(HealthDay News) — Dry, cold air can trigger asthma attacks, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says. Breathing in the winter air can cause airways to restrict, making it difficult to breathe. The foundation offers suggestions to reduce asthma attacks during winter: Cover your mouth with a scarf. Exercise indoors, not outdoors. Always carry your quick-relief inhaler with you. Talk to your doctor about pretreatment plans.
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Taking a Bite Out of Food Ads Targeted to Kids
Kids can be as strongly influenced by TV commercials as by the shows themselves, and many studies have found that tempting food ads have a particularly harmful effect, contributing to childhood obesity. While the government has stepped in with nutrition guidelines for manufacturers, these are largely voluntary and, therefore, not enforceable. So it’s up to parents to be vigilant. It might seem like the odds are stacked against you. According to a study in the journal Childhood Obesity, most food and beverage products in ads seen by 2- to 11-year-olds during kids’ programming don’t meet the guidelines of the government’s Interagency Working Group. The panel includes representatives of the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture. Plus, less than half of TV ads during kids’ programming meet the guidelines created by the food industry’s own voluntary group, the study found. While some companies have improved the nutritional quality of some of their foods, these aren’t the products they’re advertising. The vast majority of ads seen during children’s programming are for products high in what dietary guidelines call “nutrients to limit” — fat, salt and sugar. The same is true for the more than 3 billion food ads that appear every year on popular websites for kids, according to research published in… read on >
Supermarket Smarts: How to Save Money and Eat Better
If supermarket circulars influence your grocery shopping, you could be saving money at the expense of your health. That’s because studies show the offerings are often far from the healthiest food choices. Researchers looked at a year’s worth of circulars from a small Midwestern grocery chain to see how the nutritional quality of sale items compared to that of the average American diet, which itself scores low. They found that sales reflected a tendency to eat too much protein and not enough fruits and vegetables. While 25 percent of sale items were for protein-based foods, only 8 percent were for vegetables and 7 percent for fruits. Worse still, less than 3 percent were for the most healthful dark green, red and orange vegetables. So, it’s important not to let these circulars dictate your eating habits. Eating healthy doesn’t have to cost as much as you might think. The difference can be as little as $1.50 more per day. Interestingly, some studies have shown that even people who spend the most money on food don’t automatically select healthier choices. Regardless of budget, the average family spends the biggest chunk of their food budget — about 35 percent — on items like snacks, treats and frozen dinners. That means shifting just some of your shopping dollars may be enough to boost your diet. Once you’re at the… read on >
Get Ready for Summer Camp — and Allergies
It may still be winter, but it’s never too early to plan for your kids’ summer camp. And now’s the time to think about preparing them to handle allergies and allergic reactions, according to experts at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). “Kids who suffer from seasonal allergies, food allergies or asthma also wonder about their health. For them, additional preparation is necessary to keep them safe and happy, so they can enjoy their time away from home,” ACAAI president Todd Mahr, said in a college news release. The ACAAI has five tips to help make the summer camp experience a great one. If your child suffers from asthma or food allergies, consider sending him or her to a camp that specializes in these conditions. Specialty camps can have trained staff who know how to treat asthma and allergies. You can search the internet for camps that focus on your child’s needs. Before sending your child off to camp, consult with your allergist and make sure prescriptions are up-to-date and your child has everything needed to treat their allergies or asthma. The allergist can also provide a plan to share with the camp. Be sure the camp’s staff is prepped on your child’s allergies and asthma. They should know if asthma makes some activities difficult. Be sure the medical staff knows about… read on >
AHA News: For the Best Health, Does the Intensity of Your Workout Matter?
FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019 (American Heart Association News) — Jog for long enough or engage in just about any physical activity that gets the heart pumping, and the result can be a feeling of euphoria commonly known as a runner’s high. Sure, it feels good, but does higher-intensity exercise lead to better health? It can. Recently released federal physical activity guidelines emphasize the importance of any movement, but optimal health benefits require a little more effort. For adults, that means at least 75 to 150 minutes per week of vigorous activity, or 150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate-level physical activity. What constitutes high-intensity versus moderate exercise? It’s all about the heart rate relative to your fitness level, said Dr. Meagan Wasfy of the cardiovascular performance program at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. “With low-intensity activities, most people will still be able to sing and converse,” Wasfy said. “At moderate intensity, you can still speak but can’t sing, and at high intensity, you can’t speak in full sentences anymore.” The new guidelines reflect a large and growing list of studies suggesting physical activity of any kind is healthyl. In a JAMA Internal Medicine study, researchers pooled data from six studies and found that over a 14-year period, people who never exercised were at the highest risk of death. But it didn’t take much activity to… read on >
Berkeley’s Efforts Suggest Soda Taxes Do Cut Soda Sales
Tax it, and fewer folks will buy it. So it goes with sugar-sweetened drinks, new research suggests. The California city of Berkeley introduced the nation’s first soda tax in 2014, and within months people were buying 21 percent fewer sugary drinks. Three years later, 52 percent fewer of these drinks were being sold while consumption of water rose 29 percent, the researchers found. “This just drives home the message that soda taxes work,” said study author Kristine Madsen, faculty director of the Berkeley Food Institute at University of California, Berkeley’s School of Public Health. “Importantly, our evidence comes from low-income and diverse neighborhoods, which have the highest burden of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, not to mention a higher prevalence of advertising promoting unhealthy diets,” Madsen said in a university news release. The study shows that a soda tax can influence what people buy and can be effective in encouraging healthier drinking habits. This could potentially reduce diseases like diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay, which have been linked to sugar, the researchers added. Sugar-sweetened drinks are very cheap, but cost America billions each year, Madsen said. “They’d cost much more if the health care costs were actually included in the price of the soda,” she added. “Taxes are one way of taking those costs into account.” For the study, Madsen and colleagues polled some 2,500… read on >
Mom’s Prenatal Fish Oil Might Help Kids’ Blood Pressure Later
Obese young children may have less risk for high blood pressure if their mother took the omega-3 fatty acid DHA — found in fish oil — during pregnancy, new research suggests. The findings could be important since rising numbers of American children are obese and experiencing hikes in blood pressure. That could have long-term consequences for their health, said study co-author Susan Carlson. She’s professor of nutrition at the University of Kansas. “It is known that blood pressure tracks over time, such that people with higher blood pressure early in life are more likely to have higher blood pressure later in life,” she said in a university news release. The study tracked 171 children born in the Kansas City area. During pregnancy, half of the children’s mothers took 600 milligrams a day of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) — which is found in prenatal vitamins, fish oil supplements and fish — while the other half took a placebo. The children’s blood pressure was then checked a number of times between the ages of 4 and 6. Among kids who were overweight or obese, higher blood pressure was found in those whose mothers took a placebo during pregnancy, but not in those whose mothers took DHA during pregnancy, the researchers found. On average, overweight/obese children of mothers in the placebo group had 3.94 mm Hg higher systolic (top… read on >
A Hard Look at Smoking’s Effect on Vision
If life looks gray and cloudy when you smoke, you might not be imagining it. Heavy smoking may actually damage color and contrast vision, researchers report. They looked at 71 healthy people who smoked fewer than 15 cigarettes in their lives and 63 people who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day. The participants were aged 25 to 45 and had normal or corrected-to-normal vision. But the heavy smokers showed significant changes in their red-green and blue-yellow color vision and also had greater difficulty discriminating contrasts and colors than nonsmokers. “Our results indicate that excessive use of cigarettes, or chronic exposure to their compounds, affects visual discrimination, supporting the existence of overall deficits in visual processing with tobacco addiction,” said co-author Steven Silverstein, director of research at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. “Cigarette smoke consists of numerous compounds that are harmful to health, and it has been linked to a reduction in the thickness of layers in the brain, and to brain lesions, involving areas such as… the area of the brain that processes vision,” he added in a university news release. And, he noted, “Previous studies have pointed to long-term smoking as doubling the risk for age-related macular degeneration and as a factor causing lens yellowing and inflammation.” Nicotine and smoking harm the body’s circulatory system, and these findings indicate they also damage blood… read on >
Health Tip: Treat Uneven Skin Pigmentation
(HealthDay News) — Unwanted pigmentation problems, such as dark spots, can occur in all skin types. Dark spots are primarily caused by sun damage, the American Academy of Dermatology says, noting that the severity of dark spots varies with a person’s history of sun exposure. The academy mentions these ways to treat pigmentation problems among lighter-skinned people: Dark spots from early sun damage are often superficial, affecting only the top layer of skin. Dermatologists frequently recommend topical retinol, an over-the-counter form of vitamin A. But consult a dermatologist about any dark spots that appear suspicious. When topical therapy fails, superficial chemical peels containing salicylic acid and glycolic acid may be used. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) devices and Q-switched lasers also may be used alone or in combination with topical therapies to selectively target dark spots. Lasers and IPL devices should only be used under the direct supervision of a physician. Daily sun protection with a sunscreen that provides broad-spectrum protection from UVA and UVB rays and has a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 or greater is important in preventing additional sun damage.
Health Tip: Reduce Food Waste
(HealthDay News) — The United States has pledged to reduce food waste by 50 percent by the year 2030, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. The FDA offers these suggestions to help accomplish the national goal: Prepare a shopping list before going to the market to avoid overbuying. If available, select fruits or vegetables that often get left behind at the grocery, but are safe to eat. When eating out, ask for smaller portions to prevent plate waste and keep you from overeating. Keep foods in the fridge at 40 degrees F or below to keep them safe. Refrigerate cut or peeled vegetables to keep them fresh. Use your freezer to prevent foods from going bad. Be aware of expiration dates on your food. Know that some food can be consumed safely past the date on the package. But avoid foods that are discolored, smelly or moldy. If you prepare too much food for a party, send your guests home with leftovers.