A new study points out that sugary drinks may be more harmful to your health than candy regarding a very important organ in your body—the heart. Meanwhile, if your cholesterol goes up and down for seemingly no reason, you may be at a higher risk of developing a very serious brain condition. And there’s also a new trend happening in the health industry—it has to do with self-diagnosing a common disorder, and we’ll tell you all about it.
Also, that second cup of coffee you’re drinking every morning could be affecting your gut health in unexpected ways, and we’ll take a look at how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to take aim at the American diet and begin a new era of food reform.
We’ll break down each of these stories for you one by one, but we begin with some alarming information regarding sugary beverages that could make even die-hard fans of those 32-ounce sodas think twice about drinking them. Here’s what we know.
Sugary Drinks Like Soda Pose Greater Cardiovascular Risk Than Sweets, New Study Finds
New research from Sweden indicates that sodas and other sweetened drinks are much worse for your heart than other popular treats, including pastries and baked goods because they significantly increase the risk of heart failure, stroke, and other issues.
You should also know that another recent study points out that individuals who drink a lot of sweetened beverages are more likely to be diagnosed with what’s called atrial fibrillation, which is a type of irregular heartbeat.
These findings are in sync with a new Harvard research study, which shows that drinking sweetened beverages every day increases a person’s chances of developing cardiovascular disease by 18 percent—even for those who exercise regularly.
It’s also important to point out that some people often indulge in too many sugary drinks. They’re not as filling as sweet foods, so consuming too much is easy, leading to a sugar overload.
At the end of the day, an occasional sweet drink might not be detrimental to your health, but as with most things in life, moderation is key to good health.
Moving along, we know that blood markers can tell us a lot about our heart health, but one specific measure could give us clues about our risk of developing cognitive decline.
Unexplained Changes in Cholesterol May Point to a Higher Risk of Dementia
A new study presented at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting links significant year-to-year changes in cholesterol levels to an increased risk of dementia by a staggering 60 percent.
The six-year study looked at nearly 10,000 people who were in their 70s, and the results were truly remarkable.
Researchers believe that wild swings in levels of LDL, which is known as “bad” cholesterol, might destabilize plaque buildup in a person’s arteries, which could lead to reduced blood flow to the brain.
It turns out this disruption could potentially trigger a cascade of substantial effects that accelerate cognitive decline, which may, in turn, affect an individual’s memory and how fast they think.
On the other hand, fluctuations in HDL, known as the “good” cholesterol, and triglycerides, which are a type of fat found in your blood, did not correlate to similar cognitive problems.
However, it’s worth noting that some doctors disagree with these new findings. They argue that cholesterol levels fluctuate all the time, and they say that the measurements taken during the study are not enough to reach strong conclusions about accurate cholesterol levels.
But there’s a positive side to all of this—the recommendations for people to maintain stable cholesterol levels are fairly straightforward. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorses a lifestyle approach that includes eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, limiting alcohol, and, last but not least, no smoking.
We continue now with a topic that’s been getting a lot of attention lately regarding a common developmental disorder that even adults are now recognizing in themselves, and here’s more on that story.
