The majority of those screened as part of the Kilkenny Healthy Towns project had between three and four risk factors, according to preliminary data compiled by Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT).

Almost 300 people were screened at a number of venues across the city and risk factors included high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high waist circumference and increased risk of overweight/obesity.

Other risk factors included regular alcohol consumption, insufficient physical activity and smoking.

About half of the group had high cholesterol and a similar proportion reported high blood pressure. Just over one-third had a high waist circumference. Yet almost twice that proportion were deemed overweight or obese using BMI criteria.

The screenings found that 63 per cent of those taking part said they were trying to lose weight.

The majority of those who took part were women and the average age of the group was 48 years. The survey also found that two-thirds were married or cohabiting, while a similar number were employed.

Males, older people, married people and medical card holders were all more likely to have more risk factors than their female, younger, single and non-medical card holders, according to the data.

When demographic factors were taken into account, those conducting the screenings found it was noticeable that younger participants were more likely to have no clinical risk factors.

Dr Niamh Murphy (pictured)  led the research with a team from WIT. Those who took part in screenings were given lifestyle advice by trained personnel. Many have also followed aspects of the Healthy Towns project and will be given follow-up screening.

Dr Murphy said approximately three-quarters of the group were insufficiently active – engaging in little or no physical activity or only moderate activity up to twice a week.

“Medical card holders were more inactive and were also more likely to smoke than those who did not hold medical cards,” she said. Overall, less than 20 per cent smoked, but rates were higher among younger participants and the employed, and those who were single.

Dr Murphy said approximately half drank alcohol monthly or weekly with higher rates among those employed compared with those without jobs. More than one-third said they drank more than six drinks on a night out.

When asked how they rated their health, approximately 15 per cent said their health was fair or poor.

Health ratings were significantly lower among the unemployed, medical card owners and single respondents.

When broken down by gender, 49 per cent of men asked, ranked their health as excellent or very good while 45.2 per cent of women classed their health as excellent or very good.

However, the screening results found that just under 40 per cent of those who took part stated that they had been diagnosed with a long-term illness by their doctor.

Older participants, those unemployed and those who were married were more likely to have a long-term illness.

Not only can these superveg provide vitamins, minerals and fibre in the diet, there is emerging evidence that including them in the diet may be linked with a reduced risk of developing various cancers.

One sure way to put everyone off cruciferous vegetables is to overcook them, so try steaming or stir-frying to avoid mushiness.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22328735

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22391648 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22877795

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22121852

Eating brown rice, rather than white, has been linked with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes.

A US study analysed data on almost 40,000 men and over 150,000 women and found that eating white rice more than five times per week (compared with less than once per month) was associated with a greater likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. Meanwhile, eating brown rice more than twice per week (again compared with less than once per month) was associated with a reduced risk of developing the condition.

http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=416025

A 16-year follow-up study of over 18,000 pre-menopausal women in the US looked at their weight change between 1989 and 2005. Those who had taken up cycling had generally put on less weight than those who stopped pedalling during that time-frame.

So what are you waiting for? If you aren’t already cycling, then start! Just be sure that you wear a helmet and that you use lights and wear reflective clothing to help keep your journey safe.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3119355/

Spending money on experiences, rather than material goods, could offer greater satisfaction, according to a 2003 US study. It found that people rated themselves as feeling happier after they had spent, or thought about spending, money on ‘experiential’ purchases than on material goods.

“Our research suggests that individuals will live happier lives if they invest in experiences more than material possessions,” wrote the authors in the paper in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, which you can find in full here:

http://www.psych.cornell.edu/sec/pubPeople/tdg1/VB_&_Gilo.pdf

A study in the US compared samples from the mouths of 15 smokers and 15 people who never smoked as plaque was allowed to form over the course of up to seven days.

They found that smoking was associated with pathogens, or disease-causing bacteria, building up. “The smoker’s mouth kicks out the good bacteria, and the pathogens are called in,” said researcher Purnima Kumar from Ohio State University in a release. “So they’re allowed to proliferate much more quickly than they would in a non-smoking environment.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257914/

Disciplines such as Pilates focus on ‘zipping up’ the muscles in your abdomen to build their strength. If you can get to a class locally, the instructor should be able to guide you through the process.

You may even be able to do some core-strengthening drills in everyday situations. Assuming you don’t have any injuries that indicate otherwise, why not gently engage those central muscles while you walk, when you are watching TV or if you are stuck in a traffic jam.

A poll for the National Sleep Foundation in the US found that 95 per cent of respondents use electronics – and that includes watching television – at least a few nights a week in the hour before bed.

Why might this be a problem? For one thing, gadgets with light-emitting screens may interfere with the body’s sleep cues. Also, if you are checking emails or looking up information online late at night, you could be increasing your alertness or stress at a time when it’s more helpful to be winding down.

And if you are in the habit of charging your phone in the room that you sleep, make sure you put it on silent, so late-night callers or texters won’t disturb your slumber.

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/press-release/annual-sleep-america-poll-exploring-connections-communications-technology-use-

If you are bringing a laptop, tablet or even a smartphone on your travels, there are plenty of resources online that will guide you through exercises suitable even for a hotel room.

Check out yogajournal.com/video/ or myyogaonline.com/videos for some yoga practices to set you up for the day. Or you could try out the Nike Training Club app, which will put you through your paces on the spot with exercises to build strength and fitness.

The analysis, in the European Journal of Nutrition, pointed to ‘convincing evidence’ that increasing the consumption of vegetables and fruit reduces the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease and stroke.

It found ‘probable evidence’ that a high intake of fruit and veg is linked to lower risk of cancer. And there was ‘possible evidence’ that increasing the intake of vegetables and fruit lowers the risk of certain eye diseases, dementia and osteoporosis.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3419346/