Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video pkg (0:59) is in the downloads at the end of the post.
Please ‘Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network.’ Read the script.

The point of the new fitness guidelines is to just move, and anything counts.

"A minute here, a minute there — whatever you can do, whenever you can do it is fine," says Dr. Michael Joyner, a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist. "And it adds up in a positive way."

Not wanting to discourage people from exercising, the new federal guidelines eliminate the expectation that physical activity occurs in 10-minute blocks.

"There was new observational evidence that almost any level of exercise was useful, and that it could be in smaller bites than 10 minutes," says Dr. Joyner.

For example, you could park your car at the back of the lot, take the stairs instead of the elevator or walk your dog around the block.

"The goal is just to build up a large cumulative amount over the day and to try and get as much incidental physical activity as possible," says Dr. Joyner.

The guidelines still call for at least 150 minutes a week of moderately intense aerobic exercise, such as briskly walking, biking or swimming, and two weekly sessions of muscle training activity, like lifting weights, yoga or heavy gardening and yardwork.

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: New fitness guidelines for the new year appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ATLANTA – An observational study by researchers at Mayo Clinic has found that increasing physical activity not only decreased the risk of death from all causes but also decreased the risk of death specifically from lymphoma. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, the part of the body's germ-fighting network which includes the lymph nodes (lymph glands), spleen, thymus gland and bone marrow. Lymphoma can affect those areas as well as other organs throughout the body. Study results were presented today at the 59^th American Society of Hematology annual meeting in Atlanta by Priyanka Pophali, M.B.B.S., a hematologist at Mayo Clinic.

“As physicians, we recommend physical activity for all cancer survivors to improve overall quality of life,” says Dr. Pophali. “But we did not know if physical activity would have an impact on survival in lymphoma patients.”

Dr. Pophali and her colleagues wanted to assess how physical activity affected survival in all subtypes of lymphoma patients both before and after diagnosis. Specifically, they wanted to know if changing the level of a lymphoma patient’s physical activity after diagnosis could affect survival.”

In order to answer these questions, researchers studied a cohort of 4087 lymphoma patients enrolled prospectively (within 9 months of diagnosis) at Mayo Clinic between 2002 and 2012. At enrollment, participants completed questionnaires that asked about their usual physical activity before their lymphoma diagnosis. Researchers regularly contacted patients to collect information on exposures and outcomes and contacted them for a three-year follow-up. Researchers used this information to calculate a Godin Leisure Score Index, a physical activity score which is a validated tool for measuring physical activity in oncology patients. Patients were also asked about their perception of any change in their level of physical activity (increase, decrease or no change) at three years after their diagnosis compared to baseline. Researchers then evaluated the association of physical activity with overall and lymphoma-specific survival.

Researchers found that patients who had a higher level of usual adult physical activity prior to a lymphoma diagnosis had significantly better overall and lymphoma-specific survival compared to those who were less physically active. They also found that patients who increased their level of physical activity after their lymphoma diagnosis (at three-year follow-up) had significantly better overall and lymphoma-specific survival compared to those who were less physically active.

Researchers found that patients who perceived that their level of physical activity had decreased at three years after a lymphoma diagnosis had worse overall and lymphoma-specific survival compared to those who did not report a change.

“Our findings show that physical activity can have a positive impact on survival in lymphoma patients,” says Dr. Pophali. “Importantly, our study shows a survival benefit in patients who increase their level of physical activity. Therefore, since physical activity behaviors can be modified, physicians should counsel patients and survivors on the importance of physical activity and encourage them to maintain and, if possible, increase their level of physical activity.”

Co-authors include:

• James Cerhan, M.D., Ph.D
• Carrie Thompson, M.D.
• Melissa Larson, M.S.

###

About Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
As a leading institution funded by the National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center conducts basic, clinical and population science research, translating discoveries into improved methods for prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. For information on cancer clinical trials, call the Clinical Trial Referral Office at 1-855-776-0015 (toll-free).

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to clinical practice, education and research, providing expert, comprehensive care to everyone who needs healing. For more information, visit mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic or newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org.

MEDIA CONTACT
Joe Dangor, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Increasing physical activity improves survival in lymphoma patients, Mayo researchers say appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Reporter Vivien Williams talks to Mayo Clinic pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Seema Kumar about this issue and ways to prevent it.

Watch the Mayo Clinic Minute.

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:01) is in the downloads. Read the Mayo Clinic Minute script. 

The post Mayo Clinic Minute: Out of Shape Kids and Diabetes appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Could an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise be making you age faster? Researchers at Mayo Clinic believe there is a link between these modifiable lifestyle factors and the biological processes of aging. In a recent study, researchers demonstrated that a poor diet and lack of exercise accelerated the onset of cellular senescence and, in turn, age-related conditions in mice. Results appear today in Diabetes.

Senescent cells are cells that contribute to diseases and conditions associated with age. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging found that exercise prevents premature senescent cell accumulation and protects against the damaging effects of an unhealthy diet, including deficiencies in physical, heart, and metabolic function, equivalent to diabetes.

“We think at both a biological level and a clinical level, poor nutrition choices and inactive lifestyles do accelerate aging,” says Nathan LeBrasseur, Ph.D., director of the Center on Aging’s Healthy and Independent Living Program and senior author of the study. “So now we’ve shown this in very fine detail at a cellular level, and we can see it clinically. And people need to remember that even though you don’t have the diagnosis of diabetes or the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease or the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease today when you’re in midlife, the biology underlying those processes is hard at work.”

In the study, researchers introduced mice to either a normal, healthy diet or a diet that they termed a “fast food diet” – one that was high in saturated fat and cholesterol, along with a sugar-sweetened beverage. Mice on the fast food diet showed harmful changes in health parameters, including body weight and composition, increasing their fat mass by nearly 300 percent over the course of about four months. The fat mass accumulated largely in the midsection surrounding internal organs, an area that is often linked to a number of diseases related to obesity.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Megan Forliti, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

While the harmful effects of the fast food diet were clear, researchers found significant health improvements after introducing exercise. Half the mice, including mice on both the healthy and unhealthy diets, were given exercise wheels. Mice that had been exposed to the fast food diet but exercised showed suppression in body weight gain and fat mass accumulation, and were protected against the accumulation of senescent cells. Mice on a normal diet benefited from exercise as well.

“Some of us believe that aging is just something that happens to all of us and it’s just a predestined fate, and by the time I turn 65 or 70 or 80, I will have Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis,” says Dr. LeBrasseur. “And this clearly shows the importance of modifiable factors so healthy diet, and even more so, just the importance of regular physical activity. So that doesn’t mean that we need to be marathon runners, but we need to find ways to increase our habitual activity levels to stay healthy and prevent processes that drive aging and aging-related diseases.”

The research was supported by the Paul F. Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, the National Institutes of Health, the Pritzker Foundation, and Robert and Arlene Kogod.

Others on the research team include: Marissa Schafer, Ph.D.; Thomas White, Ph.D.; Glenda Evans; Jason Tonne; Grace Verzosa, M.D.; Michael Stout, Ph.D.; Daniel Mazula; Allyson Palmer; Darren Baker, Ph.D.; Michael Jensen, M.D.; Michael Torbenson, M.D.; Jordan Miller, Ph.D.; Yasuhiro Ikeda, Ph.D.; Tamar Tchkonia. Ph.D.; Jan van Deursen, Ph.D.; James Kirkland, M.D., Ph.D., all of Mayo Clinic.

Mayo Clinic and Dr. Tchkonia, Palmer, Dr. Kirkland and Dr. LeBrasseur have a financial interest related to this research referenced in this news release.

###

About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to medical research and education, and providing expert, whole-person care to everyone who needs healing. For more information, visit http://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic or https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/.

The post Poor Diet, Lack of Exercise Accelerate Onset of Age-Related Conditions in Mice appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Have your best intentions to start an exercise regimen at the beginning of the year faltered? It happens to many of us. We get busy with our day-to-day lives and before we know it, we are back to our old habits. That's why Dr. Amy Pollak, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus, challenges us to get at least 20-30 minutes of exercise each day. Regular exercise helps prevent and improve a number of health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and depression.

Dr. Amy Pollak's Exercise Challenge

Dr. Pollak says exercise doesn't have to be boring and urges us to incorporate activities we enjoy into our daily schedule. Ideas include walking at least 10,000 steps a day, dancing, swimming or biking.

Here are some tips to help keep you motivated:

• Set a goal
• Make it fun
• Make physical activity a part of your daily routine
• Put it on paper
• Join forces with family, friends or co-workers
• Reward yourself
• Be flexible

Journalists: Broadcast quality video is available in the downloads. (TRT 1:00)

The post Heart Health Challenge: Get Moving appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Click here to listen to the Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

The post Evaluating Health News/Exercise and Healthy Aging/Lead Poisoning: Mayo Clinic Radio appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Hensrud discussing the Healthy Living Plan are available in the downloads. 

This new program will be located within the Mayo Clinic Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center in Rochester.

To achieve its vision, the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program is designed to help people break down barriers, dispel myths and give participants a comprehensive wellness experience tailored to their individual goals. What makes this program unique is that it doesn’t end once the person leaves the campus; it offers ongoing support long after the person returns home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_732QomrHk4
“Mayo has been dedicated to the health and wellness of individuals for 150 years, and this program continues that tradition by offering life-changing experiences to people seeking whole-person wellness who want to maximize their health,” says Donald Hensrud, M.D., medical director, Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program. “We’re committed to partnering with each participant to design an individualized wellness plan to help them reach their wellness goals so that their success continues once they return home and are immersed back into the reality of their busy lives.”

The program will offer several wellness plans, and the first of the program offerings is the Healthy Living Plan. This is a four-day experience (two full days, two half days), based on three areas of wellness: physical activity, nutrition and resiliency.

The experience begins while the individual is still at home, by assessing eating habits, activity, sleep, stress and health goals. Once the participant is on-site, the program takes a very hands-on approach with a comprehensive wellness assessment, involvement in exercise and cooking classes, participation in resiliency and stress management sessions, one-on-one wellness coaching sessions, and access to spa services. The coach partners with the individual to shape an on-site experience and continues follow-up once the participant returns home to provide tools, resources and support intended to help them achieve their goals. The Healthy Living Plan is currently taking reservations.

Dr. Hensrud and teams of experts used their clinical experience and research to design the program offerings. Health and wellness service specialists will deliver this hands-on program. The medical services of Mayo Clinic are available to assist if a medical problem occurs or is identified while the individual is participating in the program.

In addition to the program, a la carte services will be offered to patients and visitors to Mayo Clinic, as well as the public. Those include cooking classes; yoga; healthy sleep; Pilates; and spa services such as massage, acupuncture and aesthetic treatments from Mayo Clinic’s Dermatology and Plastic Surgery practices. Here is a list of the services offered a la carte.

Mayo announced this program in 2011 when longtime Mayo patient and benefactor Dan Abraham, founder of Slim-Fast International, provided financial support to expand the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center and build upon his previous gifts that established two successful employee wellness and fitness facilities at Mayo Clinic.

The Healthy Living Program is located on floors four through seven at the current center at the corner of First Street SW and Sixth Avenue SW.

Together with the new Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center personnel, Healthy Living Program staff will be available during a public open house at the new facility on Saturday, May 3 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

###

About Mayo Clinic
Recognizing 150 years of serving humanity in 2014, Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit 150years.mayoclinic.org, http://www.mayoclinic.org and newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Kelley Luckstein, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Clinic Launches Healthy Living Program Aimed to Help People Achieve and Sustain Wellness appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

American College of Cardiology

Washington — March 29, 2014 — Patients who attended cardiac rehabilitation and used a smartphone-based app to record daily measurements such as weight and blood pressure had greater improvements in those cardiovascular risk factors; they also were less likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 90 days of discharge, compared with patients who only attended cardiac rehabilitation, Mayo Clinic researchers found.

Journalists: Soundbites and b-roll with Dr. Widmer are available in the downloads.

Only 20 percent of the patients who attended cardiac rehab and used the app were readmitted to the hospital or visited the emergency department within 90 days, compared with 60 percent of those in the control group, researchers discovered.

Results of the Mayo Clinic study were presented in a press conference Saturday, March 29, at the American College of Cardiology’s 63rd Annual Scientific Session in Washington, D.C.

In this study, 44 patients at Mayo Clinic who were hospitalized following a heart attack and stent placement were divided into two groups: 25 received cardiac rehab and the online/smartphone-based program; the 19 in the control group received only cardiac rehab. Patients in the app group were asked to enter data each day into the program downloaded onto their mobile device.

“We know from studies that patients who participate in cardiac rehabilitation lower their risks significantly for another cardiac event and for rehospitalization,” says Amir Lerman, M.D., Mayo Clinic cardiologist and senior study author. “We wanted to see if offering patients a smartphone app, in addition to their cardiac rehab, would increase their ability to reduce their risk even further. We know that people use their mobile devices all day, and we hoped using it for cardiac rehab would help them in their recovery.”

In addition to recording blood pressure, weight, blood sugar levels, minutes of physical activity and dietary habits over a three-month period, the app also provided patients with educational activities, which taught them lifestyle behaviors that could help avoid further cardiac problems,  such as a second heart attack. Patients received no monetary reward.

“Results of this study reinforce the importance of cardiac rehab,” says R. Jay Widmer, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic fellow and the study’s first author. “There are multiple versions of cardiac rehab, and this is just one more option in our technological age. We hope a tool like this will help us extend the reach of cardiac rehab to all heart patients, but, in particular, it could help patients in rural and underserved populations who might not be able to attend cardiac rehab sessions.”

MEDIA CONTACT:
Traci Klein, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, 507-990-1182 (cell — Washington, D.C.), newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Research Shows Cardiac Rehab Patients Who Use Smartphone App Recover Better appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
Oral health: Brush up on dental care basics
Your smile depends on simple dental care habits, such as brushing and flossing. But are you using the right techniques?

Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity
Exercise can improve your mood, stamina and sex life. How many more reasons do you need to get moving?

EXPERT ANSWERS
Cervical cysts: Can they be cancerous?
Most cervical cysts are noncancerous, cause no signs or symptoms and require no treatment.

Walking pneumonia: What does it mean?
Walking pneumonia is a general term for relatively mild cases of pneumonia.

HEALTHY RECIPES
Split pea soup
Beef stew with fennel and shallots
Garlic mashed potatoes
Green smoothie

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK
Fit in more fruit
Getting in at least three servings of fruit a day is easier than you may think. But if you're tired of the same old fruit options, try these two variations. 1. Blend it. In a blender, add 2 fresh or frozen bananas, 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries and 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt. Blend until smooth. 2. Grill it. Cut apples, pears or peaches into chunks, brush lightly with canola oil and sprinkle with cinnamon. Place on skewers or wrap in foil. Grill on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes.

Click here to get a free e-subscription to the Housecall newsletter.

PLUS ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Managing food allergies
Posterior cruciate ligament injury
Slide show: See how your digestive system works
Broken heart syndrome

NOW BLOGGING
Nutrition-wise: Make forgiveness a habit
Forgiveness is a choice you make to preserve your own health and well-being.

The post Monday’s Housecall appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Esophageal cancer is the sixth most common cancer in men worldwide. Early detection and prevention are critical to survival because most patients do not survive the first year of diagnosis, and only 15 percent of patients survive more than five years.

In an analysis of four studies, researchers observed a 32 percent lower risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma in people who were physically active. The analysis also showed the overall risk of esophageal cancer was 19 percent lower among the most physically active people, compared with the least physically active.

"Although the incidence of esophageal squamous cell cancer is declining worldwide, the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has been rapidly rising. This increase may be partly attributable to the obesity epidemic," says Siddharth Singh, M.B.B.S., the study's lead author and researcher at Mayo Clinic.

"Obesity has been associated with increased risk of esophageal cancer through high levels of insulin, as well as chronic inflammation. By decreasing visceral fat, lowering levels of certain carcinogens, improving insulin sensitivity and decreasing chronic inflammation, physical activity can potentially decrease risk of esophageal cancer," says senior study author Prasad Iyer, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist.

There are two types of esophageal cancer: esophageal squamous cell , which begins in cells lining the esophagus, and adenocarcinoma, which begins in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids. Barrett's esophagus, a complication of long-term acid reflux disease, is a risk factor esophageal adenocarcinoma.

###

About Mayo Clinic
Recognizing 150 years of serving humanity in 2014, Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit 150years.mayoclinic.org, www.mayoclinic.org and newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Brian Kilen, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Mayo Clinic Researchers Find Physical Activity May Reduce Risk of Esophageal Cancer appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.