Prevention

If you thought that obesity was mostly related to diet and exercise, you may want to think again. New research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine shows that for people under 40, not getting enough sleep at night can cause larger amounts of fat to accumulate around the organs, a dangerous form of fat accumulation.

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Hibiscus tea is a popular beverage that is consumed the world over, and many commercially available herbal teas contain some hibiscus in varying amounts. However, in addition to being enjoyable, researchers have found that drinking hibiscus tea actually lowered the blood pressure (BP) in pre-hypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults. The findings were the result of a study supported by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

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Go to any mall or public place and you won't have to look around too long before you'll see someone listening to a personal stereo wearing ear buds. Often, you can be half way across the room and hear their playlist loud and clear. The popularity of personal stereos, such as iPods and other MP3 players, means more adults and young people are using ear buds to listen to music at high volumes for long periods of time. And it is starting to cause a serious problem in the form of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss.

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It may strike some of us a hard to believe, but the reality is, for some people, happiness is a state that is difficult or seemingly impossible to attain. This situation may work against them in the long run, however, as experts gain a better understanding of how being happy might help us live longer.

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Long considered the epitome of healthy eating, it turns out that wheat bread might be displaced from its lofty perch by none other than rye bread. In a finding that surprised even researchers, it appears that while whole grain bread is without question good for you because of the fiber rich outer shell (bran) used in making it, bread made with white rye flour actually leads to healthier levels of insulin and sugar in the blood.

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Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in this country, and most healthcare professionals agree that high levels of fat and cholesterol in the blood increase a person’s risk for the disease. With this in mind, the trend has always been toward reducing saturated fat intake and replacing it with unsaturated fats. In other words, oils such as olive oil and canola oil are better for you than butter.

Or are they?

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If you are deciding whether or not to eat a healthier diet, then you might want to consider the following: researchers have found that a Mediterranean diet was associated with a decreased chance of having brain infarcts, which are small areas of dead brain tissue that result from lack of blood to the specific area. It can lead to thinking problems as well as speech impediment and memory diminishment. The most common form of brain infarction is a stroke.

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Most of us know that blueberries are good for us for a number of reasons, including the high levels of antioxidants they contain. Now researchers have uncovered yet another potential health benefit: blueberries may help to alleviate intestinal inflammation (that can lead to ulcerative colitis) and colorectal cancer. When blueberries are combined with probiotics, the protective effect is even greater.

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In a ringing endorsement for healthy eating, researchers have discovered that excessive consumption of soft drinks may contribute to a person’s risk of contracting pancreatic cancer. In fact, according to the findings, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, even just drinking two or more soft drinks per week nearly doubles the risk when compared to an individual who drinks none.

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The next time you’re having an icy cold beer, you might take comfort in the fact that it may be helping to strengthen your bones. The reason for this is because beer is a good source of dietary silicon, which plays a role in increasing bone mineral density.

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