Staying Healthy Archive

As long as the nutrient profile is the same, choosing one or the other is really about preference.

Plant-based milks line the shelves in the refrigerator section of most supermarkets these days: soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, even milk made from rice, oats, or peas. Choosing a plant-based product seems like it would be a healthy option. But is it always? And is it better for you than drinking cow's milk?

We asked Vasanti Malik, adjunct assistant professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, for some advice on how to choose the best product.

Research we're watching

A long work week may raise your blood pressure, according to a study published online Dec. 19, 2019, by Hypertension. Researchers found that among more than 3,500 Canadian workers, those who worked 49 hours a week or more were more likely to have high blood pressure than workers who were on the job fewer than 35 hours a week. Blood pressure was measured at the start and end of the five-year study as well as once midway through. Readings were taken by both a trained technician and a wearable monitoring device. Even after adjusting for other factors, the 49-hour-plus workers were 70% more likely to have a type of high blood pressure called masked hypertension (normal blood pressure readings at doctor visits but high outside of that setting) and 66% more likely to have sustained hypertension (defined as consistently high blood pressure readings both in and outside of the doctor's office). People who worked 41 to 48 hours a week also had higher blood pressure than those who worked fewer than 35 hours a week.

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News briefs

Catching a ride to the doctor or grocery store has never been easier, thanks to rideshare services like Uber or Lyft. You simply download an app to your smartphone and enter your credit card information. Then you can just tap a button whenever you need a ride. But if you're not comfortable with the concept, take heart: the United States now has about a thousand rideshare services that cater to older adults, according to a CDC-funded study conducted by NORC, a nonprofit research organization based at the University of Chicago. The results were released Dec. 5, 2019. Researchers found more than 900 individual nonprofit rideshare services and three for-profit rideshare companies (with a total of 888 locations) available for older adults in the United States. The rides weren't just for doctor or grocery store visits. Many rides were for other errands, work, or fun (an important point, since older adults are at risk for isolation). Also appealing: about two-thirds of the rides were free, and about a third of the services provided help in and out of the vehicle. Want to give it a try? Contact your local Area Agency on Aging (www.health.harvard.edu/aaa) to find groups that offer rides for older adults.

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News briefs

The FDA is urging consumers to use caution with products infused with cannabidiol (CBD), the cannabis-derived extract that's touted as a cure-all. CBD is widely available in creams, tinctures, oils, patches, gummy bears, capsules, and more. But some products are being sold illegally, with claims that CBD can treat health conditions. In November, the FDA cracked down on 15 companies that were making such claims, or that were illegally adding CBD to food or selling it as a dietary supplement. "We remain concerned that some people wrongly think that the myriad of CBD products on the market, many of which are illegal, have been evaluated by the FDA and determined to be safe, or that trying CBD can't hurt.' Aside from one prescription drug approved to treat two pediatric epilepsy disorders, these products have not been approved by the FDA, and we want to be clear that a number of questions remain regarding CBD's safety," says FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Amy Abernethy. Even legal CBD products have potential health risks such as liver injury, drug interactions, sedation, diarrhea, decreased appetite, and mood changes. Talk to your doctor before trying any new supplement, especially if it contains CBD.

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What Is It?

A drooping eyelid is also called ptosis or blepharoptosis. In this condition, the border of the upper eyelid falls to a lower position than normal. In severe cases, the drooping eyelid can cover all or part of the pupil and interfere with vision.

Ptosis can affect one or both eyes. It may be present at birth (congenital ptosis), or it may develop gradually over decades. Sometimes ptosis is an isolated problem that changes a person's appearance without affecting vision or health. In other cases, however, it can be a warning sign that a more serious condition is affecting the muscles, nerves, brain or eye socket. Ptosis that develops over a period of days or hours is more likely to signify a serious medical problem.

Between 1959 and 2014, average life expectancy in the United States rose astoundingly by nearly a decade. Then it began declining. A recent report examining this situation raises tough questions about that unexpected change.

One of the first cultivated grains, wheat is now ubiquitous in the average American diet. In the United States, about 75% of all grain products (such as bread, pasta, tortillas, cakes, and pastries) are made with wheat. Unfortunately, most of these commonly consumed foods are made with white flour: wheat kernels that have been stripped of their outer bran and inner germ layers and milled into a fine powder. White flour is fortified with some of the vitamins and minerals removed during this refining process. But most of the fiber and other healthful plant-based chemicals found in intact whole grains are missing.

Eating more whole grains is linked to a lower risk of heart disease and cancer, which is why the federal dietary guidelines say to "make half your grains whole." But most people aren't even close to that goal. According to the CDC, whole grains account for only about 16% of the total grain-based food adults eat on any given day.

A recent study suggested that eating red or processed meats won't necessarily harm your health. What is the truth?

The news headlines were everywhere: "It's Okay to Eat Red Meat." The source for this statement was a study published online Oct. 1, 2019, in Annals of Internal Medicine.

An international team of researchers conducted five systematic reviews that looked at the effects of red meat and processed meat on multiple health issues, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and premature death.

On call

Q. I started having side effects from a prescribed drug. I stopped taking it, but the side effects are still there. How long does it take for a drug to be out of your system?

A. Most drugs will be out of your system quite quickly, but the symptoms of side effects may remain for some time. It depends on the medication and what kind of side effect has developed. The majority of prescription drugs are cleared out of your body rapidly by your kidneys and liver. Trace levels of a medicine may remain in the system while the liver and kidneys finish their filtering job. But these levels are often too low to have any noticeable effect. Patients with kidney or liver disease, however, can continue to have elevated blood levels of a drug even after stopping it.