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Teens and food: How a fatty diet can disrupt muscle response
Dorothy L. Tengler Sports & FitnessToday, about 1 in 3 American kids and teens is overweight or obese. Tripling from 1971 to 2011, childhood obesity is now the No. 1 health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking. Despite a social emphasis on being thin, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) reports that among those in the age group 12 to 19, the incidence being overweight increased from 11 percent to 17 percent.
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Fore eyes: Glasses can protect golfers from devastating injury
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Sports & FitnessShouting the warning term "Fore!" in advance of a golf stroke is standard practice and part of the game. The need for such a warning is clear, but how the term originated is not. Two common explanations have been put forth.
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How yoga therapy benefits athletes
Dr. Shahla Khan Sports & FitnessAlthough the benefits of yoga have been and continue to be explored in terms of promoting all-around positive health, yoga therapy is emerging as a discipline in itself that could potentially have many benefits for athletes.
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Eating disorders: How teachers and coaches can help
Amanda Kowalski Sports & FitnessShe runs three miles every day, but she always seems to be on a diet. He doesn't hang out with his friends as much because he has to work out. She seems thin to everyone else, but says she's fat. Half a million American teens between age 13 and 18 struggle with some sort of eating disorder. The results can be serious, ranging from tooth decay and fatigue to high blood pressure and even death, according to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA).
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Research highlights devastating health effects of energy drinks
Bambi Majumdar Food & BeverageAlong with an alarming rise in obesity, energy drinks are leading to increasing statistics of negative social, emotional and behavioral issues along with other long-term health effects. Now policymakers and physician groups are coming together to push for serious sales restrictions of these drinks, especially to children under 18.
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Mets pitcher chooses safety over style
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Sports & FitnessAt first glance, it might appear that New York Mets pitcher Alex Torres is wearing a holdover cap from the long, snowy days of winter — the warming ear flaps folded up and over, then wrapped across the brim. Torres takes the mound with a redesign of the protective headgear he started wearing last season as part of the San Diego Padres.
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Tax on junk food may ignite new health trend
Bambi Majumdar Food & BeverageAt the start of this month, a Native American community enacted a landmark decision to fight obesity and diabetes, two of the major reasons for death in America today. In recent years, multiple states and cities have attempted to boost public health by enforcing a soda tax — and they have failed. In 2014, Berkeley, California, was one of the rare examples to successfully pass a soda tax measure. The results of that decision are still being rated.
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How can coaches assure parents that football is safe for teens?
Amanda Kowalski Sports & FitnessIn March, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland announced his retirement after one year in the NFL, citing concerns about concussions and head trauma. President Barack Obama and NFL Hall of Fame inductee Brett Favre have even admitted that if they had sons, they probably wouldn't want them to play football. So if a 247-pound linebacker, a legendary NFL quarterback and the president of the United States are worried about safety, how do you convince the parent of a 16-year-old that it's safe for their child to put on the pads?
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Eat right, feel right and think right
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied HealthcarePaying attention to what you eat reaps dividends in maintaining healthy brain function as you age. A study of what foods are beneficial and which ones are to be avoided was recently published in Alzheimer's and Dementia, the journal of the Alzheimer's Association.
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NFL’s new concussion rule continues focus on player health
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Sports & FitnessThe National Football League (NFL) adopted a new policy Tuesday that is intended to further protect players from the consequences of continued play when suffering a head injury. The ruling allows for input from athletic trainers in spotting signs of concussion or disorientation, and it enables them to stop play so that the athlete can have further evaluation.
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