More Responsibility, Less RA

Having more stress and responsibility, what researchers call high psychological demands, may make you lose sleep or even feel grumpy, but according to Swedish scientists it also reduces your chances of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). But those who have jobs that make them feel “job strain”, a combination of high psychological demands and a low level of control at work, are at a 30 percent higher risk of developing RA.

Source: Health Insider

Is Obesity Contagious?

Now that your teens and pre-teens are eating school lunch with their buddies again, be aware: their tablemates’ weight, says a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, may affect how much your kids eat. The research, conducted at the State University of New York at Buffalo, looked at children between the ages of nine and 15. Scientists found that while all the kids ate more when eating with friends, the overweight kids put away an average of 300 calories more when they were with other overweight kids than when they were with slimmer pals. Plus, the friendships themselves seemed to affect calorie consumption: Overweight kids who are with other overweight kids who were already their friends consumed 250 more calories than they did when they dined with overweight kids they’d just met. What to do if you’re worried about your youngster’s weight? The best strategy is to model healthy eating and exercise at home.

Source: Health Insider

Family Stability, Not Structure, Helps Kids Succeed

Kids who grow up in stable one-parent homes, defined as always living only with the single parent, generally experience the same levels of academic and behavioral success as those in households with two married parents, according to new research. The study, published in the new book, Marriage and Family: Perspectives and Complexities (Columbia University Press), looked at nearly 5,000 mothers and more than 11,000 kids nationwide, focusing on kids of married moms and kids born to mothers who were always single. The results suggest that what’s key for many kids is life in a household where they don’t experience divorce or other changes in parenting, not whether it is a single-parent home or a married home. But there were some differences: Behavioral health and math and reading test scores for White and Hispanic kids from stable single-parent and stable married homes were quite similar, but Black kids living in single-parent homes had lower math and reading test scores than those in married homes, though they did not experience additional behavioral challenges. The takeaway? That family transitions may be more jarring to kids than living in single-parent homes.

Source: Health Insider

Organic Foods -- More Nutritious Now?

In August, I reported on a British study that found no significant nutritional differences between organic and conventional foods. More recently, researchers in France came to some different conclusions. In compiling their own data from various good-quality studies, they found that organic produce had higher levels of minerals, like magnesium and iron, and more polyphenol antioxidants.

What to make of all this? Many factors affect a food’s nutrient composition, including the plant variety, soil quality, climate and season, when it’s picked, and how it’s processed and stored. You’d do well eating more fruits and vegetables, no matter how they are grown. But if you want to reduce your exposure to pesticide residues and lessen your environmental impact, organic foods are the clear winner.

Source: Health Insider

Does Your Inhaler Work?

If you believe it does, you are more likely to use it. A new study of 261 people with asthma published in the Annals of Asthma, Allergy& Immunology found that participants who believed their inhaler worked and it was “important” to take, even while symptom-free, were more likely to comply with their treatment regimen than those who didn’t. Participants concerned about side effects were half as likely to take their meds. If you have questions or concerns about your asthma meds make sure to bring it up with your doctor.

Source: Remedy Life

“One-Stop Shopping” For Food Safety Info

A major criticism of how our government oversees the safety of our food supply is that different regulatory agencies are responsible for different arenas. The FDA, for example, oversees produce and most packaged foods, while the USDA oversees meat and dairy; meanwhile, it’s the CDC that tracks food-borne illnesses. There are no imminent plans to overhaul the system as many health experts would like to see happen, but there is a new website (www.foodsafety.gov) that, for the first time, fuses critical food safety information from all these agencies.

It provides free information on a range of topics, from how to select fish low in mercury and how to store your eggs safely, to the latest food recalls and who to contact if you think you’ve become ill from tainted food. Though it would be nice to see the government put more resources into preventing food recalls and food-borne illnesses in the first place, this web site at least offers resources, all in one place, that can help keep you and your family safe at the dinner table.

Source: Health Insider

Why Fat May Make You Hungry

Does eating fatty foods leave you wanting more, even if you should be full? The reason may be all in your head, literally. According to a study from UT Southwestern Medical Center, certain fats, those in butter, cheese, milk, and beef, trigger the brain to suppress normal appetite, regulating signals. “Brain chemistry can change in a very short period of time,” said the study’s lead author. And “since you’re not being told by the brain to stop eating, you overeat.” Moreover, the effects lasted about three days.

True, this was a rodent study, and the findings may not apply to humans. But if they do, this helps explain why it can be so hard to get back on track with your diet if you (inadvertently, of course) overindulge in ice cream or burgers, say. The good news is that only unhealthy saturated fats interfered with appetite regulation, not healthy unsaturated fats, such as those in olive oil and avocadoes.

Source: Health Insider