Food Safety Education Month
In observance of Food Safety Education Month, which took place in September, this article discusses facts about food safety, cooking, and food illness prevention measures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 48 million people get sick from food-borne illnesses yearly.1 In the United States (US), the Food and Drug Agency (FDA) […]
Nutritional Value of Pumpkins
Pumpkin is a nutritional food with multiple health benefits.1 In a 100g serving, pumpkin contains approximately 2mg of calcium, 340mg of potassium, and 44mg of phosphorus.2 The seeds of pumpkins are rich in nutrients such as zinc, magnesium, and phosphorus, which can help reduce and prevent inflammation and arthritis. Research indicates that eating pumpkin […]
Walking with a Weighted Vest
Obesity is a common condition among older adults, which negatively influences physical mobility limitations. Regular exercise and weight management helps to improve physical activity and mobility. Naturally, weight loss is associated with loss muscle mass, due to the amount of stress on the muscles being reduced as weight loss decreases. To preserve muscle mass, […]
All About Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a chronic gynecologic condition in which the tissue that lines the uterus grows in areas it should not, such as the fallopian tubes, ovaries, bowels, and bladder. All individuals who menstruate are at risk for developing this disease. Risk factors include starting periods before the age of 11 years, having monthly cycles […]
Refining Your Walk
Brisk walking boasts multiple mental and physical health benefits, including maintaining a healthy weight, preventing and managing cardiovascular disease, strengthening bones and muscles, and improving mood, memory, balance, and coordination.1 Walking is less strenuous on joints than running and helps keep them flexible. During walking, the muscles in the calves contract and pump blood […]
Benefits of Stretching
Flexibility is important to maintain peak muscle performance. When muscles are stiff and tight, there is an increased risk of injury during daily activities and exercise. Flexible joints and muscles allow the body to stretch and move more freely, therefore lowering the risk of injury. Additionally, stretching helps increase blood flow, which reduces joint stiffness. […]
Hobbies, Your Health, and Happiness
By Sarabeth Lowe, MPH Having a hobby, loosely defined as an activity done for pleasure during leisure time, is one way that people of all ages and cultures continue to play. Though the benefits of hobbies are well known, the time spent on such activities usually dwindles as we age.3 This can be due to […]
Equine Therapy
Equine-assisted therapy consists of working with a mental health professional certified in animal-assisted therapy and participating in mounted and unmounted sessions, which includes grooming, tacking, and riding horses, with a focus on fostering communication between the therapy-seeking individual and the horse. Individuals with cognitive, physical, emotional, and social challenges can benefit from equine-assisted therapy.1,2 What […]
Know Your Nutrient: Vitamin D
Vitamin D is one of the fat-soluble vitamins and is also a steroid hormone. Although vitamin D is manufactured in skin from a reaction with ultraviolet (UV) light, there appears to be a conditional need for exogenous vitamin D for many people. There are seven identified forms of vitamin D, of which two forms are […]
Nutrients for DNA Damage and Repair: Spotlight on DNA Replication
By Aliza Becker, BA, MPS Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage in the body is responsible for both normal aging and the emergence of certain health conditions.1 The first part of this series examined effects of the diet on the health of telomeres, which cap the ends of individual chromosomes to prevent them from fraying or becoming […]
More than Hearing Loss: How Noise Affects Your Health
Ms. Lowe is a Communication Specialist at the University of Delaware Disaster Research Center. More than 50 years ago, the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enacted a landmark statute to mitigate one of the most prevalent and damaging types of pollution to human health. It’s likely not the hazard you’re thinking of, though—the Noise […]
The Relationship Between Calcium and Strong Bones
Human bodies do not make the mineral calcium, which develops strong bones, muscles, the heart, and nerves.1 Besides milk, which is commonly thought to be the only primary source for calcium, patients can also get calcium through a variety of different foods including broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, and beans.2 Each of these foods have high […]
