Healthy Living Newsletter
Senior Health Tips
Excess Weight Curbs Seat Belt Use
Have you noticed that it’s harder to get your seat belt fastened when you’re wearing a bulky winter coat? Overweight people have that problem all year round. A study of 250,000 responses to a national survey found that persons with a higher body mass index were less likely to use their seat belts. While 83 percent of normal weight subjects reported always wearing their seat belts, that percentage fell to 70 percent for obese persons. Federal standards for seat belts require only that they be able to accommodate a 215-pound male.
Source: Kristin M. Hall, “Obese less likely to use seat belts,” AP Health, February 8, 2008; Obesity, February, 2008
Shopping with DASH in Mind
Whether your blood pressure is high, slightly elevated or normal, the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) offers health benefits. The diet focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and reduced fat dairy products. Keep DASH in mind while you’re shopping by:
- Cruising the outer aisles for fresh food and dairy products rather than the special displays and internal aisles featuring snacks, sweets and processed foods;
- buying fresh rather than canned or frozen vegetables which are usually processed with added sodium;
- selecting a variety of fresh fruits–apples, oranges, bananas, apricots, dates and berries–depending on the season;
- reading labels to compare calories, saturated fat, trans fat and sodium.
Source: “DASH diet: shopping and cooking tips for healthy eating,” MayoClinic.com, July 19, 2007
What Drug for Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH)?
The two types of medication prescribed to treat the symptoms of BPH have both been proven effective but work in different ways and have differing benefits and adverse effects.
Alpha blockers work right away in relieving symptoms and are less expensive than enzyme inhibitors. They are blood pressure medications so men with hypertension as well as BPH get double benefit.
Enzyme inhibitors have been found to prevent or delay the onset of prostate cancer by about 25 percent but also slightly increase the risk of the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer. Balding men taking finasteride get a double benefit: the active ingredient in this enzyme inhibitor is the same as that in the hair restoring drug Propecia.
Source: “Enlarged prostate (BPH) guide,” MayoClinic.com, by Mayo Clinic staff, April 24, 2007.
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