An interesting two-week diet swap experiment has been carried out by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh showing the damage a Western diet can cause to our gut. This study recruited  20 volunteers from the USA and 20 from rural Africa and each group was asked to switch diets for two weeks. The African group were asked to eat more junk food (burgers and fries) whilst the American volunteers were asked to eat a low-fat, high-fibre diet. Even though the study was quite a short one the impact of the diet swap was quite significant with the American group showing less bowel inflammation while the African volunteer’s bowel health declined.

This was an interesting study demonstrating the power of our diet in affecting our health, and in this case our gut health and our  risk of developing bowel (colon) cancer with Dr Stephen O’Keefe, from the University of Pittsburgh, saying:

“In just two weeks, a change in diet from a Westernised composition to a traditional African high-fibre, low-fat diet reduced these biomarkers of cancer risk, indicating that it is likely never too late to modify the risk of colon cancer.”

Researchers from the University of Sheffield have published data from the Yorkshire Health Study which has found that obese people fall into one of six categories and to address obesity strategies should be tailored according to which group a person falls into.

The six obesity groups were identified as: young males who were heavy drinkers, middle aged individuals who were unhappy and anxious, older people who despite living with physical health conditions were happy, younger healthy females, older affluent healthy adults, and individuals with very poor health.

The lead researcher for this study, Dr Mark Green said:

“Our research showed that those in the groups that we identified are likely to need very different services, and will respond very differently to different health promotion policies.

“In the future, we hope that GPs will keep in mind these six groups when offering advice to their patients.”
Researchers explained that what would need to be done to address obesity in the different groups would be to encourage alcohol reduction in young males, while for middle aged individuals who are unhappy and anxious an intervention involving increasing exercise mixed with psycho-social counselling could be beneficial. Young healthy females may not need any intervention, researchers said, as their health problems would be corrected naturally on their own. For those in the poorest health group the study showed advice surrounding exercise may not be reasonable and much more modest goals may be needed. For the affluent healthy elderly weight loss could be a priority.

This study is useful as it helps us understand specific, effective steps that can be taken to tackle obesity.

A study published this week in JAMA has shown that vigorous physical activity is better for our health and enables us to outlive those that just take part in gentle or moderate exercise.

This was a large study including 204,542 people who were followed for just over six years. Researchers compared participants who took part in moderate exercise such as gentle swimming, housework and social tennis to participants who engaged in some vigorous activity such as jogging or aerobics. They found that the risk of premature death was 9 to 13 percent lower in those taking part in vigorous exercise.

As a result of their findings researchers concluded that “vigorous activities should be endorsed in clinical and public health activity guidelines to maximize the population benefits of physical activity.”

This study is useful as it helps us understand the type of exercise that we need to take part in to reap the maximum benefit. We encourage everyone to introduce some vigorous activity into their exercise plan.

Prostate Cancer UK ‘s  new film, released this week, very effectively raises awareness of the fact that black men are at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer than other ethnic groups. You can watch this film below and let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Macmillan Cancer Support has commissioned TNS BMRB, an independent research company, to explore the barriers and motivations for physical activity for those living with and beyond cancer. This research will help inform the development of interventions to help those living with and beyond cancer engage with the benefits of physical activity. TNS BMRB is an independent research agency which conducts work for a range of government departments and charities.

In April, TNS BMRB will be conducting one hour face-to-face home interviews with people living with and beyond cancer. This can be at a date and time most convenient for the individual.  TNS BMRB will be conducting additional research online later in May, which will be conducted through a smartphone app and online. This may be more appropriate for those who do not wish to have a face to face interview, or prefer to participate remotely.

In the interview participants will be asked about their attitudes towards physical activity, after treatment and at other times.  Participation in interviews is flexible – we can pause or stop the interview at any time for any reason. Taking part in this research is  completely confidential and anonymous, and the information provided will be used for research purposes only. We offer all participants a £40 gift as a thank you for their time.

We wish to include a broad spectrum of people living with and beyond cancer as part of the research – so we are interested in speaking to everyone. However, we are also aiming to reach some particular groups:

• People aged 14-20
• Aged 75 and over
• People currently receiving treatment
• People post-treatment, who have a non-curable cancer, or an advanced cancer and are in palliative care
• Those who do not have very active lifestyles

If you are interested in taking part or would like more information please contact Rebecca Paton (Rebecca.paton@tns-bmrb.co.uk, +44 7831 702513)

Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust is looking for women from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities to help them make a new film which aims to reduce health inequalities by raising awareness of cervical cancer and how to prevent it through attending cervical screening (smear tests).

If you are from a BME community, aged 25 to 64  and are  are happy to be filmed on the 14th April near Kings Cross in London , then you can get involved.  You’ll be needed between 12.00 and 4.30 pm and Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust can cover all reasonable travel costs.

They are  looking for a mixture of women, some of whom have been for their smear test and others who have been invited but not attended. If you have been through cervical screening they will ask you to talk about your experience.

The film will be shown to 
– Women eligible for screening in the UK (grandmothers, mothers, daughters) focusing on BME women
– Health Professionals: Primary & Secondary health care professionals
– Employers & Unions
– Anyone that likes to gain information via a video

It will be used on the:
– JCCT’s website to compliment online written content
–  Within  presentations and public facing events to raise awareness of cervical screening
– Social media: facebook, twitter etc.

If you would like to help raise awareness amongst women from all communities and help JCCT prevent cervical cancer please contact:
Claire Cohen, Information and Education Manager, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust
T: 020 7250 8311
E: claire@jostrust.org.uk

The Lake Foundation is pleased to announce that we have a new corporate partner. Evolution Media Lab has selected The Lake Foundation as its charity of the year and will be donating 10% of its profit to our organisation.

We would like to say a big thank to Evolution Media Lab for their support and look forward to working with them in the coming year.

The Lake Foundation is happy to hear that Public Health England has published its new framework to build mental health skills in a range of professions working with children and adults in all areas of life including work settings.

With mental health conditions being a particular challenge for the black community we hope that this framework will go some way towards addressing some of the inequalities that exist in the mental health field where the black community are more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health condition and less likely to report being satisfied with the care that they receive.

Public Health England’s framework aims to promote good mental health, prevent mental illness and suicide and improve the quality of life of people living with mental illness.

We look forward to the framework’s implementation and hope that this will truly make a difference in our community.

For more information you can download a copy of the executive summary of the framework below or visit Public Health England’swebsite

Between the 2nd and 13th of March 2015, UK Active, Public Health England (PHE), the County Sports Partnership Network (CSP Network) and the Local Government Association (LGA) will deliver the second round of the Moving More Living More Physical Activity Fora.

Physical inactivity is the fourth largest cause of disease and disability in the UK and action is required by a collaboration of partners at a national and local level in order to address the problem and create a more active nation.

The Moving More, Living More regional physical activity fora were established to provide national insight into what can be done to tackle physical inactivity from a national level, as well as fostering conversations and producing partnerships at a local level to make an impact on local outcomes.

The second round of Moving More, Living More regional fora will present the most recent developments in the national movement for a more active England  and develop tangible actions that will make a difference at a local level.

The events will move the local agenda for physical activity forward and drive down into the details of how we can begin to tackle inactivity and create happier, healthier societies.

They will explore the evidence behind physical activity interventions from across the country – as well as giving a more localised focus to individual initiatives – and begin to assess the next steps for how local partners can work together collaboratively to combat physical inactivity.

Events news you:

Taunton: Monday 2nd March
Somerset County Cricket Club,
The County Ground,
Taunton,
Somerset,
TA1 1JT
South East Region: Wednesday 4th March
Etc venues (The Hatton),
51-53 Hatton Garden,
London,
EC1N 8HN
London: Friday 6th March
The Grange St Pauls,
10 Godliman Street,
London,
EC4V 5AJ
Blackpool: Wednesday 11th March
Winter Gardens
97 Church Street,
Blackpool,
Lancashire,
FY1 1HL
Birmingham: Friday 13th March
The Studio,
7 Cannon Street,
Birmingham,
B2 5EP
For more information and to book a place please visit  UK Active’s website. The Lake Foundation will be attending and we hope to see you there!

Target Ovarian Cancer and the Penny Brohn Cancer Centre are pleased to announce their three day Living Well course. This course is aimed at women who have recently been diagnosed with ovarian cancer or have recurrent ovarian cancer.

This is a free residential course that will cover:

• Managing stress through relaxation and simple breathing exercises
• Coping with the emotional and psychological impact of cancer and its treatment
• How to prepare and enjoy healthy food
• Finding a way to bring manageable exercise into your life
• Discussing the impact of a cancer diagnosis on relationships
• Consider how living with cancer affects our deepest values and beliefs
• Receiving basic information on financial welfare

This course will be held on Tuesday 28^th  April to Thursday 30^th April 2015