Nov
16
2011
Women Who Drink Sugary Drinks Have Higher Risk of Heart Disease and Diabetes
Presented at the American Heart Association meetings in Orlando, Florida this week, researcher Christina Shay, Ph.D., M.A., Assistant Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and her group, reported that women who drink two or more sugar-sweetened drinks (e.g. soda, sweet tea, flavored waters, etc.) a day, will have a super high level of the blood fat-triglycerides, more belly fat and abdominal obesity, and are at an increased risk of developing heart disease and diabetes, even if they didn’t gain weight! What do you do: my opinion is-women and everyone need to cut way back on any sugary beverage or foods they are consuming. Here is scientific evidence that all of those sugary sodas and coffees may be “stress relieving”, but are really hazardous to your health!
Have You Checked Your Child’s Cholesterol Level?
New screening guidelines issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics indicate that all children ages 9 to 11 and 17 to 21 should be screened for cholesterol. Previous guidelines only recommended obtaining a cholesterol level in children that have a strong family history of heart disease or a cholesterol abnormality. These new guidelines stem from that fact that researchers have determined that the atherosclerotic process begins very early in life, even at the age of 9. If cholesterol levels are found to be elevated ...
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Nov
07
2011
I was speaking to a group of friends this past weekend at a small get together. It was an interesting round of discussions. From politics to the economy, we seemed to touch on everything. Then, one of my friends brought up a new topic which I was unaware of: Facebook Depression. It seemed like other friends were more aware of this term. Maybe because they are on the social networking sites much more than I am. Anyway, after a bit of research, it is apparent that there is a definite depressive disorder that is associated with Facebook and this may extend to all of the social networking web sites. Actually all of these social networking sites are a kind of bulletin board for your life-if you want them to be. People post pictures of everything they are doing the moment they do it. Family events, play dates, dates, special events, non special events and just about everything in between. There are pictures of people just waking up in the morning. How is that interesting? And not only pictures, but a blow by blow description of exactly what they are doing. “Having cornflakes and coffee for breakfast.” "Going to the bathroom." Okay-so why do we need to know these facts? I am not sure-but it’s posted for the world to see. And not only do you know what everyone is doing, ...
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Nov
06
2011
The Nerdel Company is proud to announce that their most recently published book: Counting on Fruit with Nerdel , has just received the 2011 Silver Moonbeam Children’s Book Award in the Alphabet/Counting category.
The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards contest is designed to honor the year's best children’s books, authors and illustrators. Presented by Jenkins Group and Independent Publisher magazine, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are designed to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading.
The Nerdel Series of Children’s Books is a wonderful way for your children to have fun and laugh as they learn. Nerdel, his family and friends, share and discover counting, the ABC’s, nutrition, exercise and many more exciting subjects as Nerdel and your children learn more about the world. Counting on Fruit with Nerdel and Nerdel’s ABC Book were both written by Drs. Marc and Robin Kesselman and illustrated by Natali Martinez. Please visit nerdel.com for more Nerdel information.
For more information about the Moonbeam Awards, please visit moonbeamawards.com.
Nerdel's ABC Book and Counting on Fruit with Nerdel can be purchased online at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Nerdel.com.
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Oct
30
2011
STAY AWAY FROM BLACK LICORICE
As a kid, I loved licorice. The red swirly sticks were always a big hit in my group of friends. And once in a while we would eat the black licorice and even the chocolate ones. But ever since finding out that black licorice has a chemical that can cause high blood pressure, I have been advising my friends and family to stay away. Yes, the chemical is called “glycyrrhizin” and according to the FDA, if it is consumed in a large enough quantity-more than 2 ounces a day for two weeks, or more, glycyrrhizin has the potential to cause high blood pressure and irregular heartbeats. How does it do this? Well, first of all it can cause your kidneys to lose more potassium than usual and as a result, this imbalance (when the potassium is lower than it should be) may make the conditions in your heart vulnerable to set up an irregular heart rhythm. Secondly, the glycyrrhizin may cause your body to retain more salt and water-which can result in the body having a higher blood pressure and even a set up for heart failure (too much salt and water for the heart to handle). Thirdly, eating black licorice can interfere with other medicine that you may be taking including digoxin (a medicine used to control heart rhythms), laxatives and diuretics (a medicine that ...
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Oct
23
2011
FECAL BACTERIA ON YOUR CELL PHONE-YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS!
Okay my friend’s, here is one for the record books, a recent British Study (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London, October 14, 2011) found that one out of every six cell phones in the United Kingdom, is contaminated with fecal material. Yes, that means lots of people in the UK (and probably all over the world) are not washing their hands after they use the bathroom. In fact, additional testing of hands after people leave the bathroom found that 82% of them had bacteria on them. According to experts, bacteria on surfaces can survive for hours to days at a time. If the temperature is warmer, bacteria can survive for longer periods. Millions of people all over the world pick up germs from surfaces (and foods) daily-sometimes with deadly consequences. What do you do? Come on, this is a no brainer-WASH YOUR HANDS people! Wash them thoroughly with soap and warm water. Wash them before you leave a bathroom. Wash them after touching various surfaces like door handles, counter tops, phones, plane seats, bus handles, etc. WASH YOUR HANDS! So the next time you are using your friend’s cell phone, think about where you are putting your ear!!
MORE ATHLETES ARE DYING FROM SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH
Another research document from the journals (Kimberly Harman, MD, et ...
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Oct
16
2011
This year’s Listeria monocytogenes outbreak has been labeled as the “deadliest in ten years,” according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials. As of October 11, 2011, a total of 116 people from 25 states have been infected. Twenty three people have died. Rocky Ford Cantaloupes shipped from July 29 through September 10, 2011, from Jensen Farms (www.jensenfarms.com; Colorado), to over 25 states have been recalled. Romaine lettuce from California has also been implicated. Illness from Listeria may take up to two months to show up and cause symptoms.
A recap of information from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC about Listeria:
What are the Symptoms of Listeriosis?
Listeriosis is a rare and serious illness caused by eating food contaminated with bacteria called Listeria. Persons who think they might have become ill should consult their doctor. A person with listeriosis usually has fever and muscle aches(but also may present with neck stiffness, confusion and vomiting).
Who is at Risk?
Listeriosis can be fatal, especially in certain high-risk groups. These groups include older adults, people with compromised immune systems and certain chronic medical conditions (such as cancer), and unborn babies and newborns. In pregnant women, listeriosis can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and serious illness or death in newborn babies, though the mother herself rarely becomes seriously ill.
What Do Consumers Need To Do?
Consumers should not eat Rocky Ford Cantaloupe shipped by Jensen ...
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Oct
15
2011
So Do I Take Vitamins or Not?
If you have been reading the newspaper or listening to the TV (or radio/internet) reports over the past few weeks, you undoubtedly are aware of the controversy surrounding vitamins. Most recent reports have come up with negative findings indicating that most vitamin supplements do not prevent disease and in fact some are associated with a higher risk of causing the disease itself. With the exception of folic acid for prevention of neural tube defects, omega-3 fatty acids benefit in heart disease and B12 supplementation for dementia, the bet is off for basically everything else. The pendulum has definitely swung in the negative direction for the supplement industry. So what do you do? According to most health experts, eating a diet that includes all of the natural vitamins is the best way to keep your body healthy. This translates into making fruits and veggies over half of your daily diet, eating low saturated fat proteins, low fat dairy, whole grains, plenty of fiber and keeping your diet low in added salt and sugar. Eating the fruit or vegetable gives you many more health benefits (and much less sugar) than drinking the juice or taking a pill.
Advertising Directly To Children: Healthy and Nutritious Makes an Impact
In the advertising world, statistics abound. Most advertising firms know very well what will sell to kids: cartoon characters with a ...
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Oct
02
2011
As you may know, my predecessor, Graehm Gray, was a champion for the prevention of sudden cardiac death in our young athletes by advocating routine cardiac testing of ALL of our young athletes as part of their pre-participation physicals. So many young kids make headlines, not by their talents on the court or field, but by their obituary. And now another young student, Angela Gettis, a 16 year old cheerleader from Los Angeles, California collapsed this past Friday at a football game. Her autopsy is pending. How many times have we read, “…..was such a good student,” or “….we never knew anything was wrong.”
Sudden cardiac death according to most sources is a rare event. Usually there are no significant symptoms experienced before the catastrophic event. Studies from Italy and in the United States have shown that the use of cardiac ultrasound screening can identify serious heart conditions (e.g hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) that would put our children at increased risk for physical activity. And not only would cardiac ultrasound screening help identify heart conditions in kids that would place them at high risk for sports, but also in college and professional athletes too (e.g. Hank Gathers-basketball player from Loyola Marymount University and Reggie Lewis-basketballplayer from the Boston Celtics)!
It’s a reoccurring theme. Thousands of child athletes get screened each year, most by simple history and physicals. Some are lucky enough to get an electrocardiogram. A ...
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Sep
28
2011
Hello everyone, my name is Dr. Theodore Nerdelman, and I am the new Editor-in-Chief here at The Nerdel News. My friends call me Theo. My good friend Graehm Gray, who has held this position, has gone on an adventure and mission. I am not at liberty to disclose the nature of the mission, but safe to say, its something to do with saving the free world. We wish GG all the best and extend lots of gratitude for all of his efforts here at TNN. So now it’s up to me to move this column forward and bring you all of the latest news and opinions in the fields of nutrition, fitness and health. And add some of my opinions on the general nature of life itself as it affects all of us.
So let the adventure begin! A new “In the News”:
The heart benefits of being a father of two children:
it seems that fathers of at least two or more children have a lower incidence of dying from heart disease compared to child-less males and those fathers of a single child. So far the exact reasons for these results are still being investigated so stay tuned.
50 Percent of all Americans will be obese by 2030:
Y. Claire Wang, M.D.** from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and her colleagues have reported that there will be 65 million more ...
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Sep
18
2011
Diabetes Rates Climbing
According to recent reports, there are 366 million people worldwide that now have diabetes and spending on diabetes “has reached 465 billion dollars” . These are statistics released from the International Diabetes Federation (www.idf.org).
Does Strenuous Exercise Cause Health problems?
Presentations at the recent 2011 European Society of Cardiology meetings have suggested that when athletes perform “strenuous” exercise, they are at an increased risk of developing arrhythmias (irregular heart beats). The levels of exercise were defined as the following:
Sedentary
Moderate: walking, cycling or other physical activity for four (4) hours a week
Intermediate: participation in recreational sports at least four (4) hours week
Intensive: participation in hard training or sports competitions several times a week
It seems that competitive and intensive sports activities, either performed by professionally trained athletes or non professional weekend warriors, carries the same arrhythmia risk.
165 Million Americans Will Be Obese By 2030
A recent report from the British journal The Lancet, suggests that the present 32% rate of adult male obesity will rise to a staggering 50% and the current 35% adult female obesity will rise to between 45-52% by the year 2030, if the current weight gaining trend continues unabated. Accompanying this massive increase in obesity will be a tremendous increase in health care costs not to mention a massive increase in associated medical problems like diabetes. Most experts agree that this increase in adult obesity has its roots ...
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