Health Blog

A healthy body and a sound mind

Alcohol Leads to Healthy a Heart but Also to Cancer

Spring 2008 - Around Smashbox - Day 4

To drink or not to drink? That is the question.

I must admit all these new studies about the benefits and negative effects of each and every food and drink I like makes my head spin. They said alcohol is good for your heart but now new findings state that it actually leads to increased risk for cancer. So what should one do? I guess it depends on whether you’re more afraid of a heart attack or getting cancer!

Seriously though, even moderate amounts of alcohol leads to increased cancer risk. According to Oxford University researchers women that drank more than 2 alcoholic beverages a week increases their risk by 2% while those that had 7 to 14 drinks a week increased their cancer risk by 5%. And alarmingly those that drink 15 or more alcoholic beverages a week increase their cancer risk by up to 15%!

So what does this mean? According to doctors what it means is that you shouldn’t use the healthy heart excuse to drink lots of alcohol because they now how the cancer rebuttal. At the same time according to Dr Alan Kristal of the Cancer Prevention Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, moderate alcohol intake is acceptable since the benefits to the heart outweighs the increase in cancer risk. Remember moderation is the key. So keep to the American Cancer Society’s recommendation and limit your alcohol intake to one drink a day for women and a couple of drinks a day for men.

Originally posted on February 26, 2009 @ 11:31 am

Concerns Over Swine Flu Escalate

swineEvery now and then we hear of diseases that are deadly and have the potential to become widespread. I think it’s that time of the year again, and this time, we are facing a potentially serious threat from swine flu. In fact, the World Health Organization has already stepped in and has declared a public emergency.

The current strain of swine flu originates from Mexico and is said to be different from the previous ones that we have encountered. In Mexico, it has been reported that 81 people have died from the disease and that more than 1,000 people are currently infected with it.

Swine flu, as the name implies, is transferred from infected pigs to humans. Humans who contract the disease exhibit the normal signs of flu – fever, respiratory problems, fatigue, and the like. However, the degree of the symptoms is more intense and can lead to death.

While the majority of reported cases are in Mexico, other cases have already been reported in other countries, particularly the United States. Texas, California and Kansas have reported cases and there are some suspected cases in New York City too. Recently, an airline crew member of the British Airways has been taken to an isolation unit as he disembarked from a flight from Mexico. He showed symptoms of swine flu.

If you have not been traveling, then you are most likely safe but you never really know who has been where so the best course to take would be to remain alert for such symptoms and immediately report it to the authorities if you suspect that you or anyone else has the disease.

Originally posted on April 26, 2009 @ 12:37 pm

Avoid These Shocking Drinks!

br_icecream_soda_200xWhat do you normally drink when you’re thirsty? Water has always been the healthiest drink there is. In the recent years, however, drinking other beverages – especially the ones loaded with sugar and flavorings – has been the trend. Indeed, I know some people who will not drink any beverage unless it was loaded with flavor.

But did you know that some drinks contain way too many calories for your own good? Some drinks in the market actually contain enough calories to serve as a full meal! Yahoo Health recently featured some of the worst drinks there are. Let’s take a look at them, shall we?

Baskin-Robbins: Large Ice Cream Soda with Vanilla Ice Cream Float. This drink won the “Worst Float Award.” With 960 calories, 40 g of fat, and 136 g of sugar, a 32-ounce float can replace your lunch. I think that they’ve taken this out of their menu, though.

For the worst ice blended coffee drink, Così Gigante Double OH! Arctic (23 ounces) takes home the prize. A whopping 1,210 calories, 19 g of fat, and 259 g of carbohydrates – that’s what’s packed into this coffee drink. A strong caffeine jolt PLUS tons of sugar will certainly make you high.

And you thought that was bad? Here is the winner of the “Worst Drink in America Award” – Cold Stone Creamery Gotta Have It PB&C Shake. The name itself should give you an idea what it’s all about. Yes, it is so GOOD but it is BAD as well: 2,010 calories, 131 g fat, and 153 g sugar.

Not turned off? Well, you should be; unless you really do not care about your health.

Originally posted on August 8, 2009 @ 6:19 pm

Eating McDonald’s May Cause Alzheimer’s

I might be a prime candidate for Alzheimer’s Disease! This is what I found out from a report that Reuters recently published. They quoted a study conducted by Swedish researchers which stated that there is a link between eating fast food and the disease. If you know me, I tend to eat McDonald’s a lot. If not McDonald’s then KFC or some other fast food meals. This is because a lot of times, I find myself short on time and cooking becomes a non option.

The Reuters report states that:

Mice fed junk food for nine months showed signs of developing the abnormal brain tangles strongly associated with Alzheimer’s disease, a Swedish researcher said on Friday.

The findings, which come from a series of published papers by a researcher at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet, show how a diet rich in fat, sugar and cholesterol could increase the risk of the most common type of dementia.

“On examining the brains of these mice, we found a chemical change not unlike that found in the Alzheimer brain,” Susanne Akterin, a researcher at the Karolinska Institutet’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, who led the study, said in a statement.

This is so not good news! Countless people around the world – Americans perhaps being at the head of the race – consume McDonald’s and other fast food meals on a regular basis. Then again, as with many other studies, the results are “not conclusive.” In fact, Susanne Akterin gave these parting words:

All in all, the results give some indication of how Alzheimer’s can be prevented, but more research in this field needs to be done before proper advice can be passed on to the general public.

Pity the general public reads Reuters.

Originally posted on November 30, 2008 @ 8:38 pm