Astronomers Discover 28 New Exoplanets And Four Multi-Planet Systems

The world's largest and most prolific team of planet hunters announced today (Monday, May 28) the discovery of 28 new planets outside our solar system, increasing to 236 the total number of known exoplanets.

University of California, Berkeley, post-doctoral fellow Jason T. Wright and newly minted Ph.D. John Asher Johnson reported the new exoplanets at a noon media briefing at the semi-annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Honolulu. The findings, also reported today in poster sessions at the meeting, are a result of the combined work of the California and Carnegie Planet Search team and the Anglo-Australian Planet Search team.

The planets are among 37 new objects – each orbiting a star, but smaller than a star –discovered by the teams within the past year. Seven of the 37 are confirmed brown dwarfs, which are failed stars that nevertheless are much more massive than the largest, Jupiter-sized planets. Two others are borderline and could be either large, gas giant planets or small brown dwarfs. 

Wright said the research teams have become much more sophisticated in their analyses of the stellar wobbles caused by orbiting planets, enabling them to detect the weaker wobbles caused by smaller planets as well as planets farther from their parent stars.

"We've added 12 percent to the total in the last year, and we're very proud of that," said Wright of the 28 new exoplanets. "This provides new planetary systems so that we can study their properties as an ensemble."

The California and Carnegie Planet Search team is headed by Geoffrey Marcy, professor of astronomy at UC Berkeley; Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington; Debra Fischer of San Francisco State University; and Steve Vogt, professor of astronomy at UC Santa Cruz. The Anglo-Australian Planet Search team is headed by Chris Tinney of the University of New South Wales and Hugh Jones of the University of Hertfordshire. They and colleagues Shannon Patel of UC Santa Cruz and Simon O'Toole of the Anglo-Australian Observatory have published their exoplanet results in papers over the past year, but the AAS meeting is the first time the teams have presented the past year's findings in their entirety.  

In addition to reporting 37 new substellar objects, Wright singled out an exoplanet discovered by their teams two years ago as "extraordinarily rich." Circling the star Gliese 436 (GJ 436), a red M dwarf only 30 light years from Earth, was an ice-giant planet the teams calculated to be at least 22 Earth masses, slightly larger than the mass of Neptune (17 Earth masses). After the discovery in 2004 and publication of the exoplanet's orbit earlier this year, a Belgian astronomer, Michael Gillon at Liege University, observed the planet crossing in front of the star – the first Neptune-sized planet observed to transit a star. Gillon and colleagues reported two weeks ago how this transiting planet allowed them to precisely pin down the mass, 22.4 Earth masses, and to calculate the planet's radius and density, which turns out to be similar to Neptune's.

"From the density of two grams per cubic centimeter – twice that of water – it must be 50 percent rock and about 50 percent water, with perhaps small amounts of hydrogen and helium," Marcy said. "So this planet has the interior structure of a hybrid super-Earth/Neptune, with a rocky core surrounded by a significant amount of water compressed into solid form at high pressures and temperatures." 

Its short, 2.6-day orbit around Gliese 436 means the exoplanet is very close to the star – only 3 percent of the sun-Earth distance – making it a hot Neptune, Wright said. It also has an eccentric orbit, not a circular orbit like most giant planets found orbiting close to their parent stars. This orbit, in fact, suggests that the star may have another planetary companion in a more distant orbit.

"I'm sure people will immediately follow up and try to measure the atmospheric composition of this planet." Wright predicted.

Also among the 28 new exoplanets are at least four new multiple-planet systems, plus three stars that probably contain a brown dwarf as well as a planet. Wright said that at least 30 percent of all stars known to have planets have more than one. Because smaller planets and outer planets of a star are harder to detect, he predicts that the percentage will continue to rise as detection methods improve.

"We're just now getting to the point where, if we were observing our own solar system from afar, we would be seeing Jupiter," he said, pointing out that the teams' Doppler technique is now sensitive to stellar wobbles of a meter per second, much less than the 10-meter per second limit they started out with 15 years ago.

Wright keeps track of all known exoplanets for the California and Carnegie Planet Search team's Web site, http://exoplanets.org, which hosts the only peer-reviewed catalog of exoplanets within 200 parsecs (652 light years) of Earth. This includes "everything that is close enough to study and possibly follow up with imaging," he said.

Three of the newly reported planets are around large stars between 1.6 and 1.9 times the mass of our sun. Johnson has focused on exoplanets around massive stars, known as A and F stars, which have masses between 1.5 and 2.5 solar masses. Planets around these massive stars are normally very hard to detect because they typically rotate fast and have pulsating atmospheres, traits that can hide or mimic the signal from an orbiting planet. He discovered, however, that cooler "retired" A stars – "subgiant" stars that have nearly completed hydrogen burning and have stabilized for a short period of time – are quiet enough to make planet-caused wobbles detectable.

So far, Johnson has tracked down six previously discovered exoplanets around retired A stars, and by combining this set with the three newly discovered exoplanets, has been able to draw preliminary conclusions. For one, planets around more massive stars seem to be farther from their host stars, Johnson said.
 

"Only one of the 9 planets is within 1 AU (astronomical unit, or 93 million miles), and none of them is within 0.8 AU, of their host stars, which is very different than the distribution around sun-like stars," he said, noting that many sun-like stars harbor hot gas giants that whip around their host stars in two to 100 days. Even though short-period planets are easier to detect, no such planets have been detected orbiting retired A stars, whose typical planets have an orbital distance about equal to Earth's orbit or greater, with an orbital period of a few years.

Based on the results of his search for planets around retired A stars, Johnson has discovered that massive stars are more likely to harbor Jupiter-sized planets than are lower-mass stars. The chance of having a Jupiter-like, giant planet orbiting within 2 AU is 8.7 percent for stars between 1.3 and 2 solar masses, versus 4 percent for sun-like stars with masses ranging from 0.7 solar masses to 1.3 solar masses, and 1.2 percent for M stars with less than 0.7 solar masses. As would be expected from the core accretion model of planet formation, large planets are more often observed around massive stars, probably because these stars start out with more material in their disks during the early formation period.

Johnson will continue to focus on retired A stars, 450 of which have been added to the teams' target list. As more planets are discovered around subgiants, it should become clearer whether larger orbits are "a result of different formation and migration mechanisms in the disks of A-type stars, or simply a consequence of the small number of massive subgiants currently surveyed," he and colleagues wrote in a paper submitted in April to the Astrophysical Journal.

The California and Carnegie Planet Search team uses telescopes at the University of California's Lick Observatory and the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. The Anglo-Australian Planet Search team uses the Anglo-Australian Observatory. Together, these teams have discovered more than half of all known exoplanets. 

The work is funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the W. M. Keck Observatory, the Carnegie Institution of Washington, the Anglo-Australian Observatory and the UC Observatories.

 

Source - California and Carnegie Planet Search website

A Star as Old as the Universe

The Universe is thought to be 13.7 billion years old. So it was quite a surprise when astronomers turned up a star that's 13.2 billion years old. That means it formed only a few hundred million years after the Big Bang.

The star, HE 1523-0901, was discovered by the European Southern Observatory's VLT. Astronomers knew right away that that had an old star, but the technique for dating it accurately is pretty difficult. The method is similar to radiocarbon dating, where archaeologists use the approximate quantities of carbon isotopes to measure the age of ancient artifacts.

In this situation, though, the astronomers used the VLT to measure the abundance of the various radioactive elements, like thorium and uranium. Once the star originally formed, its radioactive elements began to decay, changing into other elements. By knowing the rate of decay, and being able to measure these elements so accurately, they were able to peg the ages of the star at 13.2 billion years old. The trick was to find elements that decay at a set rate, but would still be around after billions of years of decay.

Original Source: ESO News Release

Dwarf Galaxies Have a Large Amount of Unseen Matter

Astronomers have found that the cosmic wreckage left over when large galaxies collide have an unusually high amount of unseen matter in them. In some situations, these dwarf galaxies have twice the matter that astronomers would expect.

The research was done using the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope to study a galaxy called NGC 5291, located about 200 million light-years from Earth. About 360 million years ago, this galaxy collided with another, and the collision sent out streams of stars, gas and dust. These streams later coalesced into dwarf galaxies that orbit the parent galaxy.

Under the VLA survey, astronomers studied three of these dwarf galaxies, and found that they have two to three times the amount of dark matter as visible matter. Astronomers don't actually think this is the mysterious non-interacting dark matter that makes up the bulk of matter in the Universe. Instead, it's cold hydrogen molecules which are extremely difficult to see.

This cold molecular hydrogen likely came from the disks of the galaxies, and not the haloes.

Original Source: NRAO News Release

New Mission Could Find Star Trek’s Planet Vulcan

All right, this article from NASA is totally pandering to my Star Trek geekiness. I know I'm being manipulated, but I just… can't… resist. According to NASA, their upcoming SIM PlanetQuest mission should be able to find Star Trek's planet Vulcan. You know, Spock's home?

Okay, I'll try and put this into some kind of scientific justification. The SIM PlanetQuest is a new mission in the works at NASA. If all goes well, and it doesn't befall the fate that struck the Terrestrial Planet Finder, it will launch into an Earth-trailing solar orbit. Once fully operational, it'll be able to detect potentially habitable planets as small as the Earth around nearby stars.

Here's the Star Trek angle. One of the stars that it'll be able to detect Earth-sized planets around will be 40 Eridani, a triple star system located about 16 light-years from Earth. In the Star Trek universe, the planet Vulcan, home of Spock, orbits the star 40 Eridani A, which is part of this system. So, if all goes well, SIM PlanetQuest will be able to find an Earth-sized world, in the habitable zone around 40 Eridani A. It'll find Spock's homeworld, get it?

If the Terrestrial Planet Finder does get brought back from canceled status, it'll be able to take this research to the next level, and actually search for signatures of life around any worlds which are discovered.

Original Source: NASA News Release

Organic Chemicals Found in Titan’s Atmosphere

Since the twin Voyager spacecraft flew past Saturn's moon Titan, Scientists have been excited about what its hazy atmosphere can tell us about the earliest days of our own planet. The Voyagers discovered that Titan's atmosphere is swirling with hydrocarbons and other complex organic molecules that could be the building blocks of life. The latest findings from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have uncovered these organic molecules floating higher in Titan's atmosphere than scientists originally thought possible.

This latest research has been published in the May 11, 2007 edition of the Journal Science. It shows that these organic aerosols, called tholins, have been found in altitudes higher than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) above the surface of Titan. And these molecules are formed differently than how scientists originally believed.

This inquiry is important because the Titan's environment is thought to be very similar to the Earth's early history, before the first life formed. A similar process could have happened here.

Original Source: SwRI News Release & UniverseToday

Maximizing Survival Time Inside the Event Horizon of a Black Hole

Here's a scenario that will face many of us in the far future. You're hurtling through the cosmos at nearly the speed of light in your spaceship when you take a wrong turn and pass into the event horizon of a black hole. Uh oh, you're dead - not yet, but it's inevitable. Since nothing, not even light can escape the pull from a black hole once it passes into the event horizon, what can you do to maximize your existence before you join the singularity as a smear of particles?

Physicists used to think that black holes were sort of like quicksand in this situation. Once you cross the event horizon, or Schwarzschild radius, your date with the singularity is certain. It will occur at some point in the future, in a finite amount of proper time. The more you try to struggle, the faster your demise will come. It was thought that your best strategy was to do nothing at all and just freefall to your doom.

Fortunately, Geraint F. Lewis and Juliana Kwan from the School of Physics at the University of Sydney, have got some suggestions that fly in the face of this stuggle = quick death hypothesis. Their paper is called No Way Back: Maximizing survival time below the Schwarzschild event horizon, and it was recently accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of Australia.

When an unlucky victim falls into the event horizon of a black hole, they will survive for a finite amount of time. If you fall straight down into a stellar black hole, you'll last a fraction of a second. For a supermassive black hole, you might last a few hours.

Due to the tremendous tidal forces, an unlucky victim will suffer spaghettification, where differences in gravity from your head to your feet stretch you out. But let's not worry about that for now. You're trying to maximize survival time.

Since you've got a spaceship capable of zipping around from star to star, you've got a powerful engine, capable of affecting your rate of descent. Point down towards the singularity and you'll fall faster, point away and you'll fall more slowly. Keep in mind that you're inside a black hole, flying a spaceship capable of traveling near the speed of light, so Einstein's theories of relativity come into play.

And it's how you use your acceleration that defines how much personal time you'll have left.

In a moment of panic, you may point your rocket outwards and fire it at full thrust, keeping the engine running until you arrive at the central singularity. However, Lewis and Kwan have demonstrated that in the convoluted space-time within the event horizon, such a strategy actually hastens your demise, and you'll actually end up experiencing less time overall. So, what are you to do? Lewis and Kwan have the solution, identifying an acceleration "sweet-spot" that gives you the maximal survival time. All you have to do, once across the event horizon, is fire your rocket for a fixed amount of time, and then turn it off and enjoy the rest of the fall.

But how long should you fire your rocket for? Lewis and Kwan show this is a simple calculation involving the mass of the black hole, how powerful your rocket is, and how fast you crossed the event horizon, easily doable on a desktop computer.

Here's another analogy from Lewis:

"Consider a race to the centre between a free faller and a rocketeer. Suppose they cross the event horizon together holding hands. As they cross, they start identical stop watches. One falls inwards, while the other accelerates towards the centre for a little, then swings their rocket round and decelerates such that the free faller and the rocketeer meet and clasp hands again just before hitting the singularity. A check on their stop watches would reveal that the free faller would experience the most personal time in the trip. This is related to one of the basic results of relativity - people in freefall experience the maximum proper time."

So now you know. Even after you've fallen into the black hole's event horizon, there are things you can do to lengthen your harrowing journey so that you get to experience more time.

Time to you can use to deal with your spaghettification problem.

Source: Arxiv research paper & UniverseToday

When Our Galaxy Smashes Into Andromeda, What Happens to the Sun?

When astronomers look into the night sky, almost every single galaxy is speeding away from us, carried by the expansion of the Universe. There's one notable exception; though, the massive Andromeda galaxy (aka M31), which is speeding towards us at a rate of 120 km/s. And some time in the next few billion years, our two galaxies will collide and begin the lengthly process of merging together. Our Sun, and even the Earth should still be around, so it begs the question, what will happen to our Solar System?

Fortunately, T. J. Cox and Abraham Loeb from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have done the math in their recent paper entitled The Collision Between The Milky Way And Andromeda . In this paper, they chart out their simulation of this massive collision, and estimate some future fates for our Solar System.

Our galaxy, the Milky Way, and Andromeda (M31) together with their 40 smaller companions make up the two largest members of the Local Group of galaxies. While most galaxies are hurtling away from us as part of the expansion of the Universe, the Local Group is gravitationally bound together, and will continue to interact over the coming years.

When our Sun was born, 4.7 billion years ago, Andromeda and the Milky Way were 4.2 million light-years apart. Steadily moving together over the billions of years, they're now only 2.6 million light-years apart and clearly headed for a collision. But it won't be a head-on collision, the two galaxies will take swipes at each other first.

The first sideswipe will occur less than 2 billion years from now. During that first interaction, there's a 12% chance that the Solar System might get ejected from the disk of the Milky Way, and spun out into the tidal tail of material that will stream out from the Milky Way. And there's a remote chance, less than 3%, that the Sun will jump ship, joining up with Andromeda, and leaving the Milky Way entirely.

Since the Sun and the Earth will still be around, future astronomers could witness the collision in all its glory. Since the Sun will be steadily increasing its output of radiation, life might not be able to survive on our planet if engineers can't figure out a way to keep the Earth moving away from the Sun.

Then the galaxies will come back together for another swipe, and then another, and eventually settle down into a gigantic swarm of stars buzzing around a common center of gravity. Currently quiet, the twin supermassive black holes may flare up, becoming active galactic nuclei, feasting on the torrent of new material that was unlucky to enter their feeding zones. Colliding clouds of gas and dust will flare up in furious regions of star formation.

In all likelihood, these interactions will push the Sun out into the new galaxy's outer halo, pushing us at least 100,000 light years from the centre, and safely way from those twin black holes.

And 7 billion years from now, when our Sun is in the last stages of life - a red giant - and our Earth is a burned cinder, Milkomeda will have formed.

(At least, that's what Cox and Loeb are calling it. I coined Milkdromeda in an episode of Astronomy Cast.)

This future galaxy will be a massive, elliptical galaxy, losing any remnant of its familiar spiral arms. The furious star formation will settle down, and this new galaxy will live out its remaining years, slowly using up its remaining raw stellar material.

100 billion years from now, all galaxies not bound to the Local Group will recede from vision - now traveling away from us faster than the speed of light. The concept of extragalactic astronomy will end, and Milkomeda will account for the entire visible Universe.

Source: Arxiv & UniverseToday

Top 10 Emerging Environmental Technologies

Make Paper Obsolete

Imagine curling up on the couch with the morning paper and then using the same sheet of paper to read the latest novel by your favorite author. That's one possibility of electronic paper, a flexible display that looks very much like real paper but can be reused over and over. The display contains many tiny microcapsules filled with particles that carry electric charges bonded to a steel foil. Each microcapsule has white and black particles that are associated with either a positive or negative charge. Depending on which charge is applied; the black or white particles surface displaying different patterns. In the United States alone, more than 55 million newspapers are sold each weekday.

Bury The Bad Stuff

Carbon dioxide is the most prominent greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. According to the Energy Information Administration, by the year 2030 we will be emitting close to 8,000 million metric tons of CO2. Some experts say it's impossible to curb the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere and that we just have to find ways to dispose of the gas. One suggested method is to inject it into the ground before it gets a chance to reach the atmosphere. After the CO2 is separated from other emission gases, it can be buried in abandoned oil wells, saline reservoirs, and rocks. While this sounds great, scientists are not sure whether the injected gas will stay underground and what the long-term effects are, and the costs of separation and burying are still far too high to consider this technology as a practical short-term solution.

Let Plants and Microbes Clean Up After Us

Bioremediation uses microbes and plants to clean up contamination. Examples include the cleanup of nitrates in contaminated water with the help of microbes, and using plants to uptake arsenic from contaminated soil, in a process known as phytoremediation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has used it to clean up several sites. Often, native plant species can be used for site cleanup, which are advantageous because in most cases they don't require pesticides or watering. In other cases scientists are trying to genetically modify the plants to take up contaminants in their roots and transport it all the way to the leaves for easy harvesting.

Plant Your Roof

It's a wonder that this concept attributed to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of Seven Wonders of the World, didn't catch on sooner in the modern world. Legend has it that the roofs, balconies, and terraces of the royal palace of Babylon were turned into gardens by the king's order to cheer up one of his wives. Roof gardens help absorb heat, reduce the carbon dioxide impact by taking up Co2 and giving off oxygen, absorb storm water, and reduce summer air conditioning usage. Ultimately, the technique could lessen the "heat island" effect that occurs in urban centers. Butterflies and songbirds could also start frequenting urban garden roofs, and like the king's wife, could even cheer up the inhabitants of the building. Here, a green roof is tested at Penn State.

Harness Waves and Tides

The oceans cover more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface. Waves contain an abundance of energy that could be directed to turbines, which can then turn this mechanical power into electrical. The obstacle to using this energy source has been the difficulty in harnessing it. Sometimes the waves are too small to generate sufficient power. The trick is to be able to store the energy when enough mechanical power is generated. New York City's East River is now in the process of becoming the test bed for six tide-powered turbines, and Portugal's reliance on waves in a new project is expected to produce enough power for more than 1,500 homes. Here, a buoy system capable of capturing the ocean's power in the form of offshore swells is illustrated by researchers at Oregon State University.

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

The biggest solar collector on Earth is our ocean mass. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the oceans absorb enough heat from the sun to equal the thermal energy contained in 250 billion barrels of oil each day. The U.S. consumes about 7.5 billion barrels a year. OTEC technologies convert the thermal energy contained in the oceans and turn it into electricity by using the temperature difference between the water's surface, which is heated, and the cold of the ocean's bottom. This difference in temperature can operate turbines that can drive generators. The major shortcoming of this technology is that it's still not efficient enough to be used as a major mechanism for generating power.

Sunny New Ideas

The sun's energy, which hits Earth in the form of photons, can be converted into electricity or heat. Solar collectorscome in many different forms and are already used successfully by energy companies and individual homeowners. The two widely known types of solar collectors are solar cells and solar thermal collectors. But researchers are pushing the limits to more efficiently convert this energy by concentrating solar power by using mirrors and parabolic dishes. Part of the challenge for employing solar power involves motivation and incentives from governments. In January, the state of California approved a comprehensive program that provides incentives toward solar development. Arizona, on the other hand, has ample sunshine but has not made solar energy a priority. In fact in some planned communities it is downright discouraged by strict rules of aesthetics.

The 'H' Power

Hydrogen fuel cell usage has been touted as a pollution-free alternative to using fossil fuels. They make water by combining hydrogen and oxygen. In the process, they generate electricity. The problem with fuel cells is obtaining the hydrogen. Molecules such as water and alcohol have to be processed to extract hydrogen to feed into a fuel cell. Some of these processes require the using other energy sources, which then defeat the advantages of this "clean" fuel. Most recently, scientists have come up with ways to power laptops and small devices with fuel cells, and some car companies are promising that soon we'll be seeing cars that emit nothing but clean water. The promise of a "hydrogen economy," however, is not one that all experts agree will ever be realized.

Remove the Salt

According to the United Nations, water supply shortages will affect billions of people by the middle of this century. Desalination, basically removing the salt and minerals out of seawater, is one way to provide potable water in parts of the world where supplies are limited. The problem with this technology is that it is expensive and uses a lot of energy. Scientists are working toward better processes where inexpensive fuels can heat and evaporate the water before running it through membranes with microscopic pores to increase efficiency.

Make Oil from Just about Anything

Any carbon-based waste, from turkey guts to used tires, can, by adding sufficient heat and pressure, be turned into oil through a process called thermo-depolymerization, This is very similar to how nature produces oil, but with this technology, the process is expedited by millions of years to achieve the same byproduct. Proponents of this technology claim that a ton of turkey waste can cough up about 600 pounds of petroleum.

 

Original Source

New Device Vacuums Away Carbon Dioxide

By Andrea Thompson, LiveScience Staff Writer

 

A new device placed in say, Iceland, could suck up atmospheric carbon dioxide emitted from vehicles as far away as Tokyo, making it a potentially useful tool in battling ever-rising levels of this greenhouse gas.

Carbon dioxide molecules trap heat emanating from the Earth's surface and send it back downward, warming up the atmosphere. Scientists think that steadily rising levels of this and other greenhouse gases will bring about potentially disastrous changes in Earth's climate.

Scientists have proposed many possible ways to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air: emissions could be reduced by using alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind power or alternative fuels, like ethanol or natural gas; and scrubbers could be placed on power plants to remove carbon dioxide and other gases from their exhaust.

But unlike these solutions, which reduce emissions, the new device captures carbon dioxide molecules that are already in the air and releases them as a pure carbon dioxide stream. This stream can be sequestered or used to enhance oil recovery.

"We are trapping carbon dioxide about 1,000 times faster than a tree does," said study leader Klaus Lackner of Columbia University.

The device has an opening that pulls air in and the carbon dioxide in the air sticks to absorbent compounds (or sorbents) inside the device.

"Once you have the CO2 attached to the sorbent, you have to pry it loose again," which is the costly part of the procedure, Lackner said.

The scientists who created the device point out one particular advantage: It could be placed wherever sequestered carbon dioxide would be stored, instead of where emissions occur. By contrast, scrubbers are impractical to use on cars, which contribute 20 percent of the global carbon dioxide emissions, and it is difficult to retrofit power plants with the scrubbers.

The device has been tested in Arizona, and with some improvements, Lackner estimates that commercial versions could be ready to use in a few years. He envisions the technology being used to first compensate for emissions, then being used to drive carbon dioxide levels down, and finally combing the extracted carbon dioxide with hydrogen to make a liquid hydrocarbon fuel that is not a fossil fuel, though he says this advance is a good 50 years away.

Self Destruction: 10 Easy Ways...

Self Destruction: 10 Easy Ways...

Sacrifice Sleep

Inadequate sleep (less than 7 or 8 hours a night) has been tied to many different health problems, including obesity, diabetes and cancer. Mental fatigue is also as big of a risk factor for vehicular accidents as alcohol. And just think of all the time you'd have for destructive behavior if you shunned the zzz's altogether!

Ignore the Doctor

Many Americans agree that their health is hardly worth finding thirty minutes among 526,000 for that once-per-year physical exam. It's a good tactic if early disease detection and important medical consultation are going to get in the way of your Tommy Lee lifestyle. If you don't want to hear the doctor tell you our other tips for self-destruction are unhealthy, just don't go.

Dumb Down Your Brain

Reading, doing crosswords and tackling sudokus are all risky behaviors if you're looking to avoid Alzheimer's. The degenerative brain disease attacks almost everyone who lives long enough, though mind games and puzzles are known to ward off the effects.

Have a Lot of Sex

Most people agree that sex in itself isn't so bad, it's how you do it that could mean life or death. The smart self-destructor doesn't use protection, ignores the partner's sexual history and shuns the annual medical exam. Twelve million Americans contract sexually transmitted diseases every year, many of which can leave the victim infertile. Killing yourself and preventing new births: there's a two-fer!

Drive a Lot

If people wanted to increase their chance of surviving 'til a ripe old age, they'd fly everywhere. Driving kills more people aged 1 to 35 than anything else, a statistic that could drop to near zero if everyone just stayed home. But how fun would that be? So hit the road, forget the speed limit, yak on your cell phone--or worse, eat--and don't buckle up if you're anxious to become part of this popular statistic.

Drink a Lot

The occasional drink of alcohol, especially wine, can be beneficial to your health, many studies suggest. But if you're looking to do yourself in, overdo the two-drink-per-day limit and imbibe heartily. Besides alcoholism of course, too much booze causes liver damage, diabetes and is the root cause of nearly 100,000 deaths per year.

Stress Out

Creating more stress in your life is a great way to invite all kinds of diseases to attack the body. When you're chronically stressed, the adrenal glands are forced to work overtime and eventually exhaust themselves, inhibiting the immune system. So go ahead and worry about everything from the color of your socks to whether dinner will be ready on time. Your hormones won't know what hit them.

Watch TV

Not only is television entertaining, it can keep us on the couch for hours at a time several days per week. The average American spends a full 9 years of his life glued to the boob tube, years that could otherwise be spent exercising. Resist the urge! Being an obese, sedentary TV-addicted couch potato makes for speedy self-destruction, though you may be a little smarter (if you watch those nerdy science channels).

Smoke

They don't call them cancer sticks for nothing: Tobacco-related illnesses are America's number two killer, and the most preventable. But if you're bent on putting the kibosh to healthy living, go ahead and light up; just one cigarette will immediately increase your blood pressure and decrease the circulation to your extremities. Imagine what you could do with a pack.

Eat Junk

Last year, at least 400,000 Americans managed to kill themselves based almost solely on what they ate. Heart disease is the country's number one killer and, while some of that comes from genetics, most of it's due to the fat-laden, sugar-heavy junk we put in our bodies. Looking for the most effective, probably most enjoyable way to do yourself in? Have another doughnut. And make it cream-filled!

Original Source: Live Science

Phoenix Lander Arrives in Florida

The long-lasting Mars rovers are still wandering across the surface of the Red Planet, but they're about to get a new friend. Next up to land on the surface of Mars is the Phoenix Mars Lander, which recently arrived in Florida in preparation for its upcoming launch. The Phoenix lander was delivered by a US Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft from its manufacturer in Colorado.

If all goes well, the Phoenix Mars Lander will blast off atop a Boeing Delta II rocket as early as August 3rd, 2007. It will make the six month trip to Mars, and then land in a flat plain near the planet's arctic ice cap. It will use its robotic digging arm and a suite of instruments to determine if the soil holds quantities of water ice - one of the necessary ingredients for life. The detection of ice would bring the possibility of microbial life on Mars one step closer.

Workers from Lockheed Martin Space Systems have been assembling and testing the spacecraft in Denver for the last year. At this point, Phoenix is now safely stowed away inside its back shell, and will stay that way until it launches in August.

NASA will perform a series of tests over the next few weeks, and then install its heat shield and test its ability to separate from the launcher. Just a week before launch, the launch fairing will be installed around the lander and then it will be installed atop the Delta II rocket.

Original Source: NASA News Release

Astronomers Map the Hot Weather on a Distant Planet

How's the weather? Hot enough for you? Well, if you're living on extrasolar planet HD 189733b, you'd really want to be anywhere else. That's because the high noon temperatures reach 926 degrees C (1700 degrees F). How do we know what the weather's like on this distant planet? Just thank Spitzer.

Astronomers working with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have produced a rough map of the weather systems on HD 189733b. Over the course of 33 hours of observations, they gathered together more than 250,000 data points measuring the planet's brightness. These data points were then mapped onto the planet, to show its global temperatures.

HD 189733b orbits its parent star at a distance of only 4.8 million km (3 million miles); it completes an orbit every 2.2 days. In terms of mass and size, it's a little larger than Jupiter. This close proximity to its parent star puts it into the "Hot Jupiter" category, of extrasolar planets.

One interesting surprise: the hottest spot on the planet doesn't directly face the star. Instead it's offset about 30 degrees longitudinally. The researchers speculate that powerful weather systems redistribute the heat across the planet, and into these pockets of heat.

 

Original source: CfA News Release

Painted by Storms - Saturn

This photograph of Saturn looks as if it was painted, or carved from a block of sandstone. That's because it was heavily processed on computer to bring out detail in the Ringed Planet's cloud structure. You lose the smooth natural look, but you get to see sharp detail in the atmospheric bands. The image was captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft using a combination of spectral filters. Different wavelengths of infrared radiation represent different colours in the image.

Cassini captured the image on August 19, 2005 when it was approximately 492,000 kilometers (306,000 miles) from Saturn.

Original Source: NASA/JPL/SSI News Release

Astronomers spot exploding faraway star

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer

A massive exploding faraway star — the brightest supernova astronomers have ever seen — has scientists wondering whether a similar celestial fireworks show may light up the sky much closer to Earth sometime soon.

The discovery, announced Monday by NASA, drew oohs and aahs for months from the handful of astronomers who peered through telescopes to see the fuzzy remnants of the spectacular explosion after it was first spotted last fall.

Using a variety of Earth and space telescopes, astronomers found a giant exploding star that they figure has shined about five times brighter than any of the hundreds of supernovae ever seen before, said discovery team leader Nathan Smith of the University of California at Berkeley. The discovery was first made last September by a graduate student in Texas.

"This one is way above anything else," Smith told The Associated Press. "It's really astonishing."

Smith said the star, SN2006gy, "is a special kind of supernova that has never been seen before." He called the star "freakily massive" at 150 times the mass of the sun.

Observations from the Chandra X-ray telescope helped show that it didn't become a black hole like other supernovae and skipped a stage of star death.

Unlike other exploding stars, which peak at brightness for a couple of weeks at most, this supernova, peaked for 70 days, according to NASA. And it has been shining at levels brighter than other supernovae for several months, Smith said.

And even at 240 million light years away, this star in a distant galaxy does suggest that a similar and relatively nearby star — one 44 quadrillion miles away — might blow in similar fashion any day now or 50,000 years from now, Smith said. It wouldn't threaten Earth, but it would be so bright that people could read by it at night, said University of California at Berkeley astronomer David Pooley. However, it would only be visible to people in the Southern Hemisphere, he said.

http://www.nasa.gov

Diabetes At A Glance

• Diabetes is a chronic condition associated with abnormally high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood.
• Insulin produced by the pancreas lowers blood glucose.
• Absence or insufficient production of insulin causes diabetes.
• The two types of diabetes are referred to as type 1 (insulin dependent) and type 2 (non-insulin dependent).
• Symptoms of diabetes include increased urine output, thirst and hunger as well as fatigue.
• Diabetes is diagnosed by blood sugar (glucose) testing.
• The major complications of diabetes are both acute and chronic.
  • Acutely: dangerously elevated blood sugar, abnormally low blood sugar due to diabetes medications may occur.
  • Chronically: disease of the blood vessels (both small and large) which can damage the eye, kidneys, nerves, and heart may occur
• Diabetes treatment depends on the type and severity of the diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin, exercise, and a diabetic diet. Type 2 diabetes is first treated with weight reduction, a diabetic diet, and exercise. When these measures fail to control the elevated blood sugars, oral medications are used. If oral medications are still insufficient, insulin medications are considered.

What are diabetes symptoms?

The early symptoms of untreated diabetes are related to elevated blood sugar levels, and loss of glucose in the urine. High amounts of glucose in the urine can cause increased urine output and lead to dehydration. Dehydration causes increased thirst and water consumption. The inability of insulin to perform normally has effects on protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Insulin is an anabolic hormone, that is, one that encourages storage of fat and protein. A relative or absolute insulin deficiency eventually leads to weight loss despite an increase in appetite. Some untreated diabetes patients also complain of fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Patients with diabetes are prone to developing infections of the bladder, skin, and vaginal areas. Fluctuations in blood glucose levels can lead to blurred vision. Extremely elevated glucose levels can lead to lethargy and coma.

How is diabetes diagnosed?

The fasting blood glucose (sugar) test is the preferred way to diagnose diabetes. It is easy to perform and convenient. After the person has fasted overnight (at least 8 hours), a single sample of blood is drawn and sent to the laboratory for analysis. This can also be done accurately in a doctor�s office using a glucose meter.

Normal fasting plasma glucose levels are less than 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). Fasting plasma glucose levels of more than 126 mg/dl on two or more tests on different days indicate diabetes. A random blood glucose test can also be used to diagnose diabetes A blood glucose level of 200 mg/dl or higher indicates diabetes.

When fasting blood glucose stays above 100mg/dl, but in the range of 100-126mg/dl, this is known as impaired fasting glucose (IFG). While patients with IFG do not have the diagnosis of diabetes, this condition carries with it its own risks and concerns, and is addressed elsewhere.

The oral glucose tolerance test

Though not routinely used anymore, the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is a gold standard for making the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. It is still commonly used for diagnosing gestational diabetes. With an oral glucose tolerance test, the person fasts overnight (at least eight but not more than 16 hours). Then first, the fasting plasma glucose is tested. After this test, the person receives 75 grams of glucose (100 grams for pregnant women). There are several methods employed by obstetricians to do this test, but the one described here is standard. Usually, the glucose is in a sweet-tasting liquid that the person drinks. Blood samples are taken at specific intervals to measure the blood glucose.

For the test to give reliable results, the person must be in good health (not have any other illnesses, not even a cold). Also, the person should be normally active (not lying down, for example, as an inpatient in a hospital) and should not be taking medicines that could affect the blood glucose. For three days before the test, the person should have eaten a diet high in carbohydrates (150- 200 grams per day). The morning of the test, the person should not smoke or drink coffee.

The classic oral glucose tolerance test measures blood glucose levels five times over a period of three hours. Some physicians simply get a baseline blood sample followed by a sample two hours after drinking the glucose solution. In a person without diabetes, the glucose levels rise and then fall quickly. In someone with diabetes, glucose levels rise higher than normal and fail to come back down as fast.

People with glucose levels between normal and diabetic have impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). People with impaired glucose tolerance do not have diabetes, but are at high risk for progressing to diabetes. Each year, 1-5% of people whose test results show impaired glucose tolerance actually eventually develop diabetes. Weight loss and exercise may help people with impaired glucose tolerance return their glucose levels to normal. In addition, some physicians advocate the use of medications, such as metformin (Glucophage), to help prevent/delay the onset of overt diabetes. Recent studies have shown that impaired glucose tolerance itself may be a risk factor for the development of heart disease. In the medical community, most physicians are now understanding that impaired glucose tolerance is nor simply a precursor of diabetes, but is its own clinical disease entity that requires treatment and monitoring.

Evaluating the results of the oral glucose tolerance test

Glucose tolerance tests may lead to one of the following diagnoses:

• Normal response: A person is said to have a normal response when the 2-hour glucose level is less than 140 mg/dl, and all values between 0 and 2 hours are less than 200 mg/dl.
• Impaired glucose tolerance: A person is said to have impaired glucose tolerance when the fasting plasma glucose is less than 126 mg/dl and the 2-hour glucose level is between 140 and 199 mg/dl.
• Diabetes: A person has diabetes when two diagnostic tests done on different days show that the blood glucose level is high.
• Gestational diabetes: A woman has gestational diabetes when she has any two of the following: a 100g OGTT, a fasting plasma glucose of more than 95 mg/dl, a 1-hour glucose level of more than 180 mg/dl, a 2-hour glucose level of more than 155 mg/dl, or a 3-hour glucose level of more than 140 mg/dl.

What are the different types of diabetes?

There are two major types of diabetes, called type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes was also called insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), or juvenile onset diabetes mellitus. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas undergoes an autoimmune attack by the body itself, and is rendered incapable of making insulin. Abnormal antibodies have been found in the majority of patients with type 1 diabetes. Antibodies are proteins in the blood that are part of the body's immune system. The patient with type 1 diabetes must rely on insulin medication for survival.

In autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, the immune system mistakenly manufactures antibodies and inflammatory cells that are directed against and cause damage to patients' own body tissues. In persons with type 1 diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas, which are responsible for insulin production, are attacked by the misdirected immune system. It is believed that the tendency to develop abnormal antibodies in type 1 diabetes is, in part, genetically inherited, though the details are not fully understood. Exposure to certain viral infections ( mumps and Coxsackie viruses) or other environmental toxins may serve to trigger abnormal antibody responses that cause damage to the pancreas cells where insulin is made. These antibodies can be measured in the majority of patients, and may help determine which individuals are at risk for developing type 1 diabetes.

At present, the American Diabetes Association does not recommend general screening of the population for type 1 diabetes, though screening of high risk individuals, such as those with a first degree relative (sibling or parent) with type 1 diabetes should be encouraged. Type 1 diabetes tends to occur in young, lean individuals, usually before 30 years of age, however, older patients do present with this form of diabetes on occasion. This subgroup is referred to as latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). LADA is a slow, progressive form of type 1 diabetes. Of all the patients with diabetes, only approximately 10% of the patients have type 1 diabetes and the remaining 90% have type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes was also referred to as non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), or adult onset diabetes mellitus (AODM). In type 2 diabetes, patients can still produce insulin, but do so relatively inadequately for their body�s needs, particularly in the face of insulin resistance as discussed above. In many cases this actually means the pancreas produces larger than normal quantities of insulin. A major feature of type 2 diabetes is a lack of sensitivity to insulin by the cells of the body (particularly fat and muscle cells). In addition to the problems with an increase in insulin resistance, the release of insulin by the pancreas may also be defective and suboptimal. In fact, there is a known steady decline in beta cell production of insulin in type 2 diabetes that contributes to worsening glucose control. (This is a major factor for many patients with type 2 diabetes who ultimately require insulin therapy.) Finally, the liver in these patients continues to produce glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis despite elevated glucose levels. The control of gluconeogenesis becomes compromised.

While it is said that type 2 diabetes occurs mostly in individuals over 30 years old and the incidence increases with age, we are seeing an alarming number patients with type 2 diabetes who are barely in their teen years. In fact, for the first time in the history of humans, type 2 diabetes is now more common than type 1 diabetes in childhood. Most of these cases are a direct result of poor eating habits, higher body weight, and lack of exercise.

While there is a strong genetic component to developing this form of diabetes, there are other risk factors - the most significant of which is obesity . There is a direct relationship between the degree of obesity and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and this holds true in children as well as adults. It is estimated that the chance to develop diabetes doubles for every 20% increase over desirable body weight.

Regarding age, data shows that for each decade after 40 years of age regardless of weight there is an increase in incidence of diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes in persons 65 to 74 years of age is nearly 20%. Type 2 diabetes is also more common in certain ethnic groups. Compared with a 6% prevalence in Caucasians, the prevalence in African Americans and Asian Americans is estimated to be 10%, in Hispanics 15%, and in certain Native American communities 20% to 50%. Finally, diabetes occurs much more frequently in women with a prior history of diabetes that develops during pregnancy (gestational diabetes - see below).

Diabetes can occur temporarily during pregnancy. Significant hormonal changes during pregnancy can lead to blood sugar elevation in genetically predisposed individuals. Blood sugar elevation during pregnancy is called gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes usually resolves once the baby is born. However, 25-50% of women with gestational diabetes will eventually develop Type 2 diabetes later in life, especially in those who require insulin during pregnancy and those who remain overweight after their delivery. Patients with gestational diabetes are usually asked to undergo an oral glucose tolerance test about 6 weeks after giving birth to determine if their diabetes has persisted beyond the pregnancy, or if any evidence (such as impaired glucose tolerance) is present that may be a clue to the patient�s future risk for developing diabetes.

"Secondary" diabetes refers to elevated blood sugar levels from another medical condition. Secondary diabetes may develop when the pancreatic tissue responsible for the production of insulin is destroyed by disease, such as chronic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas by toxins like excessive alcohol), trauma, or surgical removal of the pancreas. Diabetes can also result from other hormonal disturbances, such as excessive growth hormone production (acromegaly) and Cushing's syndrome. In acromegaly, a pituitary gland tumor at the base of the brain causes excessive production of growth hormone, leading to hyperglycemia. In Cushing's syndrome, the adrenal glands produce an excess of cortisol, which promotes blood sugar elevation.

In addition, certain medications may worsen diabetes control, or "unmask" latent diabetes. This is seen most commonly when steroid medications (such as prednisone) are taken and also with medications used in the treatment of HIV infection (AIDS).

What causes diabetes?

Insufficient production of insulin (either absolutely or relative to the body's needs), production of defective insulin (which is uncommon), or the inability of cells to use insulin properly and efficiently leads to hyperglycemia and diabetes. This latter condition affects mostly the cells of muscle and fat tissues, and results in a condition known as "insulin resistance." This is the primary problem in type 2 diabetes. The absolute lack of insulin, usually secondary to a destructive process affecting the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas, is the main disorder in type 1 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, there also is a steady decline of beta cells that adds to the process of elevated blood sugars. For more, please read the Insulin Resistance article. Essentially, if someone is resistant to insulin, the body can, to some degree, increase production of insulin and overcome the level of resistance. After time, if production decreases and insulin cannot be released as vigorously, hyperglycemia develops.

Glucose is a simple sugar found in food. Glucose is an essential nutrient that provides energy for the proper functioning of the body cells. Carbohydrates are broken down in the small intestine and the glucose in digested food is then absorbed by the intestinal cells into the bloodstream, and is carried by the bloodstream to all the cells in the body where it is utilized. However, glucose cannot enter the cells alone and needs insulin to aid in its transport into the cells. Without insulin, the cells become starved of glucose energy despite the presence of abundant glucose in the bloodstream. In certain types of diabetes, the cells' inability to utilize glucose gives rise to the ironic situation of "starvation in the midst of plenty". The abundant, unutilized glucose is wastefully excreted in the urine.

Insulin is a hormone that is produced by specialized cells (beta cells) of the pancreas. (The pancreas is a deep-seated organ in the abdomen located behind the stomach.) In addition to helping glucose enter the cells, insulin is also important in tightly regulating the level of glucose in the blood. After a meal, the blood glucose level rises. In response to the increased glucose level, the pancreas normally releases more insulin into the bloodstream to help glucose enter the cells and lower blood glucose levels after a meal. When the blood glucose levels are lowered, the insulin release from the pancreas is turned down. It is important to note that even in the fasting state there is a low steady release of insulin than fluctuates a bit and helps to maintain a steady blood sugar level during fasting. In normal individuals, such a regulatory system helps to keep blood glucose levels in a tightly controlled range. As outlined above, in patients with diabetes, the insulin is either absent, relatively insufficient for the body's needs, or not used properly by the body. All of these factors cause elevated levels of blood glucose (hyperglycemia).

What is the impact of diabetes?

Over time, diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage. These types of damage are the result of damage to small vessels, referred to as microvascular disease. Diabetes is also an important factor in accelerating the hardening and narrowing of the arteries ( atherosclerosis), leading to strokes, coronary heart disease, and other large blood vessel diseases. This is referred to as macrovascular disease . Diabetes affects approximately 17 million people (about 8% of the population) in the United States. In addition, an estimated additional 12 million people in the United States have diabetes and don't even know it. From an economic perspective, the total annual cost of diabetes in 1997 was estimated to be 98 billion dollars in the United States. The per capita cost resulting from diabetes in 1997 amounted to $10, 071.00; while healthcare costs for people without diabetes incurred a per capita cost of $2,699.00. During this same year, 13.9 million days of hospital stay were attributed to diabetes, while 30.3 million physician office visits were diabetes related. Remember, these numbers reflect only the population in the United States. Globally, the statistics are staggering.

Diabetes is the third leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by high blood sugar (glucose) levels, which result from defects in insulin secretion, or action, or both. Diabetes mellitus, commonly referred to as diabetes (as it will be in this article) was first identified as a disease associated with �sweet urine," and excessive muscle loss in the ancient world. Elevated levels of blood glucose (hyperglycemia) lead to spillage of glucose into the urine, hence the term sweet urine. Normally, blood glucose levels are tightly controlled by insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin lowers the blood glucose level. When the blood glucose elevates (for example, after eating food), insulin is released from the pancreas to normalize the glucose level. In patients with diabetes, the absence or insufficient production of insulin causes hyperglycemia. Diabetes is a chronic medical condition, meaning that although it can be controlled, it lasts a lifetime.

Diabetes May Lead to Precursor of Alzheimer's

By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Adults with diabetes may be at higher risk for developing mild cognitive impairment, a condition that is often seen as a precursor to Alzheimer's disease, new research found.

"There is mounting evidence that diabetes is bad for cognition," said Dr. Jose A. Luchsinger, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University. "The mechanisms need to be elucidated. Type 2, or adult-onset diabetes, which the study refers to, is increasing in the U.S. and in the world. The consequences of the potential cognitive complications of diabetes could be devastating from a public health standpoint."

Still, there are perhaps more questions than answers in the new study, which was published Monday in the April issue of Archives of Neurology.

"What is the real message for diabetes control?" asked Dr. Larry Deeb, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association. "If the message is that you're at greater risk for MCI (mild cognitive impairment) no matter what, that's one thing. If taking good care of blood sugar makes a difference, as seems to be the case for most other complications of diabetes, that's another thing. One would hope this might be another argument for controlling diabetes."

Health experts already knew that type 2 diabetes can be a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. The evidence has been less clear on whether diabetes is related to a higher risk of mild cognitive impairment, often considered a bridge state between normalcy and Alzheimer's.

"There are few studies looking at the outcome of mild cognitive impairment," Luchsinger said.

More than 10 percent of the elderly population of the United States has diabetes. And the prevalence is twice as high among black Americans and Hispanics as it is among non-Hispanic whites.

For this study, Luchsinger and his colleagues looked at 918 men and women older than 65 (average age 75.9) who did not have mild cognitive impairment or dementia at the start of the study. The participants, all from northern Manhattan in New York City, were assessed every 18 months with an in-person interview as well as physical and neurological examinations.

Almost one-quarter -- 23.9 percent -- of the participants had diabetes, 68.2 percent had high blood pressure, 33.9 percent had heart disease, and 15 percent had suffered a stroke.

During follow-up that averaged 6.1 years, 334 of the participants developed mild cognitive impairment. And people with diabetes had a higher risk of having mild cognitive impairment, especially amnestic MCI, which affects memory more than non-amnestic MCI.

Overall, 8.8 percent of cases of mild cognitive impairment among the study participants could be attributable to diabetes. And the rates were higher for black Americans (8.4 percent) and Hispanics (11 percent) than for non-Hispanic whites ( 4.6 percent). This makes sense, given that minority populations in the United States have a higher prevalence of diabetes.

What explains the possible link between diabetes and impairment?

Diabetes could contribute to plaque build-up in the brain, with such a build-up a hallmark of Alzheimer's, the study authors said.

But, they added, more research is needed.

"Studies are needed to see if preventing diabetes prevents cognitive impairment and how diabetes treatment affects cognition," Luchsinger said. "We also need to see how cognitive impairment in persons with diabetes affects their ability to follow their treatment, which is usually complex and involves several medications."

Other experts applauded even the tentative findings.

This type of research may help target populations who could one day benefit from drugs, said Maria Carrillo, director of medical and scientific relations at the Alzheimer's Association.

"This supports the idea that risk factors are real," Carrillo added. "The field has now matured to a point where we can start looking at earlier and earlier aspects of the disease. It makes sense to look even earlier than that and try to tease out what the risk factors look like in that population, in case we have a disease-modifying drug coming up in near future."

"This is documenting what we know a little bit better and emphasizing that patients should control their blood sugar as well as they can early in the disease," added Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. "This is another piece of information, more wood to the fire."

 

Source

Health Tips

Stealth Health: Get Healthy Without Really Trying

Living healthier doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming, experts say

By Colette Bouchez
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Feature

Reviewed By Cynthia Dennison Haines, MD

How much do you know about what makes up a healthy lifestyle? Here's a pop quiz.

1. How do you define working out?

a. Going to the gym.
b. Turning the jump-rope for the neighbor's kid.
c. Playing Frisbee with your dog.

2. How do you define good nutrition?

a. Eating a vegetable at every meal.
b. Eating two vegetables at every meal.
c. Drinking a fruit smoothie for breakfast.

3. Which of these is a healthy activity?

a. Push-ups, sit-ups, or running the track.
b. Walking the dog after dinner.
c. Spending Saturday afternoon snoozing on the sofa.

Believe it or not, the correct answer to every question is A, B, and C -- even that Saturday afternoon snooze! According to the growing "Stealth Health" movement, sneaking healthy habits into our daily living is easier than we think.

"You can infuse your life with the power of prevention incrementally and fairly painlessly, and yes, doing something, no matter how small, is infinitely better for you than doing nothing," says David Katz, MD, MPH, director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center and of the Yale Preventive Medicine Center. Katz is also co-author of the book Stealth Health: How to Sneak Age-Defying, Disease-Fighting Habits into Your Life without Really Trying.

From your morning shower to the evening news, from your work commute to your household chores, Katz says, there are at least 2,400 ways to sneak healthy activities into daily living.

"If you let yourself make small changes, they will add up to meaningful changes in the quality of your diet, your physical activity pattern, your capacity to deal with stress, and in your sleep quality -- and those four things comprise an enormously powerful health promotion that can change your life," says Katz.

And yes, he says, a nap on the couch can be a health-giving opportunity -- particularly if you aren't getting enough sleep at night.

Nutritionist and diabetes educator Fran Grossman, RD, CDE, agrees. "You don't have to belong to a gym or live on wheat grass just to be healthy," says Grossman, a nutrition counselor at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. "There are dozens of small things you can do every day that make a difference, and you don't always have to do a lot to gain a lot."

Do a Little, Get a Lot

The notion that good health can come in small tidbits is not really new. Research showing that making small changes can add up to a big difference has been quietly accumulating for a while.

For example, a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2004 found that adding just 30 minutes of walking per day was enough to prevent weight gain and encourage moderate weight loss.

And if 30 minutes is still too big a bite? Another study, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, found that three brisk 10-minute walks per day were as effective as a daily 30-minute walk in decreasing risk factors for heart disease.

"Just the act of going from sedentary to moderately active gives you the greatest reduction in your risks," says Helene Glassberg, MD, director of the Preventive Cardiology and Lipid Center at the Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

But it's not only in fitness where small changes can make a difference. The same principles apply at the kitchen table (and the office snack bar).

"Reducing fat intake, cutting down on sugar, eating a piece of fruit instead of a candy bar -- over time, these things can make a difference," says Grossman.

As long as the changes are moving you toward your goal -- be it weight loss, a reduction in cholesterol or blood pressure, or better blood sugar control -- you can get there by taking baby steps, she says.

Moreover, Grossman tells WebMD, making small changes can help give us the motivation to make bigger ones.

"A lot of bad eating habits are about not taking charge of your life, and that attitude is often reflected in other areas," says Grossman. On the other hand, she says, when you make small changes at the kitchen table, the rewards may show up in other areas of your life.

"It's the act of taking control that makes the difference in motivating you," says Grossman. "An inner confidence and power begins to develop that can be seen in other areas of life."

Tripping Over Baby Steps

Of course, not everyone is certain that baby steps can walk you all the way to good health. Marc Siegel, MD, a clinical associate professor at the NYU School of Medicine, says that while doing something is certainly better than doing nothing, making such small changes is like using a Band-aid to stop a hemorrhage.

"It's a small, gimmicky idea to target people with very unhealthy lifestyles, and for some it may be useful," says Siegel, author of False Alarm: the Truth about the Epidemic of Fear. But he fears that for most people, it's sending the wrong message.

"In some ways it's a resignation, an admission that things can't be changed -- and that's certainly not the long-term answer," Siegel tells WebMD.

Katz concedes that the Stealth Health approach may not be right for everybody.

"There is a trade-off because if you try to make the pursuit of health easier for people, you run the risk of leading them to believe they don't need to do very much -- and that would be the wrong message," he says.

At the same time, Katz believes that for those who find making health changes a daunting task, Stealth Health techniques can make a difference.

"If you want the really big gains, there has to be some pain," says Katz. "But there is a lot to be said for the idea that you can make some gains with little or no pain, and that's infinitely better than no gains."

Try the Stealth Health Approach

Tempted to give "Stealth Health" a try? Katz recommends picking any three of the following 12 changes and incorporating them into your life for four days. When you feel comfortable with those changes, pick three others. Once you've incorporate all dozen changes, you should start to feel a difference within a couple of weeks, he says.

To Improve Nutrition:

1. Buy whole foods -- whether canned, frozen, or fresh from the farm -- and use them in place of processed foods whenever possible.
2. Reject foods and drinks made with corn syrup, a calorie-dense, nutritionally empty sweetener that many believe is worse for the body than sugar, says Katz.
3. Start each dinner with a mixed green salad. Not only will it help reduce your appetite for more caloric foods, but it also will automatically add veggies to your meal.

To Improve Physical Fitness:

1. Do a squat every time you pick something up. Instead of bending over in the usual way, which stresses the lower back, bend your knees and squat. This forces you to use your leg muscles and will build strength.
2. Every time you stop at a traffic light (or the bus does), tighten your thighs and butt muscles and release as many times as you can. (Don't worry, no one will see it!) This will firm leg and buttock muscles, improve blood flow -- and keep you mildly amused!
3. Whenever you're standing on a line, lift one foot a half-inch off the ground. The extra stress on your opposite foot, ankle, calf and thigh, plus your buttocks, will help firm and tone muscles. Switch feet every few minutes.

To Improve Stress Control:

1. Give your partner a hug every day before work. Studies show this simple act can help you remain calm when chaos ensues during your day, Katz says.
2. Have a good cry. It can boost your immune system, reduce levels of stress hormones, eliminate depression, and help you think more clearly.
3. Twice a day, breathe deeply for three to five minutes

To Improve Sleep:

1. Sprinkle just-washed sheets and pillowcases with lavender water. The scent has been shown in studies to promote relaxation, which can lead to better sleep.
2. Buy a new pillow. Katz says that studies show that pillows with an indent in the center can enhance sleep quality and reduce neck pain. Also, try a "cool" pillow -- one containing either all-natural fibers or a combination of sodium sulfate and ceramic fibers that help keep your head cool.
3. Eat a handful of walnuts before bed. You'll be giving yourself a boost of fiber and essential fatty acids along with the amino acid tryptophan -- a natural sleep-inducer.

Beauty & Body Image

Look and Feel Great at Any Weight

You don't have to be a size 6 to be fit and fabulous

By Heather Hatfield
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Feature

Reviewed By Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD/LD

"I am a size 14, I'm curvaceous, I work out every day, and I feel great," says Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, author of more than 20 books and a WebMD Weight Loss Clinic consultant.

And not only can larger-size women be healthy and feel terrific, they can look every bit as stylish as their size-6 friends, says full-figured supermodel Emme (who knows all about looking fabulous).

It is possible to have a body image like Magee's or Emme's -- one that's healthy and positive -- even if you aren't skinny.

Why, then, do so many full-figured women feel so bad about their bodies, even when they're at a weight that's healthy for them? And how can they, like Magee and Emme, start to like what they see in the mirror?

Several body image experts interviewed by WebMD offer practical tips for feeling good about your body. And Emme has style hints that will help you dress to look your best.

Getting Over the Norm

"As we develop and grow, we begin to place a value on what we see in the mirror -- which is based on experiences but also on the cultural norm, with a thin body being the preferred type," says Kathy Kater, LSW, a psychotherapist in St. Paul, Minn., who specializes in body image and eating and weight disorders.

But the problem with the cultural norm in America is that human beings aren't meant to be one size or one shape.

"The research on body diversity is conclusive: Even if we all ate the same optimal, wholesome diet and exercised to the same high degree of physical fitness, we would still be very diverse in our shapes," says Kater. "Some quite thin and some quite big, but most in the middle."

Of course, she's not promoting obesity, which brings health risks. But many of us can be quite healthy even if we wear a plus size. So how can you accept the fact that your body is meant to be a certain size -- even if that size isn't skinny -- and feel good about it?

First, accept the fact that big doesn't mean bad.

"The most common body image complaint for women, and increasingly for men, is the 'I feel fat' body-image distortion," says Kater. "It's a learned perspective that says to be bigger is a bad thing. But it's not. And actually, it's quite possible to be big without being unhealthy."

People of all sizes and shapes, explains Kater, should learn to define health by making healthy choices rather than by their size or weight.

In fact, if full-figured is your natural body shape, you're better off sticking to what you were born with than depriving yourself to reach what can be a dangerous goal.

"Everyone has a natural body weight," says Ruth Kava, PhD, RD, director of nutrition at the American Council on Science and Health in New York. "If you have to starve yourself to get where you think you should be, you may be doing damage because you may not be getting appropriate nutrition."

That doesn't mean you should give up on a healthy diet -- or on exercise. In fact, the experts say, exercise is key to good health and a healthy body image.

"Exercise always helps," says Kava. "It may not change your absolute body weight, but you will feel better about your body, improve your self-esteem, and improve your attitude."

But if you're a beginner, don't get carried away.

"If you're someone who doesn't exercise, you need to start slowly," says Kava. "And don't get discouraged, even when life intervenes. This is a lifelong commitment to yourself that you have to make."

Building a Better Body Image

What other steps can you take to boost your body image?

• Make sure the people around you make you feel good about yourself, no matter your size. "If you are spending too much time with people who make you feel bad about your body, maybe you need another social group," Kava says. "Get an exercise group together, be proactive."
• Make sensible decisions about what you eat. "Make sure that you have a reasonably healthy diet," Kava tells WebMD. "If you need help deciding what's good and bad for you, get the help of dietitian. People splurge on facials and massages -- go splurge on a dietitian."
• Focus on the inside, and let your body take its natural shape. "You need to focus on eating healthy and exercising while working on what's inside of you and the way you feel about yourself," says Magee. "In everything that I do, I promote the philosophy that you should eat and exercise for the health of it, and let the pounds fall where they may."
• Choose positive role models. "Choose role models that help you feel good about who you are, rather than ones who make you feel bad," says Kater.

Style Tips From Emme

Supermodel, television host, best-selling author, lecturer, and clothing designer Emme leads the list of full-figured role models who know a thing or two about having a positive and strong body image.

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"If you're under stress, exercise is even more important to do, to dilute it and put it into perspective."

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She's been named as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in the world by People magazine -- twice. Ladies Home Journal chose her as one of the "Most Important Women in America" and one of the "Most Fascinating Women of the Year." Biography magazine honored her as one of the "25 Most Influential Women," and Glamour saluted her as "Woman of the Year."

Unlike most women we see in entertainment, she's not a size 2. And that's just fine with her.

How does Emme do it?

"The most important key I can give is to get interested in something outside of your home or apartment that gets your heart pumping, and you will see an incredible difference in your attitude and energy level," says Emme. "If you're under stress, exercise is even more important to do, to dilute it and put it into perspective."

And, of course, looking your best helps you feel great about yourself. That's where Emme's practical and easy style hints come in.

"These tips are not only for full-figured gals. All women can learn a thing or two about 'less is best,'" says Emme, who created the EMME Collection, a clothing line for women sizes 14-24.

Emme's advice:

• First, clean out your closet. If you haven't worn something within the last year, give yourself the license to chuck it!
• Don't deny your body shape. If you do, you'll get frustrated with dressing and not see the wonderful options that are now available for your body type and shape.
• Follow only the trends that suit you. Avoid trends that don't work for your body type.
• Don't wear too many accessories or mismatched prints.
• Go for shapely, figure-skimming silhouettes, not boxy clothes that cover up your body.
• If you're a pear shape (narrow shoulders and wide hips), buy pants and skirts that are 1-2 sizes larger than you normally wear and have a tailor take them in at the waist.
• Always buy one size larger than you normally wear to have a jacket, dress, or suit tailored to fit you. If you buy too small a size, there won't be enough material to work with.
• Find good undergarments that help eliminate panty lines, and find bras that fit (75% of women wear the wrong size bra). Also, pantyhose is making it back into wardrobes, so stock up on brands that make your legs feel great.
• Dress for comfort and ease.

Look Good, Feel Better

But before you rush off to the mall for a chic new outfit, remember this: Feeling good about your body begins by working on the inside, then focusing on what's outside.

"Don't get hung up on pounds and what size dress you are wearing," says Magee. "Instead, focus on being healthy from the inside out, eat well, and exercise regularly. And remember that you can be sexy and look fabulous and feel fabulous and not be thin."

 

A to Z of Weight Loss

We've got 26 tips to help you succeed.

By Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD/LD
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Expert Column

A is for attitude. A can-do attitude will help you get over the inevitable hurdles of weight loss. Anticipate slip-ups -- they happen. But instead of letting them derail your weight loss efforts, learn from them and get right back on track. You don't have to be perfect to lose weight and be healthy. Just keep your eye on the target and keep moving forward, one step at a time.

B is for breakfast. It really is the most important meal of the day. Don't leave home without eating something nutritious to get your metabolism perking and give you energy for the day ahead. It can be a banana, low-fat yogurt, cereal, last night's leftovers, etc. A small meal that contains both fiber and protein can keep you feeling satisfied until lunchtime.

C is for calories. They do count. Get into the habit of reading food labels to help you make healthy choices. And keep in mind that all the information listed there is based on the portion size the label specifies (which may not be the size of the portion you usually eat). Monitoring your portions and learning more about the calories in the foods you enjoy will help you meet your goals.

Diets don't work. There are hundreds of diets that will help you lose weight, but what good is losing weight if you gain it right back? Eating crazy food combinations or eliminating food groups is not the way to keep weight off. Instead, choose a nutritionally balanced plan with enough calories to keep you from feeling famished (like the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic eating plans).

Eating regular meals is essential. Experts agree that you should go no longer than 4 to 5 hours between meals. Otherwise, intense hunger can trigger a binge. Some experts believe dieters have better control if they eat several mini-meals throughout the day. Choose the meal pattern that works best in your lifestyle, but make sure to eat at least three meals per day.

Fiber is nature's weight loss aid. It comes in two forms, soluble (the gummy type found in oatmeal and beans) and insoluble (the type found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains). Both are important to good health. Soluble fiber can help to lower cholesterol; insoluble contains indigestible fibers that add bulk to our diets. Both forms of fiber swell in the stomach and help to create a feeling of fullness. Most high-fiber foods are also high in water and low in calories, making them must-have diet foods.

Gum chewing may be just what the dentist ordered. Chewing on a piece of sugarless gum can help cleanse the mouth of bacteria, satisfy a sweet tooth, and reduce the urge to eat. Keep a pack of sugarless gum handy. The next time you have the urge to reach into the cookie jar, try a piece of gum instead for a zero-calorie treat.

Heart-healthy foods should fill your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. Choose foods that are low in saturated and trans fats. Enjoy plenty of naturally fat-free, low-sodium fruits and vegetables. Choose healthy fats such as canola, olive, and vegetable oils. Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like walnuts, flaxseed, and salmon and other fatty fish. Choose low- and non-fat dairy products, as well as the leanest cuts of meat (round and loin) and skinless poultry. Beans, nuts, and whole grains round out the list of heart-healthy foods.

Invest in a pedometer and track your steps each day. The goal is to walk at least 10,000 steps -- the equivalent of 5 miles -- daily to thwart weight gain (and promote weight loss). Challenge yourself to increase your steps each day, even if you can't get up to 10,000. Every step counts; remember that your goal is simply to improve your fitness level.

Just do it! Get into a routine that includes regular physical activity. Not only does exercise energize you, it burns calories, improves balance and coordination, and relieves stress. When you don't have time for a formal workout, try to squeeze in at least three 10-minute chunks of physical activity. (Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any exercise routine.)

Key to an effective exercise plan is variety. Try something new -- maybe Pilates, yoga, or water aerobics. Having fun and trying new things will keep you interested and enhance your commitment to exercise. Another key: starting your day with activity is one of the best ways to make sure it does not get squeezed out of your schedule.

Low blood sugar is often the cause of between-meal cravings, especially for sweets. Eating meals and small snacks that contain lean protein and fiber every few hours helps keep blood sugar levels steady. When sweets cravings strike, try to satisfy them with naturally sweet foods such as fruit (accompany it with a little low-fat yogurt for protein).

Mindful eating means taking time to savor every bite. Turn off the distractions, and concentrate on the aroma, texture, and flavor of food. Becoming more mindful when you eat will give you more pleasure from your meals. The bonus: You'll also be more in tuned with your body's signals of fullness, and you'll be less likely to overeat.

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"Water is your body's preferred form of fluid."

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Nighttime snacking, for most of us, is a habit that can undermine weight loss success. That's because the calories we eat after dinner tend to be empty ones, from chips, cookies, etc. Brushing your teeth after supper will help you make dinner the last meal of the day. If you need a little something at night, try to satisfy the urge with few calories -- have a stick of gum, one piece of hard candy, or a cup of hot tea).

One more scoop, one more cookie, one more glass of wine -- "just one more" can add lots of extra calories. Controlling portions is fundamental to weight loss success. You don't need to give up your favorite foods, but you do need to keep track of your portions. At home, use smaller plates and keep food at the stove instead of on the table at mealtime. When you go out to eat, order a soup and a salad instead of an entr�e, or take home half your meal in a doggie bag.

 

Protein is the "secret sauce" to weight control. Include a source of protein -- lean meats, low-fat dairy, beans, or nuts -- in all meals and snacks to help keep you feeling full for hours.

Quit those old habits that caused you to gain weight, and replace them with healthier ones. Simple changes -- like lightening your coffee with low-fat milk instead of cream, switching to light mayonnaise, avoiding fried foods -- can help create healthier eating patterns that foster long-term weight loss.

Rely on friends, family, and/or an online community to help you in your weight loss efforts. Your motivation is at an all-time high when you start a weight loss program, but after a few weeks, it often starts to wane. Let your supporters help you get through the rough times.

Supplement your healthy eating plan with a once-daily multivitamin for nutritional insurance. Despite your best efforts, it can be hard to get all the nutrients you need every day. Taking a multivitamin will help fill in the gaps.

Track your eating patterns and physical activity every day. One of the tips of the "successful losers" tracked in the National Weight Control Registry is the importance of journaling food intake and activity. Entering this information into your online journal or in a notebook is a powerful motivator to help keep you working toward your goals.

Uncle Sam's latest dietary guidelines promise to make us happier, healthier and thinner. Tips from the government's recommendations ( the 2005 Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid) include:

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
• Eat more whole grains. At least half of your servings of grain foods should come from whole grains.
• Enjoy three servings of low-fat dairy each day (yogurt, milk, or cheese).
• Limit saturated and trans fats, sugar, and alcohol.
• Watch the sodium content of your diet. Eat less processed food to reduce sodium.
• Get plenty of exercise -- at least 30 minutes a day.

Volumetrics is the art of eating foods high in volume, or high-water foods. Fruits, vegetables, and soups are all examples of high-volume foods that are super-nutritious, satisfying, and low in calories. Dieters should make sure their plans are full of these healthy foods so they can feel full while still losing weight.

Water is your body's preferred form of fluid. It is thirst-quenching and naturally delicious without one single calorie. You need some 6-8 glasses of water or fluids each day. Recent studies suggest that we should let thirst determine how much we drink each day. Foods that are high in water (soups, Jell-O, produce) also count toward our fluid requirements. Many dieters find drinking water helps keep them from overeating.

EXcuses should be excised. Do you really want to lose weight and improve your health once and for all? Then stop making excuses and just do it! Sure, that's easier said than done. But you need to stop finding reasons why you can't start moving a healthier lifestyle, and start listing all the reasons why you should. Don't put it off until tomorrow. Start today, by doing something positive -- just one small thing -- toward your health and weight loss.

Yogurt used to be thought of as health food. Now it lines the grocery shelves in a variety of forms. It's portable, convenient, full of nutrients like calcium and protein, and it makes an excellent snack or mini-meal. The French swear by it, and so should you. Low-fat yogurt is filling and nutritious, but keep in mind that it can be loaded with sugar. So read labels to make the best choice.

Zip in your step is what you'll get once you start eating more healthfully and getting regular exercise. Losing as little as 5% to 10% of your body weight can help you feel better and improve your health. Just think of the weight you'll lose as bricks in a backpack. Lightening your load a few pounds at a time can be invigorating and energizing.

Original Source: Medicinenet.com