Health ShortsEnvironmental & Human Issues
A Beer Belly or a Drinker's Figure?
Popular lore has accepted the idea of the beer belly, but a recent study found a more complex relationship between alcohol consumption and abdominal fat. After interviewing 2,300 subjects about their drinking habits, researchers found that those with the least amount of abdominal fat were persons who drank small amounts - less than two drinks - of alcohol daily. The largest bellies belonged to persons who drank only occasionally but consumed large amounts when they did so. Other studies have found that regular, moderate drinking (less than two drinks a day) is linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
[SOURCE: "Why A Drink a Day May Keep Heart Disease at Bay," Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, October, 2003] Affordable Life Insurance Is Now Available to Breast Cancer Survivors Air Quality Improving, Still Bad
An American Lung Association report concluded that air quality seems to be improving, in part because of reduced emissions from power plants. From 2002 to 2004, ozone monitors in 735 counties detected 8,500 days when the air was unhealthy to breathe–compared to 10,200 unhealthy air quality days detected by monitors in 678 counties from 1996 to 1998.
The report noted that substantial improvement is still needed to protect the health of more than 152 million Americans–about half of the population–who live in counties where the air has unhealthy levels of smog and soot, known to scientists as ground-level ozone and particle pollution. Everyone is endangered by the effects of pollution, but those most at risk are the very young, the very old and persons with asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
Cities with high levels of both pollutants include Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, District of Columbia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and St. Louis.
[SOURCE: Deborah Zabarenko, “US Air Quality Has Improved in Past
Decade: Report,” Yahoo Health, April 27, 2006]
Atherosclerosis Linked to Pollution
Exposure to air pollution has long been known to cause lung damage, but a new study suggests a connection between air pollution and atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. Results, reported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), showed that the more a subject was exposed to air pollution, the thicker the inner layers of the person’s carotid arteries.
Of the subjects, those most exposed to air pollution experienced approximately eight percent more artery thickening than those least exposed. The NIEHS study also showed that the rate of artery thickening among women over age 60 was nearly four times higher than in the overall population.
[Source: “New Study Links Cardiovascular Disease to Particulate Matter,” Mobile Emissions Today, Feb. 2, 2005]
Beware of ‘Brazilian’ Diet Pills Since 1993, milk produced in the United States may come from cows given a genetically engineered bovine growth hormone to boost milk production. The label need not indicate the use of synthetic bovine growth hormone, and the milk is identical to that coming from untreated animals. An FDA-sponsored review of 120 studies over a 30-year period found no indication of health risks from milk produced with bovine growth hormone, and both the American Medical Association and the American Dietetic Association have approved its use. A comprehensive Canadian review also found no health hazards, but the Canadian government declined to approve the hormone, primarily because of its unfavorable safety profile on cows. Cows given synthetic growth hormone are 25 percent more likely to have udder infections (requiring use of antibiotics), 18 percent more likely to become infertile and 50 percent more likely to become lame.
[SOURCE: "Health or Hype? The Lowdown on Natural Foods," PDR Family Guide to Nutrition & Health, January 1, 2003] Counter the Glitz, Volunteer
If the commercialization of the holiday season dampens your festive spirit, restore your feelings of good will by volunteering at a homeless shelter or your favorite nonprofit organization. Don't Fall for Weight Loss Fraud Everyone is looking for a fast, easy way to lose weight, and that's why there are so many fraudulent weight loss products touted on the Internet and elsewhere. Unfortunately, there is no known way to lose weight effortlessly. Products that produce weight loss by speeding your metabolism or inducing water loss may threaten your health and should be taken only if prescribed by a physician. Beware of ads based on testimonials; they are no substitute for solid scientific evidence. And the fact that a product is "all natural" does not mean it is either safe or effective.
[SOURCE: Paul R. Thomas, Ed.D., R.D., "10 Weight Loss Promises That Spell F-R-A-U-D," Yahoo Health, December 23, 2002] When a drowning child is pulled from the water, early CPR by family and bystanders is crucial while waiting for emergency medical personnel to arrive. Researchers have found that children getting early CPR have better outcomes even if the technique is less than perfect. In one 1999 study, all 41 of the children who were breathing and had pulses when the emergency medical team arrived survived with full neurological recovery; none of the subjects who failed to get early CPR survived.
[SOURCE: Mary Desmond Pinkowish, "Drowning: A Preventable Cause of Death," Patient Care, April 15, 2000] With an aging population and more uninsured patients, emergency departments will continue to face problems of overcrowding. The solution is to make the emergency room more efficient, triaging patients to assess the seriousness of their illness or injury and providing speedy treatment to those with life-threatening conditions. One medical center, using a model based on the way customers are moved through airports and restaurants, reduced average ER waiting time by one third.
[SOURCE: "Boston Medical Center Improves ER Efficiency Using Retail 'Keep Customers Moving' Theory," Health Care Strategic Management, August, 2004] Even a Fake Laugh Reduces Stress
Studies have demonstrated that uncontrolled stress is associated with reduced immunity and poor health, and one of the best antidotes for stress is laughter. Laughter has been shown to reduce levels of stress hormones, dilate blood vessels and improve blood flow. Stress experts say that even fake laughter can help by relaxing the body and, in some cases, leading to a real laugh.
[SOURCE: Melissa Nachatelo, "How To Laugh Off Stress: You Can't Avoid Stress, But You Can Limit Its Damaging Effects with These Four Fun Techniques," Natural Health, March, 2003] Favorite Health Care Web Sites Named Of Americans using the internet to seek health information, only 14 percent indicated that they had one favorite web site. Among these respondents, 35 percent named WebMD as their top pick. Other sites listed were those of the Mayo Clinic, National Institutes of Health, InteliHealth, Medline and DrKoop.com, [SOURCE: Susannah Fox, “Vital Decisions,” Pew/Internet & American Life, May 22, 2002] When seeking health information on the internet-or anywhere else, for that matter-it's important to pay close attention to the source. One recent study found accurate and reliable information on sites such as those run by government organizations (.gov) and others recognized for reliability such as WebMD and Johns Hopkins but a great deal of misinformation on other sites located by search engines such as Google and Yahoo. For a more reliable and useful search, try a library database such as Infotrac Health Reference Center or the search engines at sites sponsored by well known medical organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association or the Centers for Disease Control.
[SOURCE: J.D. Cooper and H.M. Feder, Jr. "Inaccurate Information about Lymne Disease on the Internet," Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal, December, 2004] History of Use No Guarantee of Safety
A basic premise of the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act is that if a product has been used for many years, it's proven to be safe. An Institute of Medicine report found "significant scientific problems" with this premise and called for amendments to the act that would make it easier to protect consumers from unreasonable risk or injury. The expert panel recommended that manufacturers and distributors be required to report within 15 days any serious adverse effects, such as those leading to death, the risk of death, hospitalization, a significant disability or a birth defect.
The report also noted that lack of product uniformity "hampers the evaluation of safety." [SOURCE: Phil Wallace, "IOM Report Calls for Mandatory Reporting of Supplement AERs," Food Chemical News, April 12, 2004] If It Smells Safe...It May Not Be
You may think you can tell if food has gone "off" by smelling it or looking at the color or texture, but harmful bacteria can grow without any detectable sign. Even cooked food left at room temperature for more than two hours can develop dangerous levels of bacteria. While refrigeration slows the bacterial growth, re-cooking is needed to make the food safe. When food is frozen, any microbes already present will be reactivated once the food is thawed. Only thorough cooking can destroy them.
[SOURCE: National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, pamphlet, April 1, 2001] Join the Slow Food Movement
The Slow Food movement, started in 1986 by a group of Italians protesting the opening of a McDonald's restaurant in Rome, is now a worldwide organization with 65,000 members. The goal is to preserve local food and wine traditions against international "standardization," but there are also health benefits. When you eat on the run, you may choose an "extra value" meal that is poor value nutritionally. You are also likely to eat fast without paying attention to the flavors and textures and without getting full pleasure from what you eat. To compensate, you're tempted to load up on snacks later. Once you've had enough to eat, it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get that message to your stomach. In the meantime, you may have wolfed down several hundred extra calories.
[SOURCE: "Entering a 'Slow Food' State of Mind," Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, February, 2003; Slowfood.com] Make Resolutions You Can Keep
Have you ever resolved to lose 10 pounds by March 1...and discovered on March 15 that you've actually gained three pounds? One easy way to fail in your New Year's resolutions is to make the goal too precise without specifying how it is to be reached. Rather than determining how much you're going to lose, focus on those things you can control: how many miles you will walk every day, the number of desserts you will eat every week and your cut-off time for snacks at night. While January 1 is a convenient time to start anew, a healthy resolve can begin at any date.
[SOURCE: "New Year's Resolutions Can Start Any Day You Want," Tufts University Health & Nutrition] Maternal Antibodies Offer Protection
A study in Mozambique revealed that maternal antibodies provide substantial protection against severe respiratory syncytial virus infection in infants. Although no vaccine is available for RSV, this study suggests that, in the future, maternal vaccination during pregnancy could provide protection for infants.
[SOURCE: "Maternal RSV Immunization Important to Prevent Infant Infections," Vaccine Weekly, September 11, 2002] Most Firearm Deaths No Accident
Of 29,569 American deaths attributed to firearms in 2004, only 2.2 percent were accidental. The 11,344 murders in the United States can be compared to 56 in Australia, 184 in Canada, 73 in England and Wales and 37 in Sweden.
[SOURCE: Centers for Disease Controlo, WISQARS, Injury Mortality Reports, 2004; Crime in England and Wales 2004/2005; Canadian Crime Statistics, Australia Crime–Facts and Figures, 2004] Native Climate Influences Metabolism
If your ancestors came from chilly Scandinavia your metabolism may differ from that of a person who hails from a tropical clime. A recent study concluded that persons whose ancestral roots are from cold climates have gene adaptations that allow their bodies to produce more heat while burning calories compared to those from warm regions, who make more efficient use of energy, producing little heat. Other studies have shown that native people living in arctic regions have a higher resting metabolism. These differences in genetic makeup "could be contributing to modern bioenergetic disorders such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases as people move to new regions and adopt new lifestyles," the authors wrote.
[SOURCE: Douglas C. Wallace, et al, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2002;10,1073; "Native Climate May Influence How Body Burns Energy," Reuters Health, December 24, 2002] Radon gas, a product of the natural decay of uranium, is prevalent throughout the earth’s crust and is present at unacceptably high levels in about six percent of American homes. To protect yourself, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends that you:
1. Test your home with a do-it-yourself kit available in many grocery and hardware stores or through a certified contractor.
2. If the level exceeds 4.0 pCi/L, follow up with another test–either short-term or long-term.
3. If the level on the second test is still 4.0 pCi/L or higher, have the radon level in your home reduced. This usually involves sealing cracks in the foundation and perhaps installing a ventilation system. (Contact the EPA office in your state capital for a list of qualified contractors.)
[SOURCE: EPA, “A Citizen’s Guide to Radon: The Guide To Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Radon,” Revised, May, 2004; Evelyn B. Kelly, “Radon: The Seeping Home Invader,” Current Health 2, February, 1995] More than 40 million Americans today lack health insurance because they can’t afford it. That compares to 32 million without health insurance in 1995–an increase of 25 percent.
[SOURCE: “Consumer Insight,” McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, September, 2005] Have you ever gone to the doctor for antibiotics to treat frustrating cold symptoms? If the symptoms disappeared within a few days, you may have become a “repeat offender”–going in for antibiotics even more quickly the next time a cold bothered you.
In fact, antibiotics can do nothing to counter a cold or any other viral infection. And a cold will clear up within a few days whether you do anything or not.
Doctors often feel pressured to prescribe antibiotics, often on the slight chance that the cold has triggered a more serious bacterial infection. But taking antibiotics when you don’t need them can increase the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in your body and put you at risk of a serious illness at some time in the future.
[SOURCE: Caroline Wellbery, “Antibiotic Prescribing for Upper Respiratory Infections,” American Family Physician, May 15, 2004] Some groups of Native American and Native Alaskan children have higher rates of hospitalization due to respiratory syncytial virus than the general population. While 31.2 per 1000 American infants under the age of one are hospitalized for RSV-related bronchiolitis, the rate for Alaska Natives is 150 per 1000. Likewise, Navajo and White Mountain Apache infants have exhibited a higher rate of severe RSV. Researchers have been unable to determine the cause of this discrepancy. They suggest, however, that parents may attempt to limit RSV infections by limiting smoking in the home and by breast feeding.
[SOURCE: "Infection Requiring Hospitalization Is Higher in Some Native American Children," Vaccine Weekly, October 30, 2002] Study Casts Doubts on Guggulipid
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association [August 13, 2003] cast doubt on the cholesterol-lowering effectiveness of guggulipid, a popular herbal supplement. Derived from the resin of the mukul myrrh tree, guggulipid has been used in India and studies there have found it effective. In the recent study of 103 otherwise healthy American adults with high cholesterol, those taking guggulipid showed no improvement and actually had slightly higher levels of LDL cholesterol than subjects taking a placebo.
[SOURCE: "Guggulipid Supplements for High Cholesterol Questionable," Mayo Clinic Health Letter, June, 2004] Say No to Antibacterial Cleaners
Public health officials worry that widespread use of antibacterial cleaning products will hasten the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, reducing the effectiveness of medications. As further evidence against these products, a study of 238 households in New York City found that, after 48 weeks, those using antibacterial cleaners had no significant reduction in infectious disease symptoms, colds, sore throat, runny nose, cough, diarrhea or vomiting compared to those using other cleaners. Among chronic disease patients, researchers were surprised to find a higher rate of fever, runny nose and cough with the use of antibacterial products.
[SOURCE: E.L. Larson, et al, "Effect of Antibacterial Home Cleaning and Handwashing Products on Infectious Disease Symptoms: A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial," Annals of Internal Medicine, March 2, 2004] Swimming Lessons Save Lives
The rate of drowning is 12 to 15 times greater for African American males, ages 10 to 19, than for whites males the same age. Officials at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development stress the need for swimming lessons to protect these teens from drowning incidents.
[SOURCE: Heidi Splete, "Drowning Deaths by Age, Race," Pediatric News, August, 2001] Lead in drinking water introduced through corrosion of plumbing materials can be effectively removed through various types of filters that can be mounted on the tap. Such products should be tested and certified to ANSI/NSF standards. Users should be careful to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for replacing filters or cartridges.
[SOURCE: Mark V. Rowzee, “Lead in Water: An Old Enemy Gets New Press; The Problem of Lead in the Water in Washington, D.C. Could Occur (Or May Already Be Happening) in a Number of Other U.S. Cities,” Environmental Design & Construction, November, 2004] About 40 percent of all deaths worldwide can be attributed to one or more of the top 10 health hazards identified in this year's annual World Health Report published by the World Health Organization. Malnutrition, or underweight, is listed as the top threat, responsible for 1 of 14 deaths globally, while its opposite number, overweight, ranks 10th on the list. Other health dangers, ranked from number two to number nine, are: unsafe sex, high blood pressure, tobacco, alcohol, contaminated water, sanitation and hygiene, iron deficiency, indoor pollution and high cholesterol. If effective programs were put in place to reduce these health hazards, WHO estimates that persons in the poorest countries might enjoy an additional 10 years of healthy life while those in the richest countries might gain an extra five years.
[SOURCE: Emma Ross, "World's Top Health Hazards Ranked," AP Health, October 31, 2002] With rising health care costs and burgeoning numbers of uninsured persons, the pressure on emergency departments has multiplied. Emergency rooms are required by law to provide care regardless of a person's ability to pay or insurance status. One recent study conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, however, found that low-income and uninsured patients were not coming to emergency rooms more frequently but instead were becoming less likely to seek health care in any setting. In fact, children from low-income families with poor access to health care were five times less likely to use the emergency room for asthma care than were children from families with higher quality primary health care.
[SOURCE: "Pediatric Asthma Patients Not Using ER as Often as Once Thought," Obesity, Fitness and Wellness Week, May 29, 2004] About 96 percent of respondents to a 2004 survey indicated that their homes were protected by a smoke alarm. In 20 percent of homes with smoke detectors, however, studies revealed that not a single alarm was working properly. Reasons for failure included a missing, dead or disconnected battery.
[SOURCE: Marty Ahrens, “U.S. experience with smoke alarms and other fire detection/alarm equipment” National Fire Protection Association report, April, 2007] When a stroke hits, it's important to know the signs and get help immediately. Nevertheless, a recent telephone survey of 61,019 adults found that only 17 percent could correctly identify the symptoms and said they would call 911 for someone displaying the signs. Symptoms include: sudden weakness or numbness, slurred speech, disorientation and difficulty understanding.
[SOURCE: Alison Cook, "Few Know Signs of Stroke, or How to Get Help," Reuters Health, October 30, 2003 from American Journal of Preventive Medicine, November, 2003] | ArchiveAIDS & HIV |
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