Governments could boost the consumption of healthy food by making it cheaper, as well as requiring that unhealthier food be more expensive, a new review suggests.
The findings are based on an analysis of 30 studies. Eleven studies looked at what happened when unhealthier foods were taxed. Nineteen studies explored what people choose to eat when subsidies lowered the price of healthier food. The collection of studies found that food prices really do matter.
“Our results show how 10 percent to 50 percent changes in price of foods and beverages at checkout could influence consumers’ purchasing behaviors over a relatively short period of time,” said study co-first author Ashkan Afshin, a former postdoctoral fellow at Tufts University in Boston. He is now at the University of Washington.
Researchers found that consumption of produce jumped by 14 percent for each 10 percent drop in price. A similar increase in consumption occurred when other healthier foods became cheaper. People also became slightly thinner when produce prices went down, the review reported. On the flip side, a 10 percent price increase in sugar-sweetened beverages and unhealthier fast food translated to decreases in consumption by 7 percent and 3 percent, respectively.
“The global food system is causing a staggering toll on human health. And this is very costly, both in terms of real health care expenses and lost productivity,” said study senior author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts.
“Our findings suggest that subsidies and taxes are a highly effective tool for normalizing the price of foods toward their true societal costs. This will not only prevent disease but also reduce spiraling healthcare costs, which are causing tremendous strain on both private businesses and government budgets,” Mozaffarian said said in a Tufts news release.
The study was published March 1 in the journal PLOS One.
News stories are written and provided by HealthDay and do not reflect federal policy, the views of MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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Additional Topics: Weight Loss Eases Back Pain
Back pain and symptoms of sciatica can affect a majority of the population throughout their lifetime. Research studies have demonstrated that people who are overweight or obese experience more back complications than people with a healthy weight. A proper nutrition along with regular physical fitness can help with weight loss as well as help maintain a healthy weight to eliminate symptoms of back pain and sciatica. Chiropractic care is also another natural form of treatment which treats back pain and sciatica utilizing manual spinal adjustments and manipulations.
With your Easter feast or Passover repast just around the corner, we’ve asked top nutritionists and dietitians for suggestions on how to make these holiday meals healthier.
“Passover and Easter mark the start of the spring season,” Leah Kaufman, a New York City-based nutritionist tells Newsmax Health. “They traditionally symbolize ‘Rebirth’ and ‘Rejuvenation.’ What better time to think about your diet and health goals than right now, at the beginning of a new season?”
Kaufman notes that both Passover and Easter bring families and friends together for holiday meals that often feature traditional foods that may not be healthy choices.
“Creating healthy meals and snacks even when serving traditional foods can be a creative challenge,” she notes. “Many times these foods may not align with your nutritional goals, but by making simple adjustments, you can continue to eat your favorite holiday foods and not compromise your health.”
For example, Easter is one of the biggest times of the year for ham, market statistics show. But, buyer beware: Many store-bought hams are chock full of sodium and other unhealthy ingredients.
In fact, a single four-ounce portion of the most popular brands contains a whopping 1,700 grams of sodium. That’s 85 percent of the recommended daily intake.
Prepared hams also contain sodium nitrite, a potential carcinogen — as well as sodium phosphate to keep the meat moist, corn syrup, and dextrose, a simple sugar used as a sweetener.
“The takeaway message is that if you don’t want a lot of sodium and preservative as well as extra sugar in your ham, you may want to make your own from scratch or try a healthier main dish such as salmon,” Tara Gidus, an Orlando-based dietician tells Newsmax Health. “That way you’ll be reaping the nutritional benefits of high quality, complete protein with omega-3 fatty acids and important essential vitamins.”
Kaufman suggests another popular Easter favorite may be a better choice: Roast a leg of lamb.
“You’ll still get a lean protein, but without the extra salt and preservatives,” she suggests.
Amy Shapiro, founder of Real Nutrition NYC, tells Newsmax Health that the same caveat applies to a Passover favorite meat: Brisket.
“Lean meats like ham and brisket are great sources of iron, protein and your B vitamins, but be cautious on how they are prepared,” she says. “Brisket can tend to be cooked in heavy sauces which may contain a large amount of salt and sugar.”
On the other hand, eggs are a traditional part of both Passover and Easter — and are a nutritional powerhouse, notes Shapiro.
“Everyone loves a good Easter egg hunt,” she says. “And eggs are great from a nutritional standpoint because they provide a low fat source of protein and contain many vitamins in their whites. For Passover, have an egg to start during the Seder and it will help satisfy your hunger so that you won’t over indulge in heavier fare later in the meal.”
Easter eggs made with dark chocolate provide a sweet treat after the meal that also provides heart-healthy antioxidants.
Matzo bread is a Passover staple for the eight days Jews need to eat “Kosher Passover” food. Although it appears to be a simple cracker, matzo actually contains as many calories and carbs as a normal piece of bread, says Shapiro.
“Try to find a whole wheat brand to increase the nutritional value,” she suggests.
Potatoes are also an important part of traditional Easter meals, says Gidus.
“No Easter brunch is complete without a nice side dish of breakfast potatoes or a hash brown casserole,” she notes. “Potatoes are naturally fat free and surprisingly low in calories if you don’t smother them with high fat sauces.
“White potatoes have more potassium than a banana and contain vitamin C and fiber. Russet potatoes are high on the antioxidant vegetable list and have resistant starch, giving you lasting energy.”
Haroset is a delicious sweet side dish in the Passover meal, typically made with raisins, honey, apples, nuts, cinnamon, and wine.
“This is a great way to eat something sweet without going for candy, cake and ice cream,” notes Shapiro. “But it can have a lot of sugar, so don’t go overboard!”
Gidus recommends adding lots of roasted vegetable side dishes to offer low-calorie options to holiday meals. Asparagus and carrots are excellent, colorful choices.
“Asparagus is an excellent spring vegetable to use in salads or as a side dish,” she says. “Carrots can be also used to make a wonderful carrot cake or carrot muffins to serve as a healthy dessert. You’ll get the benefits of beta carotene, fiber, potassium and iron.”
Kaufman offers this final piece of advice:
“Overall, the holidays are a time to spend with family and friends. Focus on the company you are with rather than the next meal you’ll eat. By engaging in conversation, you’ll decrease the likelihood of over eating.”
MARICOPA, ARIZ. � The UTEP women�s golf team is in eighth place through 36 holes at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic on Thursday in Maricopa, Ariz.
The Miners shot rounds of 300 and 305 for a total of 605. �UC Irvine leads the 18-team field (296-290-586), with Sacramento State in second (291-297-588). �UC Riverside (292-298-590) and Nevada (292-298-590) are tied for third place.
The Miners sent a total of seven players to the tournament. �Lily Downs is tied for seventh place with a one-over-par 145 (72-73). �She is�three strokes back of individual leaders�Julia Becker of Sacramento State (69-73-142) and�Jakeishya Le of UC Riverside (69-73-142).
June Ting is tied for 32nd place (76-76-152),�Alisa Rodriguez is tied for 44th place (78-76-154),�Sofia Castiello�is tied for�55th place (76-80-156),�Abbie Anghelescu is tied for�70th place (76-82-158),�Patricia Rico-Avello is tied for�76th place (81-79-160) and�Crystal Wu is tied for 83rd place (78-84-162).
The tournament wraps up on Friday with 18 more holes.
The UTEP women�s tennis team will host its first and only conference match when the Miners face UTSA (9-8 overall, 0-1 conference) on Sunday, April 9 at the El Paso Tennis and Swim Club. First serve against the Roadrunners is 11 a.m.
The Miners (4-11 overall, 0-0 conference) are coming off a loss to New Mexico on March 24 and will get their first taste of league competition as they continue to prepare for the C-USA Championships later this month.
The Miners are one of only three teams (Charlotte, Southern Miss) that have not played a conference match to date.
Defending the home court for the Miners will be Milou Pietersz, Lois Wagenvoort, Daphne Visscher, Raven Bennett and Maria Paula Medina.
Bennett is on a four-match win streak and has garnered a 5-4 dual match record. The sophomore has teamed with Daphne Visscher at the No. 2 spot in doubles for a 7-6 dual match record, including a dominating 6-1 victory against Iowa State.
The Roadrunners will have played only one match in the past 20 days before meeting NM State on Friday and the Miners on Sunday. UTSA was edged by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4-3 last Wednesday.
Rice is the only conference foe the Runners have faced, which resulted in a 6-1 loss to the No. 39 Owls. The Runners are paced by senior Miriam Rosell Canudas, who slipped into the top 100 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings at No. 99. The Torello, Spain, native has kept a flawless record at 17-0 in dual-match singles play. In doubles action, Lina Hallgren and Charleen Tiwari lead the team with a 10-4 record at the No. 3 spot.
UTEP and UTSA have split their 18 contests against each other, with the Miners grabbing the win 4-1 last year in San Antonio.
Admission is free and fans are asked to wear white to �white out� the tennis club. Rally towels will be given to each spectator.
The UTEP softball team will continue Conference USA action as it hosts WKU April 8-9 at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex.
The Miners and Hilltoppers will compete for the first time ever in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.on Saturday. Sunday�s contest has been changed to a noon start.
Tickets are $3 for kids and $5 for adults, while �Bark in the Park� is the weekend theme.
The Miners (10-26, 4-8 C-USA) are tied with Southern Miss (4-8) and UTSA (4-8) in the West Division, while the Hilltoppers (20-20, 4-8) stands in fifth place in the East Division. WKU is one game up on Middle Tennessee (3-9) and a game behind Charlotte (5-7).
UTEP will play all league games from here on out, which includes trips to LA Tech (April 14-15) and UAB (April 29-30). The Miners will end the regular season hosting Florida Atlantic (May 6-7).
The C-USA Tournament will be held in Hattiesburg (Southern Miss) May 10-13 as the top eight programs will advance to the postseason to play for an automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
LAST WEEK
UTEP took a three-day road to San Antonio April 1-3 to play at league foe UTSA, while playing its final nonconference contests at Incarnate Word. The Miners forged a 2-3 record during the weekend in East Texas, which included an epic game two, 7-6, victory in 10 innings at UTSA and a run-rule, 11-3 (5), win in game two against UIW.
Against the Roadrunners in game two, the Miners were down 3-0 after four innings before Cortney Smith connected on her seventh home run in the fifth frame � a solo shot over right center. UTEP took a 4-3 lead it the sixth as Smith tallied her second RBI of the contest on a single to left and Kiki Pepi connected on a two-run single to right.
The Roadrunners tied the score in the bottom half and the two teams traded runs in the innings eight and nine before Pepi came up with a solo blast down the left line for the go-ahead lead in the 10th. Sargent gave the Miners a 5-4 lead in the eighth, while Clayton homered in the ninth for a 6-5 advantage. Kaitlin Fifield threw all 10.0 frames (career high) to earn her first win of the season. UTEP fell in game one, 8-1, while UTSA rallied from 5-3 down to win 8-5 during Sunday�s series finale.
At Incarnate Word, UTEP rebounded from a 5-2 loss in game one to storm back with a 11-3 victory in 5.0 innings. Kaitlin Ryder blasted a career-high two dingers on a 3-for-4 performance with four RBI. Taylor Grohmann won her first game of 2017, throwing a complete game with no earned runs.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. WKU
The two programs will meet for the first time ever on Saturday.
SCOUTING WKU
The Hilltoppers are currently at an even 20-20 record, while tallying a 4-8 conference record. WKU started off its conference run with sweeping Middle Tennessee but falling short to FAU, Marshall and UAB. WKU leads Conference USA with 32 home runs, but is hitting a .203 as a team to rank last in C-USA.
The Hilltoppers lead the conference in hit by pitch (60) and leads the way by striking out 237 times to leads the league. WKU has scored 144 runs, ranking tied ninth in C-USA. Jordan Mauch is shining through in the lineup with a .289 average, 18 RBI and a team-best 10 home runs.
Brittany Vaughn (.271) leads the team with 24 RBI, while ranking second with six dingers. Kara Brewer (.226) leads the team with nine stolen bases. Adriana Gray (.176) has hit five home runs with 18 RBI. On the defensive side of the game, the Hilltopper pitchers are recording a 3.15 ERA as a staff, ranking in the middle of the pack in conference. Kathryn Downing (11-7) has won the most games and has kept her ERA down to a staff-leading 2.09 and striking out 75 batters.
EXTRA INNING AFFAIRS
UTEP played in an epic 10-inning contest in game two at UTSA � in which the Miners won 7-6 over the Roadrunners. It was the longest game since playing 11 frames at Florida Atlantic on April 19, 2014. The April 1 contest at UTSA is tied for fourth longest in UTEP history. The most innings played was a 13-inning battle on May 7, 2009 against East Carolina at the Conference USA Tournament in El Paso with UTEP coming out on top 4-3.
The Miners have played 11 innings twice in program history, as the second was on April 7, 2013 at UCF. UTEP and Southern Miss went 10 frames on April 16, 2011, while another 10-inning contest was played on March 20, 2007 against no. 5 Arizona State � an 8-7 Miners� victory. UTEP is 3-3 all-time in games that go 10-plus innings.
#TURNUP
UTEP turned six more double plays in San Antonio this past weekend � five at UTSA and another at Incarnate Word. The Miners have turned 22 double plays to lead Conference USA and rank tied no. 4 nationally. UTEP also ranks no. 9 nationally in double plays turned per game (.61). Auburn leads the nation with 28 double plays turned and turned per game (.78).
Courtney Clayton ranks third in C-USA in fielding double plays with 11, while Cortney Smith (nine) and Taylor Sargent (nine) rank tied sixth.
BAT WOMEN
UTEP ranks third in Conference USA with its .301 batting average is one of four league programs hitting .300 or better. Marshall (.322), UTSA (.312) and Charlotte (.300) are the other three teams. Nationally, UTEP ranks no. 55 as no. 1 Florida State leads the nation in hitting (.367).
UTEP RANKINGS IN C-USA ONLY GAMES
The Miners rank second in batting average (.316) and hits (109) in Conference USA games only, behind UTSA (.329 & 114 hits). UTEP ranks second in slugging (.447) and RBI (54), tied second in runs scored (54), third in doubles (14) and total bases (143), and fourth in on-base percentage (.369).
5 IN THE TOP 25
UTEP has five players ranked in the top 25 in Conference USA in batting. Kaitlin Ryder (.365) ranks 13th,Cortney Smith (.354) ranks 14th, Kiki Pepi (.349) and Courtney Clayton (.346) ranks no. 17 and 18, andTaylor Sargent (.316) ranks 24th. UTEP has the most players in the top 25, while UTSA has four players. Charlotte, FIU, Marshall and North Texas each have three, and Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee has two each.
The UTEP football team�s non-conference game against Arizona has been moved from Saturday, Sept. 16 to Friday, Sept. 15 and will be nationally televised on ESPN.� Conference USA�s first wave of national TV selections were announced on Thursday.
It marks only the second ESPN telecast of a UTEP football home game in the Sun Bowl.� The first was on Oct. 21, 2009 against Tulsa, a game the Miners won 28-24.
The Miners and the Wildcats will kick off at 8:15 p.m. MT in the Sun Bowl.
�We�re excited about showcasing our beautiful stadium and great fans before a national television audience on ESPN,� UTEP coach Sean Kugler said.� �It should be an electric night in the Sun Bowl.�
The last time the Miners appeared on ESPN was on Dec. 20, 2014 versus Utah State in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.
Additional Conference USA football television exposures through other league television partners, as well as select non-conference road games that will air on other conferences television packages will be released as soon as they are finalized.
Ergonomics is a scientific discipline that’s been in existence for many years. Keeping their work environments safe and efficient and traditionally concerned with factory workers, ergonomic professionals have expanded their work to include all types of workers from laborers to seniors to office workers & students.
In addition, it looks for means to adjust our environment to lower the risks of illness and harm, enhance productivity, and improve the caliber of our work life.
Contents
The Goals of Ergonomics
The profession of ergonomics has two main concentrations (which frequently overlap):
1. Industrial ergonomics – occasionally called work-related biomechanics – is concerned with the physical aspects of work including force, position, and repetitive movements.
2. Human factors ergonomics looks as the psychological features of work like mental anxiety and decision-making.
The aims of ergonomics contain the following:
Reduce work-related injury and illness
Help include workers’ compensation costs for companies
Enhance the standard of work
Reduce absenteeism
Help companies comply with government regulations regarding work surroundings
Ergonomics professionals include:
Engineers
Security professionals
Industrial hygienists
Physical therapists
Occupational therapists
Nurse practitioners
Chiropractors
Occupational doctors
How Ergonomics Enhances Work & Safety
The association between work injury and illness is old. It is even believed that Ancient Man concerned himself with developing the right tools that allowed for the efficiency and least amount�of distress.
Now, we continue to look for ways to boost the relationship between our “tools” and�our jobs. One means to do that is to look at the risk factors in the workplace. These are able to be divided into 3 areas: physical characteristics, environmental features, and workplace hazards.
1. Physical Characteristics Of Work:
Bearing
Drive
Repetition
Duration
Recovery time
Velocity/acceleration
Heavy exertion that is dynamic
2. Segmental Vibration Environmental Characteristics Of Work:
Proponents of specific food class-centric diets such as paleo, vegan, gluten-free, ketogenic, or the Mediterranean diet often but not always tend to prescribe their plans for everyone. Not so fast, says a group from the University of California, Berkeley. Biologists at UC Berkeley and other institutions around the world have published research that shows genetic differences from natural selection based on dietary changes in Europe, Ars Technica reports.
According to the research, for example, if you live in Europe, and particularly in southern Europe, your body is optimized to digest and process plant-based diets. Natives of Greenland, specifically the Inuit, are better at processing meat fat.
The researchers compared genomes from hundreds of contemporary humans and 101 genome sequences from Bronze Age humans who lived in Europe 5,000 years ago. They found DNA changed significantly in the last 5,000 years.
The science behind the studies is based on examining two genes that regulate how fatty acids in foods are converted into the �long-chain� form used by humans for tissue health, including the brain and muscles. Plants such as wheat and vegetables�provide �short-chain� fatty acids and must be converted to the long-form type in order for the human body to use them.
In its genome studies, the researchers found that southern European genomes mutated to produce more long-chain fatty acids from the shorter variation. This change, they argue, is due to evolutionary �pressure��from a diet that changed to accommodate more plant-based foods.�The Inuit genome, however, had no such influence, which means Inuit genes�aren�t equipped to convert as great a quantity of long-chain fatty acids because they don�t as much need it.
The general take on this research: There is no one best diet or nutritional bias for all people. If your ancestors are all from the 10 countries that make up northern Europe, for example, the study indicates you could be more likely better equipped to thrive on a diet having a higher proportion of meat. People of southern European ancestry, however, might do better with diets that lean toward plant-based foods.
We can deny it until the mad cows come home, but we start deteriorating even before middle age. It�s not going to get better and we�re not going to start remembering where our keys are. The good news is that a healthy diet, akin to the famous Mediterranean one, can significantly protect our memory performance, say Canadian scientists who helpfully published a Brain Health Food Guide to help adults over 50 preserve their thinking and memory skills.
While about it: Dietary patterns similar to the Brain Health Food Guide are associated with a 36 percent decrease in the risk of developing Alzheimer�s disease, the scientists add.
No, there is no such thing as a superfood for superlative memory. The brain diet is less about specifics and more about generally eating healthy, focusing on classes of foods, explains the team from Baycrest�s Rotman Research Institute.
Legumes are key. Green beans don�t count in that category, though they do count as a vegetable, so they�re good. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts are good too.
And: Eat fish, beans, beans, beans and nuts several times a week, and choose healthy fats from olive oil, nuts and fish. Did we say beans? Add the legumes to everything but your vanilla shake.
Eat lots of berries, and yes, strawberries do count in that context, Dr. Carol Greenwood�reassures Haaretz. That is fortunate because Israel doesn�t really have many other berry types. (Mulberries are endemic but never did catch on here culinarily.)
While the recommendations were penned for Canadians, they apply to everybody, Greenwood also reassures.
�Our work was, in part, to address the �holy grail� that the Mediterranean diet has in Canada � it is absolutely a healthy diet, but does not necessarily meet the cultural needs of all individuals,� she wrote in an email interview.��Rather, we position the Mediterranean diet as one example of a brain healthy diet, but argue that there are fundamental principles which can be adopted across all cultures and ethnic groups.�
She also wanted to debunk the reams of misinformation out there about �brain food,��says Greenwood, co-author of the Brain Health Food Guide. �In Canada, there are lots of claims around supplements and individual foods, where there really is no data to support the claims.�
Go Gentle Into That Good Ice Cream
It�s hard to pinpoint �brain foods.� By the same token, removing a single component from the diet � such as sugar or wheat � isn�t going to solve the problem of a deteriorating memory, Greenwood believes. �The answer will never be as easy as pointing to an individual food which is either harmful or helpful � it is the global qualities of the diet which are important.�This cannot be packaged into an individual pill/supplement or individual food.�
That said, she elaborates, there is a general consensus that diets and lifestyles that lead to the development of insulin resistance and other chronic disorders, such as hypertension, will contribute to poor cognitive retention and increased dementia risk.
What causes insulin resistance? Foods in that category include highly processed offerings, especially foods with lots of refined sugars. Steak and other red meat are in this category too, she says.
�I think the important message is that we need to limit our intakes of these foods and not promote abstinence � making something a �forbidden fruit� only makes people crave it more and we don�t have the evidence to argue that small quantities are harmful,� Greenwood says. �You can still enjoy a small scoop of ice cream on special occasions as long as you don�t make it a daily item or eat the entire container at once.�
Do Or Dash
The Baycrest recommendations draw primarily on two randomized control trials, a Spanish one using a diet intervention based on the Mediterranean diet, and a U.S. trial using a diet intervention based on the �DASH� diet, which is a long-term approach to healthy eating designed to help prevent or treat high blood pressure.
The team set out to see where these two dietary approaches overlapped (for instance, legumes) and diverged (the Mediterranean diet places much more emphasis on fish), to form the basis of the dietary intervention.
Fats were a puzzler. �There is no consensus across the epidemiological studies as to the negative contribution of a high-fat diet per se, rather the consensus is across fat quality � hence these recommendations focus more on fat quality rather than quantity,� Greenwood explains.�And finally, data across a number of different international epidemiological studies was also used to inform the recommendation, Greenwood told Haaretz.
Apropos fats, fatty fish are generally considered to be best for the brain diet because of the high content of omega fats. �In Canada, the intake of fish is so low, that getting individuals to consume any type of fish is better than consuming no fish at all.�This may not be the case in Israel,� Greenwood says, and she�s right � Israelis eat a lot of fish.� �For instance, in the Spanish study, it was difficult to show benefits of meeting our recommendation for fish intake simply because most individuals were already naturally consuming relatively high levels of fish in their diet before entering the study.� And so it is in Israel too.
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