Here's some great advice for 2004
Marc
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Rethinking Your Vices:
New Excuses to Smoke,
Eat Pizza, Be a Slob
By JANE SPENCER
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
As the clock ticks toward 2004, you might be tempted to dash off a list of self improvements for the New Year -- like actually visiting the gym you pay for, or cutting back on reality TV.
Here's another idea. Instead of abandoning all of the slothful, self-destructive habits you've been enjoying for years, you can try to convince yourself that they have their upsides.
In a nation where bacon is now widely considered a diet food, this is easier than you might think. Since medical research frequently circles back on itself, there is almost always at least one study -- and sometimes more -- out there to help you justify a wide range of vices, from sunbathing to guzzling coffee. While this of course is hardly license to quit exercising and start chain smoking, there is a remarkable amount of recent research to make you feel a bit better about habits you can't (or can't bear to) control.
Researchers in Italy, for example, found that people who ate pizza at least once a week were less likely to develop colon and mouth cancer than pizza abstainers. Drinking coffee can lower risk of Parkinson's, and may also boost male fertility by "increasing the motility of sperm." And while cigarettes kill nearly 450,000 Americans a year, nicotine has been found to boost short-term memory and relieve stress, at least in lab rats. Dark chocolate, meanwhile, may lower your bad cholesterol.
... DEFENDING OLD VICES
1. Drinking coffee.
2. Eating pizza.
3. Smoking.
4. Keeping the house messy.
5. Blowing off work.
6. Skipping exercise.
7. Eating chocolate.
8. Ditching yardwork.
9. Sunbathing.
10. Eating out.
Better yet, there's also new research suggesting that many arduous tasks -- like mowing the lawn, exercising, or even dressing up for work -- might be hazardous. A recent study titled "Effect of a tight necktie on intraocular pressure" in the British Journal of Ophthalmology suggests that men who wear tight neckties face increased risk of glaucoma because ties can constrict the jugular vein, increasing pressure on the eyes.
Suiting up for a workout comes with its own risks. A new study by Australian scientists suggests that the smooth insoles in most athletic shoes interfere with pain signals that let the body know if it is under strain, contributing to sports injuries.
Some studies even suggest that acquiring some new bad habits might temper the impact of others. Smokers, for example, face an increased risk of bladder cancer. But smokers who drink coffee can reduce that risk, according to research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
If you're willing to take some of these studies entirely out of context -- not to mention ignore the fact that some of them were conducted on fruit flies and zebra fish -- the findings offer a guide to a healthier, happier 2004 by committing yourself to decadence and sloth:
The Case for Coffee
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that men who drank four to five cups a day cut their risk of developing Parkinson's disease nearly in half. Caffeine may contain neuroprotective properties that help prevent the loss of a chemical signal in the brain that is depleted during Parkinson's.
German researchers have also identified a compound in coffee that may offer protection against colon cancer. The ingredient, methylpyridinium, is created during the roasting process (and is more concentrated in dark roasts).
Finally, coffee might also play a role in male fertility. In a study presented at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, Brazilian researchers tested the sperm quality of 750 men, and found that the motility of sperm was higher in coffee drinkers. Since "hyperactivation" of sperm is necessary to fertilize an egg, this suggests that active ingredients found in caffeine may one day be useful for treating some infertile men, researchers said.
The Upside of Blowing Off Work
Other research gives new meaning to the notion of workplace hazards. In the necktie study, for instance, researchers at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary measured the effect of ties on eye health by tightening and loosening the ties of 40 men, then measuring blood pressure behind the eye. Tighter ties increased the pressure, a factor in glaucoma.
New Zealand researchers have identified a man who suffered a pulmonary embolism after sitting at his computer for 18 hours. A blood clot formed in his leg and traveled to his lung -- a problem similar to the deep vein thrombosis associated with long airplane flights. The condition is known as "eThrombosis" and some researchers believe it may actually be more common than flight-related clots.
And book that holiday on Boca Grande: A nine-year study of 12,000 middle-age men at risk for heart attacks found that those who skipped vacations were more likely to die from all causes, especially heart attacks.
A Pizza a Day ...
Italian scientists claim that pizza eaters may be at lower risk than non-pizza-eaters for several types of cancer including colon, esophagus and mouth cancer. They theorize that lycopene, an antioxidant chemical found in tomatoes, offers the benefit.
Scientists at Mario Negri Institute for Pharmaceutical Research in Milan analyzed the eating habits of some 3,300 people with cancer, and some 5,000 people without cancer. People who ate pizza once a week, on average, were less likely to develop cancer and the risk dropped as pizza intake increased.
But don't call the delivery guy just yet. The Italians in the study were more likely to be eating homemade pies, which contain less fat than American versions.
A New Take on Nicotine
For years, doctors have known that cigarette smokers have lower rates of Parkinson's disease and ulcerative colitis. They've also observed that cigarettes can quell anxiety and boost concentration.
Now, scientists and pharmaceutical companies are trying to harness the medical benefits of nicotine to treat disorders including Alzheimer's, attention deficit disorder and schizophrenia. "There may be a whole class of new medicines that are based on this nicotinic system," says Ed Levin, a professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center. Nicotine mimics acetylcholine, a powerful neurotransmitter that regulates everything from motor action to higher cognitive functions.
One Duke study published in this month's journal Psychopharmacology suggests that nicotine patches may help with age-associated memory impairment. Researchers showed that people who wore a nicotine patch for four weeks experienced improved attention span and faster mental processing speed. Duke studies have also shown that nicotine is as effective as Ritalin in treating attention-deficit disorder, and can improve attentiveness among people with schizophrenia.
None of the research suggests that smoking is good for you, since cigarettes contain thousands of other toxic chemicals. Says Mr. Levin, the Duke researcher: "I would hate to think that I would sabotage even one person quitting smoking."
Keep Your House Dirty
Drop that mop! There is growing evidence to suggest that your home could be too clean, putting your children at risk for asthma, allergies and other autoimmune diseases.
The studies give a fresh boost to the "hygiene hypothesis," the theory that kids who grow up in homes where every stray germ is chased away with a bottle of Mr. Clean never develop a tolerance for the plant and animal byproducts found in dust, dirt and hair -- so when they come in contact with these substances, they're likely to have an allergic reaction.
The most recent support for the theory, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002, found that kids exposed to endotoxin, a bacteria byproduct, are less likely to develop of asthma and allergies.
Skip Yard Work
There's something lurking in the sweet smell of fresh-cut grass. A chemist at Stockholm University in Sweden says that exhaust from European gas-powered lawn mowers contains high levels of carcinogenic chemicals. His 2001 study, published in Environmental Science and Technology, showed that an hour of mowing produced the same amount of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as about 90 miles of driving in an average car. With mowing, however, more exhaust is inhaled. You might as well forget about pruning, too: Chainsaws and leaf blowers could produce the same type of exhaust.
Furthermore, members of Britain's Parliamentary group on Gardening and Horticulture launched a safety campaign in March calling gardening "the ultimate danger sport," according to news reports in The Guardian and London Telegraph. Government officials cited statistics showing 20% of all accidents in Britain occur in or near the garden. Most involved ladders or power tools, but about 300 people are hospitalized each year because heavy objects, such as birdbaths, fall on them.
Another Reason Not to Be a Gym Rat
They're addicts. A study published in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience this month suggests exercise can be as addictive as morphine or cocaine. In addition, researchers found that certain mice who were denied exercise exhibited brain activity consistent with drug withdrawal.
Other recent reports indicate that people over 50 should refrain from lifting heavy weights during exercise. In a research letter published this month in the Journal of American Medicine, Yale researchers found that older people, as well as those at risk for aneurisms or with high blood pressure, were at risk for an often fatal heart condition called "aortic dissection."
Chocolate: The New Broccoli?
Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health say eating chocolate, in moderation, may ward off heart disease and extend your life. In a five-year study of 8,000 American men aged 65 and above, people who ate chocolate and other sweets three times or so a month lived about a year longer, on average, than others in the study. This doesn't justify total chocoholism, though. People who either ate more or less than that amount, lived shorter lives.
Another study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that dark chocolate may actually lower levels of "bad" cholesterol. Dark chocolate contains flavanoids, the same antioxidant chemicals found in red wine. The chemicals may reduce the presence of free radicals that can damage cells, leading to heart disease.
Let the Sun Shine In
George Hamilton as role model? Some doctors say American's obsession with slathering on sunscreen and staying in the shade contributes to another health problem: Vitamin D deficiency.
The nutrient is produced by the skin when it's exposed to ultraviolet B rays (UVB) and offers protection against a range of diseases, including rickets, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, depression and possibly colon cancer. Sunscreen blocks primary UVB rays, preventing the creation of Vitamin D. The nutrient can also be absorbed through Vitamin D-rich foods, like salmon and milk. But the most efficient source is direct contact with the sun or tanning bed. "All you need is 15 minutes, 3 times a week, hands and face exposed," says William B. Grant, a physicist in Langley, Virginia who studies UVB exposure.
Overexposure, however, can be deadly. The American Cancer Society notes that melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, will likely be diagnosed in about 54,200 people in 2003.
An Excuse Not to Bake Cookies
The British Thoracic Society is warning about the health risks of baking cakes and cookies. The notice came after a survey of commercial bakers found that nearly half reported breathing related health problems, including nasal irritation, chest tightness, coughing and wheezing. Researchers say the problems are related to flour inhalation. |
