Do-It-Yourself Crunches Best

Rockers and rollers that clutter gym floors are designed to make stomach crunch exercises easier with less strain on the neck because the machines support the weight of the head. But a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning found that exercisers get more for their effort by doing crunches the old-fashioned way.

William A. Sands, a sports medicine expert at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, and his colleagues videotaped several angles created from the neck to the hip when 20 exercisers did crunches on their own and on two roller-type devices (AB Trainer and Weider AB Shaper) and two pivot-type devices (ABS 45 HealthRider and ABS HealthRider). Computer analysis of the videotapes revealed that greatest total range of motion occurred with the do-it-yourself crunch. Second place went to the ABS HealthRider.

The greater the range of motion, the more effective an exercise is in developing muscular endurance, said Sands. And yes, he adds, when doing crunches that probably translates to tighter, flatter abs.

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A Kinder, Gentler Way Than Surgery to Reduce Breast Size

Breast reduction brings tremendous psychological relief to many women, but the conventional surgery creates scars and requires a prolonged healing period.

Liposuction, a much gentler procedure, is becoming a more popular alternative when the object is to remove small to moderate amounts of fat from the breasts. Now it may become an even more appealing option because an Italian study has shown that using ultrasound immediately before liposuction allows removal of greater amounts of fat.

Ultrasonic vibrations create pressure waves that emulsify fat cells but don’t affect sensory nerves, blood vessels, milk glands or other breast tissue. A study of 120 people who had ultrasonic-assisted liposuction at the University of Arcona in Italy, published recently in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, a U.S. medical journal, found that the results were good and there were no major complications.

Liposuction, which can be done through a 0.25-inch incision in the crease of the breast, can reduce the size of the fatty breasts about one to two cup sizes, said Dr. James Baker Jr., chair of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery committee on breast surgery. When liposuction is combined with ultrasound, breasts can be made up to four cup sizes smaller.

The plastic surgery society expects to release a position statement next month endorsing the procedure in women. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the procedure for breast reduction in men last year.

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Biotin Rediscovered Through Studies on Pregnant Women

Biotin, a B vitamin, has been called the “forgotten nutrient.” Egg yolks, green leafy vegetables and liver are believed to be good sources, but scientists aren’t sure which foods contain it in the greatest quantities. Biotin may get more recognition now that research indicates about half of pregnant women are mildly deficient in the nutrient. Doctors suspect that pregnancy itself, rather than a lack of biotin in the diet, is the cause of the deficiency.

According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 26 pregnant women who excreted increased amounts of 3-HIA, an indicator of biotin deficiency, were given either a daily biotin supplement or a fake pill every day for two weeks. By the end of the study, the amount of 3-HIA in the urine of those taking the supplement had dropped to normal levels. There was no change in those who took the placebo pill.

Could a lack of biotin cause birth defects? “There is no conclusive evidence for this so far in human studies, but a similar mild deficiency produces 100% incidence of cleft palate and limb shortening in mice,” says lead researcher Dr. Donald M. Mock, the study’s lead researcher and a professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Still, much more research is needed before supplements will be recommended to pregnant women.

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Now There’s Another Reason to Eat Your Greens and Fruits

In other nutrition research, a recent study appears to link a diet low in leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, fortified bread and cereal to Alzheimer’s disease. Those foods are all excellent sources of folate, and folate restricts the production of an amino acid in the blood called homocysteine.

Boston University researchers have shown for the first time that as the amount of homocysteine in the blood increases in healthy people, so does their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

The researchers report in the New England Journal of Medicine that 111 of the 1,092 men and women studied developed dementia or Alzheimer’s disease over an eight-year period. According to Dr. Sudha Seshadri, a neurologist at Boston University, the people with the highest levels of homocysteine had twice the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and nearly as high a risk for dementia. She said these findings reinforce the need to eat folate-rich foods. Supplements are not recommended yet, Seshadri said, but there are studies underway to see if vitamin supplementation will decrease the risk.

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Dianne Partie Lange can be reached by e-mail at DianneLange@cs.com.