Category Archives: Health Facts

WHO Says Energy Drinks Are Dangerous – Especially for Young People

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Greg Asseff

Energy drinks, the caffeine-filled, carbonated beverage of choice for people seeking an energy boost, are big business. According to Red Bull’s website, around 5.387 billion cans of the drink were sold just last year. In 2012, a total of 12.5 billion USD was made in the energy drink industry. Estimates from the European Food Safety Authority indicate that 30 percent of adults and 18 percent of children under the age of 10 consume energy drinks. The most staggering estimate, however, is that 68 percent of adolescents drink the highly caffeinated beverages. So what’s the big deal? Well, energy drinks have been associated with several health issues for years, mostly involving heart palpitations, nausea, jitteriness and emergency room visits in young people. They have also even been linked with risky behavior. Now, researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) are calling for action.

Posted in Food, Health, Health Facts, Medical, News, Nutrition, Parenting | 2 Comments

Number of Smoking-Related Illnesses Reach 14 Million

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Greg Asseff

When it comes to the health risks associated with smoking, the numbers are staggering. According to a Surgeon General’s report, around 480,000 people in the U.S. die each year due to tobacco use. Worldwide, that number reaches about 5.7 million. It’s also estimated that 5.6 million Americans who are currently younger than 18 will end up dying prematurely from smoking-related illnesses if current rates stay the same. Perhaps even worse, 2.5 million out of the 20 million people that have died due to smoking since 1964 were non-smokers who succumbed to diseases related to secondhand smoke. A decade ago, the CDC estimated that 12.7 million medical conditions in the U.S. could be attributed to smoking. Now, however, a new study shows that the number has reached 14 million. The worst part about all of this, of course, is that smoking-related illnesses are entirely preventable.

Posted in Health, Health Facts, Medical, News, Studies | 4 Comments

Health Agencies Call for E-Cigarette Regulations

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Greg Asseff

Electronic cigarettes, often viewed as a “safer” alternative to traditional tobacco cigarettes, have increased in popularity across the globe in the past few years – and they’re virtually unregulated. According to the American Heart Association, there were 466 brands of e-cigarettes and 7,764 different flavors available earlier this year. Additionally, it’s estimated that sales of e-cigarettes could eventually surpass traditional cigarettes and become a $10 billion industry by 2017. According to USA Today, sales of e-cigarettes increased from only 50,000 in 2008 to around 3.5 million in 2012. Also, one in five smokers in the U.S. had at least tried e-cigarettes as of 2011.

Posted in Health, Health Facts, Medical, News, Parenting | 1 Comment

Women, African Americans Hit Hardest By Heart Disease Risk Factors

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Greg Asseff

Physicians often split heart disease risk factors into two categories: modifiable and non-modifiable. Non-modifiable risk factors include things that cannot be changed such as age, family history, ethnic origin and gender. On the other hand, modifiable factors represent things that a person generally has some control over. These factors can include hypertension, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, tobacco use, diabetes, poor diet, alcohol consumption, stress, ingesting certain medicines, and being poor (although some would argue that financial status is non-modifiable in certain parts of the world). According to a new report from the American Heart Association, it’s now thought that women and African Americans are more highly affected by the non-modifiable heart disease risk factors. Also, while the gender gap seems to be narrowing, the gap between races may be increasing.

Posted in Health, Health Facts, Medical, News, Studies, Women | 256 Comments

Unhealthiest Restaurant Meals of 2014 Revealed

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Greg Asseff

Last year, we reported that the Big Catch with Onion Rings at Long John Silver’s topped the list of unhealthiest restaurant meals in the nation. The main ingredient of the meal was fish, which is generally considered to be healthy. However, the way in which it was prepared led to it containing a startling 33 grams of trans fat, which is well-known to raise LDL levels and therefore contribute to a higher risk of heart disease. After the damning report came out, Long John Silver’s announced that it would be removing all trans fats from its food.

So, with trans fats no longer being in the Big Catch, what meals are considered to be the least healthy? According to the Center for Science and the Public Interest, The Cheesecake Factory and Red Robin are coming out as the worst offenders. The amount of exercise you’ll need to work off the meals is astonishing.