When you are dieting to lose weight, you have to be extra careful while making food choices. You not only have to stay clear of sugar, unhealthy fats, carbs and sugary drinks but should also limit your alcohol consumption. Even in general, excess of alcohol consumption is not considered good for health. It can cause liver damage and lead to various health issues. But there is no harm in drinking in moderation once or twice in a week to lighten up your mood. You just have to be conscious about what kind of alcohol you are having and its quantity.

You need to cut down on excess calories from your drink. Instead of pouring soda, tonic water, or syrups, choose spirits. Also, rather than sipping beer or wine, go for a shot of whiskey, gin or rum. Having shots will give you a buzz faster than beer or rum. Moreover, a standard shot of whiskey, tequila, vodka, gin, or rum contains only 97 calories.

Gin: 142 calories per 44 ml serving

Martini: 124 calories per 65 ml serving

Vodka: 97 calories per 44 ml of serving

Never drink cocktails while on a diet. Cocktails often contain a high amount of added sugar, which can sabotage your weight loss goal. Mixing cranberry juice or coke to your drink increases the calories count.

Stay away from beer if you are on a mission to lose weight. It is not considered a weight-loss-friendly drink. One can of beer contains 103 calories. Also, beer is light and most people drink two-three cans of beer at one time.

Honestly, alcohol consumption is never considered good for health. If you want to stay healthy and fit, avoid alcohol consumption.

But if you want to drink then go for some healthier options, which contains less sugar. Also, try to drink in moderation.

The post Weight loss: This is the right way to drink alcohol on a diet appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

1. Margarine

Yes, the alleged healthy cousin of Butter can actually be a prime cause of premature aging. While Butter is packed with saturated fat content, Margarine has a lot of trans fats that can raise the risk of chronic diseases. In addition, Margarine can also lead to dehydration. Chronic dehydration is a prime cause of wrinkles and dry skin. You should definitely consider staying away from Margarine and stay hydrated with these healthy beverage options.

Margarine also contains a high level of omega-6 fatty acids. Too much of these fatty acids can lead to inflammation among other things. Adding Cloves to your diet can help with inflammation. However, it is best to avoid this food altogether if you want to prevent premature aging.

2. Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are high in sugar, caffeine, sodium, and acid. This potent mix can lead to a myriad of health issues. Not only can these drinks damage your teeth and contribute to dehydration, but they can also lead to raised blood sugar levels and decrease your brain’s agility!

So next time you need a jolt of energy, get some sleep rather than chugging down these energy drinks. Sleep is irreplaceable and sleep deprivation can lead to a lot of bad decision making that only reduces your productivity.

3. Sugary Treats

Sugar in any form is an enemy of healthy aging. Sugar is the biggest contributor to obesity, inflammation and tooth decay. To top it off, Sugar is highly addictive and can set your body up for a whole lot of chronic diseases. Even when not directly ingesting Sugar in the form of candies or desserts, we are being subjected to this addictive ingredient through our baked goods and sodas.

Overindulgence of sugar can lead to a lot of chronic diseases like diabetes as well as cancer.

4. Alcohol

This one is a no-brainer. Drinking alcohol is not only directly linked to premature aging, but it can also rob your body of Vitamin A which is responsible for the process of cell renewal and turnover. Overindulging in alcohol can cause free radical damage in your body, especially if the alcoholic drinks also contain sugar.

Stay away from drinks with a lot of sugar and opt instead for wine, champagne, or mixed drinks with soda water and lime. It is good to keep the alcohol binging to a minimum, hydrate and also detox after a night out of drinking. Here are 11 detox drinks you can make at home to limit the damage.

5. Preserved Meats

While preserved food is bad in any case, preserved meats just might have it worse. According to WHO researches, around 21% of bowel cancer can be attributed to eating processed or red meat. They create free radicals that lead to oxidation damage of cells and DNA. In addition, it also causes rapid skin aging.

Avoid bacon, hot dogs, and sausages in favor of lean, organic meats. Opt for minimally processed foods if you want to delay premature aging.

The post 5 Foods That Can Speed Up The Aging Process appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Young men who reported smoking at least 21 cigarettes per day or drinking heavily were up to 70% more likely to experience a fracture in middle-age when compared with nonsmokers or men who reported moderate alcohol consumption, according to findings published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

In a prospective analysis of conscript data from Sweden, researchers also observed no association between handgrip strength measured at age 18 years and fracture risk during middle-age.

“Although previous publications have consistently reported a relationship between low handgrip strength and fractures in older men, no long-term follow-up data is available to our knowledge for young adults,” Daniel Prieto-Alhambra, MD, PhD, professor of pharmaco- and device epidemiology at Botnar Research Centre in Oxford, United Kingdom, and colleagues wrote in the study background. “In parallel, evidence suggests that smoking and alcohol use could contribute to an increased fracture risk through a lower bone mineral density for smokers and a higher risk for falls and traumas for heavy alcohol drinkers.”

Prieto-Alhambra and colleagues analyzed data from 40,112 young men undergoing a conscription examination in Sweden between September 1969 and May 1970 at age 18 years. Data on muscle strength, height, weight and lifestyle factors were linked to the National Patient Register 1987-2010. Handgrip strength was considered the main exposure and smoking and alcohol consumption as secondary exposures. Outcomes were all fractures, major osteoporotic fractures and major traumatic fractures. Researchers used Cox regression models to estimate HRs according to handgrip strength as a continuous variable (per 1 standard deviation [SD]), with adjustments for weight, height, parental education, smoking and alcohol consumption.

Smoking
Young men who reported smoking at least 21 cigarettes per day or drinking heavily were up to 70% more likely to experience a fracture in middle-age when compared with nonsmokers or men who reported moderate alcohol consumption.
Source: Shutterstock

Within the cohort, median alcohol consumption was 54 g per day, and 41% of men described themselves as nonsmokers.

Researchers found that 3,974 men experienced a fracture during middle-age, for an incidence rate of 44.5 per 1,000 person-years (95% CI, 43.2-45.9). Corresponding rates for major osteoporotic fractures and traumatic fractures were 12.2 and 5.6 per 1,000 person-years, respectively.

Researchers found no association between handgrip strength and any fracture risk.

In analyses of associations between lifestyle factors and fracture risks, researchers found that men who reported smoking at least six cigarettes per day were more likely to experience a fracture in middle-age vs. nonsmokers. The adjusted HR for smoking at least 21 cigarettes per day was 1.44 for all fractures (95% CI, 1.21-1.71).

Researchers observed a J-shaped associated between alcohol consumption and fracture risk. Compared with men who reported moderate alcohol consumption, defined as between 1 g and 100 g per week, the adjusted HR for fracture risk with no alcohol consumption was 1.23 (95% CI, 1.07-1.41), whereas the HR for consuming more than 400 g per week was 1.48 (95% CI, 1.2-1.83). The estimated population attributable fraction of fractures due to smoking and excess alcohol consumption was 11.8% (95% CI 7.9-15.5).

“About 12% of midlife fractures in men could be avoided if smoking and heavy alcohol consumption were eliminated,” the researchers wrote. – by Regina Schaffer

Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.

The post Smoking, alcohol use raise fracture risk for young men appeared first on MyMedicPlus.