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Dance Your Way to Better Health

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Two very different studies show that dancing is more than just fun. It can keep your mind sharp and your heart healthy. The first was done in the United Kingdom and published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Researchers pooled results from 11 surveys that included a total of 49,000 people. The investigators compared the health effects of walking and dancing, and found that moderate-intensity dancing was associated with a lower risk of dying from heart disease. Note that it took moderate-intensity activity to bring about these results, so if you’re a fan of slow dancing, you’ll need to pick up the pace. The heart-health benefits of dance are likely due to its interval-training-like bouts of high-intensity movement and it being a stress-relieving hobby you can do for life. While many kinds of dance can make for great calorie-burning cardio, a separate study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience and conducted by researchers at a number of U.S. universities found that learning dance choreography can confer cognitive as well as physical benefits. Researchers specifically looked at the effects of learning the steps of a country dance and found this can stimulate a key area of the brain and slow down natural brain aging. Both studies also restated the positive effects that stem from dance as a social activity, a known brain booster. While it’s…  read on >

Is Sex Good Medicine for Parkinson’s?

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Can sex help improve the health of a Parkinson’s patient? It might — at least for some. So claims a new two-year study that tracked the sexual habits and disease progression among 355 Parkinson’s patients. “This is in line with data showing a close relationship between sexual health and general health, both in healthy individuals and in patients with chronic disease,” said the Italian-British study team, led by Dr. Marina Picillo. She’s an assistant professor at the University of Salerno’s Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Salerno, Italy. Picillo and her colleagues concluded that early-stage male patients who are sexually active do experience “milder” disease progression and a less dramatic loss of motor skills and other disease symptoms, compared with those who don’t. But there’s a hitch. The finding only appears to apply to men. Why? The answer is not clear. But one factor may be that the investigation results were skewed, as twice as many men were enrolled as women (238 men versus 117 women). Beyond that, the study authors pointed out that women experience different Parkinson’s symptoms from men. And women “are less prone to talk about sexual and genital issues due to societal attitudes,” wrote Picillo. Even so, she and her research team said the findings warrant the attention of movement disorder specialists, who might view a patient’s sexual history as a tool…  read on >

Swimming Lessons a Must for Everyone

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Swimming lessons can lower the risk of drowning, but black kids often miss out on learning this lifesaving skill, a leading pediatricians group says. “Everyone should have the opportunity to learn to swim,” said Dr. Kyle Yasuda, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). “This is an essential life skill for children, teens and adults. It’s an important part of the ‘layers of protection’ that families and communities can put in place to protect children and teens around water,” Yasuda said in an AAP news release. Not everyone has the same access to swimming lessons. Historically, black Americans have faced barriers to learning to swim, and black teen boys have the highest drowning risk of any age group, according to the academy. Rates of drowning among children aged 11 to 12 are 10 times higher for black kids than for whites, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to Dr. Nia Heard-Garris, “This is a problem we can solve.” She is chair of the AAP Section on Minority Health, Equity and Inclusion. “Some communities have created innovative solutions to provide free or low-cost swim lessons, and others have developed culturally sensitive lessons, and lessons for children with developmental disabilities or special health care needs. All children should have access to these potentially lifesaving skills,” Heard-Garris said. In 2017, nearly 1,000…  read on >

Health Tip: Causes of Dry Eye

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(HealthDay News) — Dry eye affects millions of adults in the United States, says the National Eye Institute. In a healthy eye, tears keep the surface moist. Without this lubrication, people may feel a stinging, burning or scratchy sensation. The institute mentions potential causes of dry eye: Medications such as antihistamines, antidepressants and decongestants. Conditions such as diabetes or rosacea. Windy, smoky or dry environments. Long periods of screen time. Seasonal allergies. People with symptoms should consult an eye-care professional.

Adopt a Diet That’s Good for Your Gut

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Having “friendly” bacteria in your digestive system is important for good health. They help the body extract nutrients from food, and boost the immune system in the fight against inflammation and many diseases associated with it. Gut microbes do much better with a plant-based diet, according to a study done at the Washington University School of Medicine in Seattle. That’s because plant-based foods “feed” the good bacteria in your digestive system. The researchers also found that a diet of roughly 1,800 calories a day is best, rather than the typical American way of eating, which clocks in closer to 3,000 calories and is linked to excess weight and chronic illnesses. Rather than feeding unhealthy inflammation, plant-based foods help minimize it. Getting more plant-based foods in your daily diet is a great health resolution, and it doesn’t mean that you suddenly have to go vegan. Where to begin? Start with foods that seem to be especially good for the gut, rich in nutrients and the various types of fiber that create healthy bacteria when they reach the colon and/or push out unwanted ones. Bacteria-boosting foods include bananas and blueberries, Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus, leeks, onions, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, cabbage and cauliflower, polenta (a type of ground corn), all kinds of beans, and fermented foods rich in probiotics, such as pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso and kefir,…  read on >

Make the Most of Summer’s Sweet Treat: Delicious Corn

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Sweet corn is an irresistible summer veggie and a good source of fiber. Ideally, you want to eat it as soon as possible after it’s picked, but you can store corn for up to one week — keep the husks on and refrigerate in produce bags. There’s nothing quite like biting into fresh corn on the cob, but you can turn this “fruit” of summer from side dish into a main dish. For a do-ahead time saver, prep the corn in advance: Discard the husks, cut off the kernels with a serrated knife, and store the shucked kernels in an airtight container until ready to use. Corn pairs well with superfoods like beans and greens, and lends a naturally sweet taste to recipes like this delicious take on falafel. Corn & Chickpea Falafel 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and well rinsed 2 cups corn kernels 1 cup parsley 4 scallions 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 tablespoons tahini paste 1/4 cup olive oil, divided 8 cups baby greens Place the chickpeas in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, and then transfer to a bowl. Fold in the corn kernels. Chop the parsley and scallions, and add to the bowl. Add in the flour and baking powder. Mix well until a heavy, thick and wet mixture forms, and then stir in…  read on >

Elbows Key to Your Walking Efficiency , Study Shows

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Do you pump your arms while walking? Keeping your arms straight while walking is much more energy-efficient than walking with bent arms, but arm position doesn’t make much difference when running, a new, small study finds. The study included eight university students — ranging from casual runners to marathoners — who were filmed while they walked and ran with bent and straight arms while on a treadmill. “The hardest thing was running with straight arms,” and all of the participants found the movement strange, said Andrew Yegian, a graduate student at Harvard University. The participants repeated the running and walking tests again two weeks later, but this time breathed through a mask to measure their oxygen consumption. This enabled the researchers to calculate the participants’ energy consumption with their arms in different positions. The results were published online July 9 in the Journal of Experimental Biology. Holding the arms bent while walking increased energy consumption by 11%, proving that walking with straight arms is by far the most energy-efficient option, the study authors said. But there was little difference in energy consumption when having arms straight or bent while running. “We didn’t find any evidence that the energy cost was different between arm postures when running,” Yegian said in a journal news release. He said he had suspected that running with bent arms would be…  read on >

8 in 10 Americans Want Less Nicotine in Cigarettes: CDC

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No matter the age, race, gender, education or income level, most Americans favor forcing tobacco companies to lower nicotine levels in cigarettes to make them less addictive. That’s what researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found when they surveyed more than 4,000 U.S. adults aged 18 and older. “Cigarettes and other combustible tobacco products are responsible for the overwhelming burden of death and disease from tobacco use in the United States,” said Corinne Graffunder, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. “Lowering nicotine levels in cigarettes could help current smokers quit and make it less likely for future generations to become addicted to these products,” Graffunder added in an agency news release. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States and causes about 480,000 deaths each year. About two-thirds of adult smokers want to quit smoking, but less than 10% of smokers manage to quit each year, mainly because of the nicotine in cigarettes, according to the CDC. The findings were published online July 11 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Reducing nicotine levels in cigarettes to non-addictive levels is one of several possible ways to reduce smoking, according to the 2014 U.S. Surgeon General’s report. In March 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it would seek public input…  read on >

When You Time Your Workout May Be Key to Staying Slim

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Losing weight is one thing, but keeping it off is another. Now, a new study suggests that exercising at the same time each day is key. The research, on 375 adults who maintained a weight loss of 30 or more pounds for at least a year, showed that consistent timing of exercise was linked with higher physical activity levels overall. The most common time to exercise? Early morning. “As long as you’re consistent, the time of day doesn’t seem to really matter. The best time to exercise is when you can exercise,” said study author Dale Bond. He’s a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University’s Alpert Medical School in Providence, R.I. “Our speculation … is that in order to maintain a large weight loss over a long period of time, behavioral consistence is key,” Bond added. “But in terms of higher physical activity levels, it might be that exercising at the same time each day fosters a habit. You don’t have to think about it — it’s like brushing your teeth. You just do it.” Nearly half of American adults surveyed between 2013 and 2016 said they’d tried to lose weight during the prior year, according to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. But 2010 research indicated that only about one in six Americans who has ever been overweight or obese…  read on >

Health Tip: Foods With Lactose

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(HealthDay News) — Intolerance to lactose, if present at all, varies from person to person, the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says. For many, symptoms can be avoided by reducing the amount of lactose consumed in dairy foods or beverages. But first you have to know that lactose is in the food you’re about to eat or drink. The agency mentions these ingredient “buzzwords” that indicate the presence of lactose: Milk. Lactose. Whey. Curds. Milk by-products. Dry milk solids. Nonfat dry milk powder.