Sticking to a consistent sleeping routine may help keep your arteries clear as you age, new research suggests. Conversely, older adults who slept for a varying number of hours each night and tended to fall asleep at different times were more likely to develop hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart attack or stroke, the researchers reported. “Sleep is super important to our overall health and well-being, and anything we can do to improve sleep will improve our [heart health] and overall well-being and happiness,” said study author Kelsie Full. She is an assistant professor of medicine in the division of epidemiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. The study wasn’t designed to show how sleep irregularity causes heart disease, but researchers have some theories. “One potential mechanism is that sleep irregularity may lead to a disruption of our circadian function, which can lead to inflammation, a known risk for heart disease,” Full said. (Circadian rhythm is the 24-hour internal clock that controls the release of the hormone melatonin to encourage sleep.) What’s more, irregular sleep patterns may also travel with unhealthy behaviors such as late-night eating, poor diet or lack of exercise, she noted. Her advice? “Set a regular bedtime, and just pay attention to how much you are sleeping each night, and strive for sleep that is as regular…  read on >  read on >

Having the information to make good food choices and being physically active can help prevent disease, including cancer. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offers some tips for Americans who want to improve their nutrition. “Fruits, vegetables and whole grains provide you with nutrients and dietary fiber that can help lower your risk of developing cancer in the long term,” said Amy Bragagnini. She is a registered dietitian nutritionist and oncology nutrition specialist who serves as national spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Eating a variety of foods from all food groups keeps your meals interesting and healthful. Fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruits and vegetables all make your meal preparations easy,” Bragagnini said. She recommends filling half of your plate with fruits and veggies at each meal. “Add fresh berries to your low-fat or fat-free yogurt in the morning. Eat a dark green leafy kale salad for lunch. Stir fry some spinach, broccoli and cabbage to add atop a bed of riced cauliflower for dinner,” Bragagnini suggested. Getting in more legumes — such as beans, peas and lentils — can also add nutrition. She suggests adding black beans to an omelet and using a carrot stick as an edible spoon with hummus for a snack. A big pot of chili or lentil soup can be a healthy dinner. Making sure whole grains…  read on >  read on >

Young American children are not getting enough fruits and vegetables, but they are consuming too many sugary drinks, a new state-by-state government report shows. To come to that conclusion, the survey questioned the parents of more than 18,000 children between the ages of 1 and 5 about their kids’ eating habits. “This is the first time we’ve had state-level estimates on these behaviors,” senior study author Heather Hamner, a senior health scientist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNN. “It’s a really good time to think about the programs and policies that states have in place and areas where they can continue to work and improve to make the nutrition environment the best it can be for our young children.” Almost half of kids did not eat even one single vegetable every day, the report published Feb. 17 in the CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found. In Louisiana, 64% of kids didn’t eat a daily veggie. About one-third of children overall did not have fruit each day. In Louisiana, that was half of all children. Young kids in Vermont ate the most fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile, about 57% of kids overall had at least one sugary beverage each week. In Mississippi, that was nearly 80%. In Maine, it was 38.6%. “Compared with children living in food-sufficient households, those living…  read on >  read on >

Americans eat too much salt and more than a dozen favorite and convenience foods are largely to blame. Nearly 90% of Americans exceed dietary guidelines for sodium intake, a risk factor for high blood pressure and heart disease. New research out of Canada put some familiar favorites at the top of the list. “The top 15 food category contributors to dietary sodium represent just over 50% of total dietary sodium intake for American adults, with pizza, breads, cold cuts, soups and burritos being the top five contributors,” the study authors said in a news release from the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences. At the top of the list is pizza with 5.3% of total dietary sodium intake, followed by breads, rolls and buns at 4.7%. After that is cold cuts and cured meats at 4.6%; soups at 4.4%; burritos and tacos with 4.3%; savory snacks at 4.1%; and poultry at 4%. Rounding out the bottom half of the list and comprising between 1.5% and 3.1% of sodium intake are cheese; pasta mixed dishes; burgers; meat mixed dishes; cookies, brownies and cakes; bacon, frankfurters and sausages; vegetables; and chicken nuggets. For the study, University of Toronto researchers used U.S. health survey data for 2017 to 2018. The survey asked respondents to recall what they ate. Education and food-labeling campaigns to get people…  read on >  read on >

A nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose should be sold over-the-counter, two expert panels to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended Wednesday. Research has shown that wider availability of naloxone — brand named Narcan — could save lives as the opioid epidemic rages on in this country. The FDA advisors voted unanimously in favor of making the drug easier to access after a daylong meeting that focused on whether untrained users would be able to safely and effectively use the nasal spray in emergencies, the Associated Press reported. The recommendation came despite concerns from some panel members about the clarity of the drug’s instructions and packaging, which caused confusion among some people in a company study. The manufacturer, Emergent Biosolutions, said it would revise the packaging and labeling to address those concerns, the AP reported. The FDA will make a final decision on the drug in the coming weeks. “Perfect should not be the enemy of the good, and the evidence we saw today provides clear indication that the drug can be used without the direction of a health care provider,” said panel member Dr. Brian Bateman, of Stanford University. In a statement, the American Medical Association applauded the panel’s decision. “The AMA believes greater access will occur when naloxone for overdose risk is just as easily accessible in a pharmacy, grocery…  read on >  read on >

A nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose may become available for easier over-the-counter purchase. U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers are meeting Wednesday to discuss making generic naloxone hydrochloride available without requiring interaction with a pharmacist, CNN reported. Approval could happen later this year. Research shows that wider availability of the antidote could save lives in the growing U.S. opioid epidemic. The meeting of the FDA’s Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and the Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee is a response to an application submitted last year by Emergent BioSolutions, Inc. of Baltimore. The FDA gave the company’s application priority review, CNN reported. Emergent has said in briefing documents that its nasal spray was designed to be administered by people who have no medical training. Naloxone is available in various strengths and applications. The spray is easier to administer than an injection, the company said. Naloxone is used to revive those believed to be overdosing on opioids. There are no known harmful effects if it is given to someone who is not on opioids. Although naloxone is already available without a prescription, it must be obtained directly from a pharmacist. Not all pharmacies stock it, CNN reported. “Allowing it to be over-the-counter in the same manner in every state really clears up some confusion and hopefully clears up some of that red…  read on >  read on >

People with peanut allergies have to be vigilant about avoiding the food and always be armed with emergency treatment. Now scientists say they’ve taken an early step toward a drug that could prevent severe reactions to peanuts in the first place. The compound has only been tested in lab mice, and no such drug will be available for people anytime soon, experts stressed. But in early experiments, researchers found that the drug protected lab mice from severe allergic reactions to peanuts for more than two weeks. However, animal findings do not always pan out in humans. The vision is to have a self-injected medication that people with peanut allergy can take every couple weeks, or maybe once a month, according to researcher Mark Kaplan, chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Indiana University School of Medicine. It would not be a “cure” for the condition. But it could give people an additional layer of protection should they accidentally ingest peanuts. “Accidental exposure is always a real risk,” Kaplan explained. That’s because peanuts are harder to avoid than many people realize, he noted. They are often used as ingredients in processed or prepared foods, and cross-contamination is also possible — when the same equipment that has touched peanuts is used for other foods, too. Even though parents and adults with peanut allergy studiously read…  read on >  read on >