Why Eating More Protein Isn't Always Better

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Protein is an important part of a healthy diet, but where it comes from matters. A new study suggests that a diet high in animal protein may increase the risk of fatty liver disease, especially for people who are elderly and overweight.

The new study, which has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, was recently presented at the International Liver Congress in Amsterdam. It analyzed the health and dietary records of more than 3,400 people living in the Netherlands, 70% of whom were classified as overweight by their body mass index (BMI).

Their average age was 71, and about 35% had been diagnosed, via abdominal ultrasound, with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Having too much fat in the liver can lead to liver cancer and contribute to the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

When researchers studied the participants’ responses to food-frequency questionnaires, they made an interesting connection: among overweight individuals, those who ate the most calories from protein were 37% more likely to have fatty liver disease, compared to those with similar BMIs who ate the least.

Not all protein appears to be equal. Those who ate the most calories specifically from animal protein had a 50% increased risk of fatty liver disease. When the researchers adjusted for health conditions like diabetes and high cholesterol, only the link to animal protein (and not vegetable protein or total protein) remained significant.

Surprisingly, the researchers did not find an increased risk of fatty liver disease among people whose diets were high in sugars like fructose; in fact, they actually found a decrease. That association disappeared, however, after other health factors were taken into account.

This might suggest that sugar isn’t as harmful as previously suspected, the authors say, but they stress that their findings should be interpreted with caution. It’s possible, they add, that a higher intake of natural sugars—from antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables—may explain this apparent protective effect.

The study also did not find any associations between fatty liver disease and total fat or fiber, independent of total calorie intake.

Other research has suggested that Western-style diets, rich in animal protein and refined foods, may alter glucose metabolism and acid balance in the body. These factors may also affect liver health, says lead author Dr. Louise Alferink of Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Other ingredients in processed meat products, like nitrates, salt and heme iron, could also play a role.

It’s estimated that 1 billion people worldwide, and 30% to 40% of Americans adults, have NAFLD. The disease can be treated with weight loss and lifestyle changes in its early stages, but can also lead to cirrhosis, cancer and liver failure.

The authors write that their findings supports the theory that what overweight people eat may be just as important for liver health as how many calories they consume.

“A healthy lifestyle is the cornerstone of treatment in patients with NAFLD, but specific dietary recommendations are lacking,” Alferink said in a press release. “The results from this study demonstrate that animal protein is associated with NAFLD in overweight elderly people.”Luckily for people who have or are at risk for NAFLD, there are also plenty of plant-based protein sources—including beans, peas, seeds, nuts, tofu and other soy products, and even some vegetables, like spinach and broccoli. Plant-based proteins have been shown to be just as effective at building muscle as their animal counterparts, and now it appears they may be healthier for the liver, too.

SOURCE: TIME

Why Energy Drinks Are Worse For You Than Soda

Energy drinks are known for their high caffeine content, which often tops that of soda and even coffee. But they seem to affect people's hearts and blood pressure differently than other caffeinated beverages, suggests a small new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

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In the study, researchers divided 18 men and women into two groups. Half were given a 32-ounce commercially available energy drink with 320 mg of caffeine, as well as other ingredients like taurine and ginseng (both dietary supplements). People in the other group were given a soda-like control drink of the same size that contained the same amount of caffeine with a bit of lime juice, cherry syrup and carbonated water. After six days, the groups switched and drank the other beverage.

The researchers measured everyone's blood pressure at the start of the study and one, two, four, six and 24 hours after drinking the beverage. They also measured everyone's heart activity using an electrocardiogram.

People who drank the energy drinks had a QT interval—meaning the time it takes the heart's ventricles to prepare to beat again—10-milliseconds higher than those who drank the caffeinated control beverages. Irregularity in the QT interval can sometimes lead to abnormal heart beats. Fletcher says that the disparity may be important, since some medications that affect the QT interval by 6 milliseconds carry warning labels.

Both groups had higher blood pressure after their drinks, though never out of normal range . The blood pressure of people who had the control drink returned to baseline levels after six hours. But when people drank the energy beverage, their blood pressure remained elevated for more than six hours. The researchers believe that could mean that the other ingredients in energy drinks may alter blood pressure beyond the effects of caffeine alone.

" What the growing body of evidence is pointing to is that there are effects on the heart that are different than caffeine alone," says study author Emily Fletcher, a deputy pharmacy flight commander from David Grant U.S.A.F. Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base in California. "Consumers should be aware that drinking an energy drink is not the same as drinking coffee or soda."

More research is needed. The study was small, and researchers only looked at the effects of the beverages on people who were healthy—and not at the differences over the long term. The American Beverage Association, which represents the non-alcoholic beverage industry, said in a statement that "energy drinks have been extensively studied and confirmed safe for consumption by government safety authorities worldwide including a recent review by the European Food Safety Authority."Fletcher says that the findings suggest people should approach energy drinks with some caution, especially those who have risk factors for heart issues. "I would recommend only moderate consumption of energy drinks and particular avoidance in people with underlying cardiac disease or hypertension," says Fletcher, "or during activities that would also increase your blood pressure and heart rate, such as exercise or sports."

SOURCE: TIME

10 Harmful Chemicals to Avoid

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Here's a look at some of the most dangerous chemicals lurking in your home -- and how you can reduce your child's exposure to them.

Many chemicals today are known or suspected to be links to cancer, early puberty, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obesity, autism, and other serious health issues. "As we look at protecting children's health, we need to look not just at nutrition, diet, and physical activity, but also exposure to chemicals," says Jason Rano, director of government affairs at the Environmental Working Group. The Safe Chemicals Act, which passed out of committee for the first time this year, would require chemical companies to prove that their products are safe. "In the U.S., we are a toxic dumping ground for unsafe products," says Katy Farber, founder of Non-Toxic Kids (Non-ToxicKids.net). "Many parents are exhausted by trying to keep up with what to avoid and what to do. The Safe Chemicals Act would shift the burden to where it belongs." Your family doesn't have to live like ascetics to minimize your children's exposure to chemical dangers; there are simple ways to reduce contact.

Arsenic

Arsenic is a known carcinogen that has been linked particularly to skin, bladder, kidney, and lung cancers. Certain foods contain organic and inorganic arsenic, and the latter usually raises the risk of cancer and other health problems. Both types of arsenic are found in apple and grape juice and in rice and rice products, which are contaminated by both naturally occurring arsenic and arsenic-containing pesticides that leach into the groundwater where it is grown. Arsenic is found in pressure-treated wood made or manufactured before 2003, when the industry agreed to stop using arsenic-treated wood for residential purposes.

How to Avoid

• The Food Drug Administration (FDA) has tested apple and grape juices and determined that they can be consumed in small amounts, but guidelines for an arsenic threshold have yet to be established. Instead of juice, parents can offer water, milk, and whole fruits.
• Consumer Reports advises parents to limit the amount of infant rice cereal to no more than one serving a day, on average, and to offer cereals that contain significantly lower arsenic levels (wheat, oatmeal, or corn grits). If you eat rice, you may be able to reduce exposure to inorganic arsenic by rinsing it thoroughly before cooking, using a ratio of six cups water to one cup rice for cooking, and draining excess water. If you remove rice from your diet, the FDA advises families to consume a variety of whole grains as part of a well-balanced diet.
• Daily rice drinks for children under age 5 are not recommended. If possible, avoid rice-based foods, such as rice milk and rice flour rice syrup.
• Avoid older pressure-treated wood, which might be found in sandboxes, playgrounds, swing sets, and decks. Pressure-treated wood can usually be identified by the numerous short slits cut into the surface.

"Because harmful chemicals such as arsenic enter children's bodies at such a higher rate relative to their body size, it is especially important to reduce their exposures," says Sonya Lunder, senior analyst at the Environmental Working Group.

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen (it has been linked to nasal squamous cell cancer) and a skin irritant that can cause allergy-like reactions including watery, burning eyes and throats, stuffy noses, and skin rashes. Allergic skin rashes can occur as a result of contact with products that contain formaldehyde, which can also cause respiratory symptoms, headache, fatigue, and nausea. It is commonly used as an embalming fluid, but is also used to preserve a number of household products that contain a higher concentration of urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins. It can be found in pressed wood medium density fiberboard (MDF) furniture (used for drawer fronts, cabinets, and furniture tops), permanent press clothing and draperies, as a component of glues and adhesives, and in cleaning and beauty products, including some brands of baby wipes.

How to Avoid

• Avoid any furniture made of pressboard or MDF. If you do buy formaldehyde-treated furniture, get it well before you intend to use it and air it outside or in a well-ventilated garage or basement. Or use "exterior-grade" pressed wood products that contain a lower concentration of phenol-formaldehyde resins.
• Avoid household and personal care products that have these ingredients or materials: quaternium 15, bronopol (also written as 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol), diazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, and sodium hydroxymethylglycinate.

Mercury

Exposure to mercury impairs neurological development, and recent research has linked high levels of mercury to ADHD. Because neural development happens rapidly in pregnancy and early childhood, it is important to eliminate exposure where possible. Mercury enters the environment through air pollution and industrial waste. When mercury enters water, fish absorb it through their gills. For people, the primary exposure to mercury is from consuming shellfish and large, older, and predatory fish, which accumulate higher concentrations of mercury in their flesh. Older thermometers also contain mercury.

How to Avoid

• Eliminate large fish such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and tilefish from your family's diet. The American Pregnancy Association has a complete guide (americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/fishmercury.htm). Children, pregnant women, and women trying to conceive can have different amounts of tuna, depending on their weight. It's safe to eat other kind of fish, which are still a healthy source of protein and essential nutrients. "The omega-3-fatty acids in some fish can offset some of the mercury issues," Lunder says.
• Check advisories before consuming shellfish and seafood if you are unsure about their mercury content.
• If you have mercury-filled glass thermometers, replace them with newer models that do not contain mercury.

Bisphenol A (BPA) and Phthalates

Both BPA and phthalates are endocrine disrupters, products that mimic natural hormones and can affect reproductive development and health. BPA is linked to early puberty in girls and phthalates are linked to low testosterone and to male reproductive problems. BPA and phthalates are additives in plastics; BPA creates a rigid plastic and phthalates make plastic more flexible. Even though major manufacturers are no longer making baby bottles and children's drinking cups with BPA, it can still be found in the lining of food and beverage cans, in bottled formula, and even on shopping receipts. And even though three types of phthalates have been banned in toys for young children, they are still used to soften vinyl plastics (raincoats, backpacks, shower curtains, blow-up toys) and preserve scents (soaps, lotions, and perfumes).

How to Avoid

• Do not microwave food in plastic containers because they can release BPA and other harmful or unstudied additives into food.
• Avoid buying canned food or food storage containers unless they are marked "BPA-free."
• Look for children's raincoats and backpacks that are marked "PVC-free."
• Avoid personal care products for children with "fragrance" listed in the ingredients, which may indicate presence of phthalates.

More Dangerous Chemicals to Avoid

Flame Retardants

A type of flame retardant called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) is particularly worrisome. Exposure to even small doses at critical points in development can damage reproductive systems and affect motor skills, learning, memory, and hearing. Flame retardants are nearly ubiquitous in upholstered furniture, including couches, pillows, mattresses, and carpet padding. Because the chemicals are not bonded to the foam, they can be released easily in dust as the furniture ages. PBDEs are most likely to be found in polyurethane foam products manufactured before 2005. They are also present in some electronics, though they will no longer be used starting 2014.

How to Avoid

• Do not let babies and toddlers put electronics like remotes or mobile phones in their mouths.
• Replace furniture and pillows if the foam is old and breaking down or if the fabric is torn beyond repair.
• Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter and/or run HEPA air filters in rooms.
• Throw out older items such as car seats and mattress pads whose foam is not completely encased in a protective fabric.

Fluoride

Despite its positive effect in reducing cavities, too much fluoride can cause health problems, including discolored teeth, pits in tooth enamel, brittle bones, and, some studies suggest, neurotoxicity. The trick with fluoride is getting enough to reap the benefits without ingesting too much. Experts believe that drinking water should be fluoridated to 0.7 parts per million, but even at this level, as many as one in five kids are occasionally getting too much fluoride. Fluoride is naturally occurring chemical, found in soil and groundwater, but it is commonly added to municipal water supplies as a public health measure. Fluoride is found in many toothpastes and mouthwashes.

How to Avoid

• Avoid using fluoridated toothpaste and mouthwash until your child is old enough to spit them out.
• Call your state department of environmental protection or municipal water supplier to determine if your water is fluoridated and at what level. If your water supply has high fluoride levels, find an alternative drinking source -- particularly for formula-fed babies -- or invest in a reverse osmosis water filtration system for your water. These filtration systems are costly but effective for reducing the amount of fluoride. Before installing one, use the EWG water filter buying guide (http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/getawaterfilter) to find the right option for you, and be sure to get it tested by certified organizations from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Pesticides

Potentially carcinogenic pesticides have been linked to Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia in children, and they have been shown to have negative effects on neurobehavioral development. Primarily sprayed on treated produce and on outdoor lawns and gardens to kill insects and weeds but they can leak into the groundwater supply. Given their body weight and the food and water they drink, infants and small children can have increased exposure to pesticides. A recent review by the USDA found unacceptable levels of pesticide residue even in some baby food.

How to Avoid

• Don't let children play in areas that may have recently been treated with pesticides, such as manicured lawns and gardens. Although there are no notification laws pertaining to private applications, many states require the posting of signs when a property has been professionally treated with pesticides, and certain states even have registries where you can elect to be notified of nearby pesticide applications. To find out about the law in your state you can request a fact sheet from Beyondpesticides.org.
• Buy organic fruits and vegetables or stick to produce with lower pesticide levels. Use shopping guides and free apps (foodnews.org, www.ewg.org/foodnews/guide/).
• Always wash fruits and veggies with a soft brush and water, or peel and trim them before eating. The benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables still outweighs the risks of pesticide exposure.

Lead

Lead poisoning can cause nervous system damage, stunted growth, kidney damage, and delayed development. Lead was a common additive to paint prior to 1978, when federal law banned its use in household paint. At the same time, the use of lead was banned in products marketed to children. It can still be found in older houses and in some imported toys, jewelry and even candy.

How to Avoid

• If you live in a home that was built before 1978, be sure all paint is in good repair, and frequently mop floors and wipe surfaces with a damp cloth.
• If you have an older home, use a lead-safe certified contractor if renovating and stay away while renovations take place.
• Avoid painted or metal toys made before 1978, and avoid imported toys and children's jewelry, as many countries have not banned the use of lead in toys. Do not buy candy made in Mexico.

Perchlorate

High doses can interfere with iodine absorption into the thyroid gland; this interferes with thyroid hormone production needed for growth and development. Naturally occurring perchlorate is found in arid states in the southwestern U.S., but it is also an industrial chemical contaminant used in rocket fuel, fireworks, explosives, bleach, some fertilizers, and flares. It is present in groundwater, surface water, drinking water, and irrigation water around the country, and it can also be found in food.

How to Avoid

• Contact your state department of environmental protection or management to learn about the levels of perchlorate in your public drinking water supply. If your water is contaminated, consider a reverse-osmosis filter.
• Pregnant women should speak with their doctors about the possibility of taking iodine-containing multivitamins during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
• Use iodized salt -- not sea salt, unless it has added iodine -- for seasoning. Iodine buffers the thyroid and helps offset damages from thyroid-disrupting contaminant.

Copyright © 2013 Meredith Corporation.
SOURCE: Parents.com

9 Reasons You Always Have To Pee In The Middle Of The Night

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The first question a doctor will ask you if you complain about having to pee in the middle of the night is, "Did the need to urinate wake you up, or did you wake up and notice you had to urinate?"

"How you answer makes a difference," says Randy Wexler, MD, an associate professor of family medicine and vice chair of clinical affairs at the Ohio State University Medical Center.

Wexler explains that, when you sleep, increased blood flow to your kidneys can accelerate urine production. So if you wake up because of a snoring bedmate or insomnia or some other reason that has nothing to do with your bladder, you'll still have no problem producing urine if you decide to head to the bathroom.

But if having to pee is the reason you're waking up, that's not something to ignore, he says. (Even the color of your pee can give you insight to your health.)

Here, he and other experts explain some of the most common causes of having to pee at night—and what to do about them.

YOU'RE DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER BEFORE BED.

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Yes, this is super obvious. But Wexler says some people don't realize just how much H2O they're swallowing in the hours before bed—and how that fluid can disrupt their sleep. "I tell patients to stop drinking water two hours before bed," he says. Also, hit the bathroom before you hop in the sack. If you follow these instructions and you're still waking up to pee, it's time to see a doctor. 

YOU'RE DRINKING ALCOHOL OR CAFFEINE TOO CLOSE TO BEDTIME.

Both alcohol and caffeine can increase your urine output, Wexler says. If you're the type who enjoys a cup of joe after dinner, or if you drink booze before bedtime, you're asking for trouble. Wexler recommends cutting off all caffeine—that includes tea—at 6 PM. He also suggests you stop drinking alcohol at least three hours before bed. Again, if you try these changes and your problem persists, see your doc.

YOU'RE LOW ON THIS HORMONE.

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"With aging comes a natural loss of antidiuretic hormone," says Tobias Köhler, MD, chair of urology at Illinois's Memorial Hospital. This hormone helps your kidneys control their fluid levels. The less of the hormone you have, the more you pee. Köhler says this natural hormone loss usually starts around age 40, but often becomes noticeable much later—during your 60s or 70s. "There are some drug therapies, but a lot of people just deal with it," he says.

YOU HAVE AN INFECTION.

If you're a woman and you've eliminated the "self-inflicted" pee triggers mentioned above, the most-likely culprit is a urinary tract infection, Wexler says. "If it's a urinary tract infection, urination may be accompanied by burning or dribbling or discomfort," he explains. Also, these sensations are going to persist during the day. 

While far less common in men, a urinary tract infection can also cause guys to feel like they have to pee all the time, including at night, Wexler adds. Again, a burning sensation while peeing is something to watch for.

YOUR LEGS ARE SWOLLEN.

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If you have swollen feet or legs—a condition known as edema—that fluid retention in your lower body can cause you to pee a lot when you lie down. "All that fluid in your legs has to go somewhere, and that increases your urine production," Köhler explains. The solution: Elevate your legs a couple hours before bed. That will help the fluid in your lower half flow upward, and so will allow you to get your peeing done before climbing in bed, he says.

YOU’RE DEALING WITH DIABETES OR PREDIABETES.

If you're suffering from diabetes or prediabetes, your body may ramp up your urine production in order to clear away excess blood sugar. That could explain why you're waking up to pee at night, Wexler says. As with a UTI, frequent peeing caused by diabetes or prediabetes will persist during the day. Especially if you tend to feel thirsty all the time—even when you drink a lot of water—that's a sign blood-sugar issues are to blame, he adds.

YOU HAVE AN STD.

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"Some sexually transmitted diseases can cause frequent urination, such as gonorrhea and chlamydia," Wexler says. A burning sensation while you pee is also a sign your problem could be an STD—though for middle-aged or older adults, a UTI is a lot more likely, he adds.

YOUR UTERUS OR OVARIES ARE ENLARGED.

A wide range of conditions—including uterine polyps, ovarian cysts, or uterine and ovarian cancers—can cause an enlargement of these organs. If they're oversized, they can press on your bladder and make you feel like you have to pee all the time, Wexler says. "There's really no way to know if one of these is the cause unless you see a doctor," he adds.

YOUR BLADDER IS SLIPPING.

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The muscle, ligaments, and connective tissue that help make up a woman's pelvic floor also support her bladder and other organs. As a result of age or, more commonly, vaginal child birth, that pelvic floor can weaken and a woman's bladder can slide or "prolapse" into a position that puts pressure on it, Wexler says. If that happens, you may feel like you need to pee all the time. "Women can do Kegel exercises for bladder prolapse, but they'd need to be diagnosed first," he says.

The article 10 Reasons You Always Have To Pee In The Middle Of The Night originally appeared on Prevention.

SOURCE: Womenshealthmag

Your Meal Has Six Times More Salt Than You Think

How much salt was in your lunch? Whatever your guess, chances are you’re off. By a lot.

In a new study, published in the journal Appetite, researchers stood outside fast-food restaurants and asked people to guess how much sodium they just ate. Their answers were almost always six times too low.

That's because people don't tend to use a lot of salt to season meals cooked at home, but restaurants use much more of it to enhance the flavor of their meals. It’s also used in food additives and as a preservative to extend shelf life, so even foods that don’t taste salty, like pastries, donuts and bread, can have a lot of it.
As a result, 89% of Americans eat too much salt. People should get no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day—about one teaspoon, public health groups recommend—but the average American eats about 3,600 mg every day. Eating too much salt makes the body retain more water, which raises blood pressure and can affect the heart, blood vessels, brain and kidneys. Overconsuming sodium can lead to hypertension, heart attack and stroke, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

To test the sodium knowledge of real-world eaters, researchers stationed themselves at several fast-food restaurants—McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Wendy’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Dunkin’ Donuts—and polled adolescents and adults on their sodium consumption. When people approached the entrance, the researchers asked them to save their receipts; on their way out, they estimated how much sodium they ate.

Adults ate about 1,300 mg of sodium in a single fast-food sitting, which is more than half of the upper recommended limit for the day. Yet the average guess was just 200 mg, says study author Alyssa Moran, a registered dietitian and doctoral student at the Harvard School of Public Health. They were off by about 650%.

That's when they ventured a guess at all. “25% of the people we approached had absolutely no idea about the amount of sodium in their meal and couldn’t even provide an estimate,” Moran says.

Sodium information isn't visibly published in chain restaurants. But in 2015, New York became the first city in the country to require chains to post warning labels on menu items with more than 2,300 mg of sodium. "Right now it's only in New York City, but we have a feeling that other local governments will probably follow suit," Moran says. "We saw that that happened when New York City started posting calories on menu boards."

Doing so may finally help people learn how much sodium is in their food, and it may even encourage companies to reformulate the worst offenders.

See if you can guess how much sodium lurks in the chain-restaurant foods below.

Photos by Javier Sirvent for TIME/Illustrations by Lon Tweeten for TIME
SOURCE: TIME

9 Ways Stress Messes With Your Body

Stress really sucks. It sucks up your energy, your desire to get to the gym, and even your libido. And while some stress can help you kick butt when your body goes into fight-or-flight mode, daily stress can mess with your mind and body in serious ways. Check out these freaky symptoms of stress, and follow our pointers for how to mitigate these nasty side effects.

IT MAKES YOU EXHAUSTED

Aside from the fact that your anxiety might be keeping you up at night, freaking out triggers your brain to release the hormone cortisol into your bloodstream. This helpful chemical quickens your heartbeat, gives your brain more oxygen, and releases extra energy to help your body deal with that stress. But frequent stress can cause your brain to limit the amount of cortisol it sends into your bloodstream, which can make you feel like you’re dragging butt all day, every day. The good news is that about three hours a week of working out should keep those hormone levels in check. So what are you waiting for? Get moving!

IT MESSES WITH YOUR LIBIDO

It’s not a secret that when your mind is some place else, it can be hard to get in the mood to get busy. But that’s not the only way stress impacts what's going down (or not) between the sheets. Chronic stress can impact your body's production of estrogen, which keeps your reproductive system in working order. When that happens you could feel a dip in your sex drive. Womp womp all around. In times of stress, concentrate on eating a healthy diet and cutting back on processed foods to help ease this symptom.

IT MAKES IT HARD FOR YOU TO POOP

Those knots in your stomach could me more than just an uneasy feeling. Chronic stress can impact the hormones released by your thyroid glands, which regulate your metabolism among other things. If these hormones get off track, it can lead to constipation. When you're feeling this symptom, head to the gym, drink lots of fluids, increase your fiber intake, or take a laxative if you need to.

IT MAKES YOU BREAK OUT

When you're really freaking out, the level of sex hormones called androgens in your body spike, causing acne to flare up. You can try using birth control to keep breakouts in check or using topical treatments when they occur. In addition to zits on your face, stress can also show up on other parts of your skin in the form of rashes. That's because anxiety wreaks havoc on your immune system, which can make eczema act up or cause skin infections like staph. Visit the drug store for topical treatments to help with those issues or speak with your doctor if those don't help or symptoms get worse.

YOU CAN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING

Traumatic stress, meaning stress that occurs when you feel a threat to your life or a loved one's life and feels like intense fear or helplessness, seriously impacts your hipoocampus, the area of your brain where your memories are stored. This kind of stress causes the hippocampus to actually shrink, making it tough to remember facts, lists, the entirety of an event, or long gaps of time (from minutes to days).  Plus, damage from stress can make it hard to create new memories.

IT SCREWS WITH YOUR MANICURE

If you have a nasty habit of picking or biting your cuticles, it might be how your anxiety is rearing its ugly head. And besides ruining your perfectly manicured tips, picking at your fingers can lead to a nasty infection since you use your hands for pretty much everything. To keep this anxious habit from affecting your nails, make sure you're moisturizing frequently and wearing bandages on your fingers to minimize the damage.

IT MAKES YOU GAIN WEIGHT

A University of Kentucky study found that dieters who learned stress-management tactics were more successful at losing weight than dieters who didn't. The connection between reducing stress and losing weight could be that it helps cut back on stress-related binge eating. Plus, another study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology found that women who were constantly stressed out metabolized fat and sugar differently than those who weren't anxiety-ridden.

YOU COULD LOSE SOME HAIR

Just as a spike in androgens can cause your skin to break out, it can also cause your hair to shed more than usual, usually three to six months after a super stressful situation. The good news is that this unfortunate side effect should only be temporary, and a balanced diet can help the cells in your hair follicles heal back to normal.

IT MAKES YOUR BACK ACHE

When you're stressing, your heart rate and blood pressure rise and your body pumps out hormones to help with your fight-or-flight response. This combo can cause your muscles to tighten up and amplify the aches you get from sitting at a desk all day. You can combat stress-related back pain by standing up every hour and stretching.

SOURCE: Womenshealthmag

5 Surprising Facts About Your Liver

Photo: Stephen Mallon/Getty Images

Most people associate the liver with a night of heavy drinking, and you've probably joked at some point that your liver is working overtime. But this organ does much more than filter alcohol. In fact, it’s one of the most crucial organs in the body. Below, five (pretty incredible) facts about the liver—and what you should know about taking care of yours. 

It’s the second biggest organ

The liver is almost our biggest organ, second only to the skin. It’s about the size of a football, says Douglas T. Dieterich, MD, director of the Institute of Liver Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. It weighs about three pounds and is located on the right side of the body under the rib cage.

It’s the ultimate multitasker

“The liver has hundreds of purposes in the body,” says Dr. Dieterich. Everything we eat or drink passes through the liver and it manufactures the substances the body needs—turning proteins, fats, and carbs into energy or substances the body can store—and then sends the rest of it out in the form of bile. The liver monitors blood sugar and sends stores into the blood when your levels are low, and can remove alcohol and byproducts from meds in your blood and break them down to be eliminated. It also stores vitamins and minerals, and releases them into your system when needed. The liver plays a major role in producing proteins essential for blood clotting, as well, and it gets rid of old, damaged cells in the body.

“The liver actually does so many things that we have not been able to design a machine yet to actually replicate what it does,” says Dr. Dieterich, “like a dialysis machine does for kidney disease.”

You don’t need to detox it

Clearly, your liver puts in major work every day to keep your body functioning properly. That’s led a lot of people to believe they need to help their liver along, or detox it of all the toxins it’s dealing with. The thing is, your liver is built to do just that, and it doesn’t need to be boosted through detox methods. “The liver is very resilient. I think all it really needs to function is a proper diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and adequate amounts of protein and carbohydrates,” says Dr. Dieterich. “It really only has to work overtime when it's sick with a disease or infection.”

The other things that can cause stress are drug overdoses, large amounts of alcohol, and some natural herbs and spices that can cause liver toxicity. So if you’re living a reasonably healthy lifestyle and you don’t have a liver disease, your liver should be fine.

Hepatitis A, B, and C are the diseases that most commonly affect it.

These viruses can affect your liver, but each one is transmitted differently and causes different symptoms. Here’s what you need to know:

Hepatitis A: This is passed through food and water and can make people very sick; but the good news is it never becomes chronic, and the even better news is there's a vaccine that all children in the United States are getting now to prevent hepatitis A, says Dr. Dieterich.

Hepatitis B: This virus is transmitted by blood and sex, but the most common method of transmission is from a mother to her baby at birth. There are more than one billion people on the planet who have been infected with hepatitis B and it's the leading cause of liver cancer in the world, says Dr. Dieterich. Still, it's very treatable and cures are being researched and are well on their way to reality. The hepatitis B vaccine has been available for over 25 years and is one of the only vaccines that can actually prevent cancer. Most U.S. children and adults have been vaccinated for hepatitis B.

Hepatitis C: This is the most common liver disease in the U.S.; it’s transmitted through infected needles, and there’s no vaccine for it. There's an epidemic among baby boomers and people under 30 who’ve used IV heroin, says Dr. Dieterich. Treatments are available for hepatitis C, and almost 99 % of cases can be cured with just one pill a day for two months. The major issue is to find the patients who have it and treat them early before they experience liver issues and failure, he says.

You can live without a whole one

Your liver is so resilient that if you remove a portion of it (even a third or two-thirds), the remaining part will grow out to replace the missing piece in a matter of six to eight weeks. As soon as it reaches the normal size, liver function is actually the same as it was before, says Dr. Dieterich. This makes living donor liver transplants possible if there’s a genetic fit.

SOURCE: Health.com

9 Things a Pediatrician Wishes You'd Stop Doing

One pediatrician tells us the truth about the things doctors wish parents would stop doing, now.

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Parenting doesn't come with a handbook, so unsuspecting moms and dads are left to figure out a lot on their own. Our go-to sources of advice—friends, the internet, our own parents—might not have the most reliable, up-to-date info. Then when we get to the pediatrician's office, we're either too stressed, rushed, or embarrassed to ask our questions. Doctors are great at telling you what to do, but even they might be hesitant to be upfront with parents about what not to do. So we asked Bill Bush, M.D., pediatrician-in-chief at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to give us the truth about the things parents should stop doing, now.

1. Stop looking to the internet for medical advice

When you're freaked out about your child's symptoms, the first place to turn is usually Dr. Google. And while trusted sites like the American Academy of Pediatrics can have useful info, it's still impossible to diagnose your kid over the internet. Instead, take your concerns to your doctor. "I've been given websites to look up because a parent is pretty sure their child has X, Y, or Z disease," Dr. Bush says. "I'm always happy to look and get back to them, but a diagnosis is based on our medical evaluation."

2. Stop going to the ER for everything

I'm guilty of this one. Recently my 3-year-old ran head-first into the fridge, and after blood started coming out of his nose and mouth, I rushed him to the ER without waiting for a call back from his doctor. Four hours and a $900 bill later, he was pronounced totally fine. "Except for extreme emergencies, getting a phone call in to your physician's office gives time for the child to calm and the family to make assessments, and for us to determine if there's an alternative place we can have you seen," Dr. Bush says. An urgent care facility or the pediatrician's office the next day may be better options.

3. Stop requesting antibiotics

It's natural to want our kids to get better as soon as possible, but Dr. Bush says antibiotics aren't always the answer. "There are times when it's absolutely appropriate to give the antibiotic when they have a bacterial infection, but for the majority of the patients we see with viral illnesses, it's not," he says. "Colds and coughs don't need an antibiotic, they just need time to heal." Plus, giving antibiotics too often can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which are then harder to fight off.

4. Stop refusing vaccinations and demanding alternative vaccine schedules

Ironically, just as some parents rush to medicine, others are scared by vaccines. Even if parents agree vaccines are a good thing, they're concerned about giving many at the same time. "Very solid evidence exists that immunizations prevent many deadly and debilitating childhood diseases," Dr. Bush says. "The FDA requires any new combination of vaccines to prove equal effectiveness as if they were given on separate dates so we're not overwhelming the immune system." The problem with delaying vaccines, especially with babies, is children then go unprotected for longer. "When you start spreading them out, you put more kids at risk," he says.

5. Stop allowing unlimited screen time

Let's face it: Screens are a part of our lives now, which the AAP recognized when they relaxed their rules around screen time. But even so, Dr. Bush says to make sure your kids have outdoor play for exercise, and face-to-face interaction for social development. "Life's about interacting with other people, so encourage children to play with their friends in person instead of texting or playing video games online," he says.

6. Stop blaming your child's cold on being outside

This is one myth that just won't die. But your kid is not going to catch a cold by going jacket-less for the 10-second walk to the car, so it's probably not worth fighting that battle. "Viral illnesses such as colds come from the spread of germs—kids touching everything and then they touch their eyes, nose, and mouth," Dr. Bush says. "We see much more spread of illnesses in the wintertime when kids are all condensed into one small area for the entire school day."

7. Stop skipping well-child visits

We all lead busy lives, and when it comes time for what we consider "non-essential" appointments, it's easy to let them pass by. But Dr. Bush says that's a mistake. "If we switch from providing sick care to well care, we can do a better job of preventing or managing certain diseases," he says. This includes hearing and vision problems, heart murmurs, blood pressure elevations, kids who are failing to grow and spines that may be developing scoliosis. Plus, the visits give you and your child a chance to feel more comfortable with your doctor, so you'll be more likely to discuss any concerns in the future.

8. Stop using Q-tips to clean your child's ears

You may think you're helping your child's hygiene, but you're really just pushing wax further into the ears. "Kids will come in sometimes with ear pain or decreased hearing because their ears are just so packed with wax from the Q-tip not bringing it out, but pushing it back," Dr. Bush says. Instead, allow some water to get into your child's ears at bath time, because the moisture should help wax naturally work itself out.

9. Stop freaking out about your child's temperature

It can be alarming when your child develops a fever, but once they are out of the newborn stage when it may be dangerous, it's just something else to report to your doctor. "It's a symptom like a runny nose, cough, or pain, part of the collection of information that helps us make decisions on what's the appropriate diagnosis and treatment," Dr. Bush says. "It's very rare that a fever alarms us."

SOURCE: Parents.com

11 Signs It’s More Serious Than the Common Cold

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Is it a cold, or something else?

It’s easy to diagnose yourself with a cold when you’re feeling unwell. But a cold isn’t always just a cold. It’s important to be able to tell the difference between the common cold and something more serious so you can get the medical attention you need.

If you think you have "just a cold" but are concerned it could be something more, it’s best to err on the safe side and visit your doctor. This is especially true if you have a chronic condition such as asthma, severe allergies, diabetes, kidney disease, HIV, or an autoimmune disease. The same goes for pregnant women and anyone under age six or over 65—the common cold affects these groups of people differently and can be more serious than it is for healthy individuals.

We spoke to doctors to find out what symptoms tip them off that it’s more than a cold. Here, the red flags they look for.

You’ve had symptoms for longer than four days

The common cold tends to clear up on its own in three to four days, says Melisa Lai Becker, MD, site chief of emergency medicine at Cambridge Health Alliance. It starts with a scratchy throat, congestion, and runny nose, and then a cough usually develops. While your cough and post-nasal drip may linger, most symptoms should disappear after four days.

"With a cold, you ultimately feel okay after a couple days of rest, hydration, and Kleenex," she says.

If symptoms last for longer, it’s possible you have something more worrisome, such as the flu or mononucleosis. To be safe, make an appointment with your physician.

Your symptoms seemed to go away… and then they came back

If you thought you recovered from your illness but your symptoms reappeared shortly after, it could be a sign of a rebound illness or "superinfection," says Navya Mysore, MD, a primary care physician with One Medical Group. You may have had a cold initially, but once your immune system was compromised, you developed something more serious—think strep throat, pneumonia, or a sinus infection. Book an appointment with your GP to determine whether or not you need additional treatment, such as antibiotics.

You recently returned from a big trip

Recent international travel is a red flag for doctors because it could mean you have a less-conventional infection they wouldn’t have normally considered, explains Stella Safo, MD, an internist at Mount Sinai Hospital who specializes in infectious diseases. It’s important to see a doctor if you have any symptoms after returning from a trip abroad.

You have a high fever

Photo: Getty Images

It is possible to have a fever along with a cold, but they’re not common—especially high ones. If you have a fever at or above 101 degrees Fahrenheit, it could be a sign of strep throat, says Dr. Lai Becker. Most patients with strep will develop a high fever in the first few days of illness, so be wary of sudden spikes in your temperature.

"Strep throat is one thing you really want to distinguish from a cold," she says. "Left untreated, it can cause rheumatic fever and lead to serious heart problems."

You’ve had a low-grade fever for days

Even if your fever isn’t particularly high, running a low-grade fever for several days in a row could be a sign your body is trying to fight off more than a cold, says Dr. Lai Becker. A consistent fever could mean you actually have the flu or mono—so be diligent about checking it, even if it doesn’t feel super intense.

You’re having stomach issues

Photo: Getty Images

Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea don’t usually accompany colds, so symptoms like these could signal something more serious, such as the flu. It’s important to get medical attention if you’re experiencing these symptoms consistently, as they can cause you to become dehydrated, says Dr. Mysore.

You have severe headaches

Doctors take note of severe headaches—especially if they’re accompanied by a fever and neck stiffness—because this could be a sign of meningitis, says Dr. Mysore. On the other hand, pressure headaches or headaches that feel worse around your eyes and nose may be a sign of sinus infection, she explains. These types of headaches can worsen when you bend forward, since you’re feeling the pressure of your congested sinus passages. 

You’re experiencing chest pain or trouble breathing

Photo: Getty Images

Even though a cough is a normal symptom of a cold, it shouldn’t be so severe that it causes shortness of breath, wheezing, or chest pain, says Dr. Mysore. These symptoms shouldn’t be ignored, since breathing trouble could be a sign of bronchitis or pneumonia, while chest pain, tightness, and sudden shortness of breath could signal a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot blockage in the lungs). 

Your symptoms are in one location

Another red flag it’s more than a cold is a “localization” of symptoms, meaning you feel them in one specific area, explains Dr. Safo. While a cold affects the whole upper respiratory system, other illnesses are characterized by intense symptoms in one place. For example, Dr. Lai Becker points out that strep causes a sore throat so bad it’s difficult to swallow, but typically won’t cause pain throughout the body. Sinus infections can cause headaches and even make your teeth hurt, an ear infection will usually cause pain and congestion in one ear, and mono can cause swollen tonsils.

You have body aches

Photo: Getty Images

A regular cold is no walk in the park, but it shouldn’t cause all-over body aches and pains. On the other hand, the flu can make your muscles and body feel achy, and can also be accompanied by fatigue and chills.

"With the flu, you’ll feel like you got hit by a truck," says Dr. Mysore. Just getting out of bed will wear you out, and your muscles will be tender and sore. 

There’s a pattern to your symptoms

It can be hard to distinguish allergies from a cold, since they have similar symptoms. But allergies will often follow a pattern, says Dr. Lai Becker. If you notice your symptoms are worse after spending time outside or with a pet, or they tend to come and go with a certain season, you likely have allergies. “I had one patient who thought he was sick, but the real story was that he was allergic to a cat,” Dr. Lai Becker says.

To pinpoint the exact cause, keep track of your symptom history and see if you notice any trends; it could mean you’re allergic to something or have seasonal allergies. 

SOURCE: Health.com

Lack of Sleep Dramatically Raises Your Risk For Getting Sick

Illustration by Sydney Rae Hass for TIME

If you want to stay healthy, skip sleep at your own risk. According to the new results of a new study, people who slept six hours a night or less were four times as likely to get sick after being exposed to the cold virus compared with those who got more sleep.

The study, published in the September issue of the journal Sleep, looked at 164 healthy adults who volunteered to catch a cold for science. The researchers first equipped the volunteers with a wrist gadget to monitor how much they slept per night over the course of a week. A couple of weeks later, they brought them into the lab and injected live rhinovirus into their nose. They then quarantined them in a hotel for five days and took a virus culture from their nose each day to see who got sick.

How many hours a person slept, it turns out, was one of the strongest predictors of whether or not they got sick—even more than other factors like a person’s age, body mass, stress levels or emotional state. People who slept six hours a night or less were four times as likely to develop a cold compared to people who slept more than seven hours a night. Those who got less than five hours of sleep a night were at 4.5 times that risk.

The study wasn't designed to figure out the link between sleep and sickness, but Aric Prather, lead author of the study and assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, had some theories. "We know that sleep plays an important role in regulating the immune system," he says. When we don't sleep enough, our internal environment shifts to make us less effective at fighting off a virus, he explains; studies have shown that important immune cells are increased in the blood, meaning they're not where we really need them to be—in the immune organs like the lymph nodes—to effectively fight off viruses.

Image: Pixabay

Shortened sleep also seems to alter the inflammatory response, which helps our bodies clear out viruses when it's functioning properly, he says.

“This is really the first convincing evidence that objectively verified sleep is associated with susceptibility to the common cold, which is a huge deal for the sleep research community," Prather says.

Sleeping more isn't quite a cure for the common cold, but it could go a long way in protecting you from getting sick in the first place.

SOURCE: TIME

7 Brain Tumor Symptoms You Need To Know About

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If you experience these, see a doctor ASAP.

Brain tumors come in all shapes and sizes—and so do their symptoms.

"The key to a tumor's symptoms really depends on its location," says Theodore Schwartz, M.D., a neurosurgeon with the Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center. 

For example, if you have a tumor near the part of your brain that controls your arm or your eyesight, your symptoms may include limb weakness or blurry vision, Schwartz says. 

When you consider that every cell in your brain can form a tumor—and that your brain controls or interprets information from every part of your body—the list of possible tumor symptoms encompasses "almost anything imaginable," Schwartz says.  

Still, some signs and symptoms are more common than others. Here's what to watch out for.

SEIZURES
Regardless of your type of tumor, seizures are often one of the first signs of trouble. "Irritation from the tumor makes the [brain's] neurons fire uncontrollably, and you get abnormal movements," Schwartz says. Like tumors, seizures take many forms. You could experience whole-body convulsions, or jerking or flexing confined to one limb or one part of your face. 

CLUMSINESS

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If you find yourself fumbling with keys, missing steps, or struggling with your balance, that sort of clumsiness in your arms, legs, or hands could be a sign of trouble, Schwartz says. Problems speaking, swallowing, or controlling your facial expressions are some of the ways clumsiness could show up in or around your head, he adds. 

NUMBNESS
Like clumsiness, losing feeling in a part of your body or face is something to keep an eye on, Schwartz says. Particularly if a tumor forms on the brain stem—the place where your brain connects with your spinal cord—you may experience loss of feeling or clumsy movements.

CHANGES IN MEMORY OR THINKING

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While it's true that tumors can cause big shifts in a person's behavior or personality, the types of radical transformations you sometimes hear about—or see in movies—are uncommon, Schwartz says. People with tumors are more likely to have issues remembering things, to feel confused, or to suffer less-dramatic thinking problems, he says.

NAUSEA
Feeling queasy or sick to your stomach, especially if those symptoms are persistent and unexplained, could be a sign of a tumor, Schwartz says. 

VISION CHANGES

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Blurry vision, double vision, and loss of vision are all associated with tumors, Schwartz says. You may also see floating spots or shapes—or what's known as an "aura."

NOT USUALLY HEADACHES
Breathe easy. Despite what most of us would assume, headaches are often not an early indicator of a brain tumor. "They could come on with a very large tumor, but they're not usually one of the first symptoms to emerge," Schwartz says. 

EVERYTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW

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What causes a tumor? Schwartz says some genetic disorders can lead to brain tumors. "But the majority of tumors arise in people with no known risk factors or predisposing factors," he explains. Children and adults over 60 are more likely to develop tumors, but "everyone is at risk at any age," he adds. 

Despite what you may have heard, cell phones are not a known risk factor. "That's a common misconception, but there's no compelling evidence that pushes us to consider a link between cell phones and tumors," he says.  

For large or malignant brain tumors, treatments could involve surgery, medications, radiation, or chemotherapy. The good news: Not all brain tumors are serious. "Many tumors are small and benign, and require no treatment," Schwartz explains. "If we find one, we'll just monitor it for growth or changes." 

The article 7 Warning Signs Of A Brain Tumor You Should Know originally appeared on Prevention.
SOURCE: Womenshealthmag