For at least the second time in recent years, a new study has linked the consumption of sugared or high-fructose sodas with a greatly increased occurrence of pancreatic cancer.

These new results reveal that it may take drinking as few as two soft drinks a week to nearly double the risk of contracting this horrible disease—one with an unusually low survival rate that’s considered largely incurable.

In fact, “People who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87% increased risk,” compared to those who don’t drink sweetened sodas, says the study’s author Noel T. Mueller, a research associate at the Cancer Control Program at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

The beverage industry protested the results, saying the study is flawed because it doesn’t examine a large enough segment of cases and doesn’t really prove cause and effect.

The pancreas lies behind the stomach and manufactures hormones such as insulin that keep blood sugar in check, as well as producing juices and enzymes that help break down food. When too much sugar is ingested, those processes are disrupted, leading to a high occurrence of cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, 42,000 people died from pancreatic cancer last year. If this study’s findings are correct, sugar is responsible for a large number of those deaths—and that means we’re all paying more for healthcare and health insurance.

I’m with Jeb: we should all cut out the sodas and switch to tea instead! If switching is all it takes to cut our chances of contracting cancer by 87%—count me in!

What do you think? Post a comment and let us know.

More Information:

WebMD

Healthfinder.gov

For years now, we’ve all heard the “nature vs nuture” argument as it relates to obesity, and wonder whether environment or genetics plays a larger role where weight is concerned.

Some say it’s all about environment—and we should be teaching our kids healthy eating habits from the time they’re young to prevent lifetime weight gain. Proponents of the nurture theory often place the blame on the shoulders of the overweight, saying they’re fat because they’re lazy, eat too much or lead a sedentary lifestyle.

Others point to genetics, claiming that, no matter what they eat or how much they exercise, they’re destined to be fat, just like their parents or other family members. No matter how hard they try, they just can’t get the extra weight off, and often put themselves at further health risk by resorting to desperate measures in order to lose the additional weight.

Either way, obesity can lead to many health problems that are difficult to overcome and can make getting and staying insured difficult.

In fact, those who are overweight usually pay at least 15 percent more for health insurance than individuals of normal weight—if they can get insured at all.

But a new report published today in the journal Nature now indicates that genetics may play a larger role in obesity than any of us previously realized.

In a recent European study, scientists found a rare genetic abnormality that is linked to both severe obesity and learning disabilities: the absence of 30 genes that reportedly virtually guarantee that a person will become obese.

What are the missing genes doing to cause obesity? No one is really sure, but experts speculate their absence may cause the production of an enzyme or protein that keeps the overweight from being able to burn energy efficiently.

With the genes necessary for regulating the body’s calorie consumption and energy burning process absent, obesity appears to result 100 percent of the time.

Though balancing caloric intake with expended energy is often the key to maintaining a healthy weight, the bodies of the obese don’t always function normally. Instead, they often “extract calories from food more effectively and may not be burning energy as efficiently as others,” says Dr. Stuart Weiss, an assistant clinical professor at NYU Langone Medical Center, in today’s Yahoo news article on the subject.

Maybe in the future, we’ll all undergo genetic tests to see if we’re missing any genes and, if so, what can be done to counteract the effects of their absence. Who knows, maybe scientists will find a cure for obesity—or figure out a way to overcome the effect of genetics on our bodies.

Meanwhile, it looks like science is proving that nature plays a much bigger role than previously thought.  

Additional Resources:

Weigh in: Do your kids make the grade?

Obesity & Genetics

Fat Chance

OK, take this quick quiz:

What do Fishermen, Loggers and Pilots have in common?

Give up?

They work at the three most dangerous and deadly occupations in America! That means, if you’re a fisherman, logger or pilot, insurance is likely to cost you more than it costs a worker in any other occupation in the U.S.

When I first heard this statistic, I balked.

“How dangerous can fishing be?” I thought. “How can standing in the water or on a boat trying to hook fish be dangerous?”

I had it all wrong. Fishermen do much more than that. They work long hours on rough seas, in unpredictably bad weather and often in isolation—which makes it difficult to reach them in case of emergency. Together, these three factors make the job the most unsafe profession there is.

When it comes to logging, that one made more sense. It stands to reason that, when you’re in the forest cutting down trees, you stand a fairly good chance of a tree falling on—or at least near you, right? (But if no one was around, would it actually make a sound when it hit the ground? Sorry, that’s a topic for another day!)

Regarding pilots, I could totally understand the danger involved in their jobs, which often depend on clear weather and perfect communication to avoid mishaps. (One bumpy flight and you couldn’t pay me enough to stay in that cockpit!)

Because of the risk involved in these three jobs—which often require workers to perform perfectly in perilous or unpredictable conditions—insurance companies charge them higher life insurance rates than the average person to cover the added risk.

But job function isn’t the only determinant of insurance rates, either.

“Generally, high-risk jobs affect life insurance, but not health premiums,” says Cheryl Randolph, spokeswoman for UnitedHealthcare. ”Health status is much more predictive of medical risk than a high-risk job.”

On the other hand, a healthy person with a safe job would pay lower premiums for individual medical, life and disability insurance than a healthy person with a high-risk job, she says.

If you’re shopping for lower insurance rates, we definitely don’t recommend fishing, logging or flying, to be sure. But other occupations are almost as deadly.

To find out what they are, and how they affect your premiums, read our article on dangerous and deadly jobs now.

If you’re one of those people who puts off holiday shopping until the last minute (hello, it’s Christmas Eve!), we have an idea that could save you time and hassle this year.

Rather than buying another toy your child doesn’t need, giving your wife a box of chocolates, or choosing another argyle sweater for grandpa, consider a healthier alternative that could bring an ear-to-ear smile and a happier, fuller life: a new pet!

Now, don’t get us wrong; we’re not advocating giving an animal to someone who can’t or won’t take care of it. We have enough strays roaming the streets, and our shelters are full of forgotten animals.

But for those responsible enough to love and care for them properly, pets offer a great gift-giving alternative—and can help their owners get and stay healthy. That means greater quality of life and lower health and life insurance rates, too.

If you’re looking for something special for a friend or family member this Christmas, consider visiting your local shelter or breeder and bringing home something furry this year (and we’re not talking slippers!)

If you need a reason to do so, here’s half a dozen health reasons to contemplate along the way:

• Lowered risk of heart disease
• Greater chance of survival following a heart attack
• Depression/dementia relief
• Reduced occurrence of doctor visits
• Increased ability to deal with stress or traumatic events
• A more physically active life

Pets add so much love and companionship to our lives. But they also help keep us healthy! So while you’re racking your brain trying to come up with unique gifts to give this year, consider giving someone you love a new best friend.

You’ll be helping them stay healthy in the process…and may just extend their life!

Additional Resource:

For more on how pets contribute to increased good health, read more on the subject here. Happy holidays!

Do your kids eat a healthy diet at home, or are burgers and fries more like standard fare? What kind of snacks do they pop in their mouths when they get home from school every day?

If they’re like most of their peers, high-calorie foods like hot dogs and chips are preferred over healthier ones, like leafy greens and fresh fruit. But what’s happening at school, when we’re not around? Are our schools working to cut the incidence of childhood obesity and change our kids’ eating habits or simply catering to their desire for unhealthy, obesity-causing foods because they’re cheaper and easier to serve? 

School meal programs provide 40 million meals daily and more than half of students’ food and nutrient intake during the school day, according to an Institute of Medicine report referenced in today’s Reuter’s News.

The obvious conclusion: Lunchroom meals, which represent a large part of our kids’ diets, are at least partially responsible for rising obesity rates among U.S. children—which have doubled in the last 20 years.

So why do the majority of schools choose to serve junk food over healthier, more nutritious fare in the first place? Because fattier, processed foods are much cheaper to buy, enabling them to hold the cost of lunches down so more kids and their families can afford to eat in.

Problem is, it’s compromising our kids’ health in the meantime, reinforcing bad eating habits and leading to heavier, unhealthier kids.

So what can be done about that? How can we prompt schools to take action with regard to our children’s health and well being, and change their approach to nutrition for kids?

Set realistic maximum caloric limits and serve more fruit and vegetables, says the Institute of Medicine. Asking for a revision of current guidelines that set only minimum caloric levels for school lunches, the Institute favors more servings of vegetables with a focus on leafy greens and orange vegetables rather than starchy vegetables like potatoes.

Though doing so could increase the cost of breakfast by as much as 25 percent and lunch by 9 percent, “This will be a very wise investment in children’s health,” said Virginia Stallings, chair of the group that conducted the study.

What do you think? Would you be willing to pay more to ensure your children eat healthy meals at school? Do you think the extra expense would cause financial hardship for the majority of American families, or would they (like you?) welcome the chance to help keep their kids healthy?

Read the entire article here: More Fruit, Fewer Calories Urged for School Lunches.

Yes, you read correctly. Along with the never-ending debate over the health risk of secondhand smoke vs. smokers’ right to smoke, recent research reveals that smoking can actually save lives—as long as the smoker inhales a different kind of cigarette.

Already tested in the Big Apple and proven to save lives there, New York has seen a marked decrease in smoking-related fire fatality since adopting sale of what’s known as fire-safe, or low-ignition, cigarettes statewide in 2004.

But how could switching to a different type of smoke save lives? Because this type:

1. Spares millions of dollars in property damage and saves thousands of lives annually
2. Keeps smokers from lighting up so often, and
3. Reduces home insurance claims

Here’s how they work. Containing two or three layers of porous paper called “speed bumps,” fire-safe cigarettes are designed to sense when a minute or more has passed since a smoker last inhaled—and self-extinguish automatically.

That means smokers must puff faster to stay lit-up—or they’ll end up smoking less. And that’s good news for everyone’s health and well being, smoker or not.

Now, legislation is being proposed that could pull traditional cigarettes off store shelves in many more states and replace them with the low-ignition variety.

For more information on the subject, check out our article titled, Save Lives, Smokers: Puff Faster! And watch for low-ignition cigarettes at a store near you.

If your kids enjoy playing sports, you probably watch and worry that they’ll break a bone or suffer some other horrible, debilitating injury.

But before you lie awake at night worrying, you might want to consider the risks of a costlier alternative: couch surfing.

As Jeb so aptly explains in his article on The Risks and Rewards of Physical Activity, playing sports doesn’t come without some injuries. But experts say leading a life of inactivity is much worse, doubling the chance of heart disease in adulthood.

And where did most of us learn those unhealthy patterns of behavior? From our parents.

Most of us are the way we are because of learned behavior patterns. And if we were active as kids, we tend to be more active as adults. If we sat around a lot when we were young and participated in mostly sedentary activities, it’s more likely we’ll do the same as adults.

That’s why it’s important to establish good habits with your kids while they’re young. Of course there’s a chance they’ll get hurt playing baseball, soccer, football or whatever their sport of choice happens to be. But sports injuries usually pass, whereas an unhealthy heart and body is much harder to reverse.

As Jeb points out, just make sure you take preventive measures to help ensure your kids don’t get hurt unnecessarily. Use your head, insist on them wearing safety equipment, and get up and move together! You’ll both be a lot healthier.

As every woman who has ever borne a child knows, delivering a baby can be extremely expensive. Add the cost of hospitalization to the expense of prenatal care, and no one but the very wealthy can really afford to have children without insurance. 

For a woman who becomes pregnant without the benefit of health insurance, finding coverage after the fact can be nearly impossible. Why? Because it’s all about risk—and a pregnant woman is at significantly higher risk of medical complications than the average man will ever be.

Whether pregnant at the time of application or not, finding affordable health insurance is definitely costlier for women than for men. Experts say that’s true for two reasons:

1. Women seek preventive medical care more often than men.
2. Men tend to live healthier lifestyles, keep in better shape and need less medical care overall than women.

But is it fair for insurance companies to base health insurance rates on gender to begin with? Should gender even be examined as a factor in underwriting?

Though most would say no, the issue is more complicated than it first appears. As Jeb explains in his article on the insurance gender gap, insurance companies may not be the chauvinist pigs they’re made out to be when it comes to gender-based underwriting.

In fact, anyone who presents more than average risk can justifiably expect his or her insurance rates to run higher than average—whether female, male or senior citizen—and someone has to pay to insure that additional risk.

Take for instance car insurance. Because males—especially young ones—tend to drive more recklessly and have more accidents, they pay significantly more for auto insurance. The same logic applies to women and health insurance.

Sometimes insurers decide not to base health insurance rates on gender. When that happens, those companies end up ensuring a large number of high-risk clients—and wind up absorbing an enormous amount of additional risk. In the end, that drives rates up anyway…a lose-lose for both insured and insurer, no matter how you look at it.

But women aren’t going to stop having babies, are they? And men aren’t going to stop fathering them. Life happens, so we have to figure out how to solve the gender gap problem, while taking care of our women and children.

What’s the answer? Should women go without sufficient medical care, risk being unhealthy themselves and having unhealthy babies? Or should we base rates on the actual amount of health risk present, rather than the amount of insurance used up through prevention?

You decide…or propose your own solution. We’d love to hear it!

With the departure of summer and the entrance of fall, many students look forward to cooler weather, weekend sports and get-togethers with friends. But with school back in session, and studying not exactly the first thing on many students’ minds, weekend socializing can get more than a little bit out of hand.

Whether hanging out drinking beer with their buddies or stocking up on the hard stuff for a weekend of partying and fun, college students often don’t recognize the risk they take when drinking to the extreme. But the sobering fact is, the more they imbibe, the more likely they are to suffer alcohol-related accidents or injuries.

That’s hard for parents to hear. After all, we worry about our kids and the lives they lead once they leave home. We were young once too, and we know how vulnerable young adults are to the influence of their peers.

For families with a history of alcoholism or other addictive behaviors, we know our kids are more susceptible than others. For some, that bend toward addiction leads to risky activities that result in a natural, adrenaline high, like skydiving, snowboarding or repelling.

But for others, extreme drinking becomes the norm, offering escape from the uncertainty of life, boredom and a thousand other issues that concern kids that age.

All too often, extreme drinking takes over students’ lives to the point that some drop out—or get kicked out—of school altogether.

But how much is too much? Doesn’t that depend on the person and individual tolerance?

Not necessarily. According to WebMD, 20 percent of college men—or one in five—admits to drinking 10 or more drinks at least one day a week. 10 percent of collegiate women reports drinking eight or more drinks during the same time period. That’s more than enough for anyone, exceeding even the threshold for “binge” drinking of five drinks per day for men and four for women.

Worse yet, research shows that each incident of extreme drinking increases a male student’s likelihood of suffering alcohol-related injury by 19 percent. For female students, that same risk caused their chances of getting injured to climb by 10 percent. That means students are more likely to have car accidents, trip and fall or have one of a thousand other types of accident with each drink they take.

What’s the solution? Whether consuming beer or liquor, students should think ahead and take precautions when they choose to imbibe. We recommend setting a drinking limit—and asking a friend to hold them accountable, avoiding parties and other situations where they’ll be tempted to overdo it, and volunteering to be the designated driver for a group of friends.

The college years are a time of growing, learning and experiencing new things. But they can also be times when bad habits get ingrained in young peoples’ lives.

So let’s set an example against extreme drinking and teach our kids to drink only in moderation. Hopefully, they’ll remember our advice when we’re not around—and stay safe for years to come.

If you’re used to downing several sugared sodas (try saying that three times fast!) a day, you might want to consider switching to the diet variety, or some other type of drink completely.

The price of those favorite sweet drinks may soon be out of reach, if leading health experts have anything to say about it.

Soda intake has increased by nearly 30 percent during the past decade, delighting manufacturers like Coke and Pepsi but increasing the chances of obesity and other health problems by 60 percent, especially in children.

Since they’re not necessary for living, some say attaching soda taxes to sugared drinks will cause people to replace them with healthier ones, like milk and water.

Though 40 states already have small taxes on sugared beverages in place, according to the New England Journal of Medicine, experts say it’s not enough to deter intake—or the obesity, diabetes and other health problems that go along with it.

At a mere 5.2 percent, the current tax in states that have already instituted them has had little effect on soda consumption, leading experts to propose a tightening of the belt and higher taxes, much like those already attached to tobacco products.

The solution, they say, is to raise soda taxes, increase product prices—and use the revenue generated to supplement state and federal budget shortfalls.

But most people asked whether or not they favor the tax are adamantly opposed to it.  However, “A tax on sugar-sweetened beverages is really a double-win,” says Dr. David Ludwig, director of the Optimal Weight for Life program at Children’s Hospital in Boston.

“We can raise much-needed dollars, while likely reducing obesity prevalence, which is a major driver of health care costs” as part of an overall health insurance reform package, Ludwig says.

If even one quarter of the calories consumed from sugared beverages are replaced by other food or low-calorie drinks, the decrease in consumption would lead to an estimated reduction of 8,000 calories per person per year—which equals slightly more than two pounds each year for the average person.

Experts agree that such a reduction would be sufficient to substantially reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes, and may also reduce the risk of heart disease and other conditions.

But should government step in to rescue us from ourselves and our vices? Or should we elect to make changes in our own homes and families? Are we hurting people around us with our ‘Coke habits,’ or does the future of our nation’s health lay on our government’s shoulders?

More Resources:

The ‘Real Sugar’ Scam

The Public Health and Economic Benefits of Taxing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

Soda Tax Weighed to Pay for Health Care

Fight Obesity? Add Sales Tax to Soda Tab

(That’s Swine Flu, in plain English!)

If anyone in your household has been ill recently, you may have wondered if they had Swine Flu. And it’s no wonder: From the news reports we’ve been hearing, you’d think we should board up the schools and all stay home from work to avoid breathing infected air!

But things really aren’t that bad, as Jeb related in his previous post on Swine Flu. As we all know, any time something new comes along that we don’t know much about, rumors tend to fly and misconceptions run rampant.

For example, you may have heard that purposely exposing yourself to the virus by hanging around someone who has it can lessen the virus’s severity if you actually get it. Well, guess what? Wrong!  Scientists say there’s no way to predict whether anyone who gets it will get hit hard or suffer a milder case.

You may also have heard you should wear a breathing mask or respirator if you suspect someone you work with has the virus to protect yourself from getting it. Wrong again! That’s going just a little bit overboard.

Let’s just say this: Don’t believe everything you hear. If you’re tired of all the rumors surrounding H1N1,  but you’re not sure what’s true and what’s not, check out our new article titled 12 Misconceptions about H1N1.

In fact, share it with a friend—or take it home and explain to your kids that it’s wise to be safe; but overreacting just isn’t cool!

P.S.—Heard some crazy stories about the virus that had you shaking your head in disbelief? Feel free to share!

A few months ago, I blogged on a subject that’s very personal to me: gastric bypass. At the time, I”d been researching the topic for more than a year, and I’m hoping to have the surgery myself.

Though I probably wouldn’t be considered ‘morbidly obese,’ I’ve struggled with my weight all my life. Until the last few years, I was always able to lose the weight through diet and exercise. But due to damage I’ve suffered to two of my heart valves, I haven’t been able to sustain the exercise needed to lose the weight—and I’ve developed more serious, life-threatening health issues as a result. So I’ve decided that, if insurance will have me, I’m gonna go for the bypass.

While discussing these issues on Facebook with some friends from high school that I’ve gotten back in touch with, one of them gave me some news I would never have expected.  A classmate of ours had suffered a horrible injury while in college and been burned over 75 percent of his body.

But he had gone on to beat the odds and not only survive (with only a three percent chance), but become a doctor—and then a practicing bariatric surgeon near our hometown!

I can’t even begin to imagine the pain that Dr. Greg Walton went through following the accident that nearly took his life. But I do remember the truly caring, intelligent guy he was back in high school; the kind of person who, after literally going to hell and back, would turn his misfortune into good by serving his community and the world so that people like me can have another chance at a healthy life.

I don’t live near my hometown anymore, but if I did, I’d want Dr. Walton (I still can’t get used to calling him ‘doctor!’) for my bariatric surgeon. If you ask me, he’s a real inspiration—and someone we’d all like to emulate.

Here’s to you, Dr. Walton!

For More Information:

The Weight Wise Bariatric Program

The decision to get breast implants is a very personal one.

Other than women who need augmentation work due to cancer, most who opt for implants do so for purely cosmetic reasons: to improve their physical prowess, feel better about themselves, or be more appealing to a partner (or the opposite sex in general).

But undergoing any kind of surgery can be risky. So when it comes to doing so unnecessarily, as with breast implantation for cosmetic reasons, your health insurance company won’t cover the expense involved.

Instead, you’ll have to do so out of pocket yourself—to the tune of $4,000 to $7,000 on average, according to WebMD.

A large percentage of women who undergo implantation need further surgery later to repair leaks, adjust positioning or replace implants that get damaged. Some need MRIs to check for ruptures.

Again, these are expenses each woman must cover herself, due to the health risk posed by such procedures.

For those considering breast implantation, there are other insurance-related issues to consider, too. For instance, even if you pay for the surgery and any later complications yourself, your insurance company may decide to drop you, come renewal time, because the implants may lead to further health conditions it may be required to cover.

If you switch insurance companies, your new insurer may consider your implants a preexisting condition, and limit your coverage or raise your premium as a result.

So what do you think? Are breast implants worth it?

In our book, that’s a decision every woman should make for herself. But before proceeding, it’s wise to talk to your doctor, get all the facts, and prepare financially for the expense you’ll incur, both now and in the future. That way, you make the decision that’s right for you.

For more information on breast implants and insurance, see our article titled “Fake Breasts, Real Insurance.” It will help you get prepared, know what to expect and make the best decision possible.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know how popular marijuana, or cannibus, is with young Americans.

Often the drug of choice at teen parties, get-togethers and celebrations, “weed,” or “pot,” as young people call it, enjoys a popular following, especially amongst the younger crowd.

But now, with times tough and more and more Americans dropping or failing to renew their insurance policies due to lack of finances, marijuana’s popularity is increasing amongst people of all ages.

Though illegal in all but 13 states, many Americans are now self medicating with cannibus in an effort to avoid paying the high cost of care and traditional prescription drugs.

Classified a “controlled substance,” marijuana use breaks federal law. But with many people struggling to purchase pain medication, the government practicing leniency where pot is concerned, and marijuana so easily attainable in most states, orders for medical marijuana are way up in 2009—and the debate about cannibus use rages on.

For more information on the cannibus debate, see Jeb’s article: Yes We Cannibus. Then feel free to let us know where you stand on the subject. Should medical marijuana use be legal?

Remember when you were young and your parents told you to stop whining? Well, next time you’re tired and grumpy, try a different kind of ‘wine.’

Or this weekend, while you’re grabbing a beer with your buds or enjoying a martini at home, consider drinking wine instead.

New research shows that men who consume about half a glass of wine a day can expect to live almost five years longer than those who don’t—and 2.5 years longer than their friends who drink only beer or other liquor.

That’s enough to make a wino out of anyone! But remember: moderation is key.

While scientists have known for some time that phytochemicals—naturally occurring plant compounds found in wine—reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers and slow the progression of neurological degenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease, a recent Dutch study revealed the true pot of gold at the end of the rainbow: sipping wine can help you live longer.

The study followed more than 1,100 middle-aged men over a 40-year period, examining diet, habits, overall health and the impact of drinking beer, liquor and wine.

Researchers investigated how much alcohol the men drank, the form in which it was consumed and for what period of time, and whether the men smoked or had any serious illnesses.

As it turns out, the wine drinkers in the group died at an average age of 77, as opposed to the normal average of 72.

Even when researchers factored in socioeconomic status, dietary factors and other lifestyle habits, the link between wine and longer life remained, a recent report in Reuters revealed.

Though researchers aren’t sure yet if these benefits extend to women, due to a difference in the way male and female bodies metabolize alcohol, here’s one female willing to take a chance! What have I got to lose?

For more information on ‘wining’ and dining for longer life, check out our article, “‘Wine’ a Little, Live Longer.” And while you’re out enjoying yourself this weekend, order a teaser of red wine at dinner. You’ll feel better and live longer.

Hat Tip to Reuters News & WebMD:

A Little Wine May Make for a Longer Life
Drinking a Little Wine Linked to Men’s Longer Life
Half a Glass of Wine for Longer Life?

Many of us grew up in households where snacking was taboo.

We were told that eating between meals would ruin our appetites; and usually the only time our parents let us snack was when we came home from school and dinner was still hours away.

Experts know differently now—and it’s obvious that snacking has gotten a bad rap it doesn’t deserve.

As long as we monitor portion sizes and calorie counts, snacking can be part of a healthy, balanced diet for kids and adults alike, say the American Association for Retired People (AARP) and the American Dietetic Association (ADA), both recognized authorities on the subject of nutrition.

In fact, snacking carries a number of health benefits our parents and adults of earlier generations never recognized.

For instance, pairing healthy snacks—like protein-rich nuts, low-fat cheeses, low-fat yogurt and peanut butter—with fresh fruits and vegetables helps maintain energy levels throughout the day, curb hunger and prevent overeating at meals.

It also helps maintain constant insulin and blood cholesterol levels, possibly reducing the likelihood of diabetes and obesity in the process—and promoting healthier lives and lower health insurance rates for our children and future generations.

No matter what your age, snacking can be good for you, if done correctly and planned ahead of time. So find out how to snack healthily, avoid the vending machine when you hit that mid-afternoon slump—and feel better all day long.

For the sake of your health, keep your cool in traffic!

Enduring traffic can be more than a little stressful.

From rude drivers, to constant stop and go, to accidents that inevitably tie up major thoroughfares, it’s all some of us can do to keep our tempers from flaring and taking our frustrations out on everyone around us—like that guy who just cut us off or the driver who squeezed in at the front of the line where the road narrowed.

But no matter how badly you’re tempted, don’t do it. In fact, don’t do anything but try to relax while sitting in heavy traffic. Not only could you risk your health if you do otherwise; you could also risk drastically raising your health and auto insurance rates.

How? According to a new German study, traffic can be heartbreaking. The pollution and exhaust we breathe while backed up on the freeway seems to exact a heavy toll on our health.

Combine that with increased stress levels, concentrated emissions and amplified noise, and research now shows our risk of heart attack soars to more than three times the norm for up to an hour after sitting in heavy traffic.

How do we know? Researchers at the Institute of Epidemiology in Munich, Germany, interviewed 1,454 people who waded through traffic and then suffered a heart attack within 60 minutes.

The study tracked what participants did the day of the heart attack, where they went, their means of transportation and the amount of time they spent in traffic.

Analysis and follow-up showed their risk of heart attack multiplied 3.2 times normal rates.

Of course, those in poor health, the elderly and children topped the list of those at greatest risk. But even more puzzling: traffic proved five times more dangerous to women than men. It will take some work to find out why.

Drivers weren’t the only ones affected, either. Bus and bicycle riders suffered just as much, leading researchers to suspect a strong pollution/heart attack connection.

Annette Peters, PhD, who led the study, says, “One potential factor could be the exhaust and air pollution coming from other cars. But we can’t exclude the synergy between stress and air pollution that could tip the balance.”

Efforts are now underway to try and determine the effect various elements have on humans sitting in traffic. Meanwhile, until results are more conclusive, you might want to try taking “the road less traveled,” to borrow a phrase—and avoid heavy traffic whenever possible.

Does a lack of sleep leave you like this every day?

Do you struggle to get enough sleep, like about half the adult population in our country?

If so, you probably feel sluggish during that “low point” in your day, when you just can’t seem to hold your eyes open without a double mocha latte or a shot of cappuccino.

Well, you may be able to glide through your week on five or six hours of sleep a night for a while; but eventually, a lack of sleep will catch up with you—in more ways than one.

Unfortunately, struggling to stay awake during the day may be the least of your worries, scientists say. A recent article in the New York Times revealed the true effects of sleep deprivation: health problems such as high blood pressure, cancer, obesity, depression, diabetes and heart disease.

And issues like that can also affect your insurance rates, as many who buy private health insurance later find out.

The amount of sleep each person needs varies, with some breezing through their days on just a few hours’ slumber and others barely functioning without nine or 10 hours. But new research shows that most people need between seven and nine hours to stay both alert and healthy.

“Lack of sleep disrupts every physiologic function in the body,” says Eve Van Cauter, a sleep researcher at the University of Chicago.

It’s this disruption in the body’s basic processes that can cause things to go awry, leading to all kinds of health problems we may never encounter otherwise.

But that’s not all. Recent studies also indicate that the amount of time a person spends sleeping affects his or her chances of living a long life.

“There’s recent evidence showing—in both men and women in several countries—that chronic sleep deprivation increases risk of early death,” Carl Hunt, MD, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research at the National Institutes of Health, told WebMD recently.

Several large sleep studies cite other problems connected with sleep deprivation too: problems like poor work performance, driving accidents, relationship problems and issues with mood and anger.

If you struggle with insomnia, or don’t get to bed early enough to get a full eight hours, you could be affected more than you know. Find out how deadly a lack of sleep can be—and do what you can to stay healthy, get enough sleep and live long.

More Resources on the Sleep/Health Connection:

At Every Age, Feeling the Effects of Too Little Sleep

Scientists Finding out What Losing Sleep Does to a Body

Sleep Habits: More Important Than You Think

Have you ever awoken one morning to discover red, itchy bumps on your skin—or a rash you couldn’t explain?

You know they weren’t there the night before; yet red welts now cover your skin, some may even blister, and you have no idea how they got there.

Well, guess what? You may be a victim of bed bugs, those nasty little creatures that sometimes infest our homes, apartments, hotel rooms, hospitals and college dormitories; hiding in mattresses, bedding, under baseboards or loose wallpaper and coming out at night to feast on our flesh and blood.

Nasty, huh?

It sounds worse than it really is. Though transmission of more than 40 human diseases has been attributed to bed bugs, there is little evidence that they transport any communicable disease, says Jerome Goddard, Ph.D., of Mississippi State University, and Richard deShazo, M.D., of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, both of whom recently examined the medical effects of bed bugs on health.

Though in extreme cases, bed bug bites may cause severe skin reactions in some, the body’s usual response is those small red bumps you may have already discovered, which tend to heal on their own without incident.

However, once infestation occurs, eradicating those little nuisances from your home may be harder than you think.

If you suspect you may have bed bugs, don’t let embarrassment get the best of you—and don’t just put up with the little critters. Read our article titled, “Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite,” take steps to protect yourself and your family, and get rid of those nasty things now.

Look, I’m not a fan of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). It’s terrible for your health, and the industrial cultivation of government-subsidized corn pollutes our environment and corrupts our political system.

But real sugar is not a panacea. More to the point, it does not make soda any healthier. Period. I don’t care if it’s free-trade, organic, straight-from-the-cane sugar that has been blessed by the Dalai Lama. Soda, whether it’s flavored by sugar or HFCS (both of which contain similarly high levels of fructose, believe it or not), will continue to grow waistlines, rot teeth and hasten death by heart disease and diabetes, in the process clogging emergency rooms, and raising health care costs and insurance premiums. (Heart disease and diabetes are the country’s number one and seven killers, and they are also some of the most expensive medical conditions to treat.)

By all means, enjoy your real-sugar-sweetened Pepsi Throwback. Some say it tastes better. Just don’t let savvy marketers convince you that what you’re drinking is healthy. It isn’t! (You’re better off taking your chances with a mug of unsweetened hot tea.)

Or, for those who speak Yoda: Real sugar does not a healthy drink make.