WEEKLY HEALTH UPDATE - September 16, 2010

Mental Attitude: Excess Weight on Hips Linked to Memory Problems. Older women who are obese are more likely to experience memory problems, especially if their excess weight is located around their hips. For every one-point increase in a woman's Body Mass Index, her memory score dropped by a point on a 100-point memory test called the Modified Mini-Mental Status Examination.
The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, July 2010

Health Alert: Diabetes & Weak Bones! Children at risk for diabetes before they reach puberty who seldom exercise also appear to be at risk for developing weaker bones. This should be a wakeup call for parents about the lifelong consequences of an overweight childhood, and increased physical activity might be a simple fix.
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, August 2010

Diet: Worst Foods in Your Fridge: Creamy Salad Dressing. How many bottles of creamy salad dressing (ranch, thousand island, or blue cheese) are in your refrigerator? Each two-tablespoon serving of these dressings adds about 120 calories, 12 grams of fat, 2.5 grams saturated fat, and 380 milligrams of sodium to your salad. Often people drizzle on double this amount of dressing (1/4 cup). Try using only two-tablespoon servings. Also try lighter calorie, low-fat dressings. Elaine Magee, MPH, RD

Exercise: How Much Exercise Do You Really Need? Lack of time is the single biggest obstacle to fitness but even a little exercise can provide health benefits. Experts say, you may be overestimating how much exercise you really need to get at once. What if you could improve fitness with 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there throughout your day? A study showed short walks after dinner were more effective than long exercise sessions in reducing the amount of fat and triglyceride levels in the bloodstream after a hearty meal. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2006

Chiropractic: Chiropractic Wins. When compared to other alternative health care options, chiropractic care fared better. "Acute and chronic chiropractic patients experienced better outcomes in pain, functional disability, and patient satisfaction; clinically important differences in pain and disability improvement were found for chronic patients." Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 2005

Wellness/Prevention: Watch Your Heart Rate Or Die? An elevated resting heart rate is associated with a significantly increased risk of death, whether from heart disease or other causes. A heart rate of 84 beats per minute or greater was linked to a 55% greater risk of cardiovascular death and a 79% greater risk of death from all causes. A healthy heart rate is between 60 and 80 beats per minute. Even incremental increases in heart rate were associated with increased risk of death. Every extra 10 beats per minute higher than a normal resting pulse was associated with a 16% increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 25% greater risk of all-cause death.
European Heart Journal, July 2010

Quote: "One meal a day is enough for a lion and it ought to be for a man."
~ G. Fordyce