Des Moines Health news
for ...
How much caffeine you are consuming each day? (With a soda here and a snack there, you may be surprised!
From the biggest cities to the smallest towns, North Americans reach for their morning caffeine fix. Though a cup or two a day isn't likely to harm your health (200 to 300 milligrams of caffeine), once you get up to the four to seven cup range, you could be heading for trouble.
If you have more than 500 to 600 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day, you may experience anything from restlessness, anxiety and insomnia to headaches and stomachaches. But caffeine doesn't just come in coffee. Use the charts below to evaluate your daily caffeine intake.
| Coffee and tea | Caffeine (mg) |
|---|---|
| Dunkin' Donuts, brewed, 16 oz | 143-206 |
| Generic brewed coffee, 8 oz | 95-200 |
| Generic brewed coffee, decaffeinated, 8 oz | 2-12 |
| Generic instant coffee, 8 oz | 27-173 |
| Generic instant coffee, decaffeinated, 8 oz | 2-12 |
| Starbucks Espresso, 1 oz | 58-75 |
| Starbucks Vanilla Latte, 16 oz | 150 |
| Black tea, 8 oz | 40-120 |
| Black tea, decaffeinated, 8 oz | 2-10 |
| Starbucks Tazo Chai Tea Latte, 16 oz | 100 |
| Stash Premium Green, 6 oz | 26 |
| Soft drinks | Caffeine (mg) |
| Coca-Cola Classic | 35 |
| Coca-Cola Zero | 35 |
| Diet Coke and Diet Coke With Lime | 47 |
| Dr Pepper, regular or diet | 42-44 |
| Pepsi, regular or diet | 36-38 |
| Sports or energy drinks | Caffeine (mg) |
| Monster Energy, 16 oz | 160 |
| No Fear, 8 oz | 83 |
| Red Bull, 8.3 oz | 76 |
| Rockstar, 8 oz | 80 |
| Candy and ice cream | Caffeine (mg) |
| Foosh Energy Mints, 1 mint | 100 |
| Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar, 1.55 oz | 9 |
| Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate bar, 1.45 oz | 31 |
| Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, 8 oz | 84 |
| Haagen-Dazs Coffee ice cream, 8 oz | 58 |
| Starbucks Coffee ice cream, 8 oz | 50-60 |
| Medication | Caffeine (mg) |
| Anacin, Maximum Strength, 2 tablets | 64 |
| Excedrin, Extra Strength, 2 tablets | 130 |
NoDoz, Maximum Strength, 1 tablet  |
200 |
Des Moines Health topics being discussed here:
- sources of caffeine
- natural energy booster
- how to overcome fatigue
- how to cook asparagus
If fatigue and lack of motivation are your constant companions, put these natural energy boosters to work for you.
Begin with breakfast -- This isn't the first time you've heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day -- and that's because it really is! Fuel your body with whole grains and protein to start your day out right.
Exercise for energy -- Exercise can add some zing to your day. In one study, 20 minutes of low-intensity aerobic activity three times a week increased energy levels by 20% and decreased fatigue by 65%. Not only that, but exercise can boost your overall mood as well as help you fall asleep and have a better quality of sleep.
Power up with a power nap -- A 10-minute nap can help restore wakefulness, and promote performance and learning. Avoid napping longer than 30 minutes, as it can adversely affect your nighttime sleep.
Bag the boredom -- Long hours at a desk or at a single task can lead to boredom, which fosters fatigue. Every hour, stand up and stretch or take a short walk around the office to shake off the drowsiness.
Keep the fluids flowing -- Drinking loads of water is not only beneficial for your health, but it also can act as a fatigue-buster. Dehydration is a common culprit behind fatigue, and has also been shown to decrease alertness and concentration.
Plug the electronic energy leak -- Keeping up-to-date on your emails, texts, phone calls and everything electronic can sap your brain's energy. For a few hours each day, shut off your cell phone and unessential gadgetry. You'll be amazed at how much more productive you can be -- as well as much more energized.
Seek out the sun -- Getting some sunshine early in the morning -- right when you wake up is best -- can help your body set its sleep-wake cycle for the day. Seeing sunlight during the day can also give your energy a boost.
Lighten your load -- Having too much on your plate can lead to overwork and burnout. Learn to say "no" and schedule some downtime.
Cut the (refined) carbs -- To avoid fatigue-inducing (not to mention unhealthy) blood sugar fluctuations, try eating more whole grains and complex carbohydrates (think: vegetables), and fewer refined carbs like pasta, rice and white bread.
Pesticides, diabetes linked
Helsinki, Finland - Overweight and obese people with higher blood levels of certain pesticides, PCBs and other chemicals (referred to as "persistent organic pollutants", or POPs), have a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes than those with lower levels, say researchers from Finland's National Institute for Health and Welfare.
Banned or restricted POPs remain in the environment, and build up in human and animal body fat. POPs have been linked to diabetes in past studies. In the current study, close to 2,000 people had their blood measured for several POPs; about 15% of those tested had diabetes. The higher the POP levels, the higher the risk of diabetes, though this link was stronger in the overweight and obese. People with levels in the top 10% were twice as likely to have diabetes as those in the bottom 10%.
Eating slower makes you feel fuller longer, but snacks tempt
Maastricht, Netherlands - Researchers at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands found that while eating slowly made people feel fuller longer, it didn't prevent them from snacking.
The study involved 38 volunteers who ate the same lunch. One day they ate in 30 minutes, and the other day they ate in two hours. Scientists took blood samples before, during and after the meals to measure hormones involved in hunger and satiety (the feeling of fullness). Participants who ate slower had a slower in hormones that signal satiety, and two and a half hours after eating rated their satiety higher and their hunger lower than those who ate in 30 minutes. However, they ate just as many snacks as those who ate faster. Researchers suggest the availability of snack foods trumps body's hunger cues.
Even 15 minutes of daily exercise may help you live longer
Taipei, Taiwan - Exercising a minimum of 15 minutes per day or 90 minutes per week may extend your lifespan, regardless of age, sex and existing cardiovascular disease risk, it was reported in The Lancet.
Though experts recommend 30 minutes a day, researchers at the National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan wanted to determine if less exercise still offers life expectancy benefits. Over 400,000 participants were categorized as inactive, or low, medium, high, or very highly active. They were followed for an average of eight years and based on lifestyle, researchers projected life expectancy for each group.
Compared to the inactive group, those in the low activity group had a 14% reduced risk of all causes of death and a 3- year longer life expectancy. Each additional 15 minutes of daily exercise further reduced the risk of death by 4%.
L.A. Times - Health
Headlines from latimes.com| 05/20/2012 12:00 AM |
| Graduating collegians cope with student debt in a weak economy |
|
Students and graduates from several Southland campuses talk of their loans and how paying them off figures into their plans. For some, the path seems secure; for others, uncertainty is the only certainty. College graduation is typically a time to tally accomplishments and to look ahead. But for many graduates, it is also a time to tally student loans and figure out how to repay them.
|
| 05/20/2012 12:00 AM |
| McManus: A campaign bombshell |
|
If the court upholds the healthcare reform law, the president wins; if it declares the law unconstitutional, he loses. Right? Well, not so fast. The Supreme Court is about to toss a judicial bomb into the middle of the presidential campaign, and nobody knows what impact it will have.
|
| 05/19/2012 12:00 AM |
| Gear: Big wheels rule |
|
The revolution is over — and big wheels have won. The "29er" mountain bike, which first appeared on the scene a decade ago with monster-truck tires 3 inches taller than the age-old 26-inchers, now dominates the market. It's easy to see why: The bike makes you faster and safer, gaining more momentum and floating better over sand and rocks. This year, the demand's so hot for huge hoops that some companies don't even sell 26ers anymore. Others have started experimenting with different-size big wheels, like the 650B, a "27.5er" (reviewed below) that touts faster speed with sharper steering. At the recent Handmade Bicycle Show in Sacramento, one company even rolled out a 36er — a cruiser with 3-foot-diameter tires. A mountain-bike version can't be far behind.
|
| 05/19/2012 12:00 AM |
| Fitness: Exercise apps for your smartphone |
|
IPhone, iPad and Android apps can help you boost your fitness level. Reviewed: Yoga With Janet Stone, Endomondo Pro, Nike Training Club, Zombies, Run!, Fleetly. Forget Angry Birds. Your smartphone can be a powerful tool for improving your overall fitness if you give it half a chance.
|
| 05/19/2012 12:00 AM |
| Are raspberry ketones a 'miracle' fat burner? Dr. Oz weighs in. |
|
Sales took off after the supplement was touted on 'The Dr. Oz Show.' But does it really work? Until recently, very few people had ever heard of raspberry ketones, the aromatic compounds that give the berries their distinctive smell. Today, health food stores have trouble keeping the capsules or drops of the stuff on their shelves. Almost overnight, an obscure plant compound became the next big thing in weight loss — and all it took was a few words from Dr. Oz.
|
BBC News - Health
The latest stories from the Health section of the BBC News web site.| 05/20/2012 11:26 AM |
| Cheap dysentery drug 'promising' |
|
A cheap drug, which is already prescribed for arthritis, could fight amoebic dysentery, according to researchers in the US.
|
| 05/18/2012 07:02 PM |
| US baby boomers in Hep C warning |
|
US baby boomers are advised to get tested for the liver-destroying virus hepatitis C, in a move health officials say could save 120,000 lives.
|
| 05/17/2012 06:36 PM |
| Dieting 'safe for pregnant women' |
|
Dieting in pregnancy is safe and does not carry risks for the baby, a review of research has suggested.
|
| 05/16/2012 04:34 PM |
| Statins 'benefit healthy people' |
|
Thousands of heart attacks and strokes could be prevented if the cholesterol-lowering drugs, statins, were more widely prescribed, research suggests.
|
| 05/17/2012 06:37 PM |
| Father wants 'donation' lessons |
|
A father who lost his son to leukaemia is calling for schools and colleges to make a lesson on donating stem cells, blood and organs part of the curriculum.
|
| 05/17/2012 06:23 AM |
| UK retains strict animal test law |
|
The UK says it will retain stricter animal testing standards than required by a new European Union Directive.
|
| 05/17/2012 01:27 PM |
| White births now minority in US |
|
Children from racial and ethnic minorities now account for more than half the births in the US, estimates from the latest census data say.
|
| 05/16/2012 04:34 PM |
| Oldest living kidney donor at 83 |
|
An 83-year-old man becomes the oldest person in the UK to donate a kidney while still alive, the NHS Blood and Transplant service says.
|
| 05/16/2012 10:05 AM |
| Robotic arm controlled by thought |
|
Two patients who are paralysed from the neck down are able to control a robotic arm using their thoughts.
|
Health - chicagotribune.com
Headlines from chicagotribune.com| 05/18/2012 10:36 AM | ||
| HDL, the good cholesterol, may not be so good after all | ||
A new genetic study suggests that high-density lipoprotein, the so-called good cholesterol commonly known as HDL, may not actually be as good for us as physicians previously thought. A study of more than 100,000 people found that those with genes that promote production of higher-than-normal levels of HDL do not have a lower risk of having a heart attack, a finding that has surprised researchers immensely. The results could have major implications for pharmaceutical manufacturers, who have been attempting to develop drugs that will raise HDL in the hopes of preventing heart attacks in people at higher risk.
|
||
| 05/17/2012 03:56 PM | ||
| Fructose makes rats dumber. What sugars should we avoid? | ||
Rats fed fructose-laced drinking water for six weeks performed more slowly in a maze-navigating task, UCLA researchers have found. (Read this L.A. Times opinion article .) They think the effect is due to changes in the way the brain responds to insulin as a result of exposure to fructose.
|
||
| 05/17/2012 03:16 PM | ||
| Donna Summer: Lung cancer leading cause of cancer death | ||
Disco legend Donna Summer, 63, died Wednesday night, reportedly of lung cancer. As of press time, her family hadn’t released details about her illness, so it was unknown what type of lung cancer she had, and how long she may have been ailing.
|
||
| 05/17/2012 06:06 AM | ||
| Supermarket intervention prompted shoppers to buy more produce | ||
We’re fat, in case you hadn’t heard. And as we learned last week, 42% of American adults will be obese by 2030, according to researchers at the Weight of the Nation conference sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
|
||
| 05/16/2012 04:27 PM | ||
| Chain restaurants don't meet U.S. nutrition guidelines, study says | ||
Plenty of restaurants have been advertising their efforts to offer healthful choices, and it’s possible to eat carefully just about anywhere. But researchers say nearly all the entrees they reviewed at 245 U.S. chains fail to meet federal guidelines.
|
||
| 05/16/2012 03:15 PM | ||
| Healthy food doesn't have to be expensive, USDA insists | ||
Healthy food, we’ve often heard, is pricey food. Fruits and vegetables -- they’re expensive! We can’t afford to eat that way! That’s why we don’t do it!
|
