Research highlights the importance of sitting less and moving more
It’s well known that sitting for too long is bad for our health but what is often not so clear is how often should we get up and for how long? To find out, researchers from the Colombia University Medical Centre[i], put a group of adults through five regimes: they walked for either one or five minutes, either every hour or every 30 minutes or they didn’t walk at all. They were also given regular healthy meals and tested for blood pressure and blood sugar levels – key indicators of cardiovascular health.
The only group that significantly lowered the levels above was the one walking for five minutes every 30 minutes. They also saw a reduction in blood sugar spikes compared to the group who spent the day sitting.
The reason? Muscles play an important part in regulating blood sugar and cholesterol levels, but they need to be used to do this. Sitting with legs bent can also create ‘kinks’ in the legs’ blood vessels which can lead to increased blood pressure.
“For optimal health you need to move regularly at work in addition to a daily exercise regime,” commented lead researcher Professor Keith Diaz.
Herbal help if you are cutting down smoking or ideally quitting altogether
March 8th is this year’s No Smoking Day and if you are still smoking or trying to give up, why not make this the moment you give up for good with a little herbal help. If your thoughts are all over the place or you’re finding it hard to stick to your resolution rhodiola rosea, or golden root as it is often referred to, may help to bring things back into focus.
You may also find it hard to sleep but a short course of valerian may help to stop those wakeful moments. Extracts of valerian root contain natural compounds known as iridoids that have a calming effect on the nervous system which can help relax you and get you in the mood for slumber.
Meanwhile, if fighting the urge to reach for a cigarette is bringing you down the sunshine herb St John’s wort is worth trying. It’s ideal for mild-to-moderate depression as well as nervous exhaustion. Always consult your GP before using St John’s Wort if you are taking prescribed medicines.
For more help to stop smoking visit the NHS help pages on their website.
The importance of Vitamin D during pregnancy
More good news for vitamin D. Pregnant women are already advised to take vitamin D on the grounds that it helps develop the baby’s bones, teeth, kidneys, heart, and nervous system. And now it seems it may also increase the chances of having a ‘natural’ delivery according to a recent study carried out at hospitals in Southampton, Oxford and Sheffield[ii].
For the study, researchers recruited 965 women who were not already taking vitamin D at the time of their 12- week scan. They were then randomly allocated to take an extra 1,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D a day during the rest of their pregnancy or a placebo.
The results showed that 66% of those who took extra vitamin D had a spontaneous vaginal or natural delivery compared with 58% in the placebo group. In addition, fewer women in the vit D group had an assisted delivery compared with the placebo group.
[i] Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2023 DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003109
[ii] Journal of Public Health, fdac160, https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdac160
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