For The Union-Tribune
Late night plaque
Let’s all agree that indulging in late-night snacks isn’t good for your teeth unless you immediately follow up with a thorough brushing. But is midnight munching bad for your overall health?
Apart from the fact that these are calories added to the day’s menu but with less opportunity to burn them off, late-night snacking can pose two particular concerns.
First, eating within a few hours of bedtime can trigger acid production in the stomach. Lying down shortly after eating may cause acid to move up into the esophagus, leading to discomfort and irritation (acid reflux).
Second, for people with diabetes, eating outside of planned meals or snacks can lead to blood sugar spikes and drops, according to Jill Chodak, a registered dietitian at the University of Rochester Medical Center. It can disrupt sleep and change hunger levels the next day.
An occasional late-night snack is probably OK, but Chodak suggests looking at what’s triggering nighttime hunger, such as not eating enough during the day, exercise (increased energy needs), emotional triggers (boredom, loneliness, stress), habitual snacking, low intake of fiber, protein or fat during the day and health conditions that affect hunger regulation.
Body of knowledge
Human birth control pills work on gorillas.
Get me that. Stat!
The percentage of adults who used electronic cigarettes increased from 4.5 percent in 2019 to 6.5 percent in 2023, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Men were more likely to use them than women.
Mark your calendar
March is health awareness month for bleeding disorders, multiple sclerosis, colorectal cancer, endometriosis, trisomy, traumatic brain injury and kidneys (March 1-15 for the one on the left and March 16-31 for the one on the right).
Dock talk
Quiet sleep — Any sleep other than REM sleep, in which thinking and most physiological activities slow, but movement still occurs. Also called non-REM sleep.
Phobia of the week
Ambulophobia — fear of walking (Ambulomortuus is fear of walking dead.)
Best medicine
Ten Commandments for Seniors*
*Actually, five this week and five next week because, really, who can remember 10 of anything?
1. Talk to yourself. There are times when you need expert advice.
2. “In style” are the clothes that still fit.
3. You don’t need anger management. You need people to stop irritating you.
4. Your people skills are fine. It’s your tolerance for idiots that needs work.
5. The biggest lie you tell yourself is: “I don’t need to write that down. I’ll remember it.”
Observation
“I don’t mind dying; the trouble is you feel so bloody stiff the next day.”
— American playwright and film director George Axelrod (1922-2003)
Medical history
This week in 1991, the “Rotoblator,” an artery cleaning tool, made its debut. Using a diamond head rotating at 200,000 revolutions per minute on a small shaft (only nine-thousandths of an inch), the tool is inserted in a clogged artery to clear obstructions: notably, hardened, calcified blockages. The blockage is pulverized to particles smaller than the size of a red blood cell that harmlessly exit the bloodstream.
Ig Nobel apprised
The Ig Nobel Prizes celebrate achievements that make people laugh, then think. A look at real science that’s hard to take seriously, and even harder to ignore.
In 2024, the Ig Nobel Prize in medicine went to a trio of scientists for their published findings that fake medicine that induces painful side effects can be more effective than fake medicine that does not cause painful side effects.
Med school
Q: When is the most common period, according to research, for most heart attacks to occur?
a) 6 a.m. to noon
b) Noon to 6 p.m.
c) 6 p.m. to midnight
d) Midnight to 6 a.m.
A: a) 6 a.m. to noon, and more precisely, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (What people won’t do to get out of going to work.) The least common time period was 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Bonus question: What is the most common day for heart attacks?
Answer: Monday.
Curtain calls
Death most fowl: In 2001, an employee for a Yamaha watercraft distributor in Florida was test-driving a jet ski to ensure it achieved its highest rated speed. The lake was empty. Upon reaching 55 mph, the man was struck in the head by a flying bird. Apparently, he didn’t duck.
LaFee is vice president of communications for the Sanford Burnham Prebys research institute.
