PROS AND CONS OF PSA TESTING – before having a PSA test for prostate cancer, discuss the merits of testing with your doctor. A recent survey in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that only 70 percent of men who had been tested said their doctors had actually talked to them about the test, and of those only one-third said they had been told about the downsides. PSA screening remains controversial because there is no convincing evidence that it saves lives, and often leads to unnecessary biopsies and treatment, which can have serious complications.
LOSE THE SODA FOR YOUR SMILE’S SAKE – it is not just the sugar in soda that harms teeth. Acids in both regular and diet sodas erode tooth enamel, according to researchers at Southern Illinois University. They made the discovery after testing 20 commercial soft drinks. Citrus-flavored sodas like lemon-lime were more harmful than colas. Even diet versions of these fruity drinks caused significant enamel loss due to high levels of citric and phosphoric acids, which eat away at the outer layer of teeth. Men’s Health 6/07.
THE CALORIE RACE – which burns more calories – running a mile or briskly walking it? Some people claim that either exercise burns the same number of calories since the same amount of weight is being transported over the same distance and you just burn the same number of calories – just faster.
This is another “urban myth” – as it takes more energy to move the body at higher speed, but running also requires more strenuous arm, leg, and upper-body movement, and it raises the heart rate more, all of which burn extra calories. To achieve the longer stride of running, you have to repeatedly lift your body weight off the ground so that both feet are in the air at the same time. When you walk, one foot is always on the ground. Race-walking, with its hip-swiveling, arm-pumping motion, also burns more calories per mile than regular walking.
Research shows that for a 132-pound person, walking 3 miles per hour burns on average 70 calories per mile (in 20 minutes), but running 6 miles per hour burns 100 calories per mile (in ten minutes). Studies from
Brisk walking is still a great way to burn calories, and many people prefer it to running, in part because it is easier on the body. If you want to burn as many calories as you would running, you have to walk farther.
Bleach kills a wider range of microorganisms than ammonia, vinegar, and detergents. It also does not contain any free chlorine, so properly diluted bleach is not corrosive and does not cause environmental harm.
Undiluted bleach, however, should be handled with care. The fumes are unpleasant and can irritate the eyes and skin. If you do use bleach, one teaspoon in a quart of warm water is plenty. Do not mix it with ammonia-containing compounds, toilet bowl cleaners, or similar products – that can produce chloramines gas, which can be harmful.
PROCESSED MEAT-THE
The study, an analysis of other research called a meta-analysis, did not look at high blood pressure or cancer, which are also linked with high meat consumption.
To lower risk of heart attacks and diabetes, people should consider which types of meats they are eating. Processed meats such as bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs and processed deli meats may be the most important to avoid.
Most dietary guidelines recommend eating less meat. Individual studies looking at relationships between eating meat and cardiovascular diseases and diabetes have had mixed results. But studies rarely look for differences in risk between processed and unprocessed red meats.
Processed meat is defined as any meat preserved by smoking, curing or salting, or with the addition of chemical preservatives. Meats in this category included bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs or processed deli or luncheon meats. Unprocessed red meat included beef, lamb or pork but not poultry.
The study found that on average, each 1.8 oz (50 grams) daily serving of processed meat a day -- one to two slices of deli meats or one hot dog -- was associated with a 42 percent higher risk of heart disease and a 19 percent higher risk of developing diabetes. They found no higher heart or diabetes risk in people who ate only unprocessed red meats. The researchers adjusted for a number of factors, including how much meat people ate.
Processed and unprocessed meats contain similar amounts of fat and cholesterol, but processed meats contain, on average, four times more sodium and 50 percent more nitrate preservatives. WebMD
Scientists often use METs to evaluate and compare the health benefits of various types and intensities of exercise. METs are also the units used in exercise stress tests to estimate a peak “exercise capacity” – the maximum level of exercise a person can do. People with higher exercise capacity tend to live longer.
VITAMIN B-6 AND COLON CANCER B- several studies indicate that people with higher blood levels of vitamin B-6 had lower risk of colorectal cancer.
Participants in the studies who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer had lower blood levels of vitamin B-6 up to 20 years earlier – when they entered the studies – than those who were not diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Two other B vitamins (B-12 and folic acid) were not linked to the disease.
It is too early to conclude that vitamin B-6 can prevent colorectal cancer but it is a good idea to load up on healthy foods that are rich in B-6 (like whole grains, beans, bananas, chicken, salmon, avocado, and sunflower seeds). Nutrition Action Healthletter 12/09.
AGAVE – derived from the same cactus-like Mexican plant as tequila, agave syrup is being added to an increasing number of foods and beverages as a “natural” sugar alternative.
Agave syrup has only a few more calories than table sugar (20 versus 16 per teaspoon). White table sugar (sucrose) is half fructose and half glucose while agave syrup contains up to 90 percent fructose, depending on how it is processed. That is more fructose than what is in high-fructose corn syrup. Agave syrup is often called a “fructose sweetener.”
Fructose does not cause the spikes in blood sugar that glucose does, so agave is marketed as “diabetic friendly” but there are no studies to support this claim. There are some studies that indicate that large amounts of fructose can promote insulin resistance (and thus increase diabetes risk), boost triglycerides (fats in the blood), lower HDL (good) cholesterol, and have other harmful effects on the heart and liver. Consuming agave syrup just adds to the total fructose intake. Fruit is also high in fructose, but unlike agave syrup, it contains fiber, vitamins, and minerals and is much less calorie-dense because of the water in fruit.
If you like the taste of agave syrup, you can add a little to cereals, coffee, and tea or in baked goods as it is sweeter than sugar so you will use less. But agave syrup is simply another form of processed and concentrated sugar.
