All About Life - Lifestyle and other news you can use

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Turtle Island Native Network notes that a new health study shows
that just because someone is overweight does not mean they are not exercising
or considering it. . .

Making the Move to Exercise for Overweight and Obese People

April 28, 2011

How much exercise are overweight and obese people getting? More than many might think, according to research findings by nurses from Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing.

They reported their findings in the Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners article, “Exercise and exercise intentions among obese and overweight individuals.”

Deborah Walton Smith, who is now a senior lecturer at Gonzaga University, undertook the exercise study while a graduate student at Case Western Reserve. Also collaborating on the study were Joyce Fitzpatrick, the Elizabeth Ford Professor of Nursing, and Mary Quinn Griffin, assistant professor of nursing at Case Western Reserve.

Researchers surveyed the activities and intensions of 175 overweight and obese people who visited clinics run or owned by nurse practitioners in Spokane, Wash. Those individuals, who answered questions on several behavior tests, were 40 years old or older and had a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or higher—the range for overweight and obese.

The investigators found that 29 percent had been exercising for six months, 39 percent regularly exercised and 25 percent contemplated exercising.

Only 12 percent had no desire or thoughts of getting active.

The findings are important to combat obesity health issues.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 34% of the population is obese, and the condition results in some 300,000 premature deaths annually due to diabetes, hypertension and coronary heart disease—all related to overweight issues. Secondary to the obesity problem is sedentary lifestyles.

Little information is available about the exercise habits of overweight and obese individuals visiting nurse practitioners. The study provides information to help enhance practices by these health professionals.

The level of obesity was higher than expected; many patients had a BMI at or above 31. A BMI score between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight and those at or above 30 are in the obesity range. Individuals were grouped in three classes of obesity, based on BMI scores from low (30-34.9), medium (35-39.9) and high (greater than 40).

Surprised by the level of exercise reported, Quinn Griffin said this study shows that just because someone is overweight does not mean they are not exercising or considering it.

Those with lower BMI scores in the obese range tended to exercise more. “This verified other research information that the higher their BMI, the less active people were,” Quinn Griffin said, adding this is reflective of the overall population.

Quinn Griffin also explained that the more one exercised, the more benefits individuals saw in being active.

The research offers information for NPs who see overweight or obese patients, may help them make decision about exercising, and then follow up on those intentions at future visits.

Quinn Griffin said nurse practitioners, who see patients for routine health visits and checks ups, have an opportunity to help people move from contemplating exercising to starting.

She added that because a nurse practitioner knows the individual’s health condition, the health professional can tailor an exercise routine to benefit particular needs.

“They can also encourage taking small steps like starting out walking,” she said.

The study’s participants were also asked if they had a dog at home. More than half did. A pet dog offers a beneficial reason for both the dog and person to take a walk.

Another small step can be to encourage individuals to purchase a pedometer. Only 28 percent of those surveyed reported owning one. Many do not realize how far they can walk in a short period of time, Quinn Griffin explained.

Source: Case Western Reserve University

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May 2, 2011 CMAJ News
United States menu labelling requirements to include exemptions for alcohol and popcorn

Alcoholic beverages in restaurants, popcorn in movie theatres and snacks provided in airplanes and amusement parks are among items that will be exempt from menu-labelling requirements in the United States under proposed Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations.

The regulations, expected to take effect in 2012, would see chain restaurants, coffee shops, convenience stores and other food establishments with 20 or more locations prominently displaying calorie information on menus and menu-boards, including those at drive-throughs.

Other nutritional information, including fat and sodium content, would have to be made available upon request
(www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/LabelingNutr ... 249276.pdf).

The FDA had proposed more stringent labelling requirements while unveiling a draft of the regulations in August 2010. But jurisdictional concerns and industry opposition appear to have caused the agency to pull in some reins.

In the case of alcohol, the FDA does not have jurisdiction to introduce labelling regulations, Michael Herndon, spokesman for the agency, writes in an email. “It is not clear that the law was intended to cover alcoholic beverages.”

But the exemption for alcoholic beverages will likely end up misleading consumers, says Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Washington, DC-based Center for Science in the Public Interest.

“It will be confusing for people if there are calories listed for Coke and Sprite and lemonade, but not for beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages,” she says. “I think it will make those beverages look like better choices.”

Calorie disclosure was mandated in the US as part of President Barack Obama’s 2010 health reform initiative. A preliminary draft of the labelling requirements had included movie theatres, along with bowling alleys, hotels, amusement parks and airplanes, as sites that would be required to provide calorie disclosure.

But after industrial associations, such as the National Association of Theatre Owners, protested that they should not be subject to the regulations because their primary purpose isn’t to sell food, the FDA retreated.

Under the revised regulations released Apr. 1, businesses which use less than 50% of their floor space to sell food are not subject to the regulations.
The exemption of movie theatres is particularly problematic, says Wootan. “People think of the foods at movie theatres as snacks when, in fact, those snacks often pack the calories of a whole meal.”

As evidence of that, Wootan cites a study commissioned by the Center for Science in the Public Interest which found that a medium popcorn and soda combo at a major American movie theatre chain, can contain up to 1610 calories and three days’ worth — 60 grams — of saturated fat.

Early release, published at www.cmaj.ca on May 2, 2011. Subject to revision.
“It would be very easy for movie theatres to provide nutrition information,”
Wootan says, adding that movie theatres in New York City, New York, have been
obligated to disclose calorie data under local menu-labelling laws since 2008.

Several US jurisdictions, including New York City and the state of California,
have had menu-labelling laws in place for years and some studies indicate that calorie
labelling promotes awareness, more judicious menu selections and as much as 6%
decrease in calories consumed per transaction (AEJ: Economic Policy 2011; 3:91–128).

But two studies of local calorie disclosure laws published earlier this year, one of
calorie disclosure in a Washington state taco chain and another studying adolescent fastfood
choice in New York City, found no significant change in calorie intake. In the New
York study, only 9% of 349 teenagers took calorie information into consideration when
ordering food. Many cited taste as the most important factor in meal selection (Int J Obes
2011; 35:493-500)

Although the literature has demonstrated that caloric posting has limited impact
on food consumption, consumers still have a right to know about the food they’re eating,
says Kelly Brownell, director of the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity in
New Haven, Connecticut.

“There are so many things that contribute to low health that expecting any one
thing to change the picture is wishful thinking,” he says. “But you won’t know until you
do it and that information is out there for a longer period of time.”

The FDA estimates roughly 280 000 establishments will be affected by the new
labelling requirements. A restaurant with an average of 80 menu items will have to pay
anywhere between US$22 000 and US$69 300 for a nutritional analysis of its items,
according to FDA projections. — Lauren Mitsuki, Ottawa, Ont.

[admin]

Healthy Sources of Vitamin D
Source: University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

HOUSTON – The recent increase in recommended vitamin D intake from the Food and Nutrition Board may prompt some to seek more summer sun. But, experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center say there’s no safe amount of time people can stay in the sun without increasing skin cancer risks.

People tend to think of sunshine when they think of vitamin D — and for good reason. When UV rays come in contact with the skin, it triggers the creation of vitamin D.

“Some people may absorb enough vitamin D from their routine outdoor exposure,” says Susan Y. Chon, M.D., assistant professor in MD Anderson’s Department of Dermatology. “However, the benefits of UV exposure may be limited because they can lead to increased risks of developing skin cancer.”

On a hot summer day, unprotected skin can be damaged in as little as 15 minutes.

Add vitamin D to your diet

So, why is vitamin D so important? It’s the main building block for maintaining bone health. Without it, you can develop thin and brittle bones. Vitamin D also boosts the immune system to help fight off germs, bacteria and diseases, including certain cancers.

To avoid skin cancer, Chon recommends getting the daily fill of vitamin D from foods and, if necessary, supplements.

A handful of foods provide a large serving of this vitamin, including:

• Cod liver oil: According to the National Institutes of Health, this fish extract provides the largest amount of vitamin D — just one tablespoon offers 1,360 IUs (International Units).

• Fish: One serving (about three ounces) of certain types of fish also can give you a healthy dose of vitamin D. This includes:
o Salmon: Provides 447 IUs per serving
o Mackerel: Provides 388 IUs per serving
o Tuna: Provides 154 IUs per serving

• Milk: Milk really does a body good. Just one cup of whole, reduced fat or non-fat milk is fortified with vitamin D and provides 115 – 124 IUs.

• Fortified cereals: Ready-to-eat cereals, fortified with 10 percent of the daily recommendation for vitamin D, are an easy way sneak in extra nutrients. A three-quarter to one cup serving can provide at least 40 IUs.

Vitamin D needs aren’t one-size-fits-all

The amount of vitamin D the body needs depends mostly on age. Below are the daily recommended allowances from the Food and Nutrition Board.
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Vitami ... fessional/

• Birth to 12 months: 400 IUs
• Age 1 to 70: 600 IUs
• Age 70 and older: 800 IUs

Most people can get their daily fill of vitamin D by drinking a cup of milk and eating a three-ounce serving of salmon.

“There’s no doubt that vitamin D is vital when it comes to healthy bones and preventing diseases like cancer,” Chon says. “But, there’s no need to sacrifice sun safety (like skipping sunscreen or spending countless hours soaking in the rays) to get your fill.”

For more vitamin D and sun safety information, visit www.mdanderson.org/focused

The Skin - ny on Vitamin D
Focused on Health - May 2011
by Amy Capetta
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

It seems vitamin D has been everywhere in the news lately. First, we hear we’re not getting enough of it. Then, other reports say we may be absorbing too much of this nutrient.

What’s the right answer? Should you rush outside and try to soak up more vitamin D?

Our in-house sun expert says no.

“Vitamin D is critical to good health,” says Susan Y. Chon, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology at MD Anderson. “However, there are safer ways to increase your vitamin D levels without laying in the sun.”

So, why do we need vitamin D? Well, it’s the main building block for maintaining bone health. Without it, you can develop thin and brittle bones. Vitamin D also can boost your immune system to help fight off germs, bacteria and diseases, including certain cancers.

What’s the sun got to do with it?

People tend to think of sunshine when they think of vitamin D, and with good reason. When UV rays come in contact with the skin, it triggers the creation of vitamin D.

Researchers believe you can absorb enough vitamin D from just your “typical” outdoor comings and goings.

But, while absorbing the sun’s rays can have health benefits, it can lead to skin cancer.

“On a hot summer day, unprotected skin can be damaged in as little as 15 minutes,” Chon says. “There’s no safe amount of time you can stay in the sun without increasing your cancer risk.”

To avoid skin cancer, Chon recommends getting your daily fill of vitamin D from foods and, if necessary, supplements.

Add vitamin D to your diet

A handful of foods provide a large serving of this vitamin, including:
salmon is a good source of vitamin D

Cod liver oil: According to the National Institutes of Health, this fish extract provides the largest amount of vitamin D — just one tablespoon offers 1,360 IUs (International Units).
Fish: One serving (about three ounces) of certain types of fish also can give you a healthy dose of vitamin D. This includes:
Salmon: Provides 447 IUs per serving
Mackerel: Provides 388 IUs per serving
Tuna: Provides 154 IUs per serving
Milk: Milk really does a body good. Just one cup of whole, reduced fat or non-fat milk is fortified with vitamin D and provides 115 – 124 IUs.

Vitamin D needs aren’t one-size-fits-all

Not sure how much vitamin D your body requires? Use this breakdown from the Food and Nutrition Board.

Birth to 12 months: 400 IUs
Age 1 to 70: 600 IUs
Age 70 and older: 800 IUs

So, most people can get their daily quota of vitamin D by drinking a cup of milk and eating a three-ounce serving of salmon.

Some may need supplementssome people need supplements to get enough vitamin D

If you’re still concerned about your vitamin D intake, don’t self-diagnose. All it takes is a simple blood test for your doctor to determine if you’re receiving too much, not enough or just the right amount of this nutrient.

If you aren’t getting enough through your diet, your doctor may recommend you take a daily vitamin D supplement. You may need supplements if you:

Have milk allergies
Are lactose intolerant
Stick to a vegetarian diet
Get limited sun exposure

There’s no doubt that vitamin D is vital when it comes to healthy bones and preventing diseases like cancer. But, there’s no need to sacrifice sun safety (like skipping the sunscreen or spending countless hours soaking in the rays) to get your fill.

[admin]

Turtle Island Native Network
http://www.turtleisland.org

Do you believe in magic? How about medical magic?
In fact, many doctors use placebos (a sort of magic?) to treat their patients. According to a new report, a majority of Psychiatrists believe this can be an effective therapeutic treatment. (Hmm...the drug companies will freak out when they hear this. Imagine, taking a sugar pill instead of pharmaceutical drugs.)

The latest research (this particular survey includes a medical researcher who spent time as a magician) points to the power of placebos(A substance containing no medication and prescribed or given to reinforce a patient's expectation to get well - A "sugar pill" or any dummy medication or treatment. For example, in a controlled clinical trial, one group may be given a real medication while another group is given a placebo that looks just like it in order to learn if the differences observed are due to the medication or to the power of suggestion. Placebos are widely used in drug trials.) But now we learn they also are being widely used by 'shrinks' to actually treat patients.

May 2011

A recent survey, led by McGill Psychiatry Professor and Senior Lady Davis Institute Researcher Amir Raz, reports that one in five respondents – physicians and psychiatrists in Canadian medical schools – have administered or prescribed a placebo. Moreover, an even higher proportion of psychiatrists (more than 35 per cent) reported prescribing subtherapeutic doses of medication (that is, doses that are below, sometimes considerably below, the minimal recommended therapeutic level) to treat their patients.

Prescribing pseudoplacebos – that is treatments that are active in principle, but that are unlikely to be effective for the condition being treated, e.g., using vitamins to treat chronic insomnia – is more widespread than we may have thought according to the survey.

Dr. Raz and his colleagues suggest that this may be because physicians have shown themselves to be more prepared to prescribe biochemically active materials even though at lower doses than might be effective.

The survey, which was also designed to explore attitudes toward placebo use, found that the majority of responding psychiatrists (more than 60 per cent) believe that placebos can have therapeutic effects.

This is a significantly higher proportion than for other medical practitioners. “Psychiatrists seem to place more value in the influence placebos wield on the mind and body,” says Raz. Only 2 per cent of those psychiatrists believe that placebos have no clinical benefit at all.

Raz’s own interest in placebos grew out of his work in three very different areas: his explorations into how people’s physiology is influenced by their expectations of what is about to happen, his work on deception; and the time he spent as a former magician. Together, these three separate areas of experience have led Raz to explore what remains an uncomfortable hinterland of medical practice for many practitioners – the use of placebos in medicine.

”While most physicians probably appreciate the clinical merits of placebos, limited guidelines and scientific knowledge, as well as ethical considerations, impede open discussion about the best way we may want re-introduce placebos into the medical milieu,” says Raz. He adds, “This survey provides a valuable starting point for further investigations into Canadian physicians’ attitudes towards and use of placebos.”

The research was funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Oxford-McGill Neuroscience Collaboration.

For a video of Dr. Raz talking about his research
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBzdwMZPwzM

Source: McGill University

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Turtle Island Native Network
http://www.turtleisland.org

May 23, 2011
New Studies Reveal Stunning Evidence
that Cell Phone Radiation Damages DNA, Brain and Sperm

Cell phones are a ubiquitous part of our lives. New independent studies offer stunning proof that confirms findings from the Council of Europe—pulsed digital signals from cell phones disrupt DNA, impair brain function and lower sperm count. A meeting convened by Environmental Health Trust, with the Turkish cancer society, and Gazi University, revealed new research on this important issue showing damage to DNA, brain and sperm. Dr. Devra Davis, a member of a Nobel Peace Prize team, chairs this meeting with Prof. Nesrin Seyhan , WHO and NATO advisor who is head and founder of Biophysics Department and Bioelectromagnetics Laboratory at Gazi University in Ankara and founder of the Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (GNRP) Center.

Prof. Seyhan’s work confirms and strengthens the finding, that just four hours of exposure to RF-EMF disrupts the ability of human brain cells to repair damaged genes. Other new important work from Australia shows damage to human sperm. “We are deeply concerned about what this could mean for public health,” noted Prof Seyhan.

“This work provides a warning signal to all of us. The evidence justifies precautionary measures to reduce the risks for everyone of us,” says Prof. Wilhelm Mosgoeller from the Medical University of Vienna who has led European research teams, who found that RF-EMF induce DNA breaks. New studies carried out by scientists in Turkey, Russia and Israel, have investigated a variety of biological effects triggered by cell phones. Two years after false accusations against scientists who described DNA breaks, now the recent results finally show, that exposure induced DNA breaks are real.

On May 23, 2011, a think-tank of experts organized by Gazi University and EHT convened at a workshop in Istanbul, Turkey to share explosive independent studies on this topic. Titled “Science Update: Cell Phones and Health,” the workshop will be held in Cibali Hall at the Kadir Has University, which is located in Istanbul, Turkey.

The workshop is co-sponsored by leaders in cell phone safety, including the Environmental Health Trust, The International Commission on Electromagnetic Safety, Gazi University and Athens University. The workshop coincides with the launch of Dr. Davis’s book, Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family (Innobook, 2011) in Turkish.

The workshop will attract an array of leaders in the field, who will be discussing underreported, highly thought-provoking research never investigated in North America. The invited speakers include Prof. Dr. Murat Tuncer, Head of Cancer Control Department at The Ministry of Health of Turkey; Dr. Lukas H. Margaritis, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics at the University of Athens; Dr. Nesrin Seyhan, of Gazi University’s Biophysics Department; Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Mosgoeller of the Medical University of Vienna; Dr. Annie Sasco, Director of Epidemiology at INSERM/National Institute of Health in Bordeaux, France; Dr. Lukas H. Margaritis, Professor Emeritus in Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics at the University of Athens; Dr. Siegal Sadetzki, Cancer & Radiation Epidemiology Unit, Gertner Institute, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel- Hashomer 52621, Israel and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel and Dr. Devra Davis, from Environment Health Trust in the US.

Impact of Cell Phones to Reproductive Heath and Cell Death
Among the highlights of the conference a research team at the University of Athens will discuss how insect studies have demonstrated that acute exposure to GSM (Global System for Mobile) signals brings about DNA fragmentation in insects’ ovarian cells, and consequently a large reduction in the reproductive capacity of the insects. Further studies demonstrated that long exposures induced cell death to the insects in the study.

Cell Phones Impact to the Fetus
Workshop attendee Dr. Adamantia Fragopoulou, leader of a team at the University of Athens, will share a finding about embryonic development taking place in the presence of a mild electromagnetic field. Throughout the gestation period, exposure to radiation for just six minutes a day affects the bone formation of fetuses. The team suggests that this is possibly caused by the interaction of cell phone radiation with crucial molecules and ions involved in embryogenesis.

Cell Phones and How it Impacts the of the Young Brain
Dr. Seyhan will share work performed at Gazi University demonstrating that the increasing use of cell phones—and the increasing number of associated base stations—are becoming a widespread source of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation. This work suggests that some biological effects are likely to occur even with low-level electromagnetic fields. The team concluded that 900 and 1,800 MHz radiation levels is related to an increase in the permeability of the blood-brain barrier in young adult male rats. The rat’s brains can be used to correspond to the brains of human teenagers. This research is motivating by the fact that children are increasingly heavy users of cell phones; at higher frequencies, children absorb more energy from external radio frequency radiation than adults, because their tissue normally contains a larger number of ions and so has a higher conductivity. They conclude limiting cell phone and cordless phone use by young children and teenagers to the lowest possible level and urgently ban telecom companies from marketing to them.

In addition, research from a team at the University of Athens will share their studies demonstrating that rats exposed to cell phone radiation were unable to remember the location of places previously familiar to them. This finding is of potentially critical importance for people, who heavily rely on spatial memory for recording information about their environment and spatial orientation.

For more information log on to http://www.saferphonezone.com

Source: Environmental Health Trust

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International Agency for Cancer Research

IARC CLASSIFIES RADIOFREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS AS
POSSIBLY CARCINOGENIC TO HUMANS

Lyon, France, May 31, 2011 ‐‐ The WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer1, associated with wireless phone use.

Background
Over the last few years, there has been mounting concern about the possibility of adverse health effects resulting from exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, such as those emitted by wireless communication devices. The number of mobile phone subscriptions is estimated at 5 billion globally.

From May 24–31 2011, a Working Group of 31 scientists from 14 countries has been meeting at IARC in Lyon, France, to assess the potential carcinogenic hazards from exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. These assessments will be published as Volume 102 of the IARC Monographs, which will be the fifth volume in this series to focus on physical agents, after Volume 55 (Solar Radiation), Volume 75 and Volume 78 on ionizing radiation (X‐rays, gamma‐rays, neutrons, radio‐nuclides), and Volume 80 on non‐ionizing radiation (extremely low‐frequency electromagnetic fields).

The IARC Monograph Working Group discussed the possibility that these exposures might induce long‐term health effects, in particular an increased risk for cancer. This has relevance for public health, particularly for users of mobile phones, as the number of users is large and growing, particularly among young adults and children.

The IARC Monograph Working Group discussed and evaluated the available literature on the following exposure categories involving radiofrequency electromagnetic fields:
occupational exposures to radar and to microwaves;
environmental exposures associated with transmission of signals for radio, television and wireless telecommunication; and
personal exposures associated with the use of wireless telephones.

International experts shared the complex task of tackling the exposure data, the studies of cancer in humans, the studies of cancer in experimental animals, and the mechanistic and other relevant data.

MORE: http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2 ... r208_E.pdf

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Is it possible for some people to be overweight – or even obese – and still be healthy?

Obese Doesn’t Always Mean Unhealthy,
UMDNJ Research Shows

6/16/2011

STRATFORD, NJ – It’s become an axiom of health that overweight and obese people are not as healthy as their normal weight counterparts. In fact, obesity has been targeted as one of the country’s most serious public health problems, with predictions of widespread heart disease, diabetes and cancer among the growing number of Americans who are overweight. But what if that’s not always correct? Is it possible for some people to be overweight – or even obese – and still be healthy? Researchers from the Weight Management Services Program at the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine think so, and they have some surprising statistics to back that opinion up.

The researchers analyzed the records of 454 individuals who were seen as patients at the medical school. Each of the individuals in the study had a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30, a standard for defining obesity, and the group’s average body fat percentage was over 46 percent. The UMDNJ analysis revealed a distinct sub-group of 135 metabolically healthy obese (MHO) individuals who, despite their high BMIs and body fat percentages, had essentially none of the measureable health risks – high blood pressure or elevated blood sugar or cholesterol levels – normally associated with obesity. Another sub-group of 167 individuals was categorized as medically unhealthy obese (MUO) because their corresponding results for the same measurements indicated an elevated risk for chronic disease.

“Our results indicate that metabolically healthy obese individuals may represent as much as 20 to 30 percent of obese population,” said Dr. Adarsh Gupta, director of Weight Management Services at the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine, who, along with Dr. Gwynn Coatney, conducted the research. “This highlights the need for clinicians to be cautious when using obesity as a criterion for prescribing treatment. Researchers, too, need to be careful to distinguish between the metabolically healthy and metabolically unhealthy when analyzing data involving a group of obese individuals.”

Overall, the MHO group was younger (average age 37.4 years) than the MUO patients (average age 45.4 years) and more likely to be female. At the time of the study, none of the MHO individuals took medications for treatment of diabetes or high cholesterol. By contrast, 17.4 percent of the MUO individuals were being treated for diabetes and more than 30 percent were prescribed medications to help lower their cholesterol levels. Additionally, the MUO group was three times more likely (22.5 percent vs. 7.4 percent) to have been prescribed medication to control high blood pressure.

For more information on this study or to arrange an interview with Dr. Gupta, please contact Jerry Carey, UMDNJ News Service, at 856-566-6171.

The UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine is dedicated to providing excellence in medical education, research and health care for New Jersey and the nation. Working in cooperation with Kennedy University Hospital, its principal affiliate, the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine places an emphasis on primary health care and community health services that reflect its osteopathic philosophy, with centers of excellence that demonstrate its commitment to developing clinically skillful, compassionate and culturally competent physicians from diverse backgrounds, who are prepared to become leaders in their communities.

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) is the nation's largest free-standing public health sciences university with more than 6,000 students on five campuses attending the state's three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and New Jersey’s only school of public health. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, which provides a continuum of healthcare services with multiple locations throughout the state.

Source: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)

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The Importance of Sleep
6/28/2011

Nearly half of all Americans reported having difficulty sleeping. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that about 35% of people surveyed in 12 states said they slept less than 7 hours a night on average.

A national survey reported that, 23% had trouble concentrating because they were tired, 18% had trouble remembering things and 11% had difficulty commuting or driving. In addition, 48% said they snored, 38% admitted to unintentionally falling asleep during the day and almost 5% reported falling asleep or nodding off while driving over the prior 30 days!

“Insufficient sleep will make it difficult to function and can reduce the benefit of hormones released during sleep,” say co-authors Dian Griesel, Ph.D. and Tom Griesel, of the new book, TurboCharged: Accelerate Your Fat Burning Metabolism, Get Lean Fast and Leave Diet and Exercise Rules in the Dust (BSH, 2011). “Some consider it a badge of honor to get by on as little sleep as possible. This is a big mistake. Most of us require at least 8 for optimal function and health.”

In their book, the Griesels remind us that for tens-of-thousands of years before the introduction of electricity and light bulbs, people rose and set along with the sun. This seems to be the natural rhythm we were designed to follow. Late night TV, stimulants and meals have disrupted this cycle along with work schedules and the proliferation of ambient light all throw off our natural circadian rhythms. This disrupts the normal production of melatonin, which is our natural sleep hormone.

Melatonin has many biological effects and it is also a powerful antioxidant with a particular role in the protection of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Levels of the hormone melatonin vary in a daily cycle according to circadian rhythms that are also responsible for several other biological functions.

It's best for our bodies to cycle through the five known sleep stages four or five times a night. The first four stages are key to maintaining healthy metabolism, learning and memory. The fifth, rapid eye movement sleep (REM) is important for regulating mood and forming emotional memories. Regularly missing a cycle or two and your brain function, immune system and heart health will suffer.

You can take the following steps to improve your sleep
time:

• Exercise regularly but at least 3 hours before bedtime. An evening walk is best.

• Establish a relaxing bedtime routine like reading, taking a bath or relaxing in a hot tub. No TV.

• Have a cup of chamomile tea an hour before bedtime.
• Get to bed at a regular time to ensure at least 7-8 hours of sleep.

• Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet, cool and comfortable.

To purchase a copy of TurboCharged, please visit: www.amazon.com/dp/1936705001

For more information about the book and authors Dian and Tom Griesel, please visit: www.turbocharged.us.com

Source: Business School of Happiness

[admin]

Mitch Battros Research of the Sun - Earth Connection and 2012

Mitch Battros presents fascinating, and sometimes shocking, research from the world's top scientists. After years of dialogue with these experts, Mitch has been accepted into the guarded halls of NASA, NOAA, ESA, Royal Observatory, the US Naval Observatory and other highly esteemed scientific bodies. In addition to the latest research on the Sun's influence on our "weather".

Mitch also presents ground-breaking evidence of how the Sun and other celestial orbs produce 'charged particles' and their impact on humanity.

Just as the Sun's solar activity affects the Earth's magnetic field which has a dramatic affect on Earth's "weather" i.e. earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, hurricanes; so does this wave of electrical currents affect the human body's magnetic field. Mitch also reveals a little-known development from modern medicine known as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). TMS provides empirical evidence of how magnetic fields can influence human emotions.

Solar Cycle 24 has begun - and it has been predicted by NASA, NOAA and ESA to be up to 50% stronger than its 'record breaking' predecessor Cycle 23 which produced the largest solar flare ever recorded. The Sun will reach its 'apex' (maximum) in late 2011 into 2012.

"I believe it will be the magnetic influence produced by the Sun which will usher in what is described by our ancient ancestors as "the transition" bringing us to a new state-of-being".

(Mitch Battros
Producer - Earth Changes Media
Author:'Solar Rain - The Earth Changes Have Begun' and
'Global Warming: A Convenient Disguise'
Web: http://www.earthchangesmedia.com )

[admin]

Nearly 350 million adults have diabetes: Study reveals scale of global epidemic

June 2011

A major international study collating and analyzing worldwide data on diabetes since 1980 has found that the number of adults with the disease reached 347 million in 2008, more than double the number in 1980. The research, published in The Lancet, reveals that the prevalence of diabetes has risen or at best remained unchanged in virtually every part of the world over the last three decades.

Diabetes occurs when the cells of the body are not able to take up sugar in the form of glucose. As a consequence, the amount of glucose in the blood is higher than normal. Over time, this raises the risk of heart disease and stroke, and can also cause damage to the kidneys, nerves and retinas. High blood glucose and diabetes are responsible for over three million deaths worldwide each year.

The new study found that between 1980 and 2008, the number of adults with diabetes rose from 153 million to 347 million. Seventy per cent of the rise was due to population growth and aging, with the other 30 per cent due to higher prevalence. The proportion of adults with diabetes rose to 9.8 per cent of men and 9.2 per cent of women in 2008, compared with 8.3 per cent of men and 7.5 per cent of women in 1980.

The estimated number of diabetics was considerably higher than a previous study in 2009 which put the number worldwide at 285 million.

The study, the largest of its kind for diabetes, was carried out by an international collaboration of researchers, led by Professor Majid Ezzati from Imperial College London and co-led by Goodarz Danaei from the Harvard School of Public Health, in collaboration with The World Health Organization and a number of other institutions.

Professor Majid Ezzati, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, said “Diabetes is one of the biggest causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Our study has shown that diabetes is becoming more common almost everywhere in the world. This is in contrast to blood pressure and cholesterol, which have both fallen in many regions. Diabetes is much harder to prevent and treat than these other conditions.”

Goodarz Danaei, from the Harvard School of Public Health, added “Unless we develop better programs for detecting people with elevated blood sugar and helping them to improve their diet and physical activity and control their weight, diabetes will inevitably continue to impose a major burden on health systems around the world.”

To test whether or not someone has diabetes, doctors measure the levels of glucose in a patient’s blood after they have not eaten for 12 to 14 hours, since blood sugar rises after a meal. A “fasting plasma glucose” (FPG) below 5.6 millimoles per litre (mmol/L) is considered normal, above 7 mmol/L is diagnostic of diabetes and an FPG level between 5.6 and 7 is considered pre-diabetes.

The study included blood sugar measurements from 2.7 million participants aged 25 years or more across the world and used advanced statistical methods for analyzing data. According to the results, average fasting sugar rose from 5.3 mmol/L in men and 5.2 mmol/L in women in 1980 to 5.5 mmol/L in men and 5.4 mmol/L in women in 2008, even after accounting for age differences over time.

The study also found that:

Diabetes has taken off most dramatically in Pacific Island nations, which now have the highest diabetes levels in the world. In the Marshall Islands, one in three women and one in four men have diabetes. Glucose and diabetes were also particularly high in south Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Central Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.

Among high-income countries, the rise in diabetes was relatively small in Western Europe and highest in North America. Diabetes and glucose levels were highest in USA, Greenland, Malta, New Zealand and Spain, and lowest in the Netherlands, Austria and France.

The region with the lowest glucose levels was sub-Saharan Africa, followed by east and southeast Asia.

Funding for the study came from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Health Organization.

Notes to editors:
1. Journal reference: ‘National, regional, and global trends in fasting plasma glucose and diabetes prevalence since 1980: systematic analysis of health examination surveys and epidemiological studies with 370 country-years and 2·7 million participants.’ The Lancet, published online 25 June 2011. DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60679-X

2. Data for each country and year www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/globalmetabolics/

###

Harvard School of Public Health ( http://www.hsph.harvard.edu ) is dedicated to advancing the public's health through learning, discovery, and communication. More than 400 faculty members are engaged in teaching and training the 1,000-plus student body in a broad spectrum of disciplines crucial to the health and well being of individuals and populations around the world. Programs and projects range from the molecular biology of AIDS vaccines to the epidemiology of cancer; from risk analysis to violence prevention; from maternal and children's health to quality of care measurement; from health care management to international health and human rights. For more information on the school visit: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu

About Imperial College London: Consistently rated amongst the world's best universities, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 14,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.

Since its foundation in 1907, Imperial's contributions to society have included the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of research for the benefit of all continues today, with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to improve global health, tackle climate change, develop sustainable sources of energy and address security challenges.

In 2007, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust formed the UK's first Academic Health Science Centre. This unique partnership aims to improve the quality of life of patients and populations by taking new discoveries and translating them into new therapies as quickly as possible.

Website: www.imperial.ac.uk

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"The waists of those who drank soft drinks grew 70 percent more than those who did not."

July 2011

MELROSE PARK, Ill.

You are making a healthier choice when opting for a diet soda instead of a calorie-laden drink, but beware that you don’t sabotage your good behavior by indulging in fat-adding foods.
“I suspect that people are likely drinking those diet sodas to wash down high fat and high-calorie fast food or take-out meals, not as a complement to a healthy meal prepared at home or to quench a thirst after a tough workout, ” says Jessica Bartfield, MD, internal medicine who specializes in weight and nutrition at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital
Dr. Bartfield takes issue with two recent studies were presented at the American Diabetes Association in June that conclude that diet soda negatively impacts your waistline.

One study tracked 474 people, all 65 to 74 years old, for nearly a decade. It measured height, weight, waist circumference and diet soda intake every 3.6 years. The waists of those who drank soft drinks grew 70 percent more than those who did not.

Another study found that after three months of eating food containing aspartame, mice had higher blood sugar levels than rodents who ate regular food. Researchers concluded that aspartame could trigger the appetite but not satisfy it, leading you to eat more in general.

“The association studies are significant and provocative, but don’t prove cause and effect,” says Bartfield who counsels weight-loss patients at the Chicago-area Loyola University Health System. “Although these studies controlled for many factors, such as age, physical activity, calories consumed and smoking, there are still a tremendous number of factors such as dietary patters, sleep, genetics, and medication use that account for the metabolic syndome/weight gain.”

For people trying to lose weight, switiching from sugar-sweetened beverages to diet soda can have a tremendous impact on calorie reduction but Dr. Bartfield feels it comes down to one basic principle. “It still comes down to moderation,” she says. “I caution patients to keep it to one or two diet sodas per day.”

Source: Loyola University Health System

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Should children who are obese be taken from their families and placed in foster care?
That suggestion comes from well respected doctors in the United States.
July 2011

"Even relatively mild parenting deficiencies, such as having excessive junk food in the home or failing to model a physically active lifestyle, may contribute to a child's weight problem. Typically, the potential harm involves an increased risk for obesity-related chronic disease later in life. Most overweight and obese children have the opportunity to ameliorate these risks through behavior change and weight loss as adults. In this sense, poor parenting is analogous to secondhand smoke in the home—a condition associated with adverse health consequences for the child, but not warranting legal intervention."
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State Intervention in Life-Threatening Childhood Obesity

Lindsey Murtagh, JD, MPH;
David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD

[+] Author Affiliations

Author Affiliations: Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health (Ms Murtagh); and Optimal Weight for Life Program, Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital (Dr Ludwig), Boston, Massachusetts.

Corresponding Author: David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD, Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115. (david.ludwig@childrens.harvard.edu).

Many biological, psychosocial, and behavioral factors affect energy balance and, therefore, childhood weight gain, with parents playing an important mediating role. Ubiquitous junk food marketing, lack of opportunities for physically active recreation, and other aspects of modern society promote unhealthful lifestyles in children. Inadequate or unskilled parental supervision can leave children vulnerable to these obesigenic environmental influences. Emotional distress and depression, or other psychological problems arising from abuse and neglect, may exacerbate this situation by leading to disordered eating and withdrawal from sports and other social activities.

Even relatively mild parenting deficiencies, such as having excessive junk food in the home or failing to model a physically active lifestyle, may contribute to a child's weight problem. Typically, the potential harm involves an increased risk for obesity-related chronic disease later in life. Most overweight and obese children have the opportunity to ameliorate these risks through behavior change and weight loss as adults. In this sense, poor parenting is analogous to secondhand smoke in the home—a condition associated with adverse health consequences for the child, but not warranting legal intervention.

Severe obesity, characterized by a body mass index (BMI) at or beyond the 99th percentile, represents a fundamentally different situation. Whereas typical children consume about 100 kilocalories per day more than requirements state, the energy imbalance for severely obese children may exceed 1000 kilocalories per day,1​ suggesting profoundly dysfunctional eating and activity habits. Obesity of this magnitude can cause immediate and potentially irreversible consequences, most notably type 2 diabetes. This complication, reflecting years of progressive metabolic deterioration, carries a dire prognosis. In addition to hyperglycemia, youth with type 2 diabetes typically have severe insulin resistance, low diet quality, sedentary lifestyle, and poor adherence to medical treatment—risk factors that together could rapidly accelerate development of macrovascular and microvascular diseases.2 Without major weight loss, type 2 diabetes usually becomes permanent several years after onset due to irreversible pancreatic beta cell death, which decreases life expectancy significantly. Because of the poor outcome of conventional treatment for pediatric obesity, bariatric surgery has become increasingly considered for adolescents with type 2 diabetes.3​ However, the long-term safety and effectiveness of this invasive procedure in adolescents remains unknown, and serious perioperative and long-term morbidity and mortality have been reported.4 As an alternative therapeutic approach, placement of the severely obese child under protective custody warrants discussion.

Legal Considerations

Despite a well-established constitutional right of parents to raise their children as they choose, the state may intervene to protect the child's interests. Federal law, which establishes a minimum standard for states, defines child abuse and neglect as “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm . . . or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.”5​ The seriousness of neglect is judged according to the magnitude or risk of harm and by its chronicity.6 Improper feeding practices, causing undernourishment and failure to thrive, have long been addressed through the child abuse and neglect framework. However, only a handful of states, including California, Indiana, Iowa, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas, have legal precedent for applying this framework to overnourishment and severe obesity.7​ Nevertheless, mandated reporter laws may obligate physicians to contact child protective services in the cases of children for whom chronic parental neglect has resulted in severe weight-related health complications.

State intervention may serve the best interests of many children with life-threatening obesity, comprising the only realistic way to control harmful behaviors. Child protective services typically provide intermediate options such as in-home social supports, parenting training, counseling, and financial assistance, that may address underlying problems without resorting to removal. These less burdensome forms of legal intervention may be sufficient and therefore preferable in many cases. In some instances, support services may be insufficient to prevent severe harm, leaving foster care or bariatric surgery as the only alternatives. Although removal of the child from the home can cause families great emotional pain, this option lacks the physical risks of bariatric surgery. Moreover, family reunification can occur when conditions warrant, whereas the most common bariatric procedure (Roux-en-Y anastomosis [gastric bypass]) is generally irreversible.

The possibility of an unrecognized genetic disease has made these removals especially controversial. A recent study found 5 of 300 severely obese children in the United Kingdom had a newly identified obesity-associated genetic deletion on chromosome 16p11.2; of these, 4 of 5 had received child protective services attention.8 Thus, a comparison may be made to osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic cause of bone fractures often mistaken for physical abuse, resulting in unfair accusations against and stigmatization of the parents. However, a diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta provides a new management approach, such as physical therapy, measures to reduce fracture risk, and close fracture surveillance, that does not necessitate removal of the child from the home. In contrast, identifying a genetic cause of obesity (with the extremely rare exception of leptin deficiency) offers no new therapeutic options, requiring instead an intensification of the home-based behavioral interventions that have proven unsuccessful in these families. Psychosocial dwarfism, in which growth arrest results from a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and domestic environmental factors, provides a better comparison. For these children, removal from the home may be necessary to restore normal growth even without evidence of frank abuse and neglect.

In severe instances of childhood obesity, removal from the home may be justifiable from a legal standpoint because of imminent health risks and the parents' chronic failure to address medical problems. Indeed, it may be unethical to subject such children to an invasive and irreversible procedure without first considering foster care. Nevertheless, state intervention would clearly not be desirable or practical, and probably not be legally justifiable, for most of the approximately 2 million children in the United States with a BMI at or beyond the 99th percentile.9​ Moreover, the quality of foster care varies greatly; removal from the home does not guarantee improved physical health, and substantial psychosocial morbidity may ensue. Thus, the decision to pursue this option must be guided by carefully defined criteria such as those proposed by Varness et al,10 with less intrusive methods used whenever possible.

Conclusions

An increasing proportion of US children are so severely obese as to be at immediate risk for life-threatening complications including type 2 diabetes. Some will become candidates for treatment at newly established pediatric surgical weight loss programs throughout the country. As an alternative approach, involvement of state protective services might be considered, including placement into foster care in carefully selected situations. Ultimately, government can reduce the need for such interventions through investments in the social infrastructure and policies to improve diet and promote physical activity among children.

Author Information

Author Affiliations: Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health (Ms Murtagh); and Optimal Weight for Life Program, Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital (Dr Ludwig), Boston, Massachusetts.

Corresponding Author: David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD, Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115. (david.ludwig@childrens.harvard.edu).

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Both authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Dr Ludwig reported receiving grants from the National Institutes of Health and foundations for nutrition and obesity-related research, mentoring, and patient care; receiving royalties from a book about childhood obesity; consulting for Brigham and Women's Hospital, the Culinary Institute of America, and the Kripalu Institute; pending grants from the Thrasher Foundation and the New Balance Foundation; and reviewing material about childhood obesity for WebMD.

Funding/Support: Dr Ludwig is supported in part by an endowment from Children's Hospital Boston, and a career award K24DK082730 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Role of Sponsors: Neither Children's Hospital Boston nor the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases had any role in the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.

Disclaimer: The content of this Commentary is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases or the National Institutes of Health.

Additional Contributions: We thank Michelle M. Mello, JD, PhD, Harvard School of Public Health, for providing critical comments on a draft of this article. No additional compensation was received in association with contributions to this Commentary.


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. Systematic review and meta-analysis of bariatric surgery for pediatric obesity. Ann Surg. 2008;248(5):763–776.
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. US Department of Health and Human Services Web site. Child neglect: a guide for prevention, assessment, and intervention; 2006. http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/userma ... eglect.pdf. Accessed May 24, 2011.
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. Childhood obesity and medical neglect. Pediatrics. 2009;123(1):399–406.
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Dentists Can Identify People with Undiagnosed Diabetes, Columbia Researchers Show

July 2011

NEW YORK – In a study, Identification of unrecognized diabetes and pre-diabetes in a dental setting, published in the July issue of the Journal of Dental Research, researchers at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine found that dental visits represented a chance to intervene in the diabetes epidemic by identifying individuals with diabetes or pre-diabetes who are unaware of their condition.

The study sought to develop and evaluate an identification protocol for high blood sugar levels in dental patients and was supported by a research grant from Colgate-Palmolive. The authors report no potential financial or other conflicts.

“Periodontal disease is an early complication of diabetes, and about 70 percent of U.S. adults see a dentist at least once a year,” says Dr. Ira Lamster, dean of the College of Dental Medicine, and senior author on the paper. “Prior research focused on identification strategies relevant to medical settings. Oral healthcare settings have not been evaluated before, nor have the contributions of oral findings ever been tested prospectively.”

For this study, researchers recruited approximately 600 individuals visiting a dental clinic in Northern Manhattan who were 40-years-old or older (if non-Hispanic white) and 30-years-old or older (if Hispanic or non-white), and had never been told they have diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Approximately 530 patients with at least one additional self-reported diabetes risk factor (family history of diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, or overweight/obesity) received a periodontal examination and a fingerstick, point-of-care hemoglobin A1c test. In order for the investigators to assess and compare the performance of several potential identification protocols, patients returned for a fasting plasma glucose test, which indicates whether an individual has diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Researchers found that, in this at-risk dental population, a simple algorithm composed of only two dental parameters (number of missing teeth and percentage of deep periodontal pockets) was effective in identifying patients with unrecognized pre-diabetes or diabetes. The addition of the point-of-care A1c test was of significant value, further improving the performance of this algorithm.

“Early recognition of diabetes has been the focus of efforts from medical and public health colleagues for years, as early treatment of affected individuals can limit the development of many serious complications,” says Dr. Evanthia Lalla, an associate professor at the College of Dental Medicine, and the lead author on the paper. “Relatively simple lifestyle changes in pre-diabetic individuals can prevent progression to frank diabetes, so identifying this group of individuals is also important,” she adds. “Our findings provide a simple approach that can be easily used in all dental-care settings.”

Other authors who contributed are: Dr. Carol Kunzel, associate clinical professor at the College of Dental Medicine and at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health; Dr. Sandra Burkett, at the College of Dental Medicine; and Dr. Bin Cheng, an assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics at the Mailman School of Public Health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four people affected with type 2 diabetes in the United States remains undiagnosed. And those with pre-diabetes are at an increased risk for type 2 diabetes and also for heart disease, stroke and other vascular conditions typical of individuals with diabetes.

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Citation: Lalla E, Kunzel C, Burkett S, Cheng B & Lamster IB. Identification of unrecognized diabetes and pre-diabetes in a dental setting. Journal of Dental Research 2011; 90: 855-860

Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM) was established in 1916 as the School of Dental and Oral Surgery, when the School became incorporated into Columbia University. The College’s mission has evolved into a tripartite commitment to education, patient care, and research. The mission of the College of Dental Medicine is totrain general dentists, dental specialists, and dental assistants in a setting that emphasizes comprehensive dental care delivery and stimulates professional growth; inspire, support, and promote faculty, pre- and postdoctoral student, and hospital resident participation in research to advance the professional knowledge base; and provide comprehensive dental care for the underserved community of northern Manhattan. For more information, please visit: http://dental.columbia.edu/

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia's College of Physicians & Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is among the most selective medical schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest in the United States. For more information, please visit http://www.cumc.columbia.edu.

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New research on the health consequences of "second hand" smoke . . .

NEW YORK,

July, 18, 2011

NYU School of Medicine researchers report in a new study that exposure to tobacco smoke nearly doubles the risk of hearing loss among adolescents. The study is published in the July, 2011, issue of Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.

“More than half of all children in the U.S. are exposed to secondhand smoke, so our finding that it can lead to hearing loss in teenagers has huge public health implications,”* says Anil Lalwani, MD, professor of professor of otolaryngology, physiology and neuroscience, and pediatrics at NYU School of Medicine, who led the research. “We need to evaluate how we deal with smoking in public places and at home, as well as how often and when we screen children for hearing loss,” he says.

The dangers of secondhand smoke are well known. Living with a smoker raises the risk of dying from heart disease and lung cancer, and in children exposure to smoke exacerbates the severity of asthma attacks and causes more than 750,000 middle ear infections, according to the American Cancer Society. The new study is the first to link secondhand smoke to hearing loss.

More than 1,500 teenagers aged 12 to 19 participated in the nationwide study. They were selected from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which collects health information from children and adults around the United States. The teenagers were initially evaluated in their homes and then were given extensive hearing tests and blood tests for the chemical cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine, at a medical center.

The teens exposed to secondhand smoke, as measured by the metabolite in their blood, were more likely to have sensorineural hearing loss, which is most often caused by problems with the cochlea, the snail-shaped hearing organ of the inner ear. “It’s the type of hearing loss that usually tends to occur as one gets older, or among children born with congenital deafness,” explains co-author Michael Weitzman, MD, professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine.

The study found that teenagers exposed to smoke performed worse across every sound frequency tested, especially mid-to-high frequencies important for understanding speech. In addition, teenagers with higher cotinine levels, indicating greater exposure, were more likely to have one-sided–or unilateral–low-frequency hearing loss. Overall, the researchers conclude that their findings indicate that “tobacco smoke is independently associated with an almost 2-fold increase in the risk of hearing loss among adolescents.”

Over 80 percent of the affected teenagers in the study were not aware of any problem, the researchers reported. “Milder hearing loss is not necessarily noticeable,” says Dr. Lalwani. “Thus, simply asking someone whether they think they have hearing loss is insufficient.”

The consequences of mild hearing loss, which researchers suspect may be due to damage to the ear’s delicate blood supply, are “subtle yet serious,” says Dr. Weitzman. Affected children can have difficulty understanding what is being said in the classroom and become distracted. As a result, they may be labeled as “troublemakers” or misdiagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).

Currently, all infants born in the United States are screened for hearing loss; however, there are no guidelines for screening a child’s hearing past the early school years, says Dr. Lalwani. “Those children who are exposed to secondhand smoke,” he says, “need to be regularly screened.”

This work was supported, in part, by grants from the Zausmer Foundation (principal investigators: Drs Lalwani, Liu and Weitzman) and the National Institutes of Health/National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities 5P60 MD000538-06 (investigator: Dr. Weitzman).

*U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006 [cited 2006 Sep 27]. Available from: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/s ... ke/report/.

About NYU Langone Medical Center:
NYU Langone Medical Center, a world-class, patient-centered, integrated, academic medical center, is one on the nation’s premier centers for excellence in clinical care, biomedical research and medical education. Located in the heart of Manhattan, NYU Langone is composed of three hospitals – Tisch Hospital, its flagship acute care facility; the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, the first rehabilitation hospital in the world; and the Hospital for Joint Diseases, one of only five hospitals in the nation dedicated to orthopaedics and rheumatology – plus the NYU School of Medicine, which since 1841 has trained thousand of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history. The medical center’s tri-fold mission to serve, teach and discover is achieved 365 days a year through the seamless integration of a culture devoted to excellence in patient care, education and research. For more information, go to http://www.NYULMC.org

Source: New York University Langone Medical Center

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Hamilton, Ont. July 19, 2011 — Patients who use anti-depressants are much more likely to suffer relapses of major depression than those who use no medication at all, concludes a McMaster researcher.

In a paper that is likely to ignite new controversy in the hotly debated field of depression and medication, evolutionary psychologist Paul Andrews concludes that patients who have used anti-depressant medications can be nearly twice as susceptible to future episodes of major depression.

Andrews, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, is the lead author of a new paper in the journal Frontiers of Psychology.

The meta-analysis suggests that people who have not been taking any medication are at a 25 per cent risk of relapse, compared to 42 per cent or higher for those who have taken and gone off an anti-depressant.

Andrews and his colleagues studied dozens of previously published studies to compare outcomes for patients who used anti-depressants compared to those who used placebos.

They analyzed research on subjects who started on medications and were switched to placebos, subjects who were administered placebos throughout their treatment, and subjects who continued to take medication throughout their course of treatment.

Andrews says anti-depressants interfere with the brain’s natural self-regulation of serotonin and other neurotransmitters, and that the brain can overcorrect once medication is suspended, triggering new depression.

Though there are several forms of anti-depressants, all of them disturb the brain’s natural regulatory mechanisms, which he compares to putting a weight on a spring. The brain, like the spring, pushes back against the weight. Going off antidepressant drugs is like removing the weight from the spring, leaving the person at increased risk of depression when the brain, like the compressed spring, shoots out before retracting to its resting state.

“We found that the more these drugs affect serotonin and other neurotransmitters in your brain -- and that’s what they’re supposed to do -- the greater your risk of relapse once you stop taking them,” Andrews says. “All these drugs do reduce symptoms, probably to some degree, in the short-term. The trick is what happens in the long term. Our results suggest that when you try to go off the drugs, depression will bounce back. This can leave people stuck in a cycle where they need to keep taking anti-depressants to prevent a return of symptoms.”

Andrews believes depression may actually be a natural and beneficial -- though painful
-- state in which the brain is working to cope with stress.

“There’s a lot of debate about whether or not depression is truly a disorder, as most clinicians and the majority of the psychiatric establishment believe, or whether it’s an evolved adaptation that does something useful,” he says.

Longitudinal studies cited in the paper show that more than 40 per cent of the population may experience major depression at some point in their lives.

Most depressive episodes are triggered by traumatic events such as the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship or the loss of a job. Andrews says the brain may blunt other functions such as appetite, sex drive, sleep and social connectivity, to focus its effort on coping with the traumatic event.

Just as the body uses fever to fight infection, he believes the brain may also be using depression to fight unusual stress.

Not every case is the same, and severe cases can reach the point where they are clearly not beneficial, he emphasizes.

McMaster University, one of four Canadian universities listed among the Top 100 universities in the world, is renowned for its innovation in both learning and discovery. It has a student population of 23,000, and more than 145,000 alumni in 128 countries.

Source: McMaster University