By Sari Harrar
Nina Vaclavova/iStock Images
Sure, a drink a day helps keep your heart healthy. But downing your
week's quota on the weekend is a bad plan, a University of
Buffalo study says. Getting tipsy just once a month triples
heart-disease risk. Says Suzanne Thomas, Ph.D., of the Medical
University of South Carolina's Charleston Alcohol Research
Center: "Alcohol
is especially toxic for women because we're
smaller, we have more body fat [which processes alcohol more
quickly than muscle], and we have lower levels of stomach enzymes
that metabolize alcohol than men do."
The Solution: Start off the evening with club
soda. And save the wine for dinner. That way, the food in your
stomach slows the absorption of alcohol. Thomas also stretches her
drinks: "I'll
befriend the bartender and ask for one serving of gin
in three separate glasses with tonic over the course of the night.
That's three drinks - but only an ounce of alcohol." Wine
spritzers also do the trick. Just don't forget to tip.
MISTAKE 2: Popping extra acetaminophen.
The label says "650 milligrams every four to six hours,"
so wouldn't a little more kick the pain faster?
"Acetaminophen is misused because it's considered
'safe and mild,'" says Dr. Anne M. Larson, of the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Exceeding the
recommended dosage can lead to liver damage or even failure and
kills about 100 people each year.
The Solution: Stick with the advised dose. And
don't mix acetaminophen with other drugstore remedies.
"Nearly all over-the-counter cold, flu, sinus, and allergy
remedies also contain acetaminophen," Larson says, as do some
menstrual-cramp formulas and
prescription painkillers like Vicodin, Darvocet, and
Percocet. If you're unsure, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
MISTAKE 3: Dropping pounds with diet drinks.
A University of Texas Health Science Center study found that people
who sipped one diet soda a day for seven years were 41 percent more
likely to be overweight than non-soda drinkers. The reason:
Diet drinks often lead to overeating as people
"spend" the calories they just saved on a second slice of
pizza or a cookie. There's also evidence that artificial
sweeteners may whet your appetite for more sweets.
The Solution: Sip water, coffee, or unsweetened
tea. If you crave a sweet taste, add a half teaspoon of sugar (just
7 calories) or natural agave syrup (10 calories) to coffee or tea.
If plain water is too bland for you, try a flavored unsweetened
water.
>> 3 MORE HEALTH MISTAKES SMART PEOPLE MAKE
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Reprinted with Permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.