Better Than Ever with Dr. David Geier

For almost 100 years, men have always been found to drink more alcohol than women and have higher rates of alcohol abuse. For the first time since scientists have tracked these numbers, the 2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health shows that young women in their teens and early twenties drink alcohol and get drunk at higher rates than men. But even more worrisome is the fact that women are more likely than men to drink to cope as opposed to drinking for pleasure. And drinking alcohol as a coping mechanism is more likely to lead to alcohol use disorder. These findings are troubling for women, who are more likely to suffer the health consequences of alcohol, like liver disease, heart disease and cancer, more than men, and even with lower levels of alcohol consumption.

Rather than focusing on the saturated fats in your diet, researchers say a plant-based diet might be better for lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease. For a study presented at a conference of the American Society for Nutrition, researchers studied the diets of over 4,800 adults over three decades. They found that while consuming fewer saturated fats was associated with lower LDL cholesterol levels, only plant-based diets were associated with a lower risk of heart disease and stroke over the long term. Based on their findings, the researchers recommend 80 percent of your diet come from plants - vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes, with the remainder coming from non-fried fish, poultry, and low-fat dairy in small amounts.

If you struggle to fall asleep, you could be setting yourself up for trouble years from now. According to a new study published in the journal Sleep, researchers at the University of Michigan assessed a variety of sleep issues among almost 2,500 adults and looked for brain issues 14 years later. They found that trouble falling asleep was the only predictor of cognitive impairment down the road. Specifically, those people had impaired episodic memory, language, and executive function, or the ability to solve problems and make decisions. If you often struggle to fall asleep, try these remedies: • Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. • Get regular exercise. • Work to manage your stress levels. • And see your doctor if you still have sleep issues.

If you're trying to get pregnant, new research suggests you might cut or eliminate alcohol. In a new study published in the journal Human Reproduction, researchers at the University of Louisville found that heavy drinking during any phase of your menstrual cycle was significantly associated with a decreased probability of conceiving compared to non-drinkers. That finding might not be surprising. But they also found that in the second half of the menstrual cycle, even moderate drinking (three to six drinks per week) is linked to reduced chances of pregnancy. And they found no difference between different types of drinks. Consider that a typical, healthy, non-drinking woman who is trying to conceive has approximately a one-in-four chance of conceiving during a single menstrual cycle. Heavy or even moderate amounts of alcohol appear to reduce those chances.

People who frequently eat fast food and refined carbs tend to have worse mental health. But a new study published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine shows that for women over 30, a healthy diet may be especially important for staving off anxiety, depression, and mental distress. Researchers looked at the diets of over 600 adult men and women. They found that eating fast food and skipping breakfast were linked to worse mood scores, but the effects were much greater for women than men. There was good news, though. They also found that both men and women who exercised, even infrequently, tended to have better mental health than more sedentary people, even when they ate unhealthy foods.

If you have worked to lose weight, a new study suggests that certain foods are likely to lead you right back to weight gain. In a study published in the journal Diabetes Care, researchers helped over 2,000 people lose weight - an average of roughly 24 pounds - through meal replacement shakes. Then they split the subjects up into groups and gave them diets filled with foods of different glycemic indices. Glycemic index measures the rate at which blood glucose spikes after meals. Those who ate higher glycemic index foods, like white bread, rice and potatoes, regained the most weight. This study suggests the value of avoiding high glycemic index foods after losing weight. But there might be value in avoiding these types of foods normally. Foods with lower glycemic index scores tend to be higher in fiber, protein, or fat, so you often feel full and eat less of them, lowering your intake of calories throughout the day.

A new study suggests we may soon have a blood test that can tell you what type of exercise is best for you. In a new study published in the journal Nature Metabolism, researchers at Harvard and other medical centers studied proteins normally created throughout the body that start biological processes in other parts of the body. They found 102 proteins that appear to predict people’s physical responses to exercise. Theoretically, measuring your personal protein profile through a blood test could tell you if you would gain a little or a lot of fitness from a certain type of exercise. Until that is available, however, we all need to find some form of exercise that is right for each of us. Because the best type of exercise is the one you actually do.

Can music actually make it harder to sleep? Researchers at Baylor studied involuntary musical imagery, or what they call "earworms," when a song replays over and over in your head. In a study published in the journal Psychological Science, they played three catchy songs for participants before bed: Taylor Swift's 'Shake It Off,' Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Call Me Maybe" and Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin.' Not only did many people get earworms of these songs before falling asleep, many of them woke up in the middle of the night with these songs playing in their heads. And those who heard instrumental versions of these songs had them twice as often. While music is great, if you struggle with sleep, consider avoiding it right before bed. And if you do have an earworm, perform some type of cognitive activity, like writing your to-do list for the next day, to get it out of your head.

A new study shows just how much the diet of children can affect their health later in life. In the study, published last week in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience, researchers studied young mice and compared high-sugar diets to sugar-restricted diets. They found that long-term consumption of high-sugar diets significantly increased weight gain and the risk of obesity. But it also excessively stimulates the nervous system, similar to children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders. While this is not a study on humans, it does illustrate how kids could be affected by their diets at a young age. To optimize kids' later physical and mental health, parents should try to make sure their kids eat a healthy, balanced diet without so many sugary foods.

School is coming to an end for kids across the country, but here is a tip to help them succeed in the next school year. Get more exercise. In a new study published in the journal Plos One, researchers in the United Kingdom collected data on over 4000 children. They found that for both 7- and 11-year-olds, physical activity had a positive effect on emotional and behavioral regulation skills and academic achievement. The American Heart Association recommends kids get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. Parents should schedule exercise for their children like it’s a homework assignment. Whether your child plays a team or individual sport or engages in physical activity with their friends, being active each day can help children succeed in the classroom.

Many of us have jobs that require us to sit for long periods of time each day. But a new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that 30 minutes of daily exercise isn't enough to overcome the health risks of sitting too much. Researchers collected data from 130,000 adults in the UK, US and Sweden. The adults wore physical activity monitors, like Fitbits, to measure their movement and sitting times throughout the day. As you might expect, 30 minutes of daily exercise decreased the risk of early death by up to 80 percent, but only for people who sat for less than seven hours a day. It didn't have that effect for those who spent between 11 and 12 hours a day sitting. For those who spent that much time sitting at work or at home, they needed 30 minutes of daily exercise plus four to five hours of light movement, like shopping or yard work. The study shows that a healthy and active lifestyle requires more than exercising for 30 minutes each day.

For years, sleep experts have warned about the dangers of blue light from our devices and how it interferes with our sleep. Manufacturers of these devices have responded by adding night modes to our laptops, tablets and phones that reduce the blue light emitted. But a new study published in the journal Sleep Health suggests these night modes do not improve sleep. Researchers from Brigham Young University and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center found little difference in the sleep duration and quality of subjects who used these devices for an hour before bed, with or without these night modes. The researchers argue that the stimulation provided by using these devices might affect sleep more than their blue light. If you really want to improve your sleep quality, you should consider not using a device at all before bedtime.

According to a new study published last week in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, waking up just one hour earlier could reduce your risk of major depression by 23 percent. Researchers at the University of Colorado, MIT and Harvard studied genetic data from about 840,000 people. They compared this genetic information, including genes for chronotype, or people's biological clock, to medical and prescription data to find diagnoses of major depressive disorder. This study confirms results of previous studies that found night owls are as much as twice as likely to suffer from depression as early risers, regardless of how long they sleep. According to this new study, if you normally go to bed at 1 AM but shift your bedtime to midnight, you could decrease your risk of depression by 23 percent, assuming you sleep the same length of time. Moving it to 11 PM could cut your risk up to 40 percent.

Many parents are excited to get their young children started in school, but English researchers have found that sending kids to school too early can be tough on their mental health. They looked at over 2000 elementary school students aged five to nine from 80 schools. They found that children who are younger than their peers, and closer to the minimum age cut-off for starting school, tend to perform poorly in class and require more special attention than their classmates. They are more likely to experience worry and fear, have poorer relationships with their peers, and have behavioral and concentration issues. They conclude that 3 years is an ideal age for kids to start school, but they stress parents must consider other factors: whether kids are toilet trained, can sit still for short periods, can communicate their needs and listen to others, and can spend time away from their parents.

If you want to live longer, take more steps each day, even if they come in short bursts throughout the day rather than one long period of exercise. According to a new study presented last week at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiovascular Health Conference, walking in sessions of 10 minutes or more appears to have the biggest impact on life expectancy. But shorter walks, like taking the stairs or parking further away from stores and businesses, help too, especially if you get your heart rate up. These short walks might help older adults, and older women in particular, who often struggle to perform long, structured exercise sessions. So any way you can, try to get physical activity throughout your day.

As Americans have struggled with COVID-19 and all of the life, family and work changes it has forced on us, stress levels and mental health issues are higher than ever. A new study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition suggests there could be a simple solution - eat more fruits and vegetables. Studying the diet of almost 9000 adults of all ages, researchers found that people who ate at least 470 grams of fruit and vegetables each day had 10 percent lower stress levels than those who consumed less than 230 grams. Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables would be enough to meet that daily goal. While some stress is considered normal, long-term exposure to stress can greatly impact mental health. Packed with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, eating a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables could improve our mental wellbeing.

The lifestyles of soon-to-be mothers and fathers greatly impact the health of their children, at least in mice. In a new study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers at the University of Virginia found that mouse mothers and fathers who ate greasy foods in the days leading up to mating produced babies with much higher risks for metabolic problems later in life. But if the mothers stayed active during their pregnancies, those risks disappeared. It suggests, at least for mice, but maybe humans, when a mother exercises during pregnancy, she may help protect her unborn children against the unhealthy effects of the father’s poor eating habits, and hers as well. We need similar studies on human parents, but it seems plausible that continuing to be physically active during pregnancy can confer health benefits to the child, even much later in life.

Concussions, whether from sports or from falls or motor vehicle accidents, are a tough problem for children, taking them far longer to fully recover than adults. But in a review of scientific research published recently in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Australian researchers found that concussions can lead to mental health issues. The compiled research incorporated nearly 90,000 children who have had concussions in nine countries. They found that over one-third of children experienced significantly high levels of internalizing problems such as anxiety, withdrawal, depression and post-traumatic stress following a concussion. Another 20 percent experienced externalizing problems, like aggression, hyperactivity and lack of focus. And while their mental health generally improved between three and six months after the concussion, some children experienced lingering symptoms for several years.

Researchers at UCLA have found that eating tree nuts might help us lose weight and keep it off. In a study published in the journal Nutrients, they put 95 overweight or obese men and women on a diet with fewer calories than their baseline metabolic rates. Half of the group were allowed to consume a snack consisting of a small amount of tree nuts, while the others consumed a pretzel snack. The group who ate tree nuts felt more full and showed a trend toward better weight management. Tree nuts, like almonds, cashews, macadamias, pecans, pistachios and walnuts, provide protein, healthy fats and fiber. Since excessive snacking has been a problem for many adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, these nuts could be a better alternative. But be careful. I consider tree nuts "domino foods," meaning that once you start eating them, it can be hard to stop.

This week is National Women’s Health Week. As we slowly emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, it's important that women and girls make their health a priority and take care of themselves. Here are a few ideas to optimize your physical and mental health: Maintain a healthy weight. Do some kind of physical activity every day. Eat healthy, well-balanced meals. Take care of your mental health by staying connected with your family and friends. Find healthy ways to manage stress at work, school, and home. And make sure to get enough sleep and good sleep to feel and perform your best.

For years, the medical community has been concerned about the effects of digital devices and screen time on children and adolescents, especially with respect to physical activity and sleep. But some people have worried that these activities, including social media and TV watching, could harm kids' mental health. Fortunately, a new study published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science offers good news. The researchers looked at depression, emotional problems, conduct problems, and suicidality. They found little evidence of an increased association between kids' use of technology and mental health problems over the past 30 years.

Obesity is a major health problem in this country. It should be no surprise that exercise can help prevent weight gain. But based on a study of more than 85,000 healthy Norwegians followed for more than 20 years, Norwegian researchers determined that a specific measurement - physical activity equivalent to 100 PAI a week - can counteract excessive weight gain. PAI stands for Personal Activity Intelligence, and it measures all physical activity, not just exercise, that causes your heart rate to increase above a certain level. The PAI Health app, available for free on both iPhone and Android platforms, uses data from your Apple Watch, FitBit and other devices to calculate a weekly score based on your personal profile and variations in heart rate over the period. Even if you have a healthy weight, getting 100 PAI each week has been shown to help you live longer and decrease your risk for cardiovascular disease.

If you want to live longer, don't simply eat your fruits and vegetables. Make sure you eat the right kinds. In a study published in the journal Circulation, Harvard researchers analyzed 30 years’ worth of nutrition data from more than 100,000 men and women. They found that eating two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables every day is best for longevity. But certain fruits and vegetables provided the biggest benefits, especially green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and brussels sprouts, and citrus fruits and berries. Unfortunately, eating more than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day does not provide additional health benefits.

Teenagers and people in their twenties need five hours of exercise each week to avoid developing high blood pressure when they're older. In a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers at the University of California-San Francisco followed about 5,000 adults from 18 to 30 for three decades. They found that young adults need twice the amount of exercise than the federal guidelines currently recommend. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is often called the “silent killer.” It can lead to heart attacks, stroke, and even dementia. And the CDC says that nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have hypertension. So getting more exercise early in life is critically important later in life.

A school district in Colorado has found a way to get students more sleep each night - change the school start times. They shifted the elementary schools to start an hour earlier, while middle schools started up to an hour later. High schools started 70 minutes later than before. While the elementary school kids showed no difference in their sleep patterns, middle school students got an average of 29 minutes of extra sleep. High school students added 46 minutes of sleep. This shift could help teenagers with what many sleep experts call "social jet lag," where there can be up to a three-hour difference between when they go to bed during the week and on weekends. And more sleep is definitely better, as sleep deprivation can affect memory, learning and the overall health of children.