March 16 is National Kick Butts Day—a day for kids and teens to take a stand against smoking. According to national data, 95% of smokers began smoking before turning 21 and more than 11% of Latino adults are current smokers. How can you raise awareness? Join the movement today by sharing your story on social media using #IKickButts and check out the live gallery of leaders kicking ...
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A new study reveals that a whopping 60% of what we eat in the U.S. is considered "junk food" loaded with fat, salt, and sugar that we’re not supposed to eat, NBC Health reports. The study reports that this is evidence of why two-thirds of Americans and why 60% of Latinos in the U.S. are overweight or obese. "The most common ultra-processed foods in terms of energy contribution were breads, soft drinks, fruit drinks, and milk-based drinks; cakes, cookies, and pies; salty snacks; frozen and shelf-stable plates; pizza and breakfast cereals," Dr. Carlos Augusto Monteiro of the University of São Paulo and colleagues there, and at Tufts University in Boston, wrote in their report. The study found that just under 650 calories of the average 2,000 calorie-a-day-diet were from fruits ...
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A new study found that moderate-intensity dancing can lower a person's risk of dying from heart disease, which disproportionately affects Latinos, Reuters reports. The study included questions about frequency, duration, and intensity of dancing and walking over a four-week period. Only about 3,100 of the 48,000 people surveyed reported dancing of any intensity, and nearly two-thirds said they walked at any intensity. In the study's follow-up, heart disease had caused 1,714 deaths. People who reported moderate-intensity dancing and walking were less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who did not. “It is not surprising that moderate-intensity physical activity is protective against cardiovascular disease mortality,” lead author Dafna Merom of the University ...
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Latinas who eat more processed meat (about a strip of bacon a day) had almost double the risk of breast cancer than Latinas who ate little or no meats, according to a new study, the Sacramento Bee reports. The study, led by the University of Southern California (USC) and one of the few to explore Latinas' meat consumption, found that Latinas who consumed daily more than 20 mg of processed meats, like sausage, bacon, and lunch meat, were 42% more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than Latinas who consumed less. The researchers didn't find a similar difference among white women who ate more processed meat. Addressing causes for the higher cancer risk among Latinas was not part of the study. The authors and researchers were solely focused on exploring whether eating ...
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Caffeine is a daily part of life for many Americans. Almost 85% of the adult population drink at least one caffeinated beverage a day, according to data. Latinos drink the most—67% of all Latino adults drink at least one a day, NBC Latino reports. But how much caffeine is safe? March is National Caffeine Awareness Month, a good time to learn about this popular alkaloid commonly found in coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks, and now found in unexpected places such as ice creams and over-the-counter pain medicines. Caffeine, which acts as a stimulant on the central nervous system, is found naturally in over 60 plants, like coffee beans, tea leaves, and in cacao (the base for chocolate). It also can be produced synthetically. Moderate consumption has some positive ...
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Several Latinas are praising the health virtues of "going vegan" after formerly eating meat, according to a recent Miami Herald column. These include Carolina Quijada, vegan chef of LovinGreens, Jeanette Ruiz, who conducts the Planted in Miami podcast, and Desiree Rodriguez, a ricanvegan.com blogger. Although a plant-based diet is a break from typical Latino tradition, the column indicates that these Latinas chose that lifestyle to boost fitness, overcome sickness and hypoglycemia, and prevent cancer and heart disease. “I wish there was more awareness for [Latinos]," Rodriguez told Miami Herald columnist, Ellen Kanner, a vegan herself. "A lot have the same diseases my family has. It’s so common—I hear them comparing medications. I feel like going vegan is a simple ...
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On average, Americans are not getting enough sleep according to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study found that, on average, over 60% of Latinos ages 18 to 60 get the recommended hours of sleep compared to Whites (67%) and African Americans (54%). “As a nation we are not getting enough sleep,” said Dr. Wayne Giles, director of CDC’s Division of Population Health. According to the CDC, sleeping less than 7 hours each day is associated with an increased risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, and mental distress. “Lifestyle changes such as going to bed at the same time each night; rising at the same time each morning; and turning off or removing televisions, computers, mobile devices from the bedroom, can help ...
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Health disparities continue to plague Latinos, who often lag in many key health equity issues. Many organizations are taking aim to reduce these disparities. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released an update to their CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report that highlights U.S. programs that help reduce health disparities through “meaningful community and local health authority involvement” among different groups, including Latinos. “Reducing and eliminating health disparities is fundamental to building a healthier nation,” said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden. “With science-based and effective interventions, we can close health disparity gaps in America.” Eight programs were highlighted in the CDC’s supplement; they ...
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A new study reveals striking data on Latino millennials and their health, The Houston Chronicle reports. The Hispanic Millennial Project revealed that U.S. born Latino millennials describe health as being happy while foreign-born describe it as not being sick. "I was surprised by that," Beatriz Mallory, vice president of SensisHealth, a Los Angeles-based national advertising agency that works with healthcare providers, drug companies and insurers told The Houston Chronicle. "We've been making the wrong assumptions all these years, which can hamper any attempt to change behavior." Among other findings Latinos “as a whole were less vigilant than non-Hispanic whites in checking calorie counts in food. They were also less likely than other ethnic groups to see processed food as a ...
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