Taking the stairs could cut risk of early death

 Two and a half years ago I bought a 4 level condo, 7 steps per level, that is what will keep me travelling to Europe for decades to come. Not doing steps is tantamount to giving up on life.

Taking the stairs could cut risk of early death

Taking the stairs will help you live longer – according to new research from the University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

A major new study published today reveals that climbing the stairs significantly reduces the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

Over the course of the study, people who regularly climb stairs were 39 per cent less likely to die from heart-related problems and 24 per cent less likely to die from any cause - compared with people who don't climb stairs as often.

The study also reveals that people who climbed the stairs were less likely to develop major cardiovascular conditions such as heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

Prof Vassilios Vassiliou, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide - with cases nearly doubling between 1990 and 2019.

“But it is largely preventable through a healthy lifestyle - including regular physical activity, a heart-healthy diet, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, and managing blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.

“Taking the stairs is a practical and often overlooked way to build physical activity into daily life. 

“We wanted to better understand how this everyday activity could have life-saving potential.”

Strong evidence from large-scale analysis

The research team investigated whether climbing stairs could play a role in reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease and premature death.

After reviewing nearly 1,900 studies, they analysed data from more than 480,000 participants across nine high quality studies with a median follow-up period of 14 years.

The study population included both healthy participants and those with a previous history of heart problems. Ages ranged from 35 to 84 years old and 53 per cent of participants were women.

Dr Sophie Paddock, also from UEA’s Norwich Medical School and a cardiology specialist registrar at the NNUH, said: “After pooling results from over 450,000 participants, we found a consistent association between stair climbing and lower risk of both cardiovascular death and overall mortality.

“Unlike going to the gym or doing a workout, climbing the stairs is something you can easily fit into your day at home, at work or when you're out. It's a good option for people who don't have much time or easy access to exercise.

“So if you have the choice of taking the stairs or the lift, go for the stairs as it will help your heart.

“Even brief bursts of physical activity have beneficial health impacts, and short bouts of stair climbing should be an achievable target to integrate into daily routines.”

Previous research cited in the study showed that just minutes of stair climbing several times a week can improve cardiorespiratory fitness and lower cholesterol. 

One large cohort study included in the analysis suggested that climbing around six flights of stairs per day may deliver the greatest benefit, although researchers say the optimal “dose” requires further investigation.

Dr Paddock said: “Some of the studies we looked at showed that the more stairs climbed, the greater the health benefits. But even small changes had a measurable impact.”

A simple step forward

The findings reinforce broader evidence that even short bursts of physical activity can have meaningful health benefits.

Prof Vassiliou said: “With more than a quarter of adults worldwide failing to meet recommended activity levels, choosing to take the stairs offers a realistic, scalable intervention. 

“Encouraging people to take the stairs in workplaces, public buildings and homes could form part of a wider strategy to reduce cardiovascular disease at population level.”

Not for everyone

While the benefits are clear, researchers caution that stair climbing may not be suitable for everyone - particularly those with mobility issues or joint conditions. 

They also highlight the need for future research using wearable technology to measure activity more accurately and determine optimal recommendations.

‘Evaluating the Impact of Stair Climbing on Cardiovascular Risk Reduction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis’ is published in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs. 

How You Take Your Coffee May Impact Your Risk of Early Death

 If you provide research that tells me 1-2 cups a day reduces dementia and Parkinson's risk, then I'll change my habit, but until then this is occurring:

And I'm doing it to lower my risk of dementia and Parkinsions.  Research suggests caffeine is not the main reason for these other benefits, go ask your incompetent doctor for clarification.

But is being a psychopath the reason for a longer life? Ask your doctor which way on coffee is correct. S/he won't know anything specific. 

Like Your Coffee Black? Congratulations, You Could Be a Psychopath

How coffee protects against Parkinson’s Aug. 2014 

Coffee May Lower Your Risk of Dementia Feb. 2013

Coffee drinkers rejoice! Drinking coffee could lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease 

And this: Coffee's Phenylindanes Fight Alzheimer's Plaque December 2018

New research suggests drinking coffee may reduce the risk of frailty May 2025

I think I'm in this category:  I never get the jitters or flushed skin.

Genetics determine how much coffee you can drink before it goes wrong

I'm doing a 12 cup pot of coffee a day with full fat milk to lessen my chances of dementia and Parkinsons. Tell me EXACTLY how much coffee to drink for that and I'll change. Yep, that is a lot more than the 400mg. suggested limit, I don't care! Preventing dementia and Parkinsons is vastly more important than whatever problems it can cause! 

The latest here:

How You Take Your Coffee May Impact Your Risk of Early Death

Summary: A new study finds that drinking 1–2 cups of black or lightly sweetened coffee per day is associated with a lower risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease. Using national survey data from over 46,000 adults, researchers found a 14–17% reduction in mortality risk among moderate coffee drinkers, but only when sugar and saturated fat were kept low.

Heavily sweetened or creamed coffee did not show the same benefit, weakening the link between coffee and health. The findings suggest that how you take your coffee may be just as important as how much you drink.

Key Facts:

• Moderate Coffee Intake: 1–2 cups of black or lightly sweetened coffee linked to 14–17% lower mortality risk.
• Additives Matter: High levels of added sugar or saturated fat diminish coffee’s potential health benefits.
• No Cancer Link: No significant association was found between coffee and cancer-related deaths.

Source: Tufts University

While you’re probably not pouring your morning cup for the long-term health benefits, coffee consumption has been linked to lower risk of mortality.

In a new observational study, researchers from the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University found the association between coffee consumption and mortality risk changes with the amount of sweeteners and saturated fat added to the beverage. 

The same link was not observed for coffee with high amounts of added sugar and saturated fat. Credit: Neuroscience News

The study, published online in The Journal of Nutrition, found that consumption of 1-2 cups of caffeinated coffee per day was linked to a lower risk of death from all causes and death from cardiovascular disease.

Black coffee and coffee with low levels of added sugar and saturated fat were associated with a 14% lower risk of all-cause mortality as compared to no coffee consumption. The same link was not observed for coffee with high amounts of added sugar and saturated fat. 

“Coffee is among the most-consumed beverages in the world, and with nearly half of American adults reporting drinking at least one cup per day, it’s important for us to know what it might mean for health,” said Fang Fang Zhang, senior author of the study and the Neely Family Professor at the Friedman School.

“The health benefits of coffee might be attributable to its bioactive compounds, but our results suggest that the addition of sugar and saturated fat may reduce the mortality benefits.” 

The study analyzed data from nine consecutive cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2018, linked to National Death Index Mortality Data.

The study included a nationally representative sample of 46,000 adults aged 20 years and older who completed valid first-day 24-hour dietary recalls. Coffee consumption was categorized by type (caffeinated or decaffeinated), sugar, and saturated fat content.

Mortality outcomes included all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Low added sugar (from granulated sugar, honey, and syrup) was defined as under 5% of the Daily Value, which is 2.5 grams per 8-ounce cup or approximately half a teaspoon of sugar.

Low saturated fat (from milk, cream, and half-and-half) was defined as 5% of the Daily Value, or 1 gram per 8-ounce cup or the equivalent of 5 tablespoons of 2% milk, 1 tablespoon of light cream, or 1 tablespoon of half-and-half.    

In the study, consumption of at least one cup per day was associated with a 16% lower risk of all-cause mortality. At 2-3 cups per day, the link rose to 17%.

Consumption beyond three cups per day was not associated with additional reductions, and the link between coffee and a lower risk of death by cardiovascular disease weakened when coffee consumption was more than three cups per day. No significant associations were seen between coffee consumption and cancer mortality. 

“Few studies have examined how coffee additives could impact the link between coffee consumption and mortality risk, and our study is among the first to quantify how much sweetener and saturated fat are being added,” said first author Bingjie Zhou, a recent Ph.D. graduate from the nutrition epidemiology and data science program at the Friedman School.

“Our results align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans which recommend limiting added sugar and saturated fat.” 

Limitations of the study include the fact that self-reported recall data is subject to measurement error due to day-to-day variations in food intake.

The lack of significant associations between decaffeinated coffee and all-cause mortality could be due to the low consumption among the population studied. 

Additional authors are Yongyi Pan and Lu Wang, both of the Friedman School, and Mengyuan Ruan, a graduate of the Friedman School.  

Funding: The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities under award number R01MD011501. Complete information on methodology is available in the published paper.

The content is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views the National Institutes of Health. 

About this diet and longevity research news

Author: Lisa LaPoint
Source: Tufts University
Contact: Lisa LaPoint – Tufts University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access.
“Coffee Consumption and Mortality among United States Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study” by Fang Fang Zhang et al. Journal of Nutrition

Drinking just 1 cup of coffee a week protects your heart and lowers your risk of early death, study finds

 This is not the reason I drink coffee. I do it for the following.

How coffee protects against Parkinson’s Aug. 2014  

Two Compounds in Coffee May Team Up to Fight Parkinson's  

Coffee May Lower Your Risk of Dementia Feb. 2013

 

 The latest here:

Drinking just 1 cup of coffee a week protects your heart and lowers your risk of early death, study finds

 

• Drinking just one cup of coffee a week could help prevent early death, according to a new study.

• Heart attack survivors could especially benefit from drinking coffee, researchers found.

• People with a history of stroke, though, were better off drinking lots of green tea, data suggested.

• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

There's even more evidence that coffee can be good for your health.

Regularly drinking coffee, even in small amounts, is linked to lower risk of early death, particularly for heart attack survivors but also for healthy adults, according to research published February 4 in Stroke, a journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers from Osaka University, the University of Tsukuba, and Hokkaido University in Japan looked at data from more than 46,000 Japanese adults, tracking their tea and coffee drinking habits and health outcomes.

- ADVERTISEMENT -

They found that, in general, those who drank at least one cup of coffee a week were 14% less likely to die of any cause during the study. For heart attack survivors, the effect was even stronger, reducing risk of early death by 22%.

Read more: Refined carbs like white bread, pasta, and pastries could increase risk of early death, a study found

The one group that didn't seem to benefit from drinking coffee was people with a history of stroke. Researchers found they benefit better from drinking lots of green tea - at least seven cups a day reduced their risk of early death by 62%.

For people without a history of stroke, green tea didn't seem to make a different for health outcomes.

Skip the milk and sugar

It's not clear from this study why green tea and coffee might be beneficial. The results of the study are observational, so they don't show that drinking those beverage can directly cause health improvements.

A key factor, though, is that both coffee and tea are often consumed without milk or sugar in Japan, which could be important to maximize the benefits.

"The healthiest way to prepare these beverages is without an unnecessary amount of added sugars," Dr. Hiroyasu Iso, co-author of the study and a professor of public health at Osaka University, said in a press release.

Coffee and tea have a wealth of benefits, according to research

Previous studies suggest that coffee and tea (of all kinds) are high in phytonutrients, plant-based compounds that are good for our health.

One recent study found that tea could help lower blood pressure, since it's rich in a particular type of micronutrients called flavanols (also found in apples and berries).

Coffee is also rich in healthy nutrients, with high levels of antioxidants that can lower inflammation and reduce the risk of heart disease, research suggests.

Both coffee and tea contain some caffeine, which can have health benefits like more energy and a healthy metabolism, but also side effects like nausea or jitters in high doses. The caffeine in tea, however, is low enough that it's unlikely to cause health issues.

Extensive research has found that it's safe to drink up to five cups of coffee a day for good health.

Well, there is nothing that tells me how much to drink for Parkinsons and dementia prevention . So to be sure I'm not low I drink up to 12 cups a day.

Read the original article on Insider

 

Another Study Links Red Meat to Early Death

Your doctor has a bit of explaining to do to reconcile these competing studies;

Total red meat intake of ≥ 0.5 servings/d does not negatively influence cardiovascular disease risk factors: A systemically searched meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Study: Protein from meat, fish may help men age well

Study links eating more protein to lowered stroke risk

Frequent red meat eaters at higher risk of stroke

A case-control study on red meat consumption and risk of stroke among a group of Iranian adults

  The latest here:

 Another Study Links Red Meat to Early Death

Heme iron and nitrate additives implicated in population-based study

• by Alexandria Bachert
  Staff Writer, MedPage Today May 10, 2017

Action Points

• Intake of both processed and unprocessed red meat was associated with all-cause and cause-specific mortality, in part due to heme iron and nitrate or nitrite.
• Note that replacing red meat with white meat, particularly unprocessed white meat, was associated with reduced mortality risk.

Intake of both processed and unprocessed red meat was associated with all-cause and cause-specific mortality, in part due to heme iron and nitrate or nitrite, reported researchers.
In a large U.S. cohort of more than 500,00 people, red meat intake was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality during the median 15.6 years of follow-up (HR 1.26 for highest versus lowest fifth, 95% CI 1.23-1.29), with a similar impact for unprocessed and processed red meat at the same level of intake, Arash Etemadi, MD, PhD, of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues reported in The BMJ.
The risk was higher too for death due to all the specific causes looked at -- cancer, diseases of the heart, stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases, respiratory disease, diabetes mellitus, infections, kidney disease, and chronic liver disease -- except Alzheimer's disease.
Heme iron and particularly nitrate or nitrite added in processing appeared to drive the associations with processed red meat, mediating 20.9% to 24.1% and 37.0% to 72.0%, respectively, of the increased mortality risks.
"This is the largest study, so far, to show increased mortality risks from different causes associated with consuming both processed and unprocessed red meat, and it underlines the importance of heme iron, nitrates, and nitrites in assessing the pathways related to health risks associated with red meat intake," wrote Etemadi and colleagues.
The group studied baseline dietary data on 536,969 people ages 50 to 71 years from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study -- a prospective cohort of the general population from six states (California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania) and two metropolitan areas (Atlanta and Detroit).
Participants completed a 124-item food frequency questionnaire on their intake of total meat, processed and unprocessed red meat (beef, lamb, and pork) and white meat (poultry and fish), heme iron, and nitrate/nitrite from processed meat.
The researchers then calculated daily intake of heme iron based on measurements of the heme iron content of a variety of fresh and processed meats, multiplied by the reported meat consumption. They divided all nutritional variables by the daily calorie intake and categorized the calorie adjusted values into fifths for the entire cohort.
Participants with higher red meat consumption were more likely to have diabetes, poor or fair perception of their health status, and less physical activity. They were less likely to have high socioeconomic status scores and to be college graduates or postgraduates.
The strongest associations were seen for death due to chronic liver disease (HR 2.30, 95% CI 1.78-2.99), followed by diabetes (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.24-1.55), respiratory diseases (HR 1.38, 95% CI 1.29-1.48), and kidney disease (HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.16-1.58).
Additionally, dietary heme iron and nitrate/nitrite from processed meat were independently associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality and cause specific mortality.
The researchers also found that replacing red meat with white meat, particularly unprocessed white meat, was associated with reduced mortality risk. This was seen even without changing total meat intake.
They noted that people in the highest category of white meat intake had a 25% reduction in risk of all-cause mortality compared with those in the lowest intake level (HR 0.75, 0.74-0.77).
"The fact that poultry and fish intake are inversely related to risk and contain little of these agents adds plausibility to their causal interpretation," noted an accompanying editorial. While focusing largely on the impact of red meat consumption on the planet, it added, "The important conclusion is that the current patterns of consumption of red and processed meat are not good for humans."
Etemadi suggested that oxidative stress may be the underlying common mechanism for many of these findings.
Study limitations included potential measurement error, as well as the use of a single dietary assessment at the beginning of the follow-up which prevented evaluation of the changes in diet over this time period.

Thestudy was supported by the Intramural Research Program in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics and the U.S. National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute.
The authors reported no financial disclosures of interest.

• Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner

• Primary Source

  BMJ

  Source Reference: Etemadi A, et al "Mortality from different causes associated with meat, heme iron, nitrates, and nitrites in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study: population based cohort study" BMJ 2017; DOI: 10.1136/bmj.j1957.

• Secondary Source

  BMJ

  Source Reference: Potter JD "Red and processed

6 Signs That You’re Going to Die Early

I'm going to die of something stupid after age 94. 

6 Signs That You’re Going to Die Early

If you were to just take a look at the most common ways people die in modern America, you can probably count on the fact that you’re going to die as a result of heart disease or cancer at some point down the line. And again, you can take steps to lower your odds of that happening starting today. If you’re serious about living a long and healthy life, see if any of these other signs apply to you and your present condition.
If they do, death may come knocking sooner than you’d like.

1. Your physical shape

Yeah, I'm 35 ponds over what I should be at. I'm not worrying about it, it will slowly be whittled away.

2. Gnarly nails

Nope.

3. A weak sense of smell

Nope, I can still smell the different red wine aromas and bouquets. Not that I can tell the wine type based on that. But I can spout wine terms with the best of them. It had hints of white peaches with an angular crossing of acids and tannins.

4. Grip strength

Right hand was 100 lbs plus in the hospital, left hand maybe made it to 20 pounds.

5. Educational attainment

Bachelor of Science degree, dropped out of MBA program 2 classes short. It became not important since I found out I hated management and I would have needed an A in one of those classes to match to the C I got earlier in order to maintain a B average for graduating. Sometimes you just have to give up, declare failure.

6. Bad breath

Nope.

This Test Could Predict Your Death — Would You Pass?

Almost immediately post-stroke I'm sure most of us would fail this test. And I'm now 8.75 years later and still going strong. Have your doctor evaluate your longevity.
https://www.yahoo.com/health/this-test-could-predict-your-death-would-you-112506919122.html
Want to make sure you’ll be around in 10 years? Hop on a treadmill: After analyzing 58,000 stress tests, Johns Hopkins researchers determined — with great accuracy — that the results of a treadmill test could predict risk of death over a decade.

Reaction Time and Mortality from the Major Causes of Death: The NHANES-III Study

Now if we could just do this exact same study on survivors to see if this would be a predictive test for our dying that would be any better than the other ones out there. Your doctor should have  given you some type of test to tell you your chance of dying in x amount of time. And then if they were any good they would be keeping track of results to see if that prediction tool was any good. But that makes the assumption that your doctor is competent. Good luck with that.
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0082959

• Gareth Hagger-Johnson mail,
  
  
• Ian J. Deary,
• Carolyn A. Davies,
• Alexander Weiss,
• G. David Batty

• Published: January 29, 2014
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082959

Abstract

Objective

Studies examining the relation of information processing speed, as measured by reaction time, with mortality are scarce. We explored these associations in a representative sample of the US population.

Methods

Participants were 5,134 adults (2,342 men) aged 20–59 years from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988–94).

Results

Adjusted for age, sex, and ethnic minority status, a 1 SD slower reaction time was associated with a raised risk of mortality from all-causes (HR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.12, 1.39) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) (HR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.17, 1.58). Having 1 SD more variable reaction time was also associated with greater risk of all-cause (HR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.19, 1.55) and CVD (HR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.33, 1.70) mortality. No associations were observed for cancer mortality. The magnitude of the relationships was comparable in size to established risk factors in this dataset, such as smoking.

Interpretation

Alongside better-established risk factors, reaction time is associated with increased risk of premature death and cardiovascular disease. It is a candidate risk factor for all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

Slow reaction time linked with early death

Our researchers should be able to easily replicate this study in stroke survivors to see if the same results occur. Then you could ask your doctor what can be done to speed up your reaction time. And after you pick yourself up off the floor from laughing at the answer you can go home and google your own answer.
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=138413&CultureCode=en
Having a slow reaction time in midlife increases risk of having died 15 years later, according to new research published in the journal PLOS ONE.
 Researchers from UCL and the University of Edinburgh looked at data from more than 5,000 participants (age 20 to 59) collected from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES-III) in the US. At the start of the study in 1990s, participants visited an examination centre and had their reaction times measured. The task was very simple – they had to press a button when they saw an image appear on a computer screen. Over the next 15 years, they were followed to record who had died and who survived.
A total of 378 (7.4%) people in the sample died, but those with slower reaction times were 25% more likely to have died (from any cause) compared to those with average reaction times. This remained the case after the researchers had accounted for the participants’ age, sex, ethnic group, socio-economic background and lifestyle factors into account. There was no relationship between reaction time and death from cancer or respiratory problems.
Lead researcher Dr Gareth Hagger-Johnson, from the UCL Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, said: “Reaction time is thought to reflect a basic aspect of the central nervous system and speed of information processing is considered a basic cognitive ability (mental skill). Our research shows that a simple test of reaction time in adulthood can predict survival, independently of age, sex, ethnic group and socio-economic background. Reaction time may indicate how well our central nervous and other systems in the body are working. People who are consistently slow to respond to new information may go on to experience problems that increase their risk of early death. In the future, we may be able to use reaction times to monitor health and survival. For now, a healthy lifestyle is the best thing people can do in order to live longer”.

• Full bibliographic informationThe paper, "Reaction time and mortality from the major causes of death: The NHANES-III study”, will be published in the journal PLOS ONE on January 29th (5pm EST).