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Economic Times
13 hours ago
- Health
- Economic Times
The one time you should never eat, according to a leading cardiologist
A heart expert suggests avoiding late-night snacks. Doctor William Kraus advises against eating after dinner. This habit can lead to weight gain and heart problems. Eating late causes the body to store calories instead of burning them. It also disrupts sleep. Experts recommend finishing meals three hours before bed. Intermittent fasting may help heart health. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Is Your Late-Night Snack Habit Hurting Your Health? Why Eating Timing Matters More Than You Think? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads How Long After Dinner Should You Go To Sleep? Can Intermittent Fasting Help Your Heart? What Should You Eat to Stay Full At Night? FAQs If you find yourself heading to the kitchen for a snack after dinner, a top heart expert says it's time to rethink that habit. According to Dr. William Kraus, a preventive cardiologist at Duke Health, eating late at night is one of the most common yet harmful diet traps and it may be silently sabotaging your health and weight-loss goals, as per a Kraus told that, 'My No. 1 recommendation to every patient who walks in my office is not to eat after dinner,' as quoted in the expert has pointed out that those nighttime nibbles may seem harmless, but they often lead to unnecessary calories, poor sleep, and long-term issues like weight gain and heart problems, according to the READ: Camila Cabello and her billionaire boyfriend Henry Chalhoub's romance heats up in Ibiza with passionate kisses! Are they the hottest couple of summer 2025? The doctor explained that the food which is consumed late in the day or just before bedtime will only get stored rather than burned for energy, as reported in the report. He said, 'Your body doesn't need it … so it's unnecessary calories going in your body. It also interrupts sleep if you eat too close to going to bed,' as quoted in the per a research, eating at late night is considered to have a higher risk of obesity, high cholesterol and heart disease, and progression of arterial stiffness, because it requires digestion during sleep, a time when the body is used to an overnight fast, as reported by READ: Is the Kennedy Center Opera House about to be renamed after Melania Trump? Here is what Republican lawmakers are proposing NBC News medical contributor Dr. Natalie Azar has advised to stop eating at least three hours before bedtime because it allows the body to fast overnight and make a metabolic switch where it's potentially burning fat after exhausting all of its sugar sources when the stomach is empty, as reported by Heart Association has recommended intermittent to protect your heart by controlling inflammation, according to the of the commonly used method is the 16:8 intermittent fasting, which means that you fast for 16 hours and eat all meals during an eight-hour window that lets you finish your meals early, such as from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or even earlier, according to the to the report, to not feel post-meal hunger, it is recommended to eat a filling dinner with plenty of protein, fiber, and other nutrients that will make it a well-balanced dinner, like having Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls, Vegan Black Bean Burgers or Crispy Salmon Rice suggest it may reduce inflammation and support cardiovascular health, as per late-night eating can disrupt your sleep by making your body work to digest while you're resting, as per report.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Triangle hospitals are seeing an increase in snake bite cases this year
Extreme heat has plagued the Triangle for several days already this year. And as temperatures have risen, local emergency departments have reported an increase in visits from snake bite patients. Snakes become more active during spring and summer months, said Dr. Ben German, an emergency department physician at WakeMed. Humans do, too, and that's one of the reasons why more snake bites occur during warmer times of year. On really hot days, though, snakes become more nocturnal, and people spend time outdoors later in the afternoons and evening. 'Around dusk seems to be the prime time for snake bites as we get into this time of year, because again, the snakes and people are more active together, and it's harder to see them,' German said. Some of these bites may be attributed to copperheads. The brown, Hershey's Kiss-shaped patterned snakes are the most common venomous snakes Triangle residents are likely to come across, and are one of just a handful of venomous snakes that live in North Carolina. Copperhead bites are rarely fatal for humans, but they may need to be treated with antivenom. The News & Observer asked WakeMed, UNC Health and Duke Health about how many patients with snake bites have been treated at their emergency departments so far this year. So far this year, WakeMed has treated slightly more snake bite cases than the same period last year. ▪ From Jan. 1-July 6, WakeMed saw 59 patients with snake bites. Of those, 33 received antivenom. ▪ Over the same period in 2024, 55 people came to WakeMed Emergency Departments with a snake bite, and 31 of them were treated with antivenom. German said snake bite cases have generally increased yearly since he began working at WakeMed in 2006, but he attributed that to an increase in the number of people moving to the area. UNC Health emergency departments have treated 112 people for snake bites so far this year. The highest number of snake bite patients visited the facilities in May and June — 39 and 45, respectively. In some of these cases, copperheads were specifically named in the diagnosis. Compared to last year, UNC Health Emergency Departments have treated more patients with snake bites so far this year. ▪ From January 2024 through early July 2024, UNC Health Emergency Departments saw 90 snake bite patients, including 45 in July. ▪ Across emergency departments, UNC Health treated at least one person with a snake bite each month in 2024. In five months — May through September — UNC Health Emergency Departments saw at least 20 people with snake bites, system-wide. And during fall and winter months, fewer patients visited emergency departments with snake bites. Duke Health hospitals typically see more than 100 patients with snake bites each year, Duke Health said in an emailed statement Thursday, July 10. And the highest number of monthly cases usually falls during July. So far this season, Duke Health has treated 33 patients with snake bites at emergency departments at three facilities — Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital and Duke Raleigh Hospital. Of those 33 cases, 11 sought treatment at Duke Health emergency departments since Tuesday, June 17. German, the WakeMed emergency physician, recommended three tips to avoid snake bites during this time of year: ▪ Wear good shoes outside. Sneakers are better than sandals, but leather shoes that cover above the ankle will work best to protect against bites to feet and lower legs. ▪ Be aware of your surroundings. Don't reach under objects or into spaces that aren't visible. Be careful when picking up debris, especially sticks, branches and mulch, which hide venomous copperheads well. ▪ If you're walking, taking out the trash or are outside for another reason later in the day or early in the morning, bring a flashlight. Have a question about your community you'd like answered? Or maybe a tip or story idea you'd like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you. If you have a question about the Charlotte area, send The Charlotte Observer team a question by submitting questions to this form. If you have a question about Raleigh or a Triangle area community, send The News & Observer team a question by submitting questions to this form. Do snake repellents keep snakes out of your NC yard? What experts say Snake in a drive-thru? Boa found coiled under window of Triangle McDonald's
Winnipeg Free Press
10-07-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
North Carolina's first standalone children's hospital set to bring 8,000 jobs to a Raleigh suburb
APEX, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's first standalone children's hospital will be built in a bedroom community near the state capital, the project's health systems announced Thursday, creating a campus estimated to bring 8,000 jobs to the area. UNC Health and Duke Health announced in January an agreement to jointly build the proposed 500-bed pediatric hospital and linked facilities in the state's Research Triangle region, which includes Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. At that time, the specific location wasn't finalized. But leaders of the health systems said Thursday that the 'North Carolina Children's' project will be constructed about 20 miles (32.19 kilometers) southwest of downtown Raleigh in Apex, a town of 77,000 already surging in population thanks to the region's strong technology economy. The 230-acre (93.1-hectare) campus will also include a children's outpatient care center, over 100 behavioral health beds and a research and education center operated by Duke University and University of North Carolina medical schools. The campus is poised to be integrated into a long-discussed mixed-use development location called Veridea that will include thousands of new homes, retail, dining, office and research space, as well as a new Wake Technical Community College campus. 'This campus will create a brighter, healthier future for generations of children and adolescents across North Carolina and the Southeast, and we're thrilled to have Apex as our home and partner,' UNC Heatlh CEO Dr. Wesley Burks said in a news release. A groundbreaking for the hospital campus is now expected in 2027, with construction anticipated to take six years. North Carolina Children's Health also issued on Thursday a request for information from potential design and construction contractors for the project. There are children's hospitals already in North Carolina, including those operated by the University of North Carolina and Duke University health systems that are attached to their main campuses in the Triangle. The Apex location 'will ensure that the Triangle remains a hub and a destination for the best pediatric scientists, teachers and clinicians — convenient to both medical school campuses,' said Dr. Mary Klotman, dean of the Duke University medical school and a Duke Health executive. The health systems have said the hospital campus project could cost from $2 billion to $3 billion, with a massive private fundraising effort ahead. The project has already received $320 million from state legislators. The next state budget, still being negotiated by House and Senate Republicans that ultimately would head to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's desk, also could contain more project funds. Stein said in an interview Thursday that beyond the economic opportunity the project will spark, 'I'm really excited about what the children's hospital means for children of North Carolina who are sick and in need of the best, most sophisticated, advanced medical interventions to live long, healthy lives.'
Associated Press
10-07-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
North Carolina's first standalone children's hospital set to bring 8,000 jobs to a Raleigh suburb
APEX, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's first standalone children's hospital will be built in a bedroom community near the state capital, the project's health systems announced Thursday, creating a campus estimated to bring 8,000 jobs to the area. UNC Health and Duke Health announced in January an agreement to jointly build the proposed 500-bed pediatric hospital and linked facilities in the state's Research Triangle region, which includes Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. At that time, the specific location wasn't finalized. But leaders of the health systems said Thursday that the 'North Carolina Children's' project will be constructed about 20 miles (32.19 kilometers) southwest of downtown Raleigh in Apex, a town of 77,000 already surging in population thanks to the region's strong technology economy. The 230-acre (93.1-hectare) campus will also include a children's outpatient care center, over 100 behavioral health beds and a research and education center operated by Duke University and University of North Carolina medical schools. The campus is poised to be integrated into a long-discussed mixed-use development location called Veridea that will include thousands of new homes, retail, dining, office and research space, as well as a new Wake Technical Community College campus. 'This campus will create a brighter, healthier future for generations of children and adolescents across North Carolina and the Southeast, and we're thrilled to have Apex as our home and partner,' UNC Heatlh CEO Dr. Wesley Burks said in a news release. A groundbreaking for the hospital campus is now expected in 2027, with construction anticipated to take six years. North Carolina Children's Health also issued on Thursday a request for information from potential design and construction contractors for the project. There are children's hospitals already in North Carolina, including those operated by the University of North Carolina and Duke University health systems that are attached to their main campuses in the Triangle. The Apex location 'will ensure that the Triangle remains a hub and a destination for the best pediatric scientists, teachers and clinicians — convenient to both medical school campuses,' said Dr. Mary Klotman, dean of the Duke University medical school and a Duke Health executive. The health systems have said the hospital campus project could cost from $2 billion to $3 billion, with a massive private fundraising effort ahead. The project has already received $320 million from state legislators. The next state budget, still being negotiated by House and Senate Republicans that ultimately would head to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's desk, also could contain more project funds. Stein said in an interview Thursday that beyond the economic opportunity the project will spark, 'I'm really excited about what the children's hospital means for children of North Carolina who are sick and in need of the best, most sophisticated, advanced medical interventions to live long, healthy lives.'
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
With rising temperatures in North Carolina, hospitals report uptick of snake bites
CARY, N.C. (WNCN) — Hospitals throughout the central North Carolina said they're seeing more patients with snake bites walking through their doors. Raleigh native Anita McLoud went through the whole experience when she was bitten by a copperhead in her backyard. She never imagined she'd find herself calling 911 in the hospital, and with a venomous bite. After checking on her chickens during a night in August, McLoud said she turned around to walk back to her house when she had a startling surprise. 'One of the first two things I remember learning from my mom is how to identify a copperhead and how to identify poison ivy,' McLoud said. 'Those were the things you needed to know going out of the house. 'I was in my backyard,' she said. 'I had not seen a snake there in 23 years that I lived there and I was wearing flip flops.' 'My first thought was it's a stick. Within a split second, I [realized] that was not a stick. Was it a snake? I turned and there he was.' According to McLoud, medical staff measured the swelling near the bite every 30 minutes. While she never needed antivenom, doctors gave her morphine for the pain. She said the swelling, pain, and discoloration lasted around five-six weeks. 'I was fortunate that way,' McLoud said. 'They told me at the time, only 23% of people who got bit had to receive the antivenom.' According to Duke Health officials, hospitals usually see more than 100 snakebite patients per year across the health system, with the number of cases typically peaking in July. Since April, officials said emergency departments at Duke University, Duke Regional Hospital and Raleigh Regional Hospital have treated 22 bites this season, which staff said typically starts in April. Officials at WakeMed said an emergency department reported nine patients since June 1, six just between June 14 and June 17. Last year, they saw an increase from 15 patients treated for bites in June to 40 in July. UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill reported 18 patients from March to mid-June, slightly higher than the same time last year. 'The numbers increase as the weather gets warmer, especially when it's hot and more of us work/play in the yard early in the morning or in the evening—when snakes get more active, too,' staff said in a statement. Talena Chavis of Cary, the owner of NC Snake Catcher has studied snakes for nearly 30 years. She said the summer season typically comes with 8-10 calls a day, often to safely move and relocate snakes. 'I actually don't encourage folks to try to ID snakes themselves because Mother Nature throws curveballs,' Chavis said. 'Even with copperheads, the pattern changes a lot.' North Carolina has six venomous snakes. According to Chavis, the copperhead's bite is rarely fatal. 'Every season, copperheads are our number one snake,' Chavis said. 'To say that we have a surplus or even an overpopulation is not is not off topic.' Chavis believes more encounters have been attributed to more growth and development. The species has also adapted to urban and suburban areas. 'They're not really afraid of loud noises,' she said. 'They don't care about fireworks, blowers, lawnmowers. These guys just don't really care because they're an ambush predator.' According to Chavis, most bites happen during night hours when copperheads are searching for heat and their prey. Most the time, she said people just happen to get in the way. Chavis advises people to be more cautious, aware, and put on boots. 'I firmly believe if people wore their boots in the yard and watched where they put their hands, the number of copperhead bites would be cut in half,' she said. Even after her encounter, McLoud said she now works with the reptiles. 'I've really been enjoying it,' McLoud said. 'I wasn't upset with the snake. He's just doing his 'self-defense' thing. If someone stepped on me, I'd probably react as well.' Duke Health officials also continue to share more information about snakebite safety. If bitten, they said to go to your local hospital—never push off the visit. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
