White wine linked to higher risk of certain melanomas

Alcohol is responsible for about 4% of cancer cases worldwide, typically in the esophagus, liver, pancreas, colon, rectum, and breast. A possible explanation is that the ethanol in alcohol metabolizes into acetaldehyde, which damages DNA and prevents DNA repair.

A team of researchers from Harvard and Brown universities sought to determine whether alcohol consumption can also raise risk for melanoma—a potentially deadly skin cancer. They used data from three large prospective studies in which 210,252 participants completed questionnaires about their alcohol consumption. The researchers noted which people developed several types of cancer, including melanoma, over an average of 18 years.

Overall alcohol intake was associated with a 14% higher risk of melanoma per drink per day. While each drink of white wine was associated with a 13% increase in melanoma risk, beer, red wine, and liquor had no significant effect. The researchers speculated that white wine may be more likely than red to increase melanoma risk because it contains more acetaldehyde and a lower concentration of antioxidants to counter the effects than red wine does. The study appeared in the December 2016 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

If you drink white wine, you might want to consider reserving it for special occasions. And you may want to sample a few reds as well.

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Don’t Throw Away Those Leftovers! Saving Food Will Save Energy

Don’t be too quick to throw away those Thanksgiving leftovers. By saving that turkey and stuffing to eat another day, you can help save a lot of energy from ending up in the garbage bin.

Each day, the average American household throws away a pound and a half (~0.7 kilograms) of food. Over the course of a single year, these pounds amount to the energy equivalent of throwing 350 million barrels of oil into the trashcan according to a study from the University of Texas at Austin that we have previously discussed here on Plugged In.

To put this figure into perspective – 350 million barrels of oil is the equivalent of:

• about 2% of total annual energy consumption in the United States
• about 20% of the nation’s net energy imports
• twice the amount of energy that Switzerland (with its more than 8 million people) consumes in an entire year

In their study, UT Austin Professor Michael E. Webber and his former graduate student, Amanda Cuellar, estimated the energy that is embedded in wasted food in the United States. In other words, they calculated how much energy was used to get food to our tables, which is wasted when that food ends up in the garbage bin. Their process involved calculating the energy intensity of the food production supply chain including the following steps for different types of food:

• agriculture (i.e. growing/raising food)
• transportation (i.e. moving food from field to processing plants)
• processing
• food sales
• storage
• preparation

You can read more of the details of the findings in this study here.

In the week after Thanksgiving, Americans will throw away almost 200 million pounds of turkey according to the Natural Resource Defense Council. If you want to save some money (and energy), explore some ways to use those leftovers (for those who like to cook, NPR has some ideas).

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8 disease signal in your urine

Many men will unconsciously have a look when pissing, in fact, this is a very good health habits. The urine is not only a normal product of metabolism of our body, but also a reaction of our health.

How many urinate every day, urinate feeling, urine color change, all of these may represent a reaction of the body, suggesting the existence of health risks.

Urine is not far

In Men’s Room often have similar prompt “a small step forward, one big step civilization”, reminding men try to pee in the urinal. For some men, they really want to pee in the “scope”, but it will be really hard for them to achive this, especially for older men, suggesting that there may be prostate hyperplasia.

With the increase of age, the various organs of the body are in the trend of shrinking, but prostate increases.

Man’s urethra is passing through prostate, the prostate hyperplasia will press urethra, cause urinate not free, not far.

Urinate flow thinning

“In the past, urinate is ease, far, and flow coarse. However, these two years, urinate flow began more and more thin?” maybe you will whisper like this. Please don’t ignore this hints from urinate, all these suggesting that there may be a benign prostatic hyperplasia. As hyperplasia prostate will be press urethra, cause urinate not free, the bladder will compensatory increase pressure at beginning, at the same time the abdomen will also increase pressure, to help the smooth urinate.

With the continuous hyperplasia of prostate, press on urethra will increasing together, bladder compensatory pressure increases. But bladder pressure increase has maximum limitation, but prostate hyperplasia is likely to continue. If not take right measures, urethral pressure increasing, the urine flow will become thin, not far, even at the end there will be not possible to urinate.

Urinate bifurcate

Urinate bifurcation has two situations: one kind of bifurcation does not happen often, probably due to anterior urethra and urethra opening temporary obstruction.

For example, the morning urinate bifurcate, that is because the overnight much urine is stored in the bladder, the bladder is in high pressure, make urethra tip changed temporarily. Sometimes after ejaculation, because some semen remains in the urethra, and cavernosa penis congestion has not completely disappeared, also can cause urinate not smooth, bifurcation occurs.

Long-term urinate bifurcate, that is a kind of disease. Expert explained, some people is suffering from urethritis, due to repeated of this urethritis, partial urethral tissue scarring after long time, cause urethral stricture, urinate bifurcation occurs and dysuria phenomenon.

During the acute urethritis, because urethral hyperaemia, swelling, increasing secretions, also can cause urinate bifurcate, must be timely treatment. Anterior urethral stones may also cause uric bifurcate.

Urinate waiting

Go to the Restroom takes 20 minutes, even half an hour, others thought he was to go to the stool, in fact just pee. Normal urination, after brain send pee order, urinate controlled sphincter will relax at once, and bladder detrusor contraction, and then urinate will happen after about 1 second, and with the positive feedback effect, detrusor contraction will increasingly to completely discharged urine one-time.

But urethral stricture (such as prostatic hyperplasia, bladder outlet obstruction) patients need to wait for some time to begin urination. This is because the bladder neck obstruction exists, and bladder sphincter and detrusor activity does not coordinate well.

When the latter is contracted, the former cannot be relaxed, if not, it will resulting in the bladder neck and urethra are not good opening, the urine cannot be discharged, but must take time to accumulate intravesical pressure, appear namely micturition symptoms of retardation. So, urinate waiting has relationship with urethra and bladder.

The urinate waiting is not a single factor formation, but psychological factors may also play an important role. Psychological factors often show as excessive stress or panic.

Urinate bubble

Many people have the tradition to see urine judge whether they are health or not, and some elderly people judge nephropathy according to urine bubble states. They think the bubble is caused by urine protein. This viewpoint is not 100% correct, and many nephropathy patients protein content in urine urination is high, the bubble will appear. But it is not necessarily a bubble urine proteinuria, high uric acid, or more concentrated urine, can also cause bubble. If you want to clear urine bubble is due to certain disease, regular hospital inspection is needed, such as urine routine check, 24 hours urine protein, urinary sediment check.

Hematuria

We ate some special food, may also cause the urine turns red, very “frightening”, such as the red pitaya. If excluded food factors, when your urine is red, it is hematuria. If hematuria accompanied by pain, suggesting possible infection or stone disease. If only the hematuria, without any pain, you should pay more attention, must check out whether it is caused by tumor or not.

Turbid urinate

After getting up in the morning, your find your urine is turbid, and even floating some oil. Do pay attention on this, as this is certain abnormal issue. How is this going on? Expert analysis, this may be chyluria. Much chyle in urine, because the lymphatic tube containing protein and fat lymph excreted in the urine. There may be prompted to filariasis or tuberculosis, cancer and so on, should immediately seek medical treatment or health check.

Gas urine

When your urine contains gas, this is called gas urine. The clinical common reason is to have a fistula between the urinary tract and intestinal tract, such as trauma, tumor, tuberculosis, Crohn’s disease and other diseases can cause gas urine. There are also some patients with emphysematous cystitis or emphysematous pyelonephritis caused gas urine.

Emphysematous cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder wall or the presence of gas cavity, high incidence in patients with diabetes. Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a rare fulminant infection in kidney, renal pelvis and renal all around gas, often complicated by sepsis, pyonephrosis, and necrosis. Urine except for gas, sometimes also discharged feces, food scraps, tumor parts, caseous material etc.

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Refried Bean Tacos with Chipotle Cashew Cream

For a weeknight meal, make the chipotle cashew cream in advance and store refrigerated until serving.

by: a Couple Cooks

Serves: 4 (2 tacos each)

WHAT YOU NEED

Supremely Simple Refried Black Beans

Chipotle Cashew Cream (below)

2 cups shredded green cabbage

½ red bell pepper

½ yellow bell pepper

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (1 lime)

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

8 One Degree Organicssprouted corn tortillas

1 large handful cilantro leaves

WHAT TO DO

Soak the cashews; see (below).

Make the Supremely Simple Black Beans.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the cabbage and peppers (cut off the rounded edges of the peppers so that the peppers are straight). Juice the lime. Just before serving, mix together the cabbage, peppers, lime juice, kosher salt and several grinds of black pepper in a large bowl.

Blend the cashew cream (below).

Warm the tortillas, or char them by placing them on grates above an open gas flame on medium heat for a few seconds per side, flipping with tongs, until they are slightly blackened and warm.

To serve, place refried beans in a tortilla, top with cabbage and pepper slaw, cashew sauce, and some torn cilantro leaves.

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Za’atar-Spiced Butternut Squash Soup

Salma: First I would recommend to arm yourself with some great Middle Eastern staples such as za’atar (a thyme and sesame seed seasoning) which can be added to almost any vegetable dish, along with sumac (a crushed berry spice) that adds a real kick to simple roast vegetables and soups. They are both great in stews too and sprinkled on almost anything and everything.

Buy pomegranates: they are a wonderful addition to any salad and can really transform a simple dish into something quite exotic. They are not only pretty to look at but add a very unique sweet/sour taste. For desserts, have a good stock of flavored waters in such as rose water or orange blossom. They can give most cakes or cookies a hint of the Middle East.

My traditional recipe suggestions would be to start with something such as Kibbeh. My ‘Nan’s Kibbeh’ is a spicy, sweet version that dates back generations in my family and is still a firm favorite. We have it almost every weekend to this day. ‘Grandma’s eggplant dip’ is a dish I have been cooking for 60 years; it gives real insight into how the simplest of ingredients make something quite wonderful. The eggplant is scorched over an open flame to bring out the flavor, which gives the dip a unique smoky taste.

There are also a few traditional lesser known Middle Eastern dishes that could be a great for home cooks new to this cuisine. Harisa (not to be mistaken with harissa, the Tunisian hot chili paste) is a celebratory barley dish often cooked on days of religious significance, in a huge cauldron at a village gathering. In my book, I have a version for home cooks that is very straightforward. Also, Mograbieh, also known as Israeli, pearl, or giant couscous. The version in the book is smothered in a fresh herb dressing. Recipes such as these are not yet well-known, but very reflective of how we eat in the Middle East.

Sonja: You moved to London from Lebanon. When was this, and what prompted the move? In London, did you ever experience any difference in treatment based on your ethnicity?

Salma: We moved in 1967, exactly 50 years ago. All of my family left Lebanon around this time, since politically it had become a difficult world to live in. At that point I had moved to Tripoli in Lebanon because it had more work opportunities, but with the bigger city came more disruption. It became a unsafe place to raise a family. My aunt and uncle invited us to come and live with them in London as a bit of a safe haven for a short time. We had to borrow the money for the airfare and had no idea where we were going or what we would do when we got there. During out first few years in London, I was so homesick I would take myself to the airport and sit there hoping to hear Lebanese people speak to remind me of home. I found adapting to the language extremely hard. I would work two jobs to take care of my family while trying to learn English in the evenings. After we saved up enough money for our first house in London, we immediately took in lodgers to help us pay our way.

We were always very sociable and so integrated with people in our community very quickly. However, there are always great challenges that come with being a first generation immigrant in any country. I was very honored to this year be included in The Immigrant Cookbook. It is wonderful what diversity of skills and cultures immigrants bring, particularly to places such as London and New York, which makes things like Brexit and Trump so devastating.

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5 habits that foster weight loss

5 Habits that foster weight loss

If you’re like many Americans, you’re still carrying an extra pound or two that you gained over the holidays. Over the years, that extra weight can really add up—and that added girth is hard on your heart.

Often, the hardest part about losing weight isn’t about knowing what to eat. You’ve heard it a thousand times: eat lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein. The real challenge is changing your habits to make those healthy choices part of your everyday routine without feeling too deprived.

When you come home

Where to start? Try a little respect, says Dr. George L. Blackburn, professor of nutrition at Harvard Medical School. “Show respect for the food you’re eating. Before you sit down to dinner, lay out your meal on a white tablecloth, which will make you more likely to eat mindfully,” he says. Mindfulness—the practice of being fully aware of what’s happening within and around you at the moment—seems to help people make better food choices, in terms of both what and how they eat.

It’s also important to respect your hunger, which means you should eat as closely as possible to the time you feel hungry (but not starving). Finally, respect your cravings. “Select foods that taste good to you, because taste is king,” says Dr. Blackburn. You need to stick within healthy parameters, of course, and choose foods that follow the recommendations laid out by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (see www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015). But if you’ve got a hankering for a few French fries or a small brownie once in a while, go ahead. A complete ban of your favorite treats may leave you more likely to abandon your diet altogether and overindulge.

Dr. Blackburn has directed the Center for Nutrition Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and advised overweight and obese people for more than four decades. The following are five proven strategies that many of his patients have found helpful toward their goal of lasting weight loss.

1. Make time to prepare healthy meals

Home-cooked food tends to be far lower in calories, fat, salt, and sugar than restaurant food and most processed food. But it takes time and effort to choose recipes, go to the store, and cook. Take a close look at your weekly schedule to see if you can carve out a few hours to devote to meal planning and shopping, which is more than half the battle, says Dr. Blackburn. It could be on Sunday afternoon or in 15- to 30-minute increments throughout the week.

To save time in the kitchen, take advantage of precut vegetables and cooked whole grains (like brown rice) from the salad bar or freezer case. And stock up on easy, wholesome snacks like fruit, nuts, and low-fat cheese sticks.

2. Eat slowly

The next time you sit down for a meal, set a timer (maybe the one on your kitchen stove or smartphone) for 20 minutes. That’s about how long it takes the “I’m full” message sent by the gut hormones and stretch receptors in your stomach to reach your brain, explains Dr. Blackburn. “If you can spend a full 20 minutes between your first bite and your last, you’ll feel satisfied but not stuffed.” Eat too quickly and you’re more likely to overeat. Tips for stretching out your mealtime include chewing each bite a little longer than usual, setting down your fork between each bite, and taking frequent sips of water during your meal.

3. Consume evenly sized meals, beginning with breakfast

Most people tend to eat a small breakfast (or none at all), a medium-sized lunch, and large dinner. But you may be better off spreading your calories out more evenly throughout the day. For one thing, a small or nonexistent breakfast can leave you ravenous by lunchtime, which may lead you to overeat. A morning meal also helps rev up your metabolism for the day, stimulating enzymes that help you burn fat. What’s more, eating at least 450 calories per meal can help you avoid hunger between meals, says Dr. Blackburn. If you eat a light supper (and avoid grazing late into the night; see tip No. 4), you may eat fewer calories over all—and actually be hungry for breakfast.

4. Don’t skimp on sleep

When you burn the midnight oil, you’re probably not also burning calories, but instead consuming too many. Many studies have linked shorter sleep duration with a higher risk of being overweight or obese. A recent review article suggests why: people who sleep fewer than six hours a night tend to have irregular eating habits—including more frequent, smaller, energy-dense, and highly palatable snacks (read: fatty, sugary foods like chips, cookies, and ice cream).

Only about 60% of adults get the recommended seven to nine hours of shut-eye per night. If you have a hard time falling or staying asleep, cognitive behavioral therapy—not sleeping pills—should be your first step. For more information on this talk therapy technique.

5. Weigh yourself often

If you don’t already have one, get a digital scale. Hang a calendar and pen above it, right at eye level, as a reminder to record your weight every day. Doing so only takes a few seconds and will keep you heading in the right direction. Most people find it difficult or tedious to track their calories, both from the foods they eat and those they burn via exercise. But a daily weigh-in tells you all you need to know—and the scale doesn’t lie. Also, research shows that people who weigh themselves often are more likely to lose weight and keep it off.

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Look on the bright side and maybe even live longer

In these turbulent times, it’s sometimes a struggle to maintain a glass-half-full view of life. But if you can, it may serve you well. A growing body of research links optimism—a sense that all will be well—to a lower risk for mental or physical health issues and to better odds of a longer life.

One of the largest such studies was led by researchers Dr. Kaitlin Hagan and Dr. Eric Kim at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Their team analyzed data from 70,000 women in the Nurses’ Health Study who, in 2004, had answered questions about how they viewed their futures

The researchers found that women who scored higher on the optimism scale were significantly less likely to die from several major causes of death over an eight-year period, compared with women who scored lower. In fact, compared to the most pessimistic women, the most optimistic had a 16% lower risk of dying from cancer, 38% lower risk of dying from heart disease, 39% lower risk of dying from stroke, 38% lower risk of dying from respiratory disease, and 52% lower risk of dying from infection.

How you can acquire optimism

Even if you consider yourself a pessimist, there’s hope. Dr. Hagan notes that a few simple changes can help people become more optimistic. “Previous studies have shown that optimism can instilled by something as simple as having people think about the best possible outcomes for various areas of their lives,” she says. The following may help you see the world through rosier glasses:

Accentuate the positive. Keep a journal. In each entry, underline the good things that have happened and things you’ve enjoyed, and concentrate on them. Consider how they came about and what you can do to keep them coming.

Eliminate the negative. If you find yourself ruminating on negative situations, do something to short-circuit that train of thought. Turn on your favorite music, reread a novel you love, or get in touch with a good friend.

Act locally. Don’t fret about your inability to influence global affairs. Instead, do something that can make a small positive change—like donating clothes to a relief organization, helping clean or replant a neighborhood park, or volunteering at an after-school program.

Be easier on yourself. Self-compassion is a characteristic shared by most optimists. You can be kind to yourself by taking good care of your body—eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep. Take stock of your assets and concentrate on them. Finally, try to forgive yourself for past transgressions—real or imagined—and move on.

Learn mindfulness. Adopting the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment and accepting it without judgment can go a long way in helping you deal with unpleasant events. If you need help, many health centers now offer mindfulness training. There are books, videos, and smartphone apps to guide you.

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