http://www.health.am/ Health.am provides the latest RSS feeds for Breaking Health News. 2012-02-13T06:40:00-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/overeating-may-double-risk-of-memory-loss/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/overeating-may-double-risk-of-memory-loss/ New research suggests that consuming between 2,100 and 6,000 calories per day may double the risk of memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), among people age 70 and older. The study was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012. MCI is the stage between normal memory loss that comes with aging and early Alzheimer’s disease. “We observed a dose-response pattern which simply means; the higher the amount of calories consumed each day, the higher the risk of MCI,” said study author Yonas E. Geda, MD, MSc, with the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. The study involved 1,233 people between the ages of 70 and 89 and free of dementia residing in Olmsted County, Minn. Of those, 163 had MCI. Participants reported the amount of calories they ate or drank in a food questionnaire and were divided into three equal groups based on their daily caloric consumption. One-third of the participants consumed between 600 and 1,526 calories per day, one-third between 1,526 and 2,143 and one-third consumed between 2,143 and 6,000 calories per day.  Brain, Dieting, Psychiatry / Psychology 2012-02-13T07:40:00-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/cancer-rate-4-times-higher/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/cancer-rate-4-times-higher/ New research reports that incident malignancy among children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is four times higher than in those without the disease. Findings now available in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), suggest JIA treatment, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, does not necessarily explain the development of cancer in this pediatric population. Children with JIA experience symptoms similar to adults with arthritis including joint pain, swelling, tenderness and stiffness. JIA is a general term used to describe the various chronic arthritis diseases in children and affects roughly 294,000 under the age of 17 in the U.S. according to a 2008 report from the National Arthritis Data Workgroup. One of the drug types used to treat childhood and adult arthritis, along with a number of other rheumatic conditions, is TNF inhibitors. Studies have reported that more than 600,000 people worldwide have received anti-TNF therapy since their introduction 15 years ago. However, possible cancer risk has been associated with treatment, prompting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to place “black box” warnings of the potential malignancy risk on TNF inhibitors labels.  Children's Health, Arthritis, Cancer 2012-02-13T07:29:04-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/fruits-veggies-sprout-in-health-centers/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/fruits-veggies-sprout-in-health-centers/ Following a doctor’s visit at Martin Luther King Jr. Health Center in southeast Houston, a mother and her daughter make two stops within the health center. One at the facility’s pharmacy to fill a prescription for diabetes medicine; the other at the center’s farmers market just steps away. They decide what to buy for the week among the affordable, fresh fruits and vegetables. With only $5, they select broccoli, carrots and sweet potatoes, melons and apples and red, ripe-vine tomatoes from a wide variety farm-fresh produce. Healthy Harvest, a collaboration of the Harris County Hospital District, a large network of primary care centers, specialty care clinics and hospitals, and Veggie Pals, Inc. offers dollar-store prices for nutrient-rich foods. Many patients of the hospital district live in food deserts, areas of the community with few or no grocery stores. The areas may better be described as food swamps, few grocery stores, but plenty of fast-food chains dishing out hamburgers, tacos, fries, and small corner stores selling high-calorie, high-fat foods and gallon cups of sugary soda. Dr. Ann Smith Barnes, medical director, Weight Management Services and Disease Prevention, Harris County Hospital District, and assistant professor, Baylor College of Medicine, was very aware of the economic challenges facing her patients and the lack of community support.  Food & Nutrition, Public Health 2012-02-12T19:26:00-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/obesity-is-associated-with-altered-brain-function/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/obesity-is-associated-with-altered-brain-function/ In most western countries the annual increase in the prevalence and the severity of obesity is currently substantial. Although obesity typically results simply from excessive energy intake, it is currently unclear why some people are prone to overeating and gaining weight. Because the central nervous system is intimately involved in processing of hunger signals and controlling food intake, it is possible that the cause of weight gain and obesity might be in the brain. Researchers at the University of Turku and Aalto University have now found new evidence for the role of the brain in obesity. The researchers measured the functioning brain circuits involved in with multiple brain imaging methods.  Brain, Obesity 2012-02-09T18:10:01-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/new-plan-to-cut-the-fat-of-the-military/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/new-plan-to-cut-the-fat-of-the-military/ Obese Americans in the military are a national security hazard and first lady Michelle Obama wants to see that change. Obama, who has spearheaded a healthy eating and fitness program for children for two years, will lend her voice on Thursday to the military’s efforts to overhaul the food it serves. In an event in Little Rock, Arkansas, Obama will join top Pentagon officials to announce a new obesity and nutritional awareness campaign that will change nutrition standards across the services for the first time in 20 years. Fat, Dietary, Obesity, Public Health 2012-02-09T18:02:00-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/medical-device-controls-after-pip-scare/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/medical-device-controls-after-pip-scare/ European Union governments should strengthen safety controls on high-risk medical devices by using spot checks on products and manufacturing facilities after the scare over faulty silicone breast implants, the EU’s health chief said on Thursday. Europe’s weak regulations on medical devices have been partly blamed for allowing French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) to manufacture substandard silicone breast implants for up to a decade, and be used by hundreds of thousands of unwitting women around the world. “I am deeply concerned about the potential health impact for the many women, in Europe and in other parts of the world, who received faulty silicone breast implants manufactured by the French company PIP,” EU health and consumer affairs chief John Dalli told a news briefing in Brussels. Public Health 2012-02-09T18:01:01-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/obama-birth-control-rule/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/obama-birth-control-rule/ The top Republican in the Congress on Wednesday denounced President Barack Obama’s new rule on contraceptives as an assault on “religious freedom” and vowed to overturn it, as the White House sought to prevent the issue from becoming an election-year liability. Fanning a political firestorm, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner joined an outcry from religious leaders and social conservatives over a requirement that health insurance plans, including those at Catholic hospitals, charities and universities, offer birth control to women. Seeking to ease a controversy that has roiled the 2012 presidential race, White House spokesman Jay Carney appeared to leave the door open to compromise. He said Obama was sensitive to religious beliefs on contraception and hoped to find a way to implement the rule that can “allay some of the concerns.” Public Health 2012-02-09T18:00:02-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/risk-factor-for-preterm-birth/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/risk-factor-for-preterm-birth/ In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting ™, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that indicate that duration of stay in the United States is associated with increased risk of preterm birth for Hispanic women. “It is uncertain how important environmental factors are in predisposition to preterm birth,” said Radek Bukowski, MD, PhD, with the University of Texas Medical Branch, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in Galveston, Texas, and one of the study’s authors. “To address this question, the objective of the study was to determine the risk of preterm birth in relation to duration of residence in the U.S. among Hispanic women.” For the study, entitled Residence in the U.S. a Risk Factor for Preterm Birth, Bukowski and his colleague, Julian Robinson, MD, with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Obstetrics and Gynecology, in Boston, Mass., studied 2,141 Hispanic women with a prior live birth who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2006), a probability sample of the U.S. population. Childbirth, Pregnancy 2012-02-09T06:55:00-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/breastfeeding-can-reduce-risk-of-childhood-obesity/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/breastfeeding-can-reduce-risk-of-childhood-obesity/ Children of diabetic pregnancies have a greater risk of childhood obesity, but new research from the Colorado School of Public Health shows breastfeeding can reduce this threat. Epidemiologist Tessa Crume, Ph.D., MSPH, and fellow researchers tracked 94 children of diabetic pregnancies and 399 of non-diabetic pregnancies from birth to age 13. They evaluated the influence of breastfeeding on the growth of body mass index (BMI), an indicator of childhood obesity. “There are critical perinatal periods for defining obesity risk, pregnancy and early infant life,” Crume said. “We looked at children exposed to over-nutrition in utero due to a diabetic pregnancy to determine if early life nutrition could alter their risk of childhood obesity.” Children's Health, Obesity 2012-02-08T22:50:00-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/obese-children-more-likely/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/obese-children-more-likely/ Obese children are 74 percent more likely to sustain a fracture of the growth plate, the softer end of the bone where growth occurs. A new study presented today at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), involved 224 children visiting a Maryland hospital with a fracture. Information was collected on each patient regarding their sex, age, height, weight, fracture location and pattern. Patients ages 2 to 16 were divided into two groups for comparison: a “normal weight” group and an “obese/overweight” group for children with a body mass index (BMI) greater than the 85 percentile. The overweight/obese group represented 41.3 percent of the fracture population, and had a statistically significantly higher rate of growth plate injuries (40 percent versus 23 percent). The study, which is ongoing, also looked at the type of incidents causing the fractures, and found that the obese/overweight children had a greater number of injuries resulting from “low-energy” contact or impact, such as falling from a standing position. The findings could provide greater insight into the inherent risks for overweight and obese children pertaining to exercise and physical activity. ### Children's Health, Obesity 2012-02-08T22:42:00-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/bread-a-culprit-in-americans-eating-too-much-salt/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/bread-a-culprit-in-americans-eating-too-much-salt/ Nine out of 10 American adults consume too much salt and the leading culprit is not potato chips or popcorn but slices of bread and dinner rolls, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday. Forty-four percent of salt consumed can be linked to 10 types of foods, CDC said. Bread and rolls lead the list followed by cold cuts and cured meat, pizza, poultry, soups, sandwiches, cheese, pasta dishes, meat dishes and snacks such as pretzels and potato chips. Bread may not have much salt in a single serving, but when eaten several times a day can raise daily salt intake. A single slice of white bread could contain as many as 230 milligrams of salt, according to the CDC. Dieting 2012-02-08T11:19:01-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/enhanced-treatment-of-melasma-and-tattoo-removal/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/enhanced-treatment-of-melasma-and-tattoo-removal/ On the surface, it would seem as though the skin condition melasma (commonly referred to as the “mask of pregnancy”) and tattoos would have little in common. However, they both affect a person’s skin, can be quite difficult to treat or remove and, now, dermatologists are discovering new laser therapies which enhance treatment for both conditions. “Dermatologists are now finding that new laser therapies can significantly improve melasma and even remove tattoos more safely and effectively than laser procedures we have used in the past,” said dermatologist Arielle N.B. Kauvar, MD, FAAD, clinical professor of dermatology at New York University School of Medicine in New York City. Combination Laser Therapy Targets Melasma Melasma is caused by an overproduction of melanin, a natural substance in the body that gives skin its color and can lead to dark patches on the face. While melasma may occur in anyone, the condition most commonly affects women with darker Mediterranean skin, Asians and Hispanics. Dr. Kauvar explained that melasma is typically controlled with topical medications that contain ingredients to lighten the skin, such as hydroquinone or retinoids. Along with regular use of broad-spectrum sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 or higher, this treatment can resolve the excess pigmentation and prevent further darkening of the skin. Dermatology, Skin Care 2012-02-08T09:27:01-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/vitamin-d-deficiency-high-among-trauma-patients/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/vitamin-d-deficiency-high-among-trauma-patients/ New research presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found that 77 percent of trauma patients had deficient or insufficient levels of vitamin D. Researchers have linked a lack of vitamin D with muscle weakness, bone fractures, and the inability of bones to fully heal. In a new study, investigators sought to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among orthopaedic trauma patients. Investigators reviewed the medical records of 1,830 adult (ages 18 and older) patients at a university Level 1 trauma center from Jan. 1, 2009 to Sept. 30, 2010. Participants with vitamin D levels below 20 ng/mL were categorized as “deficient,” and those with levels between 20 and 32 ng/mL, “insufficient” (levels between 40 and 70 ng/mL are considered “healthy.") Trauma & Injuries 2012-02-07T20:06:00-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/risk-for-mortality-and-heart-failure/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/risk-for-mortality-and-heart-failure/ New research presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) highlights the benefits of total knee replacement (TKR) in elderly patients with osteoarthritis, including a lower probability of heart failure and mortality. Investigators reviewed Medicare records to identify osteoarthritis patients, separating them into two groups – those who underwent TKR to relieve symptoms, and those who did not. Outcomes of interest included average annual Medicare payments for related care, mortality, and new diagnoses of congestive heart failure, diabetes and depression. Differences in costs and risk ratios were adjusted for multiple variables including age, sex, race and region. The results (adjusted for underlying health conditions) were compared at fixed periods of one year, three years, five years and seven years after surgery. The seven-year cumulative average Medicare payments for all treatments were $63,940 for the non-TKR group, and $83,783 for the TKR group, for an incremental increased seven-year cost of $19,843. The cost does not include prescription drugs, which are reportedly much higher in the non-TKR group. Heart, Mortality and Morbidity 2012-02-07T19:42:01-08:00 http://www.health.am/ab/more/spanking-kids-can-cause/ http://www.health.am/ab/more/spanking-kids-can-cause/ Spanking children can cause long-term developmental damage and may even lower a child’s IQ, according to a new Canadian analysis that seeks to shift the ethical debate over corporal punishment into the medical sphere. The study, published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, reached its conclusion after examining 20 years of published research on the issue. The authors say the medical finding have been largely overlooked and overshadowed by concerns that parents should have the right to determine how their children are disciplined. While spanking is certainly not as widespread as it was 20 years ago, many still cling to the practice and see prohibiting spanking as limiting the rights of parents. Children's Health, Brain 2012-02-07T19:31:00-08:00