12, June 2014

Walk 6,000 steps a day to keep osteoarthritis at bay

Researchers have found that walking 6,000 or more steps per day helps in minimizing the risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA).

While walking is a common daily physical activity for older adults, medical evidence reports that two-thirds of US adults with arthritis walk less than 90 minutes each week.

Daniel White, PT, ScD, from Sargent College at Boston University in Massachusetts said that the study examines if more walking equates with better functioning, and if so, how much daily walking is needed to minimize risk of developing problems with mobility in people with knee OA.

The researchers measured daily steps taken by 1788 people with or at risk for knee OA, who were part of the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study. Walking was measured with a monitor over seven days and functional limitation evaluated two years later, defined as a slow walking speed and a Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) physical function score greater than 28 out of 68.

Walking an additional 1,000 steps each was associated with between a 16 percent to 18 percent reduction in incident functional limitation two years later, while walking less than 6,000 steps daily was the best threshold for identifying those who developed functional limitation.

Dr. White concluded that people who have or are at risk of knee OA, should walk at least 3,000 or more steps each day, and ultimately progress to 6,000 steps daily to minimize the risk of developing difficulty with mobility.

The study is published in the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) journal, Arthritis Care and Research.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

14.06.2014

Feeling drowsy during the day? Check your bones

If you often feel sleepy during the day, chances are that your bones may also be fragile. Researchers have found that orexin proteins - blamed for spontaneous daytime sleepiness - also play a crucial role in bone formation. 

In lab experiments, mice lacking orexins were found to have very thin and fragile bones that break easily because they have fewer cells called osteoblasts - responsible for building bones. 

The findings could potentially give rise to new treatments for osteoporosis. 

"Osteoporosis is highly prevalent, especially among post-menopausal women. We hope to take advantage of the already available orexin-targeting small molecules to potentially treat osteoporosis," said Yihong Wan, an assistant professor at University of Texas' Southwestern Medical Center in the US. 

Orexins seem to play a dual role in the process: they both promote and block bone formation. 

On the bones themselves, orexins interact with another protein, orexin receptor 1 (OX1R) that decreases the levels of hunger hormone ghrelin.

This slows down the production of new osteoblasts and, therefore, blocks bone formation locally. 

At the same time, orexins interact with orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) in the brain. 

In this case, the interaction reduces the circulating levels of leptin, a hormone known to decrease bone mass, and, thereby, promotes bone formation. 

"Therefore, osteoporosis prevention and treatment may be achieved by either inhibiting OX1R or activating OX2R," Wan added. 

The study appeared in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

14.06.2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools

 

Martin Luther King