 |
 |
 |
|
 |
Medical Health | Dental Health | Medical Alerts | Creating That Perfect Smile | Diseases In Dentistry | Info |  |
|
||
| About Dr. Godart | My Child's Teeth | Kid's Corner | Molarettes | Plak Attackers | What's New | In The News | ||
Read Previous Issues of NUTRITION NEWS |
NUTRITION NEWS III from Paula Harrison, M.S., R.D. ARE YOUR DRUGS KEEPING YOU AWAKE? A cup of coffee has an average of 85 milligrams of caffeine - a strong drug that reaches its peak effect one to four hours after it is consumed. However,caffeine can exert a stimulant effect for up to seven hours. Therefore, people who have trouble falling asleep - or staying asleep might benefit from avoiding coffee or cola from late afternoon on. This is probably not news to you. BUT did you realize that some of the most common brands of pain relievers contain at least as much caffeine as a cup of coffee? In other words, the over-the-counter medication someone takes to releive pain in order to promote a good night's sleep, may actually cause sleeplessness. For instance, a two-tablet dose of Extra Strength Excedrin, contains 130 milligrams of caffeine. Anacin contains 64 milligrams. Swallowed at the six-hour intervals recommended on their labels, the caffeine in such pain killers could add up to the amount in six cups of coffee a day. Check the label on any over-the-counter pain killer you take for "active ingredients"; that is where you will find the number of milligrams of caffeine. If you regularly take a pain reliever with 40- 50 milligrams of caffeine and have trouble sleeping, ask your doctor about caffeine-free alternatives. Several cold medicines can hinder sleep also. Even though many contain antihistimines which have a tranquilizing effect,they also frequently have ingredients like pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine, which act as stimulants. The tranquilizers compete with the stimulants and the stimulants win out. Physician -prescribed drugs can interfere with sleep also. For instance, diuretics cause the body to flush out water through urination. It's recommended that people take their diuretics a few hours in advance of bedtime so they get in one or two trips to the bathroom before trying to fall asleep. The antidepressant Prozac and overmedication with thyroid drugs can cause sleeplessness as well. HEARTBURN: NO JOKE Researchers at the Karolina Institute in Sweden found in a study of hundreds of men and women that those who suffer from heartburn at least once a week are almost EIGHT TIMES as likely to develop esophageal cancer as those who get heartburn less frequently. Those who experience heartburn two or more times a week are at even greater risk. Heartburn is caused by the backward flow of stomach acid into the esophagus. If it occurs just once in a while, it is relatively harmless. However, in someone with chronic heartburn, the normally soft cells of the esophagus protect themselves from damage of the frequent acid onslaught by toughening (and thereby becoming more like the cells of the stomach lining). That cell toughening is what predisposes esophageal cells to grow cancerous tumors. While cancer of the esophagus is rare in the U.S., it is on the increase, most notably in white men. People should realize that while over-the-counter drugs mask heartburn symptoms, they don't delay cell changes that predispose the esophagus to cancerous growths. People with persistent heartburn are advised to seek medical help. EATING OUT CAN MEAN TOO MANY CALORIES Research now exists to support what you probably already suspected. Eating out packs more calories into your diet and is less healthful in general than eating at home. Investigators at the University of Memphis added some scientific weight to the intuitive knowledge after reviewing a week's worth of food records from 129 women. The results: "Women who either ate at restaurants or bought take-out food at least six times a week consumed, per day, 300 more calories, 19 more grams of fat, and 400 more milligrams of sodium than women who ate food prepared away from home five times a week or less." Considering that obesity is on the rise in this country, the higher calorie intake of restaurant goers is "of particular concern" according to researchers, and "might lead to a steady increase in weight." Study leader Linda Eck Clemens, EdD, RD, says that not only the large portion sizes, but also diners' attitudes may be to blame. Many people think that eating out "gives you permission not to limit your intake." HOW MANY CALORIES DID YOU BURN? (fewer than the exercise machine said) Michele Olson, PhD of the Department of Physical Education at Alabama's Auburn University says "the overwhelming majority of the time, exercise machines tend to OVERESTIMATE calories (rather than underestimate) by as much as 20 to 30 percent. Granted, she notes, "that's the extreme. It could be 10 percent. It could be 15 percent. The point is there's a lot of error." One reason for error is that not all machines ask you to "plug in" your weight. If the programmed weight is 154 pounds (the weight of the typical reference male) and you weigh less than 140 pounds, you'll burn significantly fewer calories than the machine tells you because it takes less energy to move 120 or 130 pounds than 154 pounds. Even if the machine DOES "ask" for your weight, the calories burned also will vary depending on how much weight is lean muscle (burns more calories) and how much is fat. To cut down on calorie overestimation, you can try the following tips: 1.) Go five minutes longer per exercise session than you have been going, but don't assume you're burning another five minutes' worth of calories; 2.) "Plug in" a body weight that's a little lighter than your actual weight. That will lead to a slightly lower calorie read-out that might be more in line with the calories you've truly burned; 3.) Increase the work level after a while. Once the workout begins to feel noticeably easier at a particular level, it means you're burning fewer calories; 4.) Use good technique; handrails should be used for balance, not to carry your weight; 5.) Consider cross-training on three or four machines. It'll help keep you from getting too habituated to any one poice of equipment. 6.) Focus a little less on calories and a little more on exercise intensity. Tufts trainer Michael Wood says "What you burn in a single session doesn't matter- what's important is that you exercise regularly and work up a good sweat, which is how you know you're working your heart muscle." REFERENCES: Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter, Volume 17, Number 3, May 1999. Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter, Volume 17, Number 4, June 1999. Nutrition Action Health Letter, Volume 26, Number 5, June 1999. *****Paula Harrison is a registered dietician practicing in Wyckoff, New Jersey. Paula is a graduate of New York University with a M.S. in Nutrition. If you have any questions you might want to ask her, you may E-mail her at: gpgodart-smile@worldnet.att.net |
My Child's Teeth | Kid's Corner | Molarettes |Plak Attackers