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Eggs may not be all they’ve been cracked up to be. A new study says eggs are a major source of dietary cholesterol and that cholesterol in the diet ups the risk of heart disease and premature death. The researchers followed nearly 30,000 adults over three decades and found that eating three or four eggs a week was tied to a 6 percent higher risk of heart disease and an 8 percent risk of dying from any cause. “The more cholesterol you consume, the higher your risk of heart disease and dying,” said study senior author Norrina Allen. She’s an associate professor of preventive medicine from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. When the researchers looked at what foods contained a lot of dietary cholesterol, eggs, red meat and processed meats stood out. “We found dietary cholesterol, particularly eggs, had a strong association with cardiovascular disease, especially stroke,” Allen said. The researchers controlled the data to account for other foods in the diet, so while that pile of bacon on your breakfast plate may be a problem, it doesn’t exonerate the eggs. This study did not find a cause-and-effect relationship; it only found an association. And other factors may affect that association. They include the way the eggs were cooked, or changes to peoples’ diets that occurred after the study information was gathered.… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Overeating on a regular basis can lead to weight gain. About 25 percent of adults eat 1,300 calories weekly from food they buy or get free at work, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says. The academy recommends limiting these workplace snacks: French fries. Pizza. Cookies and brownies. Soft drinks. Potato chips.

You’ll find plenty of nutrient-enriched flavored waters on grocery shelves, but are they any better for your diet than a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon? Many drinks promise health benefits, from more energy and better exercise performance to a stronger immune system. The latest fad is alkaline water, with claims that its manipulated pH has health benefits. But none of the claims of enhanced water products have been substantiated with serious research. In fact, Coca-Cola, parent company of Vitaminwater, voluntarily agreed in 2016 to remove claims from its labels to end a lawsuit brought by the Center for Science in the Public Interest seven years earlier. Drilling down into what’s inside the bottle brings up other concerns. Some products contain unnecessary nutrients. For example, most people who perform average amounts of exercise don’t need to replace electrolytes the way athletes do, and don’t need enhanced “sports” waters and other drinks, but there’s no science to support that either. Other products contain excessive amounts of some nutrients. Among 46 drinks tested in one study, most had at least one nutrient in excess of the daily required amount. Yet other than vitamin D, most Americans aren’t lacking in vitamins, and getting an abundance of certain nutrients can pose health risks. Of greater concern, whether you’re limiting calories to lose weight or want to eat… read on >

No type of bullying is acceptable, but cyberbullying can be harder for parents to spot because it takes place via cellphone, computer or tablet, often through social media. Cyberbullying can be a hateful text message or post of embarrassing pictures, videos and even fake profiles of the victim. Victims are often bullied in person, too, and have a harder time escaping it. But unlike facing a bully at school, cyberbullying can happen 24/7, even when your child is home with you. Messages and images can be posted anonymously and spread in no time. And it can be difficult or even impossible to find the culprit. The consequences of being cyberbullied are far-reaching. Young victims are more likely to use alcohol and drugs, skip school, lose self-esteem and develop health problems. What can parents do? The website Stopbullying.gov recommends being proactive — talk with your kids about cyberbullying, including why they should never bully others, and encourage them to tell you about any incident right away. Friending or following your kids on social media may help you know if they become the victims of unwanted postings. More tips for parents: Teach kids not to share anything that could hurt or embarrass them or others to avoid retaliation. Regularly check your kids’ social network pages to look for signs of bullying behavior, such as mean images of… read on >

Drowning can be swift and silent, making it a leading cause of accidental death among children. To help parents protect their kids in and around the water, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated its water safety recommendations. Drowning is the third-leading cause of accidental injury-related death among 5- to 19-year-olds. Nearly 1,000 children in the United States died from drowning in 2017, and 8,700 were seen at hospital emergency departments after a drowning event, according to the AAP. Toddlers and teens are at highest risk. “Drowning is the single leading cause of injury-related death among children ages 1 to 4,” said Dr. Sarah Denny, lead author of the updated policy statement. “Many of these deaths occur when children are not expected to be swimming or when they have unanticipated access to water. Toddlers are naturally curious; that’s why we must implement other strategies, such as pool fencing and door locks,” she added in an AAP news release. But little kids aren’t the only ones at high risk. Nearly 370 young people between 10 and 19 years of age drown each year in the United States. “Adolescents can be overconfident in their swimming abilities and are more likely to combine alcohol use with swimming — compounding their risk significantly. Children of color, especially African American teens, are especially at risk,” Denny said. The policy… read on >

Autism exacts a heavy toll on the families of teens who struggle with the disorder, but the fight to get treatment and services is even harder among minorities who live in poverty, new research suggests. “We must understand that many families parenting teens on the autism spectrum are also struggling to make ends meet while trying to navigate complex systems of care and get the help their children need,” said report author Paul Shattuck. He is program director of the Autism Institute’s Life Outcomes Program at Drexel University in Philadelphia. “We cannot assume that programs developed to help relatively affluent families will work for financially disadvantaged families,” Shattuck said in a university news release. The transition from school to young adulthood can be especially challenging. “Inadequate preparation during the last few years of high school can hinder success on many fronts: physical health and mental health, employment, continued education, friendships and integration into community life,” Shattuck said. The report found that black teens with autism are more likely than other teens with autism to have difficulties in several areas, including communication, self-care, adaptive behaviors and independently getting places outside of the home. “Students do not always receive transition planning, or sometimes it begins too late in high school to allow for adequate preparation,” Shattuck explained. “Community-based help is not always available after high school and… read on >

As the weather starts to warm up, you might be excited to restart a swimming routine, but swimming isn’t the only water sport that’s also fun exercise. Many activities that used to be vacation-only pastimes are more accessible than you might realize. If you’re a fan of rowing, either the real thing or with cardio equipment that simulates the movement, consider canoeing and kayaking. Both activities provide a terrific upper-body workout. The differences between the boats and the paddles might lead you to prefer one over the other. With a canoe, you either sit on a seat or kneel. The boat is open and usually made for two or more people, so it’s a good choice for family outings. To paddle, you typically alternate sides every few strokes. A kayak is a type of canoe, often made for one person. You sit on its floor with your legs stretched out and use a double-ended paddle for alternating strokes. For a completely different experience, there’s stand-up paddleboarding, which delivers a full-body workout. You stand on the board at all times, great for improving balance and strengthening legs, and use a paddle to move through the water. You can do it on calm water if you don’t want to ride waves. Of course, if you’re a landlubber, there are many indoor activities you can move outside in… read on >

Celebrate spring with farm-fresh foods that usher in the season — asparagus, peas and watercress. They’re low in calories, have fresh flavor and are the perfect way to energize for warmer weather. Asparagus is the quintessential spring vegetable, high in iron, folate and vitamins K and A. Quick to cook and easy to pair with flavorful ingredients, asparagus can be a tasty side dish or the starring ingredient in a risotto or pasta main course. Asparagus is also great for digestive health, because it’s a pre-biotic, meaning it feeds the helpful bacteria that live in your gut. These good bacteria are responsible for everything from signaling your immune system and keeping digestion in check to producing vital B vitamins. When shopping for asparagus, look for spears that are free of blemishes and dry spots, and tips that are closed and firm. Use asparagus promptly — it can spoil quickly. Peas are high in fiber, vitamins C, K and B, and are easy to incorporate into many dishes. Watercress is a crunchy green with vitamin C, beta carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and some B vitamins. It adds a peppery flavor to dishes and salads. Here’s a twist on a classic spring dish that showcases all these veggies and is deliciously creamy. Lighter Pasta Primavera 4 ounces whole-grain pasta 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 6 asparagus spears 1… read on >

A healthy democracy means better health for its citizens, a new study claims. Researchers analyzed political, economic and population health data from 170 countries over 46 years — 1970 to 2016. They concluded that as levels of democracy increased, governments spent more on health, irrespective of their country’s economic situation. “The results of this study suggest that elections and the health of the people are increasingly inseparable,” said study leader Thomas Bollyky, of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations. “Without the same pressure or validation from voters or foreign aid agencies, autocratic leaders have less incentive than their democratic counterparts to finance the more expensive prevention and treatment of heart diseases, cancers and other chronic illnesses,” he added. The researchers concluded that democracy supported by regular free and fair elections not only increases health but potentially reduces deaths from several noncommunicable diseases and traffic injuries. Specifically, they found that average adult life expectancy (after controlling for HIV/AIDS) improved faster — an average of 3 percent over 10 years — in countries that switched to democracy between 1970 and 2015, compared to those that did not adopt democracy. The causes of death most affected by a switch to democracy — heart disease, tuberculosis, traffic injuries and several other noncommunicable diseases — cause more than one-quarter of all the death and disability in people 70 and younger… read on >

It’s hard to keep up with the findings from studies on the health effects of saturated fat — you know, the fat typically found in animal foods, from red meat to whole milk. But one thing’s certain. For every study that finds saturated fats unhealthy, there’s another showing that its role in heart disease and other chronic conditions is still open for discussion. For example, two studies published in 2016 were somewhat contradictory. The first, based on previously unpublished data from a Minnesota trial nearly 50 years earlier, found that replacing saturated fats like butter with vegetable oils high in linoleic acid, such as corn oil, didn’t lower the risk of death from heart disease or other causes. The second study, done at Harvard, followed more than 126,000 people, some for up to 32 years. It said replacing saturated fat is important, but what you replace it with counts just as much. The benefits of unsaturated fats high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in walnuts, flax seeds, soybean oil and fish, far outweigh the omega-6 fatty acids in corn oil, that study concluded. More recently, 2018 research from UTHealth in Houston looked at the saturated fats in dairy foods — from whole milk to cheese to yogurt — and found no link between their consumption and heart disease or stroke. So what should… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Heart-Breaking News for Egg Lovers

Health Tip: Eat Healthier at Work

Are Enhanced Waters Better for Your Health?

How to Keep Your Kids Safe From Cyberbullying

How to Protect Your Kids From Drowning

Burden of Autism in Teens Weighs Heaviest on Minorities, Poor

For an Energizing Workout, Take It Outside

Spring Ahead With Spring Vegetables

Spread of Democracy Is Good for World’s Health: Study

The Saturated Fat Debate Rages On