Extra weight may add to elderly fall risk

For Australians over age 65 included in a new study, being obese raised the risk of experiencing a fall by 31 percent.

“Falls are one of the most common causes of injury for older individuals and as the world population ages, the number of fall-related injuries are projected to increase rapidly,” said lead author Rebecca Mitchell.

“Likewise, rates of overweight and obesity among older individuals are also increasing,” added Mitchell, a researcher with Neuroscience Research Australia at the University of New South Wales.

Mitchell and her colleagues wanted to determine whether overweight and obesity added to the risk of falling among older adults, as well as the risk of being injured in a fall.

The researchers used information from the New South Wales Prevention Baseline Survey, a large Australian population study started in 2009.

A total of 5,681 people 65 years of age and older were asked about their history of falling, their perception of their own risk of falling, their general health status, medication use and activity levels.

Participants who had fallen one or more times in the previous 12 months as a result of accidentally losing their balance, tripping or slipping were also asked how many of those falls resulted in injury and how many required medical attention or led to hospital admission.

According to the results published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 23 percent of healthy-weight respondents had fallen once during the previous 12 months and 34 percent had fallen more than once.

About 30 percent of obese respondents fell once and another 45 percent fell more than once, making the overall fall risk 31 percent higher in the obese group.

The obese participants who fell didn’t have any higher risk of fall-related injuries compared to healthy-weight people who fell, but they were more likely to have other health conditions – such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure – and to report being in moderate or extreme discomfort.

Those who were obese and fell were also more likely to be taking four or more prescription medications.

“It is difficult to know for certain why the risk of falling increases for obese individuals, but it is likely to be as a result of reduced peripheral sensation, general physical weakness and instability when standing or walking,” Mitchell said.

There are a number of common risk factors that can increase any older person’s risk of falling, she added.

“These can include individual factors such as: poor health, instability when standing or walking, some health conditions, such as poor vision or dementia, lack of physical activity, use of multiple medications that can affect balance, and a poor diet,” Mitchell said.

Risks can also be in an older person’s environment, including “uneven or slippery floors, unsecured floor coverings, such as rugs, inappropriate footwear or eyewear, or inadequate lighting,” she said.

“As to why fall-related injuries do not increase for obese individuals this is likely to be as a result of adipose tissue (fat) protecting bone,” Mitchell said.

Compared to the healthy-weight group, the obese participants in the study were more likely to be sedentary for eight or more hours a day, to walk less, to have problems walking and to believe that nothing could be done to prevent falls.

Mitchell and her colleagues point out that obesity is associated with a higher risk of certain chronic illnesses, but also that chronic conditions such as lung disease and arthritis can limit activity, leading to weight gain.

To reduce the risk of falls among obese older people, tailored activity programs, such as strength and balance training, as well as home safety assessments and eyesight checks could all be of benefit, they write.

“Everybody knows how falls can be life-changers for older people, from breaking a hip to hitting your head, so if we can prevent them that’s always better and there’s a lot that can be done,” Dr. Sharon Brangman told Reuters Health.

Brangman, who is Chief of Geriatrics at SUNY Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, New York, and a past president of the American Geriatric Society (AGS), was not involved in the new study.

“We know that when people fall, the biggest problem afterwards is a fear of falling because then they move less or when they walk they hold themselves really rigid and tight which actually increases the risk for falling,” Brangman said.

The American Geriatric Society published fall prevention guidelines for physicians in 2012, she noted. Though they are intended for doctors, some of the suggestions may help families assess the risk in their homes (see: bit.ly/1cWjB86).

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one of every three Americans over age 65 suffers a fall, and every year 2 million of those falls result in emergency room visits.

The AGS guidelines were intended to encourage healthcare providers to ask about falls, according to Brangman, “because a lot of times it’s not asked and patients don’t volunteer it because they don’t want anyone to know. They’re so afraid that will mean they need to be placed in long-term care or something.”

Brangman said that sometimes patients who are overweight might need a little extra support to realize that their situation isn’t hopeless and that there are things they can do, such as starting an exercise program.

Strengthening the quadriceps muscle group at the front of the thighs is especially recommended.

“Exercise programs that are tailored to the individual can make a difference, and it’s really never too late to start doing something,” Brangman said. “Balance and strengthening exercises, especially exercises that strengthen the quads, are very important in preventing falls in the future.”

Source: US Web Daily


Loneliness ups older adult’s chances of premature death by 14%

A new study has revealed that feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s chances of premature death by 14 percent.

The study by John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, and his colleagues shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent.

A 2010 meta-analysis showed that loneliness has twice the impact on early death as does obesity, he said.

The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people age.
Cacioppo and colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience, the ability to bounce back after adversity and grow from stresses in life.

The consequences to health are dramatic, as feeling isolated from others can disrupt sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol, alter gene expression in immune cells, and increase depression and lower overall subjective well-being.

Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co-workers, taking part in family traditions, and sharing good times with family and friends – all of which gives older adults a chance to connect others about whom they care and who care about them.

The study was presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual meeting in Chicago.

Source: Yahoo news

 


Excess sugar consumption from soda, results in cardiovascular death

A new study is warning that America’s love affair with sugary food and drink is also doubling our risk of a heart-related premature death.

While previous research has indicated that consumption of added sugars can negatively affect health, the new study — published in JAMA Internal Medicine — is the first nationally-representative study examining how added sugars affect rates of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Unlike the natural sugars existing in fruits and some vegetables, added sugars are introduced to foods during their processing and preparation. Sugar-sweetened beverages like soda are the leading source of added sugar consumption in the U.S., followed by grain-based desserts, like cookies and cake.

For their research, study author Quanhe Yang, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and his colleagues used national health survey data to examine how added sugar consumption affected rates of cardiovascular death among the population.

They divided the population into segments: those who consumed the least amount of added sugars – less than 10 percent of daily calories consumed – and those who consumed at least 25 percent of their daily calories from added sugar. Overall, they found that people who consumed the highest amounts of added sugars were more than twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease.

“If you are consuming in the medium quintile, compared to lowest, you increase risk [of cardiovascular death] by 18 percent,” Yang said. “[But for] the fourth quintile versus the lowest quintile, the risk is [increased] 38 percent. So highest to lowest it is more than doubled.”

Though previous studies had indicated that consumption of added sugars was harmful to health, the researchers hadn’t expected to see such a large increase in risk of death between the highest- and lowest-consuming groups.

“It’s not entirely surprising because we already have emerging evidence to show high consumption of added sugar is linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes, hypertension and instance of CVD,” Yang said. “But what was a little unexpected is the appearance of risk is not linear, meaning when you have the higher consumption of added sugar your risk increases exponentially.”

Previous research has indicated that between 2005 and 2010, 10 percent of U.S. adults consumed 25 percent or more of their daily calories from added sugars. While recommended levels of added sugar intake vary, the CDC adheres to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommends limiting added sugar intake to 5 to 15 percent of daily total calories.

It’s still not fully understood why added sugars increases risk of CVD.

“There are different explanations why it increases cardiovascular disease, probably the higher intake of added sugar may play a role in multiple pathways,” Yang said. “Some studies suggest suggest it will increase your risk of hypertension, a leading risk factor of cardiovascular disease; [it will also increase] accumulation of fat in your liver and promotes dyslipidemia; it’s also associated with increase of the inflammation markers, so those are the possible mechanics but we do not know why at a certain point your risk [becomes] accelerated.”

Next, Yang and his colleagues hope to study how the risk of cardiovascular death changes among people who have made efforts to improve their eating habits, including lowering consumption of added sugars. They are also interested in studying the effects of added sugar consumption among children – and how that affects their risk of death and disease later in life.

Overall, Yang said he hopes people will start to pay more attention to the amount of added sugars in their diet.

“Our study shows most of us are consuming too much added sugar, and higher added sugar [consumption] is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” Yang said. “If someone can…[they should] read [food] labels to see how much added sugar is in there and try to choose the lowest added sugar and reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, which is number one contributor

Source: Fox News