To parents — get your kids of the couch at an early age and promote a lifestyle that includes some sort of exercise every day (be it biking, a walk around the block, hitting baseballs, swimming, gardening…). To kids — get active, get outdoors.
Why? Well, besides the long-established benefits — cardiovascular health, lower rates of obesity and diabetes, healthier proportions of muscle mass — a new study shows a connection between exercise and GPA. According to the study, “Twenty minutes of daily vigorous physical activity among college students may lead them to have grade point averages about .4 higher, on a scale of 4.0, compared with students who do not exercise.”
Now think of what 40 minutes of exercise could do! I’m kidding, of course, but the study did indicate that while daily exercise is not necessary — the research did indicate that more exercise is better.
If you occasionally experience heartburn, you’re not alone. About 60 million people have heartburn at least once a month. So what do you think triggers heartburn? Stress? Spicy, greasy foods? They certainly can. But there are other culprits you may not be aware of.
Peppermint is usually thought to soothe an upset stomach. But if you suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peppermint can cause heartburn. Those with GERD experience heartburn more often than others because their stomach contents leak into and irritate the esophagus. The menthol of peppermint, which is known to soothe, can actually do its job too well - relaxing the sphincter between the esophagus and stomach. When that valve relaxes, stomach acids can enter the esophagus and lead to heartburn.
Eat your veggies. Drink plenty of water. Exercise daily. Nothing new there - you’ve heard it over and over. But for those of you who have suffered through diverticulitis, this advice is key. It can also play a role in preventing diverticulitis - a painful infection that occurs in small pouches, called diverticula, which can form in your intestines.
For people over 40, diverticula can be common - and most people are unaware of them. As you age, the weak spots in your colon can develop little pouches. These pouches can become irritated when materials collect in them - the risk for this is exacerbated by a diet that is too low in fiber, a lack of exercise and obesity.
When the diverticula become inflamed or infected, the result can be more than a little uncomfortable. You may experience abdominal pain on the lower left side of the abdomen, nausea, bloating, fever, constipation or diarrhea.
If you experience these symptoms, your physician will examine your abdomen for tenderness, take a blood sample to test for infection and may have you undergo a CT scan to identify the infected and inflamed pouches.
In most cases, mild diverticulitis is treated with a round of antibiotics, rest, a low-fiber diet and plenty of liquids. As you recover, your physician will alter your diet accordingly, generally reintroducing high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. More serious cases of diverticulitis may require surgery. If you develop peritonitis - in which a pouch ruptures - you will require hospitalization and immediate medical care.
Physicians used to recommend that patients with diverticulitis avoid seeds, nuts and foods with small seeds because they believed those particles lodged in the pouches and caused inflammation. Recent research indicates that these foods are not associated with an increased risk of diverticulitis.
To keep your intestines in tip-top shape, eat 20 to 35 grams of fiber each day, drink plenty of water, use the bathroom when your body tells you to, and exercise.
Why do we gain weight as we age? There are several reasons - and not all of them are fully understood. But researchers are studying several aging factors that affect weigh gain as we age:
- Slower metabolism
- Loss of muscle cells
- Muscle cells that don’t repair as easily
- Changes in hormone levels that account for the loss of muscle fiber
- Worn out muscle cells that don’t burn calories as effectively as they once did
Bottom line? Your weight may have stayed steady over the last 30 years, but the number of optimally functioning muscle cells has not. Chances are, the percentage of muscle in your body is lower at 60 than it was at 30. And that can lead to weight gain or even contribute to diabetes - lower muscle mass means your body has to work harder to regulate glucose metabolism.
Exercise is important at any age. And Baby Boomers are a growing market at the local gym. According to an International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) survey, gym membership among the 55-plus group in the United States jumped from 1.5 million in 1987 to 9.9 million in 2007.
There’s been a lot of talk about caffeine lately - and plenty of confusing statistics. According to some researchers, drinking coffee may prevent Type 2 diabetes; lower your risk for colon, mouth, esophogeal, throat, prostate and endometrial cancers; or make it less likely you’ll commit suicide or get Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease. Other studies report that caffeine is harmful to developing fetuses and can increase one’s blood pressure, cause heartburn, make you more anxious, increase your secretion of stress hormones, and exacerbate insomnia, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder.
Researchers generally acknowledge they don’t fully understand the effects of caffeine. It’s often difficult to directly prove cause and effect with caffeine studies because there may be other lifestyle factors - besides caffeine intake - that affect a person’s health, such as exercise, diet and sleep habits. And coffee has other substances, like vitamin E, potassium and magnesium that can play a role in a person’s health.
So what’s a person supposed to do? Ultimately, it comes down to moderation and understanding how caffeine affects you. Some people become jittery after one cup, others can have a half dozen cups and not be affected. Generally, if you do have high blood pressure or are pregnant, it is recommended that you monitor your caffeine intake.
And, here, is the next dilemma - knowing how much caffeine you are taking in. Each pot of coffee you brew will have different levels of caffeine depending on how your brew it or how long it is steeped. Other products that naturally have caffeine are chocolate and tea. There’s also talk of establishing labeling standards for products that contain added caffeine. While most sodas now list how much caffeine is contained in their product right on the label, other foods such as gum, yogurt, ice cream, chocolate bars and jelly beans do not. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an 8-ounce Pepsi has 25 milligrams of caffeine, while a Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate bar has 31 milligrams. Now think of all the coffee-flavored ice creams, candies and yogurts you consume.
Overall - think moderation. If you have medical conditions that are exacerbated by caffeine, then try decaffeinated products or eliminate those products entirely. And pay attention to labels. Right now, most products don’t list the caffeine they add, but if they’re “coffee-flavored” chances are they’ll contain some amount of caffeine.
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