iHealth: HEALTH

Which Types of Hard Alcohol Have NO SUGARS OR CARBS?

Which Types of Hard Alcohol Have NO SUGARS OR CARBS?

Watching what you eat while still trying to have a few drinks can be tough, but cutting out the beer and wine and sticking to hard alcohol can be helpful. Hard alcohol contains no sugar or carbs. Even though it’s made from natural sugars, fruits, grains, sugarcane and berries, those sugars are converted to alcohol during the fermentation and distillation process. Stick with straight alcohol, though. Cocktails and mixed drinks will be full of sugary sodas and fruit juices. Hard alcohol does, however, contain calories, so anyone on a weight loss plan needs to be careful when it comes to alcohol intake.

GIN

Gin is made from a grain base and flavored with juniper berries, and has a typical alcohol content of 35 percent by volume. It’s also usually made with citrus botanicals such as lemon, orange, grapefruit or lime peel. Straight gin has no sugar or carbs, but the mixers in popular drinks, such as a gin and tonic, do. Also make sure to avoid sloe gin, which has sugar added.

RUM

Rum is free from added sugar or carbs, is typically made from sugarcane or molasses, and comes in a variety of styles: white rum, amber rum, dark rum, spiced rum and aged rum. Typically, the darker the rum, the older it is. Rums can spend years aging in oak casks. Flavored rums can have sugar added, so make sure to stay away from them. The average rum has an alcohol content of 35 percent by volume.

VODKA

Vodka is generally made from a grain base, such as rye, wheat or potatoes, and typically has an alcohol content from 35 to 50 percent by volume. Make sure to buy only straight vodka; flavored vodkas will often have sugar added.

WHISKEY

Whiskey is made from a fermented grain mash, usually of barley, rye, wheat or corn. Depending on where it’s made or what it’s made from, whiskey can be found under different names. None have carbs or sugar added. Most whiskey has an alcohol content of about 40 percent by volume.

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HEALTH

17 Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper

Many societies, especially those of the Americas and China, have a history of using cayenne pepper therapeutically. A powerful compound with many uses, cayenne pepper is currently gaining buzz for cleansing and detoxifying regimes such as the Master Cleanse, which uses the spice to stimulate circulation and neutralize acidity.

Cayenne pepper has been used for a variety of ailments including heartburn, delirium, tremors, gout, paralysis, fever, dyspepsia, flatulence, sore throat, atonic dyspepsia, hemorrhoids, menorrhagia in women, nausea, tonsillitis, scarlet fever and diphtheria.

The Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper

1. Anti-Irritant Properties

Cayenne has the ability to ease upset stomach, ulcers, sore throats, spasmodic and irritating coughs, and diarrhea.

2. Anti-Cold and Flu Agent

Cayenne pepper aids in breaking up and moving congested mucus. Once mucus begins to leave the body, relief from flu symptoms generally follows.

3. Anti-Fungal Properties

The results of one study indicated that cayenne pepper could effectively prevent the formation of the fungal pathogens phomopsis and collectotrichum [1].

4. Migraine Headache Prevention

This may be related to the pepper’s ability to stimulate a pain response in a different area of the body, thus reverting the brain’s attention to the new site. Following this initial pain reaction, the nerve fibers have a depleted substance P (the nerve’s pain chemical), and the perception of pain is lessened.

5. Anti-Allergen

Cayenne is an anti- agent and may even help relieve allergies.

6. Digestive Aid

Cayenne is a well-known digestive aid. It stimulates the digestive tract, increasing the flow of enzyme production and gastric juices. This aids the body’s ability to metabolize food (and toxins). Cayenne pepper is also helpful for relieving intestinal gas. It stimulates intestinal peristaltic motion, aiding in both assimilation and elimination.

7. Anti-Redness Properties

Cayenne’s properties makes it a great herb for many chronic and degenerative conditions.

8. Helps Produce Saliva

Cayenne stimulates the production of saliva, an important key to excellent digestion and maintaining optimal oral health.

9. Useful for Blood Clots

Cayenne pepper also helps reduce atherosclerosis, encourages fibrinolytic activity and prevents factors that lead to the formation of blood clots, all of which can help reduce the chances of a heart attack or stroke.

10. Detox Support

Cayenne is a known circulatory stimulant. It also increases the pulse of our lymphatic and digestive rhythms. By heating the body, the natural process of detoxification is streamlined. Cayenne also causes us to sweat, another important process of detoxification. Combined with lemon juice and honey, cayenne tea is an excellent morning beverage for total body detox.

11. Joint-Pain Reliever

Extremely high in a substance called capsaicin, cayenne pepper acts to cause temporary pain on the skin, which sends chemical messengers from the skin into the joint, offering relief for joint pain.

12. Anti-Bacterial Properties

Cayenne is an excellent preservative and has been used traditionally to prevent food contamination from bacteria.

13. Possible Anti-Cancer Agent

Studies done at the Loma Linda University in California found that cayenne pepper may help prevent lung cancer in smokers [2]. This may be again related to cayenne’s high quantity of capsaicin, a substance that might help stop the formation of tobacco-induced lung tumors. Other studies have also shown a similar reaction in cayenne’s resistance to liver tumors.

14. Supports Weight Loss

Scientists at the Laval University in Quebec found that participants who took cayenne pepper for breakfast were found to have less appetite, leading to less caloric intake throughout the day. Cayenne is also a great metabolic-booster, aiding the body in burning excess amounts of fats.

15. Promotes Heart-Health

Cayenne helps to keep blood pressure levels normalized. It also balances the body of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

16. Remedy for Toothache

Cayenne is an excellent agent against tooth and gum diseases.

17. Topical Remedy

As a poultice, cayenne has been used to treat snake bites, rheumatism, sores, wounds and lumbago.

Proper Dosage to Avoid Cayenne Pepper Side Effects

A proper dosage should be observed all the time to ensure that no undesired effects would occur. As what the University of Maryland Medical Center prescribed, a person can take up to 30 to 120 mg of red pepper at most 3 times a day. It is achieved by combining 1 teaspoon of cayenne powder in one cup of hot water.

Source: naturalhealingcenter.com

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FOOD

Why Instant Noodles Maybe Hurting Your Health

In a pinch, instant noodles have always seemed like a good way to get in a quick meal. But new research suggests that doing so may actually be bad for you. The study “found that independent of other factors, [South Korean] women who ate instant noodles at least twice a week were 68 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome,” a constellation of health conditions that includes high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. Interestingly, the same effect was not seen in men. Researchers said this “may be because women report their diet more accurately or because postmenopausal women are more sensitive to the dietary effect of carbohydrates, sodium and saturated fat.” (NYT).

Studies have shown that high sodium consumption is linked to a variety of diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, stroke and kidney damage.In 2004 Malaysians consumed 870 million packets of instant noodles but by 2008 it had increased to more than 1,210 million packets. This is an increase of nearly 40 percent during the period of 4 years. Instant noodle is a highly processed food that lacks nutritive value. It is a junk food. Every single serving of instant noodle is high in carbohydrates, sodium and other food additives, but low on essential elements such as fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Here we take a look at the top 10 reasons why we should avoid these sweet temptations:

1. Nutrient Absorption : Noodles inhibit the absorption of nutrients for the children under 5.

2. Cancer : The ingredient in the instant noodles called “Styrofoam’, is a cancer causing agent.

3. Miscarriage : Women who are Eating instant noodles during their pregnancy causes miscarriage, because it affect the development of a foetus.

4. Junk Food : instant noodles are enriched with full of carbohydrates,but no vitamins, fiber and minerals. This makes the instant noodles considered as a junk food.

5. Sodium : Instant noodles are power packed with high amounts of sodium. Excess consumption of sodium leads to heart disease, stroke, hypertension and kidney damage.

6. MSG : Monosodium Glutamate is used to enhance the flavour of instant noodles. People who are allergic to MSG consume it as part of their diet, then they end up suffering from headaches, facial flushing, pain, burning sensations.

7. Overweight : Eating Noodles is the leading cause of obesity. Noodles contains fat and large amounts of sodium, which causes water retention in the body and surely it leads to overweight, and obesity leads to heart problems.

8. Digestion : Instant noodles are bad for digestive system. Regular consumption of instant noodles causes irregular bowl movements and bloating.

9. Propylene Glycol : The ingredient in the instant noodles called “Propylene Glycol” which has a anti-freeze property. This ingredient is used because it prevents the noodles from drying by retaining moisture. It weakens the immune system of our body. It is easily absorbed by the body and it accumulates in the kidneys, heart and liver. It causes abnormalities and damage to those areas.

10. Metabolism : Regular consumption of instant noodles affect the body’s metabolism, because of the chemical substances like additives, coloring and preservatives inside the noodles.

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HEALTH

What does your Acne reveal about your health

It is believed in Chinese Medicine that acne that flares up on different parts of your face represents health problems on different parts of your body. It’s like this part of your face corresponds to this organ. To know what conditions you’re suffering from, just look at where your acne is.

Upper Forehead

Affects: Digestive System and Bladder

What to do:

Drinking water helps to flush out the toxins in your body, so boost your water intake and have a look at the foods you are eating.
Minimize intake of fizzy drinks and high caffeinated drinks. Also look at switching to herbal teas, especially green tea!
Consume less chocolate, cakes, lemonade and Coke, drink more mineral water without gas. Eat food that helps eliminate toxins from the body: boiled cabbage, and baked apples.
Go to bed early (10pm) and wake up early (6am). Even if you can’t fall asleep. it’s good to relax so your liver can rest and be ready for work the next day
20-30 minutes of light exercise every day, especially outdoors
Practice relaxation techniques to worry less
Better hygiene (washing hair, hats)
Green Tea, lemon water and berries can also help as these are antioxidant rich foods

Lower Forehead

Affects: Heart

Your heart is a massive organ that pumps blood all over your body. If it’s stressed out due to poor diet, inactivity and various mental and physical stresses, then not only are you likely to get pimples on your lower forehead, your entire body will be doomed if you don’t fix the problems. Having a healthy heart means to do regular exercises to strengthen the heart, as well as eat a healthy diet, and keeping stresses low.

What to do:

Try to exercise regularly
Drink at least 8 glasses of water
Eat healthy, preferably low cholesterol, high fiber diet
Quit smoking

Ears

Affects: Kidneys

When kidneys are not taken care of, you’ll find these large, painful pimples on your ears that refuses to leave no matter what.

What to do:

Increase water intake
Avoiding eating too much salty food, caffeine
cleanse your kidneys with diuretics like parsley and water

Eyes, orbital area and between the Eyebrows

Affects: Liver

Oiliness, redness, flakiness and pimples between the eyebrows can indicate that your liver may have been overworking and need a cleansing.

What to do:

Eat fruits and vegetables with high content of vitamin C (kiwi, sweet pepper, oranges) will help in providing you with a good mood.
Try to avoid eating late at night; especially right before bedtime as your body will not break down the food as effectively, leading to a toxin build up.
Cut back on fatty, sugary, greasy and rich foods, alcohol and diary, particularly if you’re lactose intolerant.
Some of the best foods to cleanse your liver include garlic, grapefruit, green tea, carrots, beets, leafy green vegetables, lemons and lime.

Upper Cheeks

Affects: Lungs and Respiratory System

Stresses to the lungs is likely to cause flare ups in the upper cheeks and even break your capillaries. These stresses include smoking, asthma, allergies, and lung infections.

What to do:

Avoid smoking and passive smoking
Exercise
Avoid polluted area

Lower Cheeks

Affects: Gum or Teeth Problems

Gum or teeth problems may contribute to acne in the lower cheeks area.

What to do:

Hygiene:
- Change your pillowcase at least once a week, and wipe down your phone with an antibacterial wipe every few days.
- Always keep on top of your dental health, brushing, mouthwash and flossing twice a day and regular check ups at the dentist at least twice a year! Don’t just wait until you have a dental problem to make an appointment.
Food:
- Foods great for healthier lungs include, kale, sprouts and pumpkin.
- Include fresh vegetables, oatmeal and brown rice in your diet.
- Eat more cooling foods such as gourds, winter melons, and green beans
- Don’t overeat
- Avoid fast food and junk food, artificial sugar and sodas
- Avoid mango, taro root, wine, and seafood or other foods you may be sensitive to
- Eat less sugar

Sides of the Chin

Affects: Hormones and Genitals

This may affect a lot of girls. When sides of the chin often flare up, it’s a sign of hormonal imbalance, often caused by menstruation. Sometimes, even emotional or physical stress can cause hormonal imbalances. There are also herbs that can help balance hormones such as licorice, schisandra, holy basil, maca, burdock, red raspberry leaves, rhodiola and milk thisle. Green tea is also a brilliant anti-androgen.

What to do:

Reduce the habit of eating before bed
Eat more fresh fruit and vegetables
Get more rest and sleep
Get 20 minutes of exercise each day and massage your body for relaxation
Sleep early and wake up early
Try herbs that can help balance hormones such as licorice, schisandra, holy basil, maca, burdock, red raspberry leaves, rhodiola and milk thisle. Green tea is also a brilliant anti-androgen.

Centre of the Chin

Affects: Small intestines and stomach

This is also caused by poor diets and food allergies. Be sure to eliminate those bad foods.

What to do:

Eat more fresh fruit and vegetables
Get more rest
Increase water intake and fiber in your diet

Chest and Neck

Chest areas are usually caused by stress, so be sure to figure out what’s stressing you out and try to eliminate that stress. It’s also important to be comfortable in your outfits. When areas around the neck flare up, it’s often caused by your body fighting off infections.

What to do:

Try to eliminate stressors
Use comfortable clothing
Increase water intake and maintain ascorbic acid intake to fight off infections.

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HEALTH

Little girls battling cancer in viral photo share good news: They're in remission!

By Today Health

Three little girls who won the Internet's heart when their photo went viral in early April have good news to share: They're all in remission.

Rheann, 6, Ainsley, 4, and Rylie, 3, were all battling different types of cancer when they were brought together by Lora Scantling, a photographer based in Bethany, Oklahoma, along with fellow photographer Christy Goodger. Ainsley and Rylie were mostly in the clear at the time of the photoshoot at Scantling and Goodger’s studio, but Rheann’s fate still hung in the balance.

Rylie, Rheann and Ainsley are now all in remission

But Scantling was recently thrilled to find out that Rheann, too, was in remission, which she learned from a Facebook post from Rheann’s mother Valerie. “It’s amazing, I was pretty excited," Scantling. "When I found out she was cancer-free, I teared up! I knew she had a check-up, but when she posted that, I didn’t expect it. It was a big surprise!”

“I was hoping for good news, but I wasn’t expecting the good news this quick,” Rheann’s mother Valerie told TODAY.com of the check-up. “The doctor and I got up and danced together. We danced down the hallway.”

Rheann was first diagnosed in October 2012, and while her initial response to the chemotherapy treatments made doctors hopeful, a relapse in April of 2013 took the prognosis from cautious optimism to her family planning her services.

But the brave 6-year-old managed to pull through, and touched many others along the way. Valerie said that after the photo went viral, she received responses from patients who met Rheann during her treatment. “They said, 'She came up to me and told me, "You're gonna be fine," and it looks like she was telling herself the same thing.'"

Scantling originally came up with the idea for the photographs when her own family was affected by cancer.

“My step dad was fighting cancer at the time, he had lung cancer,” Scantling told TODAY.com. “And I always wanted to create pictures that mean something.” She was moved by an Anne Geddes photo series of children with missing limbs, and was inspired to do similar work: “I thought, I need to do something that gives my viewers the same feeling.”

She posted to Facebook asking friends if they knew any little girls fighting cancer, which led her to connect with lots of families enthusiastic about participating. The three little girls in the now-iconic photo had not met before the day of the sweet photo shoot, which spread the message that those suffering in the same way were not alone.

After the photo was taken, Andrea Peters, Ainsley’s mother, told TODAY.com that they were overwhelmed by the response. “I thought, what a wonderful way to bring more awareness for childhood cancer," she said. "The fact that the girls looked so beautiful and were also going through this horrendous treatment, it was touching for me as a mother that other people could see the beauty in my child.”

The overwhelming response also led Ally's House, a cancer foundation in Oklahoma, to approach Scantling and Goodger to take more photos of kids battling disease.

She recently photographed a young boy named Garrett who was battling cancer, and he subsequently passed away a few weeks later. “When I found out, I just started bawling. You get attached to these kids,” Scantling said. But she’s happy his family is able to have the photos to keep his memory alive.

Scantling is the mother to two little girls, ages eight and five, and though they don’t quite understand her work, she’s already passed on her passion to them: “They were playing pictures, as they call it, and they love baby dolls. They had the dolls sitting on a little chair and said 'Look! We’re taking pictures of cancer babies just like you!'"

Just a few weeks after the initial photos were taken, Scantling's stepfather passed away, but not before he'd been able to appreciate the work his stepdaughter had done. “He was real proud and told me to keep on,” she said.

Her original plan was to take a new photo of the three girls one year after the original, but once she found out all three were in remission, she began to plan for an update. She says it will likely happen within the next month, and will be shot in the same style — and with the same outifts — as the original.

As for the concept, Scantling wants the new photo to convey a joyful message: “I’ve been talking to the parents about getting a new picture together of them jumping and saying 'We’re free!'"

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HEALTH

The 7 Best Foods for Stronger Bones

Let me make very clear what the best foods are for the bones — in this order:

1. Vegetables, especially leafy greens, and also roots and stalks (for the iron and calcium, and for vitamins K and C, which, together with protein, help deposit the collagen matrix)

2. Protein, such as animal foods, beans, and soy foods (for the collagen matrix)

3. Stock (for the minerals)

4. Whole grains (for the magnesium)

5. Foods rich in trace minerals, such as seaweeds, nuts, and seeds

6. Edible bones (for the calcium and other minerals)

7. Healthy fats (for the fat-soluble vitamins needed for the bones, such as vitamins K and D)

Let’s take a closer look at these categories and review how each relates to bone health.

Vegetables

Calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and other minerals are found abundantly in the vegetable kingdom, especially in produce that’s organically grown. Of particular value for bone health are all the leafy green vegetables, such as kale, collard greens, mustard greens, arugula, bok choy, parsley, watercress, and mesclun. The only exceptions are spinach and Swiss chard, as explained below.

Other vegetables especially helpful to the bones include broccoli, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, and acorn or butternut squash. In fact, the food that provides the most calcium per calorie is bok choy, at 790 mg per 100 calories when cooked.

Other vegetables with a high calcium content include cooked mustard greens, with 495 mg calcium per 100 calories; raw celery, with 250 mg calcium per 100 calories; and steamed broccoli, with 164 mg calcium per 100 calories.

For comparison, skim milk provides 351 mg of calcium per 100 calories, so the veggies are quite within the ballpark.

Some vegetables, most notably spinach and Swiss chard, contain a relative abundance of calcium but also contain oxalates, substances that may interfere with calcium absorption in some cases. However, people on low calcium diets (300 to 400 mg per day) are more efficient at overriding the effect of oxalates and absorbing calcium than people on diets high in calcium-rich dairy products.

Protein Foods

As explained earlier, protein is essential for giving bones the flexibility that helps prevent fractures. There is controversy as to whether protein from animal or vegetable sources is better. For quite some time, the popular assumption was that a diet high in animal protein could contribute to osteoporosis. This assumption has been shown to be incorrect.

Some people object to the consumption of animal foods for a variety of reasons. My viewpoint has always been that the choice to be vegetarian or not is a very personal one, and that either can be very healthful as long as the diet is balanced and the foods consumed are fresh, natural, and unrefined — and hopefully organic.

Cooking with Stock

Cooking with stock is a very traditional way of increasing the nutritional value of dishes made with added liquid, such as soups, stews, grains, beans, and sauces.

By cooking bones and vegetables for a long time over low heat, many of the minerals are leached out into the cooking water, making the stock highly nutritious and also alkalizing, especially if something sour has been added such as vinegar or wine.

Whole Grains

In modern times, the primary grains that most cultures rely on for sustenance — rice and wheat — are usually stripped of their bran and germ and thereby made deficient in nutrients.

Whole grains, such as brown rice, whole wheat, barley, oats, rye, millet, cornmeal, amaranth, quinoa, teff, and buckwheat, are excellent sources of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and B vitamins, and they’re very satisfying to boot. Consuming sufficient amounts of whole grains (about a handful of cooked whole grain per meal) also means you need to consume less animal protein due to a concept known as protein sparing.

When grains (or fats) provide more calories, this diminishes the body’s need to metabolize proteins for energy. This conserves muscle tissue, and whatever is good for the muscles is good for the bones.

In addition, whole grains are a good source of magnesium, which helps increase absorption of calcium from the blood into the bones.

Foods Rich in Trace Minerals

Seaweeds, nuts, and seeds are some of the foods richest in trace minerals. Trace minerals play an important role in bone health. Remember, less important than how much calcium you eat is the balance of minerals (and other nutrients). Eating food rich in trace minerals will go a long way toward providing mineral balance.

Seaweeds, which are most commonly used in Japanese cuisine are rich in minerals, making them an excellent addition to healthful cooking. In fact, a study of osteoporosis in Taiwan found that those who include seaweed in their diet two or more times per week showed a slightly higher protection against osteoporosis (Shaw 1993).

Seaweeds are also valuable for being especially high in iodine, which is necessary for good thyroid function. As discussed in chapter 3, the thyroid and parathyroid glands play an important role in bone health.

Nuts and seeds have the advantage of also being a great source of bone-healthy essential fatty acids, as well as plant protein. A handful of nuts or seeds a day is a good source of trace minerals, such as iron, boron, selenium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

Edible Bones

Perhaps your initial response to the idea of eating bones is… WHAT?! But bones can be eaten when prepared in certain ways, and if you think about it, what better source of natural minerals for our bones than bones themselves?

Healthy Fats

Good-quality fats are essential for bone health. As we apply the “three-bears rule,” too much is no good, but too little is no good, as well. You need to eat enough of these important nutrients, even if that means unlearning a fat phobia.

The average postmenopausal woman needs about 65 grams of fat daily. That means you need approximately 2 or 3 tablespoons of good quality fat per day in an eating regime based on vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds, or about 1 or 2 tablespoons if your diet also includes animal products.

Nutritionist Udo Erasmus cautions against using any one type of fat exclusively because it won’t contain a full profile of fatty acids and therefore might create an imbalance (Erasmus 1993). We need both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. However, a diet high in polyunsaturated vegetable oils is skewed too much in favor of the latter.

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HEALTH

Mixing energy drinks and alcohol can 'prime' you for a binge

Ever since energy drinks and vodka became a popular cocktail, researchers have warned about the risks.

There's more evidence that mixing alcohol and energy drinks like Red Bull, Rock Star and Monster is a bad idea. A new study finds it can boost the risk of binge drinking.

Australian researchers found people had a greater urge to keep drinking after downing a beverage containing both alcohol and an energy drink, compared to alcohol alone, according to the report published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

It’s possible that caffeine may be amplifying the high that comes with alcohol, said Rebecca McKetin, the study’s lead author and a fellow at the Australian National University’s Centre for Research on Aging, Health and Well-Being.

Whatever the mechanism is, “our findings suggest that energy drinks may increase the risk of people drinking to intoxication and consequently increase the risk of alcohol-related problems like drunk driving and alcohol-fueled violence,” McKetin said.

McKetin and her co-author, Alice Coen, rounded up 75 volunteers, aged 18 to 30, and asked them to fill out a questionnaire that rated their urge to drink. Then the volunteers were randomly assigned to receive either an energy drink combined with fruit juice and two shots of vodka or soda water and fruit juice mixed with two shots of vodka.

Questionnaires filled out 20 minutes after the cocktails were downed showed that volunteers who had consumed the combination of alcohol and energy drinks had a greater urge to keep drinking.

What’s intriguing about the new study is that it focused on the early, or “priming,” effects of caffeine and alcohol, said Dr. Larissa Mooney, an addiction psychiatrist and an assistant professor of psychiatry at University of California, Los Angeles. “It shows that something is happening to trigger a desire to want more, and that that happens pretty early on, after the first drink is consumed.”

While the increase in the urge to drink was moderate, “it adds to the larger conversation about alcohol and energy drinks,” said David Jernigan, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Particularly for young people, mixing alcohol with high levels of caffeine, from all we can tell, may lead to a greater likelihood of bad things happening.”

Dr. Charles O’Brien, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Center for Studies in Addiction, agreed. “The real risk of this combination is that people feel they aren’t drunk when they are,” he said. “That’s because caffeine wards off the sedation that normally comes when you drink.”

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HEALTH

7 Things You Should Know About Caffeine

Ready for a jolt? According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 80 percent of adults in the United States consume caffeine on a daily basis, and they take in an average of 200 milligrams (the equivalent of two five-ounce cups of coffee) per day. With those numbers in mind, it actually begins to make (some) sense that a recent survey of over 7,000 people found that most of them said they’d prefer coffee over sex. That’s one popular stimulant!

That being said, even though you and all your friends and family members probably consume caffeine on the regular (and may exhibit many of these 16 signs you’re obsessed with coffee), we’re betting that you don’t know much more about the stuff, other than (a) it’s in coffee and certain sodas, and (b) it’s an energy-booster. There’s actually a lot more you need to know about everyone’s favorite legal drug—so here’s a crash course.

1. Caffeine has a positive impact on short-term and long-term memory.

There’s been a lot of past research on caffeine’s effects on short-term memory, but recent studies are indicating benefits for long-term memory, as well. “Around 300 to 400 milligrams per day may protect against cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s,” says Jaclyn London, MS, R.D., a senior dietician at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. There is one caveat, though: “Getting enough sleep is also important in Alzheimer’s prevention, so keep that in mind if you’re caffeine-sensitive.” (Learn 3 more memory-boosting tricks here.)

2. Caffeine may enhance athletic performance.

Taking in some caffeine about an hour before your workout or race may up your game. “We’re seeing statistically significant increases in alertness and decreases in reaction time,” says London. “Also cool, caffeine has been shown to decrease your perception of effort.” In other words, you can put forth more effort for what seems like the same amount of work.

3. The effects of caffeine are almost immediate.

We can’t decide if this is neat or kind of scary. “Caffeine very easily crosses the blood-brain barrier, so the central nervous system is stimulated quickly,” says London. That means you’ll feel more alert instantly and continue to feel a big boost until effects hit their peak 30 to 60 minutes after consumption.

4. The caffeine content of coffee varies a lot.

In a study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology, researchers found that a 16-ounce Starbucks coffee had 100 milligrams more caffeine than the same size from Dunkin’ Donuts. The study also showed that the same drink from the same chain can differ by 300 milligrams in its caffeine content, depending on which day you order it. London says a standard serving of coffee typically ranges from 90 to 225 milligrams.

5. The caffeine content of espresso is actually a whole lot less than coffee.

Everyone thinks espresso is a caffeine powerhouse, but London says a single shot of espresso clocks in at 40 to 70 milligrams—much less than the average cup of coffee. Since you get more caffeine in drip coffee, ordering an espresso-based beverage like a cappuccino might be smart if you’re sensitive to the stimulant.

6. Caffeine doesn’t actually dehydrate you.

Since 98 percent of caffeine is consumed in beverages, according to the FDA, you’re also probably hydrating at the same time you take it in. So although caffeine is a diuretic, it’s unlikely to truly dehydrate you. Still, that doesn’t mean you should drink caffeinated beverages alone exclusively. Enjoy them in moderation, and don’t forget that water is still the gold standard for hydration. (Learn more about this, plus 7 other myths about hydration.)

7. Caffeine sources aren’t just limited to beverages.

Chocolate is also a major source, and caffeine can also be added to almost any food or substance—which is why you’ll also find caffeine in some medications, like Midol. If you have a heart condition or hypertension, check with your doctor before taking any pain relievers with caffeine.

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iHealth

Which Types of Hard Alcohol Have NO SUGARS OR CARBS?

17 Health Benefits of Cayenne Pepper

Why Instant Noodles Maybe Hurting Your Health