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Healthy Work Lunches Are Hard to Come By

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If you struggle to eat a healthy lunch during your workday, a new survey suggests you’re far from alone. “The good news is most people said they are interested in doing better” when it comes to healthy eating, said Dr. Anne Thorndike, vice chair of the nutrition committee at the American Heart Association (AHA). The survey included more than 900 U.S. adults who typically eat lunch during work hours. Of those, 56% said they struggled to have a healthy lunch at work, while 77% said they’re more likely to make healthier decisions at other times of the day if they have a healthy lunch. “The finding that healthier food choices at work may impact food choices throughout the rest of the day presents a unique opportunity for the workplace to have a positive influence on not only the employee’s health but also the health of the employee’s family,” Thorndike said in an AHA news release. She is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Overall, 91% of respondents said they were interested in having a more healthy workday lunch, with those younger than 40 more likely to be extremely/very interested than those aged 40 and older (65% vs. 55%). The survey also found that 82% of respondents said that having healthy food options at work is important to them, and 68% value help…  read on >

Health Tip: Eating Dried Fruit

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(HealthDay News) — Dried fruit is a healthier source of nutrition and calories. In some cases, it can be even healthier than fresh fruit, says Harvard Medical School. Dried fruit typically contains more fiber and antioxidants than fresh fruit. Fiber and antioxidants have been shown to fight heart disease, obesity and cancer, the school says. But it’s important to read nutrition labels on dried fruit, and avoid those with added sugar, says Harvard.

Seafood Offers Vital Nutrient for Expectant Moms and Babies

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Omega-3 fatty acids, found in foods including fatty fish and flaxseed, may be best known for their link to heart health, but they’re also vital for pregnant women and their babies. These important nutrients have been linked to a reduced risk for depression for mom and a better birth weight for baby along with improved development and brain function, and possibly asthma prevention. What’s unclear is exactly how much you need every day. For a study in Spain, researchers followed nearly 2,000 moms and their babies from the first trimester of pregnancy through the child’s 5th birthday. The investigators found that eating large amounts of fatty fish during pregnancy may offer moderate benefits, including improvements in cognitive functioning and some protection from autism-spectrum traits. The benefits were seen when mom ate about three ounces of fish every day. This amount is just within the limits set by the European Food Safety Authority to avoid excess mercury, and there was no sign that mercury or other pollutants associated with fish had a negative effect that offset the apparent benefits. The amount of fish recommended in the Spanish study is more than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration weekly guidelines for pregnant women of a maximum of 8 to 12 ounces (about two to three servings) of a variety of seafood low in mercury. But many American…  read on >

Just How Harmful Is TV for Your Health?

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Cautions about TV viewing are as old as television itself, but how bad is it really? A number of studies cite health risks due to the link between a sedentary lifestyle and the number of hours spent watching the tube. Young adults who watch three or more hours of TV a day and get little exercise have a greater chance of cognitive issues in midlife, according to a 25-year study published in JAMA Psychiatry. The same amount of TV time could also double the risk of early death compared to watching an hour or less each day, according to research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. People who watch TV for five or more hours a day have more than double the risk of dying from a blood clot in the lungs compared to those who watch 2-1/2 hours a day, according to a study in the journal Circulation. Again, this is likely due to all the sitting involved. What’s the answer? It’s a two-pronged approach. Cut back to one to two hours of TV and increase the amount of moderate-intensity exercise you do to between 60 and 75 minutes every day. According to research published in The Lancet, this won’t completely eliminate the increased risks associated with TV time, but it can certainly lessen them. It also helps to find more…  read on >

9/11 Dust Linked to Prostate Cancer in First Responders

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A possible link between World Trade Center dust and prostate cancer in first responders has been found by researchers. Exposure to dust at the New York City site after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks triggered chronic inflammation in the responders’ prostates, which may have contributed to their cancer, according to the Mount Sinai Health researchers. They noted that inflammation has long been considered an important factor in prostate cancer. “Several years ago, I saw a first responder in his 40s who began having symptoms of prostatitis, a painful condition that involves inflammation of the prostate, soon after exposure to the World Trade Center dust,” said researcher Dr. William Oh, chief of the division of hematology and medical oncology at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine. “He ultimately developed a high-grade prostate cancer several years later. It suggested to me that there might be a link between his exposure and cancer, but I knew that I would need to examine it systematically,” Oh said in a Mount Sinai news release. The study included data from first responders and rats exposed to WTC dust. The researchers said it’s the first study to examine men who were exposed to WTC dust and later developed prostate cancer. Prostate cancer tissues from the first responders and the rats showed immune cell increases that indicate inflammation. The findings suggest that…  read on >

Is Green Tea a Fad or a Real Health Boost?

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Green tea is a popular health trend, with many people sipping in hopes of deriving benefits from the brew. There’s nothing wrong with that, dietitians say — green tea is a healthy drink loaded with antioxidants. But the jury’s still out on many of its purported health benefits. “Clinical trials related to green tea are still in their early stages,” said Nancy Farrell Allen, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Fredericksburg, Va. “I say drink it, enjoy it. It’s not going to hurt, and it might have worthy benefits to it. But nutrition is a science, and it takes time for our understanding to evolve.” Green tea’s potential health benefits derive from catechins, which are powerful antioxidant compounds known as flavonoids, said Chelsey Schneider, clinical nutrition supervisor at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Cancer Center in New York City. One catechin in particular, known as EGCG, is found at higher levels in green tea than in either white or black tea, she said. “This compound can be even stronger than vitamin C and E, which are very, very strong antioxidants,” Schneider said. Antioxidants help prevent damage to cells. Green, black and white tea all come from the same plant, said Allen, who is a spokeswoman for the Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition. Green tea is made from the leaves of the mature plant, while white tea is…  read on >

5 Ways Men Can Take Charge of Their Health

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Many men need to do a better job of looking after their health, and it only takes a few simple steps, experts say. “It’s common for men to avoid going to the doctor until there’s a serious health concern,” said Dr. James Heckman, a primary care physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “Staying healthy may just be a matter of changing habits.” Those habits start with regular doctor visits. “Seeing your doctor regularly means that you have a baseline for important screenings,” Heckman said in a medical center news release. “This includes everything from cholesterol to cancer screenings and osteoporosis.” Then, make sure you’re eating right. A diet low in fat and high in fruits and vegetables can help lower the risk of certain cancers, including prostate cancer. “For good prostate health, eat your fruits and veggies,” Dr. Aria Olumi, chief of urologic surgery at Beth Israel, said in the news release. Don’t smoke. Along with harming your heart and lungs, smoking is linked with roughly half of all bladder cancers. “Bladder cancer risk factors like age, gender, race and family history can’t be controlled,” Olumi said. “But quitting smoking can definitely lower your risk.” Get enough sleep. That means at least seven hours a night. And remember that mental health is connected to physical health. Protect it. Mental illness affects both…  read on >

FDA Approves Second Drug to Help Women With Low Libido

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday gave its approval to Vyleesi, the second medication so far approved to help women with low sexual desire. In a news release, the FDA said that Vyleesi (bremelanotide) is a drug that would be administered by injection prior to having sex. It’s been specifically approved for premenopausal women with a condition known as acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). “There are women who, for no known reason, have reduced sexual desire that causes marked distress, and who can benefit from safe and effective pharmacologic treatment,” said Dr. Hylton Joffe, who directs the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s Division of Bone, Reproductive and Urologic Products. “Today’s approval provides women with another treatment option for this condition,” Hylton said in the news release. According to the agency, HSDD is not caused by any medical or psychiatric condition, relationship issues or drug side effects. Instead, women with HSDD have “previously experienced no problems with sexual desire,” the FDA said. “Generalized HSDD refers to HSDD that occurs regardless of the type of sexual activity, situation or partner.” The exact way in which Vyleesi helps stimulate sexual desire remains unclear, but it works on melanocortin receptors on cells, the FDA said. The drug is injected under the skin of the abdomen or thigh at least 45 minutes prior to…  read on >

How Does Your Diet Stack Up?

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Ever wonder how your diet habits — good or bad — compare to others? Annual surveys done by the International Food Information Council Foundation detail positive changes that people are making and where improvement is still needed. People are, in general, hungry for more food information and get it from sources as varied as dietitians and government websites, but most rely on friends and family. That could explain why nearly 80% of last year’s respondents said they were confused by information overload and, at times, contradictory advice. People want to eat healthier, but aren’t always sure what to do. Know-how seems to come with age, as those over age 50 were far more confident in their choices and get more of their information from reliable sources compared with younger people. Just over one-third of the respondents in the most recent survey follow a set eating pattern. Most popular is intermittent fasting. (This is usually done in one of two ways — either eating during an eight-hour span each day followed by 16 hours of fasting, or fasting on two days each week.) Sixteen percent of people adhere to a low-carb approach, such as the Keto and Paleo diets. These diets have their fans, but also their critics who cite the unhealthy side effects of eliminating entire food groups. Not surprisingly, as people cut down on…  read on >

Health Tip: Snack Healthier

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(HealthDay News) — The keys to healthier snacking are moderation and choosing your munchies wisely, says the American Heart Association. The AHA recommends: Crunchy foods, such as apples, celery sticks, cucumbers, rice cakes, popcorn and nuts. Low-sugar drinks, such as sparkling water, fat-free milk and veggie juice. Filling foods, such as hummus, low-fat cheese and yogurt. Snacks to curb your sweet tooth, such as fruits, raisins and banana-nut bread. The AHA encourages people to mind nutrition labels when packing snacks. Always avoid added sugars and salt.