Highmark SAE/PRI Wellness Assessment Results

In the most recent Highmark Wellness Assessment program, 90 SAE/PRI employees participated. The group, consisting of 26 men and 64 women, with an average age of 46, was tested and measured against the health norms and comparisons for this demographic.

The results below represent the top 5 health risks for SAE employees:

1. Cancer Risk Reduction (72% of SAE employees have high cancer risk)
These individuals could make lifestyle changes to significantly reduce their cancer risk. The National Cancer Institute has stated that most premature deaths from cancer could be prevented by lifestyle changes and regular preventative exams.

2. Better Nutrition (60% of SAE employees showed need for making nutritional changes)
Good nutrition is a positive step toward preventing heart disease, cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, and improving general health and resistance to disease.

3. Improving Fitness (59% of SAE employees showed need for improving fitness levels) Regular exercise is a positive lifestyle practice that helps prevent many serious health problems: heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and osteoporosis. It also helps ease tension and generally builds energy, self-worth, and motivation for other healthy practices such as not smoking and better nutrition. A good fitness program can form the foundation for a good health enhancement program.

4. Weight Management (54% of SAE employees are above their recommended weight range) Weight control is a commonly reported need. By losing or preventing excess weight, risk for heart problems cancer risk, hypertension, diabetes and other serious health problems can be prevented. Losing weight can also have a positive effect on self-image.

5. Managing Cholesterol Levels (41% of SAE employees had cholesterol over recommended levels) Lowering cholesterol levels can significantly reduce risks for heart disease. For every 1% cholesterol is lowered, the risk for heart disease drops by 2%. A program of nutritional education, dietary counseling, and medical referral is needed for these individuals.

Based on the above, The SWELL Committee is planning several programs, including this blog as well as the already-underway Eat Well for Life to help employees with reducing these risks. Keep posted for more information.

The Hefty Cost of a Value Meal

For an extra 67 cents, you can get lots of fries, a bucketful of soda, a super-duper burger, and more at a fast food window.

But it's no bargain. The effect on your weight and lifestyle of supersizing a meal -- that is, buying more calories than your body can use -- may run you more than $7 in the end. According to researchers, that's what each supersize meal costs, assuming the extra calories turn to fat, which in turn increases the amount of money you must spend on food, gas, and medical care to sustain an ever-heavier frame.

When researchers determined the real price of supersizing a meal -- assuming the added calories turn to fat -- they included the cost of more food needed to sustain a heavier person, more gas to transport a heavier body, and the extra medical expenses associated with weight gain. For people already overweight, 67 cents worth of supersizing resulted in $7.72 total cost; even for normal-weight people, the cost was more than $4.

Still worse, carrying around extra pounds leaves you at higher risk for heart disease, diabetes, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, some forms of cancer, and high blood pressure.

Whether you're ordering fast food at the drive-through, dining in a restaurant, or eating in your own kitchen, pay attention to portion size so you don't take in more calories than you can use. Try to start your meal with healthy, low-fat foods -- fruit or veggies (even fast-food joints now offer salads) -- then move on to small portions of protein and carbs. You'll feel full with far fewer calories.

Many restaurants serve plates piled high with enough food to serve a small family. Be proactive to prevent overeating. Before it's served, have half your meal boxed and take it home. Or split an entrée. Avoid all-you-can-eat buffets. In other words, do yourself a favor and downsize your meals.

Now that's a good investment.

Reference
The financial reality of overeating. Close, R. N., Schoeller, D. A., Journal of American College of Nutrition 2006 Jun;25(3):203-209.

Is Your Phone Bugged?

That device you use to reach out and touch someone -- your phone -- may be touching you back with dirt, germs, and other baddies. In a study of household surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms, scientists discovered that phone handsets and mouthpieces were two of the most contaminated. So grab a cleaning wipe and give yours a rubdown regularly.

High levels of amylase, an enzyme that warns of contamination from saliva, sweat, urine, or other bodily fluids, were found on the handsets and mouthpieces of phones that researches recently tested in 17 households. Phones tended to have even more amylase than baby gear, including baby changing mats.

If that's not bad enough, researchers speculate that contaminated phones might be a culprit in nasty cold and flu infections. Viruses can survive on certain surfaces for hours, or even days, depending on the room's humidity and temperature. And once you touch a contaminated surface with your hands, it's maddeningly likely that the virus will be transferred to your nose or mouth -- and bingo, the bug's in your body. So clean your phone, and don't forget to wash your hands afterward!

Reference
Detection of viruses and body fluids which may contain viruses in the domestic environment. Bellamy, K., Laban, K. L., Barrett, K. E., Talbot, D.C., Epidemiology and Infection 1998 Dec;121(3):673-680.

Semi-Blind Drunk?

Think you're fit to take the wheel after just one cocktail?

Think again. In a group of barely-buzzed people who were asked to count passes between basketball players in a video, about 82 percent failed to notice a person dressed up in a gorilla suit in the clip! Would you feel confident about your ability to drive if you noticed a stray dog, child, cyclist, or broken down car on the side of the road just 18 percent of the time? Didn't think so. Play it smart: Don't drive after even one drink.

Even a little alcohol exacerbates "inattentional blindness," a condition that makes it easy for you to miss something major (a deer) while you're concentrating on something else (a street sign). Now for the super scary part: Half of adults miss major objects in their visual field while sober.

In other words, the human mind can pay attention to only so many details at a time. If you're focused on one thing, you're likely to completely miss others. Add alcohol and you've got a bigger problem -- even if it's just a little alcohol. In the study that included watching the basketball video, the people who failed to notice the gorilla had a blood alcohol content of only 0.04 percent -- that's well below the legal limit in most states: 0.08 percent.

Driving home? Order a virgin margarita, or hand your car keys to a friend who prefers sparkling water to sparkling wine.

Reference
Blind drunk: the effects of alcohol on inattentional blindness. Clifasefi, S. L., Takarangi, M. K. T., Bergman, J. S., Applied Cognitive Psychology 2006 Jul;20(5):697-704.

All About Tears

Don't hold back the tears. According to doctors, a good cry now and then may do a body good.

Just as sweat removes salt, urine removes waste, and mucus traps bacteria, tears also serve a purpose. Emotional tears -- shed in moments of intense feeling -- carry stress hormones and are a way of getting rid of them. Even if crying embarrasses you, it signals that you've reached a level of stress that's detrimental to your health. So let it out.

Your body makes several kinds of tears:

• Basal tears are produced continuously to keep your eyes lubricated; that layer of moisture also helps prevent damage from air currents and bits of floating debris.
• Irritant tears are produced when the eyes are hit by flying sand, grit, insects, etc.
• Emotional tears are released in moments of intense feeling -- sometimes joy, but more often sorrow.

Unlike basal or irritant tears, which are protective, emotional tears are hormonal and chemically different. One major hormone that increases with stress is also associated with crying: prolactin. Levels of prolactin in the body correlate positively with frequency of emotional crying.

Reference
YOU: The Owner's Manual. Roizen, M. F., Oz, M. C., New York: HarperCollins, 2005.