by Robert Glisci, DDS, PC on 05/08/19
After complaints about taste and costs, the Trump administration rolled back a rule that required foods like pasta and bread be made with whole grains. The cafeteria directors who lobbied for the change say they just want greater flexibility to serve foods like white bread — which are more processed and have less fiber — when whole grains don’t work.
In Vermont, the relaxed rule means white rice will be served with beans again. In Oregon, macaroni and cheese may return. And in South Dakota, students may notice a change with their soup.
Since 2014, schools had been required to serve only whole grain versions of food as part of the national school lunch program, a critical source of free and reduced-price meals for millions of children. The idea is that whole grains would be more nourishing and help cultivate healthy habits amid alarming obesity rates.
by Robert Glisci, DDS, PC on 05/08/19
Future Retirees Often Overlook Dental Care Costs
The average couple will spend at least $280,000 on healthcare in retirement, but only about half of American adults have a financial plan in place.
Expected out-of-pocket medical costs for retirees include Medicare premiums, deductibles, copayments, and co-insurance.
Some overlooked health costs in retirement include vision and hearing exams, supplemental health insurance, prescription costs, and dental services.
Read more at Business Insider
by Robert Glisci, DDS, PC on 05/08/19
(Reuters Health) - Environmental factors appear to play a
bigger role than genetics in shaping children’s risk for cavities, a study of
Australian twins suggests.
Researchers followed 345 twins from 24 weeks’ gestation
through six years of age, when they all had dental checkups. At age six, 32
percent of the kids had tooth decay and 24 percent of the children had advanced
cavities.
To see how much genetics might shape the risk of cavities,
researchers looked at how often both kids got cavities in pairs of identical
twins - who have identical genetic variations - and fraternal twins - who
typically share about half of their variations.
The risk of both siblings developing any form of tooth decay
or advanced cavities was similar for identical and fraternal pairs, suggesting
that genetics doesn’t explain much of the risk for these oral health problems.
Read more at Reuters Health
by Robert Glisci, DDS, PC on 05/08/19
Losing even a little bit of sleep at night – 16 minutes – can potentially affect how productive you are at work, a recent study said.
The study from researchers at the University of South Florida monitored 130 employees who work in information technology and have at least one school-aged child. Over the course of eight days, participants would log how much they slept and answer a series of questions in a survey.
The questions focused on how often participants experienced off-task or distracting thoughts during the day, also called "cognitive interference." Participants were asked to rate the frequency on a scale from zero to four.
Results showed participants who lost as little as 16 minutes of sleep on a nightly basis reported having more distracting thoughts, making it more difficult to finish their job tasks.
by Robert Glisci, DDS, PC on 05/08/19
Health insurance deductibles soar, leaving Americans with unaffordable bills
Soaring deductibles and medical bills are pushing millions of American families to the breaking point, fueling an affordability crisis that is pulling in middle-class households with health insurance as well as the poor and uninsured.
In the last 12 years, annual deductibles in job-based health plans have nearly quadrupled and now average more than $1,300.
Yet Americans’ savings are not keeping pace, data show. And more than four in 10 workers enrolled in a high-deductible plan report they don’t have enough savings to cover the deductible.
One in six Americans who get insurance through their jobs say they’ve had to make “difficult sacrifices” to pay for healthcare in the last year, including cutting back on food, moving in with friends or family, or taking extra jobs. And one in five say healthcare costs have eaten up all or most of their savings.
