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Each month we feature one full
article from the current issue of the WELLNESS LETTER, plus our
Ask the Experts column, in addition to brief summaries of the
other articles, listed below.
Just a Little Bit of Sugar
Excess sugar intake has been linked to the growing obesity epidemic and related illnesses. But how much is too much? The government’s Dietary Guidelines simply advise Americans to limit how much they consume. Now, for the first time, the American Heart Association has proposed specific guidelines. It’s easy to exceed these new limits. Full
Story
Food Label Claims: Science vs. Free Speech
Reading food labels, with their many health and nutrition claims, is often like reading labels on dietary supplements. Food labels were once less boastful. The FDA banned health claims in 1906 because many foods were being sold like patent medicines; Grape-Nuts, for example, was advertised as a cure for tuberculosis, malaria, and appendicitis. It wasn’t until the 1980s that food companies started making health claims again, and in 1990 the FDA produced new rules for them. The FDA now insists that claims be "science-based," though the food industry has successfully pushed for looser rules and frequently tests the limits of the rules.
Carry on, Carnitine?
Carnitine has been the focus of scientific study for years and has become a popular dietary supplement. It has been proposed that it can help treat many disorders, including heart disease, diabetes, dementia, male infertility, and HIV infection. It’s supposed to boost energy, improve memory, enhance exercise performance, promote weight loss, and combat adverse effects of aging. Such sweeping claims should always arouse suspicion. Sold on its own, carnitine is also an ingredient in many sports or "healthy-aging" supplements, such as Juvenon and Evoxin, as well as in diet aids and energy drinks. Are carnitine supplements ready for prime time?
High Blood Pressure—Your Questions Answered
Increasing age is a major risk factor for high blood pressure, and two out of three Americans over 60 have high blood pressure, also called hypertension. In fact, about 90% of those who live past 60 will eventually develop it. Increasing numbers of younger Americans, however, are also developing hypertension. Still, hypertension is not inevitable—there are steps that can help you avoid it. Here’s what you need to know.
Having a Ball
What could be better than working out with a piece of equipment that’s versatile, convenient, and inexpensive? That describes exercise balls perfectly. Good for both beginners and advanced exercisers, these big, heavy-duty, inflatable balls—also called Swiss, balance, fitness, therapy, stability, or physio balls—are found in many gyms and physical therapy offices and are easy to use at home. Working out on a ball can increase your range of motion as you stretch, and improve balance, agility, posture, and coordination.
Is Wetter Water Better Water?
There’s a huge market for waters with additives: vitamins, minerals, herbs such as ginseng and ginkgo, flavorings, mint, aloe, fiber, green tea, caffeine, and more. On market shelves and in many vending machines, you’ll find products such as VitaminWater, Dasani Plus, SmartWater, and Snapple Antioxidant Water. These waters are usually not as sugary as a regular soft drinks—though some, like most VitaminWater products, do contain as much added sugar. The vitamins and minerals in them are certainly not going to make you healthy, boost immunity or energy, or relax you, despite the claims.
ASK
THE EXPERTS
Our readers ask: Why do some labels list trans fat as "0" when the food contains partially hydrogenated oil? Can an adult suddenly develop food allergies? Can Umcka cure a cold or bronchitis? Is it okay to leave cooked rice at room temperature? Full
Story
WELL & INFORMED
Tips, Short Takes, and Other News You Can Use
How swearing can make you feel better . . . sugar, sugar everywhere.
WELLNESS TIPS
• The vaccines for the H1N1 ("swine") flu and seasonal flu have been much in the news, but don’t forget the pneumonia vaccine, which protects against the most common form of the bacteria that cause pneumonia in those over 40. It helps prevent deaths from the flu, since pneumonia is the major life-threatening complication.
• Don’t take any "muscle-building" supplement that claims to mimic or affect hormones such as testosterone or estrogen in the body, the FDA recently warned. Marketed as alternatives to anabolic steroids for building muscle and improving sports performance, these products may contain hidden synthetic steroids or steroid-like substances that can cause kidney or liver damage and other serious adverse effects.
• To help control blood sugar, eat more beans. A new analysis found that beans can significantly lower blood sugar and insulin levels. All it takes is half a cup of beans a day. Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) had the biggest effect.
• Another reason to avoid trans fats: They may increase the risk of colon cancer. In a recent study, people who ate the most trans fats were 86% more likely to have precancerous polyps in their colons than those who ate the least.
• When driving, keep hard objects stored under the seat or in the glove compartment. If you have to brake suddenly or are in a crash, cups, umbrellas, de-icing tools, and other items can turn into missiles.
• If you regularly take drugs that suppress stomach-acid production (such as Prilosec or Zantac), or possibly even antacids, you’re at higher risk for food poisoning.
• If you know people who can’t quit smoking, warn them not to take high doses of beta carotene. Such supplements increase the risk of lung cancer by about 24%, according to a recent review that analyzed four large studies from the 1990s in which smokers took 20 to 30 milligrams of beta carotene a day.
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