Womens_Running_UK_Issue_86_March_2017

womensrunninguk.co.uk

⁄ HEALTH NEWS

12 MARCH 2017

The

amount of

marathons

completed

in the UK

in 2016

(according to

Strava 2016

insights)

60,

WORDS: JENNIFER BOZON. IMAGES: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

Scientists have discovered that cells in the

amniotic fl uid that protects a developing

baby and allows it to grow can revive

weak and ageing bones. The research

team at the Institute of Child Health

carried out the study on mice,

injecting diseased mice the with

amniotic stem cells from material

left over from screening tests during

pregnancy or collected immediately

before birth. The fi ndings, published in

Scientifi c Reports, showed cells in the

fl uid strengthened bone and cut fractures

by 80 per cent. The stem cells were able

to strengthen the bone by releasing growth

factors that made the existing bone cells in the

mice multiply and more effectively mature. The

animals had brittle bone disease or osteogenesis

imperfecta – a condition that, in people, can be

fatal, affecting around one in every 25,000 births.

Researchers said the fi nding has raised hopes for

treating babies with brittle bone disease from birth,

but also older people with osteoporosis, and

astronauts who lose bone mass in orbit.

WARNING

WINE

DRINKERS

New draft advice for England says

that women who drink two glasses

of wine a night should be sent for

liver scans by their GPs to check

for cirrhosis.  e advice from the

National Institute of Health and

Care Excellence (Nice) says around

two million people are drinking at

dangerous levels. Scarring of the liver

often has no symptoms and su erers

may be unaware of the damage until

the liver stops working entirely.

I HAVE MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS

BUT STILL HAVE IRREGULAR

PERIODS. MY ENERGY HAS

DROPPED AND I CAN’T FIND THE

WILL TO RUN. IS IT RELATED?

There’s a lot more to the menopause

than just your periods stopping. It’s

common to get fatigue and changes in

your mood; this can make motivating

yourself to run difficult. Disrupted sleep

from night sweats can be exhausting,

so speak to your GP about trying HRT

if they’re affecting you. Shaking up

your fitness routine might give you a

boost. Include strength exercises to

counteract the natural loss of muscle

that occurs with age. Make sure your

diet is varied and full of fresh vegetables

and iron. If these things aren’t helping,

see your GP to rule out anaemia or

an underactive thyroid gland, as this

sometimes pops up around menopausal

age. If your tests are normal and nothing

is helping, then just be kind to yourself,

it’ll pass and your energy will return.

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS FOR GP AND RUNNER DR JULIET MCGRATTAN TO:

[email protected]

SILENT

HARM

A new study,

published in the

American Journal of

Epidemiology, has found

an association between long-

term use of the painkillers

paracetamol and ibuprofen

and reported hearing

loss. Five-and-a-half

per cent of hearing

loss cases in the study

could have been the

result of painkiller use. The

drugs are thought to cause

potential damage by removing

protection from the inner ear.

BABY BOOM FOR BONES

Red alert: two

glasses a night

could be harmful

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