Health and Nutrition News, Latest Headlines Source

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Financial Incentives Don't Spur Worker Weight Loss

Workplace wellness programs must get more creative, researchers say

From: http://www.webmd.com/diet/20160106/financial-incentives-dont-spur-employee-weight-loss-study-finds?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Autism Risk Tied to Prenatal Asthma Drug Exposure

But taking beta-agonists during pregnancy also might benefit fetus, researchers say

From: http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20160106/study-ties-autism-risk-to-prenatal-exposure-to-asthma-drugs?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Flu shots: Especially important if you have heart disease

From: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/flu-shots/art-20044238

Artificial Pancreas Gets Long-Term Real Trial

Researchers will measure how well the new technology helps people with type 1 diabetes

From: http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20160105/artificial-pancreas-to-get-long-term-real-life-trial?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Almost 90K pounds of Sam's Choice beef recalled

The Walmart supplier is pulling the beef patties nationwide due to possible contamination with wood materials

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/almost-90k-pounds-of-sams-choice-beef-recalled/

Chipotle faces criminal probe over norovirus

California prosecutors hit restaurant chain with grand jury subpoena as part of investigation into contaminated food

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chipotle-faces-criminal-probe-over-novovirus-outbreak/

Promising new ways to prevent, treat cancer

Cancer experts Dr. David Agus, Dr. Judy Garber and Anna Baker join "CBS This Morning" to discuss the latest in cancer research

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/promising-new-ways-to-prevent-treat-cancer/

Twins study sheds light on family risk for cancer

"If cancer was simply genetic, identical twins would be affected by cancer equally" - but it's more complicated

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/twins-genetics-family-cancer-risk/

Can your coffee habit help you live longer?

Whether they take it hot or cold, black or “regular,” many people say they can’t live without it: Coffee. The dark, seductive beverage that has become a staple in the American diet. But when did we become so obsessed with coffee, and is our obsession, in fact, bad for us?

Researchers have some eye-opening answers.

The origins of coffee are unclear. One legend traces it back centuries ago to the forests of Ethiopia, where a goat herder discovered that his animals were energized after eating the red berries of the coffee bush. But wherever it started from, coffee’s popularity soon spread around the globe and eventually reached Europe and the “New World” by the 17th century.

Although tea was initially the beverage of choice for the American colonists, coffee eventually replaced it after the revolt against the taxation of tea by King George III, which culminated in the Boston Tea Party in December 1773. According to the National Coffee Association, Thomas Jefferson reportedly once described coffee as “the favorite drink of the civilized world.”

In modern times, a cup (or more) of brew has become a daily ritual in the US — with meals, at the office, in coffee shops, and at home. It’s available in every possible size and flavor combination, both with caffeine and without. But for years, experts have debated whether coffee promotes health or threatens it.

In search of coffee’s effects on health

Coffee contains antioxidants, which can help protect cells from damage. In some studies, coffee has been shown to have a protective effect against some cancers, as well as chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and gout. The caffeine in coffee is a stimulant and may help with mental alertness and fatigue.

However, too much coffee can make you jittery, lead to sleep problems, give you headaches, raise your blood pressure, and trigger heart arrhythmias, and it may even promote bone loss. But is coffee really dangerous? Are coffee lovers putting their lives on the line when they reach for that next cup of java?

To investigate this further, scientists at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health looked at data from three ongoing studies involving almost 300,000 men and women for up to 30 years. The results of their research were recently published in the journal Circulation.

They found that moderate coffee consumption was actually associated with a lower risk of overall mortality, as well as a lower risk of death from heart and neurological diseases. Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee had a protective effect, suggesting that something other than caffeine is at play — perhaps those antioxidants. Heavier coffee drinking did not seem to further decrease the risk of death beyond that of moderate consumption, but it did not seem to increase the risk, either.

In the end, the researchers concluded, “Coffee consumption can be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle.” Great news for the millions of Americans who need only be “dying” for coffee in the most metaphorical sense — and can happily live for it.

The post Can your coffee habit help you live longer? appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Mallika Marshall, MD http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/can-your-coffee-habit-help-you-live-longer-201601068938

Statement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Proclaiming Today Bob Stallman Appreciation Day

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2016 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack released the following statement proclaiming today, Jan. 6, 2016, Bob Stallman Appreciation Day. Stallman is retiring as President of the American Farm Bureau Federation after 16 years of service.

From: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2016/01/0003.xml&contentidonly=true

Feds fine Lumosity developer over brain benefit claim

The company behind a popular "brain training" app will pay $2 million to settle federal allegations of deceiving customers

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/feds-fine-lumosity-developer-over-brain-benefit-claim/