HEALTH TRENDS

Sitting for long periods after 60 can increase disability risk

A recent study by Northwestern Medicine in the United States found that for each additional hour someone 60 years or older sat, they doubled their risk of being disabled, regardless of how much moderate exercise they did.

The study is the first to show sedentary behaviour as its own risk factor for disability. Researchers found that sedentary behaviour is almost as strong a risk factor for disability as lack of moderate exercise.

"It means older adults need to reduce the amount of time they spend sitting, whether in front of the TV or at the computer, regardless of their participation in moderate or vigorous activity," noted Dorothy Dunlop, PhD, professor of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and lead author of the study.

Researchers say that the study does not determine that sedentary behaviour causes disability, just that it can cause potential problems.

They recommend: standing while on the phone or as often as you can; park in the farthest parking spot and walk to destinations; get up from sedentary positions and walk about frequently; walk to nearby errands instead of driving; and take stairs instead of elevator if you can.

Japan embassy signs $11-million grant with Jamaica Society for the Blind

Approximately 10 per cent of the Jamaican population is said to be disabled with blindness. It has also been said that up to 80 per cent of blindness and 85 per cent of visual impairment are avoidable by prevention or treatment.

The Government of Japan has donated $11 million to the Jamaica Society for the Blind to tackle these problems by constructing the Low Vision Resource Centre. The centre will be able to provide preventive eye health services, adjustment to vision loss, as well as other social services to persons who have been diagnosed with low vision and blindness and others requiring refractive error services at reasonable rate.

In making the donation, Yasuo Takase, the ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, noted that the Government of Japan had provided well-needed funding and support, focusing on human security, to improve the lives of persons with disabilities in Jamaica over the years. One of such was the Social and Economic Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities Project, which received almost US$3 million from the Government of Japan through the World Bank.

Ministries to promote healthy foods

Minister of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson is now in discussion with the education ministry to develop a partnership to promote healthy foods.

"Already, discussions are under way with Minister (of Education) Ronald Thwaites, because we are dealing with schools. Research is showing that many in the adolescent age group are now suffering from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes and high blood pressure," the minister said earlier this month, during the official opening of an Island Grill restaurant at the University of Technology in St Andrew.

"We cannot treat our way out of this problem, despite advances in this area. Such an approach will continue to present immense and ever-spiralling costs to the society, and the Government. We must invest in preventing these diseases. Jamaica is at a time when we have to be looking at those companies that are working in the best interest of the people."

The minister pointed out that consumption of foods that are high in fats, salts and sugars could contribute to the prevalence of NCDs.

"Promoting public awareness about diet has been shown to be ineffective; it works better if we provide supportive environments with accessible and affordable healthy food choices. The environment largely shapes people's behaviours," Ferguson said.

The minister is imploring operators of food establishments to help in the preservation of a healthy population.

"The food and beverage industry is uniquely placed, in that it is both part of the NCD problem, and part of the solution. It can improve the availability of healthier food options, such as vegetables, and the reduction of salt content," he added.

Iron deficiency may raise stroke risk

Low iron levels can raise your risk of stroke by making your blood more sticky, a new study is indicating.

Investigators looked at data from nearly 500 people with a rare hereditary disease that causes them to have enlarged blood vessels in the lungs. Typically, blood vessels in the lungs don't allow clots to enter the arteries. But in these patients, clots can escape the lungs, travel to the brain and cause a stroke.

Those who had an iron deficiency had stickier platelets - which are small blood cells that trigger clotting when they stick together - and were more likely to suffer a stroke, according to the researchers at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom.

Even those with moderately low iron levels were about twice as likely to suffer a stroke as those with iron levels in the middle of the normal range, according to the study published last month in the journal PLoS One.

The researchers noted that many people have other types of conditions that let blood clots bypass the lung's filtering system, and they added that their findings could eventually help with stroke prevention.

Iron deficiency affects about two billion people worldwide, and recent research has shown that it may be a risk factor for stroke, but how iron deficiency could boost stroke risk was unknown.