YOUR HEALTH
Setting limits to caffeine, cholesterol, sodium and sugar
DR. DONOHUE

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 84, 5 feet 10 inches tall, and my weight ranges between 175 and 185. My calorie intake varies between 2,275 and 2,950. What are the acceptable limits of caffeine, cholesterol, sodium and sugar? I'm a label reader and am continually confused. How many grams are in 1 teaspoon? -- F.S.

ANSWER: I take it you've managed to get 84 years under your belt without any great health problem. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it. However, since you asked, I'll answer.

Caffeine: two to four cups of coffee a day are acceptable.

Cholesterol: 300 mg a day. Most of blood cholesterol doesn't come from cholesterol in food; it comes from our liver's production of it. Saturated fats -- the fat in red meat and in dairy products -- jump-start the liver's production of cholesterol, so those fats are the ones you have to limit. Only 7 percent to 10 percent of your total daily calories should come from saturated fat. For you, that translates into 20 to 28 grams. (Thirty grams is 1 ounce.) You have to watch out for trans fats, too. They're the fats found in fried foods from many fast-food restaurants (although there's a push to eliminate them) and in commercial baked goods. (The trans fat content is listed on labels.) Eliminate trans fats.

Sodium has different recommendations. The American Heart Association says the daily limit should be 2,400 mg (6,000 mg of salt, sodium chloride). One teaspoon of salt is 2,400 mg of sodium. The Institute of Medicine sets the limit at 1,500 mg, three-fifths of a teaspoon. The greatest source of sodium is salt in processed foods, commercial soups, frozen dinners and luncheon meats.

Sugar: Sugar has an undeserved bad name. In moderation, it's fine. It promotes tooth decay and provides no nutrition other than calories. One teaspoon has 16 calories. A person whose total daily calories are 1,600 should consume only six teaspoons of sugar a day; one whose total calories are 2,800, 18 teaspoons. That sugar is sugar in all foods, not just the teaspoons of sugar added to coffee or tea or whatever. Many soft drinks contain nine to 12 teaspoons in 12 ounces, about a whole day's limit in one can.

One teaspoon is the equivalent of 5 milliliters and 4 grams.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I developed a rapidly spreading rash on my chest, abdomen and back. It started with one large spot. A few weeks later, I broke out in a rash of smaller spots. The diagnosis was pityriasis rosea. I had never heard of it. The doctor said it would go away without treatment. What causes it? I'm 55. -- D.B.

ANSWER: A virus causes it, and the ones usually stricken are older children and young adults. It begins with one large patch, the herald patch, which is followed in a week or two by an outbreak of smaller, oval, salmon-colored patches on the trunk, neck, thighs and groin. For most, it's gone in three to eight weeks. It can be moderately itchy.

If it's not bothersome, no treatment is needed. If it itches, cortisone lotions or creams curb the itchiness.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com. 2006 North America Syndicate Inc.

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