DSC Health & Wellness posters series

 

More info on the topics covered in the DSC Health & Wellness poster series:

• the health benefits of eating a wide variety of fruit and veg
• getting assistance with your health insurance or becoming insured in the first place
• looking after your body in grad school
• the health benefits of nuts
• dealing with stress and anxiety at grad school

Eat the rainbow

From the Harvard School of Public Health: “Choose more vegetables and fruits. Go for color and variety—dark green, yellow, orange, and red. It’s hard to argue with the health benefits of a diet rich in vegetables and fruits: Lower blood pressure; reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and probably some cancers; lower risk of eye and digestive problems; and a mellowing effect on blood sugar that can help keep appetite in check.”

A selection of relevant studies:

• Bhupathiraju SN, Tucker KL. ‘Greater variety in fruit and vegetable intake is associated with lower inflammation in Puerto Rican adults’. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2011 Jan;93(1):37–46.
• Büchner FL, Bueno-de-Mesquita HB, et al. ‘Variety in fruit and vegetable consumption and the risk of lung cancer’. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. 2010 Sep;19(9):2278-86.
• Endogenous Hormones & Breast Cancer Collaborative Group. ‘Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), IGF binding protein 3 (IGFBP3), and breast cancer risk: pooled individual data analysis of 17 prospective studies’. The Lancet Oncology. 2010 June;11(6):530–42.
  Naomi E. Allen, Paul N. Appleby, et al. ‘The associations of diet with serum insulin-like growth factor I and its main binding proteins in 292 women meat-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans’. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. 2002 Nov;11(11):1441–8.
• Haque N, Salma U, et al. ‘Lifestyle related causes of cancer and chemoprevention through phytonutrients’. Pakistani Journal of Biological Sciences. 2010 Oct 1;13(19):916–26.
• Murphy MM, Barraj LM, Herman D, et al. ‘Phytonutrient Intake by Adults in the United States in Relation to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption’. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2011 Nov 9;112(2): 222–29.
• Timothy J Key, Paul N Appleby, et al. ‘Cancer incidence in vegetarians: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition’ (EPIC-Oxford), American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2009 May;89(5):1620S–26S.

 

If you’re under-insurance or having any insurance problems

If you don’t have health insurance, DSC Health & Wellness can help! See our pages for uninsured or under-insured grad students, or just contact us directly.

And if you have insurance, but have got any unexpected or unfair bills, or are dealing with some other insurance problem, please let us know—we can assist you!

 

Looking after your body in grad school

Grad school can be hard on your body, but we’ve got tips on ergonomic strategies for academia, so you can keep up your studying without damaging anything.

 

The health benefits of nuts

From the Mayo Clinic: “Although it varies by nut, most nuts contain at least some of these heart-healthy substances:

• Unsaturated fats. It’s not entirely clear why, but it’s thought that the “good” fats in nuts — both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — lower bad cholesterol levels.
• Omega-3 fatty acids. Many nuts are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are a healthy form of fatty acids that seem to help your heart by, among other things, preventing dangerous heart rhythms that can lead to heart attacks. Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in many kinds of fish, but nuts are one of the best plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
• Fiber. All nuts contain fiber, which helps lower your cholesterol. Fiber also makes you feel full, so you eat less. Fiber is also thought to play a role in preventing diabetes.
• Vitamin E. Vitamin E may help stop the development of plaques in your arteries, which can narrow them. Plaque development in your arteries can lead to chest pain, coronary artery disease or a heart attack.
• Plant sterols. Some nuts contain plant sterols, a substance that can help lower your cholesterol. Plant sterols are often added to products like margarine and orange juice for additional health benefits, but sterols occur naturally in nuts.
• L-arginine. Nuts are also a source of l-arginine, which is a substance that may help improve the health of your artery walls by making them more flexible and less prone to blood clots that can block blood flow.”

A selection of relevant studies:

• Alexiadou K, Katsilambros N. ‘Nuts: anti-atherogenic food?’ European Journal of Internal Medicine. 2011 Apr;22(2):141–6.
• Boggs DA, Palmer JR, , et al. ‘Fruit and vegetable intake in relation to risk of breast cancer in the Black Women’s Health Study’. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2010 Dec 1;172(11):1268–79.
• Gopinath B, Buyken AE, et al. ‘Consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids, fish, and nuts and risk of inflammatory disease mortality’. Americal Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2011 May; 93(5):1073–9.
• Kris-Etherton PM, Hecker KD, et al. ‘Bioactive compounds in foods: their role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer’. The American Journal of Medicine. 2002, 113(9B):71S–88S.
• Kris-Etherton PM, Hu FB, et al. ‘The role of tree nuts and peanuts in the prevention of coronary heart disease: multiple potential mechanisms‘. Journal of Nutrition. 2008 Sep; 138(9):1746S-1751S.
• Lin X, Racette SB, et al. ‘The effects of phytosterols present in natural food matrices on cholesterol metabolism and LDL-cholesterol’. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2010 Dec;64(12):1481-7.
• Watzl B. ‘Anti-inflammatory effects of plant-based foods and of their constituents’. International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research. 2008 Dec; 78(6):293–8.

 

Dealing with stress and anxiety in grad school

There are a lot of resources available to you to help you deal with stress and anxiety while you’re in grad school.

• The GC Wellnes Center Student Counseling Services offer free short-term individual, couple, and group counseling, with referrals to long-term counseling if needed, as well as a variety of workshops during the semester to help students deal with stress and anxiety.
• Diet, sleep, and exercise are absolutely crucial to mental well-being, so make sure you’re taking care of each of these. The annual GC Wellness Festival features nutritionists and sleep disorder specialists to help you with eating and sleeping well. And the DSC and Student Affairs offer Pilates and yoga classes throughout the year, which are free for grad students.
• If you have NYSHIP health insurance you are covered for regular counseling sessions. Have a look at our list of student-recommended providers who take NYSHIP.
• These relaxation techniques can really help lower your stress levels.

And, as always, if there’s anything you need or would like to know, please do contact DSC Health & Wellness!