Posted: 22 Dec 2010 02:00 PM PST

Healthy Diet Still Important For the Elderly

Elderly adults can count on at least one thing to stay fashionable: eating healthfully. A new study adds to a body of research suggesting a healthy diet is the key to living longer, MSNBC reports. Based on answers to a questionnaire, researchers divided about 2,500 adults ages 70 to 79 into six groups depending on what they ate and drank most of: healthy food—primarily fruits and veggies, poultry, low-fat dairy, and whole grains; high-fat dairy products like ice cream and cheese and less poultry and low-fat dairy; meat, fried foods, and alcohol; refined grains; breakfast cereals; and sweets and desserts, with less emphasis on fruits, veggies, and fish. They followed up with the participants 10 years later and noted who died. Those in the "high-fat dairy" group were 40 percent more likely to die during the study period than those in the "healthy food" group, the researchers found; when compared to the "sweets and desserts" group, the increased likelihood of death was 37 percent. However, the study isn't without caveats. Researchers only followed adults in two U.S. cities, so they can't be sure if the results would be similar in all older adults. They also only questioned participants about their diets once, so their eating habits could have changed over time. The results will be published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

A healthy diet is one that includes many servings of fruits and veggies, but most adults don't get their recommended daily dose, a national report card recently showed. Experts shared their advice to buck that trend with U.S. News in November:

From: 6 Ways to Trick Yourself Into Eating Fruits and Veggies

1. Use them in sauces, chili, soups, and casseroles. They're great at camouflaging zucchini, squash, carrots, or corn. Grate and sauté them or pulse them in a food processor until they're smooth. But they don't have to be hidden to taste good. Pasta sauces or toppings on meat dishes are other veggie vehicles. Grab a can of butternut squash soup and cook gnocchi in it—it's "super yummy," says Andrea Giancoli, a registered dietician and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Smother your chicken in ratatouille—an assortment of seasoned, sautéed veggies—or top sea bass with tomatoes, capers, and olives or perhaps a mango salsa.

2. Bake them into muffins, breads, and pies. Yes, you can enjoy pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving relatively guilt-free, so long as it's not topped with a huge dollop of Cool Whip. Carrot cake, zucchini bread, and banana muffins are a few more possibilities. Many recipes call for applesauce instead of all or some of the butter or oil, and it brings just as much moistness. "It can definitely be an awesome way to get your more nutritious substitutes to replacing high-oil, high-fat baked goods," says Sarah Krieger, a registered dietician and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

3. Drink them. Naked Juice, low-sodium V8, and homemade smoothies can get you a couple of servings in just a few gulps. You can even hide veggies like carrots in the kids' fruit smoothies without risking a coup. But we tend to underestimate calories when we drink them rather than eat them, Krieger says. Slow down, she advises. Let these fiber-loaded drinks tell you when you've had enough.

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Health Buzz: Teen Birthrate Hits Record Low

Posted: 22 Dec 2010 01:12 PM PST

Government Report: Birthrate Among Teens Drops To Lowest in 70 Years

Birthrates among U.S. teens and women in their 20s and 30s fell in 2009, hitting record lows in some age groups. The birthrate for girls ages 15 to 19 declined to 39.1 per 1,000 last year—a 6 percent drop since 2008, according to a report published Tuesday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the lowest rate in the near-70 years the federal government has tracked such data. The reason is unclear, but the economy could be a factor. "When money is very tight, all of us think harder about taking risks, expanding our families, taking on new responsibilities," Sarah Brown, chief executive of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, told The Washington Post. "Many teens live with financially stressed adults, and they see neighbors and older friends losing jobs and even losing houses. So they, too, feel the squeeze and may be reacting to it by being more prudent. Maybe part of tightening our belts includes keeping our zippers closed, too." For women ages 20 to 24, meanwhile, the rate of 96.3 births per 1,000 represented a 7 percent decline, the largest drop since 1973. In fact, women ages 40 to 44 accounted for the only increase in birthrate. Experts speculate that besides the economic climate, the overall drop could be explained by a heightened focus on encouraging abstinence and using birth control.

For Addiction Help, Hire a 'Sober Coach'

The call of drugs and alcohol to substance abusers trying to kick their habit never goes silent. For someone who has relapsed repeatedly, a new specialist—the "sober coach"—has emerged, U.S. News reports. They are paid at least $200 an hour to work one-on-one with recovering addicts, sometimes moving into their homes at more than $1,000 a day to fulfill a 24-7 role. They are motivators and cheerleaders, role models and mentors. They don't sugarcoat their words. And they resort to the unconventional to break a client's addiction cycle.

A coach might go grocery shopping with his client until that person learns not to stop in the wine aisle. He'll police an alcoholic's morning coffee routine to ensure no rum or brandy is added. And if there's a slipup? "I've used everything from 'Shut up!' to 'Do you want to become a person or remain a dope fiend?' " says Doug Caine, founder and president of Sober Champion, a sober coaching company that has offices in Los Angeles, New York, and London. "I've asked, 'Is smoking crack the best way you can serve your children?' Every client requires a different motivating tool at a different time."

Tough love is central to sober coaching. "We don't do hand-holding or babysitting jobs," Caine says. "Coaches and clients develop an intense, bonded relationship. If you're not willing to do some work, if you won't go to any lengths to stay clean, you're going to have a tough time benefitting." [Read more: For Addiction Help, Hire a 'Sober Coach'.]

Kids Visiting? How to Quickly Childproof Your Home

If family or friends with young children will be visiting this holiday season, carve out time beforehand to go through this quick list of kid-friendly cautions and precautions. Peace of mind will lower everyone's stress level and make for a merrier time, writes U.S. News contributor Kathy Peel.

Put yourself in a child's shoes. At the restaurant chain T.G.I. Friday's, managers are required to sit in every seat and survey the room once a week to get the customer's point of view. Make it your policy to get down on all fours and evaluate your home from a young guest's perspective. While you're down there, note and relocate all cleaning products, vitamins, medicines, matches, lighters, and other potentially harmful items; scan for perfume, hair products, shoe polish, nail polish, and polish remover. Discard toxic houseplants like rhododendron, English ivy, lily of the valley, holly, and mistletoe. [Read more: Kids Visiting? How to Quickly Childproof Your Home.]

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Hangover Cure? Hah. But These Tips May Help

Posted: 22 Dec 2010 12:08 PM PST

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Health

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Health : Health Buzz: Healthy Diet Still Important for the Elderly, May Postpone Death

Health : Health Buzz: Healthy Diet Still Important for the Elderly, May Postpone Death

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