Beware: "Natural" Doesn't Necessarily Mean Safe

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has little authority to regulate many supplements -- and the fact is that not all supplements are safe. Here is a report about two men developing advanced prostate cancer after taking "herbal" supplements.

Gray Iron advice is this: Do not take supplements of any kind without first knowing that they are safe. And a product labeled "natural" does not necessarily mean that it is safe. Above all, do not believe advertising on web sites that promise the fountain of youth. So-called "hormone therapy" can be a dangerous thing and should be considered only under the guidance and care of a good medical doctor.

Read full story here: "Natural" supplements caused cancer in 2 men.

Does Testosterone Therapy Improve Quality of Life?

Gray Iron has no medical degree. I'm just a fitness guy whose been at it a long time and reads a lot. That said, I am skeptical about hormone therapies I hear about. Is there some miracle pill to stop aging just around the corner? Is it already here? Like I said, I'm skeptical. My advice: Until legitimate studies are concluded and scientists say this stuff is safe and that it works, forget it.

Bottom line: Eat right, regularly hit the weights, and unless under a good doctor's care -- don't even think about messing with hormones.

Here is a report on a study (source: Journal of the American Medical Association) that seems to point out deficiencies in testosterone therapy even in men tested with "low normal testosterone levels" and would supposedly benefit.

Sunshine and Health Benefits

Neither basking on the beach for that deep tan, nor hiding in the shade, slathered in sunblock lotion, seems to make sense when it comes to sunlight.

According to a researcher at the Institute for Cancer Research in Oslo, Norway, modest sun exposure gives enormous vitamin D benefits. The skin cancer risk is there but the health benefits from some sun exposure are far greater than the risk.

"The current data provide a further indication of the beneficial role of sun-induced vitamin D for cancer prognosis," said Richard Setlow of the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, who also worked on the study.

As with most things in life, moderation seems to be the key.

Read about the risk-to-benefit ratio in this report from Reuters.

Fast Walkers Live Longer than Slow Ones

It turns out that seniors who walk faster on a treadmill test live longer, on average, than slower walkers.

Geriatricians at the University of Pittsburgh tracked a group of seniors for 10 years and found those who covered the equivalent of 2-1/2 miles per hour on a treadmill outlived walkers able to walk less than 1-1/2 miles per hour.

The researchers adjusted for sex, race, age, chronic illness and hospitalization and found that walking speed appeared to be an independent predictor of longevity.

Should this surprise us? I don't think so. It confirms what those living a fitness lifestyle know intuitively.

Read more about their findings here.

Can Smokers Get it Up?

During an annual physical exam, a doctor once asked if I smoked. When I said no, he said, "Good. Smoking is the single worst health habit anyone can have."

Maybe it was an exaggeration, but not much of one.

Today, I read a report on smoking and erectile dysfunction, or ED, as they call in the TV ads about Viagra and similar pills.

Whenever I see those ads I notice that the actors are usually middle-age and fit looking people. Then I wonder why so many people these days need pills to do what should come naturally.

Does smoking play a role? even though fewer people are smoking now. I don't know the answer.

What I do know is that smoking is bad for your circulation, and poor circulation to certain appendages can contribute to ED.

So here's my anti-tobacco thought for the day:

If you smoke and heart disease, stroke and certain cancers haven't been reason enough for you to quit, consider this: The habit also increases the risk of erectile dysfunction.

Read all about smoking and erectile dysfunction here.

Are Fish Oil Capsules as Good as Fish Itself?

As far as omega-3 fatty acids are concerned, you get as much benefit from fish oil capsules as you get from the fish itself. This according to a researcher at the University of South Dakota, Dr. William S. Harris.

Nevertheless, Harris said he would encourage people to eat fish rather than relying on fish oil capsules. "Fish of course brings with it proteins and minerals and other factors that are good for our health that the capsules don't bring, but we weren't able to measure any of those things," he said.

Read the full report here.

Coffee is a "Good Guy," Too

Remember not long ago folks were told to dump coffee and drink tea instead? Tea, especially green tea, provides all those wonderful antioxidants. Well, tea's antioxidants are still there. But guess what? Coffee it turns out has beneficial antioxidants, too. So pick your favorite. As usual, moderation is the key. Too much of a good thing can lead to the caffeine jitters.

Read this report on how both coffee and tea may be protective against kidney cancer.

Big Medical Myth Busters

Does shaved hair will grow back faster, coarser and darker. That it does seems to get passed along from generation to generation. The fact is, controlled studies done as long ago as 1928 showed no difference in the growth and texture of shaved and non-shaved hair. So go ahead and shave and pluck with total abandon and be guilt free.

Still, don't believe it? That and six other big medical myths are exposed here: Read all about it!

Soft Drinks are Yuck

Just a quick note about soft drinks and sodas: They are bad for you, really BAD. And it doesn't take much to put your health at risk. Think I'm over-reacting, being an alarmist? Read what the doctors say. So moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, get that junk out of the house. It's bad for you and it's bad for the kids.

Read the full story here.

The Case for Less Intense Cardio

Here's a study from Duke University Medical Center that says 30-minute walks six days a week are more likely to make you trim and fit than more intense workouts practiced a few times a week. Now this, of course, goes against what many fitness gurus are preaching these days. So what does Gray Iron think? Thirty minute walks plus shorter more intense sessions in the weight room may combine the best of both worlds.

Read the full story here.

Protein & Prostates

Gray Iron Newsletter reader, John C., says an annual physical examination revealed a steep rise in his PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test. As you know, an elevated PSA can lead to more expensive and invasive tests. Before having those, he decided to examine his dietary habits and realized his only recent change was adding a daily protein shake. (I do not know how many total grams of protein he was ingesting daily. He is not a regular exerciser.) He eliminated the protein shakes and says his PSA gradually returned to a normal range. I had never heard of anything like this before. Have you?

The debate among bodybuilders, lifters and other athletes about the amount of protein needed while training is ongoing. It won’t be settled today. PSA tests aside, certainly there is a protein upward limit that when exceeded it becomes unhealthy. If you have any experience or knowledge of elevated PSA as related to protein consumption, please comment below. As I said, I have never heard of this before. I didn't come with anything doing a Google search.

Studies Show How Fruits and Veggies Reduce Cancer

Yes, we’ve heard it before. But more evidence is in that fruits and vegetables are preventative of many types of cancers. If you aren’t getting your daily portions of fruits and vegetables, maybe this will nudge you in the right direction.

Full story from Reuters here.

Windshield Wipers

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Forget those little bitty crunches and "going for the burn." Real core exercises like old fashioned bent-legs sit-ups, wood choppers with weighted cables, and windshield wipers (no equipment needed) are the real way to a stronger, firmer gut.

If you're a beginner, enter slowly. Use the bent-knees side to side motion first. Then graduate to straight legs once you get the hang of it. Work up to a few sets of 20 and feel the muscles of your trunk get stronger and a whole lot firmer.

Do them with control, always. And breathe smoothly.

Big Biceps and Small Waist May Determine Lifespan

Once again, Jack LaLanne had it right. He said, "Your waistline is your lifeline." And it's true. But decades ago when LaLanne was coming up with snappy bumper-sticker type slogans about health, many in the medical field labeled him a nut.

Now, we know that he had it right all along. In this report from Rueters we see that United Kingdom researchers recognize the limitations of the BMI as a health indicator. Instead, they say the size of a man's biceps and waistline are better indicators of his longevity. Somewhere Lalanne, now in his 90s and still working out, must be smiling.

Read full story here.

Fatherhood: Increase Your Chances of Living to 100

It's probably a little late for most male Gray Iron readers to do anything about it, but recent studies indicate that having four or more children increases the likelihood of living to 100.

Wow! When I read that headline I thought it sounded a little goofy, and if you read my blog regularly you know that I am generally suspicious of many claims that are supposedly backed up by "scientific studies." That's why I like Snopes and junkscience.com, incidentally. It is B.S. not hydrogen that is the most common element in the universe. Still, many studies are of course truly scientific, important, and valid. Either way, valid or not, this one is an interesting read.

Go here: Having Lots of Kids Helps Dads Live to 100.

Workout Benefits May Require Less Frequency Than You Think

The benefits of progressive strength training workouts continue for older men, even after they switch to a less intense workout schedule, according to the results of a new study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine.

So what is the ideal number of workouts per week for people over 50? Gray Iron thinks that nobody knows for sure, and it probably varies somewhat from one person to the next. What is certain, however, is that weight training works wonders as we grow older. And the study in the Journal of Sports Medicine indicates that the benefits continue even with less workout frequency/intensity than previously believed.

To read more about the report, go here.

Disney's Blubber Boats

The "It's A Small World" ride at Disneyland opened in 1964 when people were a lot trimmer. The famous California theme park will shut down the ride in January for ten months to make the water canals deeper and build stronger boats. They need to do this because people are fatter and causing the boats to completely stop in the middle of the ride. When the boats get stuck, a crew member has to ask people to get off the boats and lighten the load.

Disney also said they are having the same problem with "Pirates of the Caribbean," but it's not as bad as Small World.

The average sized man weighed 166 lbs in 1960. In 2002, the average man weighed 191 lbs, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

Are 20% of Americans Self-Destructive?

Regardless of overwhelming evidence that smoking is the nation's number one preventable cause of death, 1 in 5 Americans still smoke. The idea that there is an irreducible number of people who will smoke, no matter what, is probably true; but it is much less than one in five people. Utah, for example, has a (smoking) prevalence rate of only 9 percent.

In another state, Oregon, the tobacco industry spends $3.50 per person annually on “marketing,” which is a convenient term for addicting people and keeping them that way.

What should be done? What is government’s role? Or should government have a role at all? For the full story on who smokes and who does not, go here.

Controversial Atkins Diet Takes a Hit

“I think the Atkins diet is potentially detrimental for cardiovascular health, if maintained for a long duration and without attempts to lose weight,” said Dr. Michael Miller, director of preventative cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center. “A stabilized Atkins diet is not the way to go."

Read the full report here. But also let me summarize the findings in plain talk: Eventually, you’ll pay a price for following a long-term diet that is high in fat, particularly saturated fat.

The Gray Iron opinion has always been that any diet that practically eliminates any one of the macro nutrients (in the Atkins diet it would be carbohydrates), eventually leads to problems or failure. Sugar and processed flour carbs are uglier than sin, but certainly not fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

What the Heck is “Metabolic Syndrome”?

Medical terms such as “metabolic syndrome” enter the common vocabulary and many times people really don’t know what they mean. The first few times I heard the term, I didn’t have a clue.

Simply put, metabolic syndrome is a combination of medical conditions that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It is a very common and dangerous medical problem.

Metabolic syndrome means the presence of three or more of the following health problems:

• Excess weight around one’s waist (a waist measurement of more than 40 inches for men and more than 35 inches for women).

• Triglycerides blood level of 150 mg/dL or more.

• HDL cholesterol levels below 40 mg/dL for men and below 50 mg/dL for women.

• Blood pressure of 130/85 mm HG or higher.

• Pre-diabetes (a fasting blood sugar between 100 and 125) or diabetes (a fasting blood sugar level over 125 mg/dL).

Metabolic syndrome seems to run in families; but being overweight, having a poor diet, getting no regular exercise, and having bad lifestyle habits such as smoking also contribute to it.

Usually there are no symptoms, but your doctor is able to diagnose it with lab tests that are usually a part of a thorough physical examination.

Gray Iron urges people to have periodic exams at intervals their doctor recommends.