I had plenty of fun with those things as a kid, as did you, and I'm sure your kids enjoy them as well. But check out what this dad found inside one of his family's bath toys:

"Any toys that hold water, that squirt water, or otherwise do not dry completely in an hour or so - throw them out," he writes under his video. "Your kids chew on these, drink out of them, and otherwise trust that they are clean because they are in a soapy bath, after all. All of this mold came out of this toy AFTER some had already squirted out in the bath, again onto a bath towel, and then what you see here.

"If I cut it open I'm sure I would find more. There is no way for these squeeze toys to dry completely so they sit, with water in them, in dark moist places - and it is mold paradise. If you have any now, throw them out. If your kids insist on using them, throw them out after the first bath. They are cheap and there are better bath toys out there."

And this dad isn't the only one posting yucky videos. Plenty of parents have made the unsettling discovery and have chronicled their disgust on YouTube:

Now if you're inspired to go cut open your kids' bath toys, don't freak out too much if you do find mold. Yes, it's nasty, and yes, I'd probably throw them all out; but small amounts of mold (like what you might find in your toys) isn't terribly dangerous.

According to Care.com, " ... mold, while never welcome, is generally not dangerous, because your child's exposure to mold through product is at a relatively low level."

That said, exposure to more widespread mold can cause serious health issues, especially to those with weaker immune systems.

Have you ever discovered mold in your kids' bath toys? Let us know in the comments

The post Parents, throw out your bath toys — this disgusting video shows what’s probably inside appeared first on FamilyToday.

But that's what costume designer Romy McCloskey did. Lucky for us, she documented the entire experience on Facebook.

McCloskey explains that the butterfly is only three days old, and was born with the wing defect you see in the photo below.

She used a clothes hanger to secure the butterfly before she cut away the damaged wing. "Don't worry," she writes, "it doesn't hurt. It's like trimming hair or nails."

She collected the butterfly's new wing from another butterfly who had died previously.

A little bit of contact cement later, and voila! Installation complete. McCloskey explains that the white smudges you see on the right wing are just talc powder, which she used to make sure any stray glue didn't cause both wings to stick together.

Surgery was over; but the real question remained: Could he fly?

The answer is yes.

"We had a successful flight! A quick spin around the backyard, then a little rest on on [sic] of the bushes... then ... off he flew! My heart soared with him, for sure," McCloskey said.

Her story has since gone viral, gaining the attention of The Washington post, Newsweek, Buzzfeed, TheDodo and plenty of others. A successful wing transplant on a monarch butterfly ... now that's something you don't see every day.

The post A kind-hearted costume designer gave this butterfly an incredible wing transplant appeared first on FamilyToday.

At the end of 2015 I resolved to stop that destructive cycle in my life. I created a five-page-long 2016 New Year's resolution contract. It was serious business. It outlined specific goals, how to accomplish them and even instituted consequences for slipping up.

I tried to close up any possible loopholes in the wording of the contract, because I know myself. Come mid-March I'd be exploiting any loophole I could find.

The contract worked painfully well and 2016 was a pretty great year. But that was 2016. I didn't prepare a new contract for 2017 and my 2016 accomplishments quickly abandoned ship.

Now it's 2018 and I'm motivated to once again become a better person. If you're reading this, you're probably in the same boat. Lucky for us, the BBC recently gave us a few tips to help us actually start accomplishing our goals by the end of the year. Here's how it's done:

1. Get other people in the loop

Generally, it's easier to let ourselves down than it is for us to let others down. Think about it. Would you rather be disappointed in yourself, or know that you disappointed your Mother? The prospect of letting someone down is slightly intimidating, but we can use that as motivation to accomplish our goals.

For example, Susan wants to lose 25 pounds by the end of April. She tells Debra about her goal and Debra wants in. They agree to go to the gym together three times a week. Susan promises to drive them both there and back every time.

In this scenario, Susan would be more likely to stick to her plan because Debra is relying on her for a ride. Smart thinking, Susan. You'll probably be kicking yourself by week three, but it's for your own good.

2. Put your reputation on the line

You've probably seen some of your friends do this on their social media accounts. Publicly stating your resolutions increases your motivation to achieve them. At any point a friend might ask you about your progress. If you've made zero progress, well, that's embarrassing.

We want to be known as people who stick to their word, so if we publicly commit to losing those 25 pounds, we're more likely to do it. Holding yourself accountable to the public is a strong motivator.

3. Stop making exceptions

"My friends wanted to get together tonight so I'll skip my workout today."

"It's Friday. Goals should start on Mondays."

"It's my third cousin's birthday today. That's a special ocassion."

Making exceptions to our meticulously constructed plans to achieve our resolutions is a slippery slope. Of course, if your elderly grandmother slips in the shower and breaks her hip, yeah, get to the hospital and forget about that meal-planning you were going to do.

Just be self-aware. It might help to enlist the help of a friend to be accountable to. If you think you've got a valid reason to skip leg day, run it by this confidant for approval.

4. Plan, plan and plan some more

Too often the term "New Year's resolution" could be substituted with the term, "our wildest dreams." Resolutions need to be realistic. That doesn't mean we shouldn't pursue our dreams, it just means that we need to break our dreams down into bite-sized, achievable steps that will lead us, over time, closer to our long-term dreams.

Let's revisit Susan's goal to lose 25 pounds by April. She needs to plan out how that's going to happen. How often will she work out? Will she change her diet? If so, how? She needs to be as specific as she can with her plans if she hopes to really drop that weight.

She can apply the previous three points we've discussed to each bite-sized segment of her resolution.

Here's the thing

If our resolutions never come to fruition, 99.9 percent of the time it's our own fault. We procrastinate, make excuses and bury our willpower in a pile of Netflix originals.

When it comes right down to it, you know you. You are aware of your weaknesses and the obstacles that are most likely to stop you from achieving your goals. Own up to your Achilles heel and set mechanisms in place that will keep you on track when those fully expected weaknesses rear their ugly heads.

You got this.

The post 4 secrets to keeping your New Year’s resolutions appeared first on FamilyToday.

The two entities hold about two billion dollars-worth of shares in Apple. Apple itself is worth about 900 billion dollars.

What the research says

Calstrs and Jana cite plenty of evidence in the letter to support their position.

"Research shows that U.S. teenagers who spend three hours a day or more on electronic devices are 35 percent more likely, and those who spend five hours or more are 71 percent more likely, to have a risk factor for suicide than those who spend less than one hour," the letter says.

CNN Money published an informative video on the subject, in which Dr. Hilarie Cash, founder of Restart, said that "the regions of the brain that light up when engaged in your smartphone ... are the same regions of the brain that are engaged when you're using drugs and alcohol."

That's a startling fact, because while drugs and alcohol are somewhat regulated, smartphone technology has become a crucial part of everyday life. It's how we communicate, check the weather, get our news and a hundred other tasks.

And unlike drugs and alcohol, there is no legal smart phone age. The fact that "the average American teenager who uses a smart phone receives her first phone at age 10 and spends over 4.5 hours a day on it (excluding texting and talking)" is a harrowing statistic when we consider the amount of power those devices have.

Additionally, Common Sense Media conducted a poll back in 2016 with even more harrowing facts. Researchers asked parents if they felt that their teenage children were addicted to their mobile devices; 56 percent of parents said yes.

Researchers also asked the teenagers if they themselves felt addicted to their devices; 50 percent said yes.

The conversation

It's interesting that the pressure for Apple to address the smart phone addiction issue comes from their own investors. What investor doesn't want consumers addicted to their investment? But contrary to what we might think, Calstrs and Jana say that giving parents more control over their kids' smart phone experience will pay off for Apple in the long run.

"Doing so poses no threat to Apple, given that this is a software (not hardware) issue and that, unlike many other technology companies, Apple's business model is not predicated on excessive use of your products. In fact, we believe addressing this issue now by offering parents more tools and choices could enhance Apple's business and increase demand for its products," the letter states.

But Calstrs and Jana aren't the only ones talking about this issue. Following their letter, one of the very co-creators of the iPod and iPhone, Tony Fadell, spoke up via Twitter:

In his Twitter thread he also expanded the scope of the issue, saying that "Adults are addicts - not only kids! & Google needs to help!"

The Common Sense Media poll confirmed that statement as well. When parents were asked if they were addicted to their devices, 27 percent said yes. That's definitely a step down from 50 percent of teens, but it's still more than one in four adults.

Be aware and make decisions

When it comes to you and your family, you're the best expert. Let's have the perspective to look up from our phones, take a step back and analyze our online consumption. From there, make decisions and set boundaries.

Ironically enough, a simple Google search can give you plenty of ideas on how to step back from your phone. And who knows, soon enough we might see Calstrs and Jana's efforts develop into real change, spearheaded by Apple.

What do you think? How are smart phones affecting your family dynamic? Let us know in the comments.

The post These two Apple investors are very concerned with how the iPhone is affecting your kids appeared first on FamilyToday.

Chamath Palihapitiya started working for Facebook back in 2007, as their vice-president of user growth. He's since left the company, and is now trying to warn the world about the dangers of social media.

The most recent reports from 2017 estimate Facebook has over two billion monthly users. Considering there are only about 7.5 billion people on Earth, that's a lot of users. Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Pinterest join Facebook as the top five most popular social media outlets (in the U.S.).

The issue

In late 2017, Palihapitiya spoke to Stanford MBA students about how he thinks social media (not just Facebook) is negatively affecting the world we live in.

(You can watch the interview here, but know that you may find the language inappropriate at points.)

"The short-term dopamine driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works. No civil discourse. No cooperation. Misinformation. Mistruth," he said in his speech.

Palihapitiya goes on to explain how social media can unitentionally program its users, oftentimes for the worse.

"We curate our lives around this perceived sense of perfection because we get rewarded in these short term signals. Hearts, likes, thumbs up. And we conflate that with value and we conflate that with truth. And instead what it really is is fake, brittle popularity that's short term. And that leaves you even more ... vacant and empty [than] before you did it. Because then it forces you into this vicious cycle where you're like 'what's the next thing I need to do now, because I need it back.' Think about that compounded by two billion people," Palihapitiya said.

Indeed, a comparison to drug use is all too fitting for some individuals. While not something that is currently medically diagnosable, several programs do already exist aimed specifically at treating social media addiciton.

Unintended consequences

In the speech, Palihapitiya cited an incident that occured in the Indian state, Jharkhand, back in May, 2017, to support his point. Fake Whatsapp messages led some villagers to believe certain people were kidnappers. The villagers allegedly formed a mob, found and killed the seven people implicated in the fake messages.

This is just one instance of the unintended negative consequences of social media. "Imagine ... when you take that to the extreme, where, you know, bad actors can manipulate large swathes of people to do anything you want," he said.

Speaking of the people behind the creation of major social platforms, Palihapitiya said, "I think we all knew in the back of our minds ... we kind of knew something bad could happen." And later, "It is a point in time where people need to hard break from some of these tools."

Public response

Palihapitiya's comments have gained enough attention online that CNBC even had him on their show to further explain what he meant:

Palihapitiya does throw a bone to Facebook, mentioning that amongst major social media outlets he believes Facebook has done the most to correct the damage being done, and admits that outside the issue, Facebook does a monumental amount of good in the world.

In a response to their former employee, Facebook itself says they've been trying to adapt to protect their community, even at the expense of profits.

What are your thoughts?

There are obviously plenty of pros and cons on every side of the issue, but the question remains - will the pros prevail, or the cons?

"My solution," Palihapitiya says, "is I just don't use these tools anymore."

What do you think? Does social media do more harm than good? Let us know in the comments.

The post He once was a Facebook exec; now he’s warning families about social media appeared first on FamilyToday.

Kidney stones — hard deposits made of minerals and salts that form inside your kindeys, according to Mayo Clinic — are bad news. Many people compare the pain of passing them to the pain of giving birth; but according to some Reddit users, kidney stone pain might just be even worse:

Thankfully, a researcher at Michigan State University noticed a trend that might make the experience a bit more enjoyable.

David Wartinger, a urologist at Michigan State University, saw that multiple patients had come home from Disney World in Florida having passed their kidney stones. Wartinger noticed that each patient shared one more common factor: the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster. One patient had even reportedly gone on the coaster three consecutive times — and had passed a stone each time.

So, what did Wartinger do? He went to Disney World, of course. He and a team member 3D-printed a transparent kidney, filled it with urine and a few kidney stones, and hopped on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The kidney, along with Wartinger, went on the roller coaster 20 times.

That's a lot of Thunder Mountain.

In an interview with Gizmodo, Wartinger said, "As far as having to ride the coaster repeatedly, honestly, the first five to six times were great. By the end we were just gritting our teeth and wishing to be done."

According to Gizmodo, the researchers repeated the test on Space Mountain and the Walt Disney World Railroad, totaling a painful 60 roller coaster rides (all in the name of science, of course).

The results

According to the study, about 17 percent of kidney stones passed through the kidney while sitting in the front of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. But, at the back of the coaster, a whopping 64 percent passed.

The same experiment didn't work so well on Space Mountain and the Walt Disney World Railroad.

The team concluded that riding the roughest coaster in town probably isn't the best way to go if you're looking for kidney stone relief. It's the moderately intensecoasters that are going to give you the best chance.

"An ideal roller coaster to facilitate [kidney stone] passage subjects riders to quick drops and sharp turns, but it does not exceed 40 miles per hour or invert riders," Wartinger says.

The video below shows Wartinger himself reporting his methods and findings. He uses a lot of intimidating language, but you'll get the gist of it.

The post Riding this Disney World roller coaster can help you pass your kidney stones appeared first on FamilyToday.

The term "man flu" has gained popularity over the last few years. The cheeky saying refers to men who act as though their common illnesses affect them so badly that it might just be the end of the world.

Women worldwide have been rolling their eyes at their man flu-stricken husbands, but research shows that it might not all be in mens' heads.

Sicknesses may affect men more negatively than women

Kyle Sue, clinical assistant professor in family medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland, set out to discover the science behind the term. His findings were published here.

But Sue didn't conduct any new research. All he did was excavate as much existing research on gender-related illness as he could. His motives become apparent as you read his findings:

"Tired of being accused of over-reacting, I searched the available evidence ... to determine whether men really experience worse symptoms and whether this could have any evolutionary basis," he wrote.

Sue noticed a few interesting trends.

He found some research on mice showing that the immune response in female mice is higher than that of male mice. The research attributes this to hormonal differences between the sexes. But that's just mice, right? Humans are very different.

Research on humans

When it comes to man flu, the human research seems to favor your bed-ridden husband. Sorry, ladies. Your man may very well deserve the sympathy he's been looking for.

Data from Hong Kong report that men are at a "higher risk of hospital admission" due to influenza.

In the United States there were more flu-related deaths in men than women between 1997 and 2007.

Sue cites even more research showing that women respond better to vaccinations than men do. Testosterone may be to blame, as research indicates it may be doing more harm than good to mens' immune systems. This seems to parrallel the studies done on mice (previous section) indicating that the male immune system very well may be weaker than that of their female counterparts.

Sue dug up another interesting bit of information from the 1980s suggesting that "clinical observers are more ready to attribute symptoms and illness to women than to men, and ... they under-rate men's symptoms."

Shortcomings and conclusions

Sue does concede that there are some shortcomings in the research he collected. He says author bias and some low-quality research may play a role in skewing his conclusions, and more research is definitely called for.

But until some brave soul conducts that further research, it might be a good idea for some skeptical wives out there to give us husbands the benefit of the doubt.

Sue concludes, "Perhaps now is the time for male friendly spaces, equipped with enormous televisions and reclining chairs, to be set up where men can recover from the debilitating effects of man flu in safety and comfort."

So, next time your husband acts like he's coming down with a seemingly apocalyptic cold, it might be true.

I think I feel a sneeze coming on.

The post Science just confirmed that ‘man flu’ is probably a real thing, so HA! appeared first on FamilyToday.

New Year's resolutions are daunting. We often set out sights on a rigorous exercise regimen or a grueling diet plan. Those are fantastic goals that are definitely worth working towards (if that's what you want to do, do it), but they're undoubtedly going to take a massive amount of time and effort to achieve.

This article focuses on bite-sized goals, but they still pack a serious punch. Anyone can do them. In fact, I personally challenge you to do them. I've set some of these as personal goals in the past and plan to do more of them for 2018.

1. Sincerely compliment at least one person every day

Do this every single day. It will change you. It can be someone you know, it can be a stranger, it can be an who ever you want it to be. Find something you like about someone every day and give them a sincere compliment.

Go beyond the basic "I like your shoes." Get in the habit of taking your compliments a step further. "I like your shoes. They look so comfortable! My sister would love these. Where did you get them?"

Try to compliment someone new every day. Take to social media if you need to. You've probably got plenty of Facebook friends. Send a message to an old high school friend and tell them how much their friendship meant to you back in the good ol' days.

For at least a few seconds every day, this goal ensures that you are going to feel good and someone else is going to feel good because of you. This is what it's all about.

2. Sincerely compliment YOURSELF at least once every day

Whoa, didn't see that one coming, did you? This resolution is even easier than the first one (I hope). Look at yourself in the bathroom mirror every day and give yourself a sincere compliment, out loud.

Don't compare yourself to others. Just search within yourself for something that is truly good or that you simply like about yourself, and say it out loud. Too many of us are overly and needlessly self-critical. This resolution is designed to help us love ourselves again.

3. Express sincere gratitude for something at least once every day

Notice that this goal also includes the keyword "sincere." That's because these daily goals can quickly become robotic and monotonous. That's not good. Avoid that. But I digress.

I'm a firm believer that you can't truly be happy without being truly grateful. Find something every day to be grateful for. Express it in a sincere way (there's that word again) of your choosing. Say it, pray it, send it, sing it, write it or do whatever you need to do to just make your gratitude known.

4. Give someone the benefit of the doubt as often as you can

Opportunities to do this may vary, but I'm making the assumption that most of us have the opportunity to do that every day. If you're reading this article, chances are it popped up somewhere on a social media platform. Being constantly connected with friends, family, organizations and complete strangers gives us plenty of opportunities to make snap judgements about people, some of which are less than flattering.

When you have the opportunity to judge someone harshly, assume they had the best of intentions. Avoid gossiping about them behind their back. It's a happier way to live.

5. Serve someone at least once every day

Don't make this one a bigger deal than it needs to be. Serving someone can be as simple as folding the laundry or taking out the trash so your spouse doesn't have to do it. The point here is to go out of your way to do something to lighten someone else's load.

This is another one of those things that'll brighten the day of everyone involved. Multiply that by 365 and you've got the foundation of a great year.

6. Let an opportunity to complain pass you by every day

Remember when you were a kid and your parents would tell you that "complaining never did anybody any good"? They were right.

If we try hard enough (and too many of us do) to find things to complain about, we will. But for most of us, opportunities to complain come along without having to look for them. When they do, fulfill this resolution by choosing not to make a negative comment.

The goal here is to steadily remove complaints from your vocabulary throughout the course of the year.

7. Make your neutral face a smile

At the grocery store, driving to work, sitting on the couch with your spouse ... there are so many opportunities to smile. Let's take advantage of them more often.

You're doing more than just giving off the mere impression that you're happy. Yes, we smile when we're happy, but research also suggests that the reverse might also be true. Smiling makes you happier. According to the research, smilers even report experiencing less pain than their frowning counterparts.

I'm not saying we should mask our true emotions. If you're sad, be sad. But if you're not sad, get into the habit of smiling. It makes life a little brighter.

A quick word on accountability

I'm the kind of person who needs the threat of consequences to get some things done. It's unfortunate but true. That said, holding yourself accountable doesn't necessarily mean you have to "punish" yourself for flubbing on your resolutions. Consequences can be positive too.

For instance, if you forget to compliment yourself one day (resolution number two), compliment yourself three times the next day. For every compliment you forget, multiple by three for the next day.

This pattern of accountability can apply to almost all of these resolutions, but if you'd like, get creative and invent your own personal system of positive accountability.

The post 7 ultra-easy New Year’s resolutions that will transform your life into something beautiful appeared first on FamilyToday.

It's true that the annual cold season suspiciously overlaps the cold weather seasons so well it couldn't possibly be coincidence ... right? It makes sense that being out in the cold causes you to catch a cold.

Here's what is true

Cold weather does cause your nose to run, but that's very different than harboring one of the many cold viruses out there.

One of the purposes of your nose is to warm up and moisten the air you breathe before it reaches your lungs. Mucus helps facilitate that process and acts as a filter for harmful contaminants at the same time. The colder it gets, the more mucus your nose has to produce to warm up the air you breath. Some of it inevitably drips out.

Additionally, most mucus gets whisked through the back of your nose and down your throat by tiny hairs in your nose called cilia (different than nose hairs). But when it's cold outside, the cilia don't work quite as fast, also allowing some mucus to drip out the nostrils.

One of the main ingredients in mucus and air is water. When warm air leaves your nose as you exhale, it suddenly finds itself surrounded by cold winter air. This can cause condensation around your nostrils. As the warm air cools, it abandons some of the water it carries, which ends up sticking to your warm skin. The same thing happens when the mirror fogs up in your bathroom when you take a hot shower.

Anyway, that's why your nose runs when it's cold, but that doesn't mean you're going to catch a cold virus.

The research

As it turns out, that assumption that cold weather causes colds isn't exactly correct. The weather is not the root cause of your raw nose, it's how we react to that weather that matters.

Where do you go when it's cold outside? How do your habits change between summer and winter?

If you're anything like me, you head indoors. That's what researchers Dr. Sorana Segal-Maurer and Dr. James J. Rahal Jr. concluded as well.

Segal-Maurer told CNN a few years ago, "When the weather turns cold, we all run indoors, where air is recycled and we're often in close quarters with other people and viruses. We all sneeze on top of each other."

And that's where we catch that winter cold.

But there are some caveats

This doesn't mean wearing that coat isn't important. Segal-Maurer also mentioned that cold weather can dry out your nose and throat, which provides a more ideal environment for cold viruses to take hold and grow.

So while the cold weather may not directly give you a cold, it can make it easier for that cold to stick around once that 3-year-old sneezes in your face.

Further research suggests that the when the rhinovirus attacks (that's the most common cold virus), warmer cells trigger a more effective immune response than colder cells. Our cooler nostril cells may be allowing the virus to replicate faster.

The post Science confirms: you don’t catch a cold from cold weather appeared first on FamilyToday.

It's official: Alcohol causes cancer.

That's what a study by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) says. In a recent episode of Good Morning America, Dr. Jennifer Ashton said "this is really the first time that the country's top group of top cancer doctors issued this statement really to increase awareness about the fact that we know alcohol is a carcinogen, which means it is known to cause cancer."

But here's the real news

The fact that alcohol consumption increases the chance of a cancer diagnosis does not come as a surprise to the medical world. The knowledge has been available for years, but awareness has remained relatively low.

For instance, check out the clip below from Good Morning America from way back in 2010. The segment is specifically centered around actor Michael Douglas' throat cancer diagnosis and its link with alcohol.

Despite past media coverage, a supplemental survey by the ASCO shows that most Americans still have no idea that alcohol poses such a threat. According to the survey, only 30 percent of Americans can identify alcohol consumption as a risk factor associated with cancer. That statistic comes from over 4,000 American adults who participated in the survey.

Most participants were able to identify other widely accepted risk factors, such as tobacco use and sun exposure, but for the most part, the booze slipped between the cracks.

What kind of cancer are we talking?

Well, according to the study, alcohol increases the risk of several different types of cancer.

"Alcohol is causally associated with oropharyngeal and larynx cancer, esophageal cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, breast cancer, and colon cancer," the study says, adding that the evidence also points convincingly at liver cancer.

The study cites research showing that in 2012, about 5.8 percent of all cancer-caused deaths (worldwide) could be traced back to alcohol use.

"The more that a person drinks, and the longer the period of time, the greater their risk of development of cancer, especially head and neck cancers," the study says.

It doesn't matter whether your drink is a draft beer, wine, tequila shots or a few martinis, the risks are the same: If there's alcohol in it, it's not good. What does come into play, though, is the quantity of the beverage you drink (which we'll address in a bit).

So, what do I do?

ASCO is addressing the alcohol issue largely because it's something controllable. It's not something like genetics, which is simply out of our hands (we don't get to choose our parents). Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view), you can eliminate alcohol-related cancer risks by decreasing your alcohol consumption.

Or better yet, swear off the hard stuff completely. "People who do not currently drink alcohol should not start for any reason," the study says.

Quitting might be a scary thought, but the study revealed that consuming one drink or fewer a day increases the risks for squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, oropharyngeal cancer and breast cancer.

Serving sizes

But be aware that if you choose to roll the dice when it comes to drinking, "one drink" may not mean what you think it means. While all types of alcoholic beverages increase cancer risks, the quantity of beverage you consume also comes into play.

Different drinks contain different amounts of alcohol. Dr. Ashton explains that one serving of wine, for instance, is only five ounces - just over half of a cup. A serving of tequila is only one and a half ounces. A serving of beer is 12 ounces. At the end of the day, serving sizes are usually smaller than we think they are. What you may think are just a couple of drinks could technically be several drinks, consequentially increasing the danger.

So now you know. Alcohol may be more dangerous than we previously thought. Be smart. Be safe. Drink responsibly, or better yet, not at all.

The post Don’t shoot the messenger, but drinking alcohol causes cancer appeared first on FamilyToday.