Air fresheners, cleaners may be bad for health
A clean, fresh-smelling home may actually be bad for your health. Recent research suggests that exposure to cleaning products or air fresheners that contain a certain volatile organic compound called 1,4 dichlorobenzene, can reduce lung function by 4 percent. Another study found that the use of spray cleaners could increase the risk of developing asthma by nearly 50 percent. The VOC known as 1,4 DCB gives mothballs their distinctive odor and is also found in room deodorizers, insecticides and urinal blocks.
Eating fish seems to protect Japanese men
Despite high levels of smoking (47 percent), Japanese men are far less likely to have dangerous plaque buildup in their blood vessels than white or Japanese-American men. “Japanese living in Japan eat fish every day, about 100 grams every day,” said study author Dr. Akira Sekikawa of the University of Pittsburgh. “They also have very low rates of coronary heart disease.” Among groups of Japanese men, white American men and Japanese-American men studied, the Japanese-Americans had the highest average body-mass index, blood pressure, triglycerides and the highest levels of diabetes.
Divorcing triples risk of dementia
A new Scandinavian study found that unmarried middle-age people are more likely to develop cognitive impairment than their partnered counterparts. A study of 1,449 Finnish people found that those with partners in midlife had a 50 percent lower risk of showing signs of senility in later life than those who lived alone. Those who stayed single their whole lives had a doubled risk of dementia, while those who were divorced from midlife onward tripled their risk.
