Daily Wellness

Health Tip – Audio Version – “More to love”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Physical Activity for Everyone (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

When you’re single and looking, it helps to be looking good. After you’re settled down, well….

Researchers found that when they compared the weight of married couples and unmarried living partners with the weight of dating people.

For instance, newlyweds gained six to nine pounds more in their first year, compared with people who were still dating.

Researcher Natalie The of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill says the study couldn’t tell what the couples were doing wrong. But she has ideas on what they could do right.

“Perhaps partners could encourage one another to adopt and adhere to healthier diets and to be more physically active.’’

The study, presented at a meeting of a scientific organization named the Obesity Society, was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: January, 22 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “Burger, fries and a soda”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Weight-Control Information Network (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Metabolic syndrome is bad for lunch. But a study indicates some common foods raise the risk. Lyn Steffen of the University of Minnesota examined data on eating patterns and health risks.

Metabolic syndrome includes belly fat, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems and elevated blood sugar. It indicates higher risk of heart disease and diabetes.

The risk increases weren’t huge. Meat twice or more a day raised the risk about 25 percent. A diet soda raised it 34 percent. As for fries:

“Individuals who ate french fries one time per week increased their risk of metabolic syndrome by about 10 percent.’’

Steffen advises whole grains, low fat dairy, lots of fruits and vegetables, fish, and a small amount of meat.

Steffen’s study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, was in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: January, 24 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “Electronic aggression”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – New Technology and Youth Violence (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

It’s new media, but this probably doesn’t count as progress. A kid can now threaten another kid by texting.

That’s a form of what’s called electronic aggression. It’s all the old stuff – teasing, being rude, lying about people, mocking them, or threatening – occurring through new technology.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been looking into the problem. CDC officials say a lot is not yet known. But researcher Marci Hertz says being a victim can hurt some kids:

“For example, they’re more likely to get detention, to skip school, to be suspended, have behavioral problems, and experience distress as a result of their victimization.’’

Hertz’s colleague Corinne Ferdon says parents can do a lot to deal with electronic aggression. Parents should talk with their children about their technology use and connect with others to develop solutions.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: January, 24 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “What to do about COPD”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Living With COPD (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – is caused largely by smoking, and is America’s fourth leading cause of death. COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, slowly gets worse. But it can be treated. And doctors in the American College of Physicians have developed new guidelines for doing that.

The guidelines call for testing patients by using spirometry, in which a person breathes into a machine. Doctors might prescribe drugs or additional oxygen. Dr. Steven Weinberger, who’s senior vice president, adds there’s something patients can do, too:

“The most important thing that anyone with COPD can do is to stop smoking.’’

The guidelines, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, were based in part on research supported by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: January, 27 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “Cereal for breakfast?”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Bulking Up Fiber’s Healthful Reputation (Food and Drug Administration)

Breakfast is called the most important meal of the day. How about high-fiber cereal for breakfast? A study in Archives of Internal Medicine says increased amounts of high-fiber cereals may indeed reduce the risk of diabetes.

Julie Palmer of the Boston University Slone Epidemiology Center bases that on a 10-year study of 59,000 African American women.

The researchers found that women who ate the most cereal had an 18 percent lower risk of developing diabetes than did women who ate the least cereal.

“I would recommend that women begin substituting whole-grain breads and cereals for white bread and low-fiber cereals. Perhaps the easiest change is to begin eating a bowl of high-fiber cereal for breakfast each morning.’’

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: January, 28 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “What the teens said about drugs”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Drug Abuse (National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center)

For teens, like the rest of us, a visit to the doctor for one reason can sometimes lead to a discovery of something else. Researchers saw that when they looked at results of a drug use questionnaire called the CRAFFT screen, which they gave to teens getting routine outpatient care.

John Knight of Children’s Hospital Boston:

“Almost 15 percent of the adolescents screened positive on the CRAFFT test, which is defined as having two or more questions that are answered with a yes.’’

Substance abuse that starts in the teen years can have devastating consequences. The researchers say it’s associated with leading causes of teen death.

The study supported by the National Institutes of Health, was in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: January, 29 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “Fitness and fatness”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Are there special recommendations for older adults? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Being fit can help older people live longer. Researcher Steve Blair looked at data on fitness and weight among people over age 60.

“ It was the total amount of activity they got, the kids who moved around more tended to have lower blood pressure. And it was pretty much the same in the boys and the girls.’’

Blair, who’s at the University of South Carolina, looked at data on weight and physical activity in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. His work, which was in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Blair found that, when he divided people into groups by weight, the people in those groups who were fit generally outlived those who were not. The more fit people were less likely to have heart disease risk factors.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: January, 30 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “A program to live with”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Physical Activity for Everyone (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Go from soft living to hard exercise, and from overeating to strict dieting, and the result? Usually, nothing because that approach to being healthier doesn’t last long.

But there is another – a program people can live with. And it’s simple – a moderate, well-balanced diet that emphasizes whole grains, with fruits and vegetables, lean-meat protein and low saturated fats.

Add to that physical activity, to burn some of those calories. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Isa Miles says you should do 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most, preferably all, days of the week to receive overall health benefits:

“Moderate physical activity includes brisk walking, bicycling, vacuuming, gardening, or any other activity that causes some increase in breathing or heart rate.’’

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: January, 31 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “Alcohol, kids and violence”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Understanding Youth Violence (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Kids who start drinking before their teens have a higher risk of being a victim of violence or making a suicide attempt.

Researchers base that on survey data comparing kids who were drinking before age 13 with those who were not.

Monica Swahn of Georgia State University:

“It is clear from our study that those who were drinking early were at risk for different forms of violent outcomes.’’

Swahn says violence involving dates, and suicide attempts, was higher among drinkers. Although all the students lived in a high-risk community, she says underage drinking is common across the nation.

Swahn says parents should keep alcohol away from kids and help kids say no to alcohol starting in elementary school.

The study in the journal Pediatrics was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: February, 04 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “When the other kids drink ”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – The Cool Spot (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)

It looks like Mom was right – teens who hang out with the drinking crowd are more likely to start drinking.

Danielle Dick of Virginia Commonwealth University found that in data on a long-running study of twins. The study, which she did while at Washington University of St. Louis, was supported by the National Institutes of Health and was published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

“It’s not just that kids who are using alcohol are selecting other friends who are using alcohol, but in fact the mere presence of being a part of these friendship groups does impact the adolescent’s own alcohol use.’’

Danielle Dick of Virginia Commonwealth University found that in data on a long-running study of twins. The study, which she did while at Washington University of St. Louis, was supported by the National Institutes of Health and was published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

And she says girls are more susceptible than boys.

But she says parents who watch who their kids are with and what they’re doing are less likely to have kids who drink.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: February, 04 2008