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Early this month, Representative Bruce Griffey of western Tennessees 75th district made public his latest effort to control and degrade the states most vulnerable: a bill that would require any person convicted of sex offenses against a minor under the age of 13 to undergo chemical castration upon becoming eligible for parole.Ad Policy

Convicts will be responsible for the cost of the intervention, and halting it would be considered a parole violation, sending the parolee immediately back to jail to serve the rest of their sentence. Proponents justify the invasive law on the pretext of protecting the children of Tennessee from potential predators.

Chemical castration reduces the bodys sexual urges with drugs or hormones. Unlike surgical castration, it is reversible, but it isnt harmless. Critics claim the practice violates fundamental civil liberties, like the right to ones own thoughts and to bodily autonomy, and note that the commission of a crime, no matter how serious, does not strip a person of their essential rights.

If you have a penis, imagine a life without the possibility of erection or orgasm. No more yearning, no more physical intimacy, no more pleasant daydreams. For someone whos supposed to have paid their debt to society, this is unnecessarily cruel.Related Article

The treatment is not without considerable health risk, either. Long-term use carries the potential for osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, impaired glucose metabolism, and more everyday side effects like gynecomastia, hot flashes, and depression. Though some small-scale studies have found modest decreases in recidivism with chemical castration, no randomized control trials have been conducted.

Its not the first time a Republican legislator has displayed excessive interest in the genitals of his constituents. Griffey is also currently cosponsoring a bill that would require Tennessee students to play sports on teams appropriate to the gender noted on their birth certificates, a transparent attempt to curtail the rights of transgender and gender-nonconforming kids. Schools that refuse to follow the rule would lose public funding.

And in June of last year, Alabama enacted a law nearly identical to Griffeys chemical castration proposal, joining Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Montana, Wisconsin, and California, which passed the first such measure in the United States in 1996, under Republican Governor Pete Wilson.Current Issue

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Following Indonesias push in 2016 to introduce the punishment for sex offenders, Amnesty International released a statement about the practice noting that forced chemical castration is a violation of the prohibition on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under international law. The ACLU has come out against the practice as well.

In the United States, such statutes may face legal challenges, largely on the basis of their dubious constitutionality. A 2003 analysis in The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry Law notes several grounds for potential disputes: under the First Amendment, for attempting to control the content of a persons mind, or fantasies; the Eighth Amendment, as cruel and unusual punishment; and the 14th Amendment, for failing to honor the guarantee of due process, and infringing on fundamental liberties, such as the liberty to have children. The measures may also violate the equal protection clause, since, although their language is gender-nonspecific, the actual effects of the drugs disproportionately affect men.

It is a return, if you will, to the dark ages, said Randall Marshall, executive director of the ACLU of Alabama, of that states law.

Chemical castration has a brutal, bigoted, and ableist history. Before the technology existed for a chemical intervention, eugenics movements embraced castration and sterilization as ways to prevent undesirable populationsfor instance, criminals and mentally ill peoplefrom procreating, in 19th century America. Beginning in the 1940s, diethylstilbestrol or DES was used to lower testosterone levels in men with pathological sexual behavior. In 1966, Dr. John Money, famous for his wrongheaded (and in some cases, fatal) views on gender assignment at birth, prescribed a man struggling with pedophilic fantasies medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), the active ingredient in the hormonal contraceptive Depo-Provera, and the drug used in most states that have chemical castration laws for sex offenders. (MPA is not approved for this usage by the FDA, and was abandoned in Europe because of its severe side effects.)

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Hormone treatment, used as a corrective punishment in place of prison for the crime of homosexuality, has been widely blamed for the suicide of renowned computer scientist Alan Turing (Turing was forced to take DES). In 2012, a doctor in Sydney was banned from practicing medicine after prescribing chemical castration as a cure for his 18-year-old patients homosexuality.

Despite its checkered past, some choose hormone therapy of their own volition to curb troubling sexual thoughts or behaviors, and reduce sexual urges. The Cut published an interview in 2015 with a 62-year-old man voluntarily taking Lupron (generic leuprolide), which dramatically decreases the pituitary glands production of testosterone; the man says that it, combined with regular psychotherapy, ended his destructive pattern of compulsive sex with prostitutes and saved his marriage.

Another ethical thorn jabs the doctor assigned to give the hormone-limiting drugs. Can a physician administering this kind of treatment really obtain informed consent? Isnt the measure inherently coercive, if its a condition of parole? In medical ethics, a vulnerable population cannot consent to a procedure not explicitly performed for their benefitand it would require a leap of logic to claim involuntary hormone treatment is strictly beneficial. Incarcerated persons are a uniquely vulnerable group, with little to no power of self-determination, whose bodily integrity Tennessee already has an abysmal track record of respecting. Subjecting them to this humiliating practice as a condition of reentry into society further deprives them of their humanity.

That kind of cowboy approach to public safety is par for the course for Representative Griffey, who has already made a name for himself in his brief yet storied tenure in the Tennessee legislature. He has pushed for other demeaning aspects of the national Republican agenda as well. In March of last year, he filed a bill that would restrict welfare benefits in Tennessee only to those who could prove United States citizenship, including, per the bills abstract, each applicant 18 years of age or older, who applies for prenatal care administered by the department of health and the special supplemental food program for women, infants and children administered by the department of health. The bill ultimately failed, evidently considered too heartless even for Republicans.

Griffeys ire isnt confined to poor, pregnant women. He also introduced a bill this month, along with state Senator Joey Hensley, that would subject resettlement of refugees in Tennessee to the approval of both local governments and the state legislature, a two-step process clearly designed to hinder resettlementthis after Governor Bill Lee recently agreed to statewide resettlements for the second year in a row.

In the realm of personal ethics, Griffey is in no position to play the moral police. In September of last year, he was revealed to have engaged in backdoor dealings that led to the resignation of a Carroll County attorney, Jennifer King, so that Tennessee Governor Bill Lee could appoint Griffeys wife, Rebecca, in her place (which he declined to do). It turned out that one of the reasons Rebecca Griffey was not selected may have been her claim to the interview panel that a tax lien had not been placed on the Griffeys home, despite documents provided by the IRS that showed the couple had failed to pay $240,060 in 2015 and $23,030 in 2016.

When contacted, Representative Griffeys office declined to comment for this story.

Even among Tennessee Republicans, Griffey is certainly a figure in state government to keep tabs onand to thwart at every turn, at least for anyone who wants to keep politicians roving hands out of their metaphorical pants.

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Tennessee's Chemical Castration Bill Shows Local Republicans Have One Thing on Their Minds - The Nation

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A new study, published in medical journal Fertility and Sterility in November 2019, found that trans men have no more trouble getting pregnant via assisted reproductive technology than their cis woman counterparts do, even trans men who had already begun taking testosterone. In an interview with Medscape Medical News on Tuesday, one of the co-authors of the study said she hopes her teams findings encourage trans men and their providers to feel more empowered to seek out fertility options post-transition, if they wish.

"Transmales [sic lmao] worry that they've thrown in the towel, and by committing to testosterone have started on a pathway with no return, but these data suggest they still have options," Resetkova told Medscape.

While this might be the first formal study to show that trans men can still conceive via assisted reproductive technology, even after starting HRT, previously 'moned-up trans men having babies is nothing new. That aspect of this news is not all that surprisingat least not for anyone whos spent enough time around trans people to know that trans men can and often do get pregnant. To echo what journalist Katelyn Burns wrote in a 2018 them story about trans women and breastfeeding: Whats more surprising is that it took this long for a medical journal to document the process.

Its important to note that all the trans men on hormones who participated in the Fertility and Sterility study stopped their HRT while trying to conceive. Resetkova and her co-authors dont rule out the possibility of trans men conceiving while continuously taking testosterone, though further investigation needs to be performed. Community knowledge tells me that conception under those circumstances is unlikely, but who knowsIm not a doctor. All I know is that assisted reproductive technology sounds really expensive and probably extremely cost-prohibitive for the vast majority of trans men who might want to make use of it.

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This article originally appeared on VICE US.

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Trans Men Don't Have to Choose Between Transitioning and Having Kids - VICE

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Vitagene is bringing something new to the at-home genetic test market tips on how to genetically hack your metabolism, according to Engadget.

While Vitagene offers the same reports on ancestry and heritage as other at-home kits in its packages, the company also offers customized diet, exercise, supplement and even skincare recommendations based on the consumers genetic makeup.

Their marketing isnt just health or family history based, Engadget reports. Instead, Vitagenes goal is to help people live healthier lives based on genetic insights about how best to help their bodies.

Vitagene will also allow users to upload their previously analyzed genetic profiles and receive personalized online nutritional coaching and supplements shipped to them for an additional cost a good option for those interested in their particular insights who have previously had their DNA analyzed by another company.

CNN reports that while the guidance offered by Vitagenes tests can reveal certain food sensitivities, genetic predispositions to weight gain and can help people develop healthier lifestyles, they shouldnt replace necessary consultations with medical professionals.

The at-home DNA testing market seemingly exploded in the past few years. Companies like Ancestry offer tests that can help you find long lost relatives, your ethnic makeup, and where your ancestors were from. And for $50, consumers can buy the AncestryHealth test, which includes personalized as well as generational genetic health reports and access to genetic counseling.

The company 23andMe offers similar tests, divided by tests that provide genetic information about a consumers ancestry and traits, or health and ancestry.

The explosion of interest in at-home genetic tests seems to have settled, CNBC reports. Just this month 23andMe laid off 14% of its staff.

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Vitagene DNA will give you a diet plan genetically tailored to you - Deseret News

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Among the diet plans that have been trending in recent years is the Zone Diet. This way of eating is generated towards reducing inflammation, slowing down aging, and keeping you properly satiated in between meals. And the lifestyle has been said to help with weight loss, body fat, improving mental clarity and overall wellness. We went straight to the source and asked Zone Diet CreatorDr. Barry Sears to answer some of the most frequently asked questions aboutthe Zone Diet. Want to go deeper? Check out his latest book, The Resolution Zone, which gives readers an overview on how to help reverse the damage done by past inflammation and promote the ability of the body to repair.

The Zone Diet is an anti-inflammatory diet created by Dr. Sears, a dietary hormone response expert, in 1998. It involves structuring your meals to include a specific balance of carbohydrates, protein and fats, and can be combined with many other traditional dietary programs. The Zone Diet is considereda long-term eating plan, not a quick-fix diet.

Its going back to the original Greek root of the word diet, which means way of life, Sears says.

Related: 26 Things to Know About the Anti-Inflammatory Diet

According to Sears, this specific way of eating is geared at keeping inflammation in a zone thats not too high, but not too low. Sears explains that we need some level of inflammation to be able to fight off microbiome invasions and to allow any physical injuries sustained heal. But if we have too much, it begins to attack our body. So keeping inflammation in that zone is really the key toward treating chronic disease, he adds.

All you need to do the diet, per Sears, is one hand, one eye, and one watch. The first step is to visually balance your plate: one-third should contain a lean protein (no larger than the palm of your hand); two-thirds should be colorful fruits and vegetables (good carbs). Then, add add a dash of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatideally olive oil, because its rich in polyphenols (antioxidant-rich micronutrients) that basically will add to the polyphenol mix of the diet, Sears says. Its that simple!

If you like tracking your foods in an app like MyFitnessPal that calculates nutrients, here are the numbers you are looking for:40% of your calories coming from carbohydrates, a.k.a fruits and vegetables, 30% coming from protein and 30% from fat.

At one meal, if you have 25 grams of protein, about half of that should be fat, monounsaturated fat, maybe 12 grams and maybe about 30 to 35 grams of carbohydrates, primarily non-starchy vegetables, Sears says.

If youre using carbohydrates as your fruits and vegetables, with the emphasis on vegetables, the number of calories youre consuming is very low. Those meals should be about the 400 calories, but there are very large meals in terms of size, he says.

Sears says that the trendy concept of intermittent fasting is essentially a bookkeeping way of trying to reduce calories. But by doing the Zone Diet, you end up automatically reducing calories by balancing your plate because its the hormones that those proteins and carbohydrates generate that keep you satiated so you arent hungry. And if you arent hungry, you eat less calories. If you eat less calories, you live longer, Sears explains.

You look at your watch. If you have no hunger five hours later, that meal was a hormonal winner for you, says Sears.

Why is that important? Thats the driver of chronic disease, he says.

There was a recent study that demonstrated that if you eat 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per daythats two kilograms of raw fruits and vegetablesthat your likelihood of death decreases by about 31% decrease. Your likelihood of getting dying from cardiovascular disease decreases by 25% and dying of stroke also decreases by about 25%, he says, adding that this is due to the polyphenols found inside these foods.

Even though its a calorie-restricted program, its virtually impossible to eat all the food because on the Zone program, youre eating about 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Thats a lot of fruit. Thats a lot of vegetables. And so what your consuming for the average female is about maybe 1,200 calories per day and 1,500 for the average male, he says. What youre looking to do with your meals, says Sears, is to say, Im controlling the hormones so I can maintain enough adequate protein coming in so I can maintain my muscle mass. But basically balancing that protein with the right type of carbohydrates. So I dont overproduce the hormone insulin.

Related: Dr. Travis Stork Reveals His Battle With Chronic Painand Which Diet Helps

The secret, Sears says, is finding the low-fat protein, fruits and vegetables that you like to eat, and learning how to balance that plate. Thenput together about 10 different meals, which you can rotate around. People rarely eat more than 10 different meals at home. Theyll eat two different breakfasts, three different lunches and five different dinners. And if they go out to eat they might go to the same restaurants over and over again eating the same meals, he says. So you dont have to drive yourself crazy trying to perfect hundreds of recipes to make at home.

Remembering that the proper balance is key, here are some good Zone Diet foods:

High-glycemic carbohydrates. They enter the bloodstream very quickly as glucose. And then will basically pump up insulin, he says. In terms of what we call whole grains, whole grains are whole because they contain polyphenols. But the rate of entry of the carbohydrates in the blood is no different than a piece of Wonder bread, he adds. So Sears says to keep the amount of starches that you eat to a maximum of around one serving per day. We want about eight servings of vegetables, two servings of fruit, one at most and and ideally zero of the grains and starches.

Eat an apple to boost heart health. High-fiber foods can lower triglycerides, or fatty lipids found in your blood. Aim for 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day with picks like oatmeal, beans and pears.

Greek yogurt with some almonds as a healthy fat source. Another option is slow-cooked oatmeal and an egg white omelet. Youre balancing protein to carbohydrate and then add some guacamole to the top of the egg white omelet. Both of these should keep you full for five hours.

A chicken Caesar salad. You get the 25 grams of protein with the chicken breast and the salad. But the salad doesnt have carbohydrates. So with that, youd have another two to three servings of vegetables on the side.

Think three servings of non-starchy vegetables, things like broccoli, artichokes, asparagus, cauliflowers. And then for protein, salmon or chicken.

Yes. Both groups eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. So, according to Sears, 2/3 of their plate is already completed. Vegetarians can add in eggs and dairy products for their protein sources and vegans can opt for a soybean protein product.

No.This way of eating doesnt place its focus on fruits and vegetables, Sears says, which he deems as being key for gut health. He also says people following a Ketogenic diet plan need to make sure that they are getting enough beneficial bacteria-feeding fiber, which can be tough to do. A Mediterranean diet is good pairing with the Zone diet.

If youre big on eating out, have a restaurant modify a dish until it works for you on this plan. People tend to go to the same 5 to 10 restaurants on repeat, which is a benefit to those doing this program. They might have a menu with hundreds of meals, but you eat the same one every time. So you keep telling them to adjust the meal, take off some of the grains and starches, add some more vegetables until you find whats the right meal for you at that restaurant. Then you can keep including that into your weekly repertoire.

Check out 100+ foods you can eat on the Mediterranean diet.

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Zone Diet: What Is Dr. Barry Sears' Zone Diet and How Does It Work? - Parade

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A well-balanced diet has long been touted as a necessary component to a healthy lifestyle. When combined with routine exercise, a well-balanced diet can improve quality of life and reduce a persons risk for various diseases.

No well-balanced diet is complete without dairy. While many people may immediately associate milk with dairy, dairy products are much more diverse than that. In fact, including various dairy products in your diet can provide a host of diverse health benefits.

Dairy products are nutrient-rich

The United States Department of Agriculture notes that dairy products provide a host of nutrients that are vital to overall health.

Calcium: The nutrient most often linked to dairy, calcium is vital for building strong bones and healthy teeth. Dairy also helps to maintain bone mass, helping men and women combat age-related bone loss.

Potassium: Dairy products such as yogurt, fluid milk and soy milk are good sources of potassium. Thats beneficial because diets rich in potassium help men and women maintain healthy blood pressures.

Vitamin D: Like calcium, vitamin D is widely associated with dairy, particularly milk. Vitamin D helps bodies build and maintain strong bones, and products such as fluid milk and soy milk are great sources of vitamin D. Yogurts and cereals fortified with vitamin D also can be great sources of this valuable vitamin.

Health benefits

Osteoporosis is a condition in which a persons bones become fragile and brittle due to loss of tissue. Age is a risk factor for osteoporosis, but a poor diet that does not include sufficient amounts of dairy also can increase a persons risk for osteoporosis.

The Department of Agriculture notes that dairy can help men and women lower their risk for ailments other than osteoporosis. Adequate dairy intake has been associated with a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Athletes may be especially motivated to consume dairy, as its effect on bone strength and maintenance can help them reduce their risk for injury while practicing and competing.

Adolescents and children can benefit greatly from diets that contain adequate amounts of dairy. Bone mass is built during childhood and adolescence, so foods such as dairy that promote bone health can help children and teenagers develop strong, healthy bones.

In regard to which dairy products to include in ones diet, the Department of Agriculture notes the importance of avoiding foods that are high in saturated fat. Dairy products high in saturated fats can contribute to high amounts of bad cholesterol in the blood, increasing a persons risk for coronary heart disease. Low-fat dairy products make for a healthy alternative to dairy that is high in saturated fats, and men and women can discuss such products with their physicians.

No balanced diet is complete without dairy, which benefits the body in myriad ways.

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The benefits of including dairy in your diet - Thecountypress

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The number of people cutting down on meat and dairy, or cutting these foods from their diets entirely, has been rising over the last decade. The number of vegans in the UK, for example, quadrupled between 2006 and 2018, according to research by The Vegan Society.

One common motivation for shunning steak and stilton and going vegan is the promised health benefits. The vegan diet is generally considered to be higher in fibre and lower in cholesterol, protein, calcium and salt than an omnivorous diet but there are still misconceptions and concerns around cutting meat, fish, eggs and dairy completely from our diets.

One common concern is whether a vegan diet provides enough vitamin B12. B12 helps prevent nerve damage, and is found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy, but not in fruit or vegetables. It's recommended that adults consume 1.5 micrograms of the vitamin per day.

A B12 deficiency can lead to neurological symptoms such as numbness, and its irreversible if the deficiency is present for too long, says Janet Cade, of the Nutritional Epidemiology Group, School of Food Science and Nutrition.

Read more from The Vegan Factor on BBC Good Food

A recent study involving 48,000 people over 18 years compared the health of meat-eaters, pescatarians who eat fish and dairy but not meat and vegetarians, including some vegans. They found that people who eat vegan and vegetarian diets have a lower risk of heart disease, but a higher risk of stroke, possibly partly due to a lack of B12.

The researchers found that those who didnt eat meat had 10 fewer cases of heart disease and three more strokes per 1,000 people compared with the meat-eaters. Researcher Tammy Tong, nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, says the higher risk of haemorrhagic stroke could be for several reasons.

Haemorrhagic stroke is caused by a bleeding in the brain. While low cholesterol is protective for heart disease and ischemic stroke, theres some evidence showing that low cholesterol levels (associated with the vegan and vegetarian diet) may be linked to a small risk of haemorrhagic stroke.

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Are there health benefits to going vegan? - BBC News

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A new study suggests its time you stopped worrying about cutting carbs or limiting the amount of fat in your diet. To live longer, its more important to focus on the quality of the foods than the quantity of carbs or fats they contain, according to a study from the JAMA Internal Medicine journal.

This means limiting processed carbohydrates, sugar, red meat and processed meats, and emphasizing whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables.

In the study, researchers asked more than 37,000 adults in the United States what they ate in the course of a 24-hour period in 1999 then followed them for 15 years.

At the end of the study the average age of the participants was 50 years old, and 4,866 of them had died around 13 percent of the group. Justless than half of those who died succumbed to heart disease (849 people) or cancer (1,068 people), certain types of which have been linked to diet.

Researchers found no difference in the risk of death between people on low-fat versus low-carb diets. Instead, the sources of those carbs or fats was what either risked or helped prevent an early death.

Low-fat diets full of unhealthy foods such as white bread, processed meats and sugary soda were associated with a 12 percent elevated risk of death, while similarly unhealthy low-carb diets made people 16 percent more likely to die.

People eating low-fat and low-carb diets composed of healthy foods including vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains lived longer, enjoying a 27 percent decreased risk of death.

Low-carb or low-fat diets can be good or bad depending on the foods that go into them, researcher Andrew Mente, who wasnt involved in the study, told Reuters.

Its more about selecting whole natural or minimally-processed foods, regardless of the amount of carbs or fat, Mente told Reuters. This would translate into a diet that may include a variety of whole foods in various combinations including fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and fish as well as whole fat dairy and unprocessed red meat and poultry.

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New study says low-carb and low-fat diets don't boost longevity. Here's what does. - The Hill

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GRAND BLANC (WJRT) (1/27/2020) - After months of debate, Perry Road in Grand Blanc will be seeing some big changes.

A mile-long stretch between Genesee Road and Saginaw Street will undergo a road diet, which could have more people seeking other travel options during the summer months.

The city of Grand Blanc is hoping to shave the roadway down from four lanes down to three lanes. The two eastbound and westbound travel lanes would be converted to a single lane in each direction with a center turn lane and bike lanes on each side.

The project isn't just about safety. It's about making the area a more walkable and bikable city

The project will only cost a few thousand dollars and be covered by a Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant to extend the Iron Belle Trail, which runs of Belle Isle in Detroit to the western Upper Peninsula.

The bike lanes being created along the sides of Perry Road will luckily be a minor project in comparison to some of the other options the city considered.

"We don't have to do anything to the road. We just have to grind down a little bit of the asphalt and remark it and restripe it," said Grand Blanc City Manager Wendy Jean-Buhrer.

In addition to the bike lanes, the city also worked with the Genesee County Road Commission on a lane reduction to make the intersection of Perry and Genesee roads safer.

Genesee Road reduces from two lanes to one at the intersection, which leads to many accidents when cars are rushing to get into the lane on time.

"Someone could turn here and this car could go, but a lot of times they're just competing and doing a dragster," Jean-Buhrer said.

She said the project will only take a few weeks to complete and Perry Road will not be closed completely. But some businesses along the stretch still are concerned about the effects.

Owners at Great Harvest Bread Company say they nearly shut down during the last time there was construction along Perry Road. Co-owner Scott Sassack said that project was more extensive, but he still fears this change could put him and his employees at risk once again.

"I hope people don't get scared and try to fight us and leave us in the dust, because we're in our slowest time right now," he said. "Our busiest time is really from Easter to September and that could really hurt us for a week's worth of loss.

Sassack said he's happy to see the bike lanes coming to Perry Road, but he believes the money could have been better spent on other roads in the city of Grand Blanc.

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Perry Road going on a diet in Grand Blanc - ABC 12 News

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High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects as many as 75 million Americans. If left untreated, hypertension can lead to heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.

Here are the best ways to lower your blood pressure and reduce the risk of health complications.

Common causes of hypertension include a lack of regular exercise, a high-sodium diet, being overweight, and smoking cigarettes. Working to make positive changes in these areas can have a big impact on your blood pressure, says Sanjiv Patel, MD, and cardiologist at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center.

If you're overweight, losing even a small amount of weight can help lower your blood pressure. Shedding 10 pounds can drop your systolic blood pressure (the top number on your blood pressure reading) by as many as 10 to 12 points, Patel says.

For those with hypertension, research has found that regular physical activity can lower systolic blood pressure by an average of seven points and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number in the reading) by an average of five points.

To get these benefits, Patel recommends at least 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity each day. This can be a combination of aerobic exercise like walking, jogging, or bike riding and strength training with low weights and high repetitions.

Reducing your sodium intake can also improve your heart health and lower your blood pressure. For reference, the FDA recommends that people with hypertension consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.

To decrease your sodium intake, steer clear of processed foods and don't add table salt to your meals. Research has found that the the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) which is low in sodium and rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean meats can lower blood pressure in adults with hypertension.

Patel says the severity of hypertension and a patient's individual medical history determine the best course of treatment. These blood pressure levels range from:

According to Patel, how quickly you're able to lower your blood pressure depends on the lifestyle factors you're addressing, and how high your blood pressure is to begin with.

For example, if you have moderate to severe hypertension and begin exercising regularly, you are likely going to see a sharper reduction in your blood pressure when compared with someone who has mild hypertension and already works out regularly.

"It takes a few months to see good results, although some lifestyle changes can make a bigger impact," Patel says. "Blood pressure can drop by 10 to 20 points depending on what kind of change you're implementing."

Whether or not you notice any physical changes from lowering your blood pressure also depends on how you felt before. Many people don't notice any physical symptoms of hypertension, Patel says, but if you are someone who experienced headaches or blurred vision as a result of high blood pressure, those symptoms should go away once it's under control.

Even if you are able to lower your blood pressure, you'll need to continue monitoring it, because it can creep back up as you age. Overall, the key to lowering blood pressure with lifestyle changes is maintaining those healthy practices over the long-term.

"Lifestyles changes need to be permanent, not just for two or three months," Patel says. "Once you break that cycle, [your health] gets better and then you need to sustain that."

More:
How to lower blood pressure with a heart-healthy diet and exercise - INSIDER

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Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic says his vegan diet is the secret to his success.

Djokovicwho is currently ranked the world No.2 best in mens singles tenniscomes from a family of food-lovers; his parents used to own a pizza restaurant in Kopaonik, Serbia. He still loves food and has even opened his own vegan restaurant, Eqvita, where he lives in Monte Carlo.

But for Djokovic, food isnt just gustatory pleasure. Its the key to his success. Because of my family, Ive always had a love for food,he explained.But as an athlete, it became something more.

[Food is] the fuel that determines how I play, how I recover, and how alert I am on the court, he added.I attribute a great deal of my professional success to my diet.

In a bid to convince others of the benefits of a plant-based diet, he joined the 2018 documentary The Game Changers as an executive producer. The filmwhich features a number of successful athletes including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lewis Hamiltonis all about debunking the myth that meat is a necessary form of protein.

According to Djokovic, he became involved with the film toward the end of the project, because he wasnt very vocal about being a plant-based athlete.

They heard that during Wimbledon last year when someone asked me in the press conference, he said. They wanted me to be a part of it.

I was definitely very happy to be a part of a very impressive group of people,he added.From sport, the movie industry, different fields of life, very successful people who are eating plant-based, being healthy, happy and successful in what they do. This is what it is all about.

Formula One driver Hamilton has also attributed his success to his vegan diet. He recently told GQ,ultimately, you want to feel great. You want to have energy, to be consistent, you dont want to have to the big oscillations and highs and lows in your energy levels. Veganism has eradicated that.

Summary

Article Name

Novak Djokovic Says a Vegan Diet Is the Secret to Great Tennis

Description

Vegan athlete Novak Djokovic attributes a great deal of his professional success on the tennis court to his plant-based diet.

Author

Charlotte Pointing

Publisher Name

LIVEKINDLY

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Novak Djokovic Says a Vegan Diet Is the Secret to Great Tennis - LIVEKINDLY

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