HEALTH
It's colorful, it's endorsed by Kelly Clarkson, 50 Cent and LeBron James, and you can't walk down Jayhawk Boulevard without seeing at least a few students sipping from bottles of it.
vitamin water
It's Vitamin Water—but it's not as healthy as its name suggests.
Sure,Vitamin Water has vitamins (most of the 15 varieties are heavy on vitamins B and C), but it also has nearly as much sugar as soda does. Each 20-ounce bottle contains 32.5 grams of crystalline fructose, which is the equivalent of about two tablespoons of sugar. That sugar adds up to 150 calories per bottle.
"Most people don't need to drink the extra calories in Vitamin Water," says Staci Hendrickson, Healthy Balance, Inc. nutritionist. "If it's a case of someone not liking the taste of water, there are other options, like a slice of lemon or lime or some Crystal Light that would have the same taste without all of the added sugar."
As for the vitamins, Hendrickson says most Americans don't need extra vitamin B or C. In the case of a vitamin deficiency, she suggests supplementation by way of multivitamin pills.
Vitamin Water might seem en vogue and nutritious, but its empty calories aren't worth its minimal benefits.
VERDICT: BAD FOR YOU
—Asher Fusco
I'm sure you've done it at least a couple times. Maybe you had to do it during class or at a wedding. It may be polite, but in the long run, holding in your sneezes just might not be worth it.
holding in your sneeze
Patty Quinlan, registered nurse and nursing supervisor at Watkins Memorial Health Center, says when people sneeze, debris fly out of their noses at about 100 feet per second. That's a lot of pressure. Quinlan says holding in that much pressure could cause a blood vessel to rupture in the eye, head, neck or chest regions.
When a person sneezes, he or she expels pollen, dust, bacteria and any other allergens that have collected in the nose.
This normally wouldn't happen to a person in good health, but Quinlan says another more common risk of holding in a sneeze is that it pushes bacteria back into the ear region, which can cause infection. In extreme cases, the eardrum could even rupture.
Quinlan says the best way to sneeze sanitarily is to let it out in your shirt collar. She says to lift it over your nose and that your shirt will contain the germs and won't be in an area you'll likely spread them to others. If you prefer not to get your clothing involved, try to sneeze into the crease of your elbow. If all else fails and you have to sneeze into your hands, just make sure to wash them as soon as possible.
So the next time you feel that little tickle coming on, just go ahead and let it out.
VERDICT:
BAD FOR
YOU
-Realle Roth
8
September 4,2008