Benefits of COVID-19 vaccinations extend to newborns
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only around 40 percent of pregnant women in the U.S. had been vaccinated against COVID-19 as of the first of January 2022. That’s unfortunate, according to an article in Nature, because “the data are now solid. They show that the risks of COVID-19 during pregnancy — including maternal death, stillbirth and premature delivery — far outweigh the risks of being vaccinated.”
Plus, we now know the benefits of the vaccine extend to newborns as well.
Another newly released CDC study found that when mothers-to-be got two shots of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in the first 20 weeks of their pregnancy, their baby was 61 percent less likely to be admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 in the first six months of life. If the mom got the shots at 21 weeks through 14 days before delivery, the infant was 80 percent protected from hospitalization with the virus.
Still worried that the vaccine might affect the fetus? Another CDC study that looked at more than 40,000 pregnant women found that COVID-19 vaccination was not associated with a greater incidence of preterm birth or small-for-gestational age at birth when compared with babies born to women who did not get the vaccine while pregnant.
If you are pregnant and unvaccinated, talk with your obstetrician about the benefits of the vaccination to you and your fetus. Also, discuss the minor risks (it is never zero). Then you can make a decision that will best protect you and your newborn from severe illness.
Taking steps to prevent diabetes
Will Smith has gone on social media aiming to prove he can walk 10,000 steps in one session — and beat back the dad bod he says he developed over the past couple of years. Bravo that. But for women in their 60s and 70s, increasing their steps has different benefits — it fends off diabetes.
A recent study published in Diabetes Care shows older women reduce their risk of Type 2 diabetes by adding more walking. For seven years, the researchers from University of California San Diego tracked more than 4,800 women. They found that for every 1,000 steps the women added to their usual daily dose, they reduced their risk of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes by 6 percent. And those who added moderate- to vigorous-intensity steps were even more likely to fend off diabetes.
Just think, adding 10,000 steps a day — well, that reduces the risk by 60 percent or more. Plus, serious walking offers a full range of added benefits: stress reduction, increased bone strength, improved cardiovascular fitness, better balance, a stronger immune system and a better mood. What’s not to like?
To get started:
1. Talk to your doctor about any precautions you should take.
2. Get great walking shoes that support your ankles and arches and cushion your stride (but not squishy).
3. Download a pedometer to your phone or consider a wearable fitness tracker.
4. Start slowly. Increase your distance over weeks and months.
5. Feeling reluctant? Start with the Cleveland Clinic’s “Walking in Place” plan at health.clevelandclinic.org.
Teach your children well — so they can stay well
“Teach your children well … And feed them on your dreams. The one they pick’s the one you’ll know by.” When Graham Nash wrote that in 1968, he probably didn’t realize how to-the-point the lyrics would be in 2022. Turns out if you are dreaming of a bright future for your children, you need to teach them well about good health habits early.
According to a study in JAMA Pediatrics, teens who smoke, have obesity or emotional/mental problems have a RealAge that is older than their chronological years by the time they are in their 40s. Around 900 boys and girls were followed from 1972/1973 until they reached age 45. That’s when the scientists looked at their pace of aging, gait speed, brain age and facial age. It seems that smokers, those who were overweight and those who contended with depression, for example, were prematurely older than their birthdays indicated.
Kids deserve a fighting chance to live long and prosper, and you can do a lot to make sure that happens. Have family sit-down dinners regularly. Have kids help you shop and cook. Don’t buy highly-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages. Dish up lean poultry, fish and vegetable proteins from legumes and 100 percent whole grains. Serve tasty veggies. Also, make sure kids get lots — and lots — of physical activity through casual play and individual and team sports. My slight rewrite of the song’s lyrics says it all: “And so please help them with their youth, and know they’ll love you for it.”
Keeping your fat fit
Charles Barkley was nicknamed “The Round Mound of Rebound” in his playing days because of his ability to snag rebounds despite his well-padded physique. He snagged more than 10,000 rebounds, 20,000 points and 4,000 assists over his 16-year NBA career.
He’s lucky that he was so active while he was (and still is, sometimes) carrying around extra padding. Turns out that life-long exercise offers powerful compensation for the inevitable decrease over time in your fat cells’ ability to help you maintain a healthy metabolism.
Surprise! Fat cells are not all bad. Body fat (not around the belly, but in moderation all over) is not some passive lump o’ lipids; it’s an active organ that interacts with other organs. Plus, its cells’ tiny power plants, called mitochondria, provide energy so you can run, jump, dunk — and fight off destructive inflammation.
A Danish study published in the Journal of Gerontology compared fat cells’ mitochondrial performance in young and older untrained, moderately-trained and highly-trained guys’ cells. It showed that although even highly trained older men’s mitochondria were less able to respire (produce energy) than younger men’s, they were still able to respire more than twice as much as mitochondria in untrained older men’s cells.
So, even if you’re slowing down, make sure you get a regular schedule of physical activity. You want to stoke the fires that keep all cells — including fat cells — healthy by walking 10,000 steps a day, strength training and moving, moving, moving. It’s no time to retire. You want to respire and perspire, so you can inspire.
This week’s roundup of health news you can use
Heal your heart with social interaction: Are you feeling isolated and lonely? It’s important to fight off those feelings — and fill your heart with activities that connect you to a caring world. That’s the conclusion of a study in JAMA Open Network that examined around 58,000 older women and found that those who were dealing with social isolation and loneliness had a 13 percent to 27 percent higher risk for coronary heart disease, stroke or heart attack than women who didn’t feel isolated and lonely. Ideas: Organize regular walks with neighbors, hold dinners for friends, volunteer and take classes online or in person.
Finally, human studies on calorie restriction: We’ve known that worms, flies and mice live longer if they eat less. Now we know some of the real-life benefits for humans. Yale researchers had participants reduce their calorie intake by 14 percent for two years. That reversed deterioration of their thymus gland and upped production of diseases-fighting T cells. If you take in 1,800 calories daily, cutting that back to 1,550 could do the trick!
Another bright idea: To improve control of blood glucose levels and reduce the risk of weight gain, you need plenty of bright light, inside and out, during the day, and dimmer light after sunset. That means mood lighting at dinner and no blue light from digital devices in the bedroom. You’ll be respecting your circadian rhythm and allowing your body to follow its healthy, preprogrammed biochemical cycles that influence everything from the impulse to eat to your mood.
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 52 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.