UF Health Podcasts

It’s August, and your kids are likely preparing to return to school. Supplies are packed, lunches are made and blissful quiet awaits you at home. But before you send them off, make sure their eyes are classroom-ready.

August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, so it’s no time to neglect an aspect crucial to your child’s academic success. A 2020 study by Canadian and Belgian researchers used visual screenings of schoolchildren ages 6 to 12 and found that students with poor visual health performed worse in school compared with their 20/20-vision peers.

Those with visual disorders were found to be at a significant disadvantage in the classroom. Luckily, there are ways to maintain your child’s visual health and ensure they get the most of their education.

Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer several easily managed tips.

Staying active and eating a balanced diet is one recommendation. Spending time outside eases eye strain caused by near-vision activities, and ditching processed lunches for whole grains and leafy greens can provide eye-benefiting nutrients like zinc and vitamin A.

Technology is a classroom staple, but when children aren’t at school, limit their use of digital screens. Johns Hopkins debunked the blue light myth but said screens still cause eye strain, which can lead to other eye problems.

The back-to-school buzz can make it difficult to stick to a routine, but ensuring children are getting enough sleep and having regular eye exams is vital to eye recovery and screening.

You can’t learn if you can’t see, so don’t let your child’s eye health take a backseat.

“Screenager” is a term often used to describe tech-savvy teens who irritate their parents with extended stints online. But is it more than that?

A new study from University College London found that increased internet addictions among adolescents may cause more serious health issues.

Researchers reviewed 12 studies involving adolescents ages 10 to 19 who had been clinically diagnosed with an internet addiction.

The studies used functional MRIs to track blood flow and evaluate how different regions of the brain interact. Adolescents were observed while resting and while completing a task, and the results were used to determine the effects of internet addiction on their behavior and development.

The researchers found there was a mix of activity in the parts of the brain engaged when resting. But there was an overall decrease in connectivity in parts of the brain involved in active thinking.

The study found that these changes led to addictive tendencies and behaviors in adolescents. Behavioral changes associated with mental health, motor coordination, intellectual ability, and development were also seen.

In an increasingly digitalized world, internet addiction might sound like a phrase made up by gripey parents who can’t get a screen-free meal with their offspring. But underdeveloped adolescent brains are especially vulnerable to external stimulation, and the consequences can be drastic.

While it may be unrealistic to quit the internet cold turkey, it’s a good idea think about occasionally pulling the plug.

Meat has been a staple of the human diet for approximately three million years — since our ancient ancestors were scavenging raw meat and fish, and long before the invention of fire and cooking.

But times change. Today, we have access to an array of plant-based meat alternatives, or PBMAs, packed with comparable nutrients to real meat.

At the same, there is more awareness than ever about the negative cardiac effects of highly processed foods — which describes many PBMAs.

When it comes to heart health, how do these fake meats stack up to real meat?

Scientists recently explored this question by looking at research on PBMAs published from 1970 to 2023, including their nutritional profiles and their impacts on cardiovascular disease risk factors.

The nutritional profiles of meat alternatives were found to vary greatly but tend to align with guidelines aimed at improving heart health. The PBMAs tended to have less saturated fat and more polyunsaturated fat and dietary fiber than their meat counterparts.

Fake meat is typically highly processed and high in sodium, but the researchers did not find evidence that these factors negate the potential heart benefits.

Instead, they found that some dietary trials where meat was replaced with PBMAs showed improvements in cardiovascular risk factors, including cholesterol and body weight.

Researchers said that, based on the existing evidence, opting for PBMAs instead of meat may provide heart-healthy benefits, though research continues in this area.

While our ancient ancestors may have scoffed at fake meat, the protein-rich alternatives may have a permanent place at the table for modern humans.

It’s summer, the temperature is rising, and so are the number of heat-related emergencies.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitals across the country are seeing higher numbers of emergency room visits related to heat illnesses.

And it’s not necessarily the regions with the highest temperatures that have the highest number of heat-related emergencies.

While climate change has boosted the frequency and intensity of heat waves across the country, the CDC attributes two factors to the surge in emergencies.

For one, some buildings are not designed most effectively to beat the heat. Some in the mid-Atlantic or Midwest are less likely to have air-conditioning than those in the typically sweltering South or the West.

Another factor is the inexperience some have dealing with hot, outdoor locations. Some locales simply are not designed to deal with heat. They lack infrastructure — think splash pads at parks or giant tarps made for shade.

While heat exhaustion is primarily experienced by those who work or exercise outdoors, it can happen to anyone who can’t shed heat fast enough.

It often starts with heavy sweating, cool or clammy skin, weakness, and a fast or weak pulse. Then it can progress to heatstroke, evidenced by high body temperature, a headache, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. A heatstroke victim can show neurological symptoms like confusion. Or they may faint.

People with underlying health conditions are at the greatest risk.

Do yourself a favor and get familiar with your local heat advisories. And if you’d like to avoid the ER, stay hydrated and stay indoors when the heat is doing its worst.

Good news for coffee-lovers in cubicle land: That daily latte might be doing more than just waking you up. A new study finds that people who regularly drink coffee seem to gain some protection from the increased risk of death associated with prolonged sitting.

Chinese researchers studied data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Survey, focusing on 2007 to 2018. They used a representative sample of over 10,000 U.S. adults and followed participants for up to 12 years.

The study looked at how long people sat each day and how much coffee they drank based on their responses to the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and a 24-hour dietary recall interview.

Participants were placed into four groups based on the hours per day they spent sitting. They were also placed in four groups based on coffee consumption, measured in grams per day.

The study found there was a 46% greater risk of dying from any cause and a 79% greater risk of dying from cardiovascular disease for those who sat for more than eight hours a day, compared with those who sat no more than four hours.

But those who drank coffee were at a significantly lower risk. The most dedicated coffee drinkers had a 33% lower risk of dying from any cause and a 54% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with those who didn’t drink coffee.

Only those who avoided coffee had an increased risk of death due to prolonged sitting.

This doesn’t mean you should be downing a caramel mocha latte every day. And more research is needed to fully understand coffee in all its complexity. But a cup or two of joe might not be a bad idea.

When you’re at a wedding reception and dancing begins, do you break into a sweat at the very idea of dancing, or do you kick off your shoes? If you’re the latter, your ability to loosen up may be more important than your ability to break into a cha-cha slide.

New research from scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Germany sheds light on how dancing is associated with different personality traits.

The study examined data from a large group: 5,435 individuals from Sweden and 574 from Germany, focusing on key traits like openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

The study found that both amateur and professional dancers tend to have lower levels of neuroticism compared with those who don’t dance. They also tend to be more agreeable, open, and extroverted, aligning with similar findings in studies that looked at musicians.

Compared with musicians, dancers are not more neurotic, but — on the contrary — less neurotic than people who do not dance.

Also noteworthy: The type of dance matters as much as the dancing itself. For example, swing dancers showed lower neuroticism levels than Latin and ballroom dancers, suggesting that dance styles might shape our personalities in distinct ways.

Looking ahead, researchers plan to broaden their work to include a larger group of dancers from diverse cultures and styles.

And while no one is suggesting we’re all meant to be Fred Astaire, dancing is one way of engaging in a meaningful social and creative activity with potential psychological benefits — whether you’d consider yourself neurotic or not.

It’s human nature. Many of us probably don’t even know we’re doing it. You’re in the supermarket, rolling a cart through the produce section.

Ah, here comes broccoli, one of the healthiest foods available. You drop some into the shopping basket. The vegetable will work its magic with numerous health benefits, from helping lower blood sugar to reducing heart disease risk. It’s a superfood so healthy that it will probably tell you to fasten your seatbelt on the ride home.

Later, a few aisles away, you see a chocolate bar. You’ve made the healthy choice with broccoli, even though you hate its taste. Maybe you deserve a reward. The chocolate joins broccoli in the cart as they no doubt scowl at one another.

If this seems far-fetched, like something you’d never do, think again.

A recent European study shows that grocery shoppers tend to follow their healthy food purchases with unhealthy selections and vice versa. At times, we might be doing it subconsciously. It’s a veritable tug of war between vice and virtue, with our best-laid shopping plans subject to the whims of a sweet tooth.

Researchers literally followed 5,000 shoppers at a Dutch supermarket chain, scanning their food choices as the selections were made. Then, they conducted an online simulation with 500 Americans.

The study found that in both scenarios, a guilty pleasure like chocolate more often followed a healthier choice. At the same time, junk food was most often followed by a selection that would make a cardiologist happy.

The lesson is to remain committed to your health and shopping goals. Do not listen to the siren song of the frosted donuts in the bakery section.

How often do you take aspirin? A couple of times a week? Do you use it every day?

For years, doctors recommended that patients take a low-dose aspirin to prevent heart disease. As a result, the Annals of Internal Medicine found more than 18.5 million older adults — more than the population in 46 states — regularly take aspirin for that purpose alone.

Did you know that in some cases, aspirin use may do more harm than good?

It’s no longer recommended for all older patients as a guard against cardiovascular disease. In 2019, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology suggested blood thinners should not be used to prevent cardiovascular issues in adults 70 and older.

Three years later, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that people 60 years old and older with no history of heart issues should refrain from using aspirin.

That’s because aspirin increases your risk of gastrointestinal bleeding.

Experts say some patients may still benefit from a daily aspirin to lower the risk of blood clots. These patients include those who have previously suffered a heart attack or a stroke, or have been diagnosed with heart disease.

The drug is also known to be appropriate for those between the ages of 40 and 59 who do not have a history of bleeding but struggle with obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and other risk factors.

So, if you haven’t started an aspirin a day regimen, check with your doctor first. And if you are already in the habit of taking a daily aspirin, check back in with your doctor to be sure it’s still a good idea for you.

We’ve all seen it. You’re at a major airport preparing to catch a 7 a.m. flight, you pass a bar and it’s full of people drinking. Or you settle into your seat and your neighbor is desperately flagging a flight attendant for a pre-takeoff gin and tonic.

Whether it’s trying to calm frazzled-flyer nerves, kick-start a vacation, or just hoping for sleep, many air passengers opt for cocktails or a glass of wine to pass the time.

However, a study from the U.K. says you put yourself at risk when drinking alcohol on airplanes, especially on longer flights when you plan to sleep.

That’s because alcohol and altitude are a bad mix. As the airplane climbs higher, the cabin’s oxygen level drops. This causes your blood oxygen level to decrease.

And it makes your heart work harder. Researchers found study participants had an elevated heart rate after drinking and falling asleep, compared with their sober-flyer friends. Both lower blood oxygen levels and increased heart rates are telltale signs of cardiovascular strain.

Some passengers use alcohol as a sleep aid. While imbibing may help you fall asleep faster, your quality of sleep deteriorates as your body works to breaks down alcohol. You wake up more often and you’ll likely feel worse when you do.

So, what’s a tired traveler to do? Experts say it’s best to avoid alcohol before and during a flight. That is especially so if you have a heart or lung condition.

Fortunately, there are other ways to relax. Consider a travel pillow, an eye mask, and ear plugs. Headphones with calming music or white noise can help. Just don’t go looking for rest in the bottom of a glass.

In parts of the U.S., summer brings reports of anthrax in cattle. It hits rapidly, killing cattle without warning. That’s why some ranchers vaccinate their herds.

Anthrax is caused by bacteria that can lie dormant in the soil for many years before being reactivated and causing infections. Anthrax vaccine is inexpensive and effective, but it must be used with caution to prevent exposure to humans.

Anthrax is a reportable disease because it has serious health ramifications — both for people and animals. In areas where anthrax persists year after year, annual vaccination of cattle is generally recommended. Even so, consultation with a veterinarian is advised before vaccinating any animals.