Healthy You, Healthy Me

Calcium is Important, But Your Bones Need Exercise

By 40, you start losing bone mass at about one percent per year. Over time, this can lead to weaker, more fragile bones. The good news is that strength training slows the rate of bone loss. It may even trigger new bone growth. The force on bones during weight-bearing exercise like strength training, walking or running, leads to stronger, denser bones over time.

Don’t neglect your calcium, magnesium, and other bone-health nutrients. But strength training is an effective tool for maintaining and strengthening your body’s framework.

Read up on the different types of exercise you can do to improve your health and strengthen your bones.

https://askthescientists.com/strength-vs-cardio/

Avoiding Information Overload to Cope with Stress and Anxiety During a Pandemic - Ask The Scientists Avoiding Information Overload to Cope with Stress and Anxiety During a Pandemic Your brain is hard-wired to protect you from harm—especially in the face of real (or even imagined) stress. The initial response to a stressful situation provides a burst of energy to help you respond to the perceived ...

Fuel Your Fitness with the Best Pre-Workout Foods - Ask The Scientists What you eat immediately pre-workout can have the biggest influence on how you perform while exercising. Learn which nutrients and pre-workout foods to choose before exercise.

Evaporating 4 Common Myths About Water

Myth 1 - The recommendation to drink 8 cups of water per day is based on established research.

The origin of the recommendation to drink 8 cups of water per day is unknown, and there is little scientific evidence to support it. Water intake and need varies by individual and fluid intake doesn’t have to be exclusively from water.

In addition to water, other foods and beverages you ingest also contribute to your overall daily fluid intake. Some water is also created within your body through metabolism. In sedentary people, daily fluid intake from drinking water and other beverages is estimated to be around 70–80%, while foods are thought to account for about 20–30%.

More on how much water you should be drinking:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256

Myth 2 - You can’t get too much good, clean water

In rare cases, drinking an extreme amount in a short time can be dangerous. It can cause the level of salt, or sodium, in your blood to drop too low. That's a condition called hyponatremia. It's very serious, and can be fatal. You may hear it called water intoxication. When sodium levels drop due to excess water consumption, fluids shifts from the outside to the inside of cells, causing them to swell. Excess fluid accumulation in the brain is called cerebral edema, which can affect the brain stem and cause central nervous system dysfunction.

Your kidneys can eliminate about 5.3-7.4 gallons (20-28 liters) of water a day, but they can't get rid of more than 27-33 ounces (0.8-1.0 liters) per hour.

Therefore, in order to avoid hyponatremia symptoms, you should not drink more than 27-33 ounces (0.8-1.0 liters) of water per hour, on average.

Myth 3 - Don’t drink water during a meal

Drinking a moderate amount of water during a meal or to take supplements will not dilute digestive juices or raise stomach pH enough to matter. If you were to drink a full liter of water all at once, it will raise the pH in the stomach slightly, but only temporarily. As soon as the stomach senses an increase in pH mechanisms are triggered to release more gastric acid. The bottom line is that drinking normal amounts of water with your supplements or meal won't negatively affect digestion.

Myth 4 - Ice cold water is bad for your health

This one is somewhat mixed. Avoiding cold water can be of benefit in some situations. Drinking cold water while you have a cold or flu, or a chronic condition that results in slower digestion, may not always be the best idea. But while some cultures regard drinking cold water as a significant health risk for everyone, there isn’t a lot of evidence to support that claim. There are plenty of benefits to drinking warm water, though.

The benefits of drinking cold water? They are the same benefits of drinking regular room-temperature water: it keeps you hydrated and full of energy.

Conclusion -

The bottom line is that it is important to get enough water to keep you hydrated, and it should be based on your individual activity level and thirst mechanisms. It’s fine to drink with your meal, and it generally doesn’t matter whether it is iced, room temperature, or hot.

The Impact of Age on Your Immune Function - Ask The Scientists Explore immunosenescence, or how aging affects your immune function. And learn to support your aging immune system.

7 Fascinating Facts About Your White Blood Cells

Enjoy these interesting facts about white blood cells (WBCs), important players in your body’s immune defense team.

• Leukocytes are produced inside the bone marrow, which constantly produces white blood cells because they have a short lifespan: a few days to a few weeks.
• A healthy body produces around 100 billion white blood cells a day.
• White blood cells outnumber red blood cells 2:1 in the bone marrow. But in the bloodstream, there are about 600 red blood cells for every white blood cell.
• A single drop of blood typically contains between 7,000 and 25,000 white blood cells.
• Unlike red blood cells and platelets, all white blood cells contain a nucleus. This enables them to act like independent single-cell organisms, able to capture invaders and wipe them out.
• WBCs can identify proteins that indicate which cells are “you” and which are foreign invaders. Special molecules point WBCs to damaged tissue so they can cross the blood vessel barrier and begin to make repairs.
• White blood cell numbers are not steady throughout the day. During rest, they are lower and the counts rise during exercise.

When you think about the immune system, don’t forget about the white blood cells. They only make up one percent of your blood, but their contribution to the body’s defenses is critical.

https://askthescientists.com/immune-system/

7 Neurotransmitters Involved in the Brain-Body Connection - Ask The Scientists Neurotransmitters are the way your brain talks to your body. Learn what each of these messengers of health do.

Foods That Fuel You: Understanding the Glycemic Index - Ask The Scientists How the glycemic index can help predict the influence of food on blood sugar. Learn what it means to be a low-glycemic food, and how glycemic load can be determined from the glycemic index.

Coping With COVID-19: Healthy Living Information to Support You Through the Global Coronavirus Pandemic - Ask The Scientists Arm yourself with quality information about immunity, self-care, and healthy habits during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Healthy Hair and How to Get It - Ask The Scientists Brush up on the facts about healthy hair. What is hair made of? How to get healthy hair? Get answers to your hair anatomy and healthy hair care questions.

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