2019-10-01 Australian Men\'s Fitness

26 MEN’S FITNESS OCTOBER 2019

Health

Breakthroughs

Cutthecravings

Ageingmenwho

taketestosterone

replacementtherapy

(TRT)maybeatan

increasedriskof

strokeandheart

attack,according

toa studyinThe

AmericanJournal

ofMedicine. “Our

findingsshowthat

theuseofTRTwas

associatedwithan

increasedriskof

stroke,TIA[transient

ischemicattack,

ormini-stroke]or

cardiacarrestduring

thefirsttwoyears

ofuse,”saysstudy

authorDrChristel

Renoux,whopoints

outthatthereis

limitedevidenceon

thelong-termclinical

benefitsofTRT.

■Twenty-sevenis
the turning point for
millennials’ health

• in the US, at least.
  Researchers from
  the Blue Cross Blue
  Shield Health Index
  analysed data from
  health insurance
  claims for 55 million
  millennials, who
  were aged 21 to

36. Based on the
    insurer’s optimal
    health index of 100,
    the study found that
    the average score
    for millennials was
    about 95, and that
    overall health begins
    to decline at the age
    of 27 – much earlier
    than expected.
    Obesity, high
    blood pressure
    and diabetes are
    all factors that
    contributed to the
    decline. Speaking to
    Healthline, Dr Aaron

Generation hex

Even in lean adults, cutting

calories can protect the

heart. Researchers from

Duke University Medical Center, US,

found that in adults already at a healthy

weight or carrying just an extra kilo

or two, cutting around 300 calories

a day significantly improved already

good levels of cholesterol, blood

pressure, blood sugar and other

markers. Researchers hypothesise

that it’s not just weight loss that leads

to these improvements, but some more

complex metabolic change triggered

by eating fewer calories than what’s

expended. “There’s something about

caloric restriction, some mechanism

we don’t yet understand, that results

in these improvements,” says study

author Dr William E. Kraus. “We will

continue to explore what this metabolic

signal or magic molecule might be.”

Magic

molecules

Even if you don’t

need to lose

weight, cutting

a few calories

can benefit

your health.

Make a

trunk call.

Friedberg, an

assistant professor

of internal medicine

at The Ohio State

University, US,

said the findings

showed an ominous

trend: “I think this

report reflects

an approaching

reality that due

to increased

illness, future

generations could

for the first time

in recent history

be less healthy

than those that

preceded them.”

RISKY

BUSINESS

■ Trying to kick the

ciggies? Move to a

leafy neighbourhood.

New research shows

that being able to

see green spaces

from your home

is associated with

reduced cravings

for alcohol, cigarettes

and junk food. The

UK study is the first

to demonstrate that

passive exposure to

nearby green space

is linked to both lower

frequencies and

strengths of craving.

“It’s been known for

some time that being

in nature is linked to

a person’s wellbeing,”

says Leanne Martin,

who led the research.

“But for there to be

a similar association

with cravings

from simply being

able to see green

spaces adds a new

dimension to

previous research.

This is the first study

to explore this idea,

and it could have a

range of implications

for public health

in the future.”