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Despite its vibrant green and red stalks, rhubarb might be one of the most overlooked plants in the garden. An acquired taste, it looks like celery and has a tart tang, yet is used in many dessert recipes, from compote to pie. As with cranberries, rhubarb needs quite a bit of sweetness to appeal to the palate. It’s often paired with strawberries to cut down on the amount of sugar needed. Why should it be on your menu? Rhubarb is an excellent source of vitamin C, lutein and calcium. It’s also very low in calories with just 11 calories per stalk. So if you’ve never had it before, it’s time to give it a try. You’re likely to find rhubarb at farmers’ markets as well as in the produce section of your favorite store. When shopping for rhubarb, look for brightly colored, firm and straight stalks. Important: Only the stalks are edible. Even if cooked, the leafy tops have a toxin that’s poisonous. If still attached, leaves shouldn’t look wilted. Cut them off and throw them away once home. Then wash the stalks and place in the fridge for up to a week. One simple way to sample rhubarb is to cook it the way you would apples for applesauce. Classic Rhubarb “Sauce” 1 pound rhubarb, trimmed 2 tablespoons honey Water as needed Cut the… read on >

Getting your upper arms in shape is a worthy ambition in any season, and the triceps are the muscles to target for a sleek look. Toning them can be a challenge, but the “triceps extension” and variations of this key strength training move make up the core of an effective training routine. For the basic triceps extension, lie flat on a mat with knees bent and hip-width apart or on a weight bench with feet flat on the floor in front of you. Hold the ends of a dumbbell or the handles of a weighted ball with both hands. Lift arms straight up to the ceiling. From this position, and without moving the upper arms, bend elbows to bring the weight toward your forehead until arms make a 90-degree angle. With control, straighten arms. Repeat. For the first variation, from the same starting position, hold a dumbbell in each hand. Raise arms straight up to the ceiling, with palms facing away from you. Again, moving only your forearms, bend elbows until upper arms and forearms make a 90-degree angle. With control, straighten arms, but before you lower them again, rotate your wrists so that palms are facing you as you lower your forearms. Straighten arms and continue to reverse the position of your wrists with each rep. For the second variation, from the same starting… read on >

Radiation treatment for lung cancer can help extend lives, but it might also raise a patient’s odds for heart attacks and heart failure, a new study shows. Many patients may have no choice but to accept the risk: For about half of people diagnosed with the number one cancer killer, radiation remains the only viable treatment, the research team noted. “This is alarming data — to think that one in 10 of the patients I’m treating for this type of cancer will go on to have a heart attack or other major cardiac event,” senior author Dr. Raymond Mak, a thoracic radiation oncologist at the Brigham and Woman’s Hospital in Boston, said in a hospital news release. “These cardiac events are happening earlier and more often than previously thought,” he added. “More patients are living long enough to experience this risk of cardiac toxicity. We need to start paying attention to this and working together with cardiologists to help these patients.” One expert unconnected to the study agreed that patients face heart risks, but in many cases it’s tough to tease out why. “Although the radiation that we give to patients for lung cancer is of course directed mainly at their tumor, there may be overlap in the beams of radiation that affect the heart,” explained Dr. Adam Lackey. He directs thoracic surgery at Staten… read on >

Everyone experiences anxious moments now and then. But for those with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), the worry is frequent and overwhelming, often interfering with everyday activities. Now, a small study suggests that these burdensome feelings can be quelled with a little heart-pumping activity. The study found that just a half hour of vigorous exercise might do the trick. For the study, 35 young adults with suspected but undiagnosed GAD (subclinical GAD) ran on a treadmill for 30 minutes at high intensity, then spent 30 minutes sitting. They completed questionnaires on their feelings of worry, anxiety, energy and fatigue before and after each session. Both men and women emerged less anxious and worried and more energetic after the workout. For women, the improvements were even stronger. Nearly 7 million adults in the United States have GAD, with women more likely to be affected. But only about 40% get treatment for it, and research has focused on alternative therapies. Researchers said their study is the first to show positive effects for young men with subclinical GAD. The findings support previous research about the benefits of exercise for women with GAD. “Several plausible mechanisms have been suggested” to explain the anxiety-easing benefits of exercise, said study lead author Matthew Herring, a lecturer in sport, exercise and performance psychology at the University of Limerick in Ireland. These reasons include… read on >

Is that second serving of steak or extra strip of bacon worth shaving time off your life? That’s a question researchers want you to ponder, because their new study finds the more red and processed meat you eat, the greater the odds of cutting your life short. People who increased their red meat intake by just half a serving a day boosted their risk of dying over the next eight years by 10%, the study authors said. And the type of meat made a difference, the investigators found. Eating a half serving more of processed meats like hot dogs and salami was tied to a 13% higher risk of dying early, while more unprocessed meat increased the risk 9%. “When people reduce their consumption of red meat and add other sources of protein, they have a lower risk of mortality,” said lead researcher Dr. Frank Hu. Hu is chair of the nutrition department at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. The good news: Cutting down on red meat and adding vegetables, eggs, dairy, seeds, whole grains, nuts, fish and chicken to your diet will add years to your life, he said. The study found that replacing one serving of red meat with fish every day over eight years was tied to a 17% lower risk of death over the next eight… read on >

The more we learn about fiber, the more important the recommendation to get enough of it becomes. Key Health Benefits of Fiber Lowering cholesterol Lowering blood sugar Easing elimination Improving heart health Possibly reducing colon cancer risk Helping with weight control “Fiber” is actually an umbrella term for many different types in foods, so many that they’ve been likened to vitamins. They vary in function and amount needed, but all contribute to better health. Common thinking has been that soluble fiber, typically found inoatsand in legumes like peas and lentils, helps lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar, while insoluble fiber, found in wheat bran and fruit and vegetables, helps keep you regular. Turns out that it’s not quite so black and white. Some soluble fibers like oat bran and psyllium do both jobs, while others don’t seem to affect cholesterol. That’s why getting a mix through a varied diet makes the most sense. But it’s also important to get enough fiber every day. While eating lots of fruit and vegetables is good for many reasons, realize that even eating the skins contributes only slightly to meeting daily fiber needs. Try to increase and vary the total amount of fiber-rich foods you eat by adding whole grains like wheat, oats, rye, barley, millet and buckwheat, along with legumes, nuts and seeds. The U.S. Food and Drug… read on >

About 22% of people who live in conflict areas suffer from mental health problems, a new study review finds. Common problems include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, according to the World Health Organization. About 9% have a moderate to severe mental health condition. These conclusions are based on a review of 129 previously published studies. The numbers are significantly higher than the global estimate of 1 in 14 in the general population. Researchers said earlier studies underestimated how living in war zones and other conflict areas affects mental health. They found that depression and anxiety increased with age, and said depression was more common in women than men. Mild mental health conditions were the most common (13%). An estimated 4% of conditions were moderate, and 5% were severe. The report was published June 11 in the journal The Lancet. “I am confident that our study provides the most accurate estimates available today of the prevalence of mental health conditions in areas of conflict,” lead author Fiona Charlson said in a journal news release. She is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia and the University of Washington in Seattle. Conflict areas today include Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen. In 2016, the number of wars was at a historic high — with 53 ongoing conflicts… read on >

Obesity can worsen multiple sclerosis symptoms, researchers say. Their study involved 140 patients with the relapsing-remitting form of MS, which means patients have periods of attacks (relapses), followed by periods of remission with no or few symptoms. The researchers found that obesity at the time of diagnosis was associated with more severe disability. The reason: increased inflammation. The researchers looked at the connection between the autoimmune disease, which can produce pain, stiffness and loss of balance, and excess weight. They checked levels of inflammation in the central nervous system, and levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. They found that obese patients have higher levels of two proteins that promote inflammation — interleukin-6 and leptin, which is produced by fat cells. Excessively heavy patients also had lower levels of interleukin-13, an anti-inflammatory agent. Higher triglycerides and higher HDL cholesterol previously have been linked to higher IL-6 levels, the researchers pointed out. “This study confirms that obesity is associated with greater symptomatic severity of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis,” said study co-author Dr. Mario Stampanoni Bassi, a neurologist at Neuromed Mediterranean Neurological Institute in Pozzilli, Italy. “Our results therefore suggest that excessive body weight, or altered lipid profile, are associated to increased central inflammation,” he said in an institute news release. This causes symptoms to worsen. Body weight and high cholesterol or triglycerides are implicated in various chronic inflammatory conditions,… read on >

It’s not just Moms: Just ahead of Father’s Day, a new survey finds that about half of American dads say they’ve been criticized about their parenting styles. The way they enforced discipline topped the list of things naysayers called them to task on, with two-thirds of critiques focused on that subject. Forty-four percent of the time, the criticism came from a family member, often the other child-rearing partner, the findings showed. “Addressing a child’s misbehavior is one of the greatest challenges of parenting, and parents aren’t always on the same page when it comes to expectations and consequences,” said survey co-director Sarah Clark, of the University of Michigan. That could prove problematic for families, Clark said. “Inconsistency between parents in responding to a child’s behavior can send mixed messages to the child, and result in conflict and criticism between parents,” she explained in a university news release. The next big topic for dad shaming involved the kinds of food men gave their kids (40% of critiques). Not paying enough attention to the children was also an issue of contention, as was the accusation that dad-child playtime could get too rough — about one-third of fathers said they’d felt judged for these two things. Other issues raised had to do with how a dad’s parenting style impacted a child’s sleep habits, safety or overall appearance. The… read on >

If your loved one’s crooning is music to your ears, the reason appears to rest with part of brain that is super-sensitive to pitch. That’s the upshot of a new study offering a fresh look into what makes us human. For the research, which aimed to understand the role of music in health, researchers compared how human brains and monkey brains respond to speech and music. Key finding: People have a far keener sensitivity to pitch than our evolutionary cousins, macaque monkeys. “This finding suggests that speech and music may have fundamentally changed the way our brain processes pitch,” said lead author Bevil Conway, of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. “It may also help explain why it has been so hard for scientists to train monkeys to perform auditory tasks that humans find relatively effortless.” In the study, researchers played a series of harmonic sounds, or tones, to healthy volunteers and monkeys, and used imaging to see how their brains responded. They also monitored brain activity in response to toneless sounds. Though the brains of monkeys and humans had similar hot spots in response to high frequency sounds, a brain area called the auditory cortex was far more sensitive to tones among the humans. “It’s when we added tonal structure to the sounds that some of these same regions of the human brain became… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Why You Should Try Rhubarb

How to Get the Jiggle Out: 3 Exercises to Tone Your Upper Arms

‘Double-Edged Sword’: Lung Cancer Radiation Rx May Raise Heart Attack Risk

Workouts: A Prescription to Ease Severe Chronic Anxiety?

Eating More Red Meat May Shorten Your Life

Which Foods Are the Best Sources of Dietary Fiber?

1 in 5 People Living in Conflict Areas Has a Mental Health Problem

Obesity Could Worsen MS Disability

‘Dad Shaming’ Is Real, Survey Shows

Why Humans Respond to Music and Monkeys Don’t