For Your Eyes Only

Those shades that give you that cool Hollywood look may also be helping you in other ways. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. found that even limited exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays increases your risk of cataracts later in life. “You need to wear sunglasses with UV protection even during winter months,” says Dr. Sandra Belmont of New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, commenting in the December issue of Fitness magazine.

Waiting . . . Waiting

When you see your doctor, are you made to wait, oh, say, 34 minutes? If so, you should know that’s the average delay. The American Journal of Managed Care based that statistic on data collected from 1,783 medical appointments, according to HealthScout, an online health news service. The most “efficient” physicians kept patients waiting for only 17 minutes. Hmmm, makes one wonder what category doctors who don’t make patients wait fall into.

Where’s the Beef?

Thanks to some food companies, you’re getting a little help with eating your recommended servings of fruit--and you probably don’t even know it. Some firms are infusing their products with fruit, following the lead of those bakers who replace fats with apple, prune and banana purees, says the December issue of Shape. A Michigan company recently unveiled a line of beef-and-cherry patties, and in June the California Prune Board introduced hot dogs, sausages, pepperoni, turkey burgers and hamburgers that contain prunes. The fruit makes the meat leaner and more moist, enhances flavor and, of course, adds nutrition, experts say.

Exercise Self-Control

Want to take a real timeout from the stresses in life? Exercise. Just exercise. Don’t study notes from class or for tomorrow’s meeting while exercising--put your mind on hold. “You become separated from your cares and worries,” says researcher Patrick O’Connor, in the November-December issue of Walking magazine. Researchers had several groups of stressed-out college women either pedal easily on a bicycle for 20 minutes, study while pedaling the bicycle, study while just sitting on the bicycle, or just sit quietly on the bike. The only group that felt better afterward was the one that exercised without studying.