Three-for-All Free-for-All!

Here are three items from today’s Interwebs.  Follow up as you wish.

1. Drinking beer may slow the progression of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.  At least, that’s the claim in this article. The antioxidant qualities in hops may help protect the neuronal cells that get damaged in neurodegenerative diseases.  The article is short on hard science, hence I added the word “may” to the lead sentence.  I do love a good beer, however.

2. An Israeli physical trainer claims that a mixture of “martial arts, movement and music helps PD patients slow the progression and ease symptoms with fewer meds.”  Again, the article is short on hard data and long on anecdote, so it really needs the word “may.”  Also, it’s not like nobody else has been touting the benefits of exercise and music for Parkies.  However, it’s always nice – and rather rare – to recognize both in the same paragraph.

3. “Lifting Weights, Twice a Week, May Aid the Brain.” That’s the title of this NY Times article, and even though it does have hard science (a controlled experiment with healthy women aged 65-75), it still sticks with the suggestive-only, tentative, tepid “may.”  The experimental group, which lifted weights twice a week, showed better brain scans and a better gait than a group which lifted weights only once a week, as well as a third group which did no weight lifting at all.  However, the experiment did not study people with Parkinson’s, nor did it tease out whether the better brain scans in the experimental group translated to better cognitive functioning.

Here’s a quote from the third article (bolding mine):

These findings suggest that weight training can beneficially change the structure of the brain, but that “a minimum threshold of exercise needs to be achieved,” Dr. Liu-Ambrose said.

Visiting the gym once per week is probably insufficient. But twice per week may suffice.

That timid-but-oh!-so-significant “may.”

Bottom line for me:  Spend less time reading about this stuff, and more time doing it (going to the gym; drinking beer) myself.

Oh, and “bottoms up” with the beer!