My 9- and 12-year-olds are heading back to school, and I want to make sure they stay healthy this year. What should my priorities be? -- Sonia Y., BostonA: Heading back to school is exciting, but it does come with increased health risks, from infections (flu, strep, and the common cold) to backpack-itis (a backpack should only be 10% of your child's weight!). There's also a change in their activity level -- they're suddenly sitting in a classroom for hours a day. Our four recommendations are:1. Keep kids active. According to a 2022 Washington Post article, only 4% of elementary schools, 7% of middle schools and 2% of high schools have daily P.E. Twenty-two percent of schools have no P.E. at all. If that's your kids' school, enroll them in after-school sports and/or make sure they get to a local park or playground for at least an hour a day.2. Provide healthy food. If they receive a prepared lunch, it may contain health-damaging ultra-processed foods. Send them to school with a piece of fresh fruit to add to the lunch and some nuts (if allowed) or dried beans to snack on. If you prepare their lunch, make sure it's free of added sugar and harmful fats, and has lean protein and fresh vegetables. 3. Establish a high-quality sleep schedule for your kids. Six- to 12-year-olds need nine to 12 hours of sleep -- starting at the same time nightly, in a cool, quiet, dark room, free of digital devices. If a child can't fall asleep in 20 minutes, let them come out of the room and read a book until they're sleepy. 4. Check on their vaccination status. Let your child have the opportunity to dodge many serious infectious diseases.For more information on helping your kids stay healthy, check out "Healthy Nighttime Ritual for Kids" and "Nutrition for Your Child and When to Supplement" at iHerb.com/blog.* * *Q: I worry I am losing it, whenever I have a momentary lapse of memory. One more time, what can I do to avoid dementia? -- Francis J., Omaha, NebraskaA: We worry about the fact that almost 10% of U.S. seniors have dementia, and another 22% have mild cognitive impairment. On top of that, 13 million folks in the U.S. are projected to have Alzheimer's by 2050. But we want you to know that your lifestyle choices can go a long way in reducing your risk. And we're discovering new ways to reduce the risk all the time. Recently a study published in The Lancet found that vision loss and high LDL cholesterol levels are risk factors for dementia. They join 12 other dementia risk factors that you have influence over: physical activity, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, alcohol drinking, smoking, social isolation, depression, hearing loss, air pollution and education.There are many ways to protect your brain from lifestyle and environmental risks. You know you need to be physically active and eat healthy foods so that you control your LDL cholesterol level and blood pressure. Equally important is to have a posse and a purpose. Loneliness and depression can cause cognition problems and so can some medicines -- make sure to ask your doctor about possible side effects. Air pollution (from fires lately) can also up the dementia risk. So, use masks and HEPA air filters when necessary.Also visit your doctor regularly to spot potential trouble. Fortunately, getting an accurate diagnosis of cognition problems is becoming more possible. Recently, researchers created a blood test that correctly diagnosed patients with cognition problems as having early-stage Alzheimer's with more than 90% accuracy. In contrast, they determined that dementia specialists were only able to do that 73% of the time and primary care doctors were only correct 61% of the time. For more info on protecting your brain health, check out Dr. Mike's book "The Great Age Reboot" and Dr. Oz's iHerb.com blog, "The Impact of Lifestyle on Alzheimer's Disease." * * *Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb.com, the world's leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively. Together they have written 11 New York Times bestsellers (four No. 1's). (c)2024 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
