Cutting global warming pollution would not only make the planet healthier, it would make people healthier too, says officials, as they releases studies calculating the health benefits of a less sickly climate.

Slashing carbon dioxide emissions could save millions of lives, mostly by reducing preventable deaths from heart and lung diseases, the studies show. They are published in a special issue of The Lancet British medical journal, released Wednesday.

The calculations of lives saved are based on computer models that looks at pollution-caused illnesses in certain cities. The figures are also based on the world making dramatic changes in daily life that may at first seem too hard and costly to do, researchers concedes.

Cutting carbon dioxide emissions will also reduce other types of air pollution, especially tiny particles that lodge in the lungs and cause direct health damage, doctors says. Other benefits can come from encouraging more exercise and less meat consumption, to improve heart health, researchers says. Read more…

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But protective effect can wear off at higher levels in men, study finds

By Ed Edelson
healthDay Reporter

(HealthDay News) — A Spanish study has found that long-term moderate drinking decreased the risk of heart disease by up to one-third in men and to a lesser degree in women.

The type of alcohol — beer, wine or spirits — made no difference, the researchers reported in the Nov. 19 online issue of Heart. The Spanish analysis used 10-year data on 15,500 men and nearly 26,000 women who were participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer study.

But for men, there was a point at which the coronary benefits of alcohol declined, and risk began to rise again.

The rate of coronary heart disease for non-drinking women in the study was 56 per 100,000. For women listed as low drinkers, averaging less than 5 grams a day, it was 42. For women who were moderate drinkers (5 to 30 grams a day), it was 36; for high drinkers (30 to 90 grams a day) it was 12; and for heavy drinkers (more than 90 grams a day) it was 12.

The rates for men were 398 per 100,000 for those who never drank, 318 for low drinkers, 255 for moderate drinkers, 278 for high drinkers and 334 for heavy drinkers, the researchers reported. Read more…

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Exercising them will feel good

Little else feels better than a good foot massage or stretch.

The American Podiatric Medical Association offers these suggestions for keeping your feet happy and healthy:

• Stretch your arch, either by placing a towel around the ball of your foot and gently pulling with your hands, or by standing in front of a wall and slightly leaning forward until you feel your arches stretch.
• Strengthen toes by placing a toe separator between them and squeezing toes together for five seconds; do it 10 times. Or, wrap toes with a rubber band and spread against the resistance.
• Grab a golf ball or other similar-sized ball, and place it on the floor under your bare feet. Gently roll it around under your feet.
• Stand up on the balls of your feet and hold for five seconds; do this 10 times.
• Stand with feet flat, then one at a time lift your heel from the floor and roll weight into the ball of your with your toes pointing down. Flex your foot, hold, and repeat on each foot.

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Comparison of plans finds differences in mood despite similar weight loss

By Amanda Gardner
healthDay Reporter

(HealthDay News) — Both a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet such as the popular Atkins program and a low-fat, high-carb diet appear to help people lose pounds over the course of a year.

But as for mood? Only the low-fat diets will result in long-term improvement in mood, according to a study in the Nov. 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

People on both diets consumed roughly the same number of calories.

"Both an energy-reduced, very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet and a conventional high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet are equally effective for achieving weight loss in overweight and obese individuals," explained study author Grant D. Brinkworth, a research scientist with the food and nutritional sciences division of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Adelaide, Australia.

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Even a slight elevation was linked to coronary artery calcification in study

(HealthDay News) — Elevated blood levels of phosphorus are associated with a higher risk of heart disease, U.S. researchers say.

They studied the link between phosphorus levels and coronary artery calcification (CAC) in nearly 900 healthy adults in the Spokane Heart Study, a long-term investigation of heart disease risk factors. CAC is an early sign of hardening of the arteries.

At the start of the study, 28 percent of participants had CAC. After six years of follow-up, another 33 percent had developed CAC, and the level of CAC increased among those who already had the condition.  Read more…

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The Almost Gourmet Quickie Veggie Wrap

This is my quickie go-to lunch many days. It comes together in just a few short minutes if you have all of your veggies washed and prepped ahead of time. I like to slice my veggies while I am assembling the wrap, but you could certainly slice them in advance if you are crunched for time, or even make the wrap ahead of time, and store it in plastic wrap. It is extremely filling and nutritious. I also adjust the amount of veggies by my hunger level – adding more if I am starving or less if I am not incredibly hungry.

If you want to add more protein, you can absolutely add some chicken/turkey breast, salmon, tuna, etc.

Ingredients

• Half of a gigantic whole wheat tortilla
• 1 tbsp of garlic and chive chevre (goat cheese)
• Cucumbers, sliced in long thin strips
• Red, green, orange, and yellow peppers sliced in long thin strips
• Carrots, sliced in long thin strips
• Beets, sliced in long thin strips
• Green onion, chopped
• Handful of sprouts
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Lay tortilla out on a flat surface.
2. Spread goat cheese evenly across tortilla.
3. Pile on the veggies. I typically organize them from heaviest items on the bottom to lightest on the top, to make it easier to handle.
4. Finish with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
5. Close wrap and secure with a toothpick if needed.
6. Serve.

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Living With Less TV, More Sweat Boosts Weight Loss
Home environment plays role in effort to drop pounds, experts say

(healthDay News) — If you want to lose weight, exercise and diet are crucial. But a new study says other factors appear to play a role, too — including the number of TVs in your house and the presence of exercise equipment.

“The home environment really came out as a stronger factor than we would have anticipated,” Suzanne Phelan, assistant professor of kinesiology at California Polytechnic State University and lead author of the new study, said in a news release.

Phelan and colleagues looked at the results of surveys of 167 people who lost a big chunk of their body weight — at least 10 percent — and managed to keep the pounds at bay for five or more years. The researchers compared this group to two other groups of people who were overweight or obese.

The researchers investigated what set the weight-losers apart from the others, and published their findings in the October issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Read more…

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Americans Get Failing Grade on Diabetes Awareness
Survey finds abundant myths about debilitating disease

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) — Though someone is diagnosed with diabetes every 20 seconds, many Americans lack basic knowledge about the potentially life-threatening disease, according to a new survey from the American Diabetes Association.

Diabetes is responsible for more deaths each year in the United States than breast cancer and AIDS combined, but just 42 percent of those surveyed knew that diabetes could be so deadly.

"There's a real lack of awareness of the seriousness of the disease," said Sue McLaughlin, president of health Care and Education for the diabetes association. To combat that, the organization has launched a new campaign called Stop Diabetes to encourage people with diabetes to share their stories. The effort aims to increase awareness of the disease, fight the social stigma sometimes associated with it and get more people involved in the fight against diabetes.

Those who have the disease often say the lack of awareness can feel like a lack of support.

"Living with diabetes every day is a struggle, and people don't always understand what you go through every day," said Malika Bey of Pittsburgh. Bey was diagnosed with gestational diabetes during two pregnancies, and then with type 2 diabetes after her last pregnancy.

"It would help if family members were more supportive," she said. "You know, I can't eat everything I want to eat, and at a party, nobody thinks about something simple, like getting diet drinks."

McLaughlin said a common myth is that sugar and overeating cause diabetes. But, that's not true for either type of diabetes. Diet isn't a factor at all in type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which the body mistakenly attacks the islet cells in the pancreas, destroying the body's ability to produce insulin. And, though type 2 diabetes is more common in people who are overweight, genetics and other unknown factors — not just diet — can be contributors. Even some thin people have type 2 diabetes. Read more…

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