CHI - St. Luke's

www.CHIStLukesHealth.org | V1N2 | CHI St. Luke's Health 3 3 Social media can help people foster and maintain relationships, but there may be a downside to all of this connectedness. Just two decades ago, social media didn't exist. Today, there are 2.3 billion people across the globe who are actively staying in touch using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and a variety of other services. Unfortunately, when it comes to mental and physical health, social media may have serious negative effects, including: IT'S ADDICTIVE. Researchers at the University of Bergen developed a scale for addiction to social media, based on a study of hundreds of college- age men and women. The study was one of several in the past few years noting addictive behavior in frequent Facebook users. IT CREATES ENVY. It's easy to show off on social media. People don't often post many photos from their 9-to-5 jobs, but they'll have a whole album from their backpacking trip through Europe. Comparing your life to what you see on Facebook, for example, may be one of the leading reasons why a 2015 study in the Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology found a link between Facebook use and symptoms of depression. IT IMPACTS SLEEP. Studies have shown that viewing the artificial light produced by screens can have an effect on the body's natural sleep cycle. The 2015 Bank of America Trends in Consumer Mobility Report found that 71 percent of participants sleep with a phone close by, while 23 percent occasionally fall asleep with the phone still in hand, making the phone screen the last thing many people see before bed. And with social networking making up the second most used feature on smartphones for young adults, it's a good bet that social media is keeping you from "unplugging" at night. 1 2 3 Reasons to Log Off Social Media Can Your Fat Be Fit? Recent research on the correlation between weight and your health may surprise you. Is the phenomenon some call "fit fat" real? Some research suggests that it is possible to have an excess amount of body fat and still live a normal, healthy life, a condition known as metabolically healthy obesity. Obesity doesn't affect everyone the same way — some individuals are obese, but do not develop harmful metabolic changes. This is good news for the approximately 35 percent of Americans who are considered obese by medical standards. Other research, however, suggests that this condition is too good to be true for many people. People who are obese and also have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or insulin resistance are still at increased risk of heart disease and stroke. While research may disagree on whether "fit fat" is real, we know for sure that being overweight and obese puts you at higher risk for certain medical conditions unrelated to cardiovascular concerns. These conditions include: Gallbladder disease Osteoarthritis Sleep apnea and other breathing problems Certain forms of cancer, including breast, colon, endometrial, kidney, gallbladder, and liver cancers If you're concerned about the effect your weight may be having on your health, talk to your primary care doctor. If you don't have a primary care doctor or need a new one, visit us at CHIStLukesHealth.org/find-a-doctor to find one near you. Whole Health

• Cover