Staying Healthy Archive

There's mounting evidence that sitting for long periods can have health risks. However, little is known about how the effects of sitting can be countered by standing occasionally. A team of researchers from the United Kingdom and Australia designed a two-day study involving 22 overweight or obese postmenopausal women with high blood sugar who were at risk for diabetes. On the first day, the women were assigned to one of three groups. One group sat for 7.5 hours straight. The other two sat over a 7.5-hour period, but one group was told to stand in place for five minutes every half-hour, and the other was told to walk for five minutes every half-hour. The second day, all the groups sat for 7.5 hours straight.

On both days, the researchers tested each participant's blood levels of glucose, insulin, fatty acids, and triglycerides—all indicators of metabolism. They found that both walking and standing reduced glucose, insulin, and fatty acids—signs of a higher metabolic rate—in women who either stood or walked compared with those who sat the entire time. Moreover, in the two active groups, some of the beneficial effects persisted into the next day, when everyone sat for the entire session.

In the January Health Letter, we gave you suggestions for finding healthy frozen food entrees. Because of a typographical error, the text of the article incorrectly stated that you should look for 5 or fewer grams of fiber per serving. In contrast, the table (reproduced below) noted accurately that you should look for entrees with 5 or more grams of fiber per serving. We apologize for the error in the text.

They're convenient and affordable, but they don't replace a relationship with a primary care physician.

Walk into a drugstore, supermarket, or "big box" store these days, and you'll find more than prescriptions, food, and household goods. Many now feature health clinics. They're part of the big trend of making health care more convenient. "Twenty years ago you had to go to an emergency department if you got sick and needed immediate care. Now we have an explosion of options, such as retail health clinics," says Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, a researcher on the topic and an associate professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School.

The clinics

Retail health clinics began showing up about 15 years ago. Today, there are about 2,000 clinics across the United States, mostly in large retail chain settings. A typical clinic is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, and is staffed by a nurse practitioner or a physician assistant. Clinics offer all kinds of health services—everything from treating minor illness like a cold, pinkeye, or a urinary tract infection to providing physicals, health screenings, lab work, smoking cessation help, and vaccinations.

Ask the doctor

Q. I'm a 23-year-old man who reads my mother's copy of the Harvard Health Letter. You often talk about how regular exercise improves health, particularly heart health. Since heart disease doesn't usually start until a man is in his 60s, at what age should I get serious about exercise?

A. Right now. Probably five years ago would have been even better. I will admit that most of the studies linking regular exercise with health benefits have been done in adults over age 50. But recently a study from doctors at Johns Hopkins was published in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine that is directly relevant to you. The study enrolled nearly 5,000 young adults, ages 18 to 30, and followed them for nearly 27 years. These study participants came from different geographic areas in the United States and included both males and females and people of different racial and ethnic groups.

They're cute, cuddly, and loving, but dogs and cats aren't always appropriate for older adults.

There's a reason dogs are dubbed man's best friend. Dogs—and cats, too—make wonderful companions and provide many emotional and physical benefits. "I'm a believer in the beneficial effects of having a pet, and I'm impressed with the ability of dogs in particular to form bonds with human beings. I think the science is starting to support their special ability to do that," says psychiatrist Dr. Greg Fricchione, director of the Harvard-affiliated Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine. However, there are a number of considerations to mull over before adding a pet to your household.

Benefits

The most obvious benefits of pet ownership are love and companionship. "We do best medically and emotionally when we feel securely attached to another, because we're mammals and that's the way we've evolved," says Dr. Fricchione. He points out that we feel especially secure with dogs and cats because of the unconditional love they provide. "No matter what you do or say, your dog or cat accepts you and is attached to you," says Dr. Fricchione. Taking care of a dog or a cat can provide a sense of purpose and a feeling of validation when you wake up or come home and there's someone who's happy to see you.

Chair yoga can help you boost balance, flexibility, mood, and overall strength.

You don't have to be steady on your feet to reap the rewards of yoga. There's a kind of yoga class tailored to people who need assistance with balance and stability. It's called chair yoga, because the yoga is performed while seated or while standing next to a chair for support. "It's especially good for people who can't get up and down off the floor, but really anyone is a candidate for the class as long as the person doesn't have an injury that would cause harm by movement," explains Laura Malloy, director of yoga at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, part of Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

Yoga benefits

Yoga is a series of poses (called postures) and breathing techniques that include an element of meditation. The postures are beneficial in a number of ways. They help reduce muscular tension, build flexibility and strength, add bone strength, and improve balance.

Turmeric, coriander, and cumin may boost your health and breathe new life into tired dishes.

The health benefits of foods such as berries, broccoli, and salmon are well known. But your kitchen's spice rack may also hold some secret weapons against conditions such as inflammation, heart disease, cancer, and more. "Spices are underused, but it would be very easy to take advantage of them and improve health," says Dr. Lipi Roy, an internal medicine physician at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

There are few large randomized trials that demonstrate spices' health effects. But many studies in animals suggest that several spices offer benefits. So instead of flavoring your food with salt and butter, which can contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease, consider using the following spices.

Fostering strong social connections does not come easy for many men, but it is one of the best means to a longer and healthier life.

Social connections are as important to your health as proper diet and exercise. Research has linked social bonding to longer lives, lower incidence of depression and anxiety, and reduced risk of disease.

"Our brains and bodies function best when we are part of a community and maintain close, personal connections," says Dr. William S. Pollack, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.