Dr. Brad’s Weekly Health Update: Lead levels & children, how sleep affects heart health & more

Enjoy summer barbecuing without derailing your diet.

To keep your health on track this summer, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends swapping beef for turkey with fresh herbs, basting and grilling your favorite vegetables, and serving grilled fruit with angel food cake or low-fat ice cream for a sweet treat. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, June 2016

No amount of lead is safe for kids.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, growing evidence shows that even low levels of lead exposure can cause permanent mental, behavioral, and school problems in children. The APP also states that identifying and eliminating lead sources before exposure occurs is the only consistent way to protect children from danger, and that requires stricter regulations, more federal resources, and joint action by government officials and doctors. Pediatrics, June 2016

Back pain education reduces workplace sick leave.

A new study investigated whether a workplace educational low back pain intervention program had an effect on sick leave among employees. In the study, intervention groups attended educational meetings with information focused on reducing their risk for developing back pain. Investigators found that employees in the intervention groups had significantly fewer days of sick leave after both three and six months than those who did not attend the meetings. Scandinavian Journal Of Public Health, June 2016

Exercise may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.

Two new studies indicate that lack of exercise may increase a woman’s risk for both developing ovarian cancer and dying from the disease. The first study of over 8,300 patients with ovarian cancer and more than 12,600 patients without ovarian cancer revealed that those who hadn’t done any routine physical activity during their lives were 34% more likely to develop ovarian cancer than those who reported exercising regularly. The second study of more than 6,800 ovarian cancer patients found that women who were inactive in the years before the diagnosis were 22% to 34% more likely to die of the disease than those who had performed at least some regular weekly exercise. These findings suggest that regular exercise may reduce the risk for ovarian cancer and improve survival, while a lack of regular exercise is associated with an increased risk of developing and dying from ovarian cancer. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, June 2016

Lack of sleep and an abnormal sleep cycle may increase the risk of heart disease.

A new study followed 26 healthy people who were restricted to five hours of sleep per night for eight days with either fixed bedtimes or bedtimes delayed by 8.5 hours on half the nights. The researchers found the changes in sleep resulted in higher daytime heart rates, with the greatest effect when sleep was both shortened and delayed. Additionally, they observed that abnormal sleep patterns increased the levels of a stress hormone called norepinephrine that is known to narrow blood vessels, raise blood pressure, and expand the windpipe. Hypertension, June 2016

Yours in health,

Dr. Brad Butler, DC