Low Testosterone Level May Increase Risk of Death in Men

According to a new study presented at the 90th Annual Meeting of The Endocrine Society in San Francisco, men may not live as long if they have low testosterone regardless of their age. This study conducted from Germany adds to the scientific evidence linking deficiency of the male sex hormone with increased death from all causes over time, called "all-cause mortality".

This study should serve as a warning to several men with low testosterone to start a healthier lifestyle. They should have better routine when it comes to weight control, regular exercise and a healthy diet to avoid repercussions of their medical condition.

"It is very possible that lifestyle determines levels of testosterone," Robin Haring, lead author of the study and a PhD student from Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald, Institute for Community Medicine said.

In the study, Haring and co-workers looked at death from any cause in nearly 2,000 men aged 20 to 79 years who were living in northeast Germany and who participated in the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP). Follow-up averaged 7 years. At the beginning of the study, 5 percent of these men had low blood testosterone levels, defined as the lower end of the normal range for young adult men. The men with low testosterone were older, more obese, and had a greater prevalence of diabetes and high blood pressure, compared with men who had higher testosterone levels, Haring said.

Men with low testosterone levels had more than 2.5 times greater risk of dying during the next 10 years compared to men with higher testosterone, the study found. This difference was not explained by age, smoking, alcohol intake, level of physical activity, or increased waist circumference (a risk factor for diabetes and heart disease), Haring said.

In cause-specific death analyses, low testosterone predicted increased risk of death due to cardiovascular disease and cancer but not death of any other single cause.

Dehydrated Tomatoes May Prevent Prostate Cancer

Many studies and research have proven that tomatoes are actually good in preventing and fighting cancer. But another research suggests that the form or tomato product one eats could be the key to unlocking its prostate cancer-fighting potential. And it is dehydrated tomatoes.

According to the latest issue of the Cancer Research, a journal by the American Association for Cancer Research, the greatest protective effect of tomatoes from cancer, especially prostate cancer, comes from rehydrating tomato powder into tomato paste. This suggests that processing of edible plants through heating, grinding, mixing or drying dramatically increases their nutritional value.

The protective effect of tomato products against prostate cancer has been suggested in many studies, but researchers remain uncertain about the exact mechanisms. The study demonstrated that FruHis, an organic carbohydrate present in dehydrated tomato products, exerts a strong protective effect.

The research also evaluated the anti-cancer properties of FruHis and 14 other D-fructose amino acids and found that FruHis in a concentrated form protected against DNA damage known to lead to prostate cancer. When combined with lycopene, FruHis stopped cancerous cell growth more than 98 percent of the time.

Before this study, researchers attributed the protective effect of tomatoes to ascorbic acid, carotenoids, or phenolic compounds. FruHis may represent a novel type of potential dietary antioxidant. Experiments like these suggest that a combination of FruHis and lycopene should be investigated as a potential therapeutic anti-tumor agent, not just a prevention strategy.

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research.

Exercise for Different Sexes (Nope, Not the Dirty Kind)

The question about male and female equality may never well be answered, well at least when it comes to physical fitness. This is one of the points presented in a study conducted at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. According to Danielle Day, one of the researchers involved in the study, said that female may never had the chance to catch up with men when it comes to physical strength and capabilities.

This is because men are bigger and have more muscle and higher levels of that powerhouse hormone testosterone than women. But as researchers have begun to unravel the differences between the sexes with regard to physical activity, they're learning that there's more to the story. Men and women also differ in energy metabolism, lung function and other factors during exercise.


But this study was not conducted to undermine the female population. This is done in an effort to pave the way to sex-specific training regimens for athletes and recreational exercisers as well.

"We're not the same. Our physiological systems are not identical," says Earl Noble, director of the school of kinesiology at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. He likens exercise to a drug "that needs to be given in the appropriate dose and intensity and should be varied for sex differences."

One real-world application of such research may be the development of workouts that optimize weight-loss for women and men. That is after several researches confirm what frustrated women have long known to be true — that females have a harder time losing weight through exercise than men, says Day. Men's bodies respond more favorably to exercise, whereas women's bodies go into survival mode, slowing metabolism and hanging onto fat. She and other experts say that's an evolutionary response intended to keep a woman healthy for child-bearing.

This is actually good news to everyone, both male and female, as there will be specific exercise, not only to target their needs with different body parts but also needs as a man or women.

Frequent Weight Loss May Lead to Bone Deterioration on Men

A good physique and lean body have been among the standards to beauty nowadays. That is why most people, including men, have been somewhat conscious when it comes to their body weight and physical appearance. That is also the reason that's why there have been so many diet regiments and exercise products coming out in the product to help people lose weight. But a recent study showed that frequent weight loss may actually weaken bone quality, especially on men.

The study conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo which involved 4,601 men suggested that weight cycling in adulthood may lead to fragile bones later in life. According to Dr. Anne Johanne Sogaard, one of the researchers who participated in the study said that the more frequently men slimmed down and regained weight between the ages of 25 and 50, the more likely there were to suffer a fractured arm after the age of 50.

Weight cycling could increase skeletal fragility by causing microscopic damage to bone structure. It could also lead to the weakening of muscles on men.

Aside from these findings, the research also found out that frequent weight loss may also lead to metabolic syndrome and diabetes. This is after examining data from the study conducted in 1972-1973 and later on in 2000. It showed that those men who had lost weight frequently and lost more weight with each slimming bout were more likely to develop the said conditions.

Nutritional Tips on How to Minimize Hair Loss

Are you tired of being embarrassed every time just because you are going bald? Does you thinning hair and receding hair line become such a drag? And have you tried every shampoo, conditioner and cream in hopes that you'll get your old thick and shiny hair back? Well, you're just probably doing it all wrong. Because just like any other health condition out there, a healthy diet and the proper nutrition are all you need to kiss those trouble goodbye.

Healthy hair, as most of us don't know, depends on how the body can construct a proper hair shaft, as well as having healthy skin and follicles. That is why it has been proven that a good nutrition assures the best best possible environment for building strong and luxurious hair. And here are just some of the adjustments you'll need to once again get that shine that your crowning glory provided you years ago.

Iron-rich protein. Protein is a very important nutrient for cell growth, including hair cells. Hair gets its structure from hardened proteins called keratin, and without enough keratin hair grow slowly and the individual strands will be weaker. Also, the iron found in animal protein called heme iron is also good for your hair because they are easily absorbed by the body to be used in the regeneration of loss cells. Iron also helps red blood cells carry oxygen to all cells om the body, including hair follicles. Some of the food rich with these nutrients are clams, oysters, lean beef, turkey, duck, lamb, chicken, pork, shrimp, and eggs. You can also include tofu, soybeans, lentils, beans, and black-eyed peas in your diet to promote more absorption of proteins.

Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps in hair growth by improving the body's ability to absorb iron, which as we have just learned, are very helpful against hair loss. This nutrient also form collagen, structural fibers necessary for the body to maintain integrity by holding it together. Skin, blood vessels and hair follicles all require collagen to stay healthy for optimal growth of beautiful hair. Good sources of Vitamin C are guava, peppers, oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, pineapple, papayas, lemons, broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts.

B-vitamins like folate, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12. These vitamins are the ones responsible in the creation of red-blood cells, which are carriers of oxygen and nutrients to all body cells, including those of the scalp, follicle and hair. Without these vitamins, the cells will not be able to grow and will cause hair shedding, slow growth and weak hair prone to breaking. Foods that are rich with these vitamins includes fortified whole-grain breakfast cereals, garbanzo beans, wild salmon, lean beef, pork tenderloin, chicken breast, white potatoes (w/skin), bananas, and lentils. Shellfish (clams, oysters, crab), wild salmon, fortified whole-grain breakfast cereal, soy milk, trout, lean beef, and low-fat cottage cheese can also be good sources of these vitamins.

Zinc. The mineral zinc is involved in tissue growth and repair, which includes hair growth. It also helps the oil glands around the hair follicles by making sure they work properly. Without these mineral, hair loss can be prone, so is slow growth and the production of dandruff. Oysters, lean beef, crab, ostrich, pork tenderloin, peanut butter, wheat germ, turkey, veal, pumpkin seeds, chicken, and chickpeas are very rich with zinc.

Good diet and proper nutrition may be good for your hair loss. But these food items can also be of no help, especially with more serious conditions of baldness, including male pattern baldness and baldness due to aging.

But other than those, these tips will definitely help you solve you battle against thinning hair, hair loss and baldness.

Eggs are Healthy. Or so We Thought...

A recent study showed that middle-aged men who eats seven or more eggs a week have a higher risk of earlier death. According to the study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, this is because eggs are very rich in cholesterol, which in turn can clog arteries and raise the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Heart attack and stroke has been two of the top perpetrator of male death in the world today.

However, the researchers who did the study warn the public about not consuming eggs at all. They said that eggs, like any other food, are either "good" or "bad" for you, and can be a part of an overall heart-healthy diet. The issue here is the amount of a certain food is consumed by an individual.

The researchers would also like to clarify that they are not saying that egg consumption is not associated with heart attack or stroke. But among the men who became part of this study, 23 per cent suffered heart attack and stroke.