November Health Trends
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200 calories
Compared to 30 years ago, kids today eat an extra 200 calories daily from snacks. During the same time period, rates of childhood obesity have tripled, and one in three American children are overweight or obese. The number of snacks has risen from one to an average of nearly three per day.
87%
A study of more than 6,000 people in the military health care system, Tricare, found that those taking statin drugs to lower cholesterol were 87 percent more likely to develop diabetes, and 250 percent more likely to have diabetes complications. This is the first study to test for statin-related diabetes in a relatively healthy group of people, as at the outset, this group had no heart disease, diabetes, or other severe chronic disease.
20 minutes
A daily brisk walk for 20 minutes-doable for most people-reduces risk for heart disease by 30-40 percent, according to an analysis of research published in the American Journal of Medicine. In addition to coronary artery disease, lack of physical activity significantly contributes to colon cancer, osteoporotic bone fractures, diabetes, hypertension, and breast cancer.