Lifestyle « Weekly Gravy

Cigarette use fell in most countries over the past three decades, but increased in some nations, notably China, a new global study says. Researchers analyzed data from 71 countries that represent 85% of the world’s population and account for more than 95% of global cigarette use. While overall cigarette use declined, there were significant differences between countries. About 2.5 million metric tons (MMT) of cigarettes were smoked in China in 2013, more than Russia (0.36 MMT), the United States (0.28 MMT), Indonesia (0.28 MMT), Japan (0.20 MMT), and the next 35 highest consuming countries combined. The United States and Japan had reductions of more than 0.1 MMT over a decade, while Russian consumption plateaued, and Chinese and Indonesian consumption rose by 0.75 MMT and 0.1 MMT, respectively. The study was published June 19 in The BMJ. A second study in the same issue of the journal looked at global cigarette use after adoption of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a 2003 international treaty meant to reduce tobacco use. It found that wealthy and European countries had a decrease in annual consumption of more than 1,000 cigarettes per adult, but low- and middle-income and Asian countries had an annual increase of more than 500 cigarettes per adult. The findings “should motivate greater implementation of proven tobacco control policies” and “encourage more assertive… read on >

Research points to a very long list of benefits from exercise, from improving your overall health to easing stress and enhancing mental well-being. But a landmark study in the journal Circulation highlights a negative, yet specific, concern. While health factors like obesity and diabetes are known heart attack triggers, data from 12,500 people in 52 countries pointed to two other risk factors to be aware of: exercising at a very high level of physical exertion; and anger or emotional distress. Either can double the risk of a heart attack. And when combined, they’re even more dangerous, tripling the risk. So, while you might take a walk around the block to cool off when you’re angry, it’s not the time to bench press 300 pounds at the gym. Does this mean you should never challenge yourself with strenuous workouts? Not necessarily. For an external trigger such as exercise to bring on a heart attack, there probably needs to be an existing problem, like cholesterol build-up in your arteries, researchers explained. Regular activity is associated with heart benefits, according to the American College of Cardiology. The person who faces a risk from exercise is more likely to be someone out-of-shape who jumps into vigorous exertion suddenly. That’s a reminder that the best approach is to start slow, and increase duration and intensity at a slow yet steady… read on >

Everyone experiences anxious moments now and then. But for those with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), the worry is frequent and overwhelming, often interfering with everyday activities. Now, a small study suggests that these burdensome feelings can be quelled with a little heart-pumping activity. The study found that just a half hour of vigorous exercise might do the trick. For the study, 35 young adults with suspected but undiagnosed GAD (subclinical GAD) ran on a treadmill for 30 minutes at high intensity, then spent 30 minutes sitting. They completed questionnaires on their feelings of worry, anxiety, energy and fatigue before and after each session. Both men and women emerged less anxious and worried and more energetic after the workout. For women, the improvements were even stronger. Nearly 7 million adults in the United States have GAD, with women more likely to be affected. But only about 40% get treatment for it, and research has focused on alternative therapies. Researchers said their study is the first to show positive effects for young men with subclinical GAD. The findings support previous research about the benefits of exercise for women with GAD. “Several plausible mechanisms have been suggested” to explain the anxiety-easing benefits of exercise, said study lead author Matthew Herring, a lecturer in sport, exercise and performance psychology at the University of Limerick in Ireland. These reasons include… read on >

Radiation treatment for lung cancer can help extend lives, but it might also raise a patient’s odds for heart attacks and heart failure, a new study shows. Many patients may have no choice but to accept the risk: For about half of people diagnosed with the number one cancer killer, radiation remains the only viable treatment, the research team noted. “This is alarming data — to think that one in 10 of the patients I’m treating for this type of cancer will go on to have a heart attack or other major cardiac event,” senior author Dr. Raymond Mak, a thoracic radiation oncologist at the Brigham and Woman’s Hospital in Boston, said in a hospital news release. “These cardiac events are happening earlier and more often than previously thought,” he added. “More patients are living long enough to experience this risk of cardiac toxicity. We need to start paying attention to this and working together with cardiologists to help these patients.” One expert unconnected to the study agreed that patients face heart risks, but in many cases it’s tough to tease out why. “Although the radiation that we give to patients for lung cancer is of course directed mainly at their tumor, there may be overlap in the beams of radiation that affect the heart,” explained Dr. Adam Lackey. He directs thoracic surgery at Staten… read on >

When eating healthy becomes an around-the-clock obsession, it could be a sign of trouble. An extreme preoccupation with clean eating is an eating order called orthorexia nervosa. Though less well-known than anorexia nervosa or bulimia — and not as well-documented — a new study review says orthorexia can also have serious emotional and physical consequences. “Orthorexia is really more than just healthy eating,” said review co-author Jennifer Mills, an associate professor of health at York University in Toronto. “It’s healthy eating taken to the extreme, where it’s starting to cause problems for people in their lives and starting to feel quite out of control.” The review of published research from around the world on the disorder was recently published in the journal Appetite. Mills and her colleague Sarah McComb looked at risk factors and links between orthorexia and other mental disorders. Orthorexia, unlike some other eating disorders, is not yet recognized in the standard psychiatric manuals. Healthy eating to the extreme No clear line divides healthy eating from orthorexia’s extreme eating. The foods someone with orthorexia might avoid are the same as those someone with healthy habits might avoid — such as preservatives, anything artificial, salt, sugar, fat, dairy, other animal products, genetically modified foods or those that aren’t organic. It boils down to whether avoiding foods leads to obsession — excessive time and energy… read on >

A face-lift for Father’s Day, anyone? It could happen: A new report finds many more men are taking advantage of the same plastic surgeries that have long been associated with women. The midlife decision by men to try a face-lift or other procedure has been nicknamed the “Daddy-Do-Over” — referencing the “Mommy Makeover” for women. Whatever it’s called, “men are embracing the idea of surgery more than before,” said Dr. Alan Matarasso, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). He stressed that the average man approaching or in middle age might have different reasons for wanting a nip or a tuck, compared to his female peers. “Obviously, men don’t go through the same physical changes that women experience during pregnancy and post-pregnancy, but their lifestyle does change, which can impact their appearance,” Matarasso said in a society news release. “Diet and exercise patterns fluctuate, and they don’t sleep as much,” he added. “Men notice their body changes due to aging and parenting, and it starts to look completely different in their 30s and 40s. That is the point of a Daddy-Do-Over.” In fact, according to the ASPS, more than 1 million men had cosmetic surgery in 2018, a 29% increase since 2000. Like women, men are typically getting body contouring and facial procedures to enhance their physique and keep the dreaded “dad bod”… read on >

Drug overdoses and suicide are common causes of death among women who die within a year of giving birth, a new study finds. In fact, in the study based on data from California, these two causes accounted for nearly 20% of postpartum deaths from 2010 to 2012. “These deaths are rare but devastating for families,” said study co-author Claire Margerison, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Michigan State University, in East Lansing. “We need to place more emphasis on prevention.” For the study, Margerison and her colleagues analyzed more than 1 million medical records from California hospitals. While maternal death rates during and after pregnancy are rising nationwide, California is below the national average. Even so, drug overdose was the second-leading cause of death among California women in the first year after giving birth. Suicide ranked seventh. Suicide and fatal overdoses were more common among white and poor women, the study found. The data aren’t sufficient to identify trends but could inform future studies, the researchers said. The findings, however, might be a sign of what’s occurring across the country. Although maternal death rates have dropped in California because of efforts to improve care, mental health and drug abuse continue to affect many new mothers. Some of these deaths might reflect stigmas that stop women from getting help for mental health and drug… read on >

A combination of depression and genetic risk may fuel an addiction to indoor tanning. That’s the conclusion of a new study out of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, D.C. For the study, researchers surveyed nearly 300 women who used indoor tanning beds, sunlamps or sun booths, and analyzed DNA samples. The women were white and between 18 and 30 years of age. The risk of tanning addiction doubled in those who had mutations in genes related to dopamine activity; dopamine is key to the brain’s pleasure and reward system. Those mutations, coupled with others linked to depression, increased the risk of tanning addiction by up to 13 times. “By demonstrating that genes in behavioral reward pathways are associated with tanning addiction, we are providing stronger evidence that tanning addiction is a cancer risk behavior in need of intervention,” lead author Darren Mays said in a Georgetown news release. “This finding adds to a growing body of evidence from animal studies and neuroimaging studies that have been done in humans.” Mays is an associate professor of oncology. He’s now beginning a study into the use of text messages as a way to help young women quit if they are addicted to tanning. Exposure to ultraviolet light can cause skin cancers, including deadly melanoma. Indoor tanning accounts for 10% of skin cancers, and this year… read on >

Vitamin supplements don’t appear to prevent type 2 diabetes in those at highest risk for the disease, a new study finds. Some studies have suggested that low vitamin D levels might increase the odds of developing diabetes and that boosting levels could prevent it, but these findings throw cold water on these assumptions. In this study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), more than 2,400 people aged 30 and older across the United States were involved. Researchers randomly assigned half of them to take 4,000 units a day of vitamin D and the other half to take a placebo. After nearly three years, 24.2% of those taking vitamin D developed diabetes, as did 26.7% of those taking the placebo. This difference isn’t statistically significant, researchers said. “In addition to the study’s size, one of its major strengths is the diversity of its participants, which enabled us to examine the effect of vitamin D across a large variety of people,” lead author Dr. Anastassios Pittas said in an NIH news release. “When the study ended, we found no meaningful difference between the two groups regardless of age, sex, race or ethnicity.” Pittas is a professor and co-director of the Diabetes and Lipid Center at Tufts University Medical Center in Boston. The report was published June 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine… read on >

Fifty-six of America’s 500 biggest cities have major gaps in life expectancy between neighborhoods, a new study reveals. These gaps can mean people in one neighborhood live 20 to 30 years longer than those just a mile away — and the inequalities are prevalent in cities with high levels of racial and ethnic segregation, according to New York University researchers. They said their findings should be a wake-up call for city leaders nationwide. “Your neighborhood shouldn’t influence your odds of seeing your grandchildren grow up,” said lead researcher Dr. Marc Gourevitch, chairman of the department of population health at NYU Langone Health System. His colleague, co-author Benjamin Spoer, said researchers have known for a while that conditions from neighborhood to neighborhood can have “profound influence” on how long and how well people live. “But we were surprised to see just how large the gap in life expectancy can be between neighborhoods, and how strong the link was between life expectancy and segregation, across all different kinds and sizes of cities,” Spoer said in an NYU news release. Chicago had the biggest gap in life expectancy between neighborhoods at 30.1 years. That was followed by Washington, D.C., at 27.5 years; New York City, 27.4; and New Orleans and Buffalo, N.Y., both at 25.8 years. Scores on measures of racial and ethnic segregation in these cities were… read on >