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Do you eat healthy during the week, then ease off the brakes on the weekend? You’re not alone. But such a five days on-two days off eating regimen can erode diet quality, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Not only did participants take in more calories on weekends than on weekdays, they were less healthy calories, to boot. They consumed more alcohol and fat, and ate less of the good stuff, like yogurt, fruits, dark green and orange vegetables, chicken, nuts and seeds, and whole grains. And if the calories you consume on the weekend exceed the number you take in during the week, that’s a net surplus — read: weight gain. Besides stalling any weight-loss efforts, weekend junk-food binges can also negatively impact the healthy bacteria in your gut. A lab study published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research found that cycling on and off junk food was almost as detrimental to the delicate balance of the gut microbiome as eating it all the time. In particular, a junk-food diet reduces the microbes needed to metabolize flavonoids, a category of micronutrients thought to help with weight loss and brain health. If you look forward to letting loose on the weekends, find other ways to unwind. For instance, try a new activity — you’ll burn… read on >

“Eating the rainbow” is a great way to harness the different micronutrients in fruits and vegetables. Among the reds (and yellows), naturally sweet beets are a great source of folate, the B vitamin, fiber and potassium. If you shied away from beets as a kid, it’s time to give them a try. A fun introduction involves using a spiralizer to prep the beets. It’s an essential kitchen tool for those who love a big plate of pasta but not the carb and calorie overload that comes with it. The spiralizer turns veggies like beets, as well carrots and sweet potatoes, into spaghetti-like squiggles. Spiralized beets make a nutritious swap for the standard pasta used to make classic cold sesame noodles, a zesty, do-ahead dish that family and guests alike will love. Cold Sesame Beet Noodles 4 large beets, peeled 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or Sriracha 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/3 cup unsalted vegetable or chicken broth 1/4 cup peanuts, roughly chopped 4 scallions, chopped Select the spiralizer blade for the thickness of the noodles you want to make. Fit a beet into the front of the spiralizer where spikes hold the vegetable in place. Next press the hand crank into the other side of the beet. To make noodles, turn… read on >

A staggering number of teen girls are experiencing an insidious form of relationship abuse: reproductive coercion. Researchers report that it affects 1 in 8 adolescent girls who are sexually active. Reproductive coercion is a form of abuse in which a girl or woman is pressured into pregnancy. From a male partner threatening to leave if his female partner refuses to have his baby, to poking holes in condoms before sex, the coercion can take shape in a variety of ways. “Reproductive coercion is a form of power and control exerted via influencing women’s health, sexuality and health care behavior,” said study co-author Heather McCauley, an assistant professor of social work at Michigan State University. She added that the findings highlight a broader public health issue. “Our society so often normalizes the abusive experiences girls and women have in their relationships, making it difficult for young people to recognize that what they are experiencing is not healthy,” McCauley said. Researchers described the new study — published in the August issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology — as the largest look to date at how many teen girls face this pressure. Most studies of reproductive coercion have focused on young adult women. For the study, McCauley and her colleagues analyzed data collected from 550 sexually active girls between age 14 and 19 at eight school-based health… read on >

Your dog might be your heart’s best friend, if a new study is any indication. Researchers found that compared with people who had no pets, dog owners tended to have fewer risk factors for heart disease: They got more exercise, and had healthier diets and lower blood sugar levels. Even compared with other pet owners, they were doing better with diet and exercise. The study of nearly 1,800 Czech adults is not the first to suggest our canine friends can do our hearts good. In fact, in 2013 the American Heart Association (AHA) issued a scientific statement saying that dog ownership is likely linked to a lower risk of heart disease. That was largely based on evidence that people with dogs are more physically active. The new findings suggest the benefit might extend to diet and blood sugar levels. It’s easy to see how having a dog could get people moving, according to senior researcher Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez. And it’s possible that dog owners’ lower blood sugar levels were related to their exercise habits, said Lopez-Jimenez, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. It’s less obvious, though, why dog ownership would encourage a healthier diet. One possibility is that the two are not directly related, he said. On the other hand, past research has shown that dogs do more than demand walks and… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Secondhand smoke (SHS) has the same harmful chemicals that smokers inhale, says the American Cancer Society. Non-smokers who breathe SHS take in nicotine and toxins, and are at risk for cancer. Cancer is not the only illness that SHS can cause. It affects the heart and blood vessels, also increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke in non-smokers. Studies show that children exposed to SHS get sick more often, have more lung infections and are more likely to cough, wheeze and have shortness of breath.

Using a rich moisturizer, even an inexpensive one like petroleum jelly, is one part of keeping eczema under control. Now researchers have found that this skin care step can keep many newborns at risk for the condition from developing it. Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, is the most common inflammatory skin condition among children. With eczema, the skin’s natural barrier isn’t working correctly, leaving skin red, dry and itchy. It typically runs in families with a history of asthma and allergies, and affects up to one in five infants. The most common areas of the body affected are the face, neck and head. Note that eczema in children is more likely to appear in the bends of elbows and knees. Eczema Symptoms Itchy skin Redness Dry, scaly skin Skin that has become leathery Tiny blisters that may ooze Studies have found that moisturizing for six to eight months, starting within baby’s first few weeks, can reduce their eczema risk. What moisturizer should you use? Researchers from Northwestern Health recently looked at seven over-the-counter moisturizers, including several popular drugstore brands, as well as plain petroleum jelly. The investigators found that petroleum jelly was the most cost-effective, but that even the most expensive product was a fraction of what the cost of eczema care would be. What’s more, this has the potential to save baby from great discomfort… read on >

The health risks of sugary drinks, from juice to soda, are well known. They can lead to overweight and diabetes, stroke and other problems in the brain, including poorer memory and smaller brain volume. But diet sodas aren’t the answer. A number of studies have found an association between artificially sweetened beverages and an increased risk of stroke, heart disease, heart attack and other heart-related deaths in women. The most recent was published earlier this year in the journal Stroke, with researchers suggesting that, even without identifying a specific cause and effect, people should seriously consider the potentially harmful effects of artificially sweetened drinks. And there’s more. Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine followed 4,000 people of both sexes over 10 years. Using MRI tests, they linked just one artificially sweetened soda a day to brain changes that can lead to dementia, as well as the type of stroke caused by a blockage in a blood vessel. These risks were triple those of people who don’t drink diet sodas. It didn’t seem to matter which common artificial sweetener — saccharin, aspartame or sucralose — was consumed. While some people see diet soda as a way of weaning off regular soda, it may be healthier in the long run to skip this type of transition. If you like soda’s carbonation more than the better… read on >

Exercise, even a little of it, can lengthen your life, a new study suggests. The Norwegian researchers also found that too much sitting was associated with a higher risk of early death. “Developing ways to limit sedentary time and increase activity at any level could considerably improve health and reduce mortality,” the study authors concluded. In the study, the team analyzed data from eight studies that included more than 36,000 adults, aged 40 and older, who were followed for an average of almost six years. During follow-up, nearly 6% of the participants died. After adjusting for other factors, the researchers concluded that any amount of physical activity, regardless of intensity, was associated with a significantly lower risk of early death. Death rates fell sharply as total activity increased to an amount that was similar to average activity levels in U.S. men and about 10% to 15% lower than activity levels in Scandinavian men and women, the findings showed. A similarly steep decline in death rates was associated with increasing amounts of light physical activity up to about 300 minutes (5 hours) a day, and moderate-intensity physical activity of about 24 minutes per day. The largest difference in early death risk (about 60% to 70%) was between the least and most physically active, with about five times more deaths among inactive people than among those who… read on >

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 21, 2019 (HealthDay News) — It would be welcome news to millions if fish oil supplements were proven to help prevent diabetes. But new research delivers very disappointing data on the prospect. Previous research has hinted that fish oil supplements — which contain omega-3 fatty acids — might improve blood sugar metabolism and possibly stave off type 2 diabetes. But this latest research found no evidence that popping a daily fish oil pill could keep diabetes at bay. “This large systematic review included information from many thousands of people over long periods. Despite all this information, we don’t see protective effects, and the most trustworthy studies consistently showed little or no effect of long-chain omega-3 fats on diabetes,” said study author Lee Hooper. Additionally, she said that her group’s previous research has shown that these types of supplements also don’t protect against heart disease, stroke or early death. Hooper is a reader in research synthesis, nutrition and hydration at Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia, in England. Fish oil supplements can help reduce high levels of triglycerides (a type of blood fat that contributes to heart disease), Hooper noted. She said the supplements are generally considered safe to take, but added that this review found that larger doses — above four or five grams per day — of fish oil… read on >

THURSDAY, Aug. 22, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Chance Ammirata was a vaper for almost two years. But three weeks ago, the 18-year-old began to have trouble breathing. “I would say my chest felt like it was collapsing and tightening up, and I couldn’t breathe,” he told CBS News. After going to the emergency room, doctors told him his right lung had a hole in it and they would have to put a chest tube in immediately. Two days later, a surgeon repaired the hole. Ammirata believes his vaping was the culprit behind his collapsed lung, and he has since started a social media campaign called #LungLove to convince other teens to throw away their e-cigarettes. “I decided that spreading my story could help others not have to go through the same thing as me,” he explained on his Instagram account. Ammirata is not the only American to have landed in the hospital with vaping-related lung troubles recently. Late Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its tally of such cases to 153, spread across 16 states. These cases have emerged in a relatively short timeframe — from June 28 through Aug. 20, the agency said in a statement. Cases have so far been recorded in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania,… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

How to Get on Track When Weekend Eating Is Your Downfall

Give This Recipe for Tasty, Nutritious Beets a Try

1 in 8 Teen Girls Has Faced ‘Reproductive Coercion’

Your Dog May Be Leading You to a Healthier Heart

Health Tip: Risks of Secondhand Smoke

How to Protect Your Baby Against Eczema

Why Diet Sodas Aren’t the Answer for Your Sugary Drink Cravings

Every Minute of Exercise Counts When It Comes to Longevity

Fish Oil Not a Magic Pill Against Diabetes

Cases of Lung Injury Tied to Vaping Keep Rising