Featured
News
Morning Exercisers Burn More Calories
Whether you're a fan of daylight saving or not most of us have to live with that fact that it gets darker much earlier. That means if you used to sweat it out after work, you may have to rearrange your schedule and make time for it before your nine-to-fiver. Not too motivated to set your alarm early?
Diet Soda May Be Damaging Your Kidneys
A while back we learned that soda, both diet and regular, was bad for the heart, and now it looks like more organs are at risk: the kidneys. This time it's diet sodas, or more specifically, the artificial sweeteners, that seem to be the culprit. A study published recently of over 3,500 women found that those who drank two or more diet sodas daily had decreased liver function by about 30 percent.
Marijuana Update: Addiction Rates and Health Risks
Aside from proposals to tax marijuana to ease budget gaps, the substance hasn't been much in the news since Michael Phelps was photographed smoking a spliff last year. A new Austrailian review of marijuana studies puts cannabis back in the spotlight. According to researchers down under, four percent of the adult population of the world got high in the year 2006 with marijuana use highest in the younger populations of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.
Health Headlines: Shame, Sanitizer, and Fit Immune Systems
After nursing two sick children last week, these headlines caught my attention, since staying well is always on my mind.
Shame "Boosts Hand Washing Rate" — BBC
"Is the person next to you washing with soap?" This is the shaming message used to scare Brits using public restrooms into washing their hands .
Blame Your Family For Skin Cancer?
Wearing sunscreen is a great way to protect your skin from the harmful rays that can lead to skin cancer, but unfortunately, two new studies suggest that your risk could be inherited. One study found that if an identical twin had melanoma, it increased the other twin's risk as well. The second study showed that those who had a sibling or parent with skin cancer also had an increased risk of developing this disease.
Health Food Headlines
I love food. Not just eating it, but reading about it too. Here are three food-driven headlines that caught my eye.
The State of Eating Veggies in the US
When it comes to eating enough veggies and fruits, Americans are failing miserably. The CDC estimates that only 14 percent of adults and fewer than 10 percent of teenagers in the US eat three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit on a daily basis.
And you know, five servings of fruit and veggies is the minimum suggestion.
When It Comes to Working Out, Just Do It
Recent studies show that for some people, exercise is second nature, and for others (most of us), it takes willpower to make yourself do it. The problem is, if we use up our willpower or self-control for other things during the day like resisting the urge to hit the snooze button, or not giving in to your cravings for the brownies a co-worker brought in, then we won't have enough willpower left over to push ourselves to get to the gym. Willpower is like money in our wallet — scientists believe we only have a certain amount of it and if it's spent on one thing, it can't be used on another.
Were Eating Disorders Prevalent in Your High School?
With two young daughters, I really hate reading about eating disorders in the news. In a recent study, I learned a surprising statistic about eating disorders. The risk of developing one is higher among girls whose mothers, fathers, and grandparents are highly educated.
New Law Bans Flavored Cigarettes
The FDA sees flavored cigarettes as a gateway drug, encouraging children and young adults to become regular smokers. So a new federal law enacted this Summer, which bans the production, distribution, or sale of flavored cigarettes goes into effect today. This includes clove and candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes — anything but minty-fresh menthol.
More on FitSugar
Fall Award Season
Top Brands
COUTURE COUTURE
Giorgio Fedon
Lacoste