Category Archives: Research

Health, Research, Science, Society

Is commuting harming our health?

COMMUTING

Intro: Some 4 billion people are known to travel between home and work, school, or college. Is the daily commute just something people love to hate, or a major health hazard?

SOME FORM OF COMMUTING has been part of our daily lives since the Neolithic age, and although many complain about their journeys, research shows that we wouldn’t want it any other way. We’re generally happiest when we have at least some distance between where we sleep and relax, and where we spend the bulk of our day. However, there are limits. People perceive their commute as part of their job, but if it makes us unhappy, we’re more likely to quit – so much so that an extra 20 minutes’ commuting time can reduce job satisfaction by the same amount as a 20 per cent pay cut.

Length of journey is the major factor in commuting: in the morning, your body clock is winding up the brain and body – alertness and attention increases with each passing minute, and if you’re stuck in traffic or a broken-down train during this precious primetime, then the most productive part of your day could be lost in transit. A morning journey of 45 minutes or more seems to be the tipping point at which the journey length starts to take a toll on physical and mental health. Workers who travel over 90 minutes each day are less fit, weigh more, and have higher blood pressure, compared to those with a shorter travel time. Longer commutes are also linked to health issues such as sleep problems, exhaustion, aches and pains, and overeating. Moreover, unpredictable and stressful delays, the chances of which increase the longer your commute, make the biggest negative impact on our health.

The method of travel also plays a part in how healthy your commute is. Driving takes the cake as the most stressful and unhealthiest way to commute. Public transport always comes out better, but simply using your legs to get to work – be it walking, cycling, or jogging – beats both.

Scientists have shown that a “good” commute is one that is long enough to give us time to draw a psychological line between homelife and work – but not so long that it makes us anxious, bored, or tired. Even if you work from home, you can benefit from a “virtual” commute by going for a short walk, run, or cycle to mark the start and end of your working day.

Research suggests that 15 minutes is the optimum length of time for a commute.

Want To Improve Your Commute?

. WALK, JOG, OR CYCLE – moving under your own power releases mood-lifting hormones and increases blood flow to the brain, making you happier and more productive.

. SIMPLIFY JOURNEYS that involve more than one stop; for example taking children to school on the way to work. Multiple-stage trips are the most stressful.

. PLAN YOUR DAY and spend the time mentally adjusting to work mode on the way in, and winding down on the journey home.

. FIND A NEW JOB if your commute is more than 90 minutes long – your health is probably suffering!

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Medical, Research, Science

Flu jab offers hope in fight against dementia

FLU VACCINE

Intro: Having vaccine for six years in a row cuts risk of developing incurable illness by 14%

HAVING the flu vaccine every winter could significantly reduce the risk of dementia, a study suggests.

The jab lowered the chances of developing the incurable condition by 14 per cent.

But the analysis by scientists says it seems to work only when patients have had it for at least six years in a row.

Researchers believe the vaccines – given to tens of millions in the UK last winter – gradually strengthen the ageing immune system to the point where it can prevent the underlying damage in the brain that causes dementia.

Britain faces an epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia because of an ageing population.

Alzheimer’s Scotland estimates that by 2031, there will be between 102,000 and 114,000 people in the country with dementia.

There has been no major breakthrough in treatment for decades – but now scientists believe vaccines such as the flu jab could play an important part in decreasing the surge in patients.

Researchers from Saint Louis University School of Medicine in the US tracked nearly 70,000 individuals aged 60 or over. They monitored how many had an annual flu vaccine and whether they subsequently developed dementia.

The findings, first published in the journal Vaccine, showed little difference between those who had received no jab and those immunised annually for the previous four or five years. But once they got to six years or more, the risk dropped by an average of 14 per cent. Scientists said there is no suggestion that catching flu causes dementia. Instead, the benefit comes from having a vaccine later in life.

Animal studies suggest vaccinations such as the one for flu increase the activity of immune system cells in the central nervous system that are responsible for repairing damage that can lead to dementia.

The study says: “Flu vaccines could be a cheap, low-risk intervention against dementia.”

A spokesperson for Alzheimer’s Research UK called the results intriguing, adding: “Understanding why this is the case is an important avenue for further research.”

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Health, Medical, Research

New Alzheimer’s drug offers hope to sufferers

DEMENTIA/ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

THE first new pharmaceutical drug for Alzheimer’s in almost two decades has won approval in the United States – raising hopes that the drug could soon be used in the UK.

Aducanumab targets the cause of the disease rather than its symptoms.

Medical and health charities have welcomed the announcement, describing its approval as a “major milestone” for the millions of people living with dementia. But scientists are divided because of the uncertainty over trial results.

The US Food and Drug Administration said there was “substantial evidence that aducanumab reduces amyloid beta plaques”. Amyloid is a protein that forms clumps in the brain that can damage cells and trigger dementia. Aducanumab works by sticking to these clumps and removing them.

However, late-stage international trials of the treatment in 2019, involving about 3,000 patients, were halted when analysis showed the drug was no better at slowing the deterioration of memory than a placebo. Following further analysis, manufacturer Biogen said the drug did work and significantly slowed cognitive decline if given in higher doses.

Biogen have not released the cost of the treatment, but analysts estimate it could cost up to £35,000 a year. Tens of thousands of Britons with a mild form of the disease could be suitable for the drug if it were to be approved here.

Professor Bart De Strooper, director the UK Dementia Research Institute, said: “With no effective therapies currently available to modify the progression of this devastating condition, this is a major milestone for the millions of people living with Alzheimer’s. However, I fear the controversy and uncertainty surrounding the trials will limit the impact of this new treatment for the disease.”

A spokesperson for the research department at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “It’s promising to see that aducanumab has been approved for use in people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease – the first drug to be approved in nearly 20 years by the US regulatory authorities.

“We await the opinion of the European Medicines Agency and the outcome of any application made to the UK regulatory authorities, to give clarity to people with early Alzheimer’s disease in the UK. Whatever the outcome of their decision, this is just the beginning of the road to new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.”

Another health charity, Alzheimer’s Research UK, said it had written to UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock asking the Government to prioritise the fast-track approval process for the drug in the UK.

Its chief executive, Hilary Evans, said: “People with dementia and their families have been waiting far too long for life-changing new treatments.”

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