DAILY HEALTH UPDATE | Monday | November 9th, 2015
Courtesy of: Dr. Darren Taylor
Mental Attitude: Beauty Is in Eye of the Beholder. Some aspects of attractiveness are common and may even be programmed into our genes. However, a new study finds that individuals can have wide-ranging definitions of attractiveness. The authors of the study published in the journal Current Biology write, "We estimate that an individual's aesthetic preferences for faces agree about 50 percent, and disagree about 50 percent, with others." Current Biology, October 2015
Health Alert: Drunk Driving Is a Serious Problem in the US! Experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report nearly 121 million episodes of alcohol-impaired driving occur in the United States (US) each year. According to their data, nearly all (85%) incidents of drunk driving involve individuals who had been binge drinking. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, August 2015
Diet: Don't Replace Saturated Fats with Processed Carbs. Researchers found that when individuals replaced 5% of their saturated fat calories with healthier polyunsaturated fats, such as those found in nuts, their risk for coronary heart disease decreased by 25%. Replacing 5% of their saturated fat calories with monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, cut their risk by 15%, and substituting 5% of saturated fats with whole-grain carbohydrates led to a 9% decrease in heart disease risk. However, when consumers replaced 5% of their saturated fat calories with processed carbohydrates such as white bread or rice, the researchers found no benefits to heart health. The message of the study is to reduce saturated fat and processed foods in your diet, while increasing your intake of healthier fats and whole foods.
Journal of American College of Cardiology, September 2015
Exercise: Short, Intense Exercise Bursts Improve Teen Cardiovascular Health. For teens, just eight-to-ten minutes of high- intensity interval exercise three times per week can significantly improve both blood vessel function and resting heart rate. University of Exeter's Dr. Alan Barker adds, "We know that activity levels drop significantly as children reach adolescence, and so far attempts to increase this to an hour a day have proved fruitless. This study indicates that, providing the intensity is high, health benefits are achievable with just 8-10 minutes of exercise."
American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology, September 2015
Chiropractic: Neck Pain Recurrence Low One Year After Chiropractic Care. Previous research indicates between 60-80% of individuals with neck pain will experience a recurrent episode a year later. In a new study, Swiss researchers followed 642 neck pain patients who received chiropractic treatment and found only 11% experienced another episode of neck pain during the following year. They note patients with a history of neck pain and older individuals were the most at risk for future episodes. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, September 2015
Wellness/Prevention: Bike Helmets Prevent Severe Brain Injury. A new study shows that wearing a bicycle helmet significantly reduces the risk of serious brain injury and death in the event of a collision. A medical record analysis of more than 6,200 people who suffered a brain injury in a cycling crash revealed that those who wore a bike helmet were 58% less likely to have their injury categorized as severe. The study also found that helmet users were 59% less likely to die, 61% less likely to require surgery to alleviate brain swelling, and 26% less likely to have facial fractures. The findings show the importance of bicycle helmet use, developing and enforcing stricter helmet use laws, and the creation of better helmets. American College of Surgeons, October 2015
Quote: “My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular.” - Adlai E. Stevenson II