Here are some of the more interesting developments from the world of health and medicine:
* Obesity Leads to Premature Brain Decay. A new study conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has stunned the medical community by demonstrating the toll overeating takes on the human brain. According to the study, people classified as “obese” (a Body Mass Index greater than 30 kg/m2) have an average 8% less brain tissue than people of normal weight. That’s the equivalent of being a full 16 years older than your actual calendar age. Even being merely “overweight” (a BMI between 12 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2) can reduce brain mass up to 4%, which is equal to being 8 years older than you actually are. According to the study, obesity-related tissue loss significantly lowers brain function and leaves one at greater risk of Alzheimer’s and other diseases that affect the brain. This discovery is just more bad news for the obese, who already face higher risks of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In other words, pass on dessert and save your brain!
* Americans Need to Cut Way Back on Sugar Intake. Want to save your brain (See story above), your heart and your waistline? Then cut back on added sugar. Way back. That’s the advice recently released by the American Heart Association. According to the Association, the average American consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar every day in the form of sweetened soft drinks, candy, cookies, cakes and even sugared breakfast cereals. To remain healthy, the average male should consume no more than 9 teaspoons, women no more than 6 teaspoons. The Association advises people to substitute sugar-laden foods with either naturally sweet products like fruit, or to switch to snacks like popcorn. (But watch the salt!) The Association’s report made no mention of switching from sugared soft drinks to artificially sweetened “diet” drinks, although one can assume that 1 or 0 calories is better than 155 in a 12-oz. can.
* A Record Number of Teenagers Abusing ADHD Drugs. Teenagers in record numbers are using prescription drugs to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)...and with this increase has come a massive increase in overdoses linked to abuse of these same medicines. According to data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers, the past eight years has seen a 76 percent rise in emergency room cases linked to over- or mis-use of attention deficit drugs such as Ritalin. Teenagers (and college students) often use these stimulant drugs as “study aids” before major tests or to counter the affect of hangovers, unaware that they increase blood pressure and heart rates, which can lead to serious arrhythmias and even heart attacks. Experts strongly advise teenagers to use these drugs only under a doctor’s supervision. They also recommend that doctors evaluate teenagers and young adults for potential cardiac conditions before prescribing these very useful, but also potentially dangerous medications.
* The Appendix is Not “Useless” After All. The “vestigial” organ long thought to be a useless evolutionary remnant left over from long-forgotten leaf-eating ancestors is likely far more useful than once believed Medical researchers have discovered that the appendix—a small slimy sack that hangs between the large and small intestines—may actually function as a “storehouse” for the “good” bacteria that aids digestion, bacteria that can be flushed from the intestines during a bad bout of diarrhea or similar diseases of the lower digestive track. It may also create, direct and train white blood cells, which help fight disease. The reason infected appendixes can be removed with seemingly no ill effects is because modern sanitation and health care systems—systems that have only been in place for about a century—make it far less likely that you’ll lose the “good” bacteria your body needs. So if you have to have your appendix removed, it’s probably still okay. As long as you only visit countries with good sewer systems.
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