The macula is located in the retina in the back of the eye and provides central vision, most of the color vision and the fine details of vision. Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a chronic eye disorder. The earliest symptoms of macular degeneration are blurring of vision, distortion of vision (i.e. lines are no longer straight or letters seem bunched up) or areas of central vision that appear to be blackened, greyed or whited out.
Several older studies suggest that taking in one glass of wine per day for women or two glasses of wine per day for men is associated with reduced risk for a heart attack. However, a review of 107 studies involving more than 4.8 million participants found no reduction in in death rate for people who drank fewer than two drinks (25 grams) of alcohol per day, and there was marked increase in risk of death among female drinkers who drank 25 or more grams per day and male drinkers who drank 45 or more grams per day.
Carl Weathers was an actor who was most famous for playing boxer Apollo Creed in the first four "Rocky" films, from 1976 to 1985. He was also a football player who played linebacker for San Diego State in college and the Oakland Raiders in the National Football League. He also had many film and TV roles such as Colonel Al Dillon in Predator (1987), Chubbs Peterson in Happy Gilmore (1996), and Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise.
Two recent breakthrough studies on controlling blood pressure found that frequent blood pressure variation between one doctor's appointment and the next is a major risk factor for heart attacks; and, in people with high blood pressure, reducing salt intake can lower their average blood pressure in as little as one week.
The Nurses’ Health Study II found that depressed women were significantly more likely to take in ultra-processed foods and fluids, particularly those flavored with artificial sweeteners. In this study of 31,712 women between the ages 42 to 62, 4840 cases of depression were found, including 2122 cases of severe depression. The depressed women were also more likely to be fatter, more likely to smoke, more likely to suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and less likely to exercise regularly.
Joe Madison was an outstanding talk-radio host who was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2019. He called himself “The Black Eagle” and used talk radio to advocate for racial tolerance, starting when he joined the otherwise all-white lineup at WWRC-AM radio in the early 1990s. He was a close friend of mine as I did a daily talk show on health, fitness and nutrition on the same station during the peak popularity of talk radio. We remained friends and communicated long after the station changed its format in 1998.
The American Heart Association recommends that “accumulating evidence suggests resistance training is a safe and effective approach for improving cardiovascular health in adults with and without cardiovascular disease. Resistance training not only can improve or maintain muscle mass and strength, but also has favorable physiological and clinical effects on cardiovascular disease and risk factors.”
A serving of 100 percent fruit juice contains the same amount of sugar as a sugared soft drink. Eight ounces of fruit juice contains the same 30 grams of sugar (eight teaspoons) that is found in eight ounces of soda, because that is the concentration at which sugar tastes best in drinks.
Toby Keith was a country music singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and an incredible business entrepreneur who recorded 26 albums that sold more than 40 million copies. He had 61 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, with 20 number one hits and 22 additional top 10 hits. His best known songs include "Beer for My Horses," "As Good as I Once Was," "Should've Been a Cowboy," "Red Solo Cup," and "How Do You Like Me Now." He received a National Medal of Arts from President Trump in 2021.
A study of 937 patients suggests that all cancer patients should follow heart-attack preventing lifestyle changes including a heart-healthy diet such as the Mediterranean, MIND or DASH diets (Presented at the American Heart Association Congress meeting in Philadelphia, November 2023). The study found that having a history of cancer increases heart attack risk and that having heart-attack risk factors is associated with increased cancer risk.
