Sitting straight 'bad for backs

Sitting up straight is not the best position for office workers, a study has suggested.

Scottish and Canadian researchers used a new form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to show it places an unnecessary strain on your back.

They told the Radiological Society of North America that the best position in which to sit at your desk is leaning slightly back, at about 135 degrees.

Experts said sitting was known to contribute to lower back pain.

Data from the British Chiropractic Association says 32% of the population spends more than 10 hours a day seated.

Half do not leave their desks, even to have lunch.

Two thirds of people also sit down at home when they get home from work.

Spinal angles

The research was carried out at Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Twenty two volunteers with healthy backs were scanned using a positional MRI machine, which allows patients the freedom to move - so they can sit or stand - during the test.

Traditional scanners mean patients have to lie flat, which may mask causes of pain that stem from different movements or postures.

In this study, the patients assumed three different sitting positions: a slouching position, in which the body is hunched forward as if they were leaning over a desk or a video game console, an upright 90-degree sitting position; and a "relaxed" position where they leaned back at 135 degrees while their feet remained on the floor.

The researchers then took measurements of spinal angles and spinal disk height and movement across the different positions.

Spinal disk movement occurs when weight-bearing strain is placed on the spine, causing the disk to move out of place.

Disk movement was found to be most pronounced with a 90-degree upright sitting posture.

It was least pronounced with the 135-degree posture, suggesting less strain is placed on the spinal disks and associated muscles and tendons in a more relaxed sitting position.

The "slouch" position revealed a reduction in spinal disk height, signifying a high rate of wear and tear on the lowest two spinal levels.

When they looked at all test results, the researchers said the 135-degree position was the best for backs, and say this is how people should sit.

'Tendency to slide'

Dr Waseem Bashir of the Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging at the University of Alberta Hospital, Canada, who led the study, said: "Sitting in a sound anatomic position is essential, since the strain put on the spine and its associated ligaments over time can lead to pain, deformity and chronic illness."

Rishi Loatey of the British Chiropractic Association said: "One in three people suffer from lower back pain and to sit for long periods of time certainly contributes to this, as our bodies are not designed to be so sedentary."

Levent Caglar from the charity BackCare, added: "In general, opening up the angle between the trunk and the thighs in a seated posture is a good idea and it will improve the shape of the spine, making it more like the natural S-shape in a standing posture.

"As to what is the best angle between thigh and torso when seated, reclining at 135 degrees can make sitting more difficult as there is a tendency to slide off the seat: 120 degrees or less may be better."

Breastfeeding 'helps to boost IQ'

The government advises breastfeeding for first six months
More evidence is being put forward that breastfed babies eventually become more intelligent than those who are fed with formula milk.

Canada's McGill University found breastfed babies ended up performing better in IQ tests by the age of six.
But the researchers were unsure whether it was related to the breast milk itself or the bond from breastfeeding.
The study of nearly 14,000 children is the latest in a series of reports to have found such a positive link.

However, one problem has been that some of the research has struggled to identify whether the findings were related to the fact that mothers from more affluent backgrounds were more likely to breastfeed and it was factors related to the family circumstances that was really influencing intelligence.

But the latest study attempted to take this into account by following the progress of children born in hospitals in Belarus, some of which ran breastfeeding promotion schemes to boost rates across all groups.
They found that those who breastfed exclusively for the first three months - with many also continuing to 12 months - scored an average of 5.9 points higher on IQ tests in childhood.

Teachers also rated these children significantly higher academically than control children in both reading and writing, the Archives of General Psychiatry reported.

Lead researcher Professor Michael Kramer said: "Long-term, exclusive breastfeeding appears to improve children's cognitive development."

But he added: "Even though the treatment difference appears causal, it remains unclear whether the observed cognitive benefits of breastfeeding are due to some constituents of breast milk or are related to the physical and social interactions inherent in breastfeeding."

Changes
Fatty acids found in breast milk are thought to boost intelligence, but the report said the physical and emotional aspect of breastfeeding may lead to permanent changes to brain development.
The researchers also suggested breastfeeding may increase verbal interaction between mother and child, which in turn could aid their development.

Nonetheless Professor Kramer said more efforts should be made to promote breastfeeding.
In England, the government recommends mothers breastfeed exclusively for the first six months.
But research shows while three quarters start off breastfeeding, just one in four are still doing it by six months.

Rosie Dodds, of the National Childbirth Trust, said: "This research certainly increases the evidence about the impact of breastfeeding. "And I think what we now need is more effort put into supporting it."

Breastfeeding benefits 'instant'

Breastfeeding has many health benefits for mother and child
The benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby start from day one, say campaigners.
Yet more than half of 500 women did not realise this, the National Childbirth Trust found.

The findings come as the NCT boosts efforts to encourage more breastfeeding.

A government poll of 427 men found 79% would want their baby to be breastfed, contrary to popular belief that they might not.

Breast or bottle?

The UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe - almost a third of women in England and Wales never try to breastfeed, compared with just 2% in Sweden.

In 2003, the government set a target to increase the number of women starting to breastfeed by 2% a year.

But experts acknowledge that breastfeeding is not suitable or the best option for all women and that individual choice is important.

The NCT surveyed women about their breastfeeding knowledge.

Nine out of 10 did not know that breastfeeding for just one month has a lasting impact on health during the first 14 years of a baby's life.

Although formula milk does not negate all the protection offered by breastfeeding, only a third knew that feeding babies under six months on both breast and bottle milk still provides them with a certain amount of protection from infections.

Health benefits

Almost half of respondents did not know that breastfeeding also reduces the risk of osteoporosis and cancer of the ovary for the mother.

Belinda Phipps of the NCT said: "Because the benefits start right from the first feed, any amount of breastfeeding is a reason to feel proud.

"This is especially important for the nine out of 10 women who stop breastfeeding before they want to, generally because of a lack of good information or support from those around them.

"It's encouraging that the majority of men are supportive of breastfeeding.

"However, with over a fifth of men not showing support, there is still more to be done."

Christine Carson, the Department of Health's National Infant Feeding Advisor, said: "We encourage every new mum to try breastfeeding.

"Sometimes it may not be easy, but with the right advice, support and encouragement, particularly from those closest to them, we hope to see a marked increased in the amount of mothers and their babies experiencing the many benefits that breastfeeding brings."

Type of body fat 'boosts health'

Body fat found under the skin - and particularly on the buttocks - may help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, research suggests

The study contrasts this subcutaneous fat with visceral fat, which is wrapped around the organs, and raises the risk of ill health.

It is thought subcutaneous fat may produce hormones known as adipokines which boost the metabolism.
The Harvard Medical School study appears in the journal Cell Metabolism.

The researchers, who worked on mice, transplanted fat from one part of the animals' body to the other.
When subcutaneous fat was moved to the abdominal area, there was a decrease in body weight, fat mass, and blood sugar levels.

The animals also became more responsive to the hormone insulin, which controls the way the body uses sugar. A lack of response to insulin is often the first stage on the path to type 2 diabetes.
In contrast, moving abdominal visceral fat to other parts of the body had no effect.
Lead researcher Professor Ronald Khan said: "The surprising thing was that it wasn't where the fat was located, it was the kind of fat that was the most important variable.

"Even more surprising, it wasn't that abdominal fat was exerting negative effects, but that subcutaneous fat was producing a good effect."

Previous research has suggested that obese people with high levels of both abdominal and subcutaneous fat are more insulin-sensitive than those with only high levels of abdominal fat.

Professor Khan said it was possible that subcutaneous fat offset the effects of visceral fat.

Dr David Haslam, of the National Obesity Forum, said the finding cast new doubt on the merits of Body Mass Index (BMI) as a way to assess whether somebody was unhealthily overweight, as it did not differentiate between different types of fat.
He said it was still important that people tried to control their weight, as healthy lifestyle choices like a balanced diet and taking exercise would overwhelmingly impact on visceral, and not subcutaneous fat levels.

Women have a tendancy to lay down more subcutaneous fat, particularly on their legs and buttocks than men.
Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern, said: "If there is something about subcutaneous fat which is protective, and actually decreases insulin resistance, this could help open up a whole new debate on the precise role fat has on our metabolism."