Monday, September 08, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

MEDICAL NOTEBOOK: Joelle Babula

Watch portions at meals

The national obesity epidemic can be blamed, in part, on gigantic portion sizes. The Mayo Clinic offers the following guide to portion sizes to help Americans lose weight:

• A medium apple or orange is about the size of a tennis ball.

• A potato should be the size of a computer mouse.

• An average bagel should resemble the size of a hockey puck.

• A cup of fruit is the size of a baseball.

• A serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards.

• A serving of grilled fish is the size of a checkbook.

• A serving of cheese is the size of four dice.

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Men and women who have more than two children have an increased risk for heart disease, according to a new study in a recent issue of Circulation.

Researchers studied more than 4,000 men and women between the ages of 60 and 79. They found that the risk for coronary artery disease was lowest among people who had two children compared with those who have larger families. For women, the risk of heart disease increased by 30 percent with each additional child. For men, the disease risk increased by 12 percent for each additional child.

Those who had more than two children also were more likely to be overweight, which may contribute to the increased risk for heart problems.

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Children from poor families are more likely to be bed-wetters and have behavioral problems than children from wealthier homes, according to a new study from the Center for the Advancement of Health.

Researchers compared 154 children ages 6 to 12 with bed-wetting problems to another group of nonbed-wetters. Children in the bed-wetting group had significantly more behavioral problems. They also were more likely to be from families with a low socioeconomic status.

Almost 39 percent of the bed-wetters came from poor families, while 23 percent of the nonbed-wetters were in the low socioeconomic group.

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People who regularly snack on nuts are less likely to experience sudden cardiac arrest than those who don't include nuts in their diets, according to a study involving 22,000 physicians.

Those who ate nuts at least twice a week experienced the heart-healthy benefits many nuts provide, according to researchers.

Eating nuts may reduce fatal heart rhythm problems because nuts, particularly walnuts, produce the same fatty acids in the body that heart-healthy fish oils provide. Nuts also have specific amino acids that can help protect the heart. Heart-healthy nuts include almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, peanuts and walnuts.

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Americans who regularly skip breakfast are 4.5 times more likely to be fat than those who eat every morning, according to new research. In fact, those who eat four or more meals each day tend to be slimmer.

Research also found that those who eat late and go straight to bed aren't any fatter than those who eat earlier. What counts most, researchers say, is how often and how much you eat during the day.