An Unexpected Extra Threat Of Alcohol

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If You Could Use Some Exotic Booze…

…then for health reasons, we’re going to have to say “nay”.

We’ve written about alcohol before, and needless to say, it’s not good:

Can We Drink To Good Health?

(the answer is “no, we cannot”)

In fact, the WHO (which unlike government regulatory bodies setting “safe” limits on drinking, makes no profit from taxes on alcohol sales) has declared that “the only safe amount of alcohol is zero”:

WHO: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health

Up there, where the air is rarefied…

If you’re flying somewhere this summer (Sinatra-style flying honeymoon or otherwise), you might want to skip the alcohol even if you normally do imbibe, because:

❝…even in young and healthy individuals, the combination of alcohol intake with sleeping under hypobaric conditions poses a considerable strain on the cardiac system and might lead to exacerbation of symptoms in patients with cardiac or pulmonary diseases.

These effects might be even greater in older people; cardiovascular symptoms have a prevalence of 7% of inflight medical emergencies, with cardiac arrest causing 58% of aircraft diversions.❞

Source: Alcohol plus cabin pressure at higher altitude may threaten sleeping plane passengers’ heart health

The experiment divided subjects into a control group and a study group; the study group were placed in simulated cabin pressure as though at altitude, which found, when giving some of them two small(we’re talking the kind given on flights) alcoholic drinks:

❝The combination of alcohol and simulated cabin pressure at cruising altitude prompted a fall in SpO2 to an average of just over 85% and a compensatory increase in heart rate to an average of nearly 88 beats/minute during sleep.

In contrast, that was 77 beats/minute for those who had alcohol but weren’t at altitude pressure, or 64 beats/minute for those who neither drank nor were at altitude pressure.

Lots more metrics were recorded and the study is interesting to read; if you’ve ever slept on a plane and thought “that sleep was not restful at all”, then know: it wasn’t just the seat’s fault, nor the engine, nor the recycled nature of the air—it was the reduced pressure causing hypoxia (defined as having oxygen levels lower than the healthy clinical norm of 90%) and almost halving your sleep’s effectiveness for a less than 10% drop in available oxygen in the blood (the sleepers not at altitude pressure averaged 96% SpO2, compared to the 85% at altitude).

We say “almost halving” because the deep sleep phase of sleep was reduced from 84 minutes (control) to 67.5 minutes at altitude without alcohol, or 46.5 minutes at altitude with alcohol.

Again, this was a pressure cabin in a lab—so this wasn’t about the other conditions of an airplane (seats, engine hundreds of other people, etc).

Which means: in an actual airplane it’s probably even worse.

Oh, and the study participants? All healthy individuals aged 18–40, so again probably worse for those older (or younger) than that range, or with existing health conditions!

Want to know more?

You can read the study in full here:

Effects of moderate alcohol consumption and hypobaric hypoxia: implications for passengers’ sleep, oxygen saturation and heart rate on long-haul flights

Want to drop the drink at any altitude? Check out:

How To Reduce Or Quit Alcohol

Want to get that vacation feel without alcohol? You’re going to love:

Mocktails – by Moira Clark (book)

Enjoy!

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  • Pine Bark’s Next-Level Antioxidant Properties

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    Pine Bark’s Next-Level Antioxidant Properties

    Pine bark extract has been used by the indigenous peoples of N. America for a very long time, to treat a variety of ailments.

    This one falls into the category of “things from traditional medicine that eventually got investigated and their scientific worth noticed by people from outside of those cultures”.

    Not all pine trees!

    If you happen to have pine trees near you, be aware that without sufficient botanical knowledge, you could find yourself bark-harvesting from the wrong tree—but many species of pine do have these qualities.

    Useful (for this purpose) pine trees include, but are not limited to:

    • Pinus banksiana
    • Pinus massoniana
    • Pinus pinaster
    • Pinus radiata
    • Pinus resinosa
    • Pinus strobus

    …which is already a fair list, but there are dozens more that have not been studied, and/or found lacking in medicinal qualities, and/or just didn’t make our list here today.

    What does it do & How does it work?

    We sneakily put those two questions together today because it’s easiest to explain in one:

    The Pinus family in general has powerful antioxidant qualities, and not just like blueberries or coffee (wonderful as those are).

    Rather, it has:

    • Phenolic acids: these are the polyphenols found in many plant foods rich in antioxidants. These are great, but they aren’t the exciting part here.
    • Catechins: these aren’t classified as antioxidants, but they are flavonoids that do the same job in a slightly different way
    • Procyanidins: another class of flavonoids, and this is where pine bark really comes into its own

    And yes, as ever, “those three things that always seem to come together”, it having these antioxidant properties means it is also anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer:

    Procyanidin fractions from pine (Pinus pinaster) bark: radical scavenging power in solution, antioxidant activity in emulsion, and antiproliferative effect in melanoma cells

    …and anti-aging:

    Pleiotropic Effects of French Maritime Pine Bark Extract to Promote Healthy Aging

    …which does of course mean that it almost certainly fights age-related cognitive decline, though studies for that have been animal studies so far, such as:

    Where to get it?

    As ever, we don’t sell it, but here’s an example product on Amazon for your convenience; we recommend shopping around though, as prices vary a lot!

    Enjoy!

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  • Is cold water bad for you? The facts behind 5 water myths

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    We know the importance of staying hydrated, especially in hot weather. But even for something as simple as a drink of water, conflicting advice and urban myths abound.

    Is cold water really bad for your health? What about hot water from the tap? And what is “raw water”? Let’s dive in and find out.

    Myth 1: Cold water is bad for you

    Some recent TikToks have suggested cold water causes health problems by somehow “contracting blood vessels” and “restricting digestion”. There is little evidence for this.

    While a 2001 study found 51 out of 669 women tested (7.6%) got a headache after drinking cold water, most of them already suffered from migraines and the work hasn’t been repeated since.

    Cold drinks were shown to cause discomfort in people with achalasia (a rare swallowing disorder) in 2012 but the study only had 12 participants.

    For most people, the temperature you drink your water is down to personal preference and circumstances. Cold water after exercise in summer or hot water to relax in winter won’t make any difference to your overall health.

    Myth 2: You shouldn’t drink hot tap water

    This belief has a grain of scientific truth behind it. Hot water is generally a better solvent than cold water, so may dissolve metals and minerals from pipes better. Hot water is also often stored in tanks and may be heated and cooled many times. Bacteria and other disease-causing microorganisms tend to grow better in warm water and can build up over time.

    It’s better to fill your cup from the cold tap and get hot water for drinks from the kettle.

    Myth 3: Bottled water is better

    While bottled water might be safer in certain parts of the world due to pollution of source water, there is no real advantage to drinking bottled water in Australia and similar countries.

    According to University of Queensland researchers, bottled water is not safer than tap water. It may even be tap water. Most people can’t tell the difference either. Bottled water usually costs (substantially) more than turning on the tap and is worse for the environment.

    What about lead in tap water? This problem hit the headlines after a public health emergency in Flint, Michigan, in the United States. But Flint used lead pipes with a corrosion inhibitor (in this case orthophosphate) to keep lead from dissolving. Then the city switched water sources to one without a corrosion inhibitor. Lead levels rose and a public emergency was declared.

    Fortunately, lead pipes haven’t been used in Australia since the 1930s. While lead might be present in some old plumbing products, it is unlikely to cause problems.

    Myth 4: Raw water is naturally healthier

    Some people bypass bottled and tap water, going straight to the source.

    The “raw water” trend emerged a few years ago, encouraging people to drink from rivers, streams and lakes. There is even a website to help you find a local source.

    Supporters say our ancestors drank spring water, so we should, too. However, our ancestors also often died from dysentery and cholera and their life expectancy was low.

    While it is true even highly treated drinking water can contain low levels of things like microplastics, unless you live somewhere very remote, the risks of drinking untreated water are far higher as it is more likely to contain pollutants from the surrounding area.

    Myth 5: It’s OK to drink directly from hoses

    Tempting as it may be, it’s probably best not to drink from the hose when watering the plants. Water might have sat in there, in the warm sun for weeks or more potentially leading to bacterial buildup.

    Similarly, while drinking water fountains are generally perfectly safe to use, they can contain a variety of bacteria. It’s useful (though not essential) to run them for a few seconds before you start to drink so as to get fresh water through the system rather than what might have been sat there for a while.

    We are fortunate to be able to take safe drinking water for granted. Billions of people around the world are not so lucky.

    So whether you like it hot or cold, or somewhere in between, feel free to enjoy a glass of water this summer.

    Just don’t drink it from the hose.The Conversation

    Oliver A.H. Jones, Professor of chemistry, RMIT University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • Reading At Night: Good Or Bad For Sleep? And Other Questions

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    It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

    Have a question or a request? You can always hit “reply” to any of our emails, or use the feedback widget at the bottom!

    In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

    As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

    So, no question/request too big or small

    ❝Would be interested in your views about “reading yourself to sleep”. I find that current affairs magazines and even modern novels do exactly the opposite. But Dickens – ones like David Copperfield and Great Expectations – I find wonderfully effective. It’s like entering a parallel universe where none of your own concerns matter. Any thoughts on the science that may explain this?!❞

    Anecdotally: this writer is (like most writers) a prolific reader, and finds reading some fiction last thing at night is a good way to create a buffer between the affairs of the day and the dreams of night—but I could never fall asleep that way, unless I were truly sleep-deprived. The only danger is if I “one more chapter” my way deep into the night! For what it’s worth, bedtime reading for me means a Kindle self-backlit with low, soft lighting.

    Scientifically: this hasn’t been a hugely researched area, but there are studies to work from. But there are two questions at hand (at least) here:

    1. one is about reading, and
    2. the other is about reading from electronic devices with or without blue light filters.

    Here’s a study that didn’t ask the medium of the book, and concluded that reading a book in bed before going to sleep improved sleep quality, compared to not reading a book in bed:

    Does reading a book in bed make a difference to sleep in comparison to not reading a book in bed? The People’s Trial-an online, pragmatic, randomised trial

    Here’s a study that concluded that reading on an iPad (with no blue light filter) that found no difference in any metrics except EEG (so, there was no difference on time spent in different sleep states or sleep onset latency), but advised against it anyway because of the EEG readings (which showed slow wave activity being delayed by approximately 30 minutes, which is consistent with melatonin production mechanics):

    Reading from an iPad or from a book in bed: the impact on human sleep. A randomized controlled crossover trial

    Here’s another study that didn’t take EEG readings, and/but otherwise confirmed no differences being found:

    Two hours of evening reading on a self-luminous tablet vs. reading a physical book does not alter sleep after daytime bright light exposure

    We’re aware this goes against general “sleep hygiene” advice in two different ways:

    • General advice is to avoid electronic devices before bedtime
    • General advice is to not do activities besides sleep (and sex) in bed

    …but, we’re committed to reporting the science as we find it!

    Enjoy!

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  • 7 things you can do if you think you sweat too much

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    Sweating is our body’s way of cooling down, a bit like an internal air conditioner.

    When our core temperature rises (because it’s hot outside, or you’re exercising), sweat glands all over our skin release a watery fluid. As that fluid evaporates, it takes heat with it, keeping us from overheating.

    But sweating can vary from person to person. Some people might just get a little dewy under the arms, others feel like they could fill a swimming pool (maybe not that dramatic, but you get the idea).

    So what’s a normal amount of sweat? And what’s too much?

    ERIK Miheyeu/Shutterstock

    Why do some people sweat more than others?

    How much you sweat depends on a number of factors including:

    • your age (young kids generally sweat less than adults)
    • your sex (men tend to sweat more than women)
    • how active you are.

    The average person sweats at the rate of 300 millilitres per hour (at 30°C and about 40% humidity). But as you can’t go around measuring the volume of your own sweat (or weighing it), doctors use another measure to gauge the impact of sweating.

    They ask whether sweating interferes with your daily life. Maybe you stop wearing certain clothes because of the sweat stains, or feel embarrassed so don’t go to social events or work.

    If so, this is a medical condition called hyperhidrosis, which affects millions of people worldwide.

    People with this condition most commonly report problematic armpit sweating, as you’d expect. But sweaty hands, feet, scalp and groin can also be an issue.

    Hyperhidrosis can be a symptom of another medical condition, such as an overactive thyroid, fever or menopause.

    But hyperhidrosis can have no obvious cause, and the reasons behind this so-called primary hyperhidrosis are a bit of a mystery. People have normal numbers of sweat glands but researchers think they simply over-produce sweat after triggers such as stress, heat, exercise, tobacco, alcohol and hot spices. There may also be a genetic link.

    OK, I sweat a lot. What can I do?

    1. Antiperspirants

    Antiperspirants, particularly ones with aluminium, are your first line of defence and are formulated to reduce sweating. Deodorants only stop body odour.

    Aluminum chloride hexahydrate, aluminium chloride or the weaker aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex glycinate react with proteins in the sweat glands, forming a plug. This plug temporarily blocks the sweat ducts, reducing the amount of sweat reaching the skin’s surface.

    These products can contain up to 25% aluminium. The higher the percentage the better these products work, but the more they irritate the skin.

    Woman with antiperspirant in one hand, reading the lid in the other
    Make sure you’re buying antiperspirant and not deodorant. Okrasiuk/Shutterstock

    2. Beat the heat

    This might seem obvious, but staying cool can make a big difference. That’s because you have less heat to lose, so the body makes less sweat.

    Avoid super-hot, long showers (you will have more heat to loose), wear loose-fitting clothes made from breathable fabrics such as cotton (this allows any sweat you do produce to evaporate more readily), and carry a little hand fan to help your sweat evaporate.

    When exercising try ice bandanas (ice wrapped in a scarf or cloth, then applied to the body) or wet towels. You can wear these around the neck, head, or wrists to reduce your body temperature.

    Try also to modify the time or place you exercise; try to find cool shade or air-conditioned areas when possible.

    If you have tried these first two steps and your sweating is still affecting your life, talk to your doctor. They can help you figure out the best way to manage it.

    3. Medication

    Some medications can help regulate your sweating. Unfortunately some can also give you side effects such as a dry mouth, blurred vision, stomach pain or constipation. So talk to your doctor about what’s best for you.

    Your GP may also refer you to a dermatologist – a doctor like myself who specialises in skin conditions – who might recommend different treatments, including some of the following.

    4. Botulinum toxin injections

    Botulinum toxin injections are not just used for cosmetic reasons. They have many applications in medicine, including blocking the nerves that control the sweat glands. They do this for many months.

    A dermatologist usually gives the injections. But they’re only subsidised by Medicare in Australia for the armpits and if you have primary hyperhidrosis that hasn’t been controlled by the strongest antiperspirants. These injections are given up to three times a year. It is not subsidised for other conditions, such as an overactive thyroid or for other areas such as the face or hands.

    If you don’t qualify, you can have these injections privately, but it will cost you hundreds of dollars per treatment, which can last up to six months.

    Health worker administering Botox injection to man's armpit
    Injections are available on Medicare in some cases. Satyrenko/Shutterstock

    5. Iontophoresis

    This involves using a device that passes a weak electrical current through water to the skin to reducing sweating in the hands, feet or armpits. Scientists aren’t sure exactly how it works.

    But this is the only way to control sweating of the hands and feet that does not require drugs, surgery or botulinum toxin injections.

    This treatment is not subsidised by Medicare and not all dermatologists provide it. However, you can buy and use your own device, which tends to be cheaper than accessing it privately. You can ask your dermatologist if this is the right option for you.

    6. Surgery

    There is a procedure to cut certain nerves to the hands that stop them sweating. This is highly effective but can cause sweating to occur elsewhere.

    There are also other surgical options, which you can discuss with your doctor.

    7. Microwave therapy

    This is a newer treatment that zaps your sweat glands to destroy them so they can’t work any more. It’s not super common yet, and it is quite painful. It’s available privately in a few centres.

    Michael Freeman, Associate Professor of Dermatology, Bond University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • Black Beans vs Soy Beans – Which is Healthier?

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    Our Verdict

    When comparing black beans to soy beans, we picked the soy.

    Why?

    Quite some heavyweights competing here today, as both have been the winners of other comparisons!

    Comparing these two’s macros first, black beans have 3x the carbs and slightly more fiber, while soy has more than 2x the protein. We’ll call this a win for soy.

    As a tangential note, it’s worth remembering also that soy is a complete protein (contains a full set of the amino acids we need), whereas black beans… Well, technically they are too, but in practicality, they only have much smaller amounts of some amino acids.

    In terms of vitamins, black beans have more of vitamins B1, B3, B5, B9, and E, while soy beans have more of vitamins A, B2, B6, C, K, and choline. A marginal win for soy here.

    In the category of minerals, however, it isn’t close: black beans are not higher in any minerals, while soy beans are higher in calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc. An overwhelming win for soy.

    It should be noted, however, that black beans are still very good for minerals! They just look bad when standing next to soy, that’s all.

    So, enjoy either or both, but for nutritional density, soy wins the day.

    Want to learn more?

    You might like to read:

    Plant vs Animal Protein: Head to Head

    Take care!

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  • Unlock Your Air-Fryer’s Potential!

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    Unlock Your Air-Fryer’s Potential!

    You know what they say:

    “you get out of it what you put in”

    …and in the case of an air-fryer, that’s very true!

    More seriously:

    A lot of people buy an air fryer for its health benefits and convenience, make fries a couple of times, and then mostly let it gather dust. But for those who want to unlock its potential, there’s plenty more it can do!

    Let’s go over the basics first…

    Isn’t it just a tiny convection oven?

    Mechanically, yes. But the reason that it can be used to “air-fry” food rather than merely bake or roast the food is because of its tiny size allowing for much more rapid cooking at high temperatures.

    On which note… If you’re shopping for an air-fryer:

    • First of all, congratulations! You’re going to love it.
    • Secondly: bigger is not better. If you go over more than about 4 liters capacity, then you don’t have an air-fryer; you have a convection oven. Which is great and all, but probably not what you wanted.

    Are there health benefits beyond using less oil?

    It also creates much less acrylamide than deep-frying starchy foods does. The jury is out on the health risks of acrylamide, but we can say with confidence: it’s not exactly a health food.

    I tried it, but the food doesn’t cook or just burns!

    The usual reason for this is either over-packing the fryer compartment (air needs to be able to circulate!), or not coating the contents in oil. The oil only needs to be a super-thin layer, but it does need to be there, or else again, you’re just baking things.

    Two ways to get a super thin layer of oil on your food:

    • (works for anything you can air-fry) spray the food with oil. You can buy spray-on oils at the grocery store (Fry-light and similar brands are great), or put oil in little spray bottle (of the kind that you might buy for haircare) yourself.
    • (works with anything that can be shaken vigorously without harming it, e.g. root vegetables) chop the food, and put it in a tub (or a pan with a lid) with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Don’t worry if that looks like it’s not nearly enough—it will be! Now’s a great time to add your seasonings* too, by the way. Put the lid on, and holding the lid firmly in place, shake the tub/pan/whatever vigorously. Open it, and you’ll find the oil has now distributed itself into a very thin layer all over the food.

    *About those seasonings…

    Obviously not everything will go with everything, but some very healthful seasonings to consider adding are:

    Garlic and black pepper can go with almost anything (and in this writer’s house, they usually do!)

    Turmeric has a sweet nutty taste, and will add its color anything it touches. So if you want beautiful golden fries, perfect! If you don’t want yellow eggplant, maybe skip it.

    Cinnamon is, of course, great as part of breakfast and dessert dishes

    On which note, things most people don’t think of air-frying:

    • Breakfast frittata—the healthy way!
    • Omelets—no more accidental scrambled egg and you don’t have to babysit it! Just take out the tray that things normally sit on, and build it directly onto the (spray-oiled) bottom of the air-fryer pan. If you’re worried it’ll burn: a) it won’t, because the heat is coming from above, not below b) you can always use greaseproof paper or even a small heatproof plate
    • French toast—again with no cooking skills required
    • Fish cakes—make the patties as normal, spray-oil and lightly bread them
    • Cauliflower bites—spray oil or do the pan-jiggle we described; for seasonings, we recommend adding smoked paprika and, if you like heat, your preferred kind of hot pepper! These are delicious, and an amazing healthy snack that feels like junk food.
    • Falafel—make the balls as usual, spray-oil (do not jiggle violently; they won’t have the structural integrity for that) and air-fry!
    • Calamari (vegan option: onion rings!)—cut the squid (or onions) into rings, and lightly coat in batter and refrigerate for about an hour before air-frying at the highest heat your fryer does. This is critical, because air-fryers don’t like wet things, and if you don’t refrigerate it and then use a high heat, the batter will just drip, and you don’t want that. But with those two tips, it’ll work just great.

    Want more ideas?

    Check out EatingWell’s 65+ Healthy Air-Fryer Recipes ← the recipes are right there, no need to fight one’s way to them in any fashion!

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