S E P T | 2010 | ISSUE 59

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

FOR

HEALTHY AGING

Better Bone Density, Better Health Update on bone biology, exercise & osteoporosis

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“The bones respond best when you’re young, and if you train and load them with your own body weight during these years, it has a stimulating effect on their development,” said Nilsson. “This may be important for bone strength much later in life too, so reducing the risk of brittle bones.” Here’s why—bone biology. Osteoporosis is a crippling disease characterized by severe loss in bone density. Bones become brittle and much more likely to break with minor falls or, in some cases, even a sneeze. Estimates suggest 10 million Americans—8 million women, 2 million men—are battling the disease. Per the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 34 million more have low bone mass, putting them at risk for osteoporosis. Now there are new insights into how to treat bone loss, thanks to a 2010 University of Texas Health Science Center study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Per senior corresponding author Jean Jiang, PhD, their study confirmed that dendrites (long, spindly-like extensions of osteocytes)—embedded in the bone matrix and the most abundant cells in the bone—“sense mechanical loading.” They transmit the mechanical signals to the cell body, which opens the cell body’s hemichannels and allows for a rapid exchange of vital factors for bone remodeling. Good bone health is directly linked to the osteocyte’s ability to sense the stimulation, according to lead author Sirisha Burra, PhD. "If osteocytes lose this ability, it could possibly lead to diseases such as osteoporosis. Hence, it is important to understand this mechanism."

ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION:

HOPE FROM NEW RESEARCH

Cenegenics® Medical Institute, the global age management leader, collaborated with Dr. Ernst R. von Schwarz—Medical Director of the Multidisciplinary Heart Failure Research at Cedars Sinai Medical Center—to address an increasingly common problem in the aging male population: Erectile dysfunction as a complication of heart failure. Published in July’s Current Heart Failure Reports, their scientific paper/expert review brings good news to male boomers. Per Dr. Schwarz: “Heart failure is also associated with depression, which of itself has an association with sexual dysfunction, especially in men. On the other hand, several drugs used for either heart failure or depression can negatively affect sexual performance. Yet, with a multidisciplinary-team approach and targeted drug therapy, these side effects can often be overcome — and sexual function successfully treated even in patients with advanced cases of heart failure.” Learn more now. Read our press release: Aging Male Boomers Gain Hope Over Battle With Erectile Dysfunction Caused By Heart Failure.

The health issues you’re facing today have a lot to do with how you lived your earlier years. Research in 2010 from the Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, just drove home the point. What investigators found was that exercising in your youth (10 to 30 years old) had a significant impact on not only bone density, but size as well. That’s a heads up for younger folks, but all is not lost for seniors. Read on. Closer look. Among the 3, 200 men having bones examined and exercise charted, researchers examined heel bones of more than 2,300 subjects (age 18)—place of exercise impact—and found that those who had participated in sports in the past had higher bone density than those who had not. Examinations of the lower legs of 360 subjects (age 19) with a sports history found that even those who had stopped sports for more than 6 years had larger, thicker bones than those who had never participated in sports. “This result is particularly important, because we know that a bone with a large circumference is more durable and resistant to fractures than a narrower bone,” said study researcher Martin Nilsson, physiotherapist and doctoral student at the Institute of Medicine. Researchers then examined the density in various bones of 500 men (age 75). Those who had participated in competitive sports (at least 3 times a week) between age 10 and age 30 had higher bone density than those who had not.

Their study applied mechanical stresses to the osteocytes to compare “mechanical signals predicted to occur within the skeleton during routine physical activities.” Exercise type, higher impact. The previously mentioned Sweden study found the connection between bone density and sports was even stronger when they took into account the type of sports performed. Back in 2007, a study from the University of Missouri-Columbia published in Metabolism, researchers examined the difference low- and high-impact sports made on bone density. They compared bone mineral density in 43 competitive male runners and cyclists (age 20-59). They found the cyclists to have significantly lower bone density, especially of the lumbar spine, as compared to the runners. Incidence of osteopenia was 7 times higher in the cyclists than in the runners. In a follow-up study—published in the February 2009 Journal of Strength Conditioning—University of Missouri-Columbia researchers found that high-impact activities may be better for improving bone mineral density than resistance training. They studied the effects of long-term cycling, running and resistance training on bone density in various parts of the body in men (age 19-45), adjusting for differences in body weight and composition. “The results of the study confirm that both resistance training and high-impact endurance activities increase bone mineral density. However, high-impact sports, like running, appear to have a greater beneficial effect,” said Pam Hinton, associate professor in the University of Missouri Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. Resistance training only affects the skeletal sites that experience stress.

HORMONE THERAPY SAFETY:

NOTABLE STUDY GIVES GOOD NEWS

Cenegenics® Medical Institute, the global age management leader, collaborated with Dr. Enrique Ginzburg—professor of surgery at the University of Miami - Miller School of Medicine—to investigate the safety of long-term testosterone and growth hormone use. Their much-awaited study finally gives the public good news on the safety of hormonal therapy.

According to Dr. Ginzburg, “The study is notable because Cenegenics has some of the longest duration of hormone modulation data in the nation, thanks to their extensive patient population. Unlike other studies that claimed adverse effects from hormone modulation and subsequently sparked controversy, our collaborative papers, although retrospective, are provocative in that minimal significant adverse effects occurred within the two-year therapy.” Learn more by reading our press

release about the favorable findings of our retrospective

study: Long-Awaited Research Reveals Good News: Minimal

Adverse Effects With Testosterone & Growth Hormone Therapy Over Two-Year Period

“Therefore, high-impact, dynamic, multi-directional activities, including jump-training (plyometrics), result in greater gains in bone strength. Playing basketball, volleyball or soccer are also good options,” said Hinton. Low-impact exercise programs like cycling and swimming should be supplemented with resistance training, running/jogging or jumping rope to strengthen bones. Genetic factor. Research published in the November 2009 Nature Genetics reports the identification of 20 genes that impact osteoporosis and bone strength. Lead author Dr. J. Brent Richards at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal said, “Not only did we find 13 entirely new genes, we also demonstrated that some of these genes were related not just to bone density, but also to fracture risk itself.” “We knew that one of the strongest factors in osteoporosis was genetic, but we didn’t have a clear picture what those genetic factors were…If we are able to uncover more genes which influence bone strength, then we may be able to identify whole populations that require early preventive treatment,” said Dr. Richards. The cardiovascular connection. Animal, clinical and epidemiological studies reveal a link between high blood pressure and abnormalities in calcium metabolism, resulting in increased calcium loss in bones and increased risk of osteoporosis. Cross-sectional studies in humans have found an association between high blood pressure and low bone mineral density, lending further support to a possible correlation between osteoporosis and hypertension. On the flipside, preliminary studies indicate that certain medicines used in the treatment of osteoporosis inhibit calcification in the arteries and heart as well as reduce LDL cholesterol levels.

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THE CENEGENICS FACTOR

Target better health now. Cenegenics guides you in a straightforward, established approach to confront, fight and stop your age-related disease risks. Watch a quick video to hear our amazing patient success stories. Our highly comprehensive evaluation process identifies your weakest and strongest health links, which later form the foundation for your customized, healthy aging program. Four components help transform your health: low-glycemic nutrition, exercise, nutraceuticals, hormone optimization (when clinically indicated). What you get. Solid science protocols and five-star support from our expert medical team—plus a new definition of aging: reduced body fat, leaner muscle mass, better bone density, sharper thinking, stronger immune system, youthful vitality.

Reduce your risk

You may not be able to control some osteoporosis/osteopenia risk factors—such as age, gender,

heredity—but you can reduce their impact.

• Rev up your nutrition, especially calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K, magnesium, protein and isoflavones (found in soy products)

• Maintain a healthy weight (not too low) • Stop smoking • Decrease alcohol consumption • Correct hormonal deficiencies • Exercise more, especially weight-bearing/strength

-training exercises • Improve balance • Re-evaluate your intake level of certain

medications—antacids, benzodiazepines, glucocorticoids, anticonvulsants, neuroleptic agents and antidepressants

Osteopenia:

The wake-up call

Osteopenia is low bone mineral density that is significant but less severe than osteoporosis. About 34 million Americans have osteopenia, 1/3 of them men. • Low bone mineral density is not always a predictor of

osteoporosis because other factors come into play (see “Reduce your risk” sidebar).

• This “mild” thinning of the bones can increase your risk of fractures and just may be a wake-up call to modify your health and lifestyle choices before it’s too late.

CALL CENEGENICS TODAY. 866.953.1510

Discussions are always confidential and without obligation.