Better Than Ever with Dr. David Geier

A new study shows kids today are eating more ultra-processed foods than ever before. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers collected data from over 33,000 responses to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey about the foods consumed by children and adolescents between the ages of 2 and 19. Today, two-thirds of kids' and teens' calories come from ultra-processed foods. These foods have been linked in numerous studies to many chronic diseases, such as heart disease. They can take years off your life. We all need to tackle this health problem for our kids. Parents, do your best to feed your children whole, nutritious foods at home. And schools and healthcare providers should promote healthy food choices as well.

A new study suggests pregnant women who follow a ketogenic diet could increase their risk for birth defects and gestational diabetes. Keto diets are low in carbohydrates, moderate in protein and high in fat, largely followed for weight loss purposes. In a review published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, researchers claim data shows an association between low-carbohydrate diets consumed during the year before conception and an increased risk for birth defects. But, if you have done well on a keto diet, know that we need far more research to know if such a diet is truly harmful for mothers and their babies.

Bad news for you lovers of hot dogs and chicken wings: A new study from the University of Michigan shows they shorten your life. In a study of 5,800 foods published in the journal Nature Food, decreasing intake of foods with negative health impacts can extend your life. These life-shortening foods include highly-processed meat, beef, shrimp, pork, lamb and vegetables grown in greenhouses. Foods that extend your life include field-grown fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and low-environmental impact seafood. But if you want to have fun and eat some junk food, know that eating one hot dog can shave 36 minutes off your life, and one serving of chicken wings will cost you 3.3 minutes of lost life.

If you want to lower your risk of early death, cycling on a regular basis appears to be a great way to do it. In a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers examined health data for over 7,000 adults who suffer from diabetes. They found that regular cycling over the five-year period of the study was associated with a 35 percent lower chance of early death from all causes and heart disease compared to not cycling at all. But the benefits did not just apply to diabetics. Everyone can have the same decreased risk of death. And the mortality benefits don't appear to have anything to do with a certain amount of time on the bike each day or week. Instead, they key seems to be cycling consistently over time.

If you want to get more work done and make more money, you might consider taking a nap during the day instead of trying to sleep more at night. In a study soon to be published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, researchers at MIT examined 450 low-income workers. They tried to increase the sleep time of these workers, but they observed no benefits in work productivity, earnings, sense of well-being or even lowered blood pressure. On the other hand, those who got short daytime naps improved their productivity and well-being. Often, trying to sleep more at night leads to more time in bed with no real increase in the restorative deep sleep. Consider adding short naps to your schedule to get more done and feel better about your work.

If you want to help build your child's vocabulary, you might consider having them exercise. In a new study published in the Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, researchers at the University of Delaware taught children between the ages of six and 12 some new words. The children then either went to swim or drew in a coloring book. The kids assigned to the swimming group performed 13 percent better on follow-up vocabulary tests. The researchers believe motor movement helps children encode new words, possibly because exercise increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. So parents, understand that exercise is not only good for your kids' physical development, but it's good for their brains too.

A new study shows that being wealthy can help you live longer. Researchers at Northwestern University tracked over 5,000 adults for almost a quarter of a century. In the study, published in JAMA Health Forum, they found that for every additional $50,000 of net worth accumulated by middle age, mortality rates fell five percent. These longer lives persisted despite having medical conditions like heart disease or cancer. And genetics and family income had no impact, as someone with more financial assets tended to live longer than a brother, sister or twin who didn’t earn as much.

Eating colorful foods high in flavonoids could slow the decline of your brain as you age. In a new study published in the American Academy of Neurology journal, researchers at Harvard found that people who ate about 600 milligrams of flavonoids per day had a 20 percent lower risk of cognitive decline than those who ate one-fourth that amount. Flavonoids are compounds with strong antioxidant abilities commonly found in many fruits and vegetables. Foods high in flavonoids include strawberries, blueberries, oranges, peppers and celery. Since damage to the blood vessels that supply the brain is an important contributor to cognitive decline, eating foods rich in flavonoids might help protect that blood supply, slowing cognitive decline. Still, eating these colorful, healthy foods doesn't negate the need to also avoid smoking and to exercise regularly.

A new study shows that taking more than three weeks of vacation days may help you live longer. According to research from the European Society of Cardiology, stress appears to be the most important indicator of longevity. And about half of adults in the U.S. say their lives have been negatively impacted by stress. In this study, started in 1974, over 1,200 middle age men were divided into two groups: one that started a healthy lifestyle of exercise, better nutrition, and smoking cessation, while the other group did nothing. Five years later, the risk of cardiovascular disease dropped 46 percent in the group that received intervention. But by 15 years later, more men in the intervention group had died than men in the control group. Why? The men who died in the intervention group all took shorter and fewer vacation days. Those who took less than three weeks of annual vacation had a 37 percent greater chance of dying. The bottom line for all you workaholics out there? Even exercise and eating healthy foods won't overcome working too hard and not taking vacations to unwind.

A new study shows Americans owe about $140 billion in unpaid medical expenses. In the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers at Stanford estimated that just under 18 percent of adults had medical debt, averaging about $429. The average medical debt was highest in the South at $616. The $140 billion of medical debt is almost double the amount in 2016, and it's greater than even personal debt in this country. This debt could have a huge impact on healthcare. People facing financial challenges due to medical expenses often avoid seeking medical care, even when needed.

If you want to protect your memory - and your brain - as you get older, start talking walks. After age 40, our brains lose about 5 percent of their volume each decade. In a new study from Colorado State University, published in the journal Neuroimage, researchers used MRI to assess the brains of walkers, dancers and people who did a variety of exercise. They found that participants who completed six months of regular brisk walks experienced improvements in brain white matter and memory. Certain parts of their brains associated with memory were larger compared to people who didn't exercise. If you want to slow down the aging process, taking a walk outside each night might be a way to do it.

If your child sleeps with the family dog or cat at night, don't worry that it's hurting their sleep. In a new study published in the journal Sleep Health, researchers at Concordia University in Montreal examined 118 children and adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17, having them complete sleep surveys and wear sleep trackers. They found that sleeping with the family pet did not cause kids to have night awakenings or shorter overall sleep. In fact, children who reported frequently co-sleeping with pets tended to say they experienced better quality sleep.

Spending more time in nature at an early age appears to help the cognitive development and mental health of children. According to a new study published by Nature Sustainability, researchers at University College London and Imperial College London studied over 3,500 students between the ages of 9 and 15 over four years. The more exposure they had to woods and parks, the higher their cognitive development scores and the lower their emotional and behavioral health risks. Rivers, lakes and oceans had a positive effect as well, but not as dramatic an improvement. This summer, and for years going forward, make sure your child gets outside instead of spending it indoors on social media.

Researchers at Stanford have developed what they call an “aging clock” that can better predict death and disease than can your chronological age. In a study published in the journal Nature Aging, they used certain blood proteins that play a role in chronic inflammation, along with an artificial intelligence tool, to identify at-risk individuals early. They calculated what they called an “iAge". Adults with an older iAge showed systemic inflammation sooner and proved to be prone to multiple long-term health problems including lowered immunity, cardiovascular disease, and frailty. This is further evidence that inflammation plays a key role in your long-term health and life.

A new study found that eating milk chocolate may actually aid fat burning and reduce blood sugar. Researchers from Spain and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston studied 19 healthy, postmenopausal women assigned to eat 100 grams of milk chocolate, either within 1 hour of waking or within 1 hour of going to bed. After 14 days of eating chocolate, the women had not gained any weight. While this study sounds great for you chocolate lovers, I'd be careful. This is a small study over a very short period of time. Plus, it's hard to only eat a small amount of this high sugar, high fat food. But if you insist on making chocolate your new breakfast or pre-bedtime snack, choose the healthier dark chocolate instead.

Using phones, tablets, laptops and other devices in the hours before bed could make it harder to lose weight — or may even lead to weight gain over time. In a new study published in Scientific Reports, researchers studied 10 adult males exposed to LED, OLED, or dim light for four hours prior to falling asleep inside a metabolic chamber. Those exposed to LED light experienced a significant reduction in their ability to burn fat while they slept. This isn't the first time LED light has been linked to weight gain. A 2019 JAMA Internal Medicine study found adult women who slept with a television on in their room had higher rates of obesity at the beginning of the study and were almost 20 percent more likely to have gained 11 pounds or more by the end of the study. Some sleep experts suggest that exposure to blue light leads to shorter REM sleep, which has been linked to weight gain.

As business travel returns to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study suggests that this travel could affect your health - and your waistline. In a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers at Emory found that frequent business travel, starting at six days per month but worst over 20 days a month, is associated with obesity, higher body fat percentage and belly fat. And the effects on body fat and belly fat were worse for female business travelers than males. If you must travel a lot for work, get adequate sleep and exercise, eat as healthy as possible, drink plenty of water, and schedule time for rest and reflection to minimize stress.

Just how long can a human live? Currently, the world's oldest person is a 118-year-old in Japan. Close to half a million people have lived past 100 years in recent decades. University of Washington researchers recently used statistical modeling to determine potential maximum life spans we could have this century. In their new study published in the journal Demographic Research, they conclude that by the year 2100, there is a 99 percent probability that someone will live to 124. And there is an almost 1 in 7 chance that a person will reach age 130.

If your alarm wakes you up suddenly, and you feel groggy for hours, you are experiencing sleep inertia. While the main cause is lack of sleep, the sound of your alarm can play a big role too. In a new study published in the Journal of Sleep Disorders & Therapy, researchers split participants into two groups: one using traditional alarm sounds and one using melodic tunes. After they woke up, they performed a series of tasks. They found that the group that woke up to melodic alarms showed better response times and higher accuracy. Since loud, non-melody alarms have been linked to high blood pressure, heart rate, and headaches, you might consider changing your ringtone settings to a pleasant tune instead.

A new study suggests we might be able to shave years off of our biological clocks with our diet and lifestyles. In a recent study published in the journal Aging, researchers put 43 healthy adult males between the ages of 50 and 72 through a treatment program aimed at optimizing what's called DNA methylation. The program involved diet, sleep, exercise, relaxation guidance, and supplemental probiotics and phytonutrients. In just eight weeks, the men who performed those treatments reduced their biological age by more than three years compared to men in the control group. While exercise, healthy diets, efforts to manage stress, and better sleep can help us avoid a number of health issues, this study suggests it might make us feel younger too.

Do you feel too tired to exercise today? Maybe you could take a hot bath instead. In a recent study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers found that taking a hot bath or relaxing in a sauna provides many of the benefits people get from vigorous walking, jogging, or cycling. They observed that heat can increase blood flow, body temperature, and heart rate, leading to better cardiovascular health, less inflammation, better blood sugar control, and lower depressive feelings. But passive heating with baths and saunas won't help you lose weight, decrease fat, or strengthen muscles and bones. Consider exercising 5 to 6 days a week and using hot baths and saunas as a health strategy on your rest days.

Exercise and physical activity now might help you avoid huge healthcare bills later in life. In a recent study published in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, researchers found that people who reported moderate exercise throughout their adult lives saved an average of $1,350 per year on health care expenses after reaching age 65 compared to sedentary people. Even those who exercised early in life but got less physical activity in their forties and fifties still spent about $860 less each year. But the best news is that even if you aren't active now, it's never too late. People who waited until their forties to increase their exercise still saved $824 dollars on future healthcare. Given that inactivity has been estimated to account for over $100 billion dollars in healthcare spending each year in this country, getting more exercise can help us - and our healthcare system - financially.

New research suggests the amount a woman exercises each week can have a big impact on her sex life. In a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, scientists studied 322 women in their mid-forties. They found that women who engaged in less than one hour of exercise each week had high levels of sexual dysfunction. But those who exercised more than six hours each week had worse sex lives as well, complaining of lack of interest, low arousal and failure to orgasm. Those women who averaged four to six hours of exercise weekly – or 35 to 50 minutes a day – had the highest levels of arousal and best chances of orgasm. Low sex drive is a common problem for many women, with studies showing it could affect one quarter to half of women.

If you don't get much sleep tonight, don't expect caffeine to help you much tomorrow. In a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, researchers at Michigan State University tested the effects of caffeine on 275 participants after a night of sleep deprivation. While caffeine did help them complete a simple attention task, they still struggled completing tasks that had to be done in a specific order, without skipping or repeating steps. The researchers warn that caffeine won't help you avoid sleep-related mistakes at work or while driving. So while a cup of coffee might help after a long night, it doesn't replace a good night's sleep.

It's no surprise that we love our pets, but a new study found that two-thirds of Americans prioritize their pet’s well-being over their own. OnePoll surveyed 2,000 pet owners and found that pets provide humans health benefits as well. Eight in 10 say that taking care of their pet encourages them to take better care of themselves too by reducing their stress, depression, and anxiety and helping them exercise. What might be surprising is just how much many of us love our pets. The survey showed that two-thirds are closer to their pets than their immediate family members. And well over half would give up date nights or vacations if their pets couldn't come with them.