NUUSBRIEF - stelkor pharmacy

NUUSBRIEF
AUGUSTUS 2012
ENGLISH VERSION
IN HIERDIE UITGAWE:
• LAE VITAMIEN D-VLAKKE EN GEWIGSTOENAME
• STADIG STAP EN VROEË DEMENSIE
• DIE LANGLEWENDHEIDSVRAELYS
• LY JY AAN “VLIEGTUIGHOOFPYN”?
LAE VITAMIEN D-VLAKKE EN GEWIGSTOENAME
Ouer vroue met lae vlakke van vitamine D, ook bekend as die “sonskyn-vitamine”, kan meer
geneig wees om gewig aan te sit. Hierdie bevindings is beduidend, aangesien die meeste
vroue van 65 jaar en ouer nie genoeg vitamine D in hulle bloed het nie. Die navorsers het
meer as 4 600 vroue van 65 jaar en ouer oor ʼn periode van byna vyf jaar bestudeer. Die
studie het bevind dat die vroue met lae vitamine D-vlakke gedurende daardie tyd ongeveer
een en ʼn halwe kiloʼs meer as diegene met normale vitamine D-vlakke aangesit het.
Alhoewel die meeste van die vroue in die studie nie probeer het om gewig te verloor nie, het
27% van hulle meer as 5% van hulle liggaamsgewig verloor en 12% meer as 5% van hulle
liggaamsgewig aangesit.
By 78% van die vroue is lae vitamine D-vlakke gevind. Volgens die navorsers het hierdie
vroue van die begin af ʼn hele paar kiloʼs meer geweeg. Van die groep vroue wat wel gewig
aangesit het, het díé met onvoldoende vitamine D-vlakke, agt kiloʼs oor vyf jaar aangesit.
Vergeleke hiermee, het die vroue met normale vitamine D-vlakke vyf kiloʼs gedurende
daardie tyd aangesit.

Hierdie is een van die eerste studies wat toon dat vroue met lae vitamine D-vlakke meer
gewig aansit, en al was dit net drie kiloʼs, kan dit mettertyd baie word. Volgens die navorsers
het byna 80% van die vroue in die studie onvoldoende vitamine D-vlakke gehad. Sonlig is ʼn
primêre bron van hierdie belangrike vitamine, en siende dat moderne gemeenskappe meer
tyd binnenshuis spandeer, kan ʼn konstante vitamine D-tekort tot chroniese gewigstoename
bydra.
Die skrywers het daarop gewys dat vorige navorsing bevind het dat ouer vroue dalk hoër
dosisse vitamine D nodig het om hulle beenstruktuur sterk te hou en frakture te voorkom,
ofskoon daar nie genoeg bewyse is om vitamine D-aanvullings vir jonger mense te
ondersteun nie. Hulle het egter daarop gewys dat ander kundiges sê dat baie volwassenes
hierdie aanvullings benodig om hulle beengesondheid te verbeter.
STADIG STAP EN VROEË DEMENSIE
Die verandering in die stapspoed onder ouer volwassenes kan dalk ʼn aanduiding van die
vroeë stadium van ʼn tipe demensie genaamd geringe kognitiewe inperking wees.
Spesiale infrarooisensors is in portaalplafonne van die deelnemers se huise geïnstalleer om
hulle stapspoed oor ʼn periode van drie jaar te moniteer. Die waarskynlikheid was nege keer
groter dat persone met geringe kognitiewe inperking wat nie geheueverwant was nie,
stadiger as die gemiddelde of vinnige stappers sou beweeg.
Daar is bevind dat die hoeveelheid wisseling in stapspoed met geringe kognitiewe inperking
verband hou.
Daar moet meer navorsing met groter groepe deelnemers gedoen word om vas te stel of
stapspoed en die wisseling daarvan ʼn voorspeller van toekomstige geheue- en
denkprobleme by bejaardes kan wees. As ons demensie in die vroegste fase kan
identifiseer, kan ons daaraan werk om mense se onafhanklikheid te behou, behandeling te
verskaf en uiteindelik maniere te ontwerp om te voorkom dat die siekte ontwikkel.
DIE LANGLEWENDHEIDSVRAELYS
Wat is die geheim vir ʼn lang, gesonde lewe? Die geheim is dat dit van jou afhang en dat jy
die nodige stappe kan doen om jouself op die lange duur gesond te hou. Vind uit wat jy van
langer lewe weet, deur hierdie “waar/onwaar”-vraelys te beantwoord.
1. Om jou risiko vir chroniese siekte as ʼn volwassene te verminder, moet jy
minstens 30 minute per dag oefen. Waar of onwaar
2. ʼn Gesonde leefstyl wanneer jy ouer is, sluit nie rook in nie. Waar of onwaar
3. Wat jy eet, speel ʼn belangrike rol by jou gesondheid. Waar of onwaar
4. Al is jou dieet gebalanseerd, moet jy jou steeds bekommer oor daardie paar
ekstra kiloʼs wat jy aangesit het. Waar of onwaar
5. Jy behoort jou gesondheid ʼn prioriteit in jou lewe te maak. Waar of onwaar
6. Nou dat jy afgetree is, moet jy gereeld jou verstand oefen. Waar of onwaar

7. Vriende is nie net vir jonger mense nie. Waar of onwaar
8. ʼn Positiewe ingesteldheid help jou om langer te lewe. Waar of onwaar
9. Selfs al is jy 60 jaar of ouer, moet jy steeds vir jou finansiële toekoms beplan.
Waar of onwaar
As jy nege “waar”-antwoorde het:
As jy 40 tot 50 jaar oud is, kan jy maklik nog 40 jaar leef.
As jy 60 jaar oud is, kan jy maklik nog 30 jaar leef.
As jy 70 jaar oud is, kan jy maklik nog 25 jaar leef.
As jy 80 jaar of ouer is, kan jy maklik nog 15 tot 20 jaar leef.
LY JY AAN “VLIEGTUIGHOOFPYN”?
Vlieg is vir die meeste mense ʼn kopseer, maar vir sommige verander hierdie beeldspraak in
ʼn werklikheid, sê navorsers. In 2004 het dokters die eerste geval van “vliegtuighooppyn” in
die mediese literatuur gerapporteer; nog drie dosyn gevalle is in die volgende jare
gedokumenteer. Volgens navorsers het hierdie ongewone hoofpyn spesifieke kenmerke:
erge pyn, gewoonlik aan die een kant van die kop en naby die oog, wat gedurende die
landing opvlam.
Of “vliegtuighoofpyn” ʼn duidelik onderskeibare toestand is, word steeds gedebatteer, maar
Italiaanse navorsers sê dat dit as ʼn nuwe subtipe hoofpyn oorweeg moet word. In ʼn
onlange artikel doen hulle verslag oor mense met klagtes wat met die tekens van
“vliegtuighoofpyn” ooreenstem. Hulle stel ʼn lys van kriteria voor wat dokters kan gebruik om
dit te diagnoseer.
Of vliegtuighoofpyn amptelik erken sal word, weet niemand nie. Indien vliegtuighoofpyn as
ʼn duidelik onderskeibare toestand geklassifiseer word, sal dit meer direk bestudeer kan
word. Niemand weet wat dit veroorsaak nie. Niemand weet hoeveel mense daaraan ly nie.
Niemand weet watter behandeling werk nie.
Volgens die jongste verslag het individue simptome gehad wat ooreengestem het met die
kenmerke van vorige gevalle van vliegtuighoofpyn – erge pyn aan die een kant van die kop
wat gewoonlik beperk was tot die tyd wanneer die vliegtuig geland het. Die hoofpyn was
byna altyd van korte duur– vir 96% van die mense minder as 30 minute. Slegs ʼn minderheid
het elke keer tydens landings hoofpyn gekry; vir die meeste mense het dit op sommige
vlugte gebeur en nie op ander nie.
Die verslag het beperkings, maar daar is genoeg bewyse om te vermoed dat
vliegtuighoofpyn ʼn “nuwe en unieke” versteuring kan wees. Dit is onseker presies waardeur
hoofpyne tydens vliegtuiglandings veroorsaak word. Een teorie is egter dat die pyn verwant
kan wees aan die drukverandering in die sinusholtes. (Dit is byvoorbeeld bekend dat
vliegtuigpassasiers met verkoue of sinusinfeksie erge hoofpyn tydens opstyg of landing kan
kry.) Mense wat alreeds vatbaar is vir hoofpyn, kan ʼn groter risiko loop.

Indien u nie meer hierdie nuusbrief wil ontvang nie, kanselleer hier asb.
NEWSLETTER
AUGUST 2012
IN THIS ISSUE:
• LOW VITAMIN D AND WEIGHT GAIN
• SLOW WALKING AND EARLY DEMENTIA
• THE LONGEVITY QUIZ
• DO YOU SUFFER “AIRPLANE HEADACHE”?
LOW VITAMIN D AND WEIGHT GAIN
Older women with low levels of vitamin D, also known as the "sunshine vitamin," may be
more likely to gain weight. These findings are significant since most women aged 65 and
older do not have enough vitamin D in their blood. The researchers followed more than
4,600 women aged 65 and older over the course of nearly five years. The study found the
women with low levels of vitamin D gained about one and a half more kilos during that time
than those with normal levels of the vitamin.
Although most of the women in the study were not trying to lose weight, over the course of
the study 27 percent of the women lost more than 5 percent of their body weight and 12
percent gained more than 5 percent of their body weight.
Low levels of vitamin D were found in 78 percent of the women. These women generally
weighed several kilos more to begin with, the researchers noted. In the group of women that
did gain weight, those with insufficient vitamin D levels gained 8 kilos over five years. In
comparison, the women with normal vitamin D levels gained 5 kilos during that time frame.
"This is one of the first studies to show that women with low levels of vitamin D gain more
weight, and although it was only three kilos , over time that can add up," "Nearly 80 percent
of women in our study had insufficient levels of vitamin D," LeBlanc said. "A primary source
of this important vitamin is sunlight, and as modern societies move indoors, continuous
vitamin D insufficiency may be contributing to chronic weight gain."

The study authors pointed out that previous research found that older women may need
higher doses of vitamin D to keep their bones strong and prevent fractures, although there is
not enough evidence to support vitamin D supplements among younger people. They noted,
however, that other experts say many adults require these supplements to improve their
bone health.
SLOW WALKING AND EARLY DEMENTIA
Changes in walking speed among older adults may indicate the early stages of a type of
dementia called mild cognitive impairment.
Special infrared sensors were installed in hallway ceilings of the participants' homes to
monitor their walking speed over a three-year period. People with non-memory related mild
cognitive impairment were nine times more likely to be slow walkers than moderate or fast
walkers.
It was found that the amount of fluctuation in walking speed was also associated with mild
cognitive impairment.
"Further studies need to be done using larger groups of participants to determine whether
walking speed and its fluctuations could be a predictor of future memory and thinking
problems in the elderly. If we can detect dementia at its earliest phases, then we can work
to maintain people's independence, provide treatments and ultimately develop ways to
prevent the disease from developing."
THE LONGEVITY QUIZ
What's the secret to a long, healthy life? The secret is that it depends on you—and you can
take steps to keep yourself healthy in the long run. Find out what you know about living
longer by taking this ʻtrue-falseʼ quiz.
1. To reduce your risk for chronic disease as an adult, you need to exercise at least
30 minutes a day. True or False
2. A healthy older lifestyle doesn't include smoking. True or False
3. What you eat plays a major role in your health. True or False
4. As long as your diet is balanced, you must still worry about those few extra kilos
you've put on. True or False
5. You should make your health a priority in your life. True or False
6. Now that you're retired, you should always indulge in mental gymnastics. True or
False
7. Friends are not just for younger people. True or False
8. A positive attitude helps you live longer. True or False
9. Even if you are 60 or older, you should still make plans for your financial future.
True or False

If you had 9 ʻtrueʼ answers then:
If you are 40 to50, you could easily live another 40 years.
If you are 60, you could easily live another 30 years.
If you are 70, you could easily live another 25 years.
If you are 80, or older, you could easily live another 15 to 20 years.
DO YOU SUFFER “AIRPLANE HEADACHE”?
Flying is a headache for most people, but for some that figure of speech becomes literal,
according to researchers. In 2004, doctors reported the first case of "airplane headache" in
the medical literature; three dozen more cases were documented in the following years. The
unusual head pain is specific, researchers say: severe pain, usually on one side of the head
and near the eye, that flares up during an airplane landing.
Whether "airplane headache" is a distinct condition is still up for debate, but Italian
researchers are arguing that it should be considered a new subtype of headache. In a
recent article they report on people with complaints that fit the signs of airplane headache.
And they suggest a list of criteria that doctors can use to diagnose it.
Whether airplane headache will be officially recognized is anyone's guess. Classifying
airplane headache as a distinct disorder would allow it to be studied more directly. "Nobody
knows what causes it. Nobody knows how many people have it. Nobody knows what
treatments work."
In this most recent report, those individuals had symptoms that fit the features of past cases
of airplane headache -- severe pain on one side of the head that was usually limited to the
time when the plane was landing. The headache was almost always short-lived -- less than
30 minutes for 96 percent of people. Only a minority consistently had headaches during
airplane landings; for most, it happened on some flights but not others.
There are limitations to the report, but there's enough evidence to suggest that airplane
headache may be a "new and unique disorder. It's not clear what, precisely, might trigger
headaches during airplane landings. But one theory is that the pain may be related to
pressure changes in the sinus cavities. (It's known, for instance, that airplane passengers
with colds or sinus infections can get severe headaches during take-off or landing.) People
who are already vulnerable to headaches may be at greater risk.
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DISCLAIMER
Please note that Stelkor Pharmacy, its contributors and/or associates cannot be held liable in any way
for errors that may occur in any of the articles printed in this newsletter. Consult a qualified health
care practitioner for diagnosis or treatment of any diseases or medical conditions.