The Easiest Way to Prevent Red Wine-Stained Teeth

Photo: Gettym

After stumbling home from a summer happy hour, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and was immediately horrified. The four glasses of red wine I drank turned my teeth a burgundy red, it was a disaster. I brushed and brushed, but the damage was done. Everyone I had interacted with that night had seen my wine-stained teeth—so embarrassing. What’s a red-wine obsessed girl to do? Am I supposed to order vodka sodas on dates? Drink beer at the office holiday party? Have white wine on a cold winter’s night? In the wise and timeless words of Cher Horowitz “I don’t think so.” In honor of my love of red wine, I’ve made it my mission to find the best tricks to keeping my teeth their utmost white, while still enjoying my glass of Cabernet.

According to New York City Cosmetic Dentist, Lauren Becker, the best way to avoid a red smile is to make sure your teeth are plaque free. “Routine cleanings at your dentist office in conjunction with brushing and flossing (best with an electric toothbrush, twice a day) are surefire ways to keep your teeth sparkling, no matter what you drink or eat. When you know you’ll be drinking red wine, try to brush no more than an hour before indulging. Brushing too close to drinking wine can alter the taste (think: OJ in the morning after brushing!), but brushing too soon afterwards can cause the acidic wine to penetrate the pores in your teeth and can actually erode the enamel,” Dr. Becker advised.

Naturally, I immediately went out and bought an electric toothbrush, the ISSA Mini ($119; net-a-porter.com), and one hour before drinking I brushed. Then, in the name of research, I split a bottle of Cabernet with my roommate. A few hours later, I looked in the mirror and noticed that my teeth were still white—the red wine hadn’t stained them the way it did before.

I decided to also test some hacks for when brushing before or after isn’t a possibility. Here’s what I found:

Drink sparkling water.

I used this trick on a first date and made sure to order a glass of Pinot noir AND a sparkling water. I may have aggressively swished the sparkling water around like mouthwash at first, but I’m happy to say this trick worked. The hardest part is remembering to drink the sparkling water the whole time, but if you do, this can also help avoid a red-wine hangover.

Drink wine out of a straw.

This idea comes courtesy of the Real Housewives. I chose to test this on my couch and found that while using a straw worked, I felt a little ridiculous drinking this way. I would say this is one of the least practical hacks, but could be useful during a pregame with close friends or a night in with a significant other who promises to love you no matter how you look.

Suck on a lime after drinking wine.

While effective in removing wine stains, I’m not sure this should be your new go -to. According to Dr. Becker, “Limes, like wine, are also very acidic and can erode away the outer enamel layer of your teeth. Definitely a DON’T!”

Pairing wine with cheese.

This hardly felt like a trick since wine and cheese are a dream team, but eating cheese while drinking red wine actually did help to prevent stains. Dr. Becker explains how cheese is even more beneficial than just keeping teeth white, “Cheese is high in calcium (especially the harder ones) and calcium helps strengthen the teeth. It also helps heal the pores of the tooth because of its waxy consistency, and can act as a defense barrier from the red wine staining.” Proving just how perfect wine and cheese truly are together.

Wine teeth wipes.

These convenient little wipes are magical. They come in a little pack that can fit easily into a purse—perfect for dating scenarios or special occasions. Dr. Becker says to watch out though; these wipes can be a bit abrasive. Sometimes even a cocktail napkin can get the job done in a bind. (Wine Wipes, $8; amazon.com)

 

This article originally appeared on MIMIchatter.com.

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New Diabetes Cases Among Americans Drop for First Time in Decades: CDC

TUESDAY, Dec. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In a sign that Americans may finally be turning the corner in the fight against diabetes — and possibly obesity — federal health statistics released Tuesday show that the number of new cases of diabetes has dropped for the first time in decades.

The decline wasn’t sudden or dramatic. But, the number of new diabetes cases went from 1.7 million in 2009 to 1.4 million in 2014, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It seems pretty clear that incidence rates have now actually started to drop. Initially it was a little surprising because I had become so used to seeing increases everywhere we looked,” CDC researcher Edward Gregg told The New York Times.

The proportion of Americans with diabetes is still twice what it was in the early 1990s. And not every racial group has made strides against the blood sugar disease, which is often triggered by obesity and lack of exercise.

Also, another report released Tuesday at the World Diabetes Congress in Vancouver, Canada, shows that the United States still has the highest diabetes rate among 38 developed nations.

However, the CDC report offers some encouraging indications that Americans may finally be adopting healthier lifestyles.

For example, fewer whites are now being diagnosed with diabetes — typically type 2 diabetes, by far the most common form of the disease. But, blacks and Hispanics haven’t seen significant declines in diagnoses even though a downward trend is starting to emerge, the CDC report showed.

Educated Americans also have seen improvements in diabetes diagnoses, while the less educated have only seen a flattening in the number of new cases, the report found.

“It’s not yet time to have a parade,” Dr. David Nathan, director of the Diabetes Center and Clinical Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, told the Times. But, “it has finally entered into the consciousness of our population that the sedentary lifestyle is a real problem, that increased body weight is a real problem.”

The World Diabetes Congress report offered a more sobering assessment of diabetes in the United States.

The report found that 11 percent of Americans between the ages of 20 and 79 have diabetes. The 30 million Americans who have diabetes equal roughly two-thirds of the 46 million people who have the disease in the other 37 nations combined.

Other developed nations with high rates of diabetes include Singapore (10.5 percent), Malta and Portugal (10 percent each), and Cyprus (9.5 percent).

The lowest rates are in Lithuania, Estonia and Ireland — about 4 percent each, according to the report.

“The prevalence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes is increasing worldwide,” said Dr. Nam Cho, chairman of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Diabetes Atlas committee. Cho is a professor of preventive medicine at Ajou University School of Medicine in South Korea.

“While the exact cause of type 1 diabetes is currently unknown, trends such as urbanization, unhealthy diets and reduced physical activity are all contributing lifestyle factors that increase the risk of type 2 diabetes,” Cho said in an IDF news release.

An estimated 415 million people worldwide have diabetes, and about 47 percent remain undiagnosed.

While the United States has the highest diabetes rate among developed nations, it ranks 60th worldwide. China and India have the highest total number of people with diabetes — 110 million and 69 million, respectively — but not the highest rates, with 10 percent and 9 percent, respectively, according to the World Diabetes Congress report.

About 90 percent of Americans with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, which causes a buildup of glucose (sugar) in the blood. It’s typically treated with lifestyle changes, oral medications and insulin, the hormone that transports blood sugar to cells in the body for energy. When too much glucose accumulates in the blood, it can cause two problems: cells in the body may be starved for energy, and over time the condition can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, although more older adults are being diagnosed with the disease.

In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. With the use of insulin therapy and other treatments, even young children can manage the condition and live long, healthy lives, according to the ADA.

Type 1 complications can include kidney failure, blindness and foot amputations.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about diabetes.

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Cracking Knuckles Sets Off ‘Fireworks’ on Ultrasound

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Radiologists believe they’ve figured out why knuckles crack, and the good news is the source of the noise does no immediate harm to your hand.

Ultrasound readings of people cracking their knuckles reveals a bright flash, “like a firework exploding in the joint,” said lead researcher Dr. Robert Boutin, a professor of radiology at University of California, Davis Health System.

The flash comes from a gas bubble forming in the joint, but until now researchers could not agree whether the sound was caused by the bubble popping or the bubble forming, Boutin said.

By syncing the ultrasound with audio, radiologists think they now have the answer, he said.

“In every single case we looked at, we heard the crack before seeing a visible flash on the ultrasound,” Boutin said. “The sound is not coming from the bubble popping. It’s actually the bubble forming.”

Don’t blink while observing this, though. “The interval between the sound you hear and the flash you see on the ultrasound is 10 milliseconds,” he said.

Boutin was to present the findings Tuesday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, in Chicago. Research presented at meetings is typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Between 25 percent and 50 percent of people regularly crack their knuckles, Boutin said. “Patients come in day in and day out asking for guidance about knuckle cracking, because it’s very common,” he said.

To study the phenomenon, radiologists asked 40 people, aged 18 to 63, to stretch their fingers a total 400 times. Participants included 30 individuals with a history of habitual knuckle cracking and 10 who did not usually crack their knuckles.

The finger stretches caused 62 knuckle cracks. When a knuckle cracked, researchers saw a bright flash caused by a gas bubble forming in nearly all cases, Boutin said.

“There have been several theories over the years and a fair amount of controversy about what’s happening in the joint when it cracks,” Boutin said. “We’re confident that the cracking sound and bright flash on ultrasound are related to the dynamic changes in pressure associated with a gas bubble in the joint.”

The bubble is created from dissolved gas that’s suspended in fluid that lubricates a person’s joints, said Dr. William Palmer, director of musculoskeletal imaging and intervention at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

It appears that when a person stretches their finger, the act creates negative pressure that draws out the gas. “You’re yanking on a joint, and then suddenly the seal is broken,” Palmer said.

Boutin explained that all of the tiny microbubbles of gas suddenly coalesce into one large bubble, and the crack appears to come from the tiny bubbles crashing together.

Orthopedic experts examined the hands of the participants, and found that the knuckle cracking caused no apparent harm.

“We did not find any swelling or any loss in grip strength in people who were knuckle crackers versus those who weren’t knuckle crackers,” Boutin said.

In addition, researchers found that knuckles tended to enjoy a significant increase in range of motion after they’d been cracked, Boutin said.

“Maybe that’s why people feel better after cracking their knuckles,” he said. “It’s a feeling of relief from tension caused by dissolved gas in joint fluid.”

However, Boutin added that the study was not set up to examine whether knuckle cracking causes long-term damage to joints.

“Any long-term hazard or benefit would have to be studied in a different way,” he said.

More information

For more about knuckle cracking, visit the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center.

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HIV Prevention Pill May Not Need to Be Taken Daily

By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — New research suggests that men at risk for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can benefit from a preventive medication taken before and after sex instead of every day.

The findings offer more support for so-called pre-exposure prophylaxis, better known as PrEP, which has become popular in the gay male community.

“Our study provides an alternative choice for gay men. They can use PrEP either daily or on demand,” said study lead author Dr. Jean-Michel Molina, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Paris Diderot.

However, PrEP is not a guarantee against HIV infection, and it must be taken properly to provide protection, the researchers stressed. Two participants in the study who were offered the medication, known as Truvada, developed HIV because they failed to follow directions, the study authors said.

The study was released online Dec. 1 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with World AIDS Day.

Truvada is a combination of two antiviral medications that blocks infection with HIV by preventing the virus from reproducing in the cells it targets, Molina said.

The growth of the drug has skyrocketed over the past couple of years. According to a presentation at the 10th International Conference on HIV Treatment and Prevention Adherence earlier this year, more than 22,000 people have used PrEP in the United States since 2012, with the number growing significantly in recent months.

At issue: Can people protect themselves from HIV if they don’t take the medication every day as recommended? The study explored one option: taking the drug before potentially risky sexual activity — if a person knows he’ll be sexually active — and afterward.

In France and Canada, researchers assigned 199 participants to take the drug and another 201 to take a placebo. All the participants were gay and bisexual men at high risk of HIV infection, and they were told to take the pills two to 24 hours before sexual activity and afterward.

The participants took the pills a median — not an average — of 15 times a month, but an analysis showed that only 43 percent took them correctly the most recent time they had sex. The rest didn’t take a big enough dose or didn’t take the drug at all.

Over a median of nine months, 16 men became infected with HIV, including two who were assigned to the actual medication. Those two men appeared to not have followed directions: One returned 60 of 60 pills at a visit, while the other returned 58 of 60; researchers couldn’t find signs of the drug in their bodies when they were diagnosed with HIV.

The researchers calculated that taking the medication reduced the risk of infection by 82 percent or 86 percent.

Those taking the drug did report more side effects than those who took the placebo, such as nausea (8 percent versus 1 percent) and abdominal pain (7 percent versus 1 percent). However, Molina described those symptoms as minor and said no one stopped taking the drug because of side effects.

What do the findings mean? “They give people who cannot use condoms regularly another alternative to protect them from HIV infection,” Molina said. “It puts prevention in the hand of people at risk so they do not have to rely on their partner to know whether or not he will use a condom.”

Using PrEP on an occasional basis could also save users money. The drug can cost about $1,300 a month when taken daily. Many insurers cover it but patients may still have to pay for other costs, such as co-pays.

HIV researcher Julia Marcus, a postdoctoral fellow with the division of research at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, cautioned that taking PrEP on an on-demand basis may not be best for some people.

“While dosing around sexual activity may work well for some patients, fewer than half of the participants in this study reported taking PrEP as directed,” Marcus said. “Daily dosing may be easier for some patients than planning to take PrEP before and after sex.”

What’s next? According to Molina, researchers are looking into new ways for people to take PrEP, such as through gels inserted into the body, vaginal rings, injections and implants.

More information

For more about PrEP, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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1 in 8 American Adults Still Have High Cholesterol: CDC

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — About one in every eight American adults continue to have high levels of total cholesterol, while even more have low levels of “good” cholesterol, health officials reported Tuesday.

Although the percentage of adults with high total cholesterol and low HDL (“good”) cholesterol declined between 2007 and 2014, roughly 12 percent of Americans still had high total cholesterol and 18.5 percent still had low levels of HDL cholesterol, the report found.

These findings show that while many Americans are working on reaching better cholesterol levels, there is more work to be done, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers said.

Lead researcher Margaret Carroll, a survey statistician at CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), speculated that more people are having their cholesterol checked and are being treated. Treatments include cholesterol-lowering statin drugs (for example, Lipitor, Crestor or Zocor) and making changes in lifestyle, such as reducing their consumption of trans fats.

But one expert agreed that the progress that has been made is not enough.

“High cholesterol is one of the major contributors for heart disease,” said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The higher the total blood cholesterol level and LDL “bad” cholesterol, the greater the risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack. Low levels of HDL cholesterol are also associated with increased risk of heart disease, he explained.

“Fortunately, lowering total and LDL cholesterol with certain therapies has been demonstrated to markedly lower the risk of future heart attacks and stroke in both men and women with benefits that greatly outweigh potential risks,” Fonarow said.

Using data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the investigators also found that fewer black men had high levels of total cholesterol than white, Asian or Hispanic men. Among women, fewer black women had high total cholesterol than white and Hispanic women, they added.

According to the report, released Dec. 1 in the NCHS Data Brief, black men and women and Asian men and women had higher levels of good cholesterol than did Hispanic men and women.

In addition, black men and women had higher levels of good cholesterol than white men and women, and Asian women had higher levels of good cholesterol than white women, Carroll’s team found.

According to the report, there were declines between 2007 and 2014 in the percentage of adults with high total cholesterol, from just over 14 percent to 11 percent. There was also a drop in the percentage with low levels of good cholesterol, from just over 22 percent to slightly under 20 percent.

Although more Americans have lowered their cholesterol, many have not lowered it enough to reduce their risk for heart disease, heart attack and stroke, Fonarow said.

The report defines high total cholesterol as 240 mg/dL or above and low HDL cholesterol as less than 40 mg/dL. But Fonarow thinks those targets are not good enough.

“These [total cholesterol] levels are far above what is needed for ideal heart health and the vast majority of men and women having heart attacks have total cholesterol levels well below 240 mg/dL,” he said.

These data do not fully capture the numbers of adults who could benefit from lifestyle changes and cholesterol-lowering statins, Fonarow added.

“All adults 20 to 79 should have their 10-year heart disease risk assessed,” he said. “This includes having total cholesterol and HDL levels measured.”

More information

To determine your 10-year heart disease risk, visit the American Heart Association.

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Possible New Weight-Loss Tool: Blocking Stomach Artery

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A technique already used in the emergency room may have new potential as a minimally invasive treatment for morbid obesity, preliminary findings suggest.

The procedure, called gastric artery embolization, is usually employed as a nonsurgical way of stemming blood loss by blocking (embolizing) a principle blood pathway.

Doctors inject microscopic beads into the bloodstream. Normal blood flow then carries them into the arterial region, where blockage occurs.

The technique is not approved for weight loss. But under an “investigational device exemption,” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted permission for a five-patient pilot study to see if the procedure could curtail blood flow to the stomach and thereby suppress production of the “hunger hormone” ghrelin.

Elevated levels of ghrelin can keep people from sticking with a diet, the researchers explained.

By blocking ghrelin production, the researchers hope that a resulting loss of appetite will translate into significant weight loss for patients 100 pounds or more above their ideal body weight, or with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more. BMI is a calculation of body fat based on height and weight, and a BMI of 40 is considered morbidly obese.

“It seems promising, and we think there is huge potential,” said study lead author Dr. Mubin Syed, an interventional radiologist with Dayton Interventional Radiology in Dayton, Ohio.

However, it’s still too early to know how well this experimental approach to weight loss will work, Syed added.

“For now, bariatric [weight-loss] surgery is still the standard treatment approach for obese patients for whom diet and exercise alone is not enough,” Syed said.

Syed and his colleagues were scheduled to present their findings Tuesday in Chicago at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This puts them at risk of other serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Although gastric bypass surgery has a reliable track-record, Syed said there is a need for a nonsurgical alternative given that there’s always some risk for complications with invasive surgery. “Problems occur in about 10 percent of cases, and so some patients are reluctant to have the [weight-loss] surgery, even when nothing else has worked,” he said.

Having read of attempts to suppress ghrelin in animals and people, Syed and his colleagues set out to attempt weight loss through gastric embolization.

The four patients enlisted so far had a BMI of 40 and above. The fifth patient hasn’t been selected yet, the study authors added.

In ER patients, the one-hour bead injection process involves threading a catheter through a patient’s groin. But in a first, Syed and his team chose to thread the catheter through the radial artery of each patient’s wrist. This entry point is considered safer and more convenient for obese patients, they said.

The results have been mixed. One patient lost 50 pounds within nine months of the procedure, while two patients experienced more “mild” weight loss, the researchers said. A fourth patient, who also has diabetes, had safely lost 26 pounds three months out.

Still, Syed cautioned that the technique may not be appropriate for all candidates.

“Patients with a history of depression tend to eat even when they’re not hungry, so this procedure would not be for them,” he said. “It would also not be for people who have arterial disease, or have previously had a bypass operation.”

Dr. John Morton, chief of bariatric and minimally invasive surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine, said the approach has “intuitive appeal and seems to make sense.”

Given the extent of the nation’s obesity crisis, “clearly we need to come up with more options,” said Morton, who wasn’t involved with the study.

“But while it’s intriguing, it’s a small study,” Morton added. “And a lot of work still needs to be done to see just how effective it is.”

Data and conclusions presented at meetings have not gone through the rigorous peer review required before publication in a medical journal.

More information

There’s more on standard weight-loss surgery at the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

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Higher Cigarette Taxes Tied to Fewer Infant Deaths

By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A new study suggests that higher tobacco prices in the United States could save hundreds of infant lives every year by discouraging more women from smoking during and after pregnancy.

Specifically, researchers said that each $1 per pack increase in the overall tobacco tax rate over the years 1999-2010 may have contributed to two fewer infant deaths each day. The effect appears to be especially strong among black babies.

The research doesn’t directly prove that higher taxes translate into fewer infant deaths. Still, “we found that increases in cigarette taxes and prices were associated with decreases in infant mortality,” said study author Dr. Stephen Patrick, an assistant professor of pediatrics and health policy at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

And it’s clear, he said, that pregnant women who smoke put their unborn children at risk.

“Smoking in pregnancy can lead to poor outcomes like premature birth, the number one cause of death for infants in the first year of life,” Patrick said. “As a neonatologist, I commonly see premature and low birth weight infants born to women who smoke, and we know that nearly one in five women smoke during pregnancy.”

In the new study, researchers tracked infant death rates and tobacco taxes from 1999-2010, when inflation-adjusted tobacco taxes on the state and federal levels rose from 84 cents a pack to $2.37 per pack. During the same time period, the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births fell from 7.3 to 6.2 overall, and from 14.3 to 11.3 among blacks.

After adjusting the statistics so they wouldn’t be thrown off by high or low levels of women sharing characteristics like education level and income, the researchers estimate that each $1 per pack boost in cigarette taxes led to two fewer infant deaths per day, Patrick said. Overall, there was an estimated 3.2 percent decrease in annual infant mortality rates, or 750 fewer infant deaths per year, associated with the tax increase.

Apparently, the researchers believe, women smoke less when tobacco costs more.

Patrick acknowledged that it’s possible that factors other than cigarette taxes contributed to the decline in the infant death rate. One possibility is that medical care improved over that time, leading to fewer deaths. But Patrick said that prospect is unlikely since such a change would presumably be seen in all states, and the study didn’t reveal that kind of trend.

The researchers also examined the effect of tobacco prices, and found that increases appeared to have the same level of impact on infant mortality as tax hikes.

This is important since “there may not be political will to increase cigarette taxes in some states,” Patrick said. “Tennessee recently increased the price of cigarettes in the state by increasing the profit margin for retailers and not through a tax. Our study suggests that this approach would be as effective as a tax increase.”

David Levy, a professor of oncology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., said the research appears to be valid. The study doesn’t need to confirm that higher taxes lead to lower smoking rates, he said, since other research has proven that to be the case, even among pregnant women.

What about the prospect that pregnant women and new mothers might choose to spend money on tobacco — including higher taxes — instead of on their children? “That would only occur if smoking is a large share of the household expenditures,” Levy said. And, he said, it’s important to note that research has shown that higher taxes are especially likely to lead to less smoking among the poor.

What’s next? More research should be conducted in other countries, especially poorer countries that are trying to reduce deaths in infants, Levy said.

The study was published online Nov. 30 and will appear in the January issue of Pediatrics.

More information

For more about tobacco use and pregnancy, try the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Crave Coffee Too Much? Talk Therapy May Help

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Dec. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A short round of “talk-therapy” seems to help over-consumers of caffeine dramatically cut back their intake, a small new study suggests.

Caffeine-use disorder, though not yet an official mental health diagnosis, is defined by caffeine dependency and an inability to consume less caffeine despite a desire to do so, the researchers explained.

The new study found that just a single one-hour session of “reduction-strategy” therapy — a type of cognitive behavioral therapy — helped patients lower their caffeine intake by more than 75 percent. The goal of this type of talk therapy is to help patients understand, recognize and change irrational thoughts that are causing their behavior.

“What we’re talking about here are people who have not only a physical dependence on caffeine, but also negative physical and psychological repercussions if they try to cut back or quit, and therefore an inability to do so,” said study author Laura Juliano, a professor of psychology at American University in Washington, D.C.

“And we found that therapy helped people with this disorder make significant reductions in consumption,” she said.

The study was published online recently in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

Juliano said caffeine is the most popular psychoactive drug in the world. It’s consumed by roughly 90 percent of Americans — including children — in the form of coffee, tea, chocolate, or energy drinks and bars.

Though caffeine tolerance varies, and there is no hard-and-fast rule, Juliano advised limiting caffeine consumption to about 400 milligrams (mg) per day, roughly equal to two or three 8-ounce cups of coffee.

But prior research, she said, indicated that although the average American consumes about 200 mg per day, many people consume far more. And, more than half of regular caffeine consumers have trouble reducing or kicking their caffeine habit, Juliano said.

That struggle can persist even when caffeine dependency causes anxiety, tension, stress, sleep problems and jitteriness, or threatens to complicate other health concerns, such as an impending pregnancy, heart disease or a bleeding condition, she said.

In 2013, “caffeine-use disorder” was recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) — an official list of recognized mental disorders — as a concern worthy of further investigation. But the DSM-5 stopped short of declaring it an actual diagnosis, the study authors said. (Juliano served as DSM-5 advisor.)

With that in mind, the current study set out to explore the potential caffeine-kicking benefits of behavioral therapy.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is already known to be very helpful for depression, anxiety and an assortment of addiction issues, said psychiatry professor Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, of Ohio State University said. Kiecolt-Glaser wasn’t involved in the current research, but reviewed the study’s findings.

“In general, the goal is to help change maladaptive thoughts and behaviors by learning to pay attention to them, and developing alternative strategies for handling challenges,” she said.

“But if someone with an addictive disorder is ordered into treatment or doesn’t really consider themselves to have a problem in the first place, this kind of treatment is generally not that successful or far less successful,” Kiecolt-Glaser added.

“It’s really most effective when the patient knows they have a problem and is motivated to seek therapy in order to overcome their issue,” she said.

That’s exactly the kind of men and women Juliano and her team enlisted for their study. All 67 participants indicated having tried and failed to cut back on caffeine despite a strong desire to do so.

On average, participants consumed just shy of 700 mg per day, the study found. About seven in 10 hoped to cut down that figure, rather than give up caffeine altogether, Juliano said.

Half were randomly assigned to immediately receive one hour of therapy with a trained counselor. They were also given take-home material that outlined a plan for a slow decline in caffeine spread over a five-week period. The other half also received therapy, but only after a six-week waiting period, the study authors said.

The result: the behavioral therapy enabled more than three-quarters of the participants to reduce their caffeine intake to less than 200 mg per day. And they were able to keep it around that level even one year later, the study authors said.

“It’s impressive,” said Kiecolt-Glaser. “I’m not aware of other treatments for caffeine addiction. But this appears to be an excellent way to go about it. It makes a lot of sense.”

More information

There’s more on caffeine at U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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6 Moves for Sculpted Shoulders by New Year’s Eve

There’s something to be said about having tank-top ready shoulders, even in the winter. That’s because having a toned upper body does (way) more for you than meets the eye. Yes, shapely shoulders will give the appearance of a smaller waist, and yes, your arms will look stellar in that cocktail dress. But strengthening this area will also help to relieve pressure from your neck and back, while helping with your overall posture. Basically, toned shoulders are a win-win no matter how you look at it.

Now that you’re convinced, check out my six-move routine for toned shoulders. Repeat the circuit three times a week to get cocktail-dress ready by New Year’s Eve.

Alternating shoulder press

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides. While holding two medium dumbbells, extend your left arm straight out to the side while holding the other dumbbell at a 90 degree angle out to the side of your right ear (A). Continue holding your left arm out while your right arm presses up until it is straight up in the air (B). Bring your right arm back to a 90 degree angle and repeat for 12-15 reps. When you’ve finished, repeat on the other side.

Photo: Jennifer Cohen

RELATED: Get Rock-Star Arms Right Now

Arnold press

Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, holding two medium dumbbells. Bring the dumbbells in front of your face with your arms bent and your palms facing you (A). From here, bring both elbows out to the side while rotating your palms so they face outwards. At this point, your arms should be at a 90 degree angle on the outside of your ears (B). Next, press both arms straight up above your head until your arms are straight, but not locked out (C). Release your arms back to the first position and repeat for 12-15 more reps.

Photo: Jennifer Cohen

Bent-over rear delt fly

Grab two medium dumbbells and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your knees bent. Hinge forward slightly from your hips while keeping your back flat. Next, hold the two dumbbells in your hands with your arms bent at about a 45-degree angle and your palms facing you (A). From here, slowly lift your arms as if your thumbs were being pulled towards the ceiling. Stop when your arms are parallel with your shoulders (B)  and release back to starting position. Repeat for 12-15 reps.

Photo: Jennifer Cohen

Pike push-ups on the bench

Stand about two feet away from a step or bench and place your hands on it so that your fingertips are facing each other (A). Start out with a higher surface for beginners and as you get stronger, you can use a lower surface. Keep your legs straight (but not locked out), back flat, and stand up on your toes. From here, bend your elbows to lower your head toward the bench or step (B). Go as low as you’re able to and then press back up to starting position. Repeat this for 8-10 reps.

Photo: Jennifer Cohen

Upright row

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, shoulders back, and holding two dumbbells about an inch in front of your thighs with your palms facing your body (A). While keeping the dumbbells close to your body, raise the dumbbells straight up towards your nose using your shoulders. Stop when your elbows are parallel with your shoulders (B) and release back down. Repeat for 12-15 reps.

RELATED: Want Kelly Ripa’s Toned Arms? Do This Move

Photo: Jennifer Cohen

Dumbbell curl to press

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing outwards (A). Perform a bicep curl and then rotate your elbows and hands out to your sides (B). From here, press straight up until your arms are directly overhead (C). Lower down and repeat for 10-12 reps.

Photo: Jennifer Cohen

Looking for more articles like this? Check out 4 Moves for a Toned Back and Upper Body.

Jennifer Cohen is a leading fitness authority, TV personality, entrepreneur, and best-selling author of the new book, Strong is the New Skinny. With her signature, straight-talking approach to wellness, Jennifer was the featured trainer on The CW’s Shedding for the Wedding, mentoring the contestants to lose hundreds of pounds before their big day, and she appears regularly on NBC’s Today Show, Extra, The Doctors, and Good Morning America. Connect with Jennifer on Facebook, Twitter, G+ and on Pinterest.

 

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Brain Gains for Older Adults Who Start Exercising

MONDAY, Nov. 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Beginning an exercise program may help protect older adults’ brains or even reverse early mental decline, a small study suggests.

Researchers placed 34 inactive people, aged 61 to 88, on an exercise regimen. It included moderate-intensity walking on a treadmill four times a week for 12 weeks.

On average, heart/lung health improved about 8 percent over that time, the researchers found.

Brain scans also showed an increase in the thickness of the participants’ cortex, the outer layer of the brain that typically shrinks with Alzheimer’s disease. Those with the greatest improvements in physical fitness had the most growth in the cortex, the University of Maryland researchers found.

The thickening of the cortex occurred in both healthy people and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, the study showed.

The study was published recently in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

“Exercise may help to reverse neurodegeneration and the trend of brain shrinkage that we see in those with MCI and Alzheimer’s,” senior study author Dr. J. Carson Smith, an associate professor of kinesiology, said in a university news release.

“Many people think it is too late to intervene with exercise once a person shows symptoms of memory loss, but our data suggest that exercise may have a benefit in this early stage of cognitive decline,” Smith added.

The study can’t prove definitively that exercise led to the brain gains. However, previous studies have found that exercise can benefit other areas of older adults’ brains.

The authors of the new study said further research is needed to determine if moderate physical activity can delay or reverse mental decline and help people remain independent as they age.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging discusses healthy brain aging.

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