Skipping Cereal and Eggs, and Packing on Pounds
A new study reports that the more often adolescents eat breakfast, the less likely they are to be overweight.
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Researchers have found evidence that Mom was right: breakfast may really be the most important meal of all. A new study reports that the more often adolescents eat breakfast, the less likely they are to be overweight.
Breakfast Eating and Weight Change in a 5-Year Prospective Analysis of Adolescents: Project EAT (Eating Among Teens)
The researchers examined the eating and exercise habits of 1,007 boys and 1,215 girls, with an average age of 15 at the start of the five-year study — a racially and economically diverse sample from public schools in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
The authors found a direct relationship between eating breakfast and body mass index; the more often an adolescent had breakfast, the lower the B.M.I. And whether they looked at the data at a given point or analyzed changes over time, that relationship persisted.
Why eating breakfast should lead to fewer unwanted pounds is unclear, but the study found that breakfast eaters consumed greater amounts of carbohydrates and fiber, got fewer calories from fat and exercised more. Consumption of fiber-rich foods may improve glucose and insulin levels, making people feel satisfied and less likely to eat more later in the day.
“Food consumption at breakfast does seem to influence activity,” said Donna Spruijt-Metz, an assistant professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California, who was not involved in the study. “Maybe kids eating breakfast get less refined foods and more that contain fiber. The influence of that on metabolism and behavior is something we’re still trying to sort out in my lab.”
For the study, which appears in the March issue of Pediatrics, the researchers recorded food intake using a well-established food frequency questionnaire and added specific questions about how often the teenagers ate breakfast.
They also included questions to determine the behavioral and social forces that might affect eating. For example, they asked whether the teenagers were concerned about their weight, whether they skipped meals to lose weight, whether they had ever been teased about their weight and how often they had dieted during the last year. They were also asked how much exercise they were getting.
About half the teenagers ate breakfast intermittently, but girls were more likely to skip breakfast consistently and boys more likely to eat it every day. Girls who consistently ate breakfast had an overall diet higher in cholesterol, fiber and total calories than those who skipped the meal; the boys who were consistent consumed more calories, more carbohydrates and fiber, and less saturated fat than their breakfast-skipping peers.
At the start of the study, consistent breakfast eaters had an average body mass index of 21.7, intermittent eaters 22.5, and those who never had breakfast 23.4. Over the next five years, B.M.I. increased in exactly the same pattern. The relationship persisted even after controlling for age, sex, race, socioeconomic status, smoking and concerns about diet and weight.
The authors acknowledge that the study depends on self-reports of weight and eating habits, which are not always reliable, and that even though they controlled for many variables, the study was observational, showing only an association between breakfast eating habits and body mass, not a causal relationship.
Still, Mark A. Pereira, a co-author of the study and an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota, said that eating a healthy breakfast would “promote healthy eating throughout the day and might help to prevent situations where you’re grabbing fast food or vending machine food.”
Dr. Pereira added that parents could begin to set a good example by sitting down to breakfast themselves. “The whole family structure is involved here,” he said.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Most in isles skimp on exercise and nutrition
Posted on: Wednesday, March 19, 2008
FOR MORE TIPS
For more tips on getting fit, quitting smoking and healthy eating, go to www.healthyhawaii.com
START WALKING
The state Department of Health's recommendations on starting a walking program to get fit:
How far and how fast you walk is not an issue in the beginning. Recommendations:
• Walk 10+ minutes 5+ days a week.
• Walk briskly, and with a purpose.
• Work your way up to 30+ minutes 5+ days a week.
Walking can be done:
• With one piece of equipment: good walking shoes.
• To music, to nature or to conversation.
• In groups or alone. You can decide each day which suits you.
Fitness level does not matter. Simply get off the couch.
Begin with the end in mind. Good health and happiness will result from placing one foot in front of the other on a regular basis.
Enlisting support has been shown to drastically increase your chances of success. Talk about the fact that you're walking. Others will ask how it's going, which keeps you motivated.
Don't let the weather stop you. Find favorite walking routes for both sunny and rainy weather.
Sign up for a walking event like a 5K walk. Just remember you don't need to walk a marathon to be healthy.
Join a walking club. Commit to at least one group workout a week.
Plan a walking or hiking vacation (and get in shape for it).
Make walking a part of your routine. Walk to work, walk during breaks, take the stairs, walk the kids to school, etc.
The first comprehensive report on Hawai'i's nutrition and physical activity covers more than a hundred pages with statistics and charts but can be summarized simply:
Most children and adults need to get more exercise every day. And everyone can benefit from increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables they eat each day.
"The changes don't have to be dramatic," Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona said yesterday at the state Capitol in releasing the report. "One more fruit and vegetable improves health. ... Eliminate one cookie, one chocolate candy and one soda" per day.
And exercise can come easily, too, Aiona said. Adults can break down their 30 minutes of recommended daily exercise into three separate, simple activities like walking up the stairs at work.
"It can be as easy as flying a kite, walking the dog or walking down the street to buy a newspaper," Aiona said.
Most of the data in the Hawaii Physical Activity and Nutrition Surveillance Report 2008 has been reported before and covers information for 2005:
One in five people in Hawai'i were considered obese.
In 2005, 2,900 people in Hawai'i died of heart disease.
Most middle and high school students did not meet the daily recommendations for physical activity. And almost half of adults were not physically active enough.
An estimated $140 million in inpatient hospital charges related to heart disease, stroke and diabetes could have been prevented in 2005 if more adults were regularly physically active.
"We know that walking for at least 30 minutes per day can lower risks of obesity, heart disease and stroke and some cancers," said Dr. Chiyome Fukino, director of the state Department of Health. "This report will be our guide to improving physical activity and nutrition in our community."
Some 750 copies were published at a cost of $12,345 from Hawai'i's tobacco settlement funds. The report also is available at www.healthyhawaii.com; click on the link "Pan plan."
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Upcoming Holidays & Spring Break Hourse
Upcoming Holidays & Spring Break Hours
Atherton Library's hours during Spring Break will be as follows:
Atherton Library's hours during Spring Break will be as follows:
March 21 : CLOSED (Good Friday Holiday)
March 22: 9 am - 1 pm
March 23: 1 pm - 5 pm (Easter)
March 24: 8 am - 6 pm
March 25: 8 am - 6 pm
March 26: CLOSED (Kuhio Day Holiday)
March 27: CLOSED (Spring Break Holiday)
March 28: 8 am - 6 pm
March 29: 9 am - 1 pm
March 30: 1 pm - 5 pm
Have a fun and safe week off from school. However, if you need our help, we'll be here!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Teens who skip breakfast have higher risk of gaining weight
Skip Breakfast, Pack on the Pounds: Teens who start the day with a healthful meal tend to stay trimmer, study suggests
HealthDayMonday, March 3, 2008
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- For teens looking to keep weight off, it doesn't have to be a breakfast of champions, but it should be some kind of breakfast -- and preferably a healthy one.
Yet another study is confirming that adolescents who skip breakfast have a higher risk of being overweight.
"There's a pretty significant inverse association between how frequently kids report eating breakfast and how much weight they gain over time, and we took into account other dietary factors and physical activity," said Mark Pereira, co-author of the study, published in the March issue of Pediatrics.
"It's interesting to note that the kids who eat breakfast on a daily basis overall have a much better diet and are more physically active," Pereira said.
Added Dr. Peter Richel, chief of pediatrics at Northern Westchester Hospital Center in Mount Kisco, N.Y.: "Grandma and Mom are right. When we skip breakfast, especially in the teenage years, then kids tend to snack and graze."
More than one-third of teens aged 12 to 19 are now overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. And over the past two decades, the proportion of children who are overweight has doubled; among teens, the proportion has tripled, according to background information with the study.
An estimated 12 percent to 34 percent of children and adolescents skip breakfast on a regular basis, a number that increases with age. Previous studies have linked breakfast skipping with a greater tendency to gain weight.
"There has been quite a lot of published scientific literature already on the relationship between breakfast habits in both children as well as adults and obesity risk," said Pereira, an associate professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. "It's pretty darn consistent in the literature that people who eat breakfast are at lower risk for obesity, but most of those studies have some methodological limitations."
The new study was both cross-sectional and prospective -- moving forward in time. More than 2,000 adolescents were followed for five years. Participants completed detailed surveys on their eating patterns and also provided information on their height, weight, body-mass index and physical activity.
The more often a person ate breakfast, the less likely he or she was to be overweight or obese.
"We can't make definitive statements about cause and effect," said Pereira. But the evidence seems to point that way, he added.
"What happens is that total fat and saturated fat as a percentage of total daily energy were lower in the breakfast eaters compared with breakfast skippers," Richel explained. "This really shows that we have the potential to improve energy balance and weight control with healthy breakfast consumption. We're not talking pop-tarts."
In another Pediatrics article, researchers reported that an Internet-based program helped keep teens' weight in check over the short term and also reduced binge eating. Those who participated in the program also had less concern about their weight and shape, compared with teens who did not participate, suggesting that the program may lower the risk for eating disorders.
The 16-week program included education, behavioral modification, journaling, discussion and motivational messages.HealthDayCopyright (c) 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.Related News:
Date last updated: 04 March 2008
HealthDayMonday, March 3, 2008
MONDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- For teens looking to keep weight off, it doesn't have to be a breakfast of champions, but it should be some kind of breakfast -- and preferably a healthy one.
Yet another study is confirming that adolescents who skip breakfast have a higher risk of being overweight.
"There's a pretty significant inverse association between how frequently kids report eating breakfast and how much weight they gain over time, and we took into account other dietary factors and physical activity," said Mark Pereira, co-author of the study, published in the March issue of Pediatrics.
"It's interesting to note that the kids who eat breakfast on a daily basis overall have a much better diet and are more physically active," Pereira said.
Added Dr. Peter Richel, chief of pediatrics at Northern Westchester Hospital Center in Mount Kisco, N.Y.: "Grandma and Mom are right. When we skip breakfast, especially in the teenage years, then kids tend to snack and graze."
More than one-third of teens aged 12 to 19 are now overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. And over the past two decades, the proportion of children who are overweight has doubled; among teens, the proportion has tripled, according to background information with the study.
An estimated 12 percent to 34 percent of children and adolescents skip breakfast on a regular basis, a number that increases with age. Previous studies have linked breakfast skipping with a greater tendency to gain weight.
"There has been quite a lot of published scientific literature already on the relationship between breakfast habits in both children as well as adults and obesity risk," said Pereira, an associate professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. "It's pretty darn consistent in the literature that people who eat breakfast are at lower risk for obesity, but most of those studies have some methodological limitations."
The new study was both cross-sectional and prospective -- moving forward in time. More than 2,000 adolescents were followed for five years. Participants completed detailed surveys on their eating patterns and also provided information on their height, weight, body-mass index and physical activity.
The more often a person ate breakfast, the less likely he or she was to be overweight or obese.
"We can't make definitive statements about cause and effect," said Pereira. But the evidence seems to point that way, he added.
"What happens is that total fat and saturated fat as a percentage of total daily energy were lower in the breakfast eaters compared with breakfast skippers," Richel explained. "This really shows that we have the potential to improve energy balance and weight control with healthy breakfast consumption. We're not talking pop-tarts."
In another Pediatrics article, researchers reported that an Internet-based program helped keep teens' weight in check over the short term and also reduced binge eating. Those who participated in the program also had less concern about their weight and shape, compared with teens who did not participate, suggesting that the program may lower the risk for eating disorders.
The 16-week program included education, behavioral modification, journaling, discussion and motivational messages.HealthDayCopyright (c) 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.Related News:
Date last updated: 04 March 2008
Medical news: Urinary incontinence
Medical News: Urinary Incontinence
Diagnoses Likely to Overlap in Pelvic Floor Disorders
By Charles Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: March 04, 2008
SAN DIEGO, March 4 -- Pelvic floor disorders usually overlap, so that a diagnosis of urinary incontinence should often have prolapse or another condition listed as a comorbidity.
In this exclusive MedPage Today podcast, Karl Luber, M.D., of Kaiser Permanente of Southern California, offers insights from his clinical experience, as well as advice about techniques to use when evaluating women for pelvic floor disorders.
Additional Urinary Incontinence Coverage
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Music Has Powers to Ease the Stroke-Injured Brain
Medical News: Strokes
Music Has Powers to Ease the Stroke-Injured Brain
By Judith Groch, Senior Writer, MedPage Today
Published: February 19, 2008
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Earn CME/CE credit
for reading medical news
HELSINKI, Finland, Feb. 19 -- Listening to music enhanced cognitive recovery and improved mood after a middle cerebral artery stroke, researchers reported.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Action Points
Explain to interested patients that listening to music right after a stroke appears to be an inexpensive and possibly valuable addition to other forms of rehabilitation.
Note that these findings for improved cognition and mood came from a single study at one hospital and that music therapy may not work for all patients.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recovery of verbal memory and focused attention was better in patients who listened to music of their choice soon after a stroke than in patients who did not listen to anything or in those who listened to audio books, Teppo Sarkamo, M.A., of the University of Helsinki, and colleagues reported online in Brain.
Patients who listened to music also had a more positive mood, the researchers said.
Research has shown that during the first weeks and months after a stroke, patients typically spend most of their time in non-therapeutic activities, mostly inactive in their rooms, even though this time window is ideal for rehabilitation, the researchers said.
It's also been shown, they noted, that "an enriched sound environment" can enhance various brain function, including learning and memory. But, they said, its effects on recovery from neural damage have not been systematically studied.
So the researchers recruited 60 patients, ages 75 or younger, in the acute recovery phase from a left or right hemisphere middle cerebral artery stroke.
Patients entered a single-blind, randomized, controlled trial from March 2004 to May 2006, with therapy starting as soon as possible after admission to the Helsinki University Central Hospital.
They were randomly assigned to a music group, a language group, or a control group receiving only standard care.
During the following two months, the music and language groups listened daily for at least an hour to self-selected music (pop, classical, jazz, or folk) or audio books. The control group received no special auditory stimulation.
All patients received standard medical care and rehabilitation.
At one week (baseline), three months, and six months after the stroke, they also underwent an extensive neuropsychological assessment, which included a wide range of cognitive tests as well as mood and quality-of-life questionnaires.
Fifty-four patients completed the study.
Tests at three months showed that verbal memory was significantly better in the music group than in the control group (P=0.012) or in the language group (P=0.006).
Focused attention recovery was also significantly better in the music group than in the control group (P=0.049) and marginally better in the music group than in the language group (P=0.058).
At six months, the findings were similar, the researchers said.
In addition, the researchers found that the music group experienced less depression and confusion. At three months, there was a significant difference in depression (P=0.031) and confusion (P=0.045).
Post hoc tests found that the depression score was significantly lower in the music group then in the control group (P=0.024) but only marginally different between the music and the language group.
The confusion score was marginally lower in the music group than in the control group (P=0.061).
At six months, the differences between the music and control groups were still marginally different for depression and confusion.
It is possible, the researchers suggested, that music in itself may help patients cope with the emotional stress caused by a sudden severe neurological illness.
Some aphasic patients in the language group, the investigators suggested, had difficulty listening to the audio books and thus did not find the intervention as enjoyable as patients in the music group.
In reviewing the possible neural mechanisms involved in the music-stroke connection, the researchers suggested that enhanced alertness, attention, memory, emotion, and motivation may be mediated by the dopaminergic mesocorticolimbic system.
Also, music may stimulate the recovery of damaged areas of the brain, they said.
In addition to the effect on cognition and mood, the investigators hypothesized that music may also have general effects on brain plasticity after a stroke.
Listening to music, they said, may stimulate both the peri-infarct regions in the damaged hemisphere but also regions in the other healthy hemisphere, thereby speeding up recovery.
It is possible, they suggested, that listening to music, especially if it contains lyrics, which activate the brain bilaterally, would facilitate recovery from unilateral stroke more than listening to purely spoken material, which activates the left hemisphere primarily.
However, the researchers said, this suggestion is tentative, and further research is needed to explain the potential effects of a musically enriched recovery environment on brain plasticity after a stroke.
They concluded that listening to music every day during early stroke recovery "offers a valuable addition to the patient's care … by providing an individually targeted, easy-to-conduct, and inexpensive means to facilitate cognitive and emotional recovery."
The study was supported by the Academy of Finland, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation (Helsinki, Finland), and the National Graduate School of Psychology and Neurology Foundation (Helsinki, Finland). Funding to pay the Open 100 Access publication charges for this article was provided by the Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
No financial conflicts were reported.
Primary source: Brain
Source reference:
Särkämö T, et al "Music listening enhances cognitive recovery and mood after middle cerebral artery stroke" Brain 2008: DOI: 10.1093/brain/awn013.
Additional Strokes Coverage
Earn CME/CE credit
for reading medical news
© 2004-2008 MedPage Today, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Music Has Powers to Ease the Stroke-Injured Brain
By Judith Groch, Senior Writer, MedPage Today
Published: February 19, 2008
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Earn CME/CE credit
for reading medical news
HELSINKI, Finland, Feb. 19 -- Listening to music enhanced cognitive recovery and improved mood after a middle cerebral artery stroke, researchers reported.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Action Points
Explain to interested patients that listening to music right after a stroke appears to be an inexpensive and possibly valuable addition to other forms of rehabilitation.
Note that these findings for improved cognition and mood came from a single study at one hospital and that music therapy may not work for all patients.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recovery of verbal memory and focused attention was better in patients who listened to music of their choice soon after a stroke than in patients who did not listen to anything or in those who listened to audio books, Teppo Sarkamo, M.A., of the University of Helsinki, and colleagues reported online in Brain.
Patients who listened to music also had a more positive mood, the researchers said.
Research has shown that during the first weeks and months after a stroke, patients typically spend most of their time in non-therapeutic activities, mostly inactive in their rooms, even though this time window is ideal for rehabilitation, the researchers said.
It's also been shown, they noted, that "an enriched sound environment" can enhance various brain function, including learning and memory. But, they said, its effects on recovery from neural damage have not been systematically studied.
So the researchers recruited 60 patients, ages 75 or younger, in the acute recovery phase from a left or right hemisphere middle cerebral artery stroke.
Patients entered a single-blind, randomized, controlled trial from March 2004 to May 2006, with therapy starting as soon as possible after admission to the Helsinki University Central Hospital.
They were randomly assigned to a music group, a language group, or a control group receiving only standard care.
During the following two months, the music and language groups listened daily for at least an hour to self-selected music (pop, classical, jazz, or folk) or audio books. The control group received no special auditory stimulation.
All patients received standard medical care and rehabilitation.
At one week (baseline), three months, and six months after the stroke, they also underwent an extensive neuropsychological assessment, which included a wide range of cognitive tests as well as mood and quality-of-life questionnaires.
Fifty-four patients completed the study.
Tests at three months showed that verbal memory was significantly better in the music group than in the control group (P=0.012) or in the language group (P=0.006).
Focused attention recovery was also significantly better in the music group than in the control group (P=0.049) and marginally better in the music group than in the language group (P=0.058).
At six months, the findings were similar, the researchers said.
In addition, the researchers found that the music group experienced less depression and confusion. At three months, there was a significant difference in depression (P=0.031) and confusion (P=0.045).
Post hoc tests found that the depression score was significantly lower in the music group then in the control group (P=0.024) but only marginally different between the music and the language group.
The confusion score was marginally lower in the music group than in the control group (P=0.061).
At six months, the differences between the music and control groups were still marginally different for depression and confusion.
It is possible, the researchers suggested, that music in itself may help patients cope with the emotional stress caused by a sudden severe neurological illness.
Some aphasic patients in the language group, the investigators suggested, had difficulty listening to the audio books and thus did not find the intervention as enjoyable as patients in the music group.
In reviewing the possible neural mechanisms involved in the music-stroke connection, the researchers suggested that enhanced alertness, attention, memory, emotion, and motivation may be mediated by the dopaminergic mesocorticolimbic system.
Also, music may stimulate the recovery of damaged areas of the brain, they said.
In addition to the effect on cognition and mood, the investigators hypothesized that music may also have general effects on brain plasticity after a stroke.
Listening to music, they said, may stimulate both the peri-infarct regions in the damaged hemisphere but also regions in the other healthy hemisphere, thereby speeding up recovery.
It is possible, they suggested, that listening to music, especially if it contains lyrics, which activate the brain bilaterally, would facilitate recovery from unilateral stroke more than listening to purely spoken material, which activates the left hemisphere primarily.
However, the researchers said, this suggestion is tentative, and further research is needed to explain the potential effects of a musically enriched recovery environment on brain plasticity after a stroke.
They concluded that listening to music every day during early stroke recovery "offers a valuable addition to the patient's care … by providing an individually targeted, easy-to-conduct, and inexpensive means to facilitate cognitive and emotional recovery."
The study was supported by the Academy of Finland, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation (Helsinki, Finland), and the National Graduate School of Psychology and Neurology Foundation (Helsinki, Finland). Funding to pay the Open 100 Access publication charges for this article was provided by the Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
No financial conflicts were reported.
Primary source: Brain
Source reference:
Särkämö T, et al "Music listening enhances cognitive recovery and mood after middle cerebral artery stroke" Brain 2008: DOI: 10.1093/brain/awn013.
Additional Strokes Coverage
Earn CME/CE credit
for reading medical news
© 2004-2008 MedPage Today, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Can You Nap Your Way to Health?
Siestas and Your Heart: Can You Nap Your Way to Health?
From Harvard Health Publications
Here in the United States, many people consider eight hours an ideal amount of sleep — and most of them expect those eight hours to come in one block at night. But in Latin America, Mediterranean countries, and other parts of the world, the ideal slumber follows quite a different pattern. In sunny climates, people like to retreat from the heat and stress of a busy day for an afternoon siesta, then make up the difference by staying up late at night.
Cultural norms evolve to suit the needs and preferences of particular societies. But human biology is much the same in Athens and Chicago. Perhaps, then, a study of siestas in Greece will help Americans understand their own choices for healthful sleep. The study also raises the interesting possibility that a daily siesta may help ward off heart disease.
The Greek Epic Study
To look for a link between siestas and the risk of heart disease, scientists from the University of Athens Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health studied 23,681 Greek men and women. All the volunteers were free of diagnosed heart diseases, cancer, and stroke when they enrolled in the study between 1994 and 1999. They all reported on their napping habits; the researchers classified them as regular nappers, occasional nappers, or non-nappers. They also collected information on all the participants’ age, education, smoking status, employment, exercise level, diet, body mass index, and waist-to-hip ratio.
The subjects were tracked for an average of 6.3 years; in this period, 133 members of the group died from coronary artery disease. As expected, advancing age, smoking, and abdominal obesity were linked to an increased risk of cardiac death, while exercise, a good diet, increased education, and gainful employment appeared protective. Surprisingly, though, midday napping was also protective, especially for men.
Among the entire group, siestas of any duration or frequency were associated with a 34% lower risk of dying from heart disease, even after accounting for other risk factors. Occasional napping was linked to a 12% reduction in cardiac mortality, but regular napping appeared to reduce risk by 37%. The apparent protection was stronger for men than women; among working men, occasional nappers were 64% less likely to die from coronary artery disease than their non-napping peers, and regular nappers were 50% less likely to die from coronary artery disease than non-nappers.
Early to bed, early to rise?
Mediterraneans and Latins may be the masters of napping, but Americans may be more likely to observe Ben Franklin’s prescription that “early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Was Franklin right? A team of Harvard researchers had the temerity to test his dictum. They evaluated 949 men who had been hospitalized with heart attacks. After tracking them for an average of 3.7 years, they found no relationship between early bedtimes (before 11 p.m.) or early awakening (before 6:30 a.m.) and death rates, income, or educational attainment.
It’s still possible, though, that time is money, or that a penny saved is a penny earned.
Wake-up calls
Two earlier studies from Greece support the possibility that midday napping may reduce the risk of heart disease, but a larger study from Costa Rica and two from Israel produced opposite conclusions. Is there something different about Greece, or is there something different about the studies? Without discounting the unique characteristics of the Aegean nation, differences in the research may explain the contradictory results. The new study differed from the others by enrolling only healthy people; it also accounted for the effects of exercise — but the other studies did not. People who are ill often sleep during the day because of exhaustion or fatigue. By including them in the analysis, any benefit of voluntary napping by healthy people could easily be obscured. In fact, the Greek Epic Study reported the greatest benefit among working men.
If siestas are beneficial, how do they work? Stress reduction is the most plausible explanation and would fit with the observation that voluntary midday naps were particularly helpful to working men.
The power(ful) nap
The possible cardiac benefits of napping will require more study. But there are other, well-documented benefits. Studies of shift workers, airline flight crews, medical interns, and highway drivers have all reported that naps as short as 20–30 minutes decrease fatigue and improve psychomotor performance, mood, and alertness. That’s a big benefit to the napper — and to his passengers or patients.
Napping niceties
If you nap, be sure it’s because you want to, not because you have to. Sleep deprivation — from sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, depression, or any other cause — produces daytime somnolence that may make you need to nap. Sleep deprivation is harmful to your health. If you find yourself nodding off when you least want to, don’t just give in to a nap. Instead, find out what’s wrong with your nighttime sleep, then work to correct it.
A voluntary daytime siesta is a different matter. It can be pleasurable, refreshing, and even healthful. If you do take a nap, try to time it to fit your daily sleep-wake cycle; for most men, early afternoon is best. To preserve your good night’s sleep, don’t nap too long; for most people, 20 to 40 minutes work best. And expect to be a bit sluggish or groggy when you wake up, so give yourself at least 10 minutes to fully awaken before taking on any demanding tasks.
Dream on
The Greek Epic Study raises the possibility that daytime siestas may help reduce the risk of dying from heart disease. Since napping takes less discipline than a good diet and less effort than regular exercise, it’s a hopeful possibility. But confirming studies are needed, and even if the association holds up, observational studies can never prove cause and effect. In this case, for example, siestas might be a marker for an overall healthier lifestyle rather than a unique way to protect your heart.
Remember, too, that it’s easier to nap in Athens, Greece, than Athens, Georgia, particularly for working men. A siesta may reduce stress in Greece, but it may introduce stresses in the United States.
Don’t count on naps to protect your heart — but if you enjoy siestas as part of a healthful lifestyle, nap away. And even if you can’t fit in a nap at work, if you travel to Greece you may be able to do as the Greeks do.
From Harvard Health Publications
Here in the United States, many people consider eight hours an ideal amount of sleep — and most of them expect those eight hours to come in one block at night. But in Latin America, Mediterranean countries, and other parts of the world, the ideal slumber follows quite a different pattern. In sunny climates, people like to retreat from the heat and stress of a busy day for an afternoon siesta, then make up the difference by staying up late at night.
Cultural norms evolve to suit the needs and preferences of particular societies. But human biology is much the same in Athens and Chicago. Perhaps, then, a study of siestas in Greece will help Americans understand their own choices for healthful sleep. The study also raises the interesting possibility that a daily siesta may help ward off heart disease.
The Greek Epic Study
To look for a link between siestas and the risk of heart disease, scientists from the University of Athens Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health studied 23,681 Greek men and women. All the volunteers were free of diagnosed heart diseases, cancer, and stroke when they enrolled in the study between 1994 and 1999. They all reported on their napping habits; the researchers classified them as regular nappers, occasional nappers, or non-nappers. They also collected information on all the participants’ age, education, smoking status, employment, exercise level, diet, body mass index, and waist-to-hip ratio.
The subjects were tracked for an average of 6.3 years; in this period, 133 members of the group died from coronary artery disease. As expected, advancing age, smoking, and abdominal obesity were linked to an increased risk of cardiac death, while exercise, a good diet, increased education, and gainful employment appeared protective. Surprisingly, though, midday napping was also protective, especially for men.
Among the entire group, siestas of any duration or frequency were associated with a 34% lower risk of dying from heart disease, even after accounting for other risk factors. Occasional napping was linked to a 12% reduction in cardiac mortality, but regular napping appeared to reduce risk by 37%. The apparent protection was stronger for men than women; among working men, occasional nappers were 64% less likely to die from coronary artery disease than their non-napping peers, and regular nappers were 50% less likely to die from coronary artery disease than non-nappers.
Early to bed, early to rise?
Mediterraneans and Latins may be the masters of napping, but Americans may be more likely to observe Ben Franklin’s prescription that “early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Was Franklin right? A team of Harvard researchers had the temerity to test his dictum. They evaluated 949 men who had been hospitalized with heart attacks. After tracking them for an average of 3.7 years, they found no relationship between early bedtimes (before 11 p.m.) or early awakening (before 6:30 a.m.) and death rates, income, or educational attainment.
It’s still possible, though, that time is money, or that a penny saved is a penny earned.
Wake-up calls
Two earlier studies from Greece support the possibility that midday napping may reduce the risk of heart disease, but a larger study from Costa Rica and two from Israel produced opposite conclusions. Is there something different about Greece, or is there something different about the studies? Without discounting the unique characteristics of the Aegean nation, differences in the research may explain the contradictory results. The new study differed from the others by enrolling only healthy people; it also accounted for the effects of exercise — but the other studies did not. People who are ill often sleep during the day because of exhaustion or fatigue. By including them in the analysis, any benefit of voluntary napping by healthy people could easily be obscured. In fact, the Greek Epic Study reported the greatest benefit among working men.
If siestas are beneficial, how do they work? Stress reduction is the most plausible explanation and would fit with the observation that voluntary midday naps were particularly helpful to working men.
The power(ful) nap
The possible cardiac benefits of napping will require more study. But there are other, well-documented benefits. Studies of shift workers, airline flight crews, medical interns, and highway drivers have all reported that naps as short as 20–30 minutes decrease fatigue and improve psychomotor performance, mood, and alertness. That’s a big benefit to the napper — and to his passengers or patients.
Napping niceties
If you nap, be sure it’s because you want to, not because you have to. Sleep deprivation — from sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, depression, or any other cause — produces daytime somnolence that may make you need to nap. Sleep deprivation is harmful to your health. If you find yourself nodding off when you least want to, don’t just give in to a nap. Instead, find out what’s wrong with your nighttime sleep, then work to correct it.
A voluntary daytime siesta is a different matter. It can be pleasurable, refreshing, and even healthful. If you do take a nap, try to time it to fit your daily sleep-wake cycle; for most men, early afternoon is best. To preserve your good night’s sleep, don’t nap too long; for most people, 20 to 40 minutes work best. And expect to be a bit sluggish or groggy when you wake up, so give yourself at least 10 minutes to fully awaken before taking on any demanding tasks.
Dream on
The Greek Epic Study raises the possibility that daytime siestas may help reduce the risk of dying from heart disease. Since napping takes less discipline than a good diet and less effort than regular exercise, it’s a hopeful possibility. But confirming studies are needed, and even if the association holds up, observational studies can never prove cause and effect. In this case, for example, siestas might be a marker for an overall healthier lifestyle rather than a unique way to protect your heart.
Remember, too, that it’s easier to nap in Athens, Greece, than Athens, Georgia, particularly for working men. A siesta may reduce stress in Greece, but it may introduce stresses in the United States.
Don’t count on naps to protect your heart — but if you enjoy siestas as part of a healthful lifestyle, nap away. And even if you can’t fit in a nap at work, if you travel to Greece you may be able to do as the Greeks do.
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