10 Second Health Tips

Tea Off in the Morning

Hot tea can slash your risk of kidney cancer by 15 percent, according to a review in the International Journal of Cancer. Try pu-erh tea, which is better than green or black tea at preventing DNA damage.

Sleep Smarter

Too much sleep, or not enough of it, can kill you. A British study found that getting more than 9 hours of sack time a night, or less than 6, doubles your risk of an early death from any cause. Aim for 7 to 8 hours a night.

Drink Wine, Stay Lean

Polyphenols, the compounds found in red wine, help your body block fat absorption, an Israeli study found. Red-wine marinades work, too.

Lose the Lint

Taking 2 seconds to empty the lint trap in your clothes dryer can prevent you from being one of the 315 dryer-fire victims each year in the United States.

Check Your Neck

An American Journal of Medicine study found that a mildly underactive thyroid can boost your heart-disease risk by 65 percent. A quick blood test can assess your level of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).

Lean Back

Parking your torso at a 90-degree angle strains your spine, say Scottish and Canadian researchers. Instead, give your chair the La-Z-Boy treatment and recline the seat back slightly. The ideal angle is 45 degrees off vertical.

Scent Your Air Safely

Some air fresheners contain phthalates, compounds that may disrupt hormone processes, Natural Resources Defense Council testing reveals. Stick with Febreze Air Effects and Renuzit Subtle Effects.

Boost Your Defenses

An Archives of Internal Medicine review reports that 400 IU of vitamin D a day reduces your risk of an early death by 7 percent. Try Carlson's vitamin D (carlsonlabs.com).

Skip the Spray

Using household spray cleaners just once a week increases your risk of an asthma attack by 76 percent, say Spanish researchers. Use wipes instead.

Steam Your Broccoli

Italian researchers recently discovered that steaming broccoli increases its concentration of glucosinolates (compounds found to fight cancer) by 30 percent. Boiling actually lowers the levels.

Stretch It Out

Genes in your body linked to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity can be "turned on" if you sit for hours on end, reports a study in Diabetes. Hit the "off" button by taking hourly laps during TV, book, and Web sessions.

A Craving for Ice Is a Sign of Anemia

Fatigue and weakness are the familiar symptoms of the blood disorderanemia, which afflicts millions of Americans. But a fixation for ice?

Oddly enough, in recent years, cravings for ice have emerged in the medical literature as a puzzling and increasingly documented sign of anemia, especially its most common form, iron deficiency anemia. Scientists don’t fully understand the link, but some suspect that compulsive consumption of ice — called pagophagia — relieves inflammation in the mouth brought on by iron deficiencies.

In extreme cases, people with undiagnosed anemia and pagophagia have been known to go through multiple bags or trays of ice in a single day; the problem usually clears up after treatment with iron supplements. (Another well-known anemia, sickle cell, cannot be treated with these supplements.)_

Studies at Northwestern have shown that ice cravings are a common side effect of a popular type of weight-loss surgery. The procedure, known as Roux-en-Y (pronounced ROO-on-why), involves bypassing the part of the intestine where iron and other minerals are most easily absorbed; about a third of patients develop a deficiency of iron or vitamin B12. One case was described in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2008, involving a 33-year-old woman who had undergone bypass surgery.

“The patient’s husband frequently observed her in the middle of the night with her head in the freezer eating the frost off the icemaker,” the report stated. “This craving resolved after transfusion and iron administration.”

THE BOTTOM LINE

Abnormal cravings for ice can be a sign of anemia.

[via NYP]

Mediterranean Diet Linked to Better Cardiac Function

Eating a Mediterranean-style diet might improve an important measure of heart function, a new study of twins shows.

The research was conducted with twins to try to eliminate the possible effect of genetics as much as possible, explained Dr. Jun Dai, an assistant professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Indiana University, and lead author of a report released online June 15 in advance of publication in the July print issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

The Mediterranean-style diet differs from standard American fare by featuring a low content of saturated fats and high intake of fish, fruits, vegetables, olive oil, nuts and cereals, with a glass or two of wine a day. Many studies have linked it to a lower incidence of heart disease.

This latest research included 276 male twins, some identical, some fraternal; fraternal twins share 50 percent of their genes while identical twins share 100 percent. The researchers measured their heart rate variability, the variation in the time interval between heartbeats in everyday life. "Higher variability reflects good function of the heart," Dai explained.

The men in the study reported their food preferences on a questionnaire, and were scored by how closely their intake matched that of a Mediterranean diet. Their heart activity was measured and recorded with a portable, battery-operated electrocardiogram monitor.

The study found that higher Mediterranean diet scores were related to greater variability in heart rate. On a nine-point scale, every one-unit difference was associated with a greater heart rate variability of 3.9 percent to 13 percent. This equates to a 9 percent to 14 percent reduction in the risk of heart-related death, the report said.

The results can't be generalized to everyone, because all the twins in the study were white males, the report said. "But this should encourage more people to choose a healthy diet and others in the health-care system to promote it," Dai said.

Heart rate variability is well-known to be related to cardiac health, said Dr. Gordon F. Tomaselli, chief of cardiology at Johns Hopkins University and a spokesman for the American Heart Association. Low variability means that the autonomic system that controls heart rate might not be able to respond properly to increased demand or that the heart "is in crisis mode all the time," he explained.

The results have an inevitable range of uncertainty, since they depended on self-reports of dietary habits, and the physical link between diet and heart rate variability is not completely clear, Tomaselli said. "But all other things being equal, a more Mediterranean-like diet appears to swing the balance to the healthy side of the autonomic system," he added.

Tomaselli said he tries to steer people toward a Mediterranean-type diet, without necessarily using the term. "I see a lot of people who I think should eat more fish and reduce caloric intake, to eat more fruits and vegetables, to use canola or olive oil when they use oil, and to back off salty foods," he said.

[by Ed Edelson]

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DC X Neff Collaboration

DC is proud to announce its collaboration with NEFF Headwear for a limited edition snow collection for the Winter 2011 season. The collection features snowboards, snowboard boots, fleece, t-shirts, gloves, and headwear that will hit stores in September 2010.

A true creative collaboration between DC and NEFF, the collection was inspired by the beaches and 1980’s nightlife of Miami. From the florescent neon colors and art deco signs, to flamingos and palm tree lined streets, the graphics designed for this project are warm, sunny and bright – everything that winter is traditionally not.

“NEFF is a great up-and-coming brand with a lot of energy,” said Nate Morley, DC’s VP of Creative. “These two brands came together in a creative way and developed a line that really stands out.”

The DC x NEFF graphics are featured on DC’s PBJ 153 and 157 snowboard as well the popular Park boot. Apparel and accessories include graphic T-shirts and fleece, pipe gloves, and a beanie. The collection is being supported exclusively by DC Pro Torstein Horgmo, whose unique riding style fits the products perfectly. Torstein rode a DC x NEFF snowboard this past season while filming and competing, including the 2010 Winter Dew Tour and Winter X Games 14, where he took home a silver medal in Big Air.

“It was really great working with the DC crew,” said Shaun Neff, creator of NEFF Headwear. “They were very open to a collaboration that was fun and unique – something that would compliment both brands in an unexpected way. And to have a rider as talented as Torstein supporting the project is just awesome.”

NEFF Headwear was started by Shaun Neff in 2002 as a headwear and t-shirt company. Since then the company has become wildly popular and gained the respect and following of the action sports world, especially with snowboarders and skaters. This is the first collaboration of its kind for NEFF.

The DC x NEFF Collaboration will be available at select retailers nationwide beginning in September 2010. For more information on the collection and the DC Snow team visit http://www.dcshoes.com/snow. The DC x NEFF beanie will be available exclusively by NEFF Headwear, for more details visithttp://www.neffheadwear.com.

World Cup Schedule

World Cup 2010 Schedule Sort by: Date · Stadium · Team Away team Home team Location Time/Score June 11 South Africa vs. Mexico Johannesburg 10:00 AM ET Uruguay vs. France Cape Town 2:30 PM ET June 12 Korea Republic vs. Greece Nelson Mandela Bay / Port Elisabeth 7:30 AM ET Argentina vs. Nigeria Johannesburg 10:00 AM ET England vs. USA Rustenburg 2:30 PM ET June 13 Algeria vs. Slovenia Polokwane 7:30 AM ET Serbia vs. Ghana Tshwane / Pretoria 10:00 AM ET Germany vs. Australia Durban 2:30 PM ET June 14 Netherlands vs. Denmark Johannesburg 7:30 AM ET Japan vs. Cameroon Mangaung / Bloemfontein 10:00 AM ET Italy vs. Paraguay Cape Town 2:30 PM ET June 15 New Zealand vs. Slovakia Rustenburg 7:30 AM ET Cote dIvoire vs. Portugal Nelson Mandela Bay / Port Elisabeth 10:00 AM ET Brazil vs. North Korea Johannesburg 2:30 PM ET June 16 Honduras vs. Chile Nelspruit 7:30 AM ET Spain vs. Switzerland Durban 10:00 AM ET South Africa vs. Uruguay Tshwane / Pretoria 2:30 PM ET June 17 Argentina vs. Korea Republic Johannesburg 7:30 AM ET Greece vs. Nigeria Mangaung / Bloemfontein 10:00 AM ET France vs. Mexico Polokwane 2:30 PM ET June 18 Germany vs. Serbia Nelson Mandela Bay / Port Elisabeth 7:30 AM ET Slovenia vs. USA Johannesburg 10:00 AM ET England vs. Algeria Cape Town 2:30 PM ET June 19 Netherlands vs. Japan Durban 7:30 AM ET Ghana vs. Australia Rustenburg 10:00 AM ET Cameroon vs. Denmark Tshwane / Pretoria 2:30 PM ET June 20 Slovakia vs. Paraguay Mangaung / Bloemfontein 7:30 AM ET Italy vs. New Zealand Nelspruit 10:00 AM ET Brazil vs. Cote dIvoire Johannesburg 2:30 PM ET June 21 Portugal vs. North Korea Cape Town 7:30 AM ET Chile vs. Switzerland Nelson Mandela Bay / Port Elisabeth 10:00 AM ET Spain vs. Honduras Johannesburg 2:30 PM ET June 22 Mexico vs. Uruguay Rustenburg 10:00 AM ET France vs. South Africa Mangaung / Bloemfontein 10:00 AM ET Nigeria vs. Korea Republic Durban 2:30 PM ET Greece vs. Argentina Polokwane 2:30 PM ET June 23 Slovenia vs. England Nelson Mandela Bay / Port Elisabeth 10:00 AM ET USA vs. Algeria Tshwane / Pretoria 10:00 AM ET Ghana vs. Germany Johannesburg 2:30 PM ET Australia vs. Serbia Nelspruit 2:30 PM ET June 24 Slovakia vs. Italy Johannesburg 10:00 AM ET Paraguay vs. New Zealand Polokwane 10:00 AM ET Denmark vs. Japan Rustenburg 2:30 PM ET Cameroon vs. Netherlands Cape Town 2:30 PM ET June 25 Portugal vs. Brazil Durban 10:00 AM ET North Korea vs. Cote dIvoire Nelspruit 10:00 AM ET Chile vs. Spain Tshwane / Pretoria 2:30 PM ET Switzerland vs. Honduras Mangaung / Bloemfontein 2:30 PM ET

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