JAMA news releases are made available to the public after 3 pm US Central time on the first 4 Tuesdays of each month. The Archives Journals news releases are made available to the public after 3 pm Central time on Mondays. We also provide a list of previous news releases.
THIS WEEK'S CONTENT
JAMA NEWS RELEASES
(Embargoed for Release: 3 p.m. CT, Tuesday, September 21, 2004)
JAMA NEWS RELEASES
COMBINATION OF MEDITERRANEAN DIET AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEATH RATE FOR ELDERLY
WALKING ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED RISK OF DEMENTIA IN OLDER MEN
REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, INCLUDING WALKING, ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER MENTAL FUNCTIONING IN OLDER WOMEN
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THESE NEWS RELEASES IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT. JOURNAL ATTRIBUTION IS REQUIRED.
TV Note: This week's JAMA video news release is on the relation of physical activity, including walking, to cognitive function in older women. The release will be fed Tuesday, September 21, from 9:00 - 9:30 a.m. ET on Intelsat America 6 (formerly Telstar 6), Transponder 11 (C-Band) and from 2:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET on Intelsat America 6, Transponder 11 (C-Band). For more information, call 312/464-JAMA (5262).
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mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org
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Please Note: Because JAMA does not publish on the 5th Wednesday of a month, there will be no JAMA or news releases for September 29.
Embargoed for Release: 3 p.m. CT, TUESDAY, September 21, 2004
Media Advisory: To contact Kim Knoops, M.Sc., email: kim.knoops{at}wur.nl.
To contact the 2nd study's corresponding author, Dario Giugliano, M.D., Ph.D., email: dario.giugliano{at}unina2.it.
To contact editorial author Eric B. Rimm, Sc.D., call Kevin Myron at 617-432-3952.
COMBINATION OF MEDITERRANEAN DIET AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEATH RATE FOR ELDERLY
CHICAGO—Individuals 70 to 90 years old who adhered to a Mediterranean-type diet and several healthy lifestyle habits had a more than 50 percent lower death rate than those who did not, according to a study in the September 22/29 issue of JAMA.
Because of the cumulative effect of adverse factors throughout life, it is particularly important for older persons to adopt diet and lifestyle practices that minimize their risk of death from illness and maximize their prospects for healthful aging, according to background information in the article. Dietary patterns and lifestyle factors are associated with death from all causes, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, but few studies have investigated these factors in combination.
Kim Knoops, M.Sc., of Wageningen University, the Netherlands and colleagues investigated the single and combined effect of a Mediterranean diet (rich in plant foods and fish, low in meat and dairy products, and with a high ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids to polyunsaturated fatty acids), being physically active (approximately 30 minutes of activity per day or more), moderate alcohol use, and nonsmoking on all-cause and cause-specific death in European elderly individuals. The study, HALE (Healthy Ageing: a Longitudinal study in Europe), was conducted between 1988 and 2000 and was comprised of individuals enrolled in the Survey in Europe on Nutrition and the Elderly: a Concerned Action (SENECA) and the Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Elderly (FINE) studies. It included 1,507 apparently healthy men and 832 women, aged 70 to 90 years in 11 European countries.
The researchers found that adhering to a Mediterranean diet was associated with a 23 percent lower risk of all-cause death; moderate alcohol use, a 22 percent lower risk; physical activity, a 37 percent lower risk; and nonsmoking, a 35 percent lower risk. Similar results were observed for death from coronary heart disease, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Having all four low risk factors lowered the all-cause death rate by 65 percent. In total, 60 percent of all deaths, 64 percent of deaths from coronary heart disease, 61 percent from cardiovascular diseases, and 60 percent from cancer were associated with lack of adherence to this low-risk pattern.
(JAMA. 2004;292:1433-1439. Available post-embargo at jama.com)
Editor's Note: This study, based on the HALE project, was supported by a grant from the European Union (to co-author Mr. Kromhout).
MEDITERRANEAN-STYLE DIET MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING PREVALENCE OF METABOLIC SYNDROME AND ASSOCIATED CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS
In another study in this issue of JAMA, Katherine Esposito, M.D., of the Second University of Naples, Italy, and colleagues demonstrated that a Mediterranean-style diet had beneficial effects on endothelial (a layer of flat cells lining the closed internal spaces of the body, including the blood vessels) function and in reducing vascular inflammatory markers in patients with the metabolic syndrome.
According to background information in the article, the metabolic syndrome consists of several factors that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Recent estimates indicate that the metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent in the United States, with an estimated 24 percent of the adult population affected. Its clinical identification is based on measures of abdominal obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia (the formation of high levels of lipid deposits in the arteries), elevated blood pressure, and glucose intolerance. The metabolic syndrome has been identified as a target for dietary therapies to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease; however, the role of diet as contributing to the metabolic syndrome is poorly understood.
The randomized trial was conducted from June 2001 to January 2004 at a university hospital in Italy among 180 patients (99 men and 81 women) with the metabolic syndrome. Patients in the intervention group (n=90) were instructed to follow a Mediterranean-style diet and received detailed advice about how to increase daily consumption of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and olive oil; patients in the control group (n=90) followed a prudent diet (carbohydrates, 50 percent-60 percent; proteins, 15 percent-20 percent; total fat, less than 30 percent).
The researchers found that after 2 years, patients in the Mediterranean diet intervention group had significant decreases in body weight, blood pressure, levels of glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, and triglycerides and a significant increase in levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, all of which were greater than those recorded in the control group. Serum concentrations of interleukins 6 (IL-6), 7 (IL-7), and 18 (IL-18) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were significantly reduced in patients in the intervention group compared with those in the control group. Endothelial function score improved in the intervention group but remained stable in the control group. Forty patients consuming the intervention diet still had features of the metabolic syndrome, compared with 78 patients consuming the control diet. Participants who followed the intervention diet showed a reduction in the number of the components of the syndrome such that the overall prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was reduced by approximately one half.
"The results of this study represent the first demonstration, to our knowledge, that a Mediterranean-style diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, walnuts, and olive oil might be effective in reducing both the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its associated cardiovascular risk," the authors conclude.
(JAMA. 2004;292:1440-1446. Available post-embargo at jama.com)
Editor's Note: This study was funded by the Second University of Naples.
EDITORIAL: DIET, LIFESTYLE, AND LONGEVITY-THE NEXT STEPS?
In an accompanying editorial, Eric B. Rimm, Sc.D., and Meir J. Stampfer, M.D., Dr.P.H., of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, write that although understanding of the relation of lifestyle and health outcomes will continue to be refined, information available now is sufficient to take action.
"Knoops et al have identified a simple set of lifestyle practices that can reduce the mortality rate among elderly individuals by nearly two-thirds. Esposito and colleagues provide evidence of the possible mechanisms for such effects. Both studies are supported by prior data. As a society, the United States spends billions on chronic disease treatments and interventions for risk factors. Although these are useful and important, a fraction of that investment to promote healthful lifestyles for primary prevention among individuals at all ages would yield greater benefit," the authors write.
(JAMA. 2004;292:1490-1492. Available post-embargo at jama.com)
For More Information: Contact the JAMA/Archives Media Relations Department at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or email: mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org (please note new email address).
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Embargoed for Release: 3 p.m. CT, TUESDAY, September 21, 2004
Media Advisory: To contact Robert D. Abbott, Ph.D., call Bob Beard at 434-982-4490.
WALKING ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCED RISK OF DEMENTIA IN OLDER MEN
CHICAGO—Older men who walked the least in a comparison group had nearly twice the risk for dementia compared to men who walked the most, according to a study in the September 22/29 issue of JAMA.
Evidence suggests that physical activity may be related to the clinical expression of dementia, according to background information in the article. Whether the association includes low-intensity activity such as walking has not been known.
Robert D. Abbott, Ph.D., of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Va., and colleagues examined the association between walking and future risk of dementia in older men.
The study included 2,257 physically capable men aged 71 to 93 years in the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Distance walked per day was assessed from 1991 to 1993. Follow-up for incident dementia was based on neurological assessment at 2 repeat examinations (1994-1996 and 1997-1999).
The researchers found that after adjusting for age, men who walked the least (less than 0.25 mile/day) experienced a 1.8-fold excess risk of dementia compared with those who walked more than 2 miles/day. Men who walked 0.25 to 1 mile/day experienced a 71 percent increased risk of dementia compared to men who walked the most (more than 2 miles/day). These associations persisted after accounting for other factors, including the possibility that limited amounts of walking could be the result of a decline in physical function due to preclinical dementia.
"There are no clear explanations for the relation between walking and dementia," the authors write. "Although associations were independent of other study characteristics that were determined at the time when walking was assessed, it may be that men who walk frequently are more resistant to risk factor changes or transitions into adverse risk factor states. Although changes in risk factor status in the course of follow-up were not considered in the current study (nor were such data always available), it would be important to determine if men who walk regularly are less prone to development of intervening conditions that have a closer link with dementia."
"Although complex, this study and past evidence suggest that walking and active lifestyles in general are associated with a reduced risk of dementia," the researchers conclude.
(JAMA. 2004;292:1447-1453. Available post-embargo at jama.com)
Editor's Note: This study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and by the Office of Research and Development, Medical Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs.
For More Information: Contact the JAMA/Archives Media Relations Department at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or email: mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org
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Embargoed for Release: 3 p.m. CT, TUESDAY, September 21, 2004
Media Advisory: To contact Jennifer Weuve, Sc.D., call Kevin Myron at 617-432-3952.
REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, INCLUDING WALKING, ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER MENTAL FUNCTIONING IN OLDER WOMEN
CHICAGO—Women aged 70 years and older who participated in higher levels of physical activity scored better on cognitive performance tests and showed less cognitive decline than women who were less active, according to an article in the September 22/29 issue of JAMA.
Adults aged 65 years and older, a group at high risk for developing dementia, will soon be the fastest growing age segment in the United States, according to background information in the article. Studies suggest that exercise may reduce the risk of cognitive decline. However, the intensity of exercise needed to maintain cognitive function is uncertain, according to the article.
Jennifer Weuve, Sc.D., from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues surveyed 18,766 women, aged 70 to 81 years, on their physical activity in biennial questionnaires beginning in 1986. Telephone interviews with the women were conducted from 1995 to 2001, testing general cognition, verbal memory, category fluency, and attention. The women were participants in the Nurses' Health Study, a survey begun in 1976, assessing medical history and health-related behaviors.
The researches found that higher levels of physical exercise were linked to better cognitive performance. The women were divided into five groups depending on their average energy expenditures, one being the lowest and five the highest; groups two through five scored higher on the cognitive performance tests than those in group one. Also, those in the highest activity grouping had a 20 percent lower risk of cognitive impairment than those women in the lowest. Women who walked at an easy pace for at least 1.5 hours per week had higher cognitive scores than those who walked less than forty minutes per week. Women in the two groups with the highest rates of physical activity had significantly less cognitive decline than women with the lowest rate of physical activity.
The authors write: "...the apparent cognitive benefits of greater physical activity were similar in extent to being about three years younger in age and were associated with a twenty percent lower risk of cognitive impairment. The association was not restricted to women engaging in vigorous activities..."
"In summary, in our study, as well as in other epidemiologic investigations, higher levels of physical activity, including walking, are associated with better cognitive function and less cognitive decline."
(JAMA. 2004;292:1454-1461. Available post-embargo at jama.com)
Editor's Note: This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Weuve was partially supported by a training grant from the National Institute on Aging.
For More Information: Contact the JAMA/Archives Media Relations Department at 312/464-JAMA (5262) or email: mediarelations{at}jama-archives.org
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JAMA VIDEO NEWS REPORT
REGULAR WALKING ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER MEMORY, LEARNING AND ATTENTION IN OLDER WOMEN
VIDEO:
Arleen walking on city sidewalk
AUDIO:
ARLEEN KULIN (Q-linn) ALREADY KNOWS THAT WALKING IS GOOD FOR HER.
VIDEO:
SOT/FULL
@ :04
Super: Arleen Kulin
Walks for exercise
Runs :03
AUDIO:
“I walk about an hour every day.”
VIDEO:
Older women walking on city sidewalk
AUDIO:
BUT WHAT SHE DIDN’T KNOW IS THAT A NEW STUDY OF OLDER WOMEN SAYS REGULAR WALKING IS NOT JUST GOOD FOR THE BODY, IT’S GOOD FOR THE BRAIN.
VIDEO:
SOT/FULL 20:28-:35
@ :13
Super: Jennifer Weuve, Sc.D.
Harvard School of Public Health
Runs:07
AUDIO:
“Better memory, learning and attention may be achieved by walking as little as 2 to 3 hours per week.”
VIDEO:
Dr. Weave and colleague going over data
Older woman walking on city sidewalk
Different older woman walking on city sidewalk
Different older woman walking on city sidewalk
AUDIO:
DR. JENNIFER WEUVE (weeve) AND HER COLLEAGUES AT HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND THREE OTHER INSTITUTIONS TRACKED THE EXERCISE HABITS OF MORE THAN 18-THOUSAND OLDER WOMEN OVER A PERIOD OF 8 TO 15 YEARS. THEN, WHEN THE WOMEN REACHED AGE 70 AND OLDER, RESEARCHERS TESTED THE WOMEN’S COGNITIVE ABILITIES -- THEIR MEMORY, LEARNING AND ATTENTION -- OVER A TWO-YEAR PERIOD.
VIDEO:
GFX/JAMA COVER
AUDIO:
THE TEST RESULTS ARE PART OF THE STUDY PUBLISHED IN JAMA, THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.
VIDEO:
SOT/FULL
Jennifer Weuve, Sc.D.
Harvard School of Public Health
Runs: 15
AUDIO:
"Women who performed a moderate amount of activity, on the order of walking two to three hours at an easy pace every week, performed significantly better on these tests of cognition than women who walked less than one hour per week."
VIDEO:
Older women walking on city sidewalk
SOT/FULL Jennifer Weuve, Sc.D.
Harvard School of Public Health
Runs: 07
BACK-TIME ARLEEN
SOT/FULL
Arleen Kulin
Walks for exercise
Runs :04
Arleen walking on city street
AUDIO:
AND WOMEN WHO WALKED SIX OR MORE HOURS PER WEEK SAW EVEN LESS DECLINE IN THEIR COGNITIVE FUNCTION.
"This is good news because walking is a relatively easy way for people to preserve their learning, memory and attention."
ARLEEN KULIN IS ALREADY FEELING THE BENEFITS OF WALKING.
"I’m feeling a lot of positive energy at this moment."
AND WALKING MAY HELP HER FIGHT OFF DEMENTIA AS WELL.
THIS IS MAVIS PRALL REPORTING.
