Most of us love sweet foods and drinks. But after that short burst of sweetness, you may worry about how sweets affect your waistline and your overall health. Is sugar truly bad for us? How about artificial or low-calorie sweeteners? What have scientists learned about the sweet things that most of us eat and drink… Continue reading The Not-So-Sweet Truth About Sugar and Sweeteners
Tag: weight
10 Steps to Optimize Pregnancy
Trouble conceiving can be incredibly challenging, both physically and emotionally. However, there are several steps that women can take to optimize their chances of pregnancy. Here, fertility expert Dr. Zaher Merhi, Director of Research and Development in IVF Technologies at the New York City-based New Hope Fertility Center, offers ten steps that can help in… Continue reading 10 Steps to Optimize Pregnancy
Too Much of A Good Thing?
When it comes to sleep, more isn’t necessarily better, according to a global study. Researchers who studied more than 116,000 people in seven regions of the world found that who slept for longer than the recommended duration of six to eight hours a day had an increased risk of dying or developing diseases of the… Continue reading Too Much of A Good Thing?
Ask Your Doctor These Questions About Heart Disease
Heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States. If you’re concerned about your risk, the experts at the National Institute on Aging suggest asking your doctor and nurse these questions: 1.What is my risk for heart disease? 2.What is my blood pressure? 3.What are my cholesterol numbers? (These include total… Continue reading Ask Your Doctor These Questions About Heart Disease
3 Signs It’s Time to Seek Alternative Treatments for Overly Medicated Kids
Parents of children suffering from ADD, ADHD or other brain-based disorders can grow frustrated and even desperate as they seek to stem the difficulties they and their children face daily. Often, medicating the children becomes not just a last resort, but a first resort. Parents will try whatever they can to help their child, and… Continue reading 3 Signs It’s Time to Seek Alternative Treatments for Overly Medicated Kids
10 Questions to Ask about Your Heart-Disease Risk
Editor’s note: Heart disease is the number-one killer among women in the U.S. It’s essential that you know your own risk, and what you can do to lower it. Here, from the experts at the National Institute on Aging, are ten crucial questions to ask your doctor or nurse. If you think you won’t remember… Continue reading 10 Questions to Ask about Your Heart-Disease Risk
Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions Could Save Your Life
In case you need a reason to keep up your New Year’s resolutions – to exercise more, to eat better- researchers say that healthy choices may lead to a reduction of about one-third in cancer risk. Researchers led by Professor Peter Elwood of Cardiff University, UK examined preliminary data from the UK Biobank, a prospective… Continue reading Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions Could Save Your Life
Five Ways to Stop That Infernal Snoring
If your spouse or significant other snores, you may have just endured another sleepless night. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are steps you can take – or at least have him or her take – that could end the snoring and perhaps even save your spouse’s life in the process. A… Continue reading Five Ways to Stop That Infernal Snoring
Heart Disease and Disability
Older adults who have a healthy heart may lower their risk of disability, according to new research. The American Heart Association (AHA) defines “ideal cardiovascular health” based on four health behaviors (current smoking, body mass index, physical activity, and healthy diet) and three health factors (total cholesterol, blood pressure), and fasting blood glucose level). Recently,… Continue reading Heart Disease and Disability
Atrial Fibrillation: Men Develop It Earlier and Weight Is A Factor
Men develop a type of irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation, about a decade earlier than women on average, and being overweight is a major risk factor, according to a large new study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation. In atrial fibrillation, the upper chambers of the heart, or atria, quiver instead of… Continue reading Atrial Fibrillation: Men Develop It Earlier and Weight Is A Factor
Peripheral Artery Disease: What You Need to Know
As we age, it is common to be concerned about heart disease or high blood pressure. But many people don’t know that those conditions are also related to another common health issue, peripheral artery disease (PAD). Unfortunately, many patients are not diagnosed until it has progressed. PAD is caused when hardening of the arteries deprives… Continue reading Peripheral Artery Disease: What You Need to Know
Home Remedies That Can Help Stop Snoring
Although snoring is often the subject of jokes, it can be serious. Snoring affects up to half of adults, according to the Mayo Clinic. Snoring occurs when air flows past the relaxed tissues in your throat and causes the tissues to vibrate as you breathe. It’s often associated with a disorder called obstructive sleep apnea… Continue reading Home Remedies That Can Help Stop Snoring
Is My Dog or Cat a Healthy Weight? Questions to Ask Your Vet
Pets, like people, can be obese. Here are some tips from the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on how to recognize whether your furry friend should go on a diet. Your 8-year-old chocolate lab is putting on weight, and you know she should probably lose a pound or two. But when she looks at… Continue reading Is My Dog or Cat a Healthy Weight? Questions to Ask Your Vet
Your Marital Status and Your Health
Marital status can affect women’s health in a number of ways. A University of Arizona study suggests that women who marry later in life may gain a few extra pounds, while older women who are undergoing a divorce or separation may lose a few pounds and see improvements in health habits. “Earlier studies on marriage… Continue reading Your Marital Status and Your Health
How Healthy Are Your Kidneys?
Editor’s note: Keeping your kidneys healthy is a crucial issue for millions of people. Here, from the experts at the National Institute of Digestive and Diabetes and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), one of the National Institutes of Health, is what you need to know. The steps you take to keep your kidneys healthy help the rest… Continue reading How Healthy Are Your Kidneys?
What You Should Know About Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is probably less well known than cardiovascular disease, but it can be just as deadly. Experts from SeniorHealth, a division of the National Institutes of Health, share what you should know about the illness and how you can help prevent it: Peripheral arterial disease is a disease in which plaque builds… Continue reading What You Should Know About Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
Why Artificial Sweeteners Increase Appetite
Researchers have found exactly how artificial sweeteners can make people feel hungry and eat more. Studies have already suggested a link between these sweeteners and increased appetite, but the newest study explores how this procedure works. The investigation, co-led by the University of Sydney, was published in the journal Cell Metabolism. “After chronic exposure to… Continue reading Why Artificial Sweeteners Increase Appetite
Are You Really Eating in Moderation?
It’s a truism that “eating in moderation” is the best way to lose or maintain weight, but exactly what that term means varies widely. In fact, a new University of Georgia study says that the term may be so subjective that it’s useless. The more people like a food, the more forgiving their definitions of… Continue reading Are You Really Eating in Moderation?