Diet Soda Linked to Depression

Used to relying on a cold soda for a daily pick-me-up? The long-term effects may not be so sunny.

A new National Institutes of Health study found that soda drinkers — particularly those who chose artifically sweetened diet sodas — were more likely to be diagnosed with depression than those who didn’t drink sweetened beverages

The study, lead by Dr. Honglei Chen, a member of the American Academy of Neurology, reports a 30% increased risk of depression in people who drink sweet carbonated beverages, with diet versions being the most problematic. 

The research team followed the drink consumption patterns of 265,000 men and women aged 50 to 71. Ten years into the study it was found that those who drank the equivalent of four or more cans of soft drink were 30 per cent more likely to experience depression than those who drank none, and the risk was much higher in those who preferred diet drinks. Interestingly, coffee consumption appeared to have the opposite effect. A four cups of coffee a day drinker was associated with a 10 per cent reduction in depression risk.

Dr. Honglei Chen concedes that the findings do not prove soft drinks cause depression, but “they are consistent with a small but growing body of evidence suggesting that artificially sweetened beverages may be associated with poor health.” Although the researchers suspect the link may be due to the artificial sweetener aspartame, they are as yet unable to identify the precise biological mechanism that might link aspartame to depression. By Jerry Kennard, Health Pro

Watch News Yorkers try to identify the healthiest treat from three Serve, Taste or Trash! Food Game choices bought at a convenience store. You might be surprised by the results.

Diabetes & Exercise? What real women living with diabetes have to say about blood sugars, marathons and motivation with Mr. Divabetic

TUNE IN: Free to Diabetes Roundtable podcast Inspired by Rihanna with guests: Neva White DNP, CRNP, CDE, Connie Frazier RD, CDE, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, author Elsie Spruill, poet Lorraine Brooks, hairstylist and makeup artist Charlene Wilson, Mama Rose Marie and Allison from Jersey City, NJ living with diabetes http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2013/01/08/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-rihanna

 ’Movie Girl Workouts’ with Mr. Divabetic and fitness expert, Katherine Adamenko

Experience Mr. Divabetic’s wellness with a wow programming in Tucson, AZ, Santa Clara, CA, Philadelphia, PA, Savannah, GA and Bethesda, MD in 2013. Get more details at www.divabetic.org

Workouts for Your Brain & Body

Neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s can ravage the human mind. Yet even for those of us who are mercifully spared the cognitive decline that comes with disease, the mere passage of time can render us less mentally fit than we once were. The good news, though, is that a number of highly respected sources say that a loss of lucidity and memory is not inevitable as our healthy brains age.

The Mayo Clinic has endorsed a regimen of physical and mental exercises to keep your gray matter in shape decade after decade. In a study done in 2012 the Mayo Clinic  showed that teaming computer use with moderate exercise produced a remarkable synergistic effect that appears to reduce the odds of experiencing memory loss. This protection held true even for people in their 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Since you’re reading this, we know you’re already a computer user so make sure you don’t skip your thrice-weekly walk or whatever else you’ve designated as your favorite way to get moving. Your brain will thank you for that!   Posted by Sandra Forsyth

Mr. Divabetic plays his nutrition game, Serve, Taste or Trash! with New Yorkers at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Central Park

TUNE IN: Free Diabetes ‘PINK FRIDAY’ Podcast Inspired by Nicki Minaj saluting Breast Cancer Survivors living with diabetes and  raising awareness for Domestic Violence with guests: Connie Frazier RD, CDE, Kathy Gold RN, CDE, Catherine Schuller, Connie Elder, Mama Rose Marie and Leola C., from Grand Rapids, MI living with type 1 diabetes http://ning.it/PUQy9B

See Mr. Divabetic’s nutrition game, Serve, Taste or Trash!  You must decide which one you’d serve, which one you’d taste and which one you’d trash.

Before you decide to “trash” a veggie for good, why not try to eat it raw? Raw veggies can be more appetizing than their cooked counterparts to people who aren’t crazy about vegetables. The flavors of raw veggies can be milder than those of cooked ones.

Meet Mr. Divabetic on his quest to glamorize good health at the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Expo in Pittsburgh, PA.

Why A Diva Attitude is Really Good for You!

Attitude really is everything. GLAM MORE, FEAR LESS!

A new study shows that having a healthy, “can-do” attitude is linked with good-for-you lifestyle choices like healthy eating, exercising and abstaining from smoking.

“Understanding the psychological underpinning of a person’s eating patterns and exercise habits is central to understanding obesity,” study researcher Deborah Cobb-Clark, director of the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, said in a statement.

The study included information from 3,412 men and 3,901 women between ages 15 and 69 who were part of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey between 2003 and 2010.

The researchers found a strong correlation between a person’s take-charge outlook on life — whether they thought they had control over their own life outcomes — and actually living the healthier lifestyle, compared with people who perceived life as more “up to fate.”

They also found that men and women had different perceptions on what it means to be healthy: men were more likely in the study to want to see a physical result of their healthy lifestyle, whereas women were more likely to just enjoy the everyday benefits of living healthily.

The study was released as a “discussion paper” and has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed study; therefore, its findings should be considered preliminary.

Every little thing that could promote a healthy lifestyle — even if it is just attitude! — adds up. A recent study in the British Medical Journal showed healthy habits (exercising, eating right, not smoking) pay off even in elderly age. Karolinska Institute researchers were able to show these activities were linked with five extra years of lifeamong elderly women, and six extra years of life among elderly men.

Another study in the journal Aging showed that having a positive attitude (not to mention a good sense of humor, and low levels of neuroticism) was a shared character trait among centenarians – suggesting that these could be vital factors to living a long life, ABC News reported.

What are you waiting for? Now’s the time to join Divabetic on facebook and get your daily dose of diva attitude each and everyday.

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic rolls out the red tomato carpet at NY Fashion Week with a behind the scenes look at hat designer, Evetta Petty‘s Spring 2013 Hat Collection.

Register now for ’Divabetic – Makeover Your Diabetes’ - our largest free diabetes outreach event of the year promoting a diva attitude for living well with diabetes scheduled for Saturday, October 13, 2012 in Philadelphia, PA.

‘Divabetic – Makeover Your Diabetes’, mixes free beauty and fashion services, a Plus Size fashion show and music with interactive diabetes education in a fun, comfortable setting to broaden the appeal of diabetes educational outreach for women. Our goal is to make every woman feel more beautiful inside and out through the help of a team of certified diabetes educators, registered dietitians, and beauty and fashion experts.

Saturday, October 13, 2012, 11 AM – 4 PM

Jefferson Alumni Hall , First Floor Eakins Lounge 10th and Locust Streets

Philadelphia, PA 19107

FREE ADMISSION

Register: 1-800-JEFF-NOW

BORED BY DIABETES EDUCATION? Check out our Free Diabetes Podcast inspired by Taylor Swift featuring a frank, fashion forward discussion on a the shocking diet trend called ‘diabulimia’ that has young women living with type 1 diabetes skipping or shortchanging their insulin to lose weight and risk a coma and an early death.  Plus, we’re learning healthy ways to eat BBQ, playing games and hearing more great ‘diagnosis to DIVA’ stories http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2012/09/11/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-mystery-diva

Look who’s on the red tomato carpet with Mr. Divabetic at Plus Night Out -NYC

Meet Mr. Divabetic on his quest to glamorize good health at Divabetic – Makeover Your Diabetes outreach event in Philadelphia, PA, the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Expo in Pittsburgh, PA  and the Taking Control Of Your Diabetes Conferences & Health Fairs in San Diego, CA and Austin, TX.

For sponsorship opportunities and upcoming outreach event details visit:  www.divabetic.org and Divabetic’s Facebook’s Group and Fan pages.

Are Strawberries Better Than Prozac For Fighting Depression?

Strawberries are tasty and totally powerful in benefiting your overall health from your head to your heart.

But can eating strawberries make a cloudy day seem sunny?

Women who eat about two servings of strawberries a week experienced less mental decline over time, research published in the Annals of Neurology found. In the study, researchers reviewed data from 16,010 women over age 70. Those with the highest berry intake postponed cognitive decline by about two and a half years. “We think that the effect might be related to a class of compounds called anthocyanidins, which is a type of flavonoid,” explains study author Elizabeth Devore, ScD, an associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “These compounds, found almost exclusively in berries, are known to cross the blood-brain barrier and locate in learning and memory centers in the brain.”

What makes strawberries and other berries so special is their high levels of phytochemicals — those naturally occurring nutrients that help protect cells from damage, says registered dietitian Nancy Copperman, MS, RD, CDN, director of public health initiatives for the Office of Community Health at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Great Neck, N.Y.

What fruits are you eating this summer? The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic talks to everyday people about their healthy appetites at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA.

Meet Mr. Divabetic on the red TOMATO carpet at the American Diabetes Association Expo in Pittsburgh, PA and New York, NY and the Taking Control Of Your Diabetes Conference in Austin, TX in Fall 2012. For more glitter, games and glucose advice visit: http://www.divabetic.org

LISTEN NOW: Free Diabetes Podcast Inspired by Katy Perry  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2012/07/10/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-katy-perry

Most Prescription Painkiller Abusers Get Drugs from Family Or Friends

More than 70 percent of people who abuse prescription pain relievers obtain the drugs from friends or relatives, usually with permission and for free, according to a new government study.

The study, based on data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, underscores the public education challenge that law enforcement officials face in persuading legitimate prescription drug users to dispose of their medications properly before they fall into the wrong hands.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has cracked down pharmaceutical abuse by targeting distributors and pharmacies. The agency is due to begin an administrative hearing on Wednesday in the case of two CVS Caremark Corp. stores suspected of selling the painkiller oxycodone outside legitimate channels in Florida, the center of the growing epidemic.

“At the end of the day, our strongest tool is vigilance among everyone with access to a medicine cabinet,” said Gil Kerlikowske, chief of the White House’s anti-drug campaign, in a statement accompanying the study’s results.

The administration is working on new regulations to make it easier for people and institutions to dispose of unused prescription drugs under legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama in October 2010.

The illicit use of legal medications poses a huge public health and safety problem in the United States, where overdose deaths from their use has surpassed older street narcotics such as heroine and cocaine.

The DEA estimates that 7 million Americans abuse pharmaceuticals, leading to a 346 percent spike in overdose deaths from oxycodone alone from 2005 to 2010.

The trend is responsible for 11 deaths per day, on average, from oxycodone, methadone, hydrocodone, benzodiazepines and morphine, federal officials say. Prescription drug abusers include an estimated one in seven teenagers.

The latest study shows that 55 percent of prescription pain killer abusers got the drugs from a family or friends for free, while 11 percent bought them from the same sources and 5 percent took them without asking. Reliance on friends and relatives is highest among new and occasional abusers.

About 25 percent of those who rank as chronic abusers of pain relievers get their drugs from doctors, while a slightly larger number buy them from dealers, over the Internet or from friends and relatives.

Among the chronic abusers, 41 percent obtain pills for free or without asking from friends and relatives.

All told, the study showed that about 2 percent of the U.S. population aged 12 and older has abused a prescription pain killer within the past 30 days.

The data, from 2009 and 2010, was released ahead of DEA-sponsored public education events scheduled for Saturday at more than 5,000 collection sites under the banner, “National Take Back Day.”