Diet & Fitness

By Joanne Eglash
eDiets Healthy Lifestyle Columnist

Gastric Surgery May Lower Your Tolerance for Alcohol
If you had gastric bypass, or stomach stapling, surgery, that seemingly safe habit of an occasional glass of wine may not be so safe. A new study at Stanford University Medical Center in California compared the blood-alcohol levels of individuals who had obesity surgery versus those who did not. After drinking a single serving of red wine, more than 70 percent of the former group had blood-alcohol levels of 0.08 percent, which is considered legally intoxicated in California. Those who had not had the surgery typically showed levels below 0.05 percent.

In addition, the gastric bypass surgery individuals required more than one and a half hours to return to a normal blood-alcohol level, while the other group took only slightly over an hour. The dramatic difference is caused by a lower production of an enzyme and faster absorption of alcohol for the surgery patients. And the message: if you think you can safely drink and drive because you "only" had one glass of wine, it's generally not advisable for anyone - but particularly for those who have had gastric bypass operations.

Bone Up on the Benefits of Soy
Soy may benefit your bones, according to researchers at the University of Messina in Italy. After the women in the study group received bone mineral density scans, they were divided into two groups. One group took pills containing genistein (the main source of which is soy), calcium carbonate, and vitamin D, resulting in a dose akin to that of vegetarian Asian diets, according to the researchers. The other group received placebos. Two years later, the women who had taken genistein repeated the bone scans with positive results: their bone mineral density had increased. Contrast those results with the women who took the placebo pills, who had reduced bone density. The researchers noted that because genistein's chemical structure is like that of estrogen, caution is needed before prescribing. Additional studies will be conducted to further evaluate the potential for soy to help with osteoporosis.

Playing in the Sand: Child's Play or Dangerous?
When I was a child, I loved going to the beach and digging holes in the sand. With the exception of the time when my little brother hit me in the head with his red shovel (he later explained that he had been mad because I "wouldn't share the sand"), my parents always viewed those excursions as safe, healthy playtimes.

Well, maybe.

A new report in the New England Journal of Medicine cautions that those supposedly innocent sand holes may unexpectedly collapse. The result for the victims can range from insignificant injury to death. The researchers noted that the cases they tracked were mainly those of boys (almost 90 percent) ranging in age from 3 to 21. And it's not just the beach that can be the culprit. Cases have been reported in areas ranging from construction sites to sandboxes. The take-home message: be careful with the depth of the hole (it should not be more than knee-deep, regardless of your age), and cover up holes when you leave.

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