A large, new study from Harvard’s School of Public Health found that drinking sugar-heavy beverages (whether sodas or fruit drinks) was associated with early mortality. One extra 12-ounce serving of a sugary drink daily was linked to a 7 percent increased risk of death overall and a 10 percent increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease. One researcher noted: “The optimal intake of these drinks…
A large, new meta-review of 108 randomized controlled trials (23,000 participants) from the very stringent Cochrane Database found that exercise requiring standing up and not sitting is a very good way to reduce falls in the elderly. Tai chi, for example, reduced the rate of falls by 19 percent. The researchers summarized as follows: “We’re very sure that starting an exercise program will reduce the…
A new study from British researchers (on 6,616 children) found that using screens in the hour before bedtime hurts kids’ sleep and quality of life measures. Before-bed screen time was associated with a significantly worse ability to fall asleep as well as waking up too early (60 percent higher odds). And using screens in a dark room led to even worse sleep outcomes than using…
It has been one of the critical unanswered questions in health: Do e-cigarettes actually help smokers quit? The first, large, rigorous study out of the UK answers with a firm “yes.” E-cigarettes were almost twice as successful as nicotine replacement products, such as the patch or gum, for smoking cessation. READ THE STUDY
A large, new study in the European Heart Journal (116,632 people across 21 countries) found that getting at least 6–8 hours of sleep a night is optimal, but getting more might not be. People who slept 8–9 hours had a 5 percent increased risk for cardiovascular disease or death; those who slept 9–10 hours had a 17 percent increased risk; and those sleeping more than…
A new study from Ball State University, testing the cardiovascular health and muscles of people in their 70s that exercised steadily for decades, found that the muscles of these men and women were indistinguishable in many ways from those of healthy 25-year-olds, with as many capillaries and enzymes. And these active septuagenarians essentially had the cardiovascular health of people 30 years younger. The researchers summarized…
