PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

  Research findings reveal that 25% of pregnant individuals do not receive sufficient omega-3 fatty acids from their diet or supplements. :         Results from a new nationwide cohort study show that, despite solid recommendations for consuming omega-3 fatty acids for optimal pregnancy outcomes and offspring health, 25% of participants reported rarely or never eating fish during pregnancy, with fewer taking omega-3 supplements. The study, "Demographic and health characteristics associated with fish and n-3 fatty acid supplement intake during pregnancy: results from pregnancy cohorts in the ECHO program," was led by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute investigators and published February 27 in  Public Health Nutrition . The study is timely, as the World Health Organization and U.S. National Academies plan to issue reports on the risks and benefits of fish consumption in pregnancy later this year. "Omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients for supporting positive heal

  For a healthy fruit snack, what would you choose? Next time you're packing lunch for your kid or reaching for a healthy afternoon bite, consider this: only three types of fruit snacks -- dried fruit, fruit puree, and canned fruit with juice -- meet the latest recommendations for high-nutrition snacks set by federal dietary guidelines, according to research by the University of Massachusetts Amherst food scientists. Of all the commercially available fruit snacks, defined by the USDA as "products made with fruit and fruit juices, which may or may not contain added sugar, artificial colors and flavors, and preservatives," the UMass Amherst team found that dried fruit has the best overall nutritional profile -- the highest nutrient density and fiber content, and the lowest added sugar. Conversely, fruit-flavored snacks such as gummies have the lowest nutrient density and fiber content and the highest amount of added sugar. Other fruit snack options with low nutrient density

  Drinks that contain added sugar have been associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation.         New research published today in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association, shows that adults who reported drinking two liters (about 67 ounces) or more of sugar- or artificially sweetened drinks per week had a higher risk of an irregular heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation compared with adults who drank fewer such beverages. The study also found that drinking one liter (about 34 ounces) or less per week of pure, unsweetened juice, such as orange or vegetable juice, was associated with a lower risk of atrial fibrillation (AFib). However, the study could not confirm whether the sweetened drinks caused AFib, yet the association remained after accounting for a person's genetic susceptibility to the condition. Consuming sweetened drinks has been linked to Type 2 diabetes and obesity in previous research. This l

  Annual breast cancer screening beginning at 40 saves lives.         Annual breast cancer screening beginning at age 40 and continuing to at least age 79 results in the highest reduction in mortality with minimal risks, according to a new study published today in  Radiology , a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death for women in the U.S. Despite research demonstrating that consistent participation in screening mammography can reduce breast cancer deaths by 40%, only 50% or less of eligible women actually participate in annual screening. "There is an ongoing debate over the recommendations for breast cancer screening, specifically about when to start and the frequency of screening," said lead researcher Debra L. Monticciolo, M.D., professor of radiology at Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine in Hanover, New Hampshire. Dr. Monticciolo said a recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task F

  "Women and reap the same exercise benefits as men, but with less effort required." A new study from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai shows a gender gap in exercise among women and men. The findings, published in the  Journal of the American College of Cardiology  ( JACC ), show that women can exercise less often than men yet receive greater cardiovascular gains. "Women have historically and statistically lagged behind men in engaging in meaningful exercise," said Martha Gulati, MD, director of Preventive Cardiology in the Department of Cardiology in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, the Anita Dann Friedman Chair in Women's Cardiovascular Medicine and Research and co-lead author of the study. "The beauty of this study is learning that women can get more out of each minute of moderate to vigorous activity than men do. It's an incentivizing notion that we hope women will take to heart." Using the National Health Interview Survey da