NEWS

Visceral fat: 'One quick fix' to banish the dangerous belly fat

VISCERAL fat is packed between the abdominal organs, including the stomach, liver and kidneys. Hormonally disruptive, an excess amount is linked to disease and ill health.

"One quick fix" to help banish visceral fat, touted by endocrinologist Doctor Rasa Kazlauskaite, pertains to dietary choices. "Eliminate sugary drinks." Doctor Kazlauskaite said: "Sugar increases belly fat." said Doctor Kazlauskaite. "And fibre reduces belly fat." As such, not only are you better off avoiding soda drinks, but fruit juices too.

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Concentration Killers: Smartphones, Social Media, More

Time Waster: Social Media

The Internet has become an enormous distraction for students and workers across the world. It's hard to keep your focus when, at the click of a mouse, you can take a quick trip from your daily tasks to check in on friends, family, or your favorite celebrity. Are the dishes lying dirty in the sink? Do you need to finish a mound of paperwork? Most people would rather watch a hilarious dog video. And another. And another. Before you know it, your whole day is drained. Some experts believe this can lead to internet addiction. The negative effects on your mental health continue to be studied.

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Foods that help you sleep

Achieving a great night’s sleep can be affected by what you eat in the hours before bedtime. Certain foods are known to calm the brain and help promote sleep so eating the right things in the evening is definitely part of the recipe for a good night’s kip.
We don’t recommend eating a big meal just before bedtime as it can lead to discomfort and indigestion, but some people find a small snack a helpful aid to sleep.

Research has found that certain nutrients may play an underlying role in short and long sleep duration. For longer and better-quality sleep it’s important to have lycopene (found in red and orange-colored foods), carbohydrates, vitamin C, selenium (found in nuts, meat and shellfish), and more lutein/zeaxanthin (found in green, leafy vegetables that are rich in stress reducing calcium).

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Coffee and veggies may protect against COVID-19

Sip a Venti dark roast and eat a salad. A new Northwestern Medicine study shows coffee consumption and eating lots of vegetables may offer some protection against COVID-19.

The authors believe this is the first study using population data to examine the role of specific dietary intake in prevention of COVID-19. “A person’s nutrition impacts immunity,” said senior author Marilyn Cornelis, associate professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “And the immune system plays a key role in an individual’s susceptibility and response to infectious diseases, including COVID-19.” Being breastfed may also offer protection as well as eating less processed meats, the study found.

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What Are the 10 Worst Foods for Cholesterol?

What Is Cholesterol?

Your liver makes a waxy substance called cholesterol. It helps your body build cells, protect your nerve cells, make vitamins, and produce hormones. Your body can also get cholesterol from animal-based foods like dairy, meat, and eggs.

There are two main types of cholesterol — high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

• LDL cholesterol is also called bad cholesterol. High levels of LDL cholesterol can negatively impact your health by increasing your risk of heart problems or stroke.
• HDL cholesterol is known as good cholesterol. It carries the bad cholesterol from your blood to the liver and gets rid of it. HDL cholesterol protects your body from health problems.

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How Long Can I Keep Wearing the Same Respirator Mask?

With the right care, your high-performance mask can last for multiple uses.

Where do you typically keep your high-quality, medical-style masks?

A) In several brown paper bags marked with the days of the week, lined up on the windowsill.
B) Hanging on hooks near the door.
C) Tucked in a plastic bag in my purse or backpack.
D) Sometimes I find one stuffed in my pocket or on the floor of my car.

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More berries, apples and tea may have protective benefits against Alzheimer’s

Study shows low intake of flavonoid-rich foods linked with higher Alzheimer’s risk over 20 years Older adults who consumed small amounts of flavonoid-rich foods, such as berries, apples and tea, were two to four times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias over 20 years compared with people whose intake was higher, according to a new study led by scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University.

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Large study links gum disease with dementia

The mouth is home to about 700 species of bacteria, including those that can cause periodontal (gum) disease. A recent analysis led by NIA scientists suggests that bacteria that cause gum disease are also associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, especially vascular dementia. The results were reported in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

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Wash hands at least six times a day

Washing your hands at least six to 10 times a day makes catching infections such as coronavirus much less likely, a study by UK researchers suggests.

It looked at data, from 2006-09, on viruses structurally very similar to the deadly pandemic strain circulating now.

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