WORKING LONG HOURS CAN ACTUALLY MAKE YOU SICK
Do you work overtime? The answer may determine whether you get sick this cold and flu season. Millions of Americans work more than 60 hours a week and according to a new study that makes them 61 percent more likely than those who work regular 40-hour weeks to get sick.
"Stress itself can effect our immune system, it can definitely lower it and make us more susceptible to infections," says Jane Sadler, M.D., family practice physician on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Garland.
And it's not just the added stress that's bad for you, it's often what you're not doing because working so many hours compromises your health.
"So what's happening is they go to bed exhausted, they don't even have time to exercise, and they're sleeping six, seven hours a night at the most and then they're getting up and their routine is starting again, so there's no downtime," says Dr. Sadler.
Around two-thirds of employees, according to the study data, say they choose to work longer hours. The other third said overtime was compulsory. So keep in mind that if you can't work less you need to protect yourself better.
"Take some preventative precautions such as good hand washing and just being careful when you come in contact with sick people because you are going to be more susceptible to getting whatever they have," adds Dr. Sadler.
Interestingly, researchers report that it doesn't matter what kind of job you're working—whether it's manual labor or desk work—those extra hours make you more susceptible to illness.
For more information about Baylor Medical Center at Garland, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit http://www.BaylorHealth.com.
ACCORDING TO RESEARCH, 'EMOTIONAL EATING' MAY ACTUALLY BE PHYSIOLOGICAL
Do you feel like the more stressed you are the more junk food you eat? It's not just in your mind—new research indicates those cravings are physiological.
It's been termed in the past as 'emotional eating,' but now researchers are discovering there's a physiological reason why stress makes us hungry.
"The findings suggest that developing and gaining abdominal fat may be the body's coping mechanism for stress," says Jane Sadler, M.D., family practice physician on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Garland.
Here's how it works—when the body starts to feel stress, certain hormones like cortisol are released. It's those hormones that then make comfort foods actually taste better, sparking cravings.
"It is the fatty foods and the sugar-laden foods that tend to help lower those stress hormones in those people, but it lowers their stress hormones temporarily," explains Dr. Sadler.
Researchers also found that otherwise lean women with excess belly fat have an exaggerated response to cortisol which may be why it's difficult for some to lose that weight in the midsection.
The findings are some of the first to illustrate just exactly how stress affects not only our daily food choices, but our overall health.
"And if they can realize that, perhaps they'll reach for a bottle of water instead of the potato chips," adds Dr. Sadler.
Most of us can't avoid stress so the key is learning to manage it better. Researchers found exercise, meditation and massage can be useful in a weight-loss strategy because they keep stress levels from peaking which keeps people out of the junk food.
According to doctors, there is also no proof that we can control stress hormones with drugs so consult your doctor before taking diet pills that claim to regulate cortisol levels.
For more information about Baylor Medical Center at Garland, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit http://www.BaylorHealth.com.
SKIPPING BREAKFAST MAY ACTUALLY CAUSE HEALTH PROBLEMS
Now there's even more reason to eat breakfast. New studies show that having a morning meal may actually lower your cholesterol. Grabbing a cereal bar, a muffin or some yogurt in the morning may do more for your health than you think.
Researchers recently tested a group of women to see if eating or skipping breakfast had any affect on cholesterol levels and they made a surprising discovery.
"The results showed that healthy women who skipped breakfast for a two week period of time had higher total cholesterol, in fact their total cholesterol was eight-and-a-half percent higher and their LDL, or bad cholesterol, was 15-percent higher than the women who ate breakfast everyday," says Dee Rollins, R.D., Ph.D., Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine.
What's more, the study found those who ate breakfast regularly not only lowered their cholesterol, but they had a better insulin response to eating and actually ate an average 100 calories less per day. But keep in mind that you still have to make good food choices.
"Obviously what we eat for breakfast is important. Something low in fat is recommended, cereal is a good choice even oatmeal is an excellent choice for breakfast," says Dr. Rollins.
The bottom line is that regularly skipping your morning meal may be bad for your heart.
"This was a very short term study, so further studies need to be done, however researchers suspect if this habit continued over time these women could be at risk for weight gain and heart disease due to the extra calories consumed and cholesterol levels."
It's also recommended that you consume breakfast within an hour of waking up.
For more information about Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit http://www.BaylorHealth.com.
RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC MAY CAUSE MORE THAN JUST ROAD RAGE
Ever feel like rush hour traffic is killing you? According to research it just may be.Many of us sit behind the wheel for hours each week. Now new research shows traffic may be more than just frustrating, it may be deadly.
Whether we're speeding to work or creeping home behind slow moving cars, many of us drive stressed.
"Elevation of the heart rate and blood pressure in a person who—unbeknownst to them may be sitting on a time bomb—may have a plaque in that artery that can contribute to plaque rupture or can contribute to a coronary event," says Michael Rothkopf, M.D., cardiologist on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Irving.
A recent study found that around one-in-10 heart attacks are directly related to traffic exposure. But interestingly, researchers concluded it's not road rage that's most harmful to drivers' hearts—it's air pollution.
"Constant exposure to air pollution, not to mention people with allergies and lung disease, can probably cause inflammatory changes in the arteries of the heart," explains Dr. Rothkopf.
While there's no way to avoid air pollution, drivers can save their hearts the added strain caused by stress.
"It probably is better when you're stuck in traffic to just stay calm and take your time, because in reality getting stressed out is not going to get you anyplace faster."
Staying calm in the car may be easier said than done, but here are some tips: - control your breathing - take slow deep breathes to promote relaxation - listen to calming music - stay off your cell phone—that often times can make you even more tense.
So does this study mean those exposed to more air pollution than others have an increased risk of heart attack? Yes. For example, previous studies have shown that highway patrolmen or gas station attendants do have an increased risk.
For more information about Baylor Medical Center at Irving, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit http://www.BaylorHealth.com.
FAMILY DINNERS BENEFIT CHILDREN LONG AFTER THE MEAL IS OVER
Last month, millions of Americans spent the holidays gathered around the table, but are the holidays the only time that you eat dinner together as a family? The answer may determine your child's academic success; whether they try drugs and even the likelihood they become an alcoholic later in life.
Eating dinner at the table as a family can benefit your kids long after the meal is over according to new a new study.
"What it means is their having some quality interaction with their family—that's what's supposed to happen—you're supposed to have time to get approval, identification, role modeling and also family bonding," says Gary Malone, M.D., chief of psychiatry on the medical staff at Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth.
Researchers recently discovered that teens that had five or more family dinners per week were less likely to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or try marijuana and they were more likely to get good grades, have friends their parents approve of, and confide in their mom or dad about a serious problem.
"So much of what goes into an adolescent's decision making is 'How will I feel about me as a person?' 'Will I feel guilty?' 'What would my parent think?' 'How would I fit in at home?' 'What would my peers think?' It reinforces the family is still an important part of their lives," says Dr. Malone.
And researchers also say that it doesn't matter what is talked about at the table, just that there's some interaction.
"You just sit down and talk about your life. You talk about what you did today, ask them what they did, who they're hanging out with, how they spend their time—show interest in them as a person," says Dr. Malone. "What you want to do is influence their psychological development and particularly the part of their mind that uses judgment."
The study also found that frequent family dinners are also linked to fewer weight problems in kids. Younger children who usually ate dinner with their families were less likely to be overweight and they were more likely to develop healthy eating habits in adulthood.
Researchers also discovered that when polled, a majority of teens actually expressed a desire for more family dinners. So even though they may not act like it, many kids do enjoy their parents' undivided attention.
For more information about Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit http://www.BaylorHealth.com.
EATING VEGETABLES MAY SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE YOUR RISK OF LUNG CANCER
According to researchers, eating more vegetables may significantly reduce your risk of lung cancer. Doctors know what causes lung cancer, but now a new study shows what may be able to prevent it.
"This is one of the first major studies with a large number of participants at a well respected research facility that has shown that diet and fruit and vegetable intake play a large part in lung cancer prevention," says Abby Kallio, R.D., Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.
The recently published study explored the benefits of a specific compound in certain plant products called phytoestrogens.
"The researchers discovered that those people, both men and women, who had a higher intake of phytoestrogens from food, not from supplements, had a reduced risk of developing lung cancer later in life," says Kallio.
In fact, they found those who consumed the highest amount of phytoestrogens reduced their lung cancer risk by as much as 40 percent.
Researchers hypothesized the compound was beneficial after it was discovered that post-menopausal women taking estrogen had a lower occurrence of the disease.
"Phytoestrogen is essentially the same as the hormone estrogen, but it's just a weaker form," adds Kallio. And while they say the findings are exciting, researchers are quick to point out that this should not give smokers a license to light up.
"This does not give a green light to smokers to just eat more fruits and vegetables and smoke more. What it means is to stop smoking and then eat more fruits and vegetables to prevent the development of lung cancer," explains Kallio.
So what fruits and vegetables contain the most phytoestrogen? Apples, blueberries, spinach, carrots, and broccoli and it can also be found in whole grain and soy products.
Phytoestrogens have also been proven to reduce the risk of other cancers. Researchers say that women with high fruit and vegetable intake have a lower risk of breast cancer and that too is because of the benefits of phytoestrogens.
For more information about Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit http://www.BaylorHealth.com.
Baylor Medical Centers at Dallas, Garland, Grapevine, Fort Worth, and Irving are affiliates of the Dallas-based Baylor Health Care System.
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