Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/5NnTQvjlIjs

More than 2 glasses a day of any soda pop will increase your chances of dying from any cause by 17%.  This startling conclusion stems from a multi-national study of more than 450,000 participants just published in JAMA Network.

Those downing the sugar-sweetened fizzies suffered an 8% higher death risk but artificially-sweetened soda had more than 3 times higher risk at 26%.  The sugary drinks bumped the death risk from gastrointestinal disease up 59%, while drinks with fake sugar drove death from circulatory disease up some 52%.

If you’re looking for a long, healthy life, you should take all soda pop off the menu.

Mullee A, Romaguera D, Pearson-Stuttard J, et al. Association Between Soft Drink Consumption and Mortality in 10 European Countries. JAMA Intern Med. Published online September 03, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.2478

#Soda #pop #death #sugar #artificialsweetener

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/CYnOr9jNWa0

Gentlemen...listen up!  The more mushrooms you eat the better, and enjoying them 3 times a week or more will drop your prostate cancer risk at least 17%.  

Japanese epidemiologists studied about 36,500 men 40-79 years of age who are in the Miyagi (no relation to Mr. Miyagi of Cobra Kai fame) and Ohsaki Cohorts,  They followed the men for 13 years.

Those eating mushrooms twice a week saw an 8% benefit demonstrating a dose response effect.  The researchers did not capture info about the mushroom species eaten.  Although the mechanism of this protective effect is not yet known, you can still take advantage by eating ‘shrooms often.

Shu Zhang, Yumi Sugawara, Shiuan Chen, Robert B. Beelman, Tsuyoshi Tsuduki, Yasutake Tomata, Sanae Matsuyama, Ichiro Tsuji. Mushroom consumption and incident risk of prostate cancer in Japan: A pooled analysis of the Miyagi Cohort Study and the Ohsaki Cohort Study. International Journal of Cancer, 2019; DOI: 10.1002/ijc.32591

#Mushrooms #prostatecancer 

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/MEdGDfCBryw

Heat can lower your blood pressure according to 2 studies just presented to this year’s American Heart Association’s Hypertension meeting.  One study from Vanderbilt University employed heating pads while the second, from Texas State University-San Marcos used hot yoga.

The heating pad study showed that torso heating pads at 100 degrees for 4 hours could reduce systolic pressure up to 30 mm Hg.  Hot yoga for an hour 3 times weekly for 12 weeks reduced systolic BP 5 mmHg and diastolic BP 3 mmHg.

If efforts to get your pressure under control with diet, weight loss, exercise, and even medications have been challenging, add a little heat.

American Heart Association. "Heating pads may lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure when lying down." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 September 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/0190906172515.htm

American Heart Association. "Temps up, blood pressures down in hot yoga study." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 September 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190905161410.htm.

#Hypertension #heat #hotyoga #heatingpad

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/XI6Hk8owIM8

Brown University engineers report that clothing made of the nanomaterial graphene can prevent mosquito bites.  The researchers tested brave volunteers willing to reach into a mosquito-infested box protected only by a single layer of fabric.

Graphene is a lattice of carbon atoms formed into sheets, and it may be complexed with other material to create clothing.  The Brown tests indicate that graphene works by blocking the mosquitos’ awareness of human skin rather than by preventing insect penetration.

Although more testing is in the offing, graphene clothing is available online.  You already can buy graphene hoodies and pants.  They may not be exactly like the graphene tested, but do let me know if they protect you from the mosquitos.

Castilho CJ, Li D, Liu M, Liu Y, Gao H, Hurt RH. Mosquito Bite Prevention through Graphene Barrier Layers. PNAS, 2019 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1906612116

#Mosquito #graphene

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/KfCUKNwDFWc

All of us over 6 months of age need the flu vaccine before the winter.  Most of us only require one dose. 

Get the shot in the last half of October.  The CDC warms that, if you vaccinate too early, your immunity may not last through the season.  If you vaccinate too late in later November or December, your immunity won’t be there when you need it.  

Some children require two doses of vaccine.  They should begin getting them now.

There are two versions of this year’s flu vaccine.  The trivalent type has two strains of Influenza A and one of B.  The quadrivalent has two As and two Bs.  Be in the know.  Unless you need a high dose shot or have an egg allergy, ask for the Quad version and get extra protection.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/rr/rr6803a1.htm?s_cid=rr6803a1_w

#Influenza #fluvaccine #trivalentvaccine #quadrivalentvaccine

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/vFrH1uoQW_4

Firefighters and police officers who heroically respond to calamities such as 9/11 are at least 30-40 percent more likely to suffer serious cardiovascular disease.  Epidemiologists at New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine draw this conclusion from their 16 year study of nearly 9800 firefighters who served at Ground Zero.

Early arriving first responders were 44% more likely than those arriving later to suffer a heart attack, unstable heart pains, that is angina, or a stroke.  Rescue and recovery workers who spent 6 or more months at Ground Zero had a 30% higher risk of the same fate compared with those serving less time.

9/11 was a monumental tragedy, but first responders across the US and around the world likely face similar risks from the toxins released by burning building materials.  If you or someone you know works as a first responder, know that cardiovascular surveillance is a must.

Cohen HW, Zeig-Owens R, Joe C, et al. Long-term Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Firefighters After the World Trade Center Disaster. JAMA Netw Open. Published online September 06, 20192(9):e199775. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.9775

#Firefighter #police, heartdisease #stroke

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ZXcrXdzH5lg

Health News You Should Use, the latest medical discoveries that you can use to keep yourself and your family healthy.  Here are this weeks stories :

Too Much Sleep Or Too Little May Trigger Heart Attacks

A Pregnant Woman’s Activities & Eating Impact Her Child’s Blood Pressure Later

Lifestyle Outweighs Family History Of Premature Heart Disease

Plant-Based Meat Substitutes Endanger Your Thinking

Eat Nuts And Have A Heart

How To Stay Safe Riding An E-Scooter

All Menopausal Hormonal Therapy Risks Breast Cancer

Second-Hand Vaping A Risk For Teens

Protein Shakes Not The Best Post-Exercise Drink

Under Tongue Peanut Allergy Therapy Is Safe and Effective

Healthy Foods Out-Perform Fad Diets For Maintaining Healthy Hearts

Marijuana Users More Likely To Father Autistic Kids

Mouthwash After Exercise Blunts Beneficial Blood Pressure Lowering

Congenital Seizures Respond To Ketogenic Diet

High Potency Weed Infiltrating High Schools

For show notes and references to for the stories, check out my website at:

https://www.drhowardsmith.com/sep-2019-1st-week-health-news

#Sleep #heartattack #Pregnancy #walking #fish #BPA #hypertension #Lifestyle #genetics #prematureCAD #prematureheartdisease #Plantbasedprotein #choline #pregnancy #brain #impossibleburger #beyondmeat #Nuts #cardiovasculardisease #stroke #Escooters #helmets #fractures #headtrauma #Menopause #hormonaltherapy #MHT #cancer #breast #Vaping #secondhandsmoke #pneumonitis #Proteinshakes #exercise #muscles #pain #SLIT #sublingualimmunotherapy #peanuts #Influenza #mask #respirator #N95 #Diets #fruits #vegetables #cardiovasculardisease #Sperm #cannabis #autism #Blood pressure #mouthwash #exercise #nitrates #Seizures #ketogenicdiet #pediatrics #Marijuanaconcentrate #addiction #vaping #marijuana

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/UbFatjmobmk

Marijuana concentrate, a form that contains 3 times higher levels of the psychoactive agent THC, is flooding high schools.  This form of weed is associated with more addiction, cognitive problems, and psychiatric disease.

A study from Arizona State University looking at 50,000 high school students finds that one in every three used some form of marijuana and some 24% tried the concentrate.  Those teens using the concentrate showed significantly more addiction risk factors including peer substance abuse, drug-using parents, and academic failure.

Marijuana concentrate users are also likely e-cigarette users, and this route delivers ever higher concentrations of the drug to young lungs and brains increasing the chances for psychosis and addiction.  If your children are using cannabis, be certain that they are aware of the currently circulating and freakishly powerful forms of the drug that must be avoided in order to prevent disaster.

Madeline H. Meier et al. Cannabis Concentrate Use in Adolescents. Pediatrics, Aug. 26, 2019 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2019-0338

#Marijuanaconcentrate #addiction vaping

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/7sj8kkq1vQk

Nearly 40% of children whose seizures cannot be controlled with any medications will respond to the ketogenic diet.  This is the finding of a study from Northwestern’s Lurie Children’s Hospital.

Pediatric neurologists there studied 109 patients with seizure disorders persisting despite conventional medication management.   After going on the high fat, low carb, and protein-restricted diet that is the ketogenic diet, 42 patients enjoyed more than 50% seizure reduction and nearly half of those 42 achieved complete seizure control.  The seizure disorders most responsive to the ketogenic diet had a genetic etiology.

This excellent pediatric hospital’s successful 10 year experience with the ketogenic diet proves its medical effectiveness.  Implementing this diet isn’t easy for many parents, and success requires much support from a multi-disciplinary team including nutritionists and counselors.

Se Hee Kim, Alexandra Shaw, Robyn Blackford, Wesley Lowman, Linda C. Laux, John J. Millichap, Douglas R. Nordli. The ketogenic diet in children 3 years of age or younger: a 10-year single-center experience. Scientific Reports, 2019; 9 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45147-6

#Seizures #ketogenic diet

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/8MDyrS9WZAQ

Using a mouthwash following your exercise session may prevent the beneficial lowering of your blood pressure that physical activity typically triggers.  This observation was just published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine.

A group of 23 healthy adults ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes during two separate sessions.  At 30 minute intervals following the exercise, they rinsed out their mouths with either an antibacterial mouthwash or mint-flavored water.  Blood pressure measurements revealed that the antibacterial mouthwash reduced the typical blood pressure reductions by one-half.

The researchers found that the antibacterial mouthwash prevented a bacteria-triggered synthesis of the nitrites and nitrates that open blood vessels and reduce blood pressures.  This piece of the puzzle suggests that those suffering from elevated blood pressures should avoid anti-bacterial mouthwashes.

C. Cutler, M. Kiernan, J.R. Willis, L. Gallardo-Alfaro, P. Casas-Agustench, D. White, M. Hickson, T. Gabaldon, R. Bescos. Post-exercise hypotension and skeletal muscle oxygenation is regulated by nitrate-reducing activity of oral bacteria. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 2019; 143: 252 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2019.07.035

#Blood pressure #mouthwash #exercise #nitrates