Early screen time and autism
Children’s brains are wondrous mazes of ever-changing neural connections. In fact, from age 0 to 3, more than 1 million new neural connections form every second. To avoid tangles and turmoil, the brain also “prunes” these branches so the mind can function smoothly. You don’t want to interfere with these processes.
It seems that screen time may do that. A new study in JAMA Network Pediatrics looked at info on around 84,000 kids, and at age 3, about 0.4 percent of them had autism — with boys three times more likely to have the disorder than girls. They then looked at the kids’ exposure to “screen time,” whether a phone, TV or handheld tablet. Spending one, two, three or fours hours a day as a 1-year-old hugely increased the risk of boys developing autism by age 3. In fact, it increased the risk by 200 percent to almost 350 percent! Girls, on the other hand, showed no correlation.
What accounts for boys’ risk? Not sure. But whatever is inherit in boys, research does indicate environmental factors such as electrical and light stimulation coming from screens may affect neurodevelopment and lead to unwanted changes that negatively impact intellectual and/or emotional health.
So what should you provide for your kids? One study in Pediatric Research used MRIs to discover that audio isn’t engaging enough for young kids, animation is too hard for them to sort through and reading a book with illustrations or pictures is just right for activation of neural networks and healthy brain development. Goldilocks anyone?
The secret of optimal physical functioning? Fast up, slow down
As you age you may slow down — whether it is from obesity, arthritis, declining muscle mass or chronic health problems. But whatever the cause, it’s generally agreed that it is not a good thing. Except … it turns out that a “slow down” is a great technique when it’s part of a power training routine.
A meta-study in Geriatrics looked at 20 randomized studies to see whether strength training (lifting and lowering weights under control) or power training (lifting weights fast and lowering them slowly with control) is the best way to improve physical function for folks ages 65 plus.
The researchers from the U.S., U.K. and Canada found that if you move the weight as fast as possible in the lifting (contracting) phase and then slowly, with control, lower it as you extend your limb (say, for a count of three), you gain improved physical functioning, and you see improved muscle mass, gait speed and balance that’s equal to what’s achieved with strength training.
This echoes a 2017 study that found that when people with Type 2 diabetes do low-load, high-velocity power training for six weeks, they gain muscle strength, power output and improved physical function.
This form of low-load, high-velocity resistance training can be done using weight machines at the gym, hand weights (keep ‘em light) or even stretchy bands. So if you’re trying to stay strong and agile, it’s time to try the benefits of a slow down-fast up routine. I recommend two to three 30-minute sessions a week.
Coffee and your kidneys — the best of friends
About 37 million Americans have chronic kidney disease, including Halle Berry, Selena Gomez and Nick Cannon. Acute kidney injury, in contrast, happens to 2 percent to 5 percent of folks during a hospital stay. It is common in ICUs, especially in older adults, and 1 percent of people develop it within 30 days after general surgery. AKI can lead to chronic kidney disease and kidney failure.
Signs of AKI include poor urination; swollen legs and ankles; puffiness of the eyes; fatigue; shortness of breath; confusion; nausea; and chest pain or pressure.
Want to drastically reduce the chance that you develop AKI? It’s simple according to a new study in Kidney International Reports.
Researchers looked at data on 14,000 folks over 24 years and found that drinking any amount of coffee a day reduced the risk of AKI by 15 percent. Those who drank two to three cups saw their risk go down 22 percent to 23 percent.
This comes on the heels of the study in the Annals of Internal Medicine that found that drinking unsweetened coffee (decaf, too) lowered your risk of death over the study’s seven-year window. The smart move: Drink paper-filtered coffee. Unfiltered coffee contains compounds that can raise lousy LDL cholesterol. Avoid added sugar, flavored syrups and milk/cream.
P.S. Headlines about that AIM study said sweetened coffee also lowered the risk of death. But we know added sugars add up, and when they do, they bring an onslaught of health problems. So stick with black, unsweetened and paper-filtered, please!
Two easy ways to make your knees feel better
When “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” singer Nancy Sinatra was 74, she had a total knee replacement — and kept right on walking. Smart move for her other knee. A new study in Arthritis & Rheumatology reveals that for folk age 50-plus with arthritis in their knees, a regular walking routine can ease pain and slow joint damage.
Researchers from Baylor University looked at data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative and found that participants who reported walking for exercise were 40 percent less likely to experience new instances of frequent knee pain compared to non-walkers.
That’s great news for the 14 million Americans with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. So is another study presented at this year’s European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology meeting. It turns out that taking antihistamines can slow down structural damage within the knee.
Tracking 1,485 participants for two years, the researchers divided them into groups that took no antihistamines, those that used them one to 49 days, 50 to 299 days or more than 300 days during that time period. Overall, during those two years, the gap in folks’ knee joint space width became almost three times smaller in folks who didn’t take antihistamines than in those who did. (Smaller means the bones are closer together, unpadded, rubbing, painful.) And the more antihistamines a person took the more damage was prevented. It appears that antihistamines tamp down inflammation in connective tissue that lines the inside of a joint capsule. Clearly worth asking your doc if it makes sense for you to start taking one.
Bariatric surgery may be your best obesity treatment
Al Roker lost 150 pounds (gastric bypass surgery). Kelly Osbourne shed 86 pounds (gastric sleeve surgery). But new research shows that they lost a whole lot more than excess weight — they slashed their risk for cancer.
A study by Dr. Steve Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic and colleagues explored the relationship of weight-loss surgery — specifically, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy — and cancer. Looking at data on 30,000 adults with obesity, the researchers found, over a 10-year follow-up, that participants’ risk of developing an obesity-related cancer was cut by 32 percent following their weight loss from those surgeries. Some cancers were even more positively affected: Bariatric surgery was tied to a 53 percent reduced risk of endometrial cancer. The surgeries also cut the risk of cancer-related death almost in half.
Bariatric surgery takes a lifelong commitment to adhere to a healthy diet and a routine of regular exercise. The payoff? In addition to reducing your cancer risk, it also can defeat diabetes and reduce high blood pressure, heartburn, joint pain and respiratory problems. So if you have a BMI of 40 or more, a BMI of 35 or more along with a serious health issue like Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea or heart disease, or a BMI of 30 or more with Type 2 diabetes that is difficult to control, talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of weight-loss surgery for you. As an alternative, you can also explore new diabetes medications (GLP-1s and SGLT2s) that help with weight loss.
Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic.
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