Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

Smoking is a notoriously tough habit to quit, but a new study suggests it is far harder for women to stop than it is for men. Why? The researchers point to a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression in women, which might interfere with even the best intentions to kick the habit. And one expert noted that prior evidence has shown that women’s brains react differently to nicotine. In the latest study, involving more than 200 patients at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, the prevalence of anxiety or depression was 41% in women while it was only 21% in men. Depression and other mood disorders need to be addressed in women who smoke, especially those with heart disease and stroke, said senior study author Dr. Beth Abramson, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto. “Smoking cessation is the most significant modifiable risk factor to prevent heart disease in women, but there is no one-size-fits-all,” Abramson noted. In the study, the average age of participants was 56, and almost one-third were women. Patients reported smoking an average of 18 cigarettes daily for 37 years. Two-thirds had lipid abnormalities such as dyslipidemia, in which blood levels of lipids (triglycerides and cholesterol) hit the roof. Nearly two-thirds had high blood pressure, close to half reported heart disease, and more than a quarter had depression or… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Determining if you have a cold, the flu or an allergy can be difficult when you’re having common symptoms, such as sneezing or a sore throat. The common symptoms reflect that each condition affects your respiratory system, says the National Institutes of Health. While both colds and flus can cause congestion, cough and sore throat, the flu has unique symptoms. The flu can cause high fever, headache, fatigue, and aches. These symptoms are less common in people with a cold. Allergies can cause itchy, watery eyes, which aren’t typical symptoms of a cold or flu. Usually, allergy symptoms last as long as you’re exposed to the trigger. A cold or the flu rarely lasts more than two weeks.

Calorie labels in fast-food restaurants appear to help customer trim purchases, but only up to a point, a new study says. Customers ate slightly fewer calories after a fast-food chain started including calories on its menus, but the impact weakened over time, researchers found. “Our findings suggest that calorie labeling may be most effective as a short-term strategy for reducing calorie purchases, but that other nutrition interventions may be necessary for long-term positive dietary changes in these settings,” said study lead author Joshua Petimar. He’s a research fellow at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Harvard Medical School. In May 2018, calorie labeling on menus became mandatory for chains with 20 or more outlets in the United States. The goal was to help customers make healthier food choices. However, effectiveness of this approach is unclear. Some studies have found associations between calorie labeling and calorie consumption, but most have been too small to identify differences before and after the introduction of calorie labeling on menus. This new study is one of the largest to examine the issue, according to the researchers. They assessed the impact of calorie labeling on food purchases by analyzing three years of sales data from a franchise of fast-food restaurants in the southern United States. The franchise began providing calorie information on its menus in 2017. The researchers examined data… read on >

If you have a hard time remembering names or what to get at the supermarket, there are ways to boost your memory. According to a study in the journal Consciousness and Cognition, one of the best things you can do is say the information you want to remember out loud, and it’s even stronger if you repeat the information to another person — that means not just mouthing the words. This could explain why you can recite your child’s favorite book unaided — read it out loud enough times and you can have near total recall. An everyday example is to repeat the name of a new acquaintance out loud as soon as you’re introduced. Instead of just saying, “It’s nice to meet you,” add their name and say, “It’s nice to meet you, Mary.” Making word and number associations is effective, too. Break down a phone number you want to memorize into digits you can associate with special dates or the ages of your kids, for example. You might try dividing almost any type of information into chunks that you learn one by one. Other research explains why making lists is so effective. The human brain is better at recognition — or seeing words — on a to-do list rather than trying to mentally recall errands you’re supposed to run. Finally, make friends with… read on >

Whether you’re mountain biking, kicking a soccer ball with friends, or just sprinting down the street to catch a bus, your quadriceps are hard at work. The quads are the large muscles that run down the fronts of your thighs. The stronger they are, the less strain each movement will exert on your knees. Lunges and squats will keep these muscles in tip-top shape. The basic squat involves a motion similar to sitting down in a chair. Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, toes forward. Keeping good posture, lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor. You might have to work up to this over time, going a little deeper each session. Hold the position for two seconds before returning to the start position. As you get stronger, try the sumo squat. Start with your feet wider than your shoulders with your toes pointed out. Push your hips back and bend your knees, but no more than 90 degrees — your back will lean forward for support. After a few seconds, contract your glutes and slowly stand up. For lunges, start with feet shoulder-width apart. Step forward with your right foot, then lower your left knee almost to the floor as you make a right angle with your right thigh and calf. Bring your left foot up to meet the right and then… read on >

Trampolines aren’t just for backyards anymore, and the rise in commercial trampoline parks may be sparking a rise in kids’ injuries, a new report finds. “While trampolines are a great source of fun and exercise for children, the potential for injury, particularly in recreational areas with an underlying business incentive, needs to be recognized,” stressed study author Dr. Nancy Hadley Miller. Her team tracked U.S. government health data and found that the incidence of broken bones suffered by children while on trampolines has risen by an average of nearly 4% each year between 2008 and 2017. And every year during the study, it became 32% more likely that a trampoline-related bone fracture would occurr at a gym or recreation facility (a trampoline park), rather than on a trampoline in a family’s backyard. Bringing kids to these facilities — especially for events such as birthday parties — has become increasingly popular. The findings are to be presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in New Orleans. In a meeting news release, Miller said she believes her team’s findings should refocus injury prevention efforts. “Historically, advocacy campaigns have focused on trampoline injuries in the home,” said Miller, who is a professor of orthopedics at the University of Colorado, Denver. The new data suggests “that future messages to parents and legislators should also… read on >

Winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding are a great way to get kids active, but new research suggests extra safety measures may be in order for younger children. The study found that grade-schoolers had almost three times the odds of having a serious skull or facial fracture while skiing or snowboarding, compared to older children. Meanwhile, older children had more than twice the risk of younger kids of having an injury to their abdominal area. “Injury prevention efforts need to be different for age group. There should be more targeted prevention strategies,” said study author Dr. Robert McLoughlin, a general surgery resident at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. McLoughlin doesn’t think the findings mean that kids should forgo winter sports. “It’s great that in a digital age where obesity is rising that kids get out and play, but they need to do it in a way that’s safe,” he said. Skiing and snowboarding are considered high-risk sports, even with protective equipment, the researchers said. Experts estimate that in 2015 there were more than 13,000 injuries related to snowboarding or downhill skiing in kids under 15. About 5% of those injuries required hospital admission. McLoughlin and his team looked at data from a nationally representative study of kids’ inpatient hospital admissions between 2009 and 2012. They found 845 admissions related to… read on >

Quality over quantity is an approach that can lead to a better sex life. Studies show that feeling satisfied with the sexual aspect of their relationship is more important to many people than how often they have sex. How can you start to enhance the quality of your sex life? You may be surprised to know that improving intimacy begins before you ever set foot in the bedroom. It’s important to nurture the nonsexual aspects of your relationship to boost marital satisfaction. Acts of tenderness and affection strengthen emotional ties between partners. Feeling secure and loved is a strong foundation for sexual pleasure. Setting the mood for sex itself starts with setting aside time so that you won’t feel rushed and can be at ease with each other and in the moment. Rather than worry about aspects like spontaneity, carve out time for romance when you know that parenting and/or work obligations won’t distract you. This might be at more unusual times, such as very early in the morning when you have far more energy than you did the night before. Sexual satisfaction is very individual. So, open communication with your partner is key to understanding their desires — what turns him or her on — and communicating the same things about yourself. This can be difficult if you feel shy about voicing wants and… read on >

Weight-loss surgery should be more widely used to treat severely obese children and teens, a leading pediatricians’ group says. Severe obesity is a serious and worsening public health crisis among U.S. youngsters, and weight-loss surgery is one of the few effective ways of treating it, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in its new policy statement, published Oct. 27. “Children with severe obesity develop health problems earlier than those with lesser degrees of obesity, including diabetes, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, and sleep apnea,” said policy statement lead author Dr. Sarah Armstrong, a member of the executive committee of the AAP Section on Obesity. “While lifestyle changes remain the mainstay of treatment, medical care is unlikely to significantly change the trajectory for most children with severe obesity,” she said in an academy news release. Current rates of severe obesity are 7.9% in children, 9.7% among 12- to 15-year-olds, and 14% among 16- to 19-year-olds, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows. Recent research suggests that weight-loss surgery is safe and effective in youngsters, but significantly underused, according to the AAP. “The last decade of evidence has shown surgery is safe and effective when performed in high-quality centers, with the primary care pediatrician and family in a shared decision-making process,” said Armstrong. “Unfortunately, we see significant disparities in which patients… read on >