Hello again, dear readers, and welcome to the monthly newsletter column. You've kept our mailboxes busy, so we'll dive right in.
-- We recently answered a question about whether tea, coffee, and juicy fruits and vegetables that a person consumes help with hydration. The answer is yes, they do. Now a reader asks specifically about soda: "I'm having a hard time getting reliable information about the safety of drinking soda," she wrote. “Should it be avoided?” In a word: yes.
Sugary drinks like soda are linked to a wide range of negative health effects, starting with obesity, poor blood sugar control and diabetes. Recent studies have found a link with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. Research shows that consuming just one soft drink per day measurably increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. And diet soda, which has been shown to increase hunger and disrupt metabolism, is no better.
If you're craving bubbly, try one of the flavored and unsweetened sparkling waters widely available.
-- In a previous column on wound care, we explained that a cut or scrape should be gently cleaned with mild soap and cold running water. This led one reader to suggest a different scenario. “What is the best thing to use when cleaning a minor cut or scrape when mild soap and running water are not available?” they asked. One of your main goals with any cut or scrape is to prevent infection. This means ridding the wound of any dirt or bacteria that may have settled when the injury occurred. If clean water is not immediately available, you will want to protect the damaged skin from dirt or further damage by wrapping it in a clean sheet. To be clear, this is a stopgap solution until you get to a place where the wound can be properly cleaned and bandaged.
-- A column about medical-grade honey, that is, honey that has been sterilized to be safe for use in a medical setting, still gets a lot of mail. Due to its antimicrobial properties, medicinal grade honey is sometimes used for burns and wound care. This caught the attention of a reader whose daughter lives with scleroderma, a disease in which the skin hardens and tightens. “My daughter has developed open sores on her feet and hands,” she wrote. “Do you think medical grade honey will help them heal faster?”
Elizabeth Ko, MD en Eve Glazier, MD
A hallmark of scleroderma is a narrowing of the blood vessels, leading to poor circulation. For this reason, patients often develop open sores. Although there are case studies that have found a benefit in using medical grade honey to treat open wounds associated with scleroderma, real-world clinical trials are lacking. It would be a good idea to discuss the topic of medicinal honey in your daughter's case with your daughter's doctor or healthcare team.
Thanks again to everyone who took the time to write. We appreciate your comments and are grateful for your kind thoughts.
The UCLA Center for Human Nutrition is at the forefront of clinical practice and nutrition research.Read more and schedule an appointment.
(Send your questions to[email protected], or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1955, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Due to the volume of mail, personal responses cannot be made.)
