HEADLINES / TRENDS l STATS l RESEARCH l MEDIA l PEOPLE

October 2009

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Keeping Kids Healthy in a
Media-Saturated World

Texts, tweets, Facebook : The new media world is one in which many kids feel right at home—and many parents feel totally lost. What’s worse is that this electronic deluge may be swamping our children’s well-being.

“The media are not the leading cause of any pediatric health problem in the US, but they do make a substantial contribution to many problems,” writes Victor Strasburger, MD in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Those problems include obesity, smoking, disordered eating, aggression and early sexual activity.
David Walsh, PhD, founder of the National Institute on Media and the Family (www.mediafamily.org), agrees with Strasburger. “The link between media and obesity is how children are spending their time,” he explains. “Kids sitting in front of screens aren’t burning off calories.” The behavioral problems on Strasburger’s list are more linked to content. “It’s not that kids go out and imitate what they seen on screen,” Walsh says. “But over time it shapes their attitude and outlook on the world.”

What’s a parent to do? “I think parents need to be real clear about rules in regard to media—how much, when, where, what type,” says Walsh. He recommends keeping devices out of kids’ bedrooms, to make usage monitoring easier, and being aware of cell phone use. Mobile phones are “quickly becoming pocket-sized computers where kids have access to all sorts of information,” Walsh says.

It’s not always easy to understand a media landscape that seems to change daily. But for your child’s sake, it’s necessary. “We parents have a responsibility to keep up,” warns Walsh. “We have to extend our parental supervision.”

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Immune Health on the Menu

Maintaining strong immunity is a big part of staying healthy. That means getting enough sleep, holding stress at bay and, most importantly, eating foods that give power to your immune system’s punch.

Enter Super Immunity Foods: A Complete Program to Boost Wellness, Speed Recover and Keep Your Body Strong (McGraw-Hill). Certified clinical nutritionist Frances Goulart presents 25 such foods; her list includes some items you would expect, such as berries and green food powders, and some you might not, such as figs and potatoes. She then gives diet tips for 13 disorders, ranging from cancer to the common cold. A four-week meal plan, with more than 100 recipes, helps put Goulart’s advice into action.

If keeping your immune system in fighting shape concerns you, take a look at Super Immunity Foods.

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Facing Cancer Together

The three words no one wants to hear—“you have cancer”—are just as frightening when they’re spoken to someone you love. You want to help, but how?

That question lies at the core of Stand By Her: A Breast Cancer Guide for Men (AMACOM Books). Timed for release during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (www.nbcam.org), this book provides a step-by-step plan for men whose partners, sisters and daughters have been diagnosed with this disease.

Author John Anderson writes from experience: His mother died from breast cancer, and his wife and sister have survived it. Although Anderson addresses the issue in terms of conventional medicine, his advice on creating a support network (“The Corps”) and dealing with emotional issues—both hers and his—is valuable no matter what treatment plan a woman choses. The book also includes a chapter, “The New Normal,” on life after cancer.

No woman should have to face this diagnosis alone. Stand By Her gives a man the tools he needs to be a stand-up guy.

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Nutrient Buddies

Astaire and Rogers, peanut butter and jelly, hugs and kisses—it seems that the best things in life come in pairs. In the same way, the following nutrients do their best work in combination.

This nutrient	+	This nutrient(s)	Does This
Alpha lipoic acid	+	R-lipoic	Enables energy production within cells; provides all-over antioxidant protection; counteracts high blood cholesterol and sugar levels
Calcium	+	Magnesium, vitamins D & K	Promotes healthy bone formation; evidence suggests that calcium and vitamin D together aids in weight control and cancer prevention
Choline	+	Inositol (both are B vitamins)	Supports metabolism of fats and cholesterol; crucial for proper brain function; often available in lecithin form or as part of a standard B-complex
Folic acid	+	Vitamins B6 & B12	Reduces homocysteine; high levels of this amino acid derivative have been linked to cardiovascular disorders
Glucosamine	+	Chondroitin	Helps maintain cartilage within joints; has provided relief of arthritic symptoms; often available with MSM, which supports joint integrity and reduces inflammation
Lutein	+	Zeaxanthin	Protects eyes and skin from sun-induced free radicals; helps to filter blue light, which can cause eye damage
Vitamin C	+	Vitamin E	Defends against free-radical damage in both water- and fat-based parts of the cell; C helps regenerate E

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Meditation at Work
Lowers Stress Levels

Feeling stressed out on the job? Turning to yoga and meditation may help you find peace in the middle of a hectic day.

Scientists at Ohio State University recruited 48 mostly sedentary office workers. Half of the group met for an hour at lunch in which they were taught breathing, yoga and relaxation techniques; they also discussed different causes of work-related stress. The group then practiced 20 minutes a day of meditation and yoga at their desks. The others were put on a waiting list to join the program.

After six weeks the meditation group reported feeling more relaxed than the wait-list group and experienced greater mindfulness—an ability to more readily identify specific sources of stress. In addition, the meditators were able to fall asleep more easily.
—Health Education and Behavior 6/09

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Numbers:

Seniors Go Boom

7%
Percentage of the world’s population that is 65 or older today

14%
Estimated percentage of seniors worldwide in 2040

1.3 billion
Estimated number of seniors in 30 years

10 years
The time frame in which there will be more people 65 and older than under 5 years
old—a first in human history

Source: US Census Bureau, “An Aging World: 2008”

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D Deficiency in Children
Linked to Heart Risk

A lack of dietary vitamin D among children in the US today may be setting the stage for an increased
burden of cardiovascular disease in the future.

This disturbing possibility is highlighted by two recent investigations, both of which used data from the 2001-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In one study, 9% of the children (ages 1 to 21) were found to be D-deficient and another 61% were D-insufficient. The other study found that youngsters with the lowest vitamin D levels were more likely to have high blood pressure and blood sugar, along with low levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol. These conditions are known to increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and other circulatory disorders.
—Pediatrics 8/3/09 online

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