Young adults between the ages of 18 and 36 may be taking some dangerous risks when it comes to their health. In spite of the Affordable Care Act, a recent poll shows that 1 in 5 millennials cannot afford routine medical expenses and another 26% struggle to pay for health care.

While the number of young adults in the United States without health insurance has declined in recent years, 11% of millennials were uninsured in April and 16% “do not plan on having insurance” in 2017. When seeking medical care, 7 out of 10 young people consider cost to be a “very important” factor.

Due, in part to the cost, and in part to the common feelings of “invincibility” in this age group, many young adults rely on friends and family members for health information, take vitamins or supplements to improve their health, and put off seeing a doctor when they should. The Obama administration recently announced new strategies to encourage people without medical insurance to enroll in a plan this fall.

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Sourced from: CNBC, Millennials can’t afford health insurance, adopt risky alternatives

For years, studies have shown a link between a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids and a healthy heart. But new research published in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that people who eat foods rich in these heart-healthy fats are 10% less likely to die from a heart attack than those who don’t.

Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish like salmon, trout, tuna, and anchovies, and in leafy green vegetables, walnuts, and certain vegetable oils, promote healthy digestion, muscle activity, and cell growth. This new study looked at omega-3s from seafood and plant sources and not sources like fish oil supplements.

Interestingly, while the research—which analyzed data from 19 studies conducted worldwide—showed a reduction in heart attack deaths in those with high blood levels of omega-3 fats, it did not show a correlation between omega-3s and non-fatal heart attack risk.

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Sourced from: MNT, Omega-3 fatty acids reduce risk of death from heart attack

Electronic cigarette—or e-cigarette—sales are rising about 25% each year. In a recent announcement, the Food and Drug Administration warns consumers that health claims made by the manufacturers of these products are unproven and unsupported by research. The FDA requires electronic smoking devices—which now come under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act—to carry a warning indicating they contain nicotine.

Concerned that unproven health claims mislead consumers—for example, influencing a person who is trying to quit smoking to buy one product over another based on inaccurate information—researchers looked online to see what types of claims consumers are exposed to when searching for electronic smoking products.

They found that a majority of websites—both manufacturer and retailer sites—made at least one unproven health claim, and some sites even claimed that e-cigarettes carry no risks at all. Beginning in August, manufacturers of electronic smoking devices that wish to market their products as “healthier or safer than cigarettes” must first apply to the FDA, and then provide proof of their claims.

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Sourced from: ScienceDaily, Unproven claims run rampant in e-cigarette business