Health
6 tips to ‘detox’ after excessive holiday eating and drinking
Between dinner parties, cookie exchanges and festive cocktails, most people report eating and drinking more than usual during the holidays, gaining on average 1 to 2 pounds of body weight.
Now that a new year has arrived — bringing with it a return to regular routines and the typical flurry of resolutions — many may be eager to look and feel healthier.
“If you are feeling bloated and sluggish after the holidays, it is most likely water retention from eating higher-sodium and higher-sugar foods, along with alcohol and less overall activity,” New Jersey-based registered dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade told Fox News Digital.
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While it can be tempting to jump on a “detox” plan, the dietitian noted that the body naturally detoxifies itself through organs like the liver and kidneys.
Most people report eating and drinking more than usual during the holidays, gaining on average 1 to 2 pounds of body weight. (iStock)
“You do not need to follow a detox plan or take a special supplement to detox — however, you can adopt healthier habits post-holidays to support your body’s detox abilities while helping to flush out the water retention that makes you feel bloated and fatigued,” she said.
Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Charlotte, North Carolina, who practices as The Lupus Dietitian, agrees that the body does a good job of detoxing what it doesn’t need without any extra products — but acknowledges that holiday excess can take a toll.
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“Many people feel bloated from extra eating and more salt, sugar and alcohol,” she said to Fox News Digital. “If you feel that you are in need of a detox, I recommend a simplified diet instead of a detox diet.” (More on that below.)
6 tips for a reset
The experts shared with Fox News Digital some simple steps for getting back to a healthier state after a season of overindulgence.
1. Stay hydrated
Registered dietitian and food blogger Lauren Harris-Pincus, based in New York, recommends aiming for at least 64 to 96 ounces of water per day.
“This will help keep things moving, support your own detoxification processes, nourish your skin, help with fatigue and combat the dryness we experience from indoor forced heat in the winter,” she told Fox News Digital.
“You can adopt healthier habits post-holidays to support your body’s detox abilities.”
All unsweetened beverages count toward hydration — water, coffee, tea and sparkling water, as well as milk and yogurt, according to Harris-Pincus.
“Most fruits and veggies are hydrating as well,” she added.
2. Follow a ‘simplified diet’
Freirich recommends continuing to eat consistently throughout the day, focusing primarily on unprocessed foods, home-cooked meals, and “particularly nourishing” foods like vegetables, soups, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds and fruits.
Experts recommend focusing on unprocessed foods, home-cooked meals, and “particularly nourishing” foods like vegetables, soups, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds and fruits. (iStock)
She also recommends slowly increasing fiber to 25 to 35 grams per day. Examples of fiber-rich foods include unprocessed vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils and chickpeas.
Harris-Pincus also recommends balancing meals with protein, fiber-rich carbohydrates and heart-healthy fats.
3. Prioritize sleep
Most experts recommend that healthy adults get at least seven hours of sleep nightly.
“Lack of quality sleep not only zaps your energy, but can also impact hunger and satiety, leading to poor food choices that will keep you feeling bloated and sluggish,” Palinski-Wade said.
Most experts recommend that healthy adults get at least seven hours of sleep nightly. (iStock)
She recommends going to bed at the same time each night, eliminating distractions such as TVs and cell phones, and aiming to have a quiet, dark sleep environment.
4. Increase probiotic-containing foods
Probiotics are microorganisms that help balance the “good” and “bad” bacteria in the gut microbiome, which promotes healthy digestion, according to experts.
“Probiotics can be found in yogurt, kombucha, kefir, miso soup, kimchi, sauerkraut and other fermented foods,” Freirich said.
5. Cut out or limit alcohol
Recent research has confirmed the negative health effects of alcohol, including a higher risk of many types of cancer.
“Reducing or skipping alcohol can do wonders for your overall health, energy and well-being in the new year,” Freirich said.
Recent research has confirmed the negative health effects of alcohol, including a higher risk of many types of cancer. (iStock)
Chris Tuell, clinical director of addiction services at the Lindner Center of HOPE in Mason, Ohio, also recommends abstaining.
“Give your liver a break by cutting back on alcohol and reducing caffeine intake,” he advised. “Replace with herbal teas or decaffeinated options.”
6. Boost physical activity
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week.
“Engage in light exercise, such as walking, yoga or stretching to improve circulation and metabolism,” Tuell suggested. “Gradually re-introduce more intense workouts as your energy returns.”
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Simply adding more steps to your day or incorporating stretching into your routine will help to fight bloat and boost energy, according to Palinski-Wade.
Harris-Pincus agreed that the activity doesn’t have to be extreme — “even walking around the house brings mental and physical health benefits,” she noted.
Dangerous behaviors to avoid
Palinski-Wade warns about products that claim to offer a “quick fix,” such as losing a rapid amount of weight in a short period of time or promoting detox claims that are not backed by scientific evidence.
“Reducing or skipping alcohol can do wonders for your overall health, energy and well-being.”
“Some of these products could contain potentially harmful ingredients or laxatives, or may interact with other supplements and medications,” she cautioned.
It’s always best to discuss a supplement with your physician or dietitian to make sure it is from a reputable brand and is safe for your individual health needs, the dietitian added.
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“In order to feel your best and maintain that feeling, you need to incorporate realistic lifestyle habits you can stick with day after day,” Palinski-Wade said. “Consistency is key when it comes to achieving true health change.”
Probiotics are microorganisms that help balance the “good” and “bad” bacteria in the gut microbiome, which promotes healthy digestion, according to experts. (iStock)
Freirich agreed, warning against any extreme fasting, cleanses or detox products.
“Many of these cause extreme bowel movements, which can lead to a dramatic loss of electrolytes and fluids that can be extremely dangerous for the body,” she cautioned. “Fasting and cleanses can also cause dangerous changes to blood sugar.”
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Instead, focusing on the six steps outlined above will help your digestive system move regularly, Freirich said, while also reducing any water retention and puffiness.
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A new injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
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After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
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According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
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“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
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The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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