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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.
Aspirin: Yes, No, Maybe?
You’ve probably seen low-dose aspirin in the drugstore, in packages with a red heart on them, as well as ads promoting aspirin for its heart benefits. You may even be taking "baby" aspirin, following your doctor’s advice—or on your own, "just to be safe." So you may be surprised to learn that there’s still controversy about low-dose aspirin as a preventive for healthy people without symptoms or a history of cardiovascular disease. In fact, aspirin’s benefit is far from clear, and recent research has made it more uncertain. Full
Story
What Those Baby Blues Are Telling You
The color of your eyes is a mixture of three pigments—brown, blue, and yellow—and is determined by your genes. While the most common color worldwide is brown (and the least, green), all kinds of variations in hue exist, including hazel, amber, and gray. But does eye color affect your health in any way? Here are answers to this and other colorful questions about eye color.
Soy Good?
We get lots of questions about soy from readers, and for good reason. Numerous studies suggest that soybeans and their products—such as tofu (soybean curd) and soy milk—offer health benefits, which may be attributed, at least in part, to their protein and to compounds called isoflavones. But much of the evidence about soy’s effects on health is mixed. Soy is neither a panacea, as some people hope it is, nor a poison, as others fear. There’s still a lot to learn, but here’s what we now know—about soy and heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, bone health, and menopausal symptoms.
What Makes Lyme Disease Tick
Lyme disease turned 35 this year, but no one’s celebrating. Scientists first detected the tick-borne illness near Lyme, Connecticut, in 1975. In recent years, 20,000 to 30,000 Americans have been diagnosed with Lyme disease annually. The illness occurs in at least 44 U.S. states—with the great majority of cases in the Midwest and Northeast—and in every continent except Antarctica. The good news is that you can do a lot to protect yourself from getting bitten by a tick. And if you develop Lyme disease, it’s treatable with antibiotics.
From Pond Scum to Cure-all
Blue-green algae are among the most ancient life forms on earth. More accurately called Cyanobacteria, they are now also popular dietary supplements. There are many kinds of algae, and though Cyanobacteria were once grouped with true algae by biologists, they are now recognized as a separate phylum. They contain protein, some vitamins and minerals, and other compounds. The claims made for blue-green algae supplements are limitless—they are said to be nutritionally superior to ordinary foods, and medicinally superior to drugs. Here’s our take.
22 Tips for Better Cycling
Whether you’re young or old, athletic or sedentary, bicycling is an enjoyable and healthy way to travel and experience the outdoors. When done vigorously, it can also provide a good cardiovascular workout and burn more than 500 calories an hour. Thus, a recent study found that women (mostly in their thirties) who cycled regularly were less likely to gain weight over a 15-year period than their noncycling counterparts. The development of new types of bicycles in recent years has made riding easier and gives you more options to suit your specific needs. Whatever your preference, there are many ways to improve your performance, safety, and comfort when cycling.
ASK
THE EXPERTS
Our readers ask: If I get 500 milligrams of calcium in a meal, will I get no benefit from taking a calcium supplement around the same time? Do vegetable oils need to be refrigerated? What is a panic attack, and how can I be sure it isn’t a heart attack? How does goat’s milk compare to cow’s milk? Is walking down stairs or hills good exercise? Full
Story
WELL & INFORMED
Tips, Short Takes, and Other News You Can Use
Weekend warriors . . . Older and happier.
WELLNESS TIPS
• Another reason to drink coffee: It may reduce the risk of head and neck cancers. In a recent international analysis that pooled data from nine previous studies on neck and head cancers, regular drinkers of caffeinated coffee had a lower risk of cancers of the mouth and pharynx.
• If you have low-back pain, stay as active as you can. Until about a decade ago, doctors often advised people with back pain to rest in bed or "take it easy." A recent review by the Cochrane Collaboration confirmed that bed rest can be counter-productive, while staying as physically active as you can helps reduce pain and improve mobility.
• Limit your time outdoors when air pollution levels are high if you have cardiovascular disease or risk factors for it, such as high blood pressure. Fine particulate matter from industry, traffic, and power plants can trigger heart attacks and strokes in susceptible people within hours or days of exposure, according to a recent statement from the American Heart Association.
• To reduce the risk of age-related hearing loss, eat fish, especially fish rich in omega-3 fats, suggest new findings from the Blue Mountains Hearing Study. People over 50 who reported eating at least two servings of fish a week had a 42% lower risk of developing hearing loss (presbycusis) over five years, compared to those who rarely ate fish.
• If you have diabetes, it’s especially crucial to follow cancer-screening guidelines. People with diabetes are at higher risk for certain cancers—such as liver, breast, colon, pancreatic, and bladder.
• If you take St. John’s wort for depression, you may not be getting what the label says. In recent testing by ConsumerLab.com, about half of St. John’s wort supplements were contaminated with cadmium or lead and/or contained much less active ingredient than claimed.
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