Women who drink less may still become incontinent

By Kerry Grens

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Drinking less to avoid incontinence later in life? A new study suggests it may not help.

"Especially for older women, adequate hydration is important, and they shouldn't be restricting fluids for fear of causing incontinence," Fran Grodstein, the lead researcher on the study, told Reuters Health.

Incontinence can be caused by poor control over a full bladder or forced leaks from sneezing or laughing. People who experience it frequently limit how much they drink to manage the problem and reduce leaks.

This study, however, looked at women who had not yet developed incontinence, to see whether fewer beverages each day could prevent the onset of incontinence years later. Grodstein and her colleagues pulled data from more than 65,000 health and lifestyle surveys of female nurses.

The surveys tracked nurses for 2 to 4 years, asking how much they drank each day, and seeing who later developed incontinence.

The researchers tallied all beverages, including alcohol, coffee, milk, water and juice. The survey did not ask how many beverages each day the women had, but rather the total amount of fluids they drank.

Drinking ranged from a little more than a liter - about three 12-ounce cans of soda - to nearly three liters each day.

About 30 percent of the women later came to have at least one leaking episode per month, which Grodstein said is consistent with other estimates of incontinence among women. (Incontinence is much less common among men.)

The researchers grouped the women into five categories, from the smallest amount of fluid intake to the largest.

"The rate of developing incontinence was the same," said Grodstein, who is an associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

The study, published online last month in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Philippe Zimmern, a professor of urology at UT Southwestern Medical School and who was not involved in the study, said he thinks the findings are valid, but that it would be worthwhile to examine the data in finer detail.

One factor Zimmern said was missing is how often the women urinated.

"You can mask incontinence by going to the bathroom frequently enough," Zimmern told Reuters Health, and that can lead to underestimates of incontinence.

The data for this research came from the massive Nurses' Health Study, which has tracked the health of about 200,000 women for decades. One limitation of the study is that the majority of participants are white and, of course, they share the same profession.

Zimmern said he isn't aware of women restricting how much they drink to prevent incontinence from later developing.

But "it's terrific to settle that issue for good," he said.

SOURCE: bit.ly/hX83Rt American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, online February 23, 2011.

Does she need the money? Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg's new role... advertising incontinence pads

By Daily Mail Reporter

With a successful film career behind her, an Oscar on her mantelpiece and a primetime daily chatshow, Whoopi Goldberg is surely not short of a bit of money.
So there must be another reason why Whoopi chose to take a new role advertising incontinence pads.
The comedienne plays a series of historical characters as she makes jokes about her 'little secret' in the light-hearted web advert.

Does she need the money? Whoopi Goldberg dresses as Cleopatra to advertise incontinence pads in a new online advert for Poise Light Incontinence Pads

 

 

Historical figures: Whoopi plays French national heroine  Joan Of Arc, and biblical figures including Eve

While many celebrities, conscious of their public image, might be embarrassed to be associated with any type of intimate hygiene product, Whoopi seems determined to remove the stigma attached to using them.
Playing Eve, the Mona Lisa, Joan of Arc, the Statue Of Liberty and Cleopatra, Whoopi finds a light-hearted way of dealing with a serious issue.

In the advert, which she mostly wrote, the Sister Act star admits: 'I have a little secret, I leak. Just a little spritzer.
'One in three women have this issue, it's like a big secret but we are all walking around with wet pants.'

'The Princess And The Pee': One skit features her as the fairytale character, who this time has wet her bedsheets

Liberty: Whoppi claims the statue would have stood taller if she had used the pads

The Oscar wining star, 55, goes on to describe the merits of the product - Poise Pads - which are designed to catch Light Bladder Leakage.

Destigmatised: Poise pads for female incontinence

The Talk host Whoopi also discussed the problem on her daytime chatshow, which is aimed at a female audience.
The One In Three Like Me campaign also includes print adverts and TV adverts designed to highlight how common the problem is, even among young women.

 

Women are more likely to suffer from the condition if they've had hysterectomies or multiple children, if they are overweight, or if they are athletes, with runners and tennis players particularly susceptible.
The campaign by Poise makers Kimberly-Clark is the biggest ever investment in advertising the products.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1363012/Does-need-money-Oscar-winner-Whoopi-Goldberg-gets-new-job--advertising-incontinence-pads.html#ixzz1G7UWWSbM

Sugary drinks and high blood pressure -- a link?

By Rosie Mestel, Los Angeles Times

I expect consequences from drinking lots of sugary sodas. Like: unneeded calories, possible spikes in blood sugar, slow but steady erosion of tooth enamel (if those oft-repeated science fair projects with the teeth in the plastic cup of Coke are to be believed) and caffeine jitters.

But a rise in blood pressure? A study just published in the journal Hypertension argues that you might be in for that if you have a sugary-beverage habit.

The finding comes from the so-called INTERMAP study, which stands for International study of Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure, which kind of works as a name if you ignore words like “study” and “blood.”  This particular INTERMAP report analyzed data from 2, 696 middle-aged adults in the U.S. and U.K. On several occasions, their blood pressure was taken. Urine samples were taken for two 24-hour periods. Information about their diet in the previous 24 hours was collected.

Each extra serving of sugar-sweetened beverage daily led to an elevation of systolic blood pressure of  1.6 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and an elevation of  diastolic blood pressure  by 0.8 mm Hg higher blood pressure readings, reported Ian Brown of Imperial College London and colleagues. This didn’t hold for diet beverages: In fact, the opposite relationship was seen for diet drinks. The finding appeared to be stronger for those who consumed more sodium and was independent of caffeine, plus the researchers did try to control for other lifestyle factors as well as height and weight.

Related: Diet soda and heart, stroke risk: A link doesn't prove cause and effect

The scientists note that animal studies already report that extra glucose and fructose are known to have an effect on blood pressure, and there are a few human clinical trials that suggest the same thing, so the observation is not physiologically nutty. They particularly mention the PREMIER study (all studies have to have a jazzy name these days, it seems), in which 810 people with hypertension or so-called prehypertension (higher than healthy but not yet over the line into full-blown hypertension) were coaxed to reduce their sugar intake over 18 months and managed to lower their blood pressure somewhat.

How might the effect work? For fructose, the scientists offer this explanation: Fructose is ultimately metabolized to uric acid, which can cause the body to reduce blood levels of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide dilates blood vessels — so if you have less of it around, it makes sense that blood pressure would rise some.

The scientists also note that sugar consumption can lead to sodium retention and a revving-up of the sympathetic nervous system, both of which can also increase blood pressure.

Now for the caveats:

This was a cross-sectional population study. In other words, it’s not like someone’s directly controlled similar people’s sugary-beverage consumption. There could be differences between the groups of people who drank or didn’t drink sugary beverages. Nor had the scientists tracked people for years, having first ascertained that they drink sugary sodas, then watched to see what happened to them. So there’s no “this came first, then that” established here.

And the study (like many food-disease studies) depended on people remembering what they ate.  People aren’t that good at such recall, even if it’s about yesterday.  And if they know they’re in bad shape it’s possible they’d be more likely to report consuming things that are bad for them.

Here’s another: “residual confounding,” as the authors put it. In other words, try as you might to factor out other habits of diet and lifestyle that might go along with drinking sugary sodas, it’s pretty hard to do that 100%. Crappy habits do tend to band together.

But the science, at least, suggests several mechanisms, and it wouldn’t hurt to cut down on sugary drinks anyway, we’re guessing. Finally, here, as listed in the paper, are a few items that seem to be firmly linked to high blood pressure:  “high sodium intake, inadequate potassium intake, high body mass index (BMI), and  excessive alcohol intake.”

Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

Low Blood Pressure, Should You Be Concerned!

Blood pressure is the result of the flow of blood times the resistance in the blood vessels as the heart pumps out blood. Each time your heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries. When the heart is actively pumping blood, the pressure is at its highest and referred to as systolic pressure. Between beats, when your heart is at rest the pressure falls this is diastolic pressure. These two numbers determine your blood pressure and are usually written one above/or before the other for example 120/80 or spoken as 120 over 80 (Normal). A reading of 90/60 or lower is considered as low (Hypotension), while 140/90 is considered as high (Hypertension). A blood pressure chart when used in tandem with your blood pressure monitor can be an invaluable tool towards alleviating your concerns or fears. 

Low blood pressure may not have gained the notoriety as that of high blood pressure but if left untreated its consequences can be just as damaging. There are a variety of ailments related to low blood pressure which if not diagnosed and treated in their early stages can lead to serious complications. Most prominent are: postural (orthostatic) hypotension and neutrally mediated (neurogenic orthostatic) hypotension.

Postural Hypotension manifests itself as a dizzy or light headed feeling when moving from a lying or sitting position to standing position. It is thought to be caused by the inability of the autonomic nervous system (the part of the nervous system that controls involuntary vital actions, such as the heartbeat) to respond appropriately to sudden changes. It is believed that this can happen for a variety of reasons including: lack of food, extended exposure to heat, or being overly tired. People who are taking medication for high blood pressure are also prone to this illness. Treatment is dependent on the severity of the symptoms and may include increased fluid and salt intake and avoiding prolong periods without food or drink. Medication which encourages sodium retention and absorption may also be prescribed.

Neutrally Mediated Hypotension - when the regulation of blood pressure by the body is affected, particularly when standing. It is believed to be a lack of communication between the brain and the nerve censors which control heart rate and blood pressure. Not always is the condition serious, in some cases it may just be temporary while in others it can result in a person being unable to stand for long periods, dizziness, blurred vision and near fainting.

The kidneys can balance low blood pressure naturally by retaining salt and water, thereby making medical intervention unnecessary. However, it is advisable that you speak to your doctor if your monitor registers consistent low blood pressure readings or you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned. For some people a reading below 120/80 is normal and no cause for alarm. This low or borderline reading is normal and may even be considered a sign of good cardiovascular health, since this can also be an indication of little stress on the heart, lungs and blood vessels. A fall in pressure may also be due to some event (example standing too quickly) or because of a medical condition. However, low blood pressure cannot always be ignored. If you experience frequent bouts of dizziness, fainting, blurred vision, nausea, rapid weak pulse, muscle weakness, fatigue, headache, cold clammy skin and lack of concentration you should consult your doctor for an evaluation, diagnosis and treatment, if necessary. In extreme cases the body can be deprived of an adequate supply of oxygen which can result in impaired heart and brain functions and respiratory problems leading to loss of consciousness or shock.

© 2010 Goldeneramart.com - All Rights Reserved.

Blood Pressure Management: Sleep On It

A daytime sleep could have cardiovascular benefits according to new research by Ryan Brindle and Sarah Conklin, PhD, from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania in the US. Their study, looking at the effect of a daytime nap on cardiovascular recovery following a stress test, found that those participants who slept for at least 45 minutes during the day had lower average blood pressure after psychological stress than those who did not sleep. The work is published in Springer's journal International Journal of Behavioral Medicine.

Long work schedules, shift work, increased anxiety and a greater use of the internet and television late at night - all characteristics of our modern society - have had an impact on nocturnal sleep. We no longer sleep as long as we used to: The average sleep duration is now almost 2 hours shorter per night than it was 50 years ago. And this could be impacting our long-term health. For example, sleeping less has been linked to an increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular problems generally.

Brindle and Conklin's experiment examined how daytime sleep might influence cardiovascular recovery after a mental stress test in the laboratory. They split 85 healthy university students into two groups: One group was allotted a 60-minute interval during the day when they had the opportunity to sleep; the other group did not sleep during the day. The researchers also asked the students to complete questionnaires assessing sleep quality and complete a cardiovascular reactivity task, involving a complex mental subtracting exercise. Brindle and Conklin measured the students' blood pressure and pulse rates at regular intervals throughout the experiment.

They found that daytime sleep seemed to have a restorative effect with students in the sleep condition reporting lower scores of sleepiness than those who did not sleep. Although blood pressure and pulse rates rose in both groups between baseline and the stress phase, during the recovery phase, those who had napped had significantly lower average blood pressure readings than those who had not slept. These results show that sleeping between 45 and 60 minutes during the day appears to facilitate blood pressure recovery after a mental stress task in the laboratory.

Brindle and Conklin conclude: "Our findings suggest that daytime sleep may offer cardiovascular benefit by accelerating cardiovascular recovery following mental stressors. Further research is needed to explore the mechanism by which daytime sleep is linked with cardiovascular health and to evaluate daytime sleep as a recuperative and protective practice, especially for individuals with known cardiovascular disease risk and those with suboptimal sleep quality."

Source
Alpha Galileo