FOLIC ACID: TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING? We know folic acid helps prevent spina bifida and other neural tube birth defects. But now comes troubling news: A new study reports a dramatic rise in colon cancer since the mandatory folic acid fortification of food started in 1998. High amounts of folic acid may encourage existing colon tumor to grow (folate, the natural form of folic acid, plays a key role in the growth of all cells). Joel Mason, MD, lead author of the study and associate professor of medicine and nutrition at Tufts University, advises anyone over 40 who’s not pregnant or planning to conceive, or anyone with a family history of colon cancer, to stick to the standard 400 micrograms per day recommendation for folic acid intake—no more, no less.
-Health
BURN EXTRA CALORIES Torch extra calories effort-lessly by celebrating TV-Turnoff Week from April 21-27. If you’re a typical four-hour-a-day viewer like most Americans, you could burn an extra 2,300 calories just by switching off the set for seven days and spending that time cooking, doing yard work or shopping instead—each of which requires much more energy than staring at the tube.
-Fitness
BREATHE EASY Huffing and puffing during cardio? It may not be for the reason you think. In a study of athletes by the Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus, 25 percent had undiagnosed exercise-induced asthma. (They didn’t have typical symptoms or thought their fatigue was normal.) If you feel shortness of breath or chest tightness during a moderate workout, see your doc.
-Self
NOT AS HAPPY AS YOU WANT TO BE? A new study in Current Directions in Psychological
Science confirms what
you may have already suspected: Unpleasant life events are easier to recall than positive ones and can overshadow day-to-day happiness. But to remember the good times, “we simply have to work harder at it,” says lead author Elizabeth Kinsinger, Ph.D. During a happy moment, pause and note the details, she says. Replay them in your head before bedtime, and soon pleasant memories will be top of mind more often.
