Unless you’ve been trapped on another planet for the past few years, you probably know that obesity is a big, big problem in this country. And you also (hopefully) know that obesity increases one’s risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. But what you may not know is that obesity is an especially...Continue reading
Category: Lifestyle
Smoking: There’s Bad News, Really Bad News, and some Good News
When we talk about the many dangers of cigarettes, we tend to think of a grizzled, three-pack-a-day smoker who’s been puffing for a few decades. Time to throw out those old stereotypes. The bad news: A new analysis of data from the famous Nurse’s Health Study (which tracked 101,000 American nurses for more than 30...Continue reading
Want to Live Long and Prosper? Start Pumping Iron When You’re Young
If you were weak as a teenager, you’re at increased risk of becoming ill and/or dying from a number of factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden studied more than 1 million Swedish 16-19-year old males and gave them strength tests at the beginning of the...Continue reading
When it Takes Three to Make a Baby
I’m a big fan of science and technology, but I’m not sure I’m completely on board with this recent development. Scientists in Oregon have just created human embryos using genetic material from three parents. Yep, three. The new technique was apparently developed as a way of helping babies avoid inheriting certain rare genetic conditions from...Continue reading
Going Veggie May Reduce Prostate Risks
Flavonoids—a compound found in fruits, herbs, tea, vegetables, and other common foods—have long been known for their health benefits. And now, a new study has found that flavonoids may also reduce the risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer in men who eat a lot of them.
A Potential New Use for Fish Oil?
Over the past week it’s been hard for any regular reader of online news to miss a headline mentioning how fish oil saved a teenager’s life. I briefly saw the title on the homepage of my main news source, and being that I was in a hurry, I brushed by it in order to catch...Continue reading
Your Lifespan. Not the Kind of Thing You Want to Talk about Sitting Down
Two just-published studies have found that the more time you spend on your duff, the shorter and less-healthy your life will be. Even if you log plenty of hours at the gym.
Want Grandchildren? Make Sure Your Sons Aren’t Overwieght
Researchers at the University of Buffalo found that obese boys between 14-20 have 50 percent less testosterone that boys the same age whose weight is normal.
Seeing Red: How Tomatoes May Reduce Men’s Stroke Risk
Back in the early 1980s, the Secretary of Agriculture suggested that ketchup should be considered a vegetable. Nutritionists (and critics of then-President Ronald Reagan) were outraged. But in the decades since then, there has been a lot of research showing that a chemical component found in tomatoes called lycopene (LIKE-a-peen) is associated with a number...Continue reading
Under Pressure: The Real Reason Our Joints Creeeeeak…
There’s no question that the cartilage in our joints wear deteriorates with age. But if you’re overweight, your chances of developing arthritis or joint problems–especially in the hips and knees–goes way, way up. Obese people are twice as likely as non-obese people to develop arthritis, according to Dr. Richard Iorio, an orthopedic surgeon and a...Continue reading