CNA938 Rewind - Why do some people defend their wrong behaviour?
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CNA
a day ago
- CNA
How the risks of drinking increase in older age – even for light or occasional drinkers
Drinking is harmful to your health at any age. But as you get older, the risks become greater – even with the same amount of drinks. Alcohol affects 'virtually every organ system in the body,' including the muscles and blood vessels, digestive system, heart and brain, said Sara Jo Nixon, the director of the Center for Addiction Research & Education at the University of Florida. 'It particularly impacts older adults, because there's already some decline or impact in those areas.' 'There's a whole different set' of health risk factors for older drinkers, said Paul Sacco, a professor of social work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore who studies substance use and aging. People might not realise that the drinks they used to tolerate well are now affecting their brains and bodies differently, he said. Alcohol can present new problems in older age – particularly at 65 and up – for even light or occasional drinkers. Older adults tend to have less muscle mass and retain less water in their tissues compared with younger people, which can increase blood alcohol concentration, said Aaron White, a senior advisor at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. This means it takes fewer drinks for older people to feel intoxicated, and heightens the risk of severe injury from falls. According to Dr Nixon's research, older people also show deficits in working memory at lower blood alcohol concentrations than younger drinkers. In another study Dr Nixon worked on, some older adults in driving simulations showed signs of impairment after less than one drink. Drinking alcohol can increase the risk of developing chronic conditions like dementia, diabetes, cancer, hypertension and heart disease. But it can also worsen outcomes for the majority of older adults already living with chronic disease, said Aryn Phillips, an assistant professor of health policy and administration at the University of Illinois Chicago who studies alcohol and ageing. Drug interactions also come into play. Mixing alcohol with prescription medicines that older adults commonly take, such as those for treating diabetes or hypertension, can make the medications less effective or cause harmful side effects, like ulcers or an irregular heart beat. Benzodiazepines, when combined with alcohol, can slow breathing and act as a powerful sedative. Even over-the-counter medication can be dangerous. Aspirin, which some older people take to reduce cardiovascular disease risk (despite the potential side effects), can lead to severe gastrointestinal bleeding, which older people are already at higher risk for, said Michael Wheeler, a professor of nutrition science at East Carolina University who researches alcohol-induced liver disease. Some older adults also contend that hangovers worsen with age. While there's no strong scientific evidence supporting this, the hangovers may seem worse because alcohol can exacerbate other symptoms of aging, like poor sleep, Dr White said. HOW TO REDUCE YOUR RISK Experts said alcohol use among older adults appears to have risen in recent years, though national trends are difficult to track outside of self-reported surveys. A US federal survey from 2023 found that 12 percent of adults 65 and older – about seven million people – reported drinking at least four or five drinks in a sitting in the previous month. After decades of mixed messaging around alcohol's health harms and benefits, recent studies have made it clear that no amount of alcohol is good for you. Still, Dr Sacco acknowledged that 'drinking has meaning for people,' and whether to moderate or quit altogether 'is a call that you have to make in consultation with your doctor and your loved ones.' But what is a 'safe' amount of drinking for the older set? That's difficult to say. The available studies attempting to establish exactly how much alcohol it takes to drive up health risks in older populations use different benchmarks for moderate drinking, making it tricky to draw a consensus. 'Even as an expert in this field, I understand the confusion,' Dr Wheeler said. Dr Nixon advised that adults 65 and older should consume no more than one drink per day and no more than seven per week. (The NIAAA does not establish guidelines around alcohol consumption, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines moderate drinking for adults of all ages as two drinks or less per day for men, and one drink or less per day for women.) All the experts emphasised that older people should pay close attention to their bodies' response to alcohol, and to stop drinking or cut back if they feel like it's affecting them more physically or cognitively. 'If you're not currently drinking, don't start,' Dr Phillips said. And if you do drink, be honest with your doctor about your consumption, and do it in a safe environment, knowing that your tolerance may not be what it used to be, she added. 'The answer doesn't have to be abstinence,' Dr Nixon said. But healthy ageing 'probably does not include multiple drinks a day for most people.'
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Does breathing actually matter for your workout? Here's what works and what doesn't
Of all the things to worry about when working out – what exercise to do, how fast to go, how much to lift – breathing seems like it should come near the bottom of the list. You do it automatically, so why complicate things? To a certain extent, experts say, that approach is correct. As your exercise gets harder, your body naturally produces more carbon dioxide and you breathe faster to expel it and bring in as much oxygen as you need. 'Your body should more or less increase or decrease your breathing in relation to your effort and need,' said Dr Brian Y Kim, a professor at University of California, Irvine, and a team doctor for its athletic programme. However, research suggests that some breathing techniques, like diaphragmatic breathing, can help with performance during aerobic or high intensity anaerobic activities and also encourage recovery. For other popular breathing strategies, like nasal breathing, there isn't much evidence that it can improve athletic performance. The most important thing, experts said, is to avoid short, shallow breaths while exercising and make sure you're getting as much oxygen as possible. Beyond that, here's what fitness experts say about how the way you breathe can – or can't – affect your workout. BELLY BREATHING CAN HELP A LITTLE DURING AEROBIC WORKOUTS If you are interested in breathing more effectively to improve exercise performance, the first thing to try is diaphragmatic or belly breathing, said Judd Van Sickle, director of the sports performance and wellness programme at UC Davis Health. The diaphragm is a muscle at the base of your lungs, and learning to take deep breaths from your belly, not just the chest, helps deliver more oxygen to your body, he added. If you aren't sure how to belly breathe correctly, he suggested practising what's called 'crocodile breathing.' Lie face down on the floor, with your hands under your forehead. As you breathe with your abdomen pressed into the floor, you'll find you need to expand your lower back and ribs out to the side to get a full breath. This is what belly breathing feels like. Next, try doing the same thing with each breath at some point as you go about your day and then when you are exercising. While research shows practising diaphragmatic breathing during exercise might only result in a 3 to 5 per cent improvement in performance, this type of breathing can bring other positive health benefits, including helping to reduce blood pressure and lowering resting heart rate. FOR RECOVERY, CHANGE UP THE RHYTHM Once your workout is done, what's the best way to breathe to bounce back more quickly? The key to recovering faster is to slow down your breathing. One way to do this post-workout is with box breathing: Inhale for four seconds, hold your breath, exhale for four seconds and then hold your breath for another four seconds. Another technique is to make your exhale longer than your inhale, said Anatolia Vick-Kregel, senior assistant director of health and well-being at Rice University. 'When you inhale, your heart rate speeds up, when you exhale, it slows down,' she said. 'Take some deep breaths with emphasis on that exhale.' DON'T MAKE IT TOO COMPLICATED Over the last several years, some wellness influencers have claimed nasal breathing can improve exercise performance. Breathing through your nose can have some benefits for people with asthma, Dr Kim said, because the air gets warmer and more humid as it goes through the nose and into the lungs. However, Van Sickle said more research is needed to show it can improve performance more generally. The harder you exercise, the more difficult it is to breathe through your nose. If you try to breathe through your nose during a HIIT workout or sprints you'll probably experience what's called ' air hunger,' Dr Kim said, when your chest gets tight and you're gasping for air. 'It's not something that you want to try right away on a hard run,' he said. In addition to nasal breathing, some coaches recommend specific breathing cadences while running, like inhaling for three steps and exhaling for two. However, research suggests that the best breathing rhythm for running is probably just breathing naturally. Your body often already synchronises breathing with movement – inhaling when one foot hits the ground and exhaling with the other, which can help reduce muscle fatigue, especially at high intensity or during long workouts. The bottom line, especially if you're new to exercising, is to just breathe normally, Dr Vick-Kregel said. 'We want people to exercise and enjoy it, not feel like they're being suffocated.'
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CNA
3 days ago
- CNA
What is chronic venous insufficiency, the condition Trump was diagnosed with?
After photographs emerged of United States President Donald Trump with swollen ankles, the White House on Thursday (Jul 17) said he has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt revealed Trump had been experiencing swelling in his lower legs and bruising on his right hand – though emphasising that both ailments were benign. She added that the latter was a result of "tissue irritation from frequent handshaking". Trump's physician, Sean Barbabella, said an ultrasound on the president's legs 'revealed chronic venous insufficiency, a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70'. What is chronic venous insufficiency? Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) occurs when veins in the leg cannot properly carry blood back up to the heart. Overcoming gravity to pump blood from the feet all the way up to the heart is a challenge, especially when someone is standing or sitting for long periods. Leg veins are hence lined with one-way valves that keep blood from sliding backward on that journey. When the valves do not work properly, blood flows backward and can pool in the lower legs, leading to symptoms such as swelling around the feet and ankles. Damage to the valves can stem from changes in the veins, such as when they weaken and enlarge, making it hard for the valve to close fully. Anything that damages those valves can lead to CVI. People are more likely to develop CVI if they are overweight, pregnant, have a family history or suffered leg damage from surgery, previous blood clots or other injuries. What are the symptoms of CVI? Besides swelling in the lower legs, symptoms can also include legs that are achy, heavy feeling or tingly and varicose veins. Severe cases could trigger leg sores known as ulcers. Tiny blood vessels under the skin called capillaries can also rupture because of the increased blood and pressure in the legs. Symptoms may also include cracked skin, open sores on the skin's surface and brown-coloured skin near the ankles. How serious a condition is CVI? CVI is not a serious health threat, but it can be painful and disabling, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Todd Berland, a physician who is director of outpatient vascular interventions at NYU Langone Health, said chronic venous insufficiency 'has no overall effect on life expectancy. It's a quality-of-life issue, not a quantity of life issue'. But Kwame Amankwah, a physician who is chief of vascular surgery at the University of Connecticut in Hartford, warned that the condition still cannot be left untreated. 'If it's not managed with compression stockings and elevation, severe swelling and ulcers can develop, warranting more significant medical interventions,' he said. What's the progression of CVI? CVI usually starts off mild but may cause more serious complications and discomfort over time. There are six stages. Stage zero is characterised by no symptoms. Stage six brings active sores on the legs. People are usually diagnosed at stage three, when swelling is noticeable. A study published in the European Heart Journal in 2021 found CVI was associated with the presence of heart disease, and patients with it were at increased risk of dying during six years of follow up, regardless of their age or other health conditions. How is CVI treated? Doctors must first rule out serious causes of leg swelling, such as heart problems, kidney disease or blood clots. There is no cure for CVI, so treatment is aimed at alleviating pain and pressure. Treatment options depend on patient choice, severity of the condition and fitness levels. Lifestyle changes are the first step, including increasing exercise and elevating the legs above the heart several times a day. Dr Anahita Dua, a vascular surgeon at Mass General Brigham, said people with the condition can reduce the swelling by wearing medical-grade compression socks or stockings, to help the blood circulate back to the heart. Medications may be prescribed to increase blood flow through the vessels or help ulcers heal. Laser ablation, a minimally invasive procedure, may be done to seal the vein and improve overall blood flow. In more serious cases, sclerotherapy, in which a chemical is injected into the affected veins, may be used. The chemical causes scarring in the veins so that they no longer carry blood. Blood then returns to the heart through other veins.
