Healthy Living Newsletter
HEALTH TIPS
Healthy Behaviors Add 14 Years
Men and women who practiced four healthy behaviors lived 14 years longer than those ignoring those practices, according to data collected from 20,244 healthy European subjects, aged 45 to 79.
The four well-known health behaviors were: 1) eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily; 2) drinking moderately (1 to 14 drinks a week); 3) not smoking; and 4) exercising regularly or having a physically active lifestyle.
Source: Public Library of Science Medicine, January, 2008
Low Fat or Low Calorie?
A light margarine has about half the calories and half the total fat of regular margarine. If you’re concerned about your weight, these margarines are for you, but they may not be the best choice if you’re trying to lower your cholesterol.
The fats most likely to influence your serum cholesterol are saturated fat and trans fat. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, on the other hand, help lower your serum cholesterol. Lowering total fat by reducing these fats may actually increase your risk of heart disease.
Source: “Better than butter? Margarine spreads its wings,” Nutrition Action Healthletter, December, 2001.
Wear a Hat as well as Sunglasses
Even when you’re wearing sunglasses with good UV protection, your eyes are vulnerable to UV rays entering from above, below or around the sides of glasses. For maximum protection, eye doctors recommend that you also wear a wide-brimmed hat.
Source: “Combination of sunglasses, hat, and UV-blocking contact lenses offer greatest measure of protection.” Medical News Today, November 29, 2006. |
