A South Austin Gym

Latest Entry: RA and Drinking

Moderate drinking has been linked to a variety of health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. According to a new study, drinking alcohol may also ease the pain of -- and lower the risk of developing -- rheumatoid arthritis, a potentially crippling autoimmune disorder. People who don't drink alcohol are roughly four times more likely to have rheumatoid arthritis than people who have at least one drink three or more days per week, the study found. The researchers also found that rheumatoid arthritis patients who drink alcohol tend to have less severe symptoms than their nondrinking counterparts. And the more often they drink, the milder their symptoms are. An estimated 1.3 million adults in the U.S. have rheumatoid arthritis, a disorder in which the body's immune system inappropriately attacks the joints, causing inflammation, pain, and swelling. Some people experience temporary or intermittent symptoms, but severe cases of the disorder can be disabling. Moderate drinking has been linked to a variety of health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. According to a new study, drinking alcohol may also ease the pain of -- and lower the risk of developing -- rheumatoid arthritis, a potentially crippling autoimmune disorder. This doesn't mean that rheumatoid arthritis patients should head for the nearest bar or liquor store. Maxwell and his colleagues looked only at how many days per month the participants drank, not how much they downed at each sitting or what they filled their glasses with, so the link between overall alcohol use and rheumatoid arthritis remains a bit fuzzy. In addition, some rheumatoid arthritis drugs -- such as methotrexate -- can cause liver damage if consumed with alcohol. This study is by no means encouraging people to go out and get hammered, but as long as there are no [drug] contraindications, there may be some benefits to moderate alcohol consumption if you have RA or are at increased risk for it. In the study, which appears in the journal Rheumatology, Maxwell and his colleagues asked 873 people with rheumatoid arthritis and roughly 1,000 people without it to estimate how many days in the past month they'd had at least one drink. The researchers measured the severity of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms using questionnaires, joint X-rays, and blood tests that gauge inflammation. People who'd had a drink on more than 10 days in the past month were less likely to have rheumatoid arthritis than people who didn't drink at all, and if they did have the disorder, they tended to have less severe symptoms according to each of the measures the researchers used. Drinking alcohol doesn't necessarily prevent rheumatoid arthritis, however. Experts believe a complex mix of genetic, environmental, and hormonal factors causes the disorder, so while alcohol consumption may affect a person's risk, it's unlikely to be the deciding factor. More studies will be needed to confirm the apparent benefits of alcohol on rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers did not follow the participants over time, so they were unable to track how long-term drinking habits, or changes in those habits, may affect the disorder. Austin Fitness Center: A South Austin, TX Gym: 7-29-2010

Entry 352: Drinking

Although alcohol in moderation may have health benefits for some people, excess intake can foil efforts at weight management, contribute to hypoglycemic episodes in people who have diabetes, impair our ability to maintain optimal nutritional status and contribute to the development of depression. Alcohol contributes seven calories per gram. Yet, when it comes to weight management, the math is not this simple. Alcohol intake can increase your appetite by as much as 20 percent and displace foods that provide needed nutrients. Alcohol also impairs the absorption and metabolism of vitamins such as folate, B12 and thiamin. Excess alcohol intake can prevent liver cells from processing vitamin D, placing drinkers at risk for vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin A status can deteriorate as the cells in the eye, which normally process one form of vitamin A to the active form needed for vision, are processing ethanol instead as a result of excess alcohol intake. Ultimately, excess alcohol contributes to the development of fatty liver disease and chronic disease such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Once fatty liver develops, it increases the risk for glucose intolerance, otherwise called "prediabetes," and Type 2 Diabetes. For people with diabetes, maintaining consistent blood glucose is the key to preventing secondary diabetic complications such as kidney damage, eye damage, neuropathy and heart disease. Alcohol metabolism can interfere with critical hormones needed to maintain healthy blood glucose and contribute to dangerously low blood glucose levels. Drinking more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men, or binge drinking, places your health at risk. Austin Fitness Center: South Austin's Gym: 7-26-2010

Entry 351: ACL

The anterior cruciate ligament is the smallest of the four main ligaments in the knee. Despite its size, it is the most important of the four in keeping your leg stable when you twist your body. It connects the thighbone (femur) to the largest shinbone (tibia) at the center of your knee. Without the anterior cruciate ligament, your knee would wobble and move around when you twist your body. When the shinbone and thighbone rotate too far in opposite directions - or when the knee is bent in the wrong direction - the anterior cruciate ligament can be torn or sprained. Often when the anterior cruciate ligament tears, you will have damage to other ligaments - most often the medial collateral ligament -- or the cartilage of the knee. Quick changes of direction while running cause most anterior cruciate ligament injuries. When a basketball player running down the court plants his foot hard to change direction, his knee buckles as the thighbone and shinbone move in opposite directions, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament. Basketball, soccer and skiing often cause anterior cruciate ligament injuries. Football players have the greatest risk for multiple knee injuries like combined anterior cruciate ligament, medial cruciate ligament and cartilage damage. Austin Fitness Center: South Austin's Gym: 7-22-2010

Entry 350: Blood Sugar

Eating too much sodium can push your blood pressure into the danger zone. Now, researchers are reporting that eating too many sweets--or drinking too much soda--may have a similar effect. People who consume a diet high in fructose, a type of sugar and a key ingredient in high-fructose corn syrup, are more likely to have high blood pressure (hypertension), according to a new study. Drinking 2.5 cans or more of non-diet soda per day--or consuming an equivalent amount of fructose from other foods--increases your risk of hypertension by at least 30 percent, the study found. What's more, the increased risk appears to be independent of other dietary habits, including sodium, carbohydrate and overall calorie intake. Austin Fitness Center: South Austin's Gym: 7-19-2010