Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

From Halloween through New Year’s, holiday weight gain affects people the world over and, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, it can happen with any major holiday, not just the winter ones. As you might know firsthand, it’s a lot harder to lose that weight than to put it on. So even if you start every new year with just an extra pound or two, if you repeat this pattern yearly, your weight will just keep rising. That’s why the best approach is preventive — being aware of extra calories, starting now. There is another, separate challenge to healthy eating during the cold weather months in many parts of the country — much less availability of locally grown fruits and vegetables. It’s still possible to buy foods like berries and peppers, for instance, but you’ll pay a higher price, and in some regions, the selection of fresh produce simply shrinks. That helps explain the results of a study that polled women in North Dakota. Researchers found that diet quality was lower in winter when foods like corn, berries, tomatoes and lettuces were less available. What to do? Switch to dark leafy greens, squashes and root vegetables, and supplement with frozen fruits and vegetables, which can be as nutritious as fresh because they’re typically packaged soon after harvesting. Another smart… read on >

A new federal report points to an oily chemical known as vitamin E acetate as the likely culprit behind more than 2,000 cases of severe lung illness among vapers. After taking fluid samples from the lungs of 29 vapers who were hospitalized for the illness in 10 states, scientists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spotted the chemical in all of the samples. “This is the first reported identification of a potential toxicant of concern (vitamin E acetate) in biologic specimens obtained from [these] patients,” the researchers said in the Nov. 8 online edition of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. “These findings provide direct evidence of vitamin E acetate at the primary site of injury.” But the CDC researchers added that more study is still needed. “Based on these data from 29 patients, it appears that vitamin E acetate is associated with [severe lung illness]; however, it is possible that more than one compound or ingredient could be a cause of lung injury, and evidence is not yet sufficient to rule out contribution of other toxicants,” according to Benjamin Blount and his colleagues at the CDC. Vitamin E acetate is derived from vitamin E, which is found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, and leafy green veggies. It is available as a dietary supplement and skin treatment. But when vaped… read on >

Teen girls who play several sports have a lower injury risk than those who focus on just one, a new study finds. It included more than 1,100 girls who play basketball, soccer and volleyball. Most were middle and high school students; some were in college. Girls who specialize too early in sports such as basketball, soccer and volleyball could find that a single-minded focus “may hinder motor development and lead to compromised hip and knee coordination during dynamic landing and jumping activities, which can lead to increased chance of potentially life-altering injuries,” said lead author Christopher DiCesare. He’s a biomechanist in the Division of Sports Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio. The study also found that girls who focused on a single sport had a higher rate of hip and knee injuries and an increased risk of knee pain. Researchers said playing multiple sports may improve girls’ coordination, and that those who specialize may not fully develop neuromuscular coordination patterns that can reduce the risk of injury. Due to uneven growth in bone mineral and muscular and connective tissue strength before and during puberty, young athletes may be less able than older ones to handle the physical stresses associated with focusing on one sport, the study published Oct. 23 in the Journal of Athletic Training concluded. “By understanding the influence that sport… read on >

It happens to everyone: A familiar song comes on the radio, and suddenly you recall every note and every word. Now, new research has pinpointed exactly how long it takes people to recognize that favorite tune — just 0.1 to 0.3 seconds. The study included five men and five women who each provided a list of five familiar songs that they associated with good memories. The researchers then chose one of each participants’ songs and matched it with a song that was similar in tempo, melody, harmony, vocals and instrumentation, but was unfamiliar to the participant. Each participant was randomly played 100 snippets (each less than a second) of both the familiar and unfamiliar song. The researchers monitored the participants’ electrical activity in the brain and their pupil diameter (a measure of arousal) while they listed to the song snippets. Song recognition was first revealed by pupil dilation likely associated with increased arousal triggered by the familiar song, followed by brain activity related to memory retrieval, according to the study published online Oct. 30 in the journal Scientific Reports. A “control group” of people unfamiliar with any of the songs used in the study had no differences in responses to any of the songs, said the researchers at the University College London Ear Institute. “Our results demonstrate that recognition of familiar music happens remarkably quickly,”… read on >

When parents can no longer get “personal-belief” exemptions from childhood vaccinations, they may get around it by asking for religious exemptions for their kids, a new study finds. Researchers found that after Vermont banned personal-belief exemptions, the number of kindergartners with religious exemptions from vaccination suddenly shot up — from 0.5% to nearly 4%. That kind of increase almost certainly means that many parents who wanted to avoid vaccines simply switched tactics, according to Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatric infectious disease specialist who was not involved in the study. “Either parents in Vermont suddenly became very religious, or they started using religious exemptions as a replacement,” said Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He said the more than sevenfold increase in religious exemptions among kindergartners is worrisome, since vaccination only works as a public health strategy when enough people are immunized. And it’s likely, Offit noted, that exemptions were concentrated within certain communities. With old childhood diseases like measles and mumps making a comeback in recent years, a number of U.S. states have tightened up their laws on vaccine exemptions. Several states that used to allow kids to skip vaccines due to parents’ “personal beliefs” no longer do. Vermont is one, having eliminated its personal-belief exemption in 2016. But parents there can still ask for exemptions based on religious… read on >

If you’re an obese heart patient, weight-loss surgery might be good medicine for you. New research suggests it significantly reduces the risk of heart failure and fatal heart attack in this vulnerable group. “Our findings suggest, for the first time, that bariatric [weight-loss] surgery can prevent the development of systolic heart failure and remarkably reduce death from recurrent myocardial infarction, or heart attack, in patients with a higher cardiovascular risk than the average population,” said study author Dr. David Funes. He is a research fellow at the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute at Cleveland Clinic Weston, in Florida. For the study, Funes and his team compared severely obese people with heart disease who had weight-loss surgery (8,200) with those who did not have the surgery (79,000). Nearly half of the weight-loss surgery patients also had a history of some form of diabetes, and about 73% had high blood pressure. But those who didn’t have weight-loss surgery had even higher rates of both diseases, which are risk factors for heart disease. Obesity itself is a major risk factor for heart disease. Patients who didn’t have weight-loss surgery were 1.9 times more likely to develop heart failure than those who had the surgery, according to the study. In addition, the investigators found that patients who had weight-loss surgery were 2.5 times less likely to die from a recurrent… read on >

Making the decision to live healthier often involves important steps such as losing weight and exercising more. These are significant goals and everyday lifestyle habits that you should commit to. But there’s another type of “makeover” that can benefit you in equally important ways. That’s changing your general outlook on life by boosting positivity. This mental tweak will put you in a better frame of mind to meet your physical goals. Here’s how to get started. Look for ways to find more meaning in your life. You might not be able to change your job, but you might be able to take on work challenges that give you a stronger sense of purpose. If personal and professional commitments have you running in a million directions with none of them emotionally rewarding, reassess your obligations and pare back where you can. Prioritize the tasks that give you a stronger sense of accomplishment. Next, identify what’s standing in the way of reaching your goals. It might not be complicated. Maybe you want to eat better and exercise more, but you don’t make the time to cook whole foods or go to the gym. Again, re-prioritize and take action to accomplish what’s important to you. Don’t use roadblocks as excuses to stay stuck. And because people love instant gratification, give yourself a boost by picking a change you… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Shaving without cutting yourself or missing patches of hair can be a challenge, says the American Academy of Dermatology. To get a proper shave, the academy recommends: Before you shave, wet your skin and hair. Shave in the direction that the hair grows. Rinse after each swipe of the razor. Store your razor in a dry area. People who have acne should take special care while shaving.

Just 10 minutes of exercise a day appears to sharpen mental prowess, new research suggests. “Getting off the couch and walking a block can help keep you on the right track,” said study author Nicole Spartano, a research assistant professor at Boston University School of Medicine. Her team looked 2,770 participants in the Framingham Heart Study who were divided into two groups: middle-aged and older. The Framingham study has followed the health and habits of its original participants from Massachusetts and their descendants since 1948. The researchers found that roughly 10 to 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a day was associated with better brain function for both groups. For the middle-age group, just 10 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity was linked to better verbal memory. For the older group, the total amount of activity — not the intensity — corresponded to stronger mental skills. While the study only found associations, Spartano said the findings were especially significant for older people, who may find it difficult or impossible to meet the exercise guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Those guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity for them. A 2018 update of those guidelines does say older adults should do as much exercise as their health safely allows, and for all adults, any… read on >

(HealthDay News) — If jewelry causes your skin to itch, you may be allergic to nickel, says Winchester Hospital. Nickel is a silvery-white metal that is used to make a range of products, including zippers, buttons and costume jewelry. Winchester Hospital recommends these solutions: Stick to sterling silver or 14-karat gold. Wear stainless steel or hypo-allergenic jewelry. Keep the area dry where your skin touches the metal. Wear a layer of protective moisturizing cream. Wear your jewelry less often.