Archive for the ‘Lifestyle Modification’ Category

Hi Everyone,

We are excited to let you know about a new feature of RightHealth’s DailyDose blog.  Starting today, every Monday will be “Ask the Doctor” day.  In every Monday’s DailyDose post, I will respond to one of the questions posed by our readers.  If you have a question about a personal health issue or want to learn more about health topic that you find interesting, please email it to dailydose@righthealth.com.  Don’t worry, your identity will be kept confidential.

Please understand that we can’t answer all of your questions each week!  But we’ll do our best to select the questions which have the broadest interest among you.

So let’s get started!  This week’s question is from Mark V…

The cardiologist who recently examined President Obama, an admitted occasional smoker, told the Commander in Chief that although he received a clean bill of health, he’s still at risk for heart disease because he is a smoker in a high-stress job. Does smoking less frequently or just occasionally reduce the health risks for smokers?

Smoking accounts for over 400 thousand deaths annually in the United States, mostly in the form of lung cancer, stroke, and coronary heart disease. In fact, smoking increases every kind of cancer risk with 80% of lung cancers linked to smoking. It doesn’t matter if you smoke only one cigarette a day or one pack a day. The act of smoking will increase your risk of these diseases. We also know there is a clear link between second hand smoke and cardiovascular disease. Approximately 23 to 70 thousand premature deaths occur each year in the U.S. because of second hand smoke.

Does smoking less reduce health risks? The answer is yes. If you smoke three packs a day as opposed to one pack a day, you do have more of a risk for heart disease.  But it’s not until you quit smoking do you see some amazing results. Here’s what we know:

• At 20 minutes after quitting your blood pressure decreases and the body temperature of your hands and feet increase, due to improved circulation.
• At 24 hours you begin to see a decrease in heart attack risk.
• At 48 hours your senses of smell and taste improve and nerve endings actually begin to regrow!
• After 1 year your risk of coronary heart disease drops by 50%.
• After 5-15 years your stroke risk drops by 50%.
• After 10 years your risk of lung cancer drops by 50%.
• After 15 years your risk of coronary heart disease and death rate returns to the same level as those who never smoked.

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A new study released this week of over 30 thousand US children found that, on average, kids snack three times a day. What’s more, over half of these children snack 4 times a day. Compared with data from the 1970s which show children consuming over 400 daily calories from snacks, kids today consume nearly 600 daily calories from snack food alone. “My underlying fear is that we’re moving away from being hungry and eating for satiation to just eating,” said Dr. Barry M. Popkin, co-author of the study and director of nutrition epidemiology at the University of North Carolina. Although caloric intake from snacks have increased over time, the average child’s total daily calories have only increased by 113 calories. This means that snack calories have replaced mealtime calories, which is not a good thing since sweet snacks (cookies and cakes) and salty snacks (chips and pretzels) are the top two most consumed categories of snack. [via New York Times]

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A study published in the March, 2010 edition of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine suggests that children who spend more time engaged with electronic communication and entertainment mediums such as cellphones, televisions and computers, form lower quality relationships with their families and peers. Conversely, teens who spend more time reading and doing homework reported a higher level of attachment to parents. Overall, the more screen time teens get, the more difficulty they had in forming relationships or emotional bonds with others. The authors theorize that spending more time interacting with screen-based activities prevent teens from interacting with those around them. “However, it is also possible that adolescents with poor attachment relationships with immediate friends and family use screen-based activities to facilitate new attachment figures such as online friendships or parasocial relationships with television characters or personalities,” the authors write. Can modern technology really impact social development, psychological and physical well-being? Certainly. But, could there be positive benefits of screen time as well? [via PHYSORG]

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A new study in this month’s issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology demonstrates that excessive weight gain during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, can increase a woman’s risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Although it’s known that too much weight gain can lead to GDM (which is one of the reasons why doctors carefully follow a pregnant woman’s weight), results from the current study shows that women who gained more weight during pregnancy than recommended by the US Institute of Medicine were 50% more likely to develop the disorder. GDM can lead to early delivery, increased risk of c-sections, type 2 diabetes in the mother post-partum, and even increases the likelihood that the child will develop diabetes and obesity later in life. [HealthDay via Yahoo! News]

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Green tea has been touted for various health benefits (such as fighting against heart disease and cancer) largely due to it’s high level of antioxidants called catechins. Now, Chinese scientists have found that the catechins appear to be able to penetrate into the tissues of the eyes, especially into the retina, which is the light-sensing tissue that lines the back of the eye. The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, demonstrated that this antioxidant activity can last for up to 20 hours after drinking green tea extract. The authors theorize that the readily absorbed antioxidants help to protect the delicate tissues of the eye from glaucoma and other eye diseases. However, it must be noted that East Asians experience the highest rate of blindness from one common type of glaucoma, despite being among the largest consumers of green tea. Therefore, further studies will definitely be needed to confirm any protective ocular effects of green tea in humans. [Via WebMD]

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A study from New York-Presbyterian Hospital in the current issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association, shows that American women’s awareness of heart attack symptoms remain just as poor as it was over a decade ago. In fact, only 53% of women said they would call 9-1-1 if they were having symptoms of a heart attack. The majority of women were also not aware of these common symptoms – only 56%  cited chest pain and neck, shoulder and arm pain, 29% shortness of breath, 17% chest tightness, 15% nausea, and 7% fatigue as signs of heart attack. However, it should be noted that women do not necessarily experience these same classic symptoms as the majority of men. A significant number of women will experience symptoms such as shortness of breath, weakness, unusual fatigue, cold sweat, and dizziness as major symptoms during a heart attack. So, as heart disease continues to remain the top killer of women in the US, it is evident that continued education directed towards awareness of heart attacks in women is very much needed. [via Medical News Today]

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In light of First Lady Michelle Obama’s initiative to combat childhood obesity, updated data shows that the rate of childhood obesity has, indeed, not declined. According to the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2007-2008), the percentage of obese children, defined by BMI, has remained steady with nearly 17% of children having BMIs above the 95th percentile. This figure is identical to a decade ago when childhood obesity skyrocketed from approximately 5% to 17% between 1980 and 1999. Does this mean that the rate of childhood obesity has plateaued? Are we finally seeing the result of years of effort in attempting to curb childhood obesity? Perhaps, but one thing we know is that the rate has not declined and continued effort is much needed in order to reduce the future health burden obesity can confer on these children. [via Journal Watch Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine]

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A study published in the latest issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, examines the New York City Department of Education’s 2004 decision to eliminate whole and flavored milk from its schools. The study states the substitution of low-fat and fat-free milk for whole milk in schools can greatly reduce students’ consumption of calories and fat and help combat the childhood obesity epidemic (40% of New York City children are obese by the age of 11).  This simple change means that a milk-drinking student was exposed to 33 fewer calories and 3.4 fewer grams of fat per school day, which is equivalent to 5,960 fewer calories and 619 fewer grams of fat per year. Initially, the consumption of milk by students declined, but by 2009 had increased to 1.3% above the rate at the start of the initiative. But will decreasing caloric intake from milk reduce overall caloric intake and make a dent in the childhood obesity epidemic? It’s a great idea, but there are many more high-calorie foods out there beyond milk to contend with. [via HealthDay]

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Researchers from the Karolinska Institute are embarking on a new paradigm in exercise physiology after publishing a paper in this month’s British Journal of Sports Medicine. The study authors argue that prolonged periods of sitting is an entity distinct from the commonly used terminology “sedentary behavior,” which means a general lack of exercise. Rather, they contend that the use of the term “muscular inactivity” more accurately describes a state of being in which people have prolonged periods when even light physical activity is not achieved. This is important because research shows that periods of prolonged sitting and lack of whole body muscular activity is strongly associated with the development of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer, regardless of whether moderate or vigorous exercise was performed. This goes to show that maintaining an intermittent level of activity that involve total body muscle movement (climbing stairs, walking to run errands, taking a walking break during sedentary work) is just as important as incorporating moderate to vigorous exercise into your routine. [via Medical News Today]

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After tackling high-calorie fast foods and trans fats, the New York City Health Department is teaming up with other municipalities and companies to reduce the amount of salt in prepackaged and restaurant foods over the next five years. “Salt is a huge problem in our diets,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, director of the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Control Program at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. “The majority of us consume too much salt, which increases blood pressure and puts us at risk for heart attack and stroke.” Most people need about 1,500 mg of salt per day. However, the average American adult consumes upwards of 3,500 mg, mostly from prepackaged and restaurant-served meals. The goal of the New York City initiative is to reduce sodium levels in prepared foods, so as to allow consumers to add salt if desired. Subway, one of the participating restaurants, has already committed to reducing salt in their sandwiches nationwide. “If salt is reduced gradually, we won’t notice a difference in our palate,” Angell said. “Our palate will adjust and we’ll enjoy foods as much as we do now.” [via CNN]

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