Toddler drinks aren’t toddler friendly

You always need to look closely at the nutrition facts to get past misleading labels. In a new study, published in Preventive Medicine, researchers found that to be especially true when it comes to beverages being sold as “toddler drinks.”

The researchers discovered that a wide variety of these beverages made at least one claim about health or nutrition. Most are made of powdered milk, added sweeteners (often high-fructose corn syrup) and vegetable oil, and contain less protein than regular milk. The World Health Organization and medical experts have deemed toddler drinks “unnecessary” and “unsuitable” for kids 9 to 36 months.

Unfortunately, while there are policies in place that say what can and can’t go on infant formula labels, the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t regulate the marketing of drinks to toddlers.

So keep your eyes open and institute your own regulations! For your toddler’s diet, stick to cow’s milk and water, fresh fruits and veggies, and healthy proteins and fats.

Protect your ears to protect your heart

On Aug. 27, 1883, the loudest Earth-produced noise in recorded history was emitted when a volcano erupted on Krakatoa, an Indonesian island. The sound could be heard nearly 3,000 miles away, and within 40 miles of the explosion, people’s eardrums were shattered.

Clearly, loud noise (above 60 decibels, the volume of a normal conversation) is dangerous — and it doesn’t have to be Krakatoa-strong to trigger health problems. Exposure to elevated decibels can:

Erode your hearing. Interfere with sleep, disrupting your endocrine, metabolic and immune systems.

Damage your cardiovascular system.

Now, a review in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology provides insight into why the noiseheart damage links exist.

Loud noises cause stress, and chronic exposure to stress hormones boosts blood pressure and damages blood vessels. Plus, one study found that blood vessels’ so-called calcification burden increases by almost 4 percent with every five-decibel increase in nighttime traffic noise.

So, if you live in a noisy environment :

At night, use sound-dampening earplugs.

Install sound-blocking shades and drapes.

Rely on noise-canceling headphones (not while crossing the street!).

Turn down your earbuds. Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.