What's Unhealthy For Good Health?


Author: Knight Pierce Hirst

According to an August 2009 announcement by the American Heart Association, sugar – including high fructose corn syrup – is bad for the heart. Women should have no more than 100 calories daily from sugar that’s added to foods and drinks. Men should have no more than 150 of these calories daily.


Unfortunately, the average American consumes 375 calories from added sugar daily. In fact, about half the increase in calories in the past 30 years comes from beverages. Twelve ounces of regular cola have about 130 calories of sugar. Is seems Americans aren’t drinking to their health.

According to a study in the journal “Neurology”, people as young as 45 who have high diastolic blood pressure are more likely to have problems with memory. The diastolic number is the bottom number on a blood pressure reading. Blood pressure readings of 140/90 or above are considered high and every 10-point increase in the diastolic number increases the likelihood of memory problems 7%. Thus it’s thought preventing or treating high blood pressure could help prevent memory loss. Considering 1 out of 3 Americans have high blood pressure, 1 out of 3 could have difficulty remembering this.

According to a study published in the journal “Social Science & Medicine”, worry about losing a job is worse for peoples’ health than not having a job. In fact, chronic job insecurity was a stronger predictor of poor health than smoking or hypertension. It’s not just the loss of income that causes this stress; it’s also the loss of health insurance, retirement benefits and peace of mind. Previous research has shown that stress leads to a range of poor health conditions that can shorten life. Of course, other research has shown that job security in a stressful job can shorten life too.

According to Dr. Martin Wiseman of the American Institute for Cancer Research/World Cancer Research Fund, nearly 40% of breast cancer in the U.S. could be prevented. The report, which reviewed 81 new studies on the links between lifestyle and cancer, showed that 70,000 cases of breast cancer could be prevented a year if women maintained a healthy weight, drank only 1 alcoholic drink a day, exercised at least 30 minutes a day and breastfed their babies. Breast cancer kills 400,000 women worldwide every year, with 40,000 dying in the U.S. While the government struggles with health care, women can help care for their own health.

About the Author:

Knight Pierce Hirst has written for television, newspapers and greeting cards. Now she writes a 400-word blog three times a week. KNIGHT WATCH, a second look at what makes life interesting, takes only seconds to read at http://knightwatch.typepad.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - What's Unhealthy For Good Health?


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