some protein from supper to breakfast can help with weight management by decreasing hunger and cravings throughout the day. More research is needed before these claims are verified.

General recommendations are to consume 15-30 grams of protein at each meal. Studies show that higher intakes in one sitting — more than 40 grams — are no more beneficial than consuming the recommended 15-30 grams at one time. Don't waste your money on more protein than you need.

What if you do want to use a protein supplement?

If you want to use a protein supplement, here's what to look for per portion:

• 2 grams or less of saturated fat
• 5 grams of sugar or fewer
• About 200 or fewer calories
• No transfat or partially hydrogenated oils

What does 15-30 grams of protein from whole foods look like?

For example, an average-sized banana, Greek yogurt and a hard-boiled egg have 19 grams of protein. A 3-ounce chicken breast with a half-cup of rice and a half-cup of vegetables amounts to 25 grams of protein. An egg and bean burrito with a glass of milk is about 28 grams of protein.

As you can see, getting the recommended 15-30 grams per meal is easy. Most people — even athletes — can meet their protein needs by including a serving of dairy at each meal and a piece of meat the size of a deck of cards at lunch and supper.

Protein should accompany fruits, vegetables and whole grains, not make up your entire meal. If you feel you need more protein, consider adding more beans, lentils, soy or seafood rather than processed supplements.

Kristi Wempen is a dietitian in Nutrition Counseling and Education in Mankato, Minnesota.

This article first published on the Mayo Clinic Health System blog.

The post Are you getting enough protein? appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've heard there might be a link between hearing loss and brain health. Can you explain how it could affect my cognitive function and what I can do to reduce the risks?

ANSWER: Humans by nature are social. People enjoy being with others, sharing stories, laughing at a joke, dancing to a favorite song, greeting a neighbor, discussing concerns or offering consolation. These connections, whether close or casual, are essential to emotional well-being and brain health.

But hearing loss can break the connection. When a person can't hear what others are saying, they may feel left out, uncomfortable, anxious or even depressed. You may have seen this happen in your own friend or family group. Someone smiles and nods, but you know they didn't catch the conversations around them.

As people withdraw from the work and social activities they enjoy, they become more isolated. Numerous studies show that isolation brought on by hearing loss is harmful to our brain health and cognition. People can't remember what they can't hear.

Other benefits of addressing hearing loss include:

• Laughter is great medicine. But if you miss the punchline, you don't glean those mental health benefits.
• Music makes memories. You've been collecting a playlist of songs throughout your life. Those songs trigger memories and help build and maintain the ear-to-brain path.
• Purpose adds meaning to life. Social activities such as working, joining clubs or service organizations, volunteering or caring for grandchildren can give you purpose. If you have a standing coffee date, it gives you something to look forward to. Hearing loss may cause you to pull back from these purpose-giving activities.

Overcoming stigmas  

Hearing loss has many causes, including exposure to high levels of industrial or recreational sounds, such as factory work, farm equipment or woodworking; military service; loud music; and genetics. Regardless of the cause, it's essential to have your hearing assessed and, if recommended, be fitted with hearing aids as soon as you get a diagnosis of hearing loss. The longer you wait, the more lost sounds your brain will have to relearn.

For many, there's a stigma around getting hearing aids. Unlike needing glasses, people may feel that needing hearing aids is a sign of aging and feebleness. But addressing hearing loss is a sign that you're taking care of your overall health and wellness, and it sends a message to others that you intend to maintain healthy connections with them.

The average age when people get their first hearing test is in their mid to late 50s. Primary care professionals also are increasingly recommending hearing evaluations as part of wellness checkups. However, it still may take five to seven years or more after a diagnosis of hearing loss before some people decide to get hearing aids. 

Not your great-grandparents' hearing aids

Today's hearing aids have entered the digital era. They're often self-adjusting, which allows you to manage the sound environment more successfully. Most hearing aids have an app for smartphones that offers a wide variety of features. Manufacturers have redesigned the look of hearing aids so that they're attractive, stylish and comfortable. They're also available at prices to fit different budgets.

In the early days of using hearing aids, some wearers may find their new world of hearing difficult. Sounds can feel loud, brittle or annoying. That's because the slow progression of hearing loss is a form of sensory deprivation. The brain gets used to a quieter, more muffled world, so the immediate restoration of sound with hearing aids can be startling and even distracting. Rather than viewing hearing aids as a quick fix, consider them to be an education process for the brain. It will take time and patience for the brain to recapture, organize and give sounds meanings again.

Those who consistently wear their hearing aids full time gain the most benefit. Taking hearing aids in and out throughout the day or leaving them out for days or weeks at a time reduces the benefit and extends the time required for your brain to adapt. Hearing aids are meant to be in your ears, not your sock drawer. 

Some states have hearing aid trial periods, so if you don't like them after the trial period, you can return them. Your audiologist will be happy to work with you to find successful solutions.

Treat hearing loss early for brain health

The link between hearing loss and brain health has gained more attention and urgency in recent years, including media coverage of discoveries of the connection between hearing and neurocognitive changes, such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Talk to your healthcare professional and request a hearing test. Identifying and treating hearing loss early plays a vital role in maintaining and supporting brain health and emotional well-being. — Dana McCray, Au.D., Audiology, Mayo Clinic Health System, Albert Lea, Minnesota

The post Mayo Clinic Q and A: You can’t remember what you can’t hear: The hearing loss, brain-health link appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.