5 timeless habits for better health
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
Is your breakfast cereal healthy?
When pain signals an emergency: Symptoms you should never ignore
Does exercise give you energy?
Acupuncture for pain relief: How it works and what to expect
How to avoid jet lag: Tips for staying alert when you travel
Biofeedback therapy: How it works and how it can help relieve pain
Best vitamins and minerals for energy
Should you take probiotics with antibiotics?
Staying Healthy Archive
Articles
Any benefits to intermittent fasting diets?
Ask the doctor
Image: bopa/Thinkstock
Q. I have read about diets that involve fasting for one day, followed by normal eating for the rest of the week. Are there any benefits to this kind of diet??
A. Most diets achieve weight loss through the same equation—a reduction in total daily calories consumed in relation to the calories needed to maintain your weight.
Another way to think about dementia
Vascular dementia is a less prevalent type of memory loss that nonetheless affects many older men.
Image: Mike Watson Images/Thinkstock
While Alzheimer's disease continues to be the most recognized type of dementia, older men should also be mindful about the second most common: vascular dementia.
In vascular dementia, memory problems result from damage to large and small blood vessels in the brain. It develops when cholesterol-clogged blood vessels can't deliver enough oxygen to the brain. Small blockages deprive some brain cells of oxygen, which causes a series of small strokes that kill brain cells. This can lead to episodes of confusion, slurred speech, and problems thinking or remembering.
Should I restrict calories for longevity?
Some potential medicines appear capable, in animals, of producing the same changes in body chemistry that calorie restriction does.
Where the worst type of fat is hiding in supermarket foods
Trans fats are undeniably bad for health, and they're still in many foods.
Image: GPointsStudio/Thinkstock
Lurking on supermarket shelves, within colorful, seemingly harmless packages, is something that can cause serious harm to your health: trans fat. "No amount of trans fat is acceptable, from a health standpoint," says registered dietitian Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.
About trans fat
Still a danger
Meanwhile, food manufacturers are allowed to use partially hydrogenated oils in their products, and so are restaurants. And if you're not savvy about reading Nutrition Facts labels, you may not detect the trans fat in your food. "The FDA doesn't require trans fat to be listed until there's a half gram or more per serving," explains McManus, "so the label may show zero grams of trans fat, even if a serving contains almost half a gram."
Are small amounts of trans fat dangerous? "It adds up, especially if you eat several foods with trans fat each day," says McManus. Based on FDA estimates, researchers at the CDC report it is possible that eliminating trans fats in the diet may prevent as many as 10,000 to 20,000 heart attacks and 3,000 to 7,000 deaths from heart disease each year.
Become a detective
What about other fats?
All fat is high in calories (nine calories per gram of fat, versus four calories per gram of carbohydrate, for example). A high-calorie diet can lead to weight gain, which can lead to chronic health problems.
An excess of saturated fats (such as those found in whole milk, butter, and red meat) can increase "bad" LDL cholesterol and lead to heart disease. Limit saturated fats to less than 7% of your total daily calories or less than 12 grams in a 1,500-calorie diet.
Some fats, within calorie limits, are good for you. Such "good" fats include monounsaturated fat (such as those in olive and canola oils, most nuts, peanut butter, and avocados) and polyunsaturated fat (for instance, in salmon, mackerel, walnuts, and safflower oil). Both are associated with lower LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol when substituted for saturated fats.
Surprising sources of trans fat that list 0 grams on the Nutrition Facts label | ||
Product type | Brand | Identifying ingredient |
Frozen fish fillets | Sea Cuisine Potato-Crusted Cod | Partially hydrogenated soybean oil |
Coffee drink mix | Hills Bros. Double Mocha Cappuccino | Partially hydrogenated coconut oil |
Breakfast cereal | Kellogg's Apple Jacks | Partially hydrogenated soy-bean and/or cottonseed oil |
Seasoned bread crumbs | Vigo | One or more partially hydrogenated oils (soybean, cottonseed, corn, canola) |
Indoor cycling for older adults
Today's high-tech stationary bikes are ridden at top speed, with instructors telling cyclists when to coast, sprint, and climb.
Image: JackF/Thinkstock
One of the hottest trends among the workout set springs from your old stationary bicycle. The new use for old wheels is a supercharged cardio workout called indoor cycling or Spinning (its trademarked name). First popular in the 1990s, the activity is still going strong and is now popular among older adults. "Many classes are specifically for seniors, with instructors who are familiar with modifications for your age group," says Jacob Girlinghouse, a physical therapist with Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.
The workout and benefits
Is it right for you?
While indoor cycling classes are safe for most people, get your doctor's okay first, especially if you have a heart problem. If you have an injury, pain in your neck or back, or any serious medical conditions, it may be a good idea to ride a regular stationary bicycle at your own pace until your pain subsides. If you are unsure, ask your physician or your physical therapist.
If you have balance problems, a Spinning class can be a safe alternative to other forms of cardiovascular exercise because you exercise while seated. "If your balance is good enough to get on and off the bike safely, then you should be good to go. However, if you feel unsteady when mounting or dismounting, a stationary recumbent bike might be a better option for you," says Girlinghouse.
Making it work
Walking program linked to reduced disability
It appears that adopting a regular routine of moderate physical activity, such as walking, helps older adults remain mobile longer and may also help them to recover faster from physical disabilities.
Say cheese?
Dairy products don't seem to harm the heart. But plant-based fats are probably a better choice than cheese.
Image: AlexPro9500/Thinkstock
Health-conscious consumers know to steer clear of diets that include lots of meat—especially fatty, salty processed meat. But what's the deal with dairy? Nutrition experts have long recommended low-fat milk and yogurt as good choices for getting the two to three daily servings of dairy recommended by federal dietary guidelines.
Over the past few decades, Americans have been spooning up more yogurt and drinking much less milk. But the biggest change by far has been in our cheese consumption, which has skyrocketed since the 1970s (see "Trends in dairy intake: Less milk, more cheese and yogurt").
How winter’s chill can challenge your heart
A few simple precautions can minimize your risk.
Image: robertiez/Thinkstock
Every time you venture out into the bone-shivering, teeth-chattering cold of a Northern winter, your heart and blood vessels kick into overdrive to keep your internal organs cozy. To accomplish this feat, the tiny blood vessels in outlying areas such as the fingers and toes constrict to stem the loss of body heat into the environment. The flip side of this protective maneuver is that the heart must beat against extra force to overcome the resistance it meets in the narrowed vessels.
Supply and demand mismatch
Smart precautions
You can minimize the impact of cold weather on your heart by taking steps to avoid situations that are likely to put you at risk.
Don't overexert. Remember that your heart is already working overtime to compensate for the cold temperatures. Therefore, don't push yourself with strenuous activities such as shoveling heavy snow or partaking in vigorous outdoor exercise unless you are in good physical shape.
Keep your body temperature steady. Put on warm outerwear including coat, gloves, and hat before facing the elements. This will guard against hypothermia, in which the body's internal temperature falls too low. Likewise, dress in layers that you can peel off if you get too warm. Overheating can lead to an abrupt and potentially dangerous drop in blood pressure.
Get a flu shot. A bout of seasonal flu can trigger a heart attack in people already at risk for heart disease. The flu causes a fever, which can make your heart beat faster. It can also cause dehydration, which can have a similar effect as the heart beats faster to maintain your blood pressure.
Keep your prescriptions filled. Icy conditions can make it difficult to get to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription, so make sure not to let your supply of heart medicines run low.
Heed the warning signs
5 timeless habits for better health
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
Is your breakfast cereal healthy?
When pain signals an emergency: Symptoms you should never ignore
Does exercise give you energy?
Acupuncture for pain relief: How it works and what to expect
How to avoid jet lag: Tips for staying alert when you travel
Biofeedback therapy: How it works and how it can help relieve pain
Best vitamins and minerals for energy
Should you take probiotics with antibiotics?
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