Health Smart - Reader's Digest

FIGHTING HEAT STRESS

                The biggest health threat of the 21st century? Climate change, according to a report from The Lancet and University College London. In Europe, the 2003 heatwave killed thousands, and in Asia, searing wheather each summer kills hundreds in India and Pakistan. Researchers said green-house-gas emissions make a repeat likely. And experts note that night-time temperatures across North America have been unusually high for the past few years. But there’s simple way to fight the stress to our bodies caused by heat – especially if there’s no relief at night: Drink extra water. And if you feel dizzy or nauseated (sign of heat exhaustion), immediately sponge yourself with cool water.

Meryl Davids – Landau

TRIMMING THE FAT IN YOUR LIVER

                Even fat that you don’t see can kill you: If you’re over weight and have diabetes, doctors say, you probably have a fatty liver – which raises your risk of developing ills that go beyond just that organ. (Heart disease is but one example.) But there are ways to trim the fat. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that moderate biking, walking or running three times a week, combined with resistance traning, cut the fat in people’s livers by as much as 40 percent. “It’s an added reason to exercise,” says Karry Stewart, lead investigator of the study.

Elena Rover

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: THE MIDDLE-AGE ELIXIR

                It’s never too late to enjoy the health benefits of exercise: Men who became very physically active beginning only at age 50 cut their risk of dying early by 32 percent, according to a Swedish study published in the journal BMJ. (Early-mortality rates of same-age men who’ve always been highly active were used as a baseline.) This longevity boon – comparable with that associated with quitting smoking – kicks in only after five years of maintaining an active lifestyle, explain researchers. Still, three hours of sports or heavy gardening a week was enough to do the trick.

E.R.

AIM FOR 55 - 65 HEARTBEATS PER MINUTE

                Athletes pride themselves on it: a lower resting heart rate indicates they’re in good physical shape, so their hearts don’t have to pump as hard. That usually means a lower risk of heart problems. “At a higher rate, the heart needs more oxygen, stressing the cardiovascular system,” says Dr Kim Fox, of the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. The best way to reduce your rate? Exercise.

ARCHING BODY? CHECK YOUR SINUSES

                The aches and pains in your body could be all in your head – specifically, your sinuses. It’s even possible that your arthritis, fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome is a misdiagnosis of pain and tiredness resulting from recurring sinus infections, says Professor Alexander Chester of the Georgetown University Medical Center. He estimates that half of people with chronic sinusitis have symptoms such as serious body aches and fatigue. The pain can be all over but more pronounced in spots such as the shoulders, neck and hips.

source: Reader's Digest - rdasia.com

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