Testosterone supplements may help male weight loss

Quoted by BBC News: "Older obese men could shift excess weight by taking testosterone supplements, suggest findings announced at the European Congress on Obesity.

In a study, hormone-deficient men were given testosterone supplements in a similar way to HRT for older women.

Men lost an average of 16kg over five years when testosterone levels were increased back to normal.

But experts warn that supplements may not be the answer due to possible risks of prostate cancer and heart disease.

Prof Richard Sharpe from the University of Edinburgh Centre for Reproductive Health said: "The notion that this is a quick fix for obese older men is, as always, simplistic. It is far more sensible and safer for men to reduce their food intake, reduce their obesity, which will then elevate their own testosterone."

Male menopause?

The findings announced at the conference also suggest that raising testosterone levels could reduce waist circumference and blood pressure.

Dr Farid Saad, lead author of the study said: "We came across this by accident. These men were being given testosterone for a hormone deficiency - they had a range of problems - erectile dysfunction, fatigue and lack of energy.

"When we analysed the data we found that every year, for five years, they had lost weight. It may be that the increased testosterone restored their energy levels and led to a behavioural change of being more physically active."

However, experts remain dubious. While some experts have linked low testosterone levels to a male "menopause", with symptoms including changes in sleeping patterns, poor concentration, feeling worthless and anxiety, others have found to have no such link.

Prof Ashley Grossman, an endocrinologist from the University of Oxford said: "This is interesting, but not absolutely convincing. We cannot say for sure that this is the effect of the drug rather than being involved in such a trial.

"I will remain sceptical until I see a large scale study in a more robust fashion." The gold standard test would be to pitch the testosterone injections against a dummy drug in a controlled trial.

The study looked at 115 obese men aged between 38-83 years with low testosterone levels. They were injected with the hormone every 12 weeks to increase levels. The research, paid for by Bayer Pharma, a manufacturer of testosterone replacement therapy, found no increased risk of prostate cancer, a side-effect found in other studies.

The relationship between obesity and testosterone appears to be a vicious cycle. There are numerous studies showing that obesity, in particular abdominal obesity, is associated with reduced testosterone levels in men and a reduction in muscle.

With ageing, especially beyond 40-50 years, testosterone levels tend to decline slowly, which may predispose to abdominal obesity which will then further lower testosterone levels."

UK local authority offer Legionella training

More than 100 people at care homes in the Tendring local authority area in the UK have now been given specialist advice on how to protect their residents, staff and visitors against the threat of legionella.

Tendring District Council (TDC) staged its second course on the subject at its Weeley offices today due to popular demand.

Over 60 people packed out the first session in February and a further 40 attended the second event – put on for those who had missed out.

The aim of the initiative is to give the care homes a better understanding of the disease and their legal duties.

Nick Turner, TDC’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, said that the initial session was oversubscribed and therefore it was necessary to stage a second.

“The threat of legionella is a very important issue and I am delighted that we have been able to help more than 100 people gain a better understanding about the disease,” he said.

“They will return to their businesses with a better knowledge of how to protect their residents, staff and visitors.

“These courses are all part of my department’s on-going efforts to provide our community with affordable excellence. We aim to ask and offer – not dictate.”

Legionella is naturally found in water courses and given the right conditions can multiply within the domestic hot and cold water systems.

The disease dies at temperatures above 60 degrees centigrade and remains inactive below 20 degrees.

Care homes are more at risk as they tend to set their water temperature at 43 degrees to prevent scalding.

The law requires commercial premises to assess the risk of legionella in their environment and implement suitable controls.

Care home owners, and managers were given advice on how they could undertake their own risk assessments and save money that could be spent more effectively elsewhere in their businesses.

Accidents to children in the home

Introduction Most injuries in children up to the age of five happen in the home. They can happen very quickly and are more likely to happen when adults are under stress or in a rush, or when there is a change to the usual routine. You know your own home and you are in the best position to look out for possible dangers.

Definition The kinds of accidents children have are linked to their level of development, so there are particular things to watch out for depending on the age of your child. Babies 0-1 years old: At this stage babies are able to wriggle, grasp, suck and roll over. There are a number of possible accidents that are common in this age group. Suffocating and choking in babies: Babies can swallow, inhale (breathe in) or choke on things like small toys, peanuts and marbles. Choose toys designed for the age of your baby and make sure that small objects such as marbles, peanuts and small toys are kept out of reach. Encourage older children to keep their toys away from the baby.

Lay your baby on its back in a cot to sleep - don't put babies to sleep alone in an adult bed or on the sofa.

Falls: Falls can happen if you leave your baby on a raised surface. When you are changing nappies, make sure your baby cant roll off a bed or sofa. You can use a baby mat on the floor.

Burns and scalds: Burns and scalds are possible if your baby is near hot objects. Avoid putting your baby near things like ovens, light bulbs, radiators, hairdryers, irons and fires. Place hot drinks well out of your baby's reach. Fit short power leads on kettles and heaters. Remember hot water can scald for up to 30 minutes after it has boiled. When bathing your baby, check that the water isnt too hot. A good test is to put your elbow in first. If the water feels hot, it could possibly burn your baby. When filling the bath, run the cold water first and then add hot water. This reduces the risk of your baby slipping into scalding water.

Poisoning: Babies have a natural instinct to suck anything that comes into contact with their mouths. Many ordinary household cleaners can be poisonous, so its important to keep them out of reach. Take care when washing your babys bottle so it doesnt come into contact with poisonous substances. Older brothers or sisters should be supervised when around a baby to stop them feeding tablets or other poisonous substances to the baby. Remember a babys stomach is much more sensitive than an adult's.

Children 1-4 years old: Toddlers can move very quickly, so accidents often happen in seconds. As children get older they will explore more, which means they are more likely to have knocks and bruises. Burns and scalds: Make sure that you use an appropriate fireguard for all fires. Fit a smoke alarm on each floor of your home and make sure you check that it is working properly on a weekly basis.

Its importantto have a fire escape plan worked out and to tell your children what to do in case of a fire. Keep matches and lighters out of childrens reach. Place hot drinks out of children's reach. Fit short power leads on kettles and heaters. Use the back rings on the cooker, and turn pan handles away from the edge. Children are curious and will reach for the handle of a pan on the stove its best to keep young children out of the kitchen altogether if possible. As with babies, its important to test the temperature of bath water before putting you child in, to avoid burning or scalding them. As they get older, teach them to test the water first, too.

Poisoning: By the age of 18 months or earlier children can open containers, and by three years they may also be able to open child-resistant tops within minutes. Keep household chemicals, medicines, alcohol and even cosmetics out of childrens reach, preferably in a locked cupboard or lockable suitcase or cosmetics case. Use containers that have child-resistant tops.

Recommendations You can save yourself a lot of stress by child-proofing your home before it becomes a danger to growing children. This allows them to explore with more freedom without you having to say no all the time: Check locks on windows. Windows, especially in childrens bedrooms, should have child locks on to stop them opening any wider than 10cm/4 inches. Put latches on low cupboards and put a guard in front of the fire. Also make sure electrical sockets are covered and leads are tucked out of the way. Fit child safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs. Move furniture such as beds, sofas and chairs away from windows to prevent children climbing up and falling out. Dont encourage your children to wave from the windows, as they might try to climb up when youre out of the room. Small children can squeeze their bodies through a gap as small as 10cm / 4in wide (smaller than the length of a teaspoon) but they may get their heads trapped. Check the width between railings, banisters and balconies and board them up if necessary. Move cleaning products and other chemical based solutions out of low (child-height) cupboards or put safety locks on the cupboards. Dont leave medicines or pills lying around where children and toddlers can get at them. If you can, make sure everything breakable or dangerous is out of toddler reach. You can buy corner guards to cover the sharp edges of furniture. Keep knives, razors, sewing kits and DIY tools locked away. Make sure your garden is safe. Put a fence around a pond or pool, lock away garden tools, make sure there arent any gaps in the fence your child could squeeze through, and teach them the importance of not putting berries and poisonous plants in their mouth.

Glossary Stomach The sac-like organ of the digestive system. It helps digest food by churning it and mixing it with acids to break it down into smaller pieces.

© Queen's Printer and Controller of HMSO, 2005

Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the controller of HMSO and the Queens Printer for Scotland.

Papaya Leaf Extract does fight cancer

The latest newsletter from our friends at www.1-stop-health-shop.com contains an interesting article entitled: Papaya Leaf Extract does fight cancer

Papaya Leaf Extract does fight cancer
Papaya has been known for its cancer fighting properties and has been used as an alternative cancer treatment option for many years, however so far there’s been no scientific evidence proving that Papaya could fight cancer.

This is no longer true!
International doctors and researchers conducted an extensive study on effects of Papaya on
cancer and their findings, which were published on March 9, 2010 in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology conclude that Papaya Leaf Extract and Papaya Leaf Tea have “dramatic cancer-fighting properties against a broad range of tumors”.

Nam Dang from the University of Florida teamed up with researchers from Japan to test the anti-cancer effects of dry Papaya Leaf Extract against cervix cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer and pancreatic cancer and found that the higher the dose of Papaya Leaf Extract was used, the more it impacted the tumor.

Cancer fighting properties of Papaya Leaf were attributed to increased production of key signaling molecules called Th1-type cytokines, which are known regulators of the immune system. Papaya extract helps to stimulate these Th1-type cytokines which in turn promote the ability of patient’s immunity to destroy cancerous cells. With proper boost, the immune system is able to fight various types of cancers without the need of harmful procedures such as chemotherapy or radiation. And since Papaya has no toxic effects on normal cells, its consumption goes without side effects.

Ten different cancer type cells were exposed to Papaya Leaf Extract for 24 hours and each of the cultures experienced slower tumor growth after exposure. Researchers repeated the test with exposure to Papaya Leaf Extract of different strengths and recorded the results for each. In conclusion, higher doses of Papaya Leaf Extract showed more powerful impact on tumor growth. Since according to this study, Papaya is able to slow down the growth of any type of tumor, no matter which type of cancer you are suffering from, Papaya could help you fight it.

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Video Reels added to UK Health Radio website

We have today added a "Video Reel" page to our UK Health Radio website www.ukhealthradio.com

On this page, we have selected some interesting health, fitness and well-being videos to share with you and we will change these from time-to-time so that it doesn't become boring!

Please make your suggestions! Send them to John Hicks, our Station Director at john@ukhealthradio.com and we will review them.

Welcome to UK Health Radio blog

Welcome to the new UK Health Radio blog where we would like to share news, information and ideas about health, fitness and well-being issues.

We would welcome articles to share with our readers - and through our on-air promotions - to share with our listeners on UK Health Radio.

Please send your articles, blogs and press releases which you think will appeal to our audience to the UK Health Radio station director: John Hicks john@ukhealthradio.com pictured above.




(photo courtesy of Nigel Dicker)