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June 15, 2007 kSero Centers for the Mind is pleased to introduce our newest staff member, Marc S. Micozzi, MD, Ph. D. In this newsletter you will learn about who Dr. Micozzi is, and read some articles that he has written. |
Marc Micozzi is a physician and nutritional epidemiologist and anthropologist who has worked to create science-based tools for the health professions to be better informed and productively engaged in the new fields of complementary and alternative (CAM) and nutritional medicine. He was the founding editor-in-chief of the first US journal in CAM, Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Research on Paradigm, Practice and Policy (1994) and the first review journal, Seminars in Integrative Medicine (2002). He organized and edited the first US textbook, Fundamentals of Complementary & Integrative Medicine (1996), now in a third edition (2006), with Elsevier Health Sciences. It has been translated into Spanish and Japanese. He served as series editor for Medical Guides to Complementary and Alternative Medicine with eighteen titles in print on a broad range of therapies and therapeutic systems within the scope of CAM. In 1999, he edited Current Complementary Therapies for Current Science Press, focusing on contemporary innovations and controversies, and Physician's Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine, for American Health Consultants. With Springer he has just published texts on CAM and Nutrition in Cancer Care & Prevention (2007), on The Practice of Integrative Medicine: A Legal and Operational Guide (with colleagues Harvard) published in 2007. His latest book in preparation is a Textbook of Nutrition. He organized and chaired continuing education conferences on the theory, science and practice of CAM in 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998 and 2001, co-chaired with former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop in 1996, and with Dr. Koop and Dr. Dean Ornish in 1998.
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Modern science has now proven much of what our grandmothers already knew about good nutrition and health. What can we do about it?
When I met last year with committees of the prestigious American Society for Nutrition in Washington,DC, and Bethesda, MD, to propose educating consumers about what research has now proven regarding nutrition and health, they generally responded that "we need more research." This is a policy that serves well the scientists who make their livings and careers from doing more research. But how do we serve the public?
Physicians generally are not taught about basic nutrition and are not aware of the tremendous and constantly growing research evidence supporting the role of nutrition in health. They are more comfortable writing prescriptions for often-dangerous drugs that are supported by sometimes shaky evidence, when compared to the safety and effectiveness of dietary and nutritional approaches. And the consumer usually runs to the drug store for over-the-counter remedies which often are comprised of old, lower dose prescription medications which are no longer under patent.
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A recent study in the PLoS scientific journal showed that engaging in weight training regularly can offset skeletal muscle atrophy and functional impairment associated with aging. Seniors who participated in six months of gentle exercises had almost as much energy and strength as people less than half their age (who presumably did not exercise).
The study involved training twice a week for an hour with participants utilizing basic gym equipment and engaging in commonly offered exercise sessions. After six months the researchers harvested tissue samples from thigh muscles and found not only that muscles were stronger but that some of the cellular features associated with aging were seemingly reversed.
Researchers now intend to examine whether running, swimming or other stamina building exercises can have the same effect. As the population continues to age, information is building about scientifically valid methods of slowing or reversing cellular aspects of the aging process. The good news is that the greatest benefits for most people come from just moderate levels of exercise, compared to leading a sedentary life. Extreme exercise and physical activity are not needed for good health, and may even become counterproductive.
A study from ColumbiaUniversityMedicalCenter found that during the ages of 1-3 years, children are at risk of gaining significant weight. The researchers reviewed growth charts of 1,713 children in New York City ages of one through five years. The rate of being overweight increased significantly with each year of age, with the biggest gains between ages one and three years.
It's during these years that children begin to develop eating habits and food preferences. Parents need to play an active role incorporating a balanced diet and to be aware of the types of food to which children have access. It may take multiple attempts to offer new foods to children, so parents must undertake meal times with patience and determination in order to instill essential eating habits.
These finding have gotten the attention of those who believe that intervention is necessary to prevent childhood obesity during these crucial years. Parents should pursue healthy eating routines of their own because children observe and model their behavior after them. With
America's obesity epidemic, understanding the causes of childhood obesity is critical.
Lew and Garfinckle in 1971 showed in a large data base that being thin is associated with increased mortality and morbidity from some chronic diseases, including certain cancers; in addition to the better known observation that being fat is associated with chronic diseases and other specific cancers. It describes a "J-shaped" curve of weight vs. morbidity and mortality. Moderate weight, or middle weight is ideal - the "golden mean" as in most things.
Now, medical researchers at Imperial College, London, have shown that people with low or average body weight may not be healthy on the inside. These doctors believe that internal fat surrounding various vital organs could be as detrimental to health as is the more obvious (subcutaneous) fat found directly under the skin. This internal lining of fat is invisible to the naked eye but is detected by MRI machines that create "fat maps" displaying where concentrations of this internal fat are located.
According to the research data, people who diet but omit physical activity from their lifestyles are more likely to have substantial deposits of internal fat. These people may appear thin, with normal body mass index scores, but are actually on the threshold of becoming "fat". They eat a poor diet and do not exercise enough to compensate, but are not eating enough to visibly gain weight. Researchers claim that thin people who live a sedentary lifestyle are at greater risk of mortality than are overweight people who are consistently active.
Since 1994, the research team at ImperialCollege has scanned nearly 800 people. 45 percent of women and nearly 60 percent of men with normal BMI scores were found to have high levels of internal fat. The metabolic risks of internal fat are unclear.. A mistaken chemical signal to store fat inside vital organs could lead to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, or heart disease. For people who want to go beyond appearing healthy to actually being healthy, there is no way around a proper, nourishing diet and appropriate physical activity. Contrary to conventional wisdom, it is possible for you to be "too thin" for your diet to be "too rich."
A new study released at the International Conference on Prevention of Dementia on June 11th suggests that treating other health factors - like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol can help slow the onset and severity of dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease.
This research further links heart and brain health. Cardiovascular problems like heart attack or stroke may also increase the onset of dementia. Taking positive actions, like treating high blood pressure, exercising, and changing diet can all help reduce dementia.
Researchers at the Memory Center in Lille, France, tracked 891 dementia patients over four years. Those who received treatment for their diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol did better on thinking and memory tests.. Yan Deschaintre, M.D co-author of the study said that, "Most of the social and financial burden caused by Alzheimer's and dementia is generated by the later, more severe stages of the disease...By slowing dementia progression, treatment of vascular risk factors [ed. Have to correct the "French" English here] may delay the severe stages and have a significant impact on reducing the burden of dementia."
Approximately 5 million Americans and their families are affected by Alzheimer's disease, and the numbers are expected to swell as baby boomers age. Understanding these connections among related health concerns and dementia can have an impact on the way we treat Alzheimer's disease.
Sincerely,
Susan Hardwicke, Ph.D.
Director
kSero Centers for the Mind
©kSero Corporation Inc. 2007