FitSugar

Health Headlines: Shame, Sanitizer, and Fit Immune Systems

FitSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:00:47 -0700

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 . . . with soap. This big brother-like query was more effective than, although not as cute as, in my opinion, the phrase, "Don't be a dirty soap dodger."

Does Exercise Boost Immunity? - New York Times
According to a couple of studies, the answer is a qualified yes. It is regular, moderate exercise that helps you fight off bugs. Too much vigorous exercise seems to suppress the immune systems, leaving endurance athletes at a disadvantage as marathon season wraps up and flu season begins.

Flu Worries Pump Up Sales of Hand Sanitizer - NPR
The stock market might be making a slow turnaround, but hand sanitizer sales are bumping. In the US, we spent over $117 million on the gel-based cleaners last year. Fear of the H1N1 virus and the back-to-school season made for a 50 percent increase in hand sanitizer sales in August 2009 over the same month the previous year.

Health Food Headlines

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:00:44 -0700

I love food. Not just eating it, but reading about it too. Here are three food-driven headlines that caught my eye.

Calorie Postings Don’t Change Habits, Study Finds - New York Times
Remember all the controversy about chain restaurants in the Big Apple being forced to post calorie counts? Well, it looks like you can post the calories, but consumers will consume what they want. A study performed in NYC neighborhoods where obesity rates are high found that although folks said the calorie counts helped them make healthier food choices, they actually ordered higher calorie items than before the calorie counts were posted.

10 Foods Most Likely to Make You Sick - Web MD
Oh, the irony. The Center For Science in the Public Interest researched food-borne illnesses and found that some health foods topped the list, including eggs, tomatoes, and sprouts.

Starting Good Food Habits in Kids From the Womb - Time
As a baby is being formed in utero, so is its sense of taste. A fetus in the second and third trimester has a highly sensitive palate, and what the mother eats helps determine the child's early flavors of choice. All the more reason to eat a variety of foods when pregnant and nursing.

Health Headlines: Breakthroughs, Happiness and Hannah Montana

FitSugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:00:00 -0700

There are some health headlines that are worth sharing. Often the stories behind the headlines live up to their tag lines. I wish I could say there was a method to the madness, some theme that connects these stories, but there is not. These stories just caught my eye and were oddly entertaining.

Appendix Removed via Patient's Mouth – WebMD
Having watched my husband heal slowly after having his abdominal wall cut to reach his "smoldering" appendix, this headline caught my eye. It seems like with enough tubes and cameras anything is possible! The man who had his appendix removed through his mouth was doing sit-ups two days post surgery!

Money can buy happiness - if you give it away – MSNBC
This headline has got to make some non-profits happy. New research reveals that when individuals give money as gifts to friends or charitable donations, they get a boost in happiness. Conversely, those who spend on themselves get no such cheery lift. Nice way to lift your spirits!

Hannah Montana Toys Tainted With Lead? – CBS News
The "tween" idol might shine on, but some of her toys and accessories contain unsafe levels of lead. Many Hannah Montana products and the worst offenders seem to be a Girls Rock backpack from Wal-Mart and a Secret Star wallet found at Toys 'R Us that had lead content of 1,800 parts per million-to-8,300 parts per million. The federal standard of safety for lead in paint is 600 parts per million. The Consumer Products Safety Commission has yet to comment on the story and recalls have yet to be announced.

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Love and Hearts in Headlines

FitSugar — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:00:00 -0800

It is Valentine's Day (as if you didn't already know that after the barrage of hearts and flowers), but it is also heart-health month. The confluence of these two events has lead to many health headlines containing hearts and love. So check these stories for your V-day health news hit.

I love you, but you eat meat - The New York Times
Can a carnivore and a vegan find and sustain love? Opposites attract but since sharing meals is a significant part of the dating ritual all bets are off.

Heart attacks drop after Italy's smoking ban: study – Reuters
In 2005, Italy banned smoking in public places. A recent study found a sharp decline in heart attacks. Nice to see a public-health measure making a significant difference.

Cleveland gorillas have heart disease - Associated Press
It is not just the human heart that suffers, gorillas can develop heart disease, too. Who knew? Could it be all that beating on their chests? Just kidding.

Surprising reasons you're not having sex - CNN
It is said that today's woman is having less sex than her 1950s counterpart. If you find that a little surprising, then the reasons you're not getting might surprise you, too.

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Health Headlines: Sex, Marriage and Tears

FitSugar — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:00:00 -0700

There are some health headlines that are worth sharing. Often the stories behind the headlines live up to their tag lines. Check out these three stories, on marriage and gender differences, all caught my eye and I had to share.

Sex lessons for 'cranky' miners – The BBC
To increase productivity, miners are given "tool box talks" on how to spice up their sex lives with their menopausal wives. Company bosses say giving their predominantly male employees lessons on menopause and foreplay gives them a healthy sex life, which in turn makes them happy, productive workers. Maybe folks will start saying, "Let's play miner."

Holy matrimony! That's a lot of pounds – Canada.com
Relationships often lead to weight gain – living together (or "living in sin" as granny likes to say) and marriage both seem to cause weight gain. If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, this can't really come as much of a surprise, right?

The crying game: male vs. female tears – Yahoo News
Ellen's tearful plea sparked a controversy on crying in public. Seems that as a culture we think it is OK for men to cry but not women. The crying men are perceived as sensitive while crying women are seen as out of control. Now that makes me want to cry.

Health Headlines

FitSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 02:00:00 -0700

There are some health headlines that are worth sharing. Often the stories behind the headlines live up to their tag lines. Check out these three stories with "double take" deserving headlines.

Nutrition: An Up Side to Hard Times – New York Times
An interesting analysis of the health benefits of Cuba's economic crisis. The average daily calories consumption per person dropped by almost 1000 calories and people started walking more. There were significant decreases in the rates of obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke.

Sales Call Leads to Kidney Donation – CNN
A door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman donated one of his kidneys to a potential client too broke to use a vacuum cleaner due to his illness.

And this just in time for Halloween...

Hair-Raising Ideas to Cure Baldness – USA Today
Could scalp transplants, donated from corpses, be the next cure for baldness? Hair restoration specialists explore the possibilities.

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Studies Have Confirmed: Sugar, Models, and Clowns

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:00:34 -0700

Some health studies make headlines and they seem quite shocking and sad, like this one from CNN: Tweens Challenged by Grown-Up Malady: Breast Cancer. Others bring out my inner fourth grader, and my response to them is sophisticated "no duh." But stories are often more complicated than their headlines, and it is nice to have scientific studies confirm a few assumptions.

Kids' Cereals Pour on the Sugar and Sodium - USA Today
A new study illustrates what we have long since learned by reading nutrition labels: cereals aimed at children have 85 percent more sugar, 65 percent less fiber, and 60 percent more sodium than cereal marketed to adults.

Models Strike a Chord in Self-Esteem - New York Times
A study to soon appear in the Journal of Consumer Research found that when women look at photos of models they think about their weight and their self-esteem is affected.

Talk on Your Cell, Risk Missing the Unicycling Clown - CNET
Pedestrians talking on their cell phones were considerably less likely to notice the conspicuously dressed clown riding a unicycle compared with other pedestrians. If you have ever ridden a bike on a city street, chances are high you probably already know this. Extrapolate this data to drivers and realize you need to bike, run, and walk defensively.

Odd But True: Health Headlines

FitSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 02:00:00 -0700

In the last few days I have read some truly entertaining health headlines, which I admit can be quite rare since most deal with serious topics like cancer, mortality rates and the rising obesity rates.

Here are a few stories that may tickle your funny bone and give you a chuckle. Not only is laughter good for the soul, it is good for your blood vessels - so read on!

"Seniors balk at ban on free doughnuts"
Wearing signs that declared "Give Us Our Just Desserts" and "They're Carbs, Not Contraband" seniors demonstrated their displeasure with the decision to refuse free sweet treats. It seems that doughnuts, pies and breads that were being donated to senior centers around Putnam County, north of New York City were being turned away citing health reason. Reminds me of the birthday cupcakes in public schools debate. - MSNBC

"Cookie Monster curbs cookie habit"
It was only a matter of time, wasn't it? His character driven jingle "C is cookie and cook is for me" will be replaced with "A cookie is a Sometimes food." Cookie monster has joined the battle against childhood obesity. It is only a matter of time before he starts downing the Brussels sprouts. - The BBC

"Zoo always gets this big request"
This article reveals that it is NOT true that zoos have large MRI machines that can used by folks too large to fit in hospital sized machines. We were all lead astray by that episode of Scrubs where JD takes one of his favorite, and overweight, patients to the zoo for an MRI! - The Houston Chronicle

"Students sell banned junk food on Facebook"
Looks like the ban on junk food has inspired a black market at a Canadian high school in Winnipeg. In response to the strict policy that limits vending machine fare to only healthy drinks and snacks, students have gone "underground." Using their lockers as storage and the social networking site Facebook to advertise, student are selling soda and candy bars. I can't help but think these industrious kids could help the seniors with their doughnuts! - Canada.com

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Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:00:57 -0700

Cool off with this Asian Cucumber Salad - Mark's Daily Apple
The psychology of post-diet weight gain - Daily Spark
The skinny on nutritional yeast - Vitamin G
Eddie Izzard running 1,000 miles for charity - FitCeleb
There are so many reasons to play paddle ball at the beach - That's Fit
Say bye to crunches and try this standing figure eight ab move - Fresh Fitness Tips
Get the scoop in ExerciseTV's Bikini Body Workout - Fit Bottomed Girls
Here's help on how to cut calories - Shape

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Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:01:39 -0700

The skinny on 100-calorie frozen treats - Daily Spark
Iman and Vanessa Williams have body issues, too - FitCeleb
A fit life makes you better in the sack - That's Fit
Calling all moms: try stroller strides free for a week - Fresh Fitness Tips
If flying makes you bloated, charcoal might help - Vital Juice Daily
Tomato Feta poppers whet your appetite without breaking the caloric bank - Vitamin G
Diet going nowhere? Try these easy fixes - Sahpe
How great is Wii EA Sports? So great! - Fit Bottomed Girls
Barney Butter snack packs = 90 calories of spreadable almonds - Woman's Day

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