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The switch to Daylight Saving Time can increase the risk of driver fatigue and crashes, but there are a number of ways to reduce the danger, an expert says. “Any time change can exacerbate drowsiness because your internal clock has not adjusted to the time change. This can lead to disruptions in sleep until your body adjusts, which can take a few days to a week,” said Jeff Hickman, a research scientist at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in Blacksburg. After clocks spring ahead one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, try to avoid driving during rush hours and in early morning, when crash risk increases, he suggested. Driving between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. is particularly dangerous, because your circadian rhythm is at its lowest during this two-hour period. Drivers should try to sleep at least seven to eight hours, Hickman said. But one night of good rest may not be enough if you have had several sleepless nights. If that’s the case, you’ll need several nights of restful sleep to compensate. Watch for signs of drowsy driving, including slow eyelid closures, yawning, gentle swaying of the head, fidgeting in the seat, trouble staying in your lane, difficulty maintaining speed and slow reactions, Hickman said in a Virginia Tech news release. Be extra careful in situations that increase drowsiness, including driving alone, monotonous road… read on >

People taking blood pressure medications have faced a frightening and bewildering series of pharmaceutical recalls in recent months, as trace amounts of cancer-causing chemicals have been discovered in individual batches of drugs. But experts from the nation’s leading heart groups are urging patients to remain calm, even as the recall list continues to grow. The trace amounts of carcinogens being found in these drugs don’t appear to pose an immediate cancer risk, and there are plenty of other medications on the market to help keep your blood pressure under control, said Craig Beavers. He is a member of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Cardiovascular Team Council. The recalls center around generic versions of angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) drugs. Losartan, valsartan and irbesartan are the ARB drugs for which specific lots have been recalled. “Medications in the ARB class are used primarily for hypertension and for heart failure, and the good news is there are a lot of other alternatives,” said Beavers, an assistant professor with the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. Concerned patients should talk to their doctor or pharmacist about transitioning to an alternative, said Dr. Robert Carey. He is an American Heart Association (AHA) spokesman and co-lead for high blood pressure guidelines issued jointly by the AHA and ACC. Most importantly, people should not just stop taking their blood pressure… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are nightmares for athletes. Depending on the severity of the tear, patients can expect surgery followed by more than a year of physical therapy. Most commonly, ACL tears are the result of sudden twisting motions, MedlinePlus says. Though the injury is hard to predict, MedlinePlus suggests that athletes: Warm up before sports. Land on the back of their feet. Firm up muscles with strength training.

When you’re diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor is likely to start you on a program to lower blood sugar and help insulin work more efficiently — a regimen that may include a modified diet, exercise and possibly medication. Starting (or ramping up) an exercise program can be the hardest of all these lifestyle changes. Typical exercise guidelines to help manage type 2 diabetes recommend 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise, plus strength training on two or three days. Meeting these goals, especially exercising for 30 minutes on most days, is a stumbling block for people who aren’t used to working out. And, unfortunately, many people with diabetes stay sedentary. But a study published in the journal Diabetes Care found an alternative that may be less taxing and more effective. The study looked at whether short but very frequent bouts of walking or strength training — three minutes every half-hour during an eight-hour workday — could improve the health of diabetics. For the walking study, participants walked on a flat treadmill at a pace of two miles per hour for each of their 16 daily three-minute stints (roughly 1/10 of a mile or 200 to 250 steps, depending on your stride). For the strength training, each three-minute stint included 20-second segments alternating half-squats, calf raises, glute contractions and alternating knee raises, using… read on >

With research finding that the body prefers calcium from food, not supplements, it can be a challenge to meet daily requirements if you’re lactose-intolerant. On average, adults need about 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day. Fortunately, there are choices within many food groups that deliver on calcium. Leafy greens are a great calcium source, and at the top of the list are cooked spinach, collard and turnip greens. Salad lovers, reach for raw kale. Calcium Content in Greens Cooked spinach, collard greens and turnip greens, 1 cup: 200 mg Raw kale, 1 cup: 90 mg Among legumes, beans and white beans in particular are calcium-rich, as are green soybeans, better known as edamame. Some brands of firm tofu made with calcium sulfate have more than half the daily requirement in a serving — check nutrition labels before you buy. Calcium Content in Legumes Cooked white beans, 1 cup: 160 mg Green soybeans, 1 cup: 260 mg Firm tofu, 3.5 ounces: up to 650 mg Some seeds and nuts also pack in calcium along with their unique mix of healthy fats, protein and carbohydrates. Choices include sesame seeds and tahini (sesame seed butter), chia seeds and amaranth, a seed that cooks up like a grain. Enjoy almonds as a snack or spread almond butter on your morning toast. Calcium Content in Seeds and Nuts Sesame seeds,… read on >

High testosterone levels can drastically increase a man’s risk of heart failure and stroke-causing blood clots, a new study reports. Men with a genetic predisposition to high testosterone levels have a nearly eightfold increased risk of heart failure and twice the risk of thromboembolism (blood clots that can block veins or arteries leading to the brain or lungs), researchers found. Although the study focuses on men with naturally high testosterone, it has implications for aging men who are taking testosterone supplements to boost their energy levels and improve their sex drive, experts said. Testosterone sales increased 12-fold globally between 2000 and 2011, particularly in the United States, the researchers said in background notes. “This study serves as a big, red stop sign, a warning that higher circulating levels of testosterone can lead to an increase in cardiovascular events, which are all associated with an increased risk of death,” said Dr. Guy Mintz. He is director of cardiovascular health and lipidology at Northwell Health’s Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. For the study, an international research team, led by C. Mary Schooling from the School of Public Health and Health Policy at City University of New York, analyzed genetic variants that predict testosterone levels, and then assessed whether those variants appeared to influence a person’s risk of blood clots, heart failure or heart attack.… read on >

Foods high in antioxidants — like kale, broccoli and blueberries — could be your ticket to better health, as long as you don’t cook the nutrition out of them. Some like it hot, but not the delicate pigments that give antioxidant-rich veggies their rich colors and health benefits. Choose cooking methods that provide gentle, quick or low heat. For instance, quickly sauteeing vegetables with olive oil for five to eight minutes over medium-high heat will cook them through without destroying all the nutrients. Another option is light roasting at 400 degrees for less than 10 minutes. Gentle baking for less than 30 minutes at 350 degrees will also do the trick. Blending is a fast, no-cook trick that makes these nutrients easier for your body to absorb. Try blending berries, yogurt and a few ice cubes with greens, such as kale and spinach, for a double antioxidant hit for breakfast. For foods with water-soluble nutrients, such as vitamin C, cook with the least amount of water possible. Put just one inch of water in a stockpot, then bring to a boil, add your sliced veggies and cover. Steam three to four minutes until tender-crisp, then serve. Remember that you don’t have to sacrifice flavor to preserve nutrients. This kale recipe is a tasty example. Parmesan Kale 2 teaspoons canola or grapeseed oil 5 ounces chopped… read on >

There’s no doubt that a first baby changes the dynamic between spouses. Here are steps you can take to stay close. First, you need a creative plan to get some sleep. Beyond feeling tired, being sleep-deprived affects your mood and your ability to think clearly. It can lead you to over-react to little things and argue more. Next, prioritize your relationship. Rather than using that last ounce of energy on laundry, enjoy a few minutes of conversation when baby’s napping. Share your thoughts and feelings about your changing world. Don’t stew over them silently and let them come between you. Be honest and admit that parenting is harder than you thought, if that’s what you’re feeling. Being stressed over baby can make you both abandon the little niceties you used to do for each other. But rather than get angry at what you view as slights, acknowledge that you’re in this together and that you each may be struggling, even if in different ways. When your partner does something positive, be appreciative — everyone responds to being acknowledged. When people come to see the baby, don’t feel that you have to entertain them. Ask a close family member or friend to babysit, even if you both stay at home, to give you together time without having to jump up at the first cry from the… read on >

Can you tell how long you’ll live? For seniors, how fit you are may offer a clearer forecast of life span than traditional markers such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and smoking, a new study suggests. It included more than 6,500 people, age 70 and older, who had an exercise stress test between 1991 and 2009. The test measured their fitness by having them exercise on the treadmill as hard as they could. After the test, participants were tracked for an average of just under 10 years. During the follow-up, 39 percent died. Researchers found that the people who were most fit were more than twice as likely to be alive a decade later than the least fit. Surprisingly, the number of heart disease risk factors was not associated with odds of death. Participants with no risk factors had about the same chance of dying as those with three or more risk factors, according to the study, though researchers only found an association between fitness and life span. “We found fitness is an extremely strong risk predictor of survival in the older age group — that is, regardless of whether you are otherwise healthy or have cardiovascular risk factors, being more fit means you’re more likely to live longer than someone who is less fit,” said lead author Dr. Seamus Whelton. He’s an… read on >

“Athlete’s heart” — an enlarged heart created by intense physical training — is a common and often brushed-off condition within elite and professional sports. But a new study of National Football League players is raising concern about the long-term consequences of athlete’s heart when it comes to retirees who have long left the field. These retirees are as likely to have an enlarged heart as those who’ve recently retired, according to a Tulane University study sponsored by the NFL Player Care Foundation. This runs counter to previous assumptions that an elite player’s enlarged heart would return to normal after stopping the intense training associated with his sport, researchers said. “I think we anticipated as these guys got older, they would actually change from having the enlarged heart back to a more normal-sized heart,” said study senior author Dr. Gregory Stewart, co-director of the Sports Medicine Program at Tulane University in New Orleans. “We didn’t see that.” The researchers are to present their findings at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) annual meeting March 16-18, in New Orleans. Research presented at meetings is typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. Dr. Matthew Martinez, head of the ACC’s Sports and Exercise Cardiology Council, expects the findings to be “provocative.” “You’re seeing bigger and bigger folks running faster and faster,” said Martinez, a cardiologist in Allentown,… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Beware of Drowsy Driving as Daylight Saving Time Begins

Making Sense of the Recent Blood Pressure Drug Recalls

Health Tip: Prevent ACL Tears

First Steps After a Diabetes Diagnosis

How to Get Your Calcium If You’re Lactose-Intolerant

High Testosterone Levels Are Bad News for the Heart

The Right Way to Cook High-Antioxidant Veggies

How to Stay Close as a Couple Now That Baby Is Here

Study Urges Seniors to Get Moving to Live Longer

NFL Players’ Enlarged Hearts May Harm Health for Decades