Will Catching a Late Show Raise Your #Diabetes Risk? #sleep #obesity #cardiovasculardisease #DiscoveryNews

Like Small disruptions in sleep patterns are associated with increased risk for serious metabolic diseases including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to new research.

And even when these disruptions are normalized as part of your schedule — say, sleeping in longer on nonwork days than work days — your body will feel the burn.

In a group of almost 450 adults, researchers found that the vast majority — 85 percent — had earlier halfway points in their sleep cycle on nights before they had to work compared to nights before free days. When study participants had to clock in the next morning, the halfway point of the night came 15 percent earlier.

Those with the greatest differences in free day and work day sleep schedules had higher fasting insulin, worse cholesterol profiles, bigger waist circumference, and greater insulin resistance and body mass index — all serious metabolic consequences that can be early warning signs of diabetes and heart disease. #CBHealthNY

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Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food #HarvardHealth

Like an expensive car, your brain functions best when it gets only premium fuel. Eating high-quality foods that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress — the “waste” (free radicals) produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells.

If your brain is deprived of good-quality nutrition, or if free radicals or damaging inflammatory cells are circulating within the brain’s enclosed space, further contributing to brain tissue injury, consequences are to be expected. What’s interesting is that for many years, the medical field did not fully acknowledge the connection between mood and food.

This may sound implausible to you, but the notion that good bacteria not only influence what your gut digests and absorbs, but that they also affect the degree of inflammation throughout your body, as well as your mood and energy level, is gaining traction among researchers. The results so far have been quite amazing.
Start paying attention to how eating different foods makes you feel — not just in the moment, but the next day.

 #CBHealthNY

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Even Moderate #AirPollution Could Trigger Severe #HeartAttacks: Study. #Bloomberg

How does air pollution trigger heart attacks? "When you have exposure to that high a level of inhaled fine particulate matter, you’re triggering your immune system," Meredith said. The immune response can cause plaque built up in the arteries to become unstable and dislodge, clogging arteries and blocking blood flow to the heart.

In the Salt Lake City area, where Intermountain is based, cold air masses tend to settle in the valley in January and February, Meredith said, bringing smog with them. "It’ll look pretty gray, the air is thick and brown," he said. "In mountains a thousand feet above that, you can actually see that layer."

For people with heart disease, the study suggests limiting time outdoors and exercise at relatively modest levels of pollution. The risk to people with heart disease increases with more particulates above that threshold. "The data suggests that you can recommend that patients with heart disease are more vulnerable for those types of events when they’re exposed to higher levels of pollution," Meredith said. #CBHealthNY

http://bloom.bg/1M3V30S

USPSTF recommending overweight/obese adults between ages 40-70 be screened for abnormal blood sugar #heartdisease #type2 #diabetes.

Having abnormal blood sugar metabolism is a risk factor for heart disease and could progress to diabetes in some people. The Task Force reviewed the available research and found evidence to support screening for abnormal blood sugar before it can progress to diabetes.

Abnormal blood sugar happens when they body doesn’t break down and use sugar in the right way. It’s not as severe as full blown type 2 diabetes, and if people make changes like eating healthier and increasing their physical activity, data suggests they can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. #TIME #CBHealthNY

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