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Greetings!
Good morning! Hope this morning's delivery finds you with coffee, water, or tea (all very healthy) in your mug and a smile on your face. We don't take this newsletter thing lightly. We are honored to have you share your time with us week after week. Thank you Mr. Rogers - how 'bout getting on with it.
Today's issue contains a significant amount of "adult" reading. The extra risk for heart disease mentioned in the next article definitely gets your attention. We list the times and locales where you can get fit with a doc this weekend. Also, there is a study that our friends in OSU's Department of Human Nutrition have organized that may benefit you. As always, if the newsletter does not answer your questions - you can reach us at 614-714-0407 or contact@walkwithadoc.org. Carry on Wayne, Carry on Garth.
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Brushing Your Teeth Prevents Heart Attacks
What if you were Walk and Brush at the same time? We pulled this important article from www.cardiosmart.org.
 By Bill Hendrick
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC
May
27, 2010 -- Brushing your teeth is not only good for your pearly
whites, it also decreases your chances of suffering a heart attack, a
new study indicates.
Researchers in England analyzed data from more than 11,000 people
taking part in a study called the Scottish Health Survey. They examined
lifestyle habits such as smoking, overall physical activity, and oral
health routines.
Patients were asked whether they visited a dentist at least once
every six months, every one to two years, rarely, or never. They were
also asked how often they brushed their teeth -- twice daily, once a
day, or less than every day.
The researchers found that:
62% of participants said they went to a dentist every six months. 71% said they brushed their teeth twice a day. After adjusting the data for cardiovascular risk factors such as
obesity, smoking, social class, and family heart disease history, the
researchers found that people who admitted to brushing their teeth less
frequently had a 70% extra risk of heart disease.
People who reported poor oral hygiene also tested positive for
bloodstream inflammatory markers such as fibrinogen and C-reactive
protein.
"Our results confirmed and further strengthened the suggested
association between oral hygiene and the risk of cardiovascular
disease," Richard Watt, DDS, of University College London, says in a
news release. "Furthermore, inflammatory markers were significantly
associated with a very simple measure of poor oral health behavior."
He says more studies are needed to confirm the findings and to
determine whether oral health and cardiovascular disease are causal or
simply risk markers.
The findings of the study were not necessarily shocking, the
researchers say, because scientists have increasingly wondered about a
possible connection between dental disease and cardiovascular health.
"Inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of
atherosclerosis, and markers of low grade inflammation have been
consistently associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease,"
they write.
Poor oral hygiene is the major cause of periodontal disease, a
chronic infection of the tissues surrounding the teeth. Thus, gum
infections seem to add to the inflammatory burden on individuals,
increasing cardiovascular risk, the researchers say.
Oral infections are common, so doctors should be alert to infections
in the mouth as signs of increased inflammation, and tell patients to
brush their teeth and maintain good oral hygiene, the researchers
conclude.
The study is published in the journal BMJ.
For more information, visit the Oral Health and Heart Disease Condition Center.
SOURCES:
News release, BMJ.
Olivera, C. BMJ, published online May 27, 2010.
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Walk with a Doc - Columbus
 There are abundant opportunities to Walk with a Doc this weekend in Columbus.
Park of Roses - Dr. Beth Cass - please meet in the playground behind the Whetstone school. 9 AM
Westerville Recreation Center - Dr. Bonnie Pugh - Bicycle sculpture - 9AM
Franklin Park Conservatory - Dr. Wendy Anderson - Community Gardens - 8:30 AM
New Albany - Drs. Heather and Greg Prenger - Starbucks on Market Street - 9AM
Highbanks MetroPark - Big Meadows Picnic Area - Yours truly - 8:30 AM
Thank you to all our volunteer physicians - and all the paid ones as well - kidding - nobody's getting anything but a lot of walker love. Which is exactly what we want. Thanks again Fred.
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Ohio State Nutrition Study
Nutrition Education and Empowerment for Diabetes (NEED) Study
The Department of Human Nutrition at Ohio State is recruiting men and
women with type 2 diabetes to participate in a research study to help
understand the effects of nutrition, exercise and stress management on
weight control and diabetes management. The study includes 10 weeks of
nutrition education and training. You may be eligible if you have a
physician's diagnosis of adult-onset diabetes, are 35-65 years old, and
do not take insulin. Please call 614-292-4772 or email
A1Cstudy@hotmail.com for more information.
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Our mission is to encourage physical activity in
people of all ages, and reverse the consequences of a sedentary
lifestyle in order to improve the health and well-being of the country and beyond. This week we owe big thank you's to Business First of Columbus ( www.columbus.bizjournals.com),
CMH Magazine ( www.cmhmag.com), MD News ( www.columbus.mdnews.com), the Ohio Hospital Association ( www.ohanet.org), and
WCRX-LP, 102.1 FM. Your interest and generosity in spreading the word is making a
difference. Have a great end of the week. All of the WWAD physicians appreciate your time and certainly hope you join us this weekend.
See you Saturday,
David
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