Sugar is no longer considered just empty calories, but an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. So what happens if you switch to artificial sweeteners? Recommendations to limit sugar consumption vary around the globe, with guidelines ranging from “Limit sweet desserts to one every other day” to “Keep sugar consumption to 4 or less occasions…
Coffee: Medicine for the Body and Soul
Could coffee do more than just stimulate alertness and stress out the adrenals? What if there was more going on to this ritualistic beverage consumed by billions around the world than just caffeine addiction? What if it was medicine for both the body and soul? That coffee possesses ‘drug-like’ properties, we know quite well. Some…
Smoking Can Really Weaken the Heart
Smoking is even worse for your heart than you might already think, new Danish research warns. “It is well known that smoking causes blocked arteries, leading to coronary heart disease and stroke,” said researcher Dr. Eva Holt, of Herlev and Gentofte Hospital in Copenhagen. “Our study shows that smoking also leads to thicker, weaker hearts,”…
Use of Pot, Hallucinogens Soaring Among Young Americans
Marijuana and hallucinogen use are at an all-time high among young adults, U.S. health officials reported Monday. Compared to five or 10 years ago, the use of these drugs over the past year has risen significantly among 19- to 30-year-olds, according to the Monitoring the Future panel study. The new data were collected through online…
Addiction Model Can’t Fully Explain Obesity
There are behavioral similarities between obesity and addiction, but obesity is also a complex condition that the addiction model cannot fully explain, research finds. Obesity rates have tripled since 1975, according to the World Health Organization. An increase in availability of inexpensive, high-calorie food is likely behind the rise. While some researchers blame obesity on…
Why Coffee & Cigarette Is a Morning Ritual for Millions
Smokers in the throes of nicotine withdrawal when they wake up in the morning may crave not just a cigarette but a cup of coffee along with it. Science can explain that. Researchers have identified two compounds in coffee that directly affect certain nicotine receptors in the brain. Study author Roger Papke, a pharmacology professor…
Wireless Technology Use Is Rewiring Our Brains—Here’s How
We’re doing everything with our phones—grocery shopping, buying new clothes, calling our friends, gaming, and tens of other things. Some Americans work with their phones. Sometimes the dinner table has more phones than people. Sometimes your beloved looks at their phone more than you. Or you might look at your phone more than your kids….
Moving Away From Opioids to Treat Dental Pain
By Ernie Mundell Many opioid abusers cite short-term, legitimate use of an opioid for relief of joint or dental pain as their “gateway” into addiction. Now, research done at one New York State clinic finds that dentists can cut their use of opioids down to zero, using other painkillers for patients instead. The end result:…
What’s a “standard drink”?
In the United States, a “standard drink” (also known as an alcoholic drink equivalent) is defined as any drink that contains about 0.6 fluid ounces or 14 grams of pure alcohol. Although the drinks pictured here are different sizes, each contains approximately the same amount of alcohol and counts as one U.S. standard drink or…
U.S. Opioid Prescriptions Are Declining
The United States has an opioid epidemic, but there’s one bright spot in the fight against it: Prescriptions for these addictive drugs have declined for patients with private insurance. Amid guidelines over the past decade from governments, health systems and insurers aimed at reducing opioid prescriptions, previous studies have pointed to a nationwide drop in…
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