Here is a brief round-up of some new items.

Drinking very hot tea can increase the risk of throat cancer. In northern Iran where they traditionally drink a lot of very hot tea, over a liter (quart) a day, there are high rates of throat cancer. Comparisons showed that in those who drank the hottest tea versus those who drank their tea the coolest, there was an eightfold risk of throat cancer. If you drink really hot coffee or tea perhaps you should let it cool a bit before drinking.

Another reason to get plenty of vitamin D, calcium and exercise. There seems to be a link between vertigo, a type of dizziness, and osteoporosis. Those with osteoporosis had a three times higher risk of vertigo. Vertigo is caused when our inner ear gets disturbed. Benign paroxysomal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one cause. It occurs when calcium crystals in the inner ear get displaced. It is suggested that having osteoporosis makes it more likely that you will get BPPV.

An analysis of a number of previous studies suggests that low vitamin D levels increase the risk of bone fractures. In this analysis increasing calcium intake did not further decreased the risk. Some researchers suggest that the RDA for vitamin D is too low (50 mg per day). There are negative effects when too much vitamin D is consumed, so proceed with caution.

photo credit: Hotplate Arts

[tags] hot tea, throat cancer, steoporosis, vertigo, benign paroxysomal positional vertigo, BPPV, vitamin D[/tags