Best of 2016: You and your smartphone

Let’s ring in the new year with awareness of some of the health hazards – both mental and physical – that your smartphone dials up.

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic found that “cortical processing in the contemporary brain is uniquely activated” by the use of personal electronic devices, such as a cellphone, and that texting commands all or most of your attention. In fact, for 1 in 5 people, it actually alters brain waves. That’s why texting while driving is more dangerous than still-not-safe hands-free calling; 26 percent of car accidents involve use of a cellphone, including hands-free calling.

Texting or talking on your cell while walking is no better. Emergency-room visits related to texting increased 35 percent from 2010 to 2013. It’s a good bet that the numbers are still increasing. Injuries include falling down stairs, tripping over curbs or stepping into traffic.

But smartphone use doesn’t just cause damage on highways and sidewalks. Research is showing that “cognitive offloading,” or letting your smartphone do your thinking for you, is dumbing people down, especially people who think more intuitively (emotionally) than analytically. They use smartphones to reason out problems and, say researchers, “forgo effortful analytical thinking.”

Use your smartphone for good! Configure your pedometer and track your daily steps (you’re doing 10,000 a day, right?). Find nutritional information about foods you’re buying to help you avoid added sugars and syrups, trans and saturated fats and grains that aren’t 100 percent whole.

New info about risks of smoking

We weren’t blowin’ smoke when we warned (over and over) about the health risks of smoking anything. We know you want to kick the habit: More than 80 percent of U.S. tobacco smokers say they intend to quit. According to Cleveland Wellness Center data, most folks need to try six times before succeeding. But it’s worth it.

There are 600-plus chemicals in cigarettes; when burned, they produce more than 7,000 chemicals, 69 of which are known cancer-causers. Some of the cancer-causing toxins include acetone (nail polish remover); arsenic (rat poison); butane (lighter fluid); cadmium (part of battery acid); cyanide (poison); and formaldehyde (embalming fluid).

So how about switching to e-cigs? Not so fast. Canadian researchers looked at the effect of 15 minutes a day of vape exposure on cells that line your mouth. Usually those cells die at a rate of around 2 percent; it hit 53 percent after three days of exposure to the vapors from e-cigs -- just as damaging to gum tissue as tobacco cigarettes, raising the risk for gum disease and probably cancers.

Smoking marijuana doesn’t get a pass, either. Its use during pregnancy can trigger health and developmental problems for newborns. Plus, studies indicate cannabis smoke is almost as toxic as tobacco and can reduce levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, triggering depression when you stop. It also decreases blood flow to your memory center, perhaps the reason why those who smoke more than three joints weekly lose IQ points faster than nonfrequent users or abstainers.

Tips to defeat pre-diabetes, diabetes

Pre-diabetes and diabetes are rampant in the U.S. So in 2016, we offered several tips to help you get a handle on your glucose levels, if your blood sugar control is slipping away.

Get checked: If you’re overweight, have a waist size greater than half your height, have triglycerides above 250mg/dL, HDL cholesterol below 35mg/dL, high blood pressure, a family history of diabetes or had gestational diabetes, get your blood glucose levels checked.

Fasting plasma blood glucose in the 100-125 mg/dL range and a reading of 140-199 mg/dL two hours after an oral glucose tolerance test and A1Cs (average blood glucose level over three months) from 5.7 to 6.4 percent indicate pre-diabetes.

The earlier you take action, the easier it is to avoid diabetes and its serious complications. Yet one study found “three-fourths of those with pre-diabetes were not provided with an appropriate treatment plan” by their doctor. So it’s up to you to take the initiative. Losing 5 to 10 percent of your weight and walking an extra 150 minutes a week can cut your risk for developing full-blown diabetes by 58 percent.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, with probiotics-packed foods, can reduce your fasting blood sugar and A1C levels. DASH also can help you reverse full-blown diabetes and reduce high blood pressure. Adopting a nutrition plan that benefits both conditions is a one-two punch.

This story was originally published January 1, 2017 at 7:23 PM with the headline "Best of 2016: You and your smartphone."