July 2012

Keeping cool in hot weather

Low carb-high protein diets may stress heart

 Consuming a low carbohydrate-high protein diet — like the Atkins diet — may be associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease in women.   Decreases in carbohydrate intake and increases in protein intake  were all associated with significantly greater risks of incident cardiovascular disease events in young Swedish women, according to Pagona Lagiou, MD, PhD, of the University of Athens in Greece, and colleagues.

Swimming pool hygiene

Chlorine can kill germs in the pool, but it can’t work miracles. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Michele Hlavsa says the idea that swimming pool disinfectants kill germs instantly is a myth. She says that’s why it’s unhealthy to treat the pool like a toilet, and healthy to shower off any germs before getting in.

Mostly, people just have fun. But Hlavsa notes they can get a variety of diseases.

“They can get gastrointestinal infections, viral meningitis, ear infections – also known as swimmer’s ear – but the most common infection is diarrhea.”

So, she advises, don’t swallow the water, or swim with open sores.