Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/oD9WB_S7kZc

Even if you’re at a normal weight or maybe a few pounds over, cutting an extra 300 calories out of your daily tally has significant health benefits.  A Duke University study of 218 young and middle aged healthy and non-obese subjects now shows that reducing your calorie intake by about 12% over a 2 year period will significantly improve your cardiovascular, metabolic, and general health.

Those participants who trimmed the calories had a significant reduction in those inflammatory factors that drive heart disease, cancer and mental decline.  As a bonus, they realized a 10% weight loss nearly ¾ of which was from fat.

I’ll bet you can consume 300 fewer calories a day without even missing them.  Forgo that candy bar, bypass the bagel, skip the second slice of pepperoni pizza, or avoid that large cup of Coke,   Then again, you can also burn 300 extra calories with longer or more intense exercise.  It’s your choice.

William E Kraus, Manjushri Bhapkar, Kim M Huffman, Carl F Pieper, Sai Krupa Das, Leanne M Redman, Dennis T Villareal, James Rochon, Susan B Roberts, Eric Ravussin, John O Holloszy, Luigi Fontana. 2 years of calorie restriction and cardiometabolic risk (CALERIE): exploratory outcomes of a multicentre, phase 2, randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/S2213-8587(19)30151-2

https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/45-common-foods-and-the-number-of-calories-they-contain.htm

#Caloriereduction #exercise #inflammation #heart

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/mBkTDPeg6lI

Throughout life, we accumulate brainpower, known technically as Cognitive Reserve (CR), by participating in formal education, reading, writing, gaming, and having social interactions.  A new study from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute’s Neurobiology Department and Chicago’s Rush University Alzheimer’s Research Center tells us that this extra Cognitive Reserve may protect us from from developing Alzheimer’s and other dementias as we age.

The study group of some 1600 healthy older adults was followed for 20 years and their CRs tabulated.  Those with the highest CR scores were nearly 40% less likely to develop dementia., though about one-quarter of the group eventually developed Alzheimer’s.  

If you want to enjoy a long life in full possession of your brainpower, commit to making regular deposits to your mind’s Cognitive Reserve by learning, reading, problem-solving, and socializing now and always.

Xu H, Yang R, Qi X, et al. Association of Lifespan Cognitive Reserve Indicator With Dementia Risk in the Presence of Brain Pathologies. JAMA Neurol. Published online July 14, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.2455

#CognitiveReserve #dementia #Alzheimers #education #socialization

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/mLKKARFLkTM

 This is Health News You Should Use, the latest medical discoveries and commonsense advice that you can use in a practical way to keep yourself and your family healthy.  

Here are this weeks stories :

Warmer Screens At Night May Curb Your Appetite

Odd Eating Indicates Autism

Exercise Fuels Better Thinking For the Overweight

Lassie May Prevent Childhood Allergies

Mind Clearing Helps You Resist Temptations

Larger Screens Deliver Video News More Powerfully

Minecraft Play Increases Creativity

Hospitalized Pneumonia Patients Over-treated With Antibiotics

Exercise Is Better The Same Time Each Day

Triclosan Weakens Womens’ Bones

Will Sugary Drinks Give You Cancer?

Toddlers Word Learning Soars In Daycare

Maternal Obesity Triggers Childhood Leukemia

Marijuana For Chronic Pain

A High Tech Vaccine For Fake News

For show notes and references to for the stories, check out my website at: https://www.drhowardsmith.com/july-2019-2nd-week-health-news

#Bluelight #sugar #obesity #warmlight #Autism #eatingdisorders #earlyintervention #ASD #Exercise #obesity #insulinsensitivity #cognition #Dogs #allergy #wheezing #atopicdermatitis #Alcohol #obesity #addiction #stress #memory #fatigue #News #smartphone #laptop #Minecraft #creativity #education #Supplements #Antibiotics #pneumonia #overtreatment #Obesity #cancer #smoking #Exercise #temporalconsistency #dieting #Triclosan #osteoporosis #demineralization #Pregnancy #obesity #cancer #leukemia #Cannabis #pain #opioids #NSAIDS #women #postmenopausal #Sugarydrinks #cancer #dietdrinks #artificialsweetening #breastcancer #Toddlers #language #daycare #parenting

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/F2wbdM4T7EA

There is an epidemic of lies on the internet, and we are all confronted daily with so-called news that is, in fact propaganda.  Just as your brain can be conned, it is possible to train it to withstand these attacks with an electronic from of BS repellent.

The UK’s University of Cambridge and its Social Decision-Making Lab have developed a browser game called Bad News that can help your brain withstand the assault of half-truths and frank lies.  A group of 15,000 test subjects played the game for only 15 minutes yet afterward were 24% more likely to dismiss fake headlines and tweets, 20% less likely to fall for a false conspiracy, and 19% more likely to believe a legitimate new source that was being smeared and trolled online.

You can and should try the game yourself at getbadnews.com. With the upcoming, critical elections, we all must be more sophisticated and discerning consumers of the news.  And a can of BS repellent on your phone won’’t hurt either!

Jon Roozenbeek & Sander van der Linden. Fake news game confers psychological resistance against online misinformation. Palgrave Communications, 2019 DOI: 10.1057/s41599-019-0279-9

https://getbadnews.com

#Fakenews #lies #conspiracies #trolling

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/Mmr5bCArcSU

Cannabis in its various forms does curb pain.  This is the conclusion of study from New York’s Einstein College of Medicine and the University of Miami just published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

The investigators studied 1000 user-customers of a Colorado dispensary with most being under the age of 50.  Nearly two-thirds of the group reported using cannabis for pain relief, and almost three-quarters of pain sufferers used it daily.  

Eighty percent reported that marijuana was extremely or very helpful for controlling their pain.  Eighty-two percent stopped or reduced use of over-the-counter pain meds, and a full 88% stopped or reduced use of opioids.

Given our current opioid crisis, this news is good news indeed.  If you suffer from chronic pain, you should receive care from pain specialists who can offer you cannabis as yet one more option.

Marcus Bachhuber, Julia H. Arnsten, Gwen Wurm. Use of Cannabis to Relieve Pain and Promote Sleep by Customers at an Adult Use Dispensary. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2019; DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2019.1626953

#Cannabis #pain #opioids #NSAIDS

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/pKHclU_qRSA

Summer is a prime time for baby-making.  Before you take that plunge, you prospective moms, make sure your weight is under control.  

A just released, frightening study from the University of Pittsburgh shows that children of women obese at the time of pregnancy were 57% more likely to develop leukemia before the age of 5.  The Pitt epidemiologists analyzed almost 2 million birth records and 3,000 pediatric cancer cases in Pennsylvania.

The good news, if there is any, is that that awful statistic applies to the severely obese women with BMIs, body mass indices, above 40.  That’s equivalent to a weight of 235 pounds for a woman who is 5 ft 4 inches tall.  

The risk of cancer does diminish with the BMI, so it pays to lose those pounds and approach an ideal weight before conceiving and embarking on parenthood.

Shaina L Stacy, Jeanine M Buchanich, Zhen-qiang Ma, Christina Mair, Linda Robertson, Ravi K Sharma, Evelyn O Talbott, Jian-Min Yuan. Maternal Obesity, Birth Size, and Risk of Childhood Cancer Development. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwz118

#Pregnancy #obesity #cancer #leukemia

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/IfhsrH3V-X4

Toddlers nearing their second birthday learn new word associations better when they spend time with other toddlers rather than only adults.  A study published in the September edition of the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology comes from Canada’s University of Waterloo.

The investigators studied 88 toddlers in two groups: those who spend their days with other children and others who only spent time with peers once a week.  The children in both groups processed familiar words well.  The kids spending more time with other children were better able to pick up new words and linked them with persons and things, which is what language is all about.

The “news you should use” is the unsurprising fact that developing children need contact with their peers as well as with adults.  Keep that in mind when you as a parent structure their life.

Dana E. Bernier, Katherine S. White. Toddlers’ sensitivity to phonetic detail in child speech. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2019; 185: 128 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2019.04.021

#Toddlers #language #daycare #parenting

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/TDcZ0q1apbs

It’s all over the news.  Sugar-sweetened drinks increase your risk of cancer.  Well let’s take a closer look at the data.

The study comes from Sorbonne Paris’ Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, and it reviewed health and dietary records from over 100,000 participants with a mean age of 42 years and followed over an 8 year period.  The investigators looked at some 3300 food products.

Drinking just 3 ounces more 3 z.of sugary drinks a day increases the overall risk of any cancer by 18% and breast cancer in pre-menopausal women by 22%.  Drinking the same amount of 100% fruit juices increases the risk of any cancer by 10%.  Let’s look at the fine print.  

But let’s look at the fine print.  Carbonated, sweetened drinks like Coke or Pepsi did not increase the risk.  Artificially-sweetened drinks, carbonated or not, did not increase the risk.  Drinking sugary drinks did not increase the risk of lung cancer, colorectal cancers, pancreatic cancer, or prostate cancer.

Don’t forget that sugary drinks will make you fat, and obesity has its own cancer as well as diabetes risks.  As always, moderation is the best policy.  If you like the sugary taste, stick with artificially-sweetened drinks or that occasional fruit juice.

Chazelas Eloi, Srour Bernard, Desmetz Elisa, Kesse-Guyot Emmanuelle, Julia Chantal, Deschamps Valérie et al. Sugary drink consumption and risk of cancer: results from NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort BMJ 2019; 366 :l2408

#Sugarydrinks #cancer #dietdrinks #artificialsweetening #breastcancer

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/tmSkorpdkQ8

If you’re a woman with bone density problems, you’d better watch the ingredients in your toothpaste, mouthwash, and soap.  A study just published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism shows that the common antibacterial triclosan, added to many consumer products, is associated with bone issues in women.

The study reviewed data from more than 1800 women participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.  Those women found to have higher levels of triclosan in their urine samples had a higher incidence of bone issues including osteoporosis of the thigh, hip, and lower spine.

Triclosan is simply bad news.  Earlier this year, I reported to you that it can also inactivate certain antibiotics including amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin.  You should avoid it in all products by checking the ingredients before you buy.

Shaofang Cai, Jiahao Zhu, Lingling Sun, Chunhong Fan, Yaohong Zhong, Qing Shen, Yingjun Li. Association between urinary triclosan with bone mass density and osteoporosis in the US adult women, 2005-2010. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2019; DOI: 10.1210/jc.2019-00576

#Triclosan #osteoporosis #demineralization #women #postmenopausal

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/F6xnFH4gA-w

Those who exercise with moderate to vigorous physical activity the same time each day more often successfully maintain their weight loss.  A study from Brown University was just published in the journal Obesity.

Nutritional researchers there studied 375 adult subjects who had successfully maintained a weight loss of more than 30 lbs for more than one year.  Of this group, 68% report consistently exercising at the same time of day.  In addition, this time of day consistency was associated with more daily exercise sessions per week as well as a significant increase in duration of each session.  Almost 48% of the participants reported early morning exercise sessions.

Vigorous exercise is wonderful for your body and soul.  Pick a time, any time, for a daily workout, and you will be able to better control your weight and enjoy better health.

Leah M. Schumacher, J. Graham Thomas, Hollie A. Raynor, Ryan E. Rhodes, Kevin C. O’Leary, Rena R. Wing, Dale S. Bond. Relationship of Consistency in Timing of Exercise Performance and Exercise Levels Among Successful Weight Loss Maintainers. Obesity, 2019; DOI: 10.1002/oby.22535

#Exercise #temporalconsistency #dieting