Statins and Q10

Statins are commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol to combat hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis). However, many people get side effects, which include fatigue, muscle weakness and/or muscle pain, nerve problems such as numbness and tingling, and for some liver damage and incresed risk of diabetes and cancer. A Canadian study (reported in 2002) found that 75% of those prescribed statins (85,000 people in the study) had come off them within two years due to side effects.

Co-enzyme Q10 is a naturally occuring substance found in all body cells and also in some foods. Best dietary sources of Q10 are heart, liver and kidney but it is also found in meat, nuts, soya and rapeseed, and in smaller quantities in eggs and dairy foods. It plays a key role in helping cells to produce energy. Peak Q10 production occurs in our mid-20s. As we get older we rely more on dietary sources.

Statins block the production of an important compound called mevalonate, which the body needs to manufacture both cholesterol and Q10. If you lower cholesterol with statins by 40%, you lower Q10 levels by 40% too. As Q10 plays such a key role in energy production, taking statins can result in fatigue and muscle weakness.

So if you are prescibed statins, it may be worth taking Q10 as a supplement. The dose of Q10 can be 200mg per day with a low dose statin or up to 400mg per day for a hgih dose statin. All Q10 supplements are best taken with a meal.

Feature in Healthspan, Issue Summer 2014

Compulsory Signups to Facebook or Twitter

Q: Some sites now require you to be signed up to Facebook or Twitter, but I've no real interest in either.

A: A few years ago there was talk of a universal 'passport' to let you into resources, but it never really came to much, and I think access via Facebook or Twitter has rather taken that role. It's symptomatic of the way in which the net is going; in 'real life' everyone expects you to have a passport or driving licence and that assumption is now moving onto the web.

All I can suggest is that if you want to see a particular site, create an account with Facebook or Twitter that you can use to authenticate, but which otherwise you never use.

Phil Bradley in CILIP Update (unknown date)

Limescale in Kettles

To remove limescale from your kettle, boil a full kettle and then pour away half the water. Top it up with clear distilled water (not the brown vinegar you put on chips) and leave it overnight. When you pour out the mixture, the limescale will come out too. Give it a rinse before using it again.

AggieMcKenzie in Glamour, August 2014

Dementia

Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia (after Alzheimer's disease) in older adults. It is caused by a number of small strokes (transient ischaemic attacks -TIA), where the blood flow to the brain is cut off briefly. These may cause damage to areas of the brain, affecting for example, movement, speech and cognitive function, including memory.

Alzheimer's disease is caused by the loss of connections between brain cells, loss of brain cells themselves, a jumble of neurofibrillary tangles (a prtoein called tau) and the accumulation of amyloid plaques. While the cause and progression are not yet well understood, it is an age-related disease, with most diagnoses in people over 65, though early-onset Alzheimer's can occur in the 30s and 40s.

Alzheimer's disease disrupts the way electrical charges travel within brain cells (neurones) and the activity of neurotransmitters. Connections between neurones are lost; the type of connection lost relates to the symptoms. Loss of strong 'sticky connections affects long-term memory, while loss of less strong connections affects short-term memory. This explains why short-term memory is usually affected first; later there will be effects on behaviour, judgement, personality and functionality.

Normal: forgetting names of acquaintances, missing appointments. Not normal: can't remember the name of someone close, or remembering what happened yesterday. Normal: to be slower at mental calculation as you get older. Not normal: being flummoxed by household finances when previously ok. Normal to search occasionally for a word. Not normal: frequent searches for a word and verbal substitution. Normal: Worry about memory. Not normal: having problems but not being aware of it.

A few facts are emerging but much research is still needed. Bright children stand the best chance of a bright old age (perhaps they have more or better brain cells connections, so cope with any loss for longer before damage shows?).  Staying physically fit helps deliver oxygen to the brain. Keeping the brain active (crosswords, jigsaw puzzles, etc) seems to help.

Don't smoke - it narrows bloods vessels, so more risk of strokes. It seems that repeated head trauma (e.g. boxers, American football players, etc.) may also be a risk factor. There is also a genetic aspect, but this is thought to be due to inheriting risk genes rather than direct genes for Alzheimer's.

Music therapy appears to help. Music involves many areas of the brain; rhythm, melody, harmony, pitch, timbre and accent are experienced in various areas not just one, so provide many clues. There are also emotional and historical elements associated with specific pieces of music. Even with massive dementia, physically able sufferers can still beat time. Sufferers respond to music almost to the end of their lives.

Where Memories Go by Sally Magnusson, pub by Two Roads, Hodder & Stoughton, 2014.

Buying Jeans

General rules

• Take time to try on an assortment of sizes and styles - they may fit slightly differently depending on the cut and the brand.
• Sit down while wearing the jeans to make sure they are comfortable and there is no gaping at the back. 
• Consider buying a size smaller to allow for the natural stretch in denim, especially with a non-stretch pair.
• Bring or wear the shoes you are most likely to wear the jeans with in case any alterations are needed.

Your shape

• Larger thighs? Try bootcut and avoid tapered legs or anything baggy.
• Pear shaped? Low rise styles will make your bottom appear smaller. Wide legs will help slim your figure.
• A bit of a tummy? Look for specialist designs with hidden control panels. Avoid fussy waist details.
• No waist? Detailed waist bands and belts create shape. Tuck in tops to add definition.
• Wider calves? Look for flares and bootcut styles.
• Curvy? Choose classic straight cut or bootcut styles for balance. Choose dark shades for a leaner look.

Petite? 

• Make legs look longer with a narrow cut. A higher waistband lengthens the silhouette. 
• Gap brand: styles Best Girlfriend, True Skinny Ankle and Cropkick Flare are cut shorter in the leg than the rest of Gap fits, so end up the perfect length for petite frames. Gap also offer a customization service that includes hemming. 

Washing

• Wash jeans inside out, and with similar colours - new jeans are especially likely to bleed colour.
• If drying outside, hang them inside out to lessen fade. Shake before bone dry and fold - they shouldn't need ironing.

Good Housekeeping, February 2014 and February 2018