PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

  Drinking Alcohol Is Linked to Health Risks, Says Report . By India Edwards HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, January 15, 2025 -- A new federal report warns that drinking alcohol could raise your risk of dying early. The draft of the report released Tuesday by the Department of Health and Human Services states that "in the United States, males and females have a 1 in 1000 risk of dying from alcohol use if they consume more than 7 drinks per week. This risk increases to 1 in 100 if they consume more than 9 drinks per week." The report's purpose was to generate evidence on weekly alcohol consumption thresholds to minimize health risks. While the draft summarizes its research findings, it does not include specific recommendations on alcohol consumption. Current U.S. guidelines recommend no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women, yet this new report suggests even those levels could be risky. The report is one of two complementary filings on the rela...

  Diabetes Drug Protects Against Skin Cancer, New Research Says By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, Jan. 14, 2025 -- A popular diabetes drug can provide protection against skin cancers, a new study says. In a recent study published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, researchers found that metformin  significantly reduces the  risk of developing basal or squamous cell cancer, the two most common skin cancers. People taking metformin had a significantly lower risk of basal cell cancer and a significantly lower risk of squamous cell cancer, results show. "This study strengthens the evidence supporting metformin's potential as a protective agent against non-melanoma skin cancer," concluded the research team led by senior researcher Dr. Tiffany Libby, an assistant professor of dermatology at Brown University. Metformin is now the most widely prescribed pill for type 2  diabetes , researchers said in background notes. Previous studies have suggested t...

  Men Are 3 Times As Likely to Die from Traumatic Brain Injury Compared to Women By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, Jan. 14, 2025 -- Men are more than three times as likely to die from a  traumatic brain injury  compared to women, a new study says. About 30 brain injury-related deaths occurred for every 100,000 U.S. men in 2021, while only 9 such deaths occurred among women at that rate, researchers found in a new study published Jan. 9 in the journal  Brain Injury . Firearm-related suicide, unintentional falls, and car crashes were the most common causes of brain injury-related deaths, results show. “In addition to men, older adults are especially at risk, with unintentional falls being a major cause of TBI-related death,” lead researcher Alexis Peterson, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a news release. Traumatic brain injuries are associated with about a quarter of all injury-related deaths, researcher...

  Updated Guidelines for Preventing Osteoporosis-Related Fractures Released By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, Jan. 14, 2025 --The nation's leading preventive health panel recommends that women 65 and older continue to be screened for osteoporosis. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force also recommends screening women younger than 65 who've gone through  menopause  and are at increased risk of a fracture from bone loss, according to the updated guidelines published in the  Journal of the American Medical Association . "Too often, the first sign of osteoporosis is a  broken bone , which can lead to serious health issues," USPSTF member Dr. Esa Davis said in a statement from the group. "The good news is that for women 65 years or older, as well as younger women at increased risk, screening can detect osteoporosis early—before fractures happen—helping women maintain their health, independence, and quality of life," added Davis, senior a...

  HOW LIGHT THERAPY IMPROVES MOOD The light activates the circadian clock gene Period1 in a brain region that affects mood. Light therapy can help improve the mood of people with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) during short winter days, but exactly how this therapy works is not well understood. A  study by Urs Albrecht at the University of Fribourg, published in the journal  PLOS Genetics , finds that light therapy's beneficial effects come from activating the circadian clock gene Period1 in a part of the brain involved in mood and sleep-wake cycles. Nighttime light has substantial effects on the physiology and behavior of mammals. It can reset an animal's circadian rhythms and, in the form of light therapy, affect mood in humans. Albrecht and his colleagues investigated how nighttime light impacts mood using mice as a model. They exposed mice to a pulse of light at different points during the night and then tested them for depressive behavior. The researchers discovere...

  COLD WEATHER INCREASES THE RISK OF HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES         When winter arrives and temperatures drop, there’s one place the mercury actually rises — in blood pressure gauges. A survival mechanism in people and other mammals constricts blood vessels in cold weather to conserve heat and maintain body temperature. But with less room for blood to move, pressure rises — along with the risk of fatal heart attack and stroke, which peaks during winter. Many of these deaths could be prevented with simple precautions, says University of Florida blood pressure expert Zhongjie Sun, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of physiology and medicine who has just uncovered a new facet of the mysterious mechanism after identifying a gene that triggers cold-induced high blood pressure in mice. UF researchers describe their findings in the current American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative, and Comparative Physiology issue. “Everyone should bear in mind that c...

  NEW GLYCEMIC INDEX DATABASE CREATED FOR HEALTHIER FOOD CHOICES Researchers created the first national glycemic index database, revealing how common foods impact health and contribute to chronic diseases.         A BYU nutrition and dietetics professor, Karen Della Corte, recently authored a new study published in  The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The  study  developed  a national glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) database to offer insights into the evolving quality of carbohydrates consumed in the United States, which hadn't been done previously. Public health researchers use the GI scale to categorize the quality of carbohydrates. High-GI foods, such as white flour and sugar cereals, cause a "sugar rush" that can negatively impact metabolic health. Additionally, GL factors in the quantity of carbohydrates consumed. "Large-scale studies have shown that both high GI and GL diets are associated with an increased risk of Ty...