Browse content similar to Summer Special 2016. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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When it comes to our health, | 0:00:04 | 0:00:05 | |
it seems everyone has an opinion and everyone has an agenda. | 0:00:05 | 0:00:10 | |
So what's the health advice you can really trust? | 0:00:10 | 0:00:12 | |
We're here to weigh up the evidence | 0:00:16 | 0:00:19 | |
and use our expertise to guide you... | 0:00:19 | 0:00:21 | |
..through the contradictions and the confusions. | 0:00:22 | 0:00:25 | |
We do the research no-one else has done... | 0:00:28 | 0:00:30 | |
..and put your health at the heart of what we do... | 0:00:32 | 0:00:35 | |
..to ensure you get the information you need. | 0:00:36 | 0:00:39 | |
We're here when you want to know the latest findings | 0:00:44 | 0:00:47 | |
and not just the latest fads. | 0:00:47 | 0:00:50 | |
I'm Michael Mosley. In this series | 0:00:52 | 0:00:54 | |
I'm joined by a team of doctors. | 0:00:54 | 0:00:56 | |
Together, we'll cut through the hype, | 0:00:58 | 0:01:00 | |
the headlines and the health claims. | 0:01:00 | 0:01:03 | |
This is Trust Me I'm A Doctor. | 0:01:03 | 0:01:06 | |
Hello and welcome to a special summer edition | 0:01:11 | 0:01:13 | |
of Trust Me I'm A Doctor. | 0:01:13 | 0:01:14 | |
We're here to get you ready for some sun. | 0:01:14 | 0:01:17 | |
As the sun comes out, or you jet off to find some, | 0:01:18 | 0:01:22 | |
we'll find out just how cheap a pair of sunglasses can be | 0:01:22 | 0:01:25 | |
and still protect your eyes. | 0:01:25 | 0:01:28 | |
How much sun cream we really need. | 0:01:28 | 0:01:31 | |
-Oh, my God. -Wow. | 0:01:31 | 0:01:33 | |
-It's like war paint. -I haven't seen that before. | 0:01:33 | 0:01:35 | |
Why enjoying a summer hot tub could be better for us than a workout. | 0:01:35 | 0:01:39 | |
I didn't know any of this stuff before we started | 0:01:39 | 0:01:41 | |
and I thought I knew quite a lot. | 0:01:41 | 0:01:43 | |
How to save lives when there's a heat wave. | 0:01:43 | 0:01:45 | |
Does peeing on a jellyfish sting really work? | 0:01:46 | 0:01:50 | |
And throughout the programme, | 0:01:51 | 0:01:52 | |
I'll be on a particularly energetic mission. | 0:01:52 | 0:01:54 | |
A few more seconds. Nice and high. | 0:01:54 | 0:01:56 | |
# In the summertime when the weather is hot... # | 0:01:59 | 0:02:02 | |
As a medical journalist, I'm always interested in investigating | 0:02:02 | 0:02:05 | |
unusual claims, particularly around health and exercise. | 0:02:05 | 0:02:09 | |
Now, we all know that exercise is good for us | 0:02:09 | 0:02:11 | |
but on a hot summer's day, | 0:02:11 | 0:02:12 | |
do you really want to go out and get hot and sweaty? | 0:02:12 | 0:02:15 | |
We'll be looking at ways you can get the benefits of exercise | 0:02:15 | 0:02:18 | |
without actually doing exercise. | 0:02:18 | 0:02:20 | |
More on that later in the programme. | 0:02:20 | 0:02:22 | |
But first, over to Dr Saleyha Ahsan. | 0:02:22 | 0:02:26 | |
It's in summer that we ditch the layers | 0:02:28 | 0:02:30 | |
and feel most aware of our wobbly bits | 0:02:30 | 0:02:33 | |
and some bits seem to wobble more than others. | 0:02:33 | 0:02:37 | |
If you could slim down and trim down any body part, | 0:02:37 | 0:02:41 | |
which one would it be? | 0:02:41 | 0:02:42 | |
Probably my tummy. | 0:02:42 | 0:02:44 | |
My stomach. | 0:02:44 | 0:02:45 | |
My midriff. | 0:02:45 | 0:02:46 | |
My waist. | 0:02:46 | 0:02:48 | |
My belly. | 0:02:48 | 0:02:49 | |
And it's not just about how it looks. | 0:02:49 | 0:02:51 | |
Fat around the tummy is a health issue. | 0:02:51 | 0:02:54 | |
A larger waistline is usually the result of two types of fat - | 0:02:55 | 0:03:00 | |
one is subcutaneous fats | 0:03:00 | 0:03:03 | |
and that's the inch you can pinch under your skin. | 0:03:03 | 0:03:06 | |
The second is visceral fat. | 0:03:06 | 0:03:08 | |
Now, that lies hidden deep within the abdomen | 0:03:08 | 0:03:11 | |
and surrounds vital organs. | 0:03:11 | 0:03:14 | |
Body scans have shown me that I myself have too much visceral fat. | 0:03:15 | 0:03:19 | |
Oh, my God, that's pretty revolting. | 0:03:19 | 0:03:22 | |
All that white stuff in the scan image is fat and it's bad news - | 0:03:22 | 0:03:27 | |
linked to high blood pressure, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. | 0:03:27 | 0:03:31 | |
So, what can we do about it? | 0:03:33 | 0:03:35 | |
On the internet there are countless quick fixes | 0:03:36 | 0:03:39 | |
that promise to target belly fat. | 0:03:39 | 0:03:41 | |
We all love the idea of a simple trick | 0:03:41 | 0:03:44 | |
that will melt away the spare tyre around our middle | 0:03:44 | 0:03:47 | |
with little effort, but is this really possible? | 0:03:47 | 0:03:51 | |
We're going to find out. | 0:03:51 | 0:03:52 | |
Here at the University of Oxford, we've gathered 35 volunteers | 0:03:54 | 0:03:58 | |
with unhealthy waistlines. | 0:03:58 | 0:04:00 | |
Since I turned 40, | 0:04:00 | 0:04:02 | |
I've been putting on weight predominantly on my belly. | 0:04:02 | 0:04:05 | |
Having had two children I have quite a nice wobbly belly, | 0:04:05 | 0:04:08 | |
so if I could do something about that, that would be brilliant. | 0:04:08 | 0:04:12 | |
We've got two experts with two different ideas | 0:04:12 | 0:04:15 | |
about how to target belly fat. | 0:04:15 | 0:04:17 | |
Diet or exercise? | 0:04:17 | 0:04:19 | |
We've asked each of them to design their own fat-busting programmes | 0:04:20 | 0:04:24 | |
and also to choose one of the most popular internet methods | 0:04:24 | 0:04:28 | |
where there is some scientific reason | 0:04:28 | 0:04:30 | |
to think it might have an effect. | 0:04:30 | 0:04:33 | |
Fredrik Karpe is professor of metabolic medicine | 0:04:33 | 0:04:36 | |
at the University of Oxford. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:38 | |
Fredrik's first group are going to test his own method | 0:04:39 | 0:04:43 | |
that involves simply eating less. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:45 | |
They'll get advice on portion-size control and healthy eating. | 0:04:46 | 0:04:50 | |
They won't change the foods they eat, | 0:04:51 | 0:04:53 | |
they'll simply reduce the amount of each | 0:04:53 | 0:04:55 | |
to a portion no bigger than their fist... | 0:04:55 | 0:04:59 | |
and cut out snacking. | 0:04:59 | 0:05:00 | |
Fredrik thinks that as they lose weight, | 0:05:01 | 0:05:04 | |
the first to go will be the dangerous visceral fat. | 0:05:04 | 0:05:08 | |
The visceral fat has a higher turnover. | 0:05:08 | 0:05:10 | |
If you put on weight, you put it there first. | 0:05:10 | 0:05:12 | |
If you lose weight, you lose it from there first. | 0:05:12 | 0:05:15 | |
His second group will try his chosen internet fad, | 0:05:15 | 0:05:18 | |
adding a daily dose of milk to their diet. | 0:05:18 | 0:05:21 | |
Three glasses of semi-skimmed milk a day. | 0:05:21 | 0:05:24 | |
That's almost a litre a day in total. | 0:05:24 | 0:05:27 | |
Eugh! So, how could this possibly work? | 0:05:28 | 0:05:32 | |
One explanation is that milk has components in it | 0:05:32 | 0:05:37 | |
that will reduce some uptake of the milk fat. | 0:05:37 | 0:05:42 | |
One component of milk, calcium, | 0:05:42 | 0:05:45 | |
has been thought to help stop you absorbing fat from your food | 0:05:45 | 0:05:48 | |
but will it in our experiment? | 0:05:48 | 0:05:51 | |
Our other expert, | 0:05:51 | 0:05:52 | |
Professor Dylan Thompson at the University of Bath, | 0:05:52 | 0:05:55 | |
thinks it's all about exercise. | 0:05:55 | 0:05:58 | |
He also has two groups. | 0:05:58 | 0:06:00 | |
For one, he's designed a programme of light activity. | 0:06:00 | 0:06:04 | |
He's given them simple lifestyle changes to make them more active | 0:06:04 | 0:06:07 | |
and to increase their daily step count. | 0:06:07 | 0:06:09 | |
Just integrating a bit more activity in their daily lives | 0:06:09 | 0:06:13 | |
and using step monitors should help them burn more calories. | 0:06:13 | 0:06:16 | |
That energy will have to come from somewhere | 0:06:16 | 0:06:19 | |
and Dylan thinks it might come out of belly fat. | 0:06:19 | 0:06:23 | |
Some early research seemed to indicate | 0:06:23 | 0:06:25 | |
that when you created an energy deficit through exercise | 0:06:25 | 0:06:28 | |
that you lost weight and fat, | 0:06:28 | 0:06:30 | |
in particular from the visceral compartment. | 0:06:30 | 0:06:33 | |
Dylan's getting his second group to try another of the internet's | 0:06:33 | 0:06:36 | |
favourite tummy-targeting tricks, sit-ups. | 0:06:36 | 0:06:39 | |
They've been given a daily ten-minute ab workout. | 0:06:40 | 0:06:43 | |
It's probably the world's most popular idea | 0:06:44 | 0:06:47 | |
for getting rid of belly fat but does it actually work? | 0:06:47 | 0:06:51 | |
We might expect to see that group improving their fitness | 0:06:51 | 0:06:55 | |
but whether they actually lose any weight around their tummy | 0:06:55 | 0:06:57 | |
is of course a very, very different question. | 0:06:57 | 0:07:00 | |
So for six weeks our four groups slog it out | 0:07:00 | 0:07:03 | |
on their different fat-busting regimes. | 0:07:03 | 0:07:07 | |
And when measuring everyone's waistlines, | 0:07:07 | 0:07:09 | |
as well as other markers of health, like the levels of cholesterol, | 0:07:09 | 0:07:13 | |
sugar and unhealthy fats in their blood. | 0:07:13 | 0:07:16 | |
Most importantly, we're scanning their bodies | 0:07:16 | 0:07:19 | |
to see if they manage to reduce their belly fat | 0:07:19 | 0:07:22 | |
and we'll be back for the results later in the programme. | 0:07:22 | 0:07:25 | |
In summer the sun is obviously at its strongest | 0:07:34 | 0:07:37 | |
and that has its dangers. | 0:07:37 | 0:07:39 | |
So how do you go about really protecting yourself? | 0:07:39 | 0:07:41 | |
Over to Dr Chris van Tulleken. | 0:07:43 | 0:07:45 | |
In addition to making me look undeniably cool, dashing | 0:07:49 | 0:07:52 | |
and mysterious, these sunglasses also serve to protect my eyes | 0:07:52 | 0:07:55 | |
from the sun's damaging ultraviolet radiation, | 0:07:55 | 0:07:58 | |
specifically those UVA and UVB rays, | 0:07:58 | 0:08:02 | |
which can cause cataracts, macular degeneration, | 0:08:02 | 0:08:05 | |
cancer and even sunburn of the eyes. | 0:08:05 | 0:08:08 | |
But with prices ranging from several hundred pounds | 0:08:10 | 0:08:12 | |
to a few hundred pence, | 0:08:12 | 0:08:14 | |
how low can you go and still get glasses that protect you? | 0:08:14 | 0:08:18 | |
To properly protect your eyes, | 0:08:18 | 0:08:19 | |
sunglasses need to block 99 to 100% of UV light. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:24 | |
So, I'm hitting the streets of London to test a selection | 0:08:26 | 0:08:29 | |
of the sunglasses members of the public are wearing. | 0:08:29 | 0:08:32 | |
I'm using a spectrophotometer, | 0:08:32 | 0:08:34 | |
a device that can measure how much UV light | 0:08:34 | 0:08:36 | |
is actually getting through the lens. | 0:08:36 | 0:08:39 | |
This graph shows us the range of wavelengths of light | 0:08:39 | 0:08:42 | |
that are currently hitting the sensor. | 0:08:42 | 0:08:44 | |
With dangerous ultraviolet on the left. | 0:08:44 | 0:08:47 | |
Now to test some glasses. | 0:08:49 | 0:08:50 | |
First up, one of the more expensive brands. | 0:08:50 | 0:08:52 | |
They're the real thing, you think? | 0:08:53 | 0:08:55 | |
I think. | 0:08:55 | 0:08:56 | |
And if we put the probe... | 0:08:56 | 0:08:58 | |
It blocks it completely. | 0:08:58 | 0:08:59 | |
-You can keep wearing them. -They're the real deal. | 0:08:59 | 0:09:01 | |
-I won't throw them in the river. -Thank you! | 0:09:01 | 0:09:03 | |
All the expensive glasses we tested worked well. | 0:09:03 | 0:09:06 | |
But what about mid-range shades? | 0:09:07 | 0:09:10 | |
Now, are these the real deal | 0:09:10 | 0:09:11 | |
-or are these £2 fakes you bought on holiday? -No, they're like 15 quid. | 0:09:11 | 0:09:14 | |
-15 quid? -Yeah. -OK, so they should work. | 0:09:14 | 0:09:17 | |
-Yeah. -I'll put that on and these take it right down to 0. | 0:09:17 | 0:09:21 | |
-Do they? -You can keep them. They're working really well. -Oh, great. | 0:09:21 | 0:09:24 | |
-You can take them on holiday anywhere in the world. -That's good. | 0:09:24 | 0:09:27 | |
So these sunglasses, they're British high street. | 0:09:27 | 0:09:29 | |
-Are these going to work? -Probably not. They might. | 0:09:29 | 0:09:32 | |
And it gets rid of almost all of it, so they work very nicely. | 0:09:32 | 0:09:34 | |
-Look at that. Perfect. -I think these will protect your eyes | 0:09:34 | 0:09:37 | |
perfectly well. | 0:09:37 | 0:09:38 | |
-Thank you very much indeed. -Thank you. -Cheers. | 0:09:39 | 0:09:42 | |
Luckily, British and European standards on sunglasses | 0:09:42 | 0:09:44 | |
are really strict and insist that they block 99 to 100% | 0:09:44 | 0:09:48 | |
of UV light. So, if you're buying them here, | 0:09:48 | 0:09:51 | |
all you have to do is make sure that they've got | 0:09:51 | 0:09:53 | |
the appropriate markings. | 0:09:53 | 0:09:54 | |
In our tests, even the cheapest pairs | 0:09:55 | 0:09:57 | |
turned out to offer enough protection. | 0:09:57 | 0:10:00 | |
So how much did these cost? | 0:10:00 | 0:10:01 | |
-Ballpark. -£1.50. | 0:10:02 | 0:10:04 | |
£1.50? OK, so, £1.50 and they block ultraviolet light very nicely. | 0:10:04 | 0:10:09 | |
It goes right down to the bottom. | 0:10:09 | 0:10:11 | |
So, I would say blocking nearly 100%. | 0:10:11 | 0:10:14 | |
Oh, good. | 0:10:14 | 0:10:15 | |
Good, I can keep my heart sunnies, then? | 0:10:15 | 0:10:17 | |
You can, yeah. They're lovely. They look great. Let's see them on. | 0:10:17 | 0:10:20 | |
-There you go. -Fantastic, yes. -Thank you. -A bargain for £1.50. | 0:10:20 | 0:10:24 | |
# Go get yourself some cheap sunglasses. # | 0:10:24 | 0:10:27 | |
So sunglasses with good protection don't have to come at a hefty price. | 0:10:27 | 0:10:32 | |
But remember, if you bought them online | 0:10:32 | 0:10:34 | |
or as fakes abroad on holiday last year, | 0:10:34 | 0:10:36 | |
they may not be made to the same standards. | 0:10:36 | 0:10:38 | |
This pair that we bought from an online auction site | 0:10:39 | 0:10:42 | |
failed to block all of the UV light. | 0:10:42 | 0:10:44 | |
But let's be honest, even UK regulations can't protect us | 0:10:46 | 0:10:49 | |
from being victims of our own fashion sense. | 0:10:49 | 0:10:52 | |
When I buy my shades, style is everything. | 0:10:53 | 0:10:56 | |
But it has a bigger role in protecting our eyes | 0:10:57 | 0:10:59 | |
than we might think. | 0:10:59 | 0:11:00 | |
Researchers have tested all sorts of different shapes of sunglasses | 0:11:03 | 0:11:06 | |
to measure how effectively they stop UV rays reaching the eye. | 0:11:06 | 0:11:09 | |
The researchers found that glasses that sit far away from the face | 0:11:11 | 0:11:14 | |
let in more ultraviolet light around the edges. | 0:11:14 | 0:11:17 | |
And fans of John Lennon will be disappointed, | 0:11:17 | 0:11:19 | |
if not surprised to hear, that small glasses offer less protection | 0:11:19 | 0:11:22 | |
than large ones, which protect the delicate skin around the eyes. | 0:11:22 | 0:11:26 | |
The best protection of all is of course afforded | 0:11:26 | 0:11:28 | |
by wraparound lenses, so perhaps Bono was onto something after all. | 0:11:28 | 0:11:32 | |
Next time you're buying a pair of sunglasses, | 0:11:33 | 0:11:35 | |
think about the design and don't forget to check the label. | 0:11:35 | 0:11:39 | |
Good protection needn't be expensive. | 0:11:39 | 0:11:41 | |
You can look as cool as me for just a few quid. | 0:11:41 | 0:11:43 | |
# Somewhere beyond the sea. # | 0:11:55 | 0:12:00 | |
Like surgeon Gabriel Weston, | 0:12:00 | 0:12:02 | |
millions of us will be hitting the beach this summer. | 0:12:02 | 0:12:05 | |
But there's a threat lurking under the water. | 0:12:07 | 0:12:11 | |
Around 150 million jellyfish stings occur worldwide every year. | 0:12:14 | 0:12:20 | |
Jellyfish are increasingly common in UK waters | 0:12:23 | 0:12:26 | |
and peak in July and August. | 0:12:26 | 0:12:28 | |
Their tentacles are covered in harpoon-like structures, | 0:12:30 | 0:12:33 | |
which are full of venom. | 0:12:33 | 0:12:35 | |
When they're touched, the venom shoots out | 0:12:35 | 0:12:37 | |
faster than the blink of an eye. | 0:12:37 | 0:12:39 | |
Fortunately, most jellyfish stings are minor | 0:12:42 | 0:12:45 | |
but they can still be really painful | 0:12:45 | 0:12:48 | |
and the advice on what to do about them is confusing | 0:12:48 | 0:12:51 | |
or even contradictory. | 0:12:51 | 0:12:53 | |
But now researchers in Hawaii have done a set of experiments | 0:12:53 | 0:12:57 | |
with some volunteers willing to be stung for science. | 0:12:57 | 0:13:01 | |
So we finally have a definitive list of dos and don'ts. | 0:13:01 | 0:13:05 | |
First, don't panic. | 0:13:07 | 0:13:09 | |
You can actually stop any tentacles still on your skin | 0:13:13 | 0:13:16 | |
from doing more damage by splashing them with vinegar. | 0:13:16 | 0:13:19 | |
The research showed that this stops them releasing more venom. | 0:13:19 | 0:13:23 | |
But this won't do anything for the pain. | 0:13:23 | 0:13:26 | |
For that, the researchers tested some popular remedies | 0:13:26 | 0:13:29 | |
with no success. | 0:13:29 | 0:13:31 | |
Alcohol made the stingers fire even more venom | 0:13:31 | 0:13:34 | |
and putting Epsom salts on the skin seem to make the effects worse. | 0:13:34 | 0:13:38 | |
But what about one of the most infamous suggestions, | 0:13:38 | 0:13:42 | |
to pee on the affected area? | 0:13:42 | 0:13:44 | |
I'm glad to say this isn't recommended | 0:13:45 | 0:13:47 | |
and not just because doing so is a bit...impractical. | 0:13:47 | 0:13:51 | |
Urine gave no benefits at all in experiments, | 0:13:53 | 0:13:56 | |
at least not to the person being peed on. | 0:13:56 | 0:13:59 | |
SHE SHRIEKS | 0:13:59 | 0:14:00 | |
So what should you do to relieve the pain? | 0:14:00 | 0:14:04 | |
It turns out that jellyfish venom is broken down by heat. | 0:14:04 | 0:14:07 | |
So, if you're stung, apply a heat pack or soak in hot water. | 0:14:09 | 0:14:14 | |
Once the venom has been broken down, it will stop causing you pain | 0:14:14 | 0:14:18 | |
and to break it down fully, | 0:14:18 | 0:14:19 | |
the researchers recommend you keep it hot for half an hour. | 0:14:19 | 0:14:23 | |
If you can get your hands on a hot drink, | 0:14:26 | 0:14:28 | |
that would probably be the right temperature. | 0:14:28 | 0:14:30 | |
Well, I must say that's a relief. | 0:14:32 | 0:14:35 | |
No need to get someone to pee on you, | 0:14:35 | 0:14:37 | |
just find yourself a nice hot cup of tea instead. | 0:14:37 | 0:14:40 | |
# Happy we'll be beyond the sea | 0:14:40 | 0:14:44 | |
# And never... # | 0:14:44 | 0:14:46 | |
MUSIC: In The Summertime By Mungo Jerry | 0:14:54 | 0:14:56 | |
When the sun comes out we're much more likely | 0:14:56 | 0:14:58 | |
to want to go outside and do exercise. | 0:14:58 | 0:15:01 | |
Now, some people do it because they want to get fitter | 0:15:01 | 0:15:03 | |
and most of us just want to get a little bit healthier. | 0:15:03 | 0:15:06 | |
But exactly what difference does physical activity really make | 0:15:06 | 0:15:10 | |
to our health? | 0:15:10 | 0:15:13 | |
To answer that, we've invited someone far more enthusiastic | 0:15:13 | 0:15:16 | |
about exercise than me, GP and fitness fan Dr Zoe Williams. | 0:15:16 | 0:15:22 | |
As a doctor, I'm constantly advising my patients | 0:15:23 | 0:15:25 | |
that being more active will improve their health | 0:15:25 | 0:15:28 | |
but I've never done an experiment to see what actually happens. | 0:15:28 | 0:15:32 | |
If you or I, as an individual, were to change our activity levels, | 0:15:32 | 0:15:37 | |
would that have an impact on our health? | 0:15:37 | 0:15:39 | |
And if so, how long would it take? | 0:15:39 | 0:15:41 | |
Actually, this is an experiment that Dr Matt Cox, here in Liverpool, | 0:15:42 | 0:15:46 | |
has always wanted to do. | 0:15:46 | 0:15:48 | |
So we've gathered a group of 13 volunteers | 0:15:49 | 0:15:51 | |
and before they start our experiment | 0:15:51 | 0:15:53 | |
we're putting them through a barrage of tests to get some basic measures | 0:15:53 | 0:15:56 | |
of how healthy their bodies are. | 0:15:56 | 0:15:58 | |
From the state of their hearts and muscles, | 0:15:59 | 0:16:02 | |
to the levels of sugar and fat in their blood. | 0:16:02 | 0:16:05 | |
Now, we want to find out exactly what changes in their bodies | 0:16:06 | 0:16:09 | |
when they change their activity levels. | 0:16:09 | 0:16:11 | |
The government recommends we all walk 10,000 steps a day | 0:16:11 | 0:16:15 | |
to stay healthy but the average Brit does far less than this, just 3,000. | 0:16:15 | 0:16:20 | |
So, for the next ten days | 0:16:20 | 0:16:22 | |
that's what our volunteers will be limited to. | 0:16:22 | 0:16:24 | |
That means no gym, no sports, no stairs. | 0:16:26 | 0:16:30 | |
Doing so little is harder than it sounds when you're not used to it. | 0:16:30 | 0:16:33 | |
So, what did you have to do in order to really bring that step rate down? | 0:16:34 | 0:16:37 | |
Drive to work, walk around as little as possible at work, | 0:16:37 | 0:16:41 | |
drive home, sit down and even that was coming up to 2,000 minimum. | 0:16:41 | 0:16:46 | |
I'm quite an active person, so ten days of reduced activity | 0:16:46 | 0:16:50 | |
was quite difficult. | 0:16:50 | 0:16:52 | |
Now, we're repeating all the tests to see what aspects of their health | 0:16:54 | 0:16:58 | |
have changed during ten days of just 3,000 steps a day. | 0:16:58 | 0:17:01 | |
We then asked the volunteers to increase | 0:17:03 | 0:17:05 | |
their physical activity levels. | 0:17:05 | 0:17:06 | |
So get off the sofa, take the stairs, walk to work, | 0:17:06 | 0:17:10 | |
maybe even go to the gym or go for a swim. | 0:17:10 | 0:17:12 | |
We made sure they all did exercise equivalent to the government's | 0:17:13 | 0:17:16 | |
recommended 10,000 steps a day. | 0:17:16 | 0:17:18 | |
It's a figure that people all over the world use as a target | 0:17:20 | 0:17:23 | |
but there's surprisingly little research behind it. | 0:17:23 | 0:17:26 | |
Will it make any differences to their health in just ten days? | 0:17:27 | 0:17:32 | |
To find out, we've repeated all the same tests a third and final time. | 0:17:32 | 0:17:36 | |
And now Matt's compared all the results, | 0:17:37 | 0:17:39 | |
he's found that two key measures of health have changed, | 0:17:39 | 0:17:42 | |
even in the short period of our experiment. | 0:17:42 | 0:17:44 | |
So, the first one was aerobic capacity - | 0:17:46 | 0:17:48 | |
how well they can use their heart, their lungs and their blood vessels | 0:17:48 | 0:17:51 | |
to get oxygen from the air into their muscles that are working. | 0:17:51 | 0:17:54 | |
This is what we all think exercise does for us, | 0:17:54 | 0:17:57 | |
feeling fitter and getting less out of breath | 0:17:57 | 0:18:00 | |
but this aerobic capacity is also a good indicator of health | 0:18:00 | 0:18:04 | |
and even how long you might live. | 0:18:04 | 0:18:07 | |
After just ten days of relative inactivity, | 0:18:07 | 0:18:10 | |
some volunteers' readings fell by 15%. | 0:18:10 | 0:18:13 | |
But after ten days of doing 10,000 steps, | 0:18:14 | 0:18:17 | |
they were back up and on the road to recovery. | 0:18:17 | 0:18:20 | |
Matt, though, found something else that changed in our volunteers | 0:18:22 | 0:18:25 | |
that many people would find more surprising. | 0:18:25 | 0:18:28 | |
Interestingly, we also saw that they became poor at controlling | 0:18:31 | 0:18:34 | |
their blood sugar and people might not expect this, | 0:18:34 | 0:18:37 | |
particularly in such a short period of time. | 0:18:37 | 0:18:38 | |
Tiny monitors allowed Matt to measure the volunteers' | 0:18:40 | 0:18:43 | |
blood sugar levels every few minutes. | 0:18:43 | 0:18:45 | |
Sugar levels spike every time we eat | 0:18:46 | 0:18:48 | |
and the graph shows this happening in response to eating breakfast, | 0:18:48 | 0:18:52 | |
lunch and dinner. | 0:18:52 | 0:18:54 | |
Our ability to control blood sugar levels is key to good health. | 0:18:56 | 0:18:59 | |
So, the main thing that we saw | 0:19:01 | 0:19:03 | |
was that once they'd done the inactivity, | 0:19:03 | 0:19:05 | |
but particularly their ability to control their sugar levels | 0:19:05 | 0:19:08 | |
-after dinner was worse. -Right. | 0:19:08 | 0:19:10 | |
So, what we can see in the graph is that the red one is there... | 0:19:10 | 0:19:14 | |
is after the inactivity. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:16 | |
So we can see that not only does our blood sugar go higher | 0:19:16 | 0:19:20 | |
but also it stays elevated for a much longer period of time. | 0:19:20 | 0:19:23 | |
OK, so after that period of inactivity, | 0:19:23 | 0:19:26 | |
you would see these peaks going higher | 0:19:26 | 0:19:28 | |
-and taking longer to come back down? -Yeah. | 0:19:28 | 0:19:31 | |
If this got worse, | 0:19:31 | 0:19:32 | |
we'd see that this person's risk of getting diabetes would be increased. | 0:19:32 | 0:19:37 | |
But after ten days of doing 10,000 steps, | 0:19:37 | 0:19:40 | |
their blood sugar control had improved. | 0:19:40 | 0:19:43 | |
So, our experiment has revealed that if you're not so active | 0:19:43 | 0:19:46 | |
and you start doing 10,000 steps a day, | 0:19:46 | 0:19:48 | |
it can bring you two key benefits. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:50 | |
As you might expect, it'll improve your heart and lung health | 0:19:52 | 0:19:55 | |
but more surprisingly, | 0:19:55 | 0:19:56 | |
it'll improve your blood sugar control and all in a matter of days. | 0:19:56 | 0:20:01 | |
It can get very tedious constantly being told that exercise | 0:20:03 | 0:20:06 | |
is good for you and people often ask how much is enough. | 0:20:06 | 0:20:11 | |
So, how can you know whether what you're doing is enough | 0:20:11 | 0:20:14 | |
to be healthy? | 0:20:14 | 0:20:15 | |
Well, a simple measure of your pulse can give you a rough guide. | 0:20:15 | 0:20:19 | |
Dozens of studies have found a link between a high heart rate | 0:20:19 | 0:20:22 | |
and dying early. | 0:20:22 | 0:20:24 | |
You need to measure it when you're at rest, so that's when you've been | 0:20:24 | 0:20:27 | |
sitting still for a good five to ten minutes. | 0:20:27 | 0:20:30 | |
Use a watch to count your beats per minute. | 0:20:30 | 0:20:32 | |
Research has shown that if your resting heart rate | 0:20:34 | 0:20:36 | |
is high, that's 80 beats per minute or above, | 0:20:36 | 0:20:39 | |
then you're at increased risk of early death | 0:20:39 | 0:20:41 | |
in comparison to somebody with a lower heart rate. | 0:20:41 | 0:20:44 | |
If yours is about 60 beats per minute or below, | 0:20:44 | 0:20:46 | |
then whatever you're doing, you're doing something right. | 0:20:46 | 0:20:49 | |
Either that or you're just very lucky. | 0:20:49 | 0:20:51 | |
If your pulse is on the high side, | 0:20:53 | 0:20:55 | |
then the government advice of 10,000 steps a day | 0:20:55 | 0:20:58 | |
could help bring it down. | 0:20:58 | 0:21:00 | |
But not all of us have the time, motivation | 0:21:00 | 0:21:03 | |
or are physically able to do that amount of exercise. | 0:21:03 | 0:21:06 | |
So, are there other ways we can get the same benefits | 0:21:07 | 0:21:09 | |
without putting in the hours? | 0:21:09 | 0:21:11 | |
I want to see if there are a few simple and easy things I can do, | 0:21:13 | 0:21:15 | |
which will give me the benefits of exercise | 0:21:15 | 0:21:17 | |
without actually having to do exercise. | 0:21:17 | 0:21:20 | |
And so, throughout this programme | 0:21:21 | 0:21:22 | |
I'm going to test three surprising new theories. | 0:21:22 | 0:21:26 | |
And I think I'm off to a pretty good start. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:29 | |
Now, we all know there are health benefits to be had | 0:21:32 | 0:21:34 | |
from getting hot and sweaty on a treadmill | 0:21:34 | 0:21:37 | |
or perhaps an exercise bike. | 0:21:37 | 0:21:39 | |
But are there benefits to be had from simply getting hot | 0:21:39 | 0:21:42 | |
in a bath or a sauna? | 0:21:42 | 0:21:44 | |
Dr Steve Faulkner from Loughborough University | 0:21:45 | 0:21:47 | |
certainly thinks so. | 0:21:47 | 0:21:49 | |
-Hi, Michael. Nice to meet you. -And you. | 0:21:49 | 0:21:52 | |
Now, I used to have lots of hot baths when I was young | 0:21:52 | 0:21:56 | |
and then I gave it up and I moved to showers, | 0:21:56 | 0:21:58 | |
partly because it was more convenient | 0:21:58 | 0:22:00 | |
but partly because I was actually a bit worried | 0:22:00 | 0:22:02 | |
-that all that heat was bad for me. -Hm-hm. | 0:22:02 | 0:22:04 | |
So, is there evidence that heat is actually good? | 0:22:04 | 0:22:06 | |
There was a very big study done last year that came out of Finland | 0:22:06 | 0:22:09 | |
where they showed that increased rates of sauna use | 0:22:09 | 0:22:12 | |
in the wider population actually resulted in a reduction | 0:22:12 | 0:22:15 | |
in markers of cardiovascular disease risk | 0:22:15 | 0:22:17 | |
but also overall cause of mortality. | 0:22:17 | 0:22:19 | |
It sounds almost too good to be true. | 0:22:19 | 0:22:21 | |
Could the Scandinavians be on to something with hot tubs and saunas? | 0:22:22 | 0:22:27 | |
To find out, we've recruited a small group of volunteers and me, | 0:22:27 | 0:22:31 | |
to put it to a scientific test. | 0:22:31 | 0:22:33 | |
Although the tubs used by scientists | 0:22:34 | 0:22:36 | |
turn out to be a little less glamorous. | 0:22:36 | 0:22:39 | |
But it's here we'll find out whether just a hot bath | 0:22:39 | 0:22:42 | |
could give us some of the same benefits as exercise. | 0:22:42 | 0:22:45 | |
Each of us is fitted with a monitor to measure our blood sugar levels | 0:22:47 | 0:22:51 | |
throughout the experiment, including mealtimes, | 0:22:51 | 0:22:53 | |
after which our blood sugars will peak. | 0:22:53 | 0:22:56 | |
Steve believes that it's the warming of our muscles | 0:22:56 | 0:22:59 | |
that would trigger any benefits. | 0:22:59 | 0:23:01 | |
Nice and relaxed for me. | 0:23:01 | 0:23:02 | |
So he's using a probe to measure their temperature. | 0:23:02 | 0:23:04 | |
It's not nice. | 0:23:06 | 0:23:07 | |
And the mask we're wearing will help calculate | 0:23:07 | 0:23:09 | |
whether we're burning more calories when we get hotter. | 0:23:09 | 0:23:13 | |
Then, it's bath time. | 0:23:13 | 0:23:14 | |
Just slide your way in. | 0:23:14 | 0:23:16 | |
# Splishing and splashing and wishing and rushing | 0:23:16 | 0:23:19 | |
# It's more fun in here than a zoo. # | 0:23:19 | 0:23:22 | |
Having a bath under laboratory conditions | 0:23:22 | 0:23:25 | |
is not quite as luxurious as I'd hoped but it beats the gym. | 0:23:25 | 0:23:30 | |
I could quite easily go to sleep in here. | 0:23:30 | 0:23:32 | |
Over the next hour, Steve and his team make sure the bathwater | 0:23:32 | 0:23:35 | |
stays at a toasty 40 degrees. | 0:23:35 | 0:23:38 | |
This is remarkably relaxing. | 0:23:38 | 0:23:41 | |
It's hot, though. It's hot. | 0:23:41 | 0:23:43 | |
As well as keeping a close eye on our blood sugar levels | 0:23:43 | 0:23:46 | |
and how many calories we're burning. | 0:23:46 | 0:23:48 | |
And in order to see how a hot bath compares with exercise... | 0:23:49 | 0:23:52 | |
ENERGETIC DANCE MUSIC | 0:23:52 | 0:23:55 | |
We also do an hour's sweating on a bike, | 0:23:55 | 0:23:57 | |
while Steve takes all the same measurements again. | 0:23:57 | 0:24:01 | |
# Pump it up a little more... | 0:24:01 | 0:24:03 | |
..a lot of number crunching later, we're going to find out... | 0:24:03 | 0:24:06 | |
do hot baths give any of the benefits of exercise? | 0:24:06 | 0:24:10 | |
And the answer's quite remarkable. | 0:24:10 | 0:24:12 | |
One of the first things that we were looking at is the energy expenditure | 0:24:13 | 0:24:17 | |
whilst you're actually in the bath | 0:24:17 | 0:24:19 | |
and what we found was about an 80% increase in energy expenditure | 0:24:19 | 0:24:22 | |
just as a result of sitting in a bath for the course of an hour. | 0:24:22 | 0:24:27 | |
So, just lying in a hot bath can help us burn calories... | 0:24:27 | 0:24:31 | |
an extra 61. | 0:24:31 | 0:24:33 | |
Not as many as cycling but then I could read my book. | 0:24:33 | 0:24:37 | |
But what about that other important measure, | 0:24:37 | 0:24:40 | |
our levels of blood sugar or glucose? | 0:24:40 | 0:24:43 | |
Where we started to see differences | 0:24:43 | 0:24:44 | |
is when you look at your peak glucose output. | 0:24:44 | 0:24:46 | |
The peak glucose is basically the amount that your glucose goes up | 0:24:46 | 0:24:49 | |
-after you've had a meal? -Yeah. | 0:24:49 | 0:24:50 | |
And the key thing that's important about peak glucose output | 0:24:50 | 0:24:53 | |
is it's one of the potential risk markers towards things like | 0:24:53 | 0:24:56 | |
developing Type 2 diabetes. | 0:24:56 | 0:24:59 | |
And what we actually found with the bath versus the exercise | 0:24:59 | 0:25:01 | |
is that your peak glucose was actually quite a little bit lower | 0:25:01 | 0:25:04 | |
compared to exercise, which was completely unexpected. | 0:25:04 | 0:25:07 | |
After the hour-long bath, our peak blood glucose levels were 10% lower | 0:25:08 | 0:25:13 | |
than after the exercise. | 0:25:13 | 0:25:15 | |
But why would lying in hot water give us this benefit? | 0:25:15 | 0:25:19 | |
I must admit, I find it very, very surprising. | 0:25:20 | 0:25:22 | |
I didn't know any of this stuff before I started | 0:25:22 | 0:25:24 | |
and I thought I knew quite a lot. | 0:25:24 | 0:25:26 | |
I was really, really surprised by the fact that it seemed to be | 0:25:26 | 0:25:29 | |
even more effective than exercise in reducing the blood sugar peaks. | 0:25:29 | 0:25:34 | |
One of the things that we think is it's down to these things called | 0:25:34 | 0:25:37 | |
heat-shock proteins that are released in response to, | 0:25:37 | 0:25:40 | |
as the name suggests, heat stress. | 0:25:40 | 0:25:43 | |
These heat-shock proteins take some of the sugar | 0:25:43 | 0:25:45 | |
that's in your bloodstream out of the bloodstream | 0:25:45 | 0:25:48 | |
and into the muscle. | 0:25:48 | 0:25:50 | |
Steve thinks that a hot bath keeps our muscle temperature | 0:25:50 | 0:25:53 | |
more consistently warm than exercise | 0:25:53 | 0:25:56 | |
and that this encourages the release of the beneficial | 0:25:56 | 0:25:58 | |
heat-shock proteins into our blood, | 0:25:58 | 0:26:00 | |
where they can help lower our blood sugar levels. | 0:26:00 | 0:26:03 | |
So, perhaps we should all get a little bit more Scandinavian | 0:26:07 | 0:26:10 | |
when it comes to our leisure time. | 0:26:10 | 0:26:11 | |
Whether it's lying back in the tub after a long day at work | 0:26:12 | 0:26:16 | |
or treating ourselves to the occasional sauna. | 0:26:16 | 0:26:20 | |
I must admit, I was really surprised by how big an effect | 0:26:20 | 0:26:23 | |
simply having a hot bath had on our blood sugar levels. | 0:26:23 | 0:26:26 | |
And I can also see that this has a lot of potential for people | 0:26:26 | 0:26:30 | |
who really can't exercise. | 0:26:30 | 0:26:32 | |
Having given up having baths about 20 years ago, | 0:26:32 | 0:26:35 | |
I think I might resume them again. | 0:26:35 | 0:26:37 | |
There are lots of things you can do in the bath | 0:26:37 | 0:26:39 | |
you can't do in the shower. | 0:26:39 | 0:26:41 | |
Still to come, can you get stronger just by thinking about it? | 0:26:51 | 0:26:55 | |
And we reveal what the sun really does to your skin. | 0:26:55 | 0:26:59 | |
Oh, my God! Oh, the freckles! | 0:26:59 | 0:27:01 | |
But first... | 0:27:01 | 0:27:02 | |
Most of us welcome the idea of a heat wave. | 0:27:06 | 0:27:09 | |
We know we need to slap on the suntan cream | 0:27:09 | 0:27:11 | |
before we go outside but very few people think about the dangers | 0:27:11 | 0:27:15 | |
of heatstroke or heat exhaustion, though they can affect anyone. | 0:27:15 | 0:27:19 | |
Dr Saleyha Ahsan has been down to the seaside | 0:27:19 | 0:27:22 | |
to demonstrate a few simple techniques | 0:27:22 | 0:27:24 | |
that could save a life. | 0:27:24 | 0:27:25 | |
Here in Britain, we don't get much practice at coping with hot weather, | 0:27:27 | 0:27:32 | |
so when we do experience a sunny spell, | 0:27:32 | 0:27:34 | |
we can easily overheat without even realising it. | 0:27:34 | 0:27:38 | |
This can lead to heat exhaustion, | 0:27:38 | 0:27:40 | |
which if we don't spot the warning signs, | 0:27:40 | 0:27:43 | |
can quickly become heatstroke. | 0:27:43 | 0:27:46 | |
Heatstroke is when the body loses its ability to cool itself | 0:27:46 | 0:27:51 | |
and the body's core temperature becomes dangerously high. | 0:27:51 | 0:27:55 | |
For some, it can kill within 30 minutes, | 0:27:55 | 0:27:58 | |
so it's vital that you know how to recognise the symptoms | 0:27:58 | 0:28:02 | |
and take action. | 0:28:02 | 0:28:03 | |
Every year in the UK there are about 2,000 heat-related deaths | 0:28:03 | 0:28:09 | |
but in a heat wave there can be hundreds more. | 0:28:09 | 0:28:12 | |
The risk is also greater in hot climates | 0:28:12 | 0:28:14 | |
and for those doing strenuous exercise in high temperatures. | 0:28:14 | 0:28:18 | |
But there are some clear warning signs to look out for. | 0:28:20 | 0:28:23 | |
First, you might spot symptoms of heat exhaustion. | 0:28:23 | 0:28:27 | |
These can include heavy sweating, rapid breathing, nausea, | 0:28:27 | 0:28:31 | |
a fast, weak pulse, light-headedness | 0:28:31 | 0:28:35 | |
and a feeling of fatigue. | 0:28:35 | 0:28:36 | |
You might also experience cramp in your muscles. | 0:28:36 | 0:28:40 | |
If you spot any of these signs in yourself or another person, | 0:28:40 | 0:28:44 | |
particularly on a hot day, | 0:28:44 | 0:28:46 | |
it's important to cool the body down as quickly as possible. | 0:28:46 | 0:28:50 | |
One of the key ways that our bodies keep the temperature down | 0:28:50 | 0:28:54 | |
is by sweating but it's essential that you allow that sweat | 0:28:54 | 0:28:58 | |
to evaporate. | 0:28:58 | 0:28:59 | |
So, if you see someone suffering from heat exhaustion, | 0:28:59 | 0:29:02 | |
you can help them by removing any unnecessary clothing | 0:29:02 | 0:29:07 | |
and exposing as much skin as possible. | 0:29:07 | 0:29:09 | |
And I'm going to show this group of runners | 0:29:10 | 0:29:13 | |
some other simple steps you can take. | 0:29:13 | 0:29:15 | |
You should seek shade and drink plenty of fluids. | 0:29:17 | 0:29:20 | |
Fanning the skin while it's moist will also help. | 0:29:22 | 0:29:25 | |
I'm just going to sprinkle you with a little bit of cool water, just | 0:29:25 | 0:29:28 | |
onto your skin, mainly, and some of it will go on to your clothes | 0:29:28 | 0:29:32 | |
and that'll keep you cool. | 0:29:32 | 0:29:34 | |
You should also use whatever you have available to cool the skin. | 0:29:34 | 0:29:38 | |
Ice or cold packs are especially good. | 0:29:38 | 0:29:40 | |
What you do, you squeeze it together, right? Squeeze it. | 0:29:40 | 0:29:44 | |
-POP! -Ooh! | 0:29:44 | 0:29:45 | |
Right, and then it pops like that. | 0:29:45 | 0:29:48 | |
And then shake it round. | 0:29:48 | 0:29:49 | |
Look, feel, it's gone cold already. | 0:29:49 | 0:29:52 | |
Putting something cold on areas where there are major blood | 0:29:52 | 0:29:55 | |
vessels, such as the back of the neck | 0:29:55 | 0:29:57 | |
or the armpits, will help cool you down quickly. | 0:29:57 | 0:30:00 | |
How are you feeling? Is it cooling you down still? | 0:30:00 | 0:30:03 | |
I might keep it on all day. | 0:30:03 | 0:30:05 | |
One useful tip is to put your hands in cold water. | 0:30:06 | 0:30:10 | |
This is amongst the fastest ways to | 0:30:10 | 0:30:12 | |
cool the whole body when you're hot. | 0:30:12 | 0:30:15 | |
Heat exhaustion itself isn't life threatening, | 0:30:15 | 0:30:18 | |
but it is the precursor to heatstroke. | 0:30:18 | 0:30:21 | |
People who succumb to heatstroke will generally look unwell. | 0:30:21 | 0:30:25 | |
They might have difficulty in breathing | 0:30:25 | 0:30:28 | |
and other major warning symptoms. | 0:30:28 | 0:30:30 | |
These can include... | 0:30:30 | 0:30:32 | |
This is a sign that the body is so dehydrated, | 0:30:40 | 0:30:43 | |
it can no longer produce sweat to cool itself down. | 0:30:43 | 0:30:47 | |
People with heatstroke will probably be irritable | 0:30:47 | 0:30:50 | |
and confused and not able to take action for themselves. | 0:30:50 | 0:30:54 | |
So, if you're with a group, | 0:30:54 | 0:30:56 | |
make sure you're looking after each other. | 0:30:56 | 0:30:58 | |
If the person is unconscious, put them in the recovery position. | 0:30:58 | 0:31:02 | |
And if they have a seizure, move nearby objects out of the way | 0:31:02 | 0:31:06 | |
to prevent injury. | 0:31:06 | 0:31:08 | |
And if you notice any of these symptoms, | 0:31:08 | 0:31:10 | |
you should call 999 as soon as possible. | 0:31:10 | 0:31:12 | |
Quick action really can save a life. | 0:31:14 | 0:31:17 | |
With rapid cooling and sufficient rehydration, | 0:31:18 | 0:31:21 | |
most people can survive heatstroke. | 0:31:21 | 0:31:24 | |
For the full list of what to look for and what to do, | 0:31:24 | 0:31:28 | |
visit our website at... | 0:31:28 | 0:31:29 | |
Earlier in the programme, I discovered that just | 0:31:42 | 0:31:44 | |
lying in a hot bath could give me one of the key health | 0:31:44 | 0:31:47 | |
benefits of exercise, helping to keep my blood sugar levels in check. | 0:31:47 | 0:31:53 | |
Now I'm continuing my search for ways to get my body fitter | 0:31:53 | 0:31:56 | |
and healthier with minimum effort. | 0:31:56 | 0:31:59 | |
Theory number two. | 0:31:59 | 0:32:01 | |
Now, it looks very unlikely, but could doing this... | 0:32:01 | 0:32:06 | |
..allowing yourself to be gently stretched by someone else, | 0:32:08 | 0:32:11 | |
give you some of the more important benefits of exercise? | 0:32:11 | 0:32:15 | |
# Bend me, shape me, anyway you want me | 0:32:15 | 0:32:18 | |
# As long as you love me... # | 0:32:18 | 0:32:20 | |
This might look bizarre, it's certainly lazy, | 0:32:20 | 0:32:23 | |
but we've come across some tantalising evidence from Hawaii | 0:32:23 | 0:32:27 | |
and South Korea that suggest it could actually improve your health. | 0:32:27 | 0:32:30 | |
Here at the University of Wolverhampton, | 0:32:32 | 0:32:34 | |
Dr Ian Lahart is going to help us | 0:32:34 | 0:32:36 | |
find out if it's true. | 0:32:36 | 0:32:38 | |
-Hi, Ian. -Hi, Michael. | 0:32:38 | 0:32:39 | |
I can see why being stretched is very pleasant, | 0:32:39 | 0:32:42 | |
but why on earth should it make any difference to your health? | 0:32:42 | 0:32:45 | |
Well, previous research in diabetics and those at risk of diabetes seems | 0:32:45 | 0:32:49 | |
to suggest that being stretched | 0:32:49 | 0:32:51 | |
by somebody else for 20 minutes is beneficial. | 0:32:51 | 0:32:54 | |
It sounds very odd, | 0:32:54 | 0:32:56 | |
but could having your muscles stretched really make you healthier? | 0:32:56 | 0:32:59 | |
To find out, we've recruited ten volunteers | 0:33:04 | 0:33:06 | |
who are hoping that this passive stretching effect might be true, | 0:33:06 | 0:33:10 | |
as, for some of them, exercise is particularly difficult. | 0:33:10 | 0:33:15 | |
I have MS. | 0:33:15 | 0:33:17 | |
So energy's not always good. | 0:33:17 | 0:33:20 | |
The more weight you put on, | 0:33:20 | 0:33:22 | |
the less exercise you do. | 0:33:22 | 0:33:24 | |
And it's like a vicious circle, isn't it? | 0:33:24 | 0:33:26 | |
Time to put being stretched to the test. | 0:33:26 | 0:33:29 | |
All our volunteers spent 20 minutes having their limbs | 0:33:33 | 0:33:36 | |
stretched by our team of sports therapists. | 0:33:36 | 0:33:38 | |
# Ooh, baby, baby... # | 0:33:38 | 0:33:40 | |
As we did in our bath experiment, we're testing | 0:33:40 | 0:33:43 | |
three key measures that normally improve with exercise - | 0:33:43 | 0:33:47 | |
blood sugar levels, heart rate, | 0:33:47 | 0:33:49 | |
and the number of calories they're burning. | 0:33:49 | 0:33:51 | |
# Push it good Ah, push it... # | 0:33:53 | 0:33:55 | |
To see if simply being pushed and pulled around really does give us | 0:33:55 | 0:33:59 | |
some of the benefits of exercise, Ian's crunched the numbers. | 0:33:59 | 0:34:03 | |
# Pu-push it real good... # | 0:34:03 | 0:34:05 | |
So I don't know what the results are | 0:34:05 | 0:34:06 | |
and I'm as eager to find out as you are. Ian. | 0:34:06 | 0:34:09 | |
Well, what we found was when you stretch, | 0:34:09 | 0:34:11 | |
your blood glucose levels were 23% lower than when you didn't stretch. | 0:34:11 | 0:34:15 | |
When our volunteers weren't being | 0:34:16 | 0:34:18 | |
stretched, a sugary drink | 0:34:18 | 0:34:20 | |
raised their blood sugar | 0:34:20 | 0:34:22 | |
levels as you'd expect. | 0:34:22 | 0:34:23 | |
But when their muscles were | 0:34:23 | 0:34:25 | |
stretched, after having | 0:34:25 | 0:34:26 | |
exactly the same drink, their blood | 0:34:26 | 0:34:28 | |
sugar levels actually fell. | 0:34:28 | 0:34:30 | |
It's a very surprising result. | 0:34:30 | 0:34:33 | |
We found that your heart rate was 17% higher with stretching. | 0:34:33 | 0:34:36 | |
And we found that your energy expenditure, so the amount of | 0:34:37 | 0:34:40 | |
calories that you were burning, was 126% higher with the stretching. | 0:34:40 | 0:34:45 | |
-That's amazing. I'm really... You know. -It's surprising, isn't it? | 0:34:45 | 0:34:48 | |
They burnt nearly 100 extra calories per hour, | 0:34:50 | 0:34:53 | |
equivalent to a stroll, simply from lying down. | 0:34:53 | 0:34:57 | |
Even the most hopeful on the team hadn't anticipated that. | 0:34:57 | 0:35:01 | |
Were you surprised by the size of this? | 0:35:01 | 0:35:03 | |
Yeah, I was surprised that it was a 23% improvement from doing | 0:35:03 | 0:35:07 | |
no stretching so, yeah, very surprising. | 0:35:07 | 0:35:10 | |
A similar effect to what we see during exercise. | 0:35:10 | 0:35:13 | |
When we exercise, our muscle cells take glucose from our blood | 0:35:13 | 0:35:16 | |
and use it as fuel, and this helps lower our blood sugar levels. | 0:35:16 | 0:35:21 | |
So in exercise, what's happening is the glucose is being | 0:35:21 | 0:35:24 | |
taken into the muscles to burn. What's happening in this case? | 0:35:24 | 0:35:27 | |
Why is the glucose going into the muscles? | 0:35:27 | 0:35:30 | |
Well, we think that it's | 0:35:30 | 0:35:31 | |
the stimulus that is caused | 0:35:31 | 0:35:32 | |
by the stretch, so once there's | 0:35:32 | 0:35:34 | |
tension on the muscle, that helps | 0:35:34 | 0:35:36 | |
to move a glucose transporter | 0:35:36 | 0:35:38 | |
from within the cell to the | 0:35:38 | 0:35:39 | |
surface of the cell. | 0:35:39 | 0:35:41 | |
And this allows more glucose to | 0:35:41 | 0:35:42 | |
enter into the cell. | 0:35:42 | 0:35:44 | |
So, simply putting some tension into our muscles causes glucose to | 0:35:46 | 0:35:50 | |
be pulled out of our blood and into our cells, | 0:35:50 | 0:35:53 | |
where it's burnt as fuel instead of doing us harm. | 0:35:53 | 0:35:57 | |
If you can't get out and do exercise, | 0:35:57 | 0:35:59 | |
this could be a real health boon. | 0:35:59 | 0:36:01 | |
Now, those who are likely to benefit most from passive stretching | 0:36:02 | 0:36:06 | |
are people who are bed-bound or perhaps just unable to do exercise. | 0:36:06 | 0:36:10 | |
But I like the thought that if you're at home, | 0:36:10 | 0:36:13 | |
perhaps you're watching the television, you can | 0:36:13 | 0:36:16 | |
benefit from just doing a few stretches, and by doing so, | 0:36:16 | 0:36:20 | |
bring your blood sugar levels down. | 0:36:20 | 0:36:22 | |
For six weeks, four groups of volunteers have been taking | 0:36:32 | 0:36:35 | |
part in our experiment in Oxford to find out | 0:36:35 | 0:36:39 | |
if it's possible to rid ourselves of dangerous belly fat. | 0:36:39 | 0:36:42 | |
Two groups have been trying diets under | 0:36:47 | 0:36:49 | |
instruction from Professor Fredrik Karpe. | 0:36:49 | 0:36:52 | |
One group are simply eating smaller portions at each meal. | 0:36:54 | 0:36:58 | |
A second group are trying a popular quick fix, | 0:37:00 | 0:37:03 | |
drinking three glasses of milk a day. | 0:37:03 | 0:37:05 | |
The other two groups have been doing exercise with | 0:37:07 | 0:37:10 | |
Professor Dylan Thompson. | 0:37:10 | 0:37:12 | |
His first group are on a programme increasing their | 0:37:12 | 0:37:15 | |
physical activity levels... | 0:37:15 | 0:37:17 | |
..whilst his second group are doing that famous quick fix, sit-ups. | 0:37:19 | 0:37:23 | |
And we've been measuring their health, their waistlines | 0:37:24 | 0:37:27 | |
and scanning their bodies to see what differences | 0:37:27 | 0:37:30 | |
the regimes have made. | 0:37:30 | 0:37:32 | |
Testing over, it's the moment we've all been waiting for. | 0:37:34 | 0:37:38 | |
Have any of our groups managed to lose any belly fat? | 0:37:38 | 0:37:42 | |
Dylan, what happened? | 0:37:42 | 0:37:44 | |
OK, so the activity group, you lost a modest amount of weight | 0:37:44 | 0:37:48 | |
over the six weeks, just over a kilo. | 0:37:48 | 0:37:51 | |
But we didn't see any change in visceral fat, the internal | 0:37:51 | 0:37:54 | |
abdominal fat which is the one we consider bad fat. | 0:37:54 | 0:37:57 | |
Although they didn't lose any fat, | 0:38:00 | 0:38:02 | |
those on Dylan's activity programme | 0:38:02 | 0:38:04 | |
became much healthier. | 0:38:04 | 0:38:06 | |
Their blood pressure reduced, as did | 0:38:06 | 0:38:08 | |
the levels of unhealthy | 0:38:08 | 0:38:09 | |
fat in their blood. | 0:38:09 | 0:38:12 | |
I didn't lose much weight, but, to be honest, with the increased | 0:38:12 | 0:38:14 | |
-exercise, I could actually tell at the end of the six weeks. -Really? | 0:38:14 | 0:38:17 | |
I felt a lot better. | 0:38:17 | 0:38:18 | |
So, being more active was good, but not a belly-fat buster. | 0:38:18 | 0:38:23 | |
But what about Dylan's chosen internet quick fix, sit ups? | 0:38:23 | 0:38:28 | |
The group neither lost weight nor belly fat, but on average, | 0:38:28 | 0:38:33 | |
their waistlines got an impressive two centimetres smaller. | 0:38:33 | 0:38:37 | |
Actually, what this is really telling us is that you've | 0:38:37 | 0:38:39 | |
improved your muscle tone, so you're able to keep your tummies in | 0:38:39 | 0:38:43 | |
even without trying and, as result of that, you will look and feel | 0:38:43 | 0:38:48 | |
better, but it hasn't been achieved through a change in fat mass. | 0:38:48 | 0:38:52 | |
I guess people might see it as a quick fix, | 0:38:52 | 0:38:55 | |
but clearly it isn't, because it hasn't really done an awful lot. | 0:38:55 | 0:38:59 | |
And now for Fredrik's results. | 0:39:00 | 0:39:03 | |
Starting with his chosen diet fat, milk. | 0:39:03 | 0:39:06 | |
You actually didn't lose any weight overall, there was no weight loss. | 0:39:06 | 0:39:11 | |
If we look at the visceral fat, | 0:39:11 | 0:39:12 | |
the bad fat inside your body, there was no loss there either. | 0:39:12 | 0:39:17 | |
So, milk didn't reduce our volunteers' belly fat, | 0:39:17 | 0:39:20 | |
but surprisingly, despite adding it to their normal diet, | 0:39:20 | 0:39:24 | |
they didn't gain any weight either, so it may have stopped them | 0:39:24 | 0:39:28 | |
craving other things. | 0:39:28 | 0:39:30 | |
Definitely reduced my appetite, the nibbling etc in the evenings. | 0:39:30 | 0:39:33 | |
So I thoroughly enjoyed the exercise. | 0:39:33 | 0:39:35 | |
And finally, what about the group who followed his | 0:39:35 | 0:39:38 | |
portion control programme? | 0:39:38 | 0:39:40 | |
So this group did very well indeed. | 0:39:40 | 0:39:43 | |
On average, you lost almost 4kg in body weight. | 0:39:43 | 0:39:47 | |
If you look at the total body fat that was lost, it was about 5%. | 0:39:47 | 0:39:53 | |
If we look specifically into the visceral fat, | 0:39:53 | 0:39:55 | |
that was 14% of that was lost. | 0:39:55 | 0:39:58 | |
This group also reduced | 0:39:58 | 0:40:00 | |
their cholesterol and blood pressure | 0:40:00 | 0:40:02 | |
and measured a five-centimetre | 0:40:02 | 0:40:04 | |
reduction in their waistlines. | 0:40:04 | 0:40:05 | |
-Lost two notches on my belt. -Being able to get into clothes is amazing. | 0:40:07 | 0:40:12 | |
So, yeah, just overall, really happy with it all. | 0:40:12 | 0:40:15 | |
So it seems that when it comes to defeating belly fat, | 0:40:15 | 0:40:18 | |
we have a clear winner in the battle of diet versus exercise. | 0:40:18 | 0:40:22 | |
Whilst being more active made our volunteers healthier, the trick | 0:40:22 | 0:40:26 | |
to losing fat, and the bad stuff in particular, lies in how much we eat. | 0:40:26 | 0:40:31 | |
Surprisingly, you can target the dangerous visceral fat, | 0:40:31 | 0:40:35 | |
but not by any weird tricks but by the simplest answer in the book, | 0:40:35 | 0:40:40 | |
by eating a little less at every meal. | 0:40:40 | 0:40:43 | |
Now, that might not sound ground-breaking, | 0:40:43 | 0:40:45 | |
but the fact that we've shown you can reduce fat so quickly, | 0:40:45 | 0:40:50 | |
particularly the belly fat that's so bad for us, is important. | 0:40:50 | 0:40:55 | |
And for the extra health boost, you can combine that with exercise. | 0:40:55 | 0:40:59 | |
And for those who want a slim waist just for the look of it, | 0:40:59 | 0:41:03 | |
we've shown that sit-ups really help. | 0:41:03 | 0:41:05 | |
If you want help to get rid of your own muffin tops, | 0:41:07 | 0:41:10 | |
go to our website at... | 0:41:10 | 0:41:11 | |
The American poet Walt Whitman once said, | 0:41:25 | 0:41:28 | |
"Keep your face always to the sunshine." Is this good advice? | 0:41:28 | 0:41:31 | |
Now that summer's here, should I be out in the rays or, instead, | 0:41:31 | 0:41:35 | |
should I be slapping on the suntan lotion and keeping to the shadows? | 0:41:35 | 0:41:39 | |
The latest government guidelines state that we need to protect | 0:41:39 | 0:41:43 | |
ourselves from strong sunlight and that there is no safe way to tan. | 0:41:43 | 0:41:48 | |
But they also recommend some sun exposure | 0:41:48 | 0:41:50 | |
to build up levels of vitamin D, | 0:41:50 | 0:41:52 | |
which helps control the amount of calcium in your body | 0:41:52 | 0:41:55 | |
needed to keep your bones and teeth healthy. | 0:41:55 | 0:41:58 | |
So is it safest always to protect ourselves from the sun, | 0:41:58 | 0:42:02 | |
or is our health at greater risk from avoiding it? | 0:42:02 | 0:42:05 | |
How much is too much sun? | 0:42:05 | 0:42:08 | |
I've come here to get the views of two leading experts with very | 0:42:09 | 0:42:12 | |
different points of view. | 0:42:12 | 0:42:14 | |
First up is Dr Richard Weller, | 0:42:16 | 0:42:18 | |
dermatologist at the University of Edinburgh. | 0:42:18 | 0:42:21 | |
He thinks the benefits of being in the sun could outweigh the risks. | 0:42:21 | 0:42:25 | |
What's the best evidence that | 0:42:25 | 0:42:27 | |
sunshine might actually prolong life? | 0:42:27 | 0:42:29 | |
One of the biggest killers is heart disease and strokes. | 0:42:29 | 0:42:32 | |
You're about 100 times more likely to die of a stroke or a | 0:42:32 | 0:42:35 | |
heart attack than you are of skin cancer. | 0:42:35 | 0:42:38 | |
And there's a growing body of evidence suggesting that sunlight | 0:42:38 | 0:42:41 | |
reduces the risks of heart disease and stroke. | 0:42:41 | 0:42:44 | |
And we've shown that a substance called nitric oxide is | 0:42:44 | 0:42:47 | |
released from the skin when sunlight hits it, goes into the circulation | 0:42:47 | 0:42:51 | |
and lowers blood pressure. | 0:42:51 | 0:42:53 | |
Now, so far, we've just shown an effect lasting for an hour or so. | 0:42:53 | 0:42:57 | |
But I'm about to start a clinical trial actually | 0:42:57 | 0:43:00 | |
giving people with high blood pressure ultra violet | 0:43:00 | 0:43:02 | |
every day to see if we can lower that blood pressure permanently. | 0:43:02 | 0:43:05 | |
So how long should we spend in the sunshine? | 0:43:05 | 0:43:07 | |
I think you shouldn't get sunburnt. | 0:43:07 | 0:43:09 | |
-But apart from that, it's fine, is it? -I think so. | 0:43:09 | 0:43:13 | |
I see no evidence for an alternative to that. | 0:43:13 | 0:43:16 | |
I think the important thing is that children do not get | 0:43:16 | 0:43:18 | |
sunburnt in childhood, because that's known to be a risk | 0:43:18 | 0:43:21 | |
factor for melanoma, and melanoma is the skin cancer that matters. | 0:43:21 | 0:43:25 | |
What's the difference between melanoma | 0:43:25 | 0:43:27 | |
and non-melanoma skin cancer? | 0:43:27 | 0:43:28 | |
So melanoma arises from melanocytes, the pigment cells of the skin. | 0:43:28 | 0:43:32 | |
What leads to that is quite complex. | 0:43:33 | 0:43:35 | |
It appears to be the intermittent sun exposure, | 0:43:35 | 0:43:38 | |
sunburn in particular, is a risk factor for that. | 0:43:38 | 0:43:41 | |
Now, 80% of patients with melanoma are cured, but 20% aren't. | 0:43:41 | 0:43:46 | |
So that's the skin cancer that worries us most. | 0:43:46 | 0:43:49 | |
There's probably about a quarter of a million non-melanoma | 0:43:49 | 0:43:52 | |
skin cancers a year in Britain. | 0:43:52 | 0:43:54 | |
The death rate is vanishingly small for them. | 0:43:55 | 0:43:58 | |
There is a study from Denmark. | 0:43:58 | 0:43:59 | |
They looked at the entire population over the age of 40, | 0:43:59 | 0:44:02 | |
and they found those with non-melanoma skin cancer were | 0:44:02 | 0:44:05 | |
less likely to be dead, and, particularly, | 0:44:05 | 0:44:07 | |
less likely to have had a heart attack. | 0:44:07 | 0:44:10 | |
So, probably, your life expectancy goes up | 0:44:10 | 0:44:13 | |
when you're diagnosed with a non-melanoma skin cancer. | 0:44:13 | 0:44:15 | |
So what do you say to patients who have a non-melanoma skin cancer? | 0:44:15 | 0:44:19 | |
-I congratulate them. -Do you REALLY congratulate them? -Yes. -Genuinely? | 0:44:19 | 0:44:23 | |
I think a longer life span is a cause for celebration. | 0:44:23 | 0:44:26 | |
So I had one removed very recently on my chest. | 0:44:26 | 0:44:29 | |
-Should I be going away... -You should be celebrating. | 0:44:29 | 0:44:32 | |
-..singing and dancing? -Singing and dancing. Yes. | 0:44:32 | 0:44:35 | |
The guidelines suggest that, particularly | 0:44:35 | 0:44:37 | |
if you are fair-skinned, you only really need to be | 0:44:37 | 0:44:39 | |
out in the sunshine, roll up your sleeves, for about five minutes. | 0:44:39 | 0:44:42 | |
Yeah, well the NICE guidelines are all related to vitamin D production. | 0:44:42 | 0:44:46 | |
It's this fixation on vitamin D, | 0:44:46 | 0:44:47 | |
this kind of belief that all the benefits | 0:44:47 | 0:44:50 | |
of sunlight come from vitamin D, which clearly they don't. | 0:44:50 | 0:44:53 | |
So, yes, a short amount of sunshine | 0:44:53 | 0:44:55 | |
if you are fair-skinned might be enough for vitamin D. | 0:44:55 | 0:44:57 | |
What we need to be looking at, though, it's not vitamin D, | 0:44:57 | 0:45:01 | |
but death, life and health. | 0:45:01 | 0:45:04 | |
So, for Dr Weller, the benefits outweigh the risks. | 0:45:04 | 0:45:08 | |
A controversial view, but is he right? | 0:45:08 | 0:45:12 | |
Charlotte Proby is Professor of Dermatology | 0:45:12 | 0:45:15 | |
at the University of Dundee. | 0:45:15 | 0:45:17 | |
She thinks the guidelines on sun protection don't go far enough. | 0:45:17 | 0:45:21 | |
Now, Richard feels that we shouldn't worry too much | 0:45:21 | 0:45:24 | |
about non-melanoma skin cancers, | 0:45:24 | 0:45:26 | |
that you can just kind of cut them out, remove them | 0:45:26 | 0:45:28 | |
and they're a marker for the fact that you have been exposed to | 0:45:28 | 0:45:31 | |
lots of sun, and that's a good thing. What do you make of that? | 0:45:31 | 0:45:33 | |
Well, I don't think Richard has my patients. | 0:45:33 | 0:45:36 | |
I think they would disagree with him. | 0:45:36 | 0:45:38 | |
I see patients who are getting two or three skin cancers a year | 0:45:38 | 0:45:41 | |
and, believe me, you would avoid getting one of those | 0:45:41 | 0:45:46 | |
aggressive non-melanoma skin cancers if you possibly could. | 0:45:46 | 0:45:48 | |
What about Richard's claim that being exposed to sunlight | 0:45:48 | 0:45:52 | |
lowers your blood pressure and, therefore, | 0:45:52 | 0:45:54 | |
may reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke? | 0:45:54 | 0:45:57 | |
If it was truly a big factor, | 0:45:57 | 0:45:59 | |
you would expect that parts of the world like Australia would | 0:45:59 | 0:46:03 | |
have very much less cardiovascular death than you see in other | 0:46:03 | 0:46:07 | |
parts where they don't have so much sun. | 0:46:07 | 0:46:10 | |
He argues that life expectancy is three years greater in Australians | 0:46:10 | 0:46:15 | |
than in people in Scotland, two years greater than people in the UK. | 0:46:15 | 0:46:19 | |
Well, again, there are huge confounders. | 0:46:19 | 0:46:21 | |
Australians are out doing a lot more exercise, and I think exercise is | 0:46:21 | 0:46:26 | |
the main factor and diet, perhaps, in their cardiovascular risk. | 0:46:26 | 0:46:31 | |
Presumably, the main benefits from sunshine, | 0:46:31 | 0:46:33 | |
as far as you're concerned, | 0:46:33 | 0:46:35 | |
come from vitamin D, plus, perhaps, a little bit of mood boosting. | 0:46:35 | 0:46:39 | |
-How long would you need to do it for? -If you're fair, | 0:46:39 | 0:46:43 | |
you only need to be out for a relatively short time, | 0:46:43 | 0:46:45 | |
somewhere between five | 0:46:45 | 0:46:47 | |
and 15 minutes in the middle of the day if you've got a fairly | 0:46:47 | 0:46:51 | |
large skin area that's exposed is plenty to make your vitamin D. | 0:46:51 | 0:46:55 | |
And if you stay out in the sun, having made your maximum | 0:46:55 | 0:46:59 | |
vitamin D, all that happens is you break it down again. | 0:46:59 | 0:47:03 | |
-Right, so it actually goes down after a period of time. -Indeed. | 0:47:03 | 0:47:05 | |
So, is there such a thing as a safe tan? | 0:47:05 | 0:47:08 | |
Well, there isn't, unless you have a dark skin. | 0:47:08 | 0:47:11 | |
So you need to know your skin type. | 0:47:11 | 0:47:13 | |
If you are fair, and particularly if you get freckles or you burn, | 0:47:13 | 0:47:17 | |
then you're damaging your skin, | 0:47:17 | 0:47:20 | |
and that the freckles are a sign of damage, not a sign of a tan. | 0:47:20 | 0:47:24 | |
So when do you start using some protection? | 0:47:24 | 0:47:26 | |
I put my sunblock on every day from mid-to-late March, | 0:47:26 | 0:47:30 | |
certainly by the time the clocks have changed, | 0:47:30 | 0:47:33 | |
and I would wear it every day, rain or shine, throughout the summer | 0:47:33 | 0:47:37 | |
until about the end of September. | 0:47:37 | 0:47:38 | |
And I always advocate to go for the big numbers, 45 or 50, | 0:47:38 | 0:47:43 | |
particularly as that helps with the anti-ageing. | 0:47:43 | 0:47:45 | |
So, there you have it, experts with very different points of view. | 0:47:47 | 0:47:50 | |
Now, where my experts would absolutely agree, is it | 0:47:50 | 0:47:53 | |
is a really bad idea to get burnt, particularly if you are a child. | 0:47:53 | 0:47:57 | |
As you can probably tell, | 0:47:57 | 0:47:58 | |
I'm not that worried about getting a tan | 0:47:58 | 0:48:01 | |
and I cannot imagine slapping on the suntan lotion throughout | 0:48:01 | 0:48:04 | |
the spring and summer months, | 0:48:04 | 0:48:06 | |
but I think in future I will take a little bit more care of my skin. | 0:48:06 | 0:48:10 | |
# Ooh, it was the sunshine | 0:48:19 | 0:48:23 | |
# Is she making sunshine... # | 0:48:23 | 0:48:25 | |
It's clear we need to take care of our skin in the sun, | 0:48:25 | 0:48:28 | |
but it can be all too easy to get carried away on our summer | 0:48:28 | 0:48:31 | |
holidays and let our skin burn, especially if we go abroad. | 0:48:31 | 0:48:35 | |
As a skin cancer surgeon, I spend the majority of my time | 0:48:37 | 0:48:40 | |
in the operating theatre, cutting out skin cancers. | 0:48:40 | 0:48:44 | |
So even though I love a beautiful day as much as the next person, | 0:48:44 | 0:48:48 | |
when I'm on a beach like this, and I can see people sunbathing | 0:48:48 | 0:48:51 | |
until they go bright red, it makes me really, really twitchy. | 0:48:51 | 0:48:56 | |
In the sun, our body tries to defend itself from harmful | 0:48:56 | 0:49:00 | |
ultraviolet radiation by producing a pigment called melanin | 0:49:00 | 0:49:04 | |
that absorbs the UV. | 0:49:04 | 0:49:06 | |
Melanin is what makes us go brown. | 0:49:06 | 0:49:08 | |
But when we expose our skin to more UV than our melanin can handle, | 0:49:08 | 0:49:12 | |
we end up with sunburn, | 0:49:12 | 0:49:14 | |
and that's when the dangers of the sun outweigh the benefits. | 0:49:14 | 0:49:18 | |
In fact, if you've had any sunburn at all, | 0:49:18 | 0:49:21 | |
you have doubled the risk of melanoma which is the most | 0:49:21 | 0:49:24 | |
deadly skin cancer, and that risk only increases with | 0:49:24 | 0:49:29 | |
every episode of sunburn that you allow yourself to get. | 0:49:29 | 0:49:33 | |
If your skin is damaged by the sun, | 0:49:33 | 0:49:35 | |
one sign you might see is freckles, permanent changes that occur | 0:49:35 | 0:49:39 | |
when the skin tries to protect itself by producing more melanin. | 0:49:39 | 0:49:43 | |
But even if you think you're freckle-free, you probably aren't. | 0:49:43 | 0:49:47 | |
I've got a camera that can highlight damage that isn't | 0:49:47 | 0:49:50 | |
obvious to the naked eye. | 0:49:50 | 0:49:52 | |
To me, you have lovely fair skin, I can't see much sun damage, | 0:49:52 | 0:49:56 | |
-but have a look in here and tell me what you think. -Oh, no. | 0:49:56 | 0:49:59 | |
Oh, my God, all the freckles. | 0:49:59 | 0:50:02 | |
The camera can detect ultraviolet light | 0:50:02 | 0:50:05 | |
and reveals previously invisible dark spots where your skin has | 0:50:05 | 0:50:09 | |
produced more melanin to absorb UV. | 0:50:09 | 0:50:12 | |
These spots aren't harmful in themselves, | 0:50:13 | 0:50:15 | |
but they are a sign that your skin is being exposed to | 0:50:15 | 0:50:18 | |
a level of UV that will damage it in other ways, ageing it | 0:50:18 | 0:50:22 | |
and ultimately, if you let yourself burn, | 0:50:22 | 0:50:25 | |
putting you at higher risk of skin cancer. | 0:50:25 | 0:50:27 | |
-So what do you think? How do you feel when you see that? -Terrified. | 0:50:29 | 0:50:33 | |
Does it make you want to be a bit more careful about how | 0:50:33 | 0:50:35 | |
you are out in the sun? | 0:50:35 | 0:50:37 | |
Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. | 0:50:37 | 0:50:38 | |
The good news is it's estimated that 86% of skin | 0:50:38 | 0:50:42 | |
cancers could be prevented | 0:50:42 | 0:50:43 | |
if we all took some simple steps to look after our skin. | 0:50:43 | 0:50:47 | |
So you've had that scary look in our camera there. | 0:50:47 | 0:50:49 | |
I'm going to give you some sun cream now and I just want you to | 0:50:49 | 0:50:52 | |
put some on your face and have a look and tell me what you can see. | 0:50:52 | 0:50:55 | |
-Oh, my God. -Wow. -It's like war paint. -I haven't seen that before. | 0:50:57 | 0:51:01 | |
It's amazing, isn't it? | 0:51:01 | 0:51:02 | |
Sun creams are designed to absorb UV rays very efficiently, | 0:51:02 | 0:51:06 | |
as our camera reveals. | 0:51:06 | 0:51:08 | |
The blacker it looks on the camera, the more UV it's absorbing. | 0:51:08 | 0:51:12 | |
Whatever it was that you had on before you did this | 0:51:12 | 0:51:16 | |
was definitely not enough when you see now what amazing | 0:51:16 | 0:51:19 | |
-kind of protection that's giving you. -Oh, wow. -Look at that. | 0:51:19 | 0:51:23 | |
-It looks like you've got a mud mask on. -It really does. | 0:51:23 | 0:51:26 | |
When you are choosing a cream, the sun protection factor or SPF | 0:51:28 | 0:51:32 | |
tells you how much longer you can spend in the sun before you'll burn. | 0:51:32 | 0:51:36 | |
So if you naturally burn in, say, ten minutes, | 0:51:36 | 0:51:39 | |
then SPF 15 should keep you safe for 150 minutes. | 0:51:39 | 0:51:43 | |
But you do need to slather it on. | 0:51:43 | 0:51:46 | |
There's evidence that if you use it sparingly, | 0:51:46 | 0:51:48 | |
you might only get a third of the protection promised on the label. | 0:51:48 | 0:51:52 | |
You should also remember to reapply sun cream after getting wet. | 0:51:52 | 0:51:56 | |
Although sun creams claim to be water resistant, | 0:51:56 | 0:51:59 | |
this does not mean they are waterproof. | 0:51:59 | 0:52:01 | |
Preventing sunburn is the only sure-fire way | 0:52:01 | 0:52:05 | |
of protecting against skin damage and most skin cancers. | 0:52:05 | 0:52:09 | |
So if you are going out on a hot day, cover up, | 0:52:09 | 0:52:13 | |
slap on plenty of sunscreen and enjoy the sun safely. | 0:52:13 | 0:52:17 | |
Now, I do plenty of exercise, but to be honest, | 0:52:43 | 0:52:46 | |
I do it because I think it's good for me, not because I enjoy it. | 0:52:46 | 0:52:51 | |
And that's why I'm always on the lookout for little cheats, | 0:52:51 | 0:52:54 | |
ways of getting the benefits of exercise without having to | 0:52:54 | 0:52:57 | |
put in all that effort. | 0:52:57 | 0:52:58 | |
Already in this programme, | 0:53:01 | 0:53:03 | |
I've discovered the health benefits of hot baths | 0:53:03 | 0:53:06 | |
and having my muscles stretched. | 0:53:06 | 0:53:09 | |
Now for my final fling. | 0:53:09 | 0:53:12 | |
I might just have found the laziest get fit alternative of them all. | 0:53:12 | 0:53:17 | |
How about not doing anything physical, | 0:53:17 | 0:53:19 | |
just using your imagination instead? | 0:53:19 | 0:53:22 | |
Well, some intriguing research from the field of neuroscience | 0:53:23 | 0:53:27 | |
suggests that simply imagining ourselves doing exercise | 0:53:27 | 0:53:30 | |
could make our muscles stronger. | 0:53:30 | 0:53:32 | |
It's called motor imagery, apparently. | 0:53:33 | 0:53:37 | |
Now, this one really does seem very unlikely. | 0:53:37 | 0:53:39 | |
How can simply thinking about doing exercise make you stronger? | 0:53:39 | 0:53:43 | |
Time to do a test. | 0:53:43 | 0:53:45 | |
We recruited seven Trust Me | 0:53:47 | 0:53:48 | |
viewers who admit their muscles could do with a bit of a workout. | 0:53:48 | 0:53:52 | |
I don't do very much activity at all. | 0:53:52 | 0:53:55 | |
Very little exercise during the week. | 0:53:55 | 0:53:57 | |
I try and avoid it if I can help it. | 0:53:57 | 0:53:59 | |
I'm afraid I've got very lazy in my old age. | 0:53:59 | 0:54:02 | |
Push, push, push, push, push... | 0:54:02 | 0:54:04 | |
We're going to see whether their muscles can get stronger | 0:54:04 | 0:54:06 | |
simply by thinking about exercising them. | 0:54:06 | 0:54:09 | |
Professor Tony Kay | 0:54:10 | 0:54:12 | |
at the University of Northampton starts off by testing how | 0:54:12 | 0:54:15 | |
strong their calf muscles are before the experiment begins | 0:54:15 | 0:54:19 | |
by making them push a heavy plate as hard as they can. | 0:54:19 | 0:54:23 | |
Then he uses ultrasound to measure the size of their muscles. | 0:54:23 | 0:54:27 | |
His final test is to zap them with an electrical impulse. | 0:54:27 | 0:54:33 | |
This allows Tony to measure how | 0:54:33 | 0:54:34 | |
-much of their muscles our volunteers are actually using. -Wow, yeah. | 0:54:34 | 0:54:38 | |
Tony suspects they have muscle fibres they're not making | 0:54:38 | 0:54:42 | |
the most of at the moment. | 0:54:42 | 0:54:43 | |
Now Tony needs to teach them their key activity over the next month. | 0:54:46 | 0:54:50 | |
How to really convincingly think about doing exercise. | 0:54:51 | 0:54:56 | |
And he's going to get them to think about the pushing exercise | 0:54:57 | 0:55:01 | |
they have just done every day to see whether this makes them stronger. | 0:55:01 | 0:55:06 | |
It's not just about picturing yourself in the chair | 0:55:07 | 0:55:10 | |
and seeing your foot and seeing the force trace, | 0:55:10 | 0:55:13 | |
it's also about the sensation of the brace against your ankle. | 0:55:13 | 0:55:17 | |
And Tony is putting them on a pretty strict daily thinking schedule. | 0:55:17 | 0:55:21 | |
Each session will be about 15 minutes. | 0:55:22 | 0:55:24 | |
And there'll be 50 contractions in those 15 minutes. | 0:55:24 | 0:55:27 | |
Over the next four weeks, they maintain their gruelling | 0:55:29 | 0:55:32 | |
strength training regime... | 0:55:32 | 0:55:34 | |
..with the distinct advantage that they | 0:55:36 | 0:55:38 | |
can do it from the comfort of their own beds. | 0:55:38 | 0:55:40 | |
After a month, they're back to repeat all the tests | 0:55:41 | 0:55:44 | |
they did at the start. | 0:55:44 | 0:55:46 | |
Have their calf muscles got stronger just by imagining exercise? | 0:55:46 | 0:55:51 | |
OK, so what were the results? | 0:55:51 | 0:55:54 | |
OK, well, the primary result was that we did improve our strength. | 0:55:54 | 0:55:58 | |
As a group, you increased your strength by approximately 8%. | 0:55:58 | 0:56:03 | |
-Are you surprised by the outcome? ALL: -Yes. | 0:56:03 | 0:56:07 | |
Very surprised, but very pleased. | 0:56:07 | 0:56:10 | |
So, on average, the whole group got 8% stronger. | 0:56:10 | 0:56:14 | |
And one volunteer managed a whopping 33% increase. | 0:56:14 | 0:56:19 | |
It's an extraordinary result, but what's the explanation? | 0:56:19 | 0:56:23 | |
Well, Tony's measurements show that their muscles weren't bigger, | 0:56:23 | 0:56:26 | |
so they certainly haven't grown more muscle. | 0:56:26 | 0:56:29 | |
-ELECTRIC SHOCK ZAPS -Oh! | 0:56:29 | 0:56:33 | |
But the electrical stimulation test gave the answer. | 0:56:33 | 0:56:36 | |
These results showed, by the end of the month of thinking, | 0:56:36 | 0:56:39 | |
our volunteers were simply using | 0:56:39 | 0:56:41 | |
more of the muscle fibres they already had. | 0:56:41 | 0:56:44 | |
Felt that! | 0:56:44 | 0:56:46 | |
What we showed was an increase of approximately 20% | 0:56:46 | 0:56:49 | |
in our ability to activate the muscle. | 0:56:49 | 0:56:52 | |
Our volunteers had gone from using | 0:56:53 | 0:56:56 | |
just 50% of their muscle fibres to 70%. | 0:56:56 | 0:57:00 | |
So how can mental imagery produce these sort of physical effects? | 0:57:00 | 0:57:05 | |
The mental imagery is a rehearsal of the skill, | 0:57:05 | 0:57:08 | |
so you're better at recruiting the muscles in an orderly fashion | 0:57:08 | 0:57:12 | |
so that we can activate a larger percentage of the muscle, | 0:57:12 | 0:57:16 | |
and that then produces more force and we become stronger. | 0:57:16 | 0:57:18 | |
OK, so when it comes to exercise, it is the thought that counts. | 0:57:18 | 0:57:22 | |
THEY LAUGH | 0:57:22 | 0:57:24 | |
Motor imagery helps us use our muscles more efficiently. | 0:57:26 | 0:57:30 | |
It's already used by top athletes, but it could be useful for those who | 0:57:30 | 0:57:34 | |
are injured or cannot do physical activity, to avoid losing strength. | 0:57:34 | 0:57:39 | |
Now, I was surprised by the size of the effect | 0:57:39 | 0:57:42 | |
and I think I'll probably give it a go. | 0:57:42 | 0:57:44 | |
After all, one of the main advantages of doing this is | 0:57:44 | 0:57:47 | |
that if anyone catches you with your eyes shut, you can | 0:57:47 | 0:57:50 | |
always say, "I'm actually doing a strenuous workout." | 0:57:50 | 0:57:54 | |
Go to our website at... | 0:57:54 | 0:57:56 | |
..to hear Tony's audio guides | 0:57:58 | 0:57:59 | |
to help think yourself stronger. | 0:57:59 | 0:58:01 | |
That's it from us. | 0:58:10 | 0:58:11 | |
We'll be back soon with a new series | 0:58:11 | 0:58:13 | |
when we'll be asking, | 0:58:13 | 0:58:15 | |
"Does glucosamine really help our joints?" | 0:58:15 | 0:58:19 | |
And, "Which is sweatier, | 0:58:19 | 0:58:21 | |
"natural or synthetic fabric?" | 0:58:21 | 0:58:23 | |
# Doctor, I want you | 0:58:36 | 0:58:38 | |
# Mmm, my Doctor Wanna Do | 0:58:38 | 0:58:41 | |
# I can't get over you | 0:58:41 | 0:58:43 | |
# Dr, do anything that ya wanna do | 0:58:43 | 0:58:45 | |
# Doctor, I want you | 0:58:45 | 0:58:48 | |
# Mmm, my Doctor Wanna Do | 0:58:48 | 0:58:50 | |
# I can't get over you | 0:58:50 | 0:58:52 | |
# Dr, do anything that ya wanna do... # | 0:58:52 | 0:58:55 |