QUICK TIPS

   WALKING IN PLACE:  During the commercial breaks in many programs on TV, a study found that those who followed this certain advice over the course of an hour of TV watching, walked an average of 25 minutes, burned 148 calories and roughly took 2,100 steps, which equaled to about a mile.

   BENEFITS OF EATING FISH:  You likely already know fish is good for your heart, brain, and waistline. Now a large study suggests that eating fish high in omego-3 fatty acids might help protect the colon, at least in women.  Those who said they ate an average of three servings of fish a week had a lower risk of polyps (abnormal growths in the colon) than women who ate less than one serving a week.  The finding didn’t apply to men.

   FOLLOWING NEWS:  A recent study of 959 Italian adults suggests that it might help in dieting.  Those who reported keeping up with the news via newspapers, magazines, TV, or online were more likely to eat a healthy Mediterranean-style diet than people with less media exposure.  The authors offered a possible explanation:  Italian media are focused on nutrition, exercise, and weight.  Italians might be getting a dose of healthy diet advice.

   USE COLOUR AT MEALS:  Eating food on plates of contrasting colour might help you cut portions according to a study of 60 adults at a college reunion.  Half ate the pasta with tomato sauce: the other half ate pasta with white cream sauce.  Participants put more pasta with tomato sauce on red plates than those who did on white plates, while people in the white sauce group put more on white plates than on red ones.

   FOR BLOOD PRESSURE BOTH ARMS MATTER:  A difference of 15 millimeters of mercury or more in the systolic (top) number between your left and right arms might indicate an increased risk of a stroke or death from heart disease, according to a recent review of 28 studies in the Lancet.  An even a 10 mmHg is linked to a higher risk of hardened leg arteries.

   ANTIDEPRESSANTS ARE LINKED TO FALLS:  Taking even a low dose of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) such as sertraline (Zoloft and generic), was linked to a higher rate of falls in a study of 248 nursing home residents with dementia in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.  Those taking an average dose had triple the risk of falls       

Compared with residents who didn’t take the drugs.