Checkup Medical Column for Sept 1

A weekly round-up of news affecting your health.

CHOCOLATE

Eating dark chocolate enriched with extra virgin olive oil might lower a person's chances of developing heart disease, according to an Italian study.

"We found that a small daily portions of dark chocolate with added natural polyphenols from extra virgin olive oil was associated with an improved cardiovascular risk profile," said Dr Rosella Di Stefano, a cardiologist at the University of Pisa.

Cocoa and olive oil contain plant polyphenols, which have high levels of antioxidants.

University of Pisa researchers tested the effect chocolate with extra virgin olive oil had on the progression of atherosclerosis, which is the hardening or narrowing of the arteries.

The study included 26 participants who ate 40g of the chocolate mix for 28 days.

At the end of the trial, the researchers found the chocolate enriched with olive oil was associated with increased levels of endothelial progenitor cells - critical for vascular repair - in the urine.

The chocolate was also associated with significantly higher levels of "good" cholesterol in the blood and decreased blood pressure.

Dr Di Stefano says the findings, presented at the European Congress of Cardiology in Barcelona, suggests extra virgin olive oil might be a good food additive to help perserve the body's "repair cells".

BACK STIFFNESS

Feelings of back stiffness might be purely a protective mechanism generated by the mind to avoid further injury, Australian research suggests.

Scientists at the University of South Australia say they have found evidence the perception of back stiffness has no bearing on the actual state of the joints and feelings of stiffness can be eased by certain sounds.

"In theory, people who feel back stiffness should have a stiffer spine than those who do not. We found this was not the case in reality. Instead, we found that the amount they protected their back was a better predictor of how stiff their back felt," said Dr Tasha Stanton Dr Stanton, a senior research fellow at UniSA's school of health sciences.

Experiments were conducted on 15 people with chronic lower back pain who reported feelings of stiffness.

Pressure was applied to their spine, paired with different sounds.

A control group of 15 healthy individuals with no back problems were also tested.

Dr Stanton says people with chronic back pain and stiffness overestimated how much force was being applied to their backs and were more protective of their back.

The study, published in Nature journal Scientific Reports, also found these feelings could be modulated using different sounds.

"The feeling of stiffness was worse with creaky-door sounds and less with gentle whooshing sounds," Dr Stanton said.

It's hoped the findings can be used to help the millions of people who suffer from low back pain.

PROTEIN

Loss of muscle is an inevitable consequence of getting older and can lead to mobility problems.

Researchers have found the consumption of protein in equal mounts three times a day - as opposed to just two times a day - is linked to greater muscle strength in the elderly.

Many people only consume protein at lunch and dinner, scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre in Canada wanted to measure the impact that adding protein to breakfast had on older people's health.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, followed nearly 1,800 people from the NuAge longitudinal study on nutrition and ageing for three years.

They reviewed the protein consumption patterns of 827 healthy men and 914 healthy women aged 67 to 84 years in Quebec.

"We observed that participants of both sexes who consumed protein in a balanced way during the day had more muscle strength than those who consumed more during the evening meal and less at breakfast," first author Dr Samaneh Farsijani said.

However, the distribution of protein throughout the day was not associated with improved mobility.

"Our research is based on scientific evidence demonstrating that older people need to consume more protein per meal because they need a greater boost of amino acids for protein synthesis," co-author Dr Stephanie Chevalier said.