Prevention October 2020

I used to go to the gym a couple of times a week. I also used to get my hair cut every two months and send my son off to school every day, but 2020 is nothing if not the Year of New Routines. Here at Prevention, we can’t blowdry your hair (sorry!) or bring schools back to normal (I wish), but we can show you how to feel your best with exercise, sans gym. Here are three ways we’re here to help: VIRTUAL WALK: Our biannual do-it-anywhere 5K returns on October 3! There’s still time to sign up and even order a bib number and T-shirt. Last spring, we had more than 12,000 participants from every state, Canada, and beyond. Visit prevention.com/virtual-walk or see page 50 for more. PREVENTION’S…

This season’s unofficial mascot is good for more than just carving. Pumpkins are a fall superfood high in carotenoids, phytonutrients with serious antioxidant properties, and they also contain vitamin C. That’s particularly good news considering a new study in BMJ: It analyzed health data from thousands of Europeans and found that having higher levels of vitamin C and carotenoids in the blood was associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The researchers calculated that eating just 66 g of pumpkin per day (that’s about half a cup) could result in a 25% decreased risk of developing the disease. Look for canned organic pumpkin, or try roasting fresh pumpkin in the oven, then season with savory flavors for a hearty side dish—or make it into a festive nutritious…

A few downward-facing dogs may help ease migraine pain, says a new small study in Neurology. Migraine sufferers who did a one-hour yoga routine three times a week for a month while also taking their prescribed migraine meds showed more improvement in headache frequency and pain intensity than a group who just took medication. How might yoga help? Previous studies have shown that yoga affects the sympathetic nervous system and also helps relax muscles that, when tense, may trigger migraine attacks. 4 MILLION REGULAR EXERCISE COULD HELP PREVENT NEARLY THIS MANY PREMATURE DEATHS WORLDWIDE, according to a new analysis of global health data published in Lancet Global Health.…

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health may have a new weapon in the cancer fight: engineered killer immune cells. In mice, scientists found that these high-affinity natural killer (haNK) cells destroyed head and neck tumors and reduced the number of immune-suppressing cells (these empower a tumor to fight off the body’s immune response). HaNK cells were also tested on white blood cells from people with head and neck cancer, and they reduced immune-suppressive cells in these samples too. If human clinical trials are successful, researchers hope haNK cells could lead to an alternative cancer treatment for patients who haven’t responded to immunotherapy treatments.…

Food insecurity has increased sharply in America because of the widespread economic crisis caused by COVID-19. It’s estimated that as many as 54.3 million people won’t have access to enough food for their households this year—up from 37 million pre-pandemic. In addition to turning to federal support, families have depended on local food banks to fill the gaps. These organizations face declines in donations and volunteers, but continue to do the hard work needed to help their communities. How You Can Pitch In In partnership with Feeding America, Prevention and Hearst Magazines are committed to putting an end to hunger. To help food banks feed families in need, please donate at feedingamerica.org.…

During the initial wave of COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders earlier this year, domestic violence calls spiked. “There is much about this stressful year that may exacerbate an already abusive relationship, and a person sheltering in place with a new partner may discover that they’re abusive,” says Jacquelyn Campbell, Ph.D., R.N., a domestic violence expert at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. With so many still physically separated from friends and loved ones, you can watch out for red flags that may signal an abusive situation even when you can’t be face-to-face. Don’t wait: If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 (SAFE) for 24/7 support. 1 If you and others notice it’s harder and harder to get in touch with someone, that’s a…