It may not seem like it, but things have gotten safer out on those jammed highways. A report from the Journal of Safety Research shows that some 200 children’s lives are saved annually because they’re riding in the back seat and using proper child restraints.
But what about those killer air bags? After a record 68 people died as a result of inflating front-seat air bags in 1995 model cars, they were redesigned to inflate with less power. Because of this change, there were no air bag-related deaths in 2002 and 2003 vehicles and just one in a 2004 vehicle, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Other changes have improved auto safety as well. A report in the December issue of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter notes that, since 1960, about 328,000 lives have been saved because of improved vehicle safety standards and technologies. These include safety belts; stronger windshields; improved brakes, door locks, latches and dashboards; stronger side door beams; and energy-absorbing steering assemblies.
TV a diabetes risk
Watch too much television and you may be setting yourself up for Type 2 diabetes, notes a story in the December Nutrition Action Healthletter. A study of 50,000 nurses conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston showed that those who watched just two hours a day of TV had a 14 percent increased risk of diabetes. Every two hours on top of that added an increase of 7 percentage points.
Of course, those statistics can quickly be reversed through regular exercise, according to Harvard epidemiologist I-Min Lee. Exercise “increases insulin sensitivity and makes the cells better at taking in glucose and processing it,” he says. (Type 2 diabetes results when the body becomes insensitive, or resistant, to insulin in the blood.)
The nurse study showed that every hour of brisk walking was linked to a 34 percent lower risk of diabetes. One group of people with high, but not diabetic, blood sugar was asked to do aerobic exercise at least 2 1/2 hours a week and to lose 7 percent of their body weight. As a result, their risk of diabetes was 58 percent lower that that of those who didn’t exercise or lose weight.
Healthy hotels
The Peninsula Chicago is highlighted as one of America’s 10 healthiest hotels in the December issue of Health magazine. Working with AOL CityGuide, the magazine searched nationwide for hotels that are tops in offering travelers comfortable beds and bedding, high-quality fitness options, and delicious, nutritious dining selections.
The Peninsula, it says, takes a “mind, body, spirit approach to healthy living,” with its Asian-inspired cuisine, pilates, Thai massage and a 14,000-square-foot fitness center and spa with free weights and a lap pool with a view of the city.
Chicago travelers heading out of town can find healthy options at the Four Seasons in Boston, the Watertown Seattle, the Madison Marriott West, and the Topaz Hotel in Washington, D.C. Other great choices are the Mandarin Oriental in Miami, the W Atlanta, the Westin Times Square in New York, the Houstonian Hotel Club and Spa in Houston and the Hotel Vitale in San Francisco.
Care on parade
Here’s a great way to participate in the New Year’s Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif. Make a donation to the Donate Life float, dedicated to organ and tissue donation families, transplant recipients and transplant candidates. Some 90,000 Americans await lifesaving organs. Of those, 17 die daily while awaiting transplants.
A donation of as little as $50 buys you a rose tagged with an honoree’s name on the float. You also will receive a certificate for helping to raise awareness of the need for organ and tissue donations. For more information, contact Donate Life at donatelifefloat.org.
