That tummy ache? Must be stomach cancer. That headache? Brain tumor. Forgetting things? Uh-oh, Alzheimer's.
Everyone has overreacted to utterly common problems -- especially once you start Googling them. (Cyberchondria, anyone?) But some people are especially prone to health fears. In fact, up to 20 percent of us suffer from various degrees of health anxiety. One antidote: Exercise, because sweaty workouts shrink medical worries as well as waistlines. So if your left brain (the rational side) knows you're fine, yet your right brain can't let go of nagging fears, go for a walk, jog or swim; or pump a little iron; or try some chi gong -- anything that gets your muscles moving.
Even if it's not enough, it's a good start. Some overreactors need more focused treatment, such as cognitive behavior therapy or medication. But physical activity can still make a real difference, even if you're trying to push back panic attacks.
Of course, not all physical worries should be brushed off. If you have persistent, unexplained health symptoms, if they're sudden or severe enough to twist your body with pain or if your heart's pounding so hard that it feels as if it could jump out of your chest, see your doctor, not your trainer.
That said, physical exertion is a remarkably effective way to calm down when there's nothing to fear but fear itself.
Besides, your mind tends to rest easier when you're doing something that's good for your body.
Ideally, it's something that demands your total focus, so you can't think of anything else while you're doing it. That could be yoga, one-on-one basketball or taking dance lessons -- hip-hop, swing, the samba, whatever. Go for it.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Health care found to be better with online help
Even though his doctor told him what to do to lower his high blood pressure, John Mason had trouble doing it.
Watching a diet and exercising regularly isn't easy for anyone, he said, so for five years he lived with hypertension.
But as the Burien man approached 50 -- the same age his father, aunt and cousin died of heart disease -- he began taking his blood pressure seriously.
In 2006, he enrolled in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial to check whether monitoring blood pressure at home and having regular contact with a health care provider through the Internet helped patients lower their blood pressure.
The Seattle-based study, which began in 2006, showed patients with online help controlled their high blood pressure more than twice as well as those who didn't have extra resources, and they did it with fewer doctor visits.
The study, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, involved 778 Group Health patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure.
The eligible patients -- who needed Internet access to participate in the nearly three-year study -- were randomly assigned to one of three groups to see which resources better helped them control their blood pressure.
One group got standard care, which included blood pressure pamphlets and access to doctor e-mail and Group Health's Web site.
The second group got blood-pressure monitors and also had access to the Web, but were trained in how to navigate the site and shown how to send blood pressure results to their doctors online.
The third group, which Mason was in, got home blood-pressure monitors and Web training, but also got care from pharmacists online, usually about every two weeks.
Mason tracked his blood pressure and exchanged e-mails with pharmacists about twice a month. They reminded him when to send in his blood-pressure readings and developed lifestyle goals for him to follow. They also adjusted medication doses as needed -- all via e-mail.
Web-based care nearly doubled the percentage of people whose blood pressure was controlled, said Dr. Beverly Green, a Group Health family doctor and lead researcher of the study. It nearly tripled for those with the highest blood pressure, she said.
Nearly 60 percent of patients in the pharmacist group controlled their high blood pressure, which means their average reading was below 140/90. That compared with 31 percent in the standard-care group and 36 percent in the second group.
"Hypertension is one of the most common reasons for a clinic visit, and we don't manage it very well," Green said. "You're dealing with a packed day and even if a patient comes in with high blood pressure, it may not be the main reason for the visit and can get overlooked.
"We don't have a superpill for high blood pressure like we do for cholesterol, which is hard for a patient," she said.
Allowing patients to be anywhere in the world and still have direct access to information and their physician is empowering, Green said, but she fears the nation's current health care system isn't conducive to online visits.
Doctors are reimbursed by how many visits they have -- not how many e-mails they send, she said.
But some Seattle-area physicians see the landmark study as a step in the right direction.
"This answers some of our questions about the safest ways to join the patient in a care team that improves blood pressure control," said Dr. Kim Pittenger, a family doctor at Virginia Mason Kirkland.
"We assume and hope that improved control will prevent heart disease and stroke," she said. "Most of what we know about planning out care with patients tells us they get better results the more confident they are and the more we entrust patients with targeted self-care. It's not all about visiting the doctor all of the time."
Swedish Medical Center is scheduled to launch a "telehealth" service in mid-July to help home-care patients monitor chronic health problems. Though high blood pressure isn't one of the initial five categories available for monitoring, which includes diabetes and congestive heart failure, Swedish said the program helps the hospital intervene before a medical crisis is full-blown.
Mason, now 53, has significantly lowered his blood pressure.
Though he didn't know exactly how many points he's dropped, his doctor is pleased with the results. Since completing the study, Mason is creating his own goals and finding it easier to eat healthy and exercise. And his wife and nine children don't worry about him as much.
"As a man, you don't go to the doctor until you have to," he said. "With the study, the greatest thing in the world was to have the pharmacist available to me online. I had goals I had to reach, and it was helping me develop good habits.
"That human contact helped."
Watching a diet and exercising regularly isn't easy for anyone, he said, so for five years he lived with hypertension.
But as the Burien man approached 50 -- the same age his father, aunt and cousin died of heart disease -- he began taking his blood pressure seriously.
In 2006, he enrolled in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial to check whether monitoring blood pressure at home and having regular contact with a health care provider through the Internet helped patients lower their blood pressure.
The Seattle-based study, which began in 2006, showed patients with online help controlled their high blood pressure more than twice as well as those who didn't have extra resources, and they did it with fewer doctor visits.
The study, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, involved 778 Group Health patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure.
The eligible patients -- who needed Internet access to participate in the nearly three-year study -- were randomly assigned to one of three groups to see which resources better helped them control their blood pressure.
One group got standard care, which included blood pressure pamphlets and access to doctor e-mail and Group Health's Web site.
The second group got blood-pressure monitors and also had access to the Web, but were trained in how to navigate the site and shown how to send blood pressure results to their doctors online.
The third group, which Mason was in, got home blood-pressure monitors and Web training, but also got care from pharmacists online, usually about every two weeks.
Mason tracked his blood pressure and exchanged e-mails with pharmacists about twice a month. They reminded him when to send in his blood-pressure readings and developed lifestyle goals for him to follow. They also adjusted medication doses as needed -- all via e-mail.
Web-based care nearly doubled the percentage of people whose blood pressure was controlled, said Dr. Beverly Green, a Group Health family doctor and lead researcher of the study. It nearly tripled for those with the highest blood pressure, she said.
Nearly 60 percent of patients in the pharmacist group controlled their high blood pressure, which means their average reading was below 140/90. That compared with 31 percent in the standard-care group and 36 percent in the second group.
"Hypertension is one of the most common reasons for a clinic visit, and we don't manage it very well," Green said. "You're dealing with a packed day and even if a patient comes in with high blood pressure, it may not be the main reason for the visit and can get overlooked.
"We don't have a superpill for high blood pressure like we do for cholesterol, which is hard for a patient," she said.
Allowing patients to be anywhere in the world and still have direct access to information and their physician is empowering, Green said, but she fears the nation's current health care system isn't conducive to online visits.
Doctors are reimbursed by how many visits they have -- not how many e-mails they send, she said.
But some Seattle-area physicians see the landmark study as a step in the right direction.
"This answers some of our questions about the safest ways to join the patient in a care team that improves blood pressure control," said Dr. Kim Pittenger, a family doctor at Virginia Mason Kirkland.
"We assume and hope that improved control will prevent heart disease and stroke," she said. "Most of what we know about planning out care with patients tells us they get better results the more confident they are and the more we entrust patients with targeted self-care. It's not all about visiting the doctor all of the time."
Swedish Medical Center is scheduled to launch a "telehealth" service in mid-July to help home-care patients monitor chronic health problems. Though high blood pressure isn't one of the initial five categories available for monitoring, which includes diabetes and congestive heart failure, Swedish said the program helps the hospital intervene before a medical crisis is full-blown.
Mason, now 53, has significantly lowered his blood pressure.
Though he didn't know exactly how many points he's dropped, his doctor is pleased with the results. Since completing the study, Mason is creating his own goals and finding it easier to eat healthy and exercise. And his wife and nine children don't worry about him as much.
"As a man, you don't go to the doctor until you have to," he said. "With the study, the greatest thing in the world was to have the pharmacist available to me online. I had goals I had to reach, and it was helping me develop good habits.
"That human contact helped."
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Fighting Cancer Naturally
Cancer touches everyone's lives. Whether through personal battle or through struggles of a friend or family member, it is likely that you are familiar with the debilitating effects of this disease. Fortunately, the food choices you make can greatly influence your risk of developing cancer and affect the body's ability to fight existing cancer.
A diet that provides vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals helps bolster our immune system and maintain or repair wellness. Here are some steps you can take to make your diet a cancer-fighting tool:
Eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, concentrating on strong, vivid colors, such as those found in red peppers, green broccoli and orange yams. The antioxidants and phytochemicals in these foods provide powerful protection against cancer.
Increase fish intakes while limiting red meat. A diet rich in salmon, mackerel and halibut provides the highest concentration of omega-3 fatty acids. Compounds known as prostaglandins derived from omega-3 fatty acids may inhibit cancer growth.
Drink green tea. Aim for three cups a day to help block the formation of cancer-causing compounds.
Swap white flour products for whole grains. Look for breads offering 100 percent whole grains. Whole grains may cut colon cancer risk.
Eat high fiber foods such as legumes and vegetables, and drink plenty of water to help your body eliminate toxins.
Reduce your exposure to pesticides. Buy organic when possible, particularly when buying foods in which pesticides are concentrated, such as meat, eggs, cheese and milk.
What we choose to eat truly does have the power to boost our health and fight off disease. For additional dietary guidelines, schedule an appointment with a registered dietitian (RD).
A diet that provides vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals helps bolster our immune system and maintain or repair wellness. Here are some steps you can take to make your diet a cancer-fighting tool:
Eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, concentrating on strong, vivid colors, such as those found in red peppers, green broccoli and orange yams. The antioxidants and phytochemicals in these foods provide powerful protection against cancer.
Increase fish intakes while limiting red meat. A diet rich in salmon, mackerel and halibut provides the highest concentration of omega-3 fatty acids. Compounds known as prostaglandins derived from omega-3 fatty acids may inhibit cancer growth.
Drink green tea. Aim for three cups a day to help block the formation of cancer-causing compounds.
Swap white flour products for whole grains. Look for breads offering 100 percent whole grains. Whole grains may cut colon cancer risk.
Eat high fiber foods such as legumes and vegetables, and drink plenty of water to help your body eliminate toxins.
Reduce your exposure to pesticides. Buy organic when possible, particularly when buying foods in which pesticides are concentrated, such as meat, eggs, cheese and milk.
What we choose to eat truly does have the power to boost our health and fight off disease. For additional dietary guidelines, schedule an appointment with a registered dietitian (RD).
Friday, June 27, 2008
Scientists Find Alzheimers Gene
Scientists have identified a gene that may raise the risk of getting the most common kind of Alzheimer's disease by about 45 percent in people who inherit a certain form of it.
That form of the gene appears to hamper a brain cell's ability to take in calcium, researchers said. If drugs can be found that reverse its effect, they may be useful in fighting Alzheimer's, researchers said.
Most cases of Alzheimer's appear after age 65. So far, only one gene has been firmly established as affecting the risk of this late-onset version. The gene proposed in the new study, called CALHM1, appears to have a much smaller impact on the disease risk.
Dozens of other genes are also under study as possibly affecting risk of the disease.
The new work appears Friday's issue of the journal Cell. The work is reported by Philippe Marambaud of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, N.Y., and others in the United States and elsewhere.
They studied the gene with data from more than 2,000 people with Alzheimer's and about 1,400 people without the disease.
That form of the gene appears to hamper a brain cell's ability to take in calcium, researchers said. If drugs can be found that reverse its effect, they may be useful in fighting Alzheimer's, researchers said.
Most cases of Alzheimer's appear after age 65. So far, only one gene has been firmly established as affecting the risk of this late-onset version. The gene proposed in the new study, called CALHM1, appears to have a much smaller impact on the disease risk.
Dozens of other genes are also under study as possibly affecting risk of the disease.
The new work appears Friday's issue of the journal Cell. The work is reported by Philippe Marambaud of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, N.Y., and others in the United States and elsewhere.
They studied the gene with data from more than 2,000 people with Alzheimer's and about 1,400 people without the disease.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Can Croup Be Treated with Humidified Air?
THE CLAIM
Croup can be treated with humidified air.
THE FACTS
Pediatricians have long recommended 20 or 30 minutes of exposure to humidified air as a home remedy for the respiratory infection that causes harsh coughing and is known as croup. The thinking is that the heat and moisture help relax tight or swollen airways.
But now scientists are beginning to think that the treatment may be little more than an exercise in futility. This year, British researchers compiled data from three large studies that have examined the treatment over the years and found that it had no clear benefits.
The researchers reviewed 135 mild to moderate cases of croup in children treated with humidified air in a hospital or not treated at all. After looking at factors like mortality, the progression of symptoms and the number of school days missed, the researchers found that children with croup did "not improve greatly with inhalation of humidified air."
The study appears in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, which examines research in health care. The authors say the apparent benefits of humidified air may have more to do with secondary factors like the calming effect of a parent's presence or encouragement to take deep breaths.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Despite anecdotal evidence, research suggests that humidified air does not relieve croup.
Croup can be treated with humidified air.
THE FACTS
Pediatricians have long recommended 20 or 30 minutes of exposure to humidified air as a home remedy for the respiratory infection that causes harsh coughing and is known as croup. The thinking is that the heat and moisture help relax tight or swollen airways.
But now scientists are beginning to think that the treatment may be little more than an exercise in futility. This year, British researchers compiled data from three large studies that have examined the treatment over the years and found that it had no clear benefits.
The researchers reviewed 135 mild to moderate cases of croup in children treated with humidified air in a hospital or not treated at all. After looking at factors like mortality, the progression of symptoms and the number of school days missed, the researchers found that children with croup did "not improve greatly with inhalation of humidified air."
The study appears in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, which examines research in health care. The authors say the apparent benefits of humidified air may have more to do with secondary factors like the calming effect of a parent's presence or encouragement to take deep breaths.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Despite anecdotal evidence, research suggests that humidified air does not relieve croup.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Eight Percent of Americans have Diabetes
The number of Americans with diabetes has grown to about 24 million people, or roughly 8 percent of the U.S. population, the government said Tuesday.
A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on data from 2007, said the number represents an increase of about 3 million over two years. The CDC estimates another 57 million people have blood sugar abnormalities called pre-diabetes, which puts people at increased risk for the disease.
The percentage of people unaware that they have diabetes fell from 30 percent to 25 percent, according to the study.
Dr. Ann Albright, director of the CDC Division of Diabetes Translation, said the report has "both good news and bad news."
"It is concerning to know that we have more people developing diabetes, and these data are a reminder of the importance of increasing awareness of this condition, especially among people who are at high risk," Albright said in a statement.
"On the other hand, it is good to see that more people are aware that they have diabetes."
A message left Tuesday night seeking further comment from the CDC wasn't immediately returned.
The disease results from defects in insulin production that cause sugar to build up in the body. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the country and can cause serious health problems including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputations.
Among adults, diabetes increased in both men and women and in all age groups, but still disproportionately affects the elderly. Almost 25 percent of the population 60 years and older had diabetes in 2007.
After adjusting for population age differences between various groups, the rate of diagnosed diabetes was highest among American Indians and Alaska Natives (16.5 percent). This was followed by blacks (11.8 percent) and Hispanics (10.4 percent), which includes rates for Puerto Ricans (12.6 percent), Mexican Americans (11.9 percent), and Cubans (8.2 percent).
By comparison, the rate for Asian Americans was 7.5 percent, with whites at 6.6 percent.
A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on data from 2007, said the number represents an increase of about 3 million over two years. The CDC estimates another 57 million people have blood sugar abnormalities called pre-diabetes, which puts people at increased risk for the disease.
The percentage of people unaware that they have diabetes fell from 30 percent to 25 percent, according to the study.
Dr. Ann Albright, director of the CDC Division of Diabetes Translation, said the report has "both good news and bad news."
"It is concerning to know that we have more people developing diabetes, and these data are a reminder of the importance of increasing awareness of this condition, especially among people who are at high risk," Albright said in a statement.
"On the other hand, it is good to see that more people are aware that they have diabetes."
A message left Tuesday night seeking further comment from the CDC wasn't immediately returned.
The disease results from defects in insulin production that cause sugar to build up in the body. It is the seventh leading cause of death in the country and can cause serious health problems including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputations.
Among adults, diabetes increased in both men and women and in all age groups, but still disproportionately affects the elderly. Almost 25 percent of the population 60 years and older had diabetes in 2007.
After adjusting for population age differences between various groups, the rate of diagnosed diabetes was highest among American Indians and Alaska Natives (16.5 percent). This was followed by blacks (11.8 percent) and Hispanics (10.4 percent), which includes rates for Puerto Ricans (12.6 percent), Mexican Americans (11.9 percent), and Cubans (8.2 percent).
By comparison, the rate for Asian Americans was 7.5 percent, with whites at 6.6 percent.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Do some type of Alcohols cause worse Hangovers?
THE CLAIM
Some types of alcohol cause worse hangovers than others.
THE FACTS
Too much alcohol of any kind can cause sickness and regret the morning after. But it's often said that some kinds of drinks are worse than others.
Experts say that the type of alcohol you drink does make a difference, but for various reasons. Among the most important is the amount of congeners (pronounced CON-juh-nurz) -- complex organic molecules, like methanol -- in a particular drink. Impurities in poorly refined spirits like cheap vodka also can play a role, but congeners, which are common in darker liquors, seem to have the greatest effect.
According to one report in The British Medical Journal, which looked at the effects of different types of alcohol, the drink that produced the most hangover symptoms was brandy, followed by red wine, rum, whiskey, white wine, gin and vodka. Another study showed that bourbon was twice as likely to cause sickness as the same amount of vodka.
There also is wide variation within certain categories, such as wine. Wines that come from countries where a small change in climate can greatly affect their quality, some experts say, can contain significantly more hangover-inducing compounds in a bad season. Inexpensive red wines, in particular, have a reputation for causing sickness. But that may be because some people suffer from a syndrome called red wine headache, whose cause is unknown. What scientists do know is that the wines that cause it vary from person to person, and across brands, grapes and price.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Certain types of alcohol can make a hangover worse.
Some types of alcohol cause worse hangovers than others.
THE FACTS
Too much alcohol of any kind can cause sickness and regret the morning after. But it's often said that some kinds of drinks are worse than others.
Experts say that the type of alcohol you drink does make a difference, but for various reasons. Among the most important is the amount of congeners (pronounced CON-juh-nurz) -- complex organic molecules, like methanol -- in a particular drink. Impurities in poorly refined spirits like cheap vodka also can play a role, but congeners, which are common in darker liquors, seem to have the greatest effect.
According to one report in The British Medical Journal, which looked at the effects of different types of alcohol, the drink that produced the most hangover symptoms was brandy, followed by red wine, rum, whiskey, white wine, gin and vodka. Another study showed that bourbon was twice as likely to cause sickness as the same amount of vodka.
There also is wide variation within certain categories, such as wine. Wines that come from countries where a small change in climate can greatly affect their quality, some experts say, can contain significantly more hangover-inducing compounds in a bad season. Inexpensive red wines, in particular, have a reputation for causing sickness. But that may be because some people suffer from a syndrome called red wine headache, whose cause is unknown. What scientists do know is that the wines that cause it vary from person to person, and across brands, grapes and price.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Certain types of alcohol can make a hangover worse.
Monday, June 23, 2008
How Much Weight do you Gain during Holidays?
It starts with the Halloween candy that stays around for weeks. Then there is the feast on Thanksgiving Day, and eventually the incessant eating and drinking at the end of December, not to mention all that extra time on the couch.
With all the opportunities to gorge and laze around over the holidays, it is little surprise that conventional wisdom suggests that the average person will pack on at least 5 pounds this season.
In reality, though, studies show that most people will gain far less. The only problem is that the holidays probably account for much of a person's annual weight gain over the course of a lifetime.
According to most studies on the subject, the average person gains 1 to 2 pounds from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. One of the most recent and thorough studies to examine the idea, published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2000, followed a diverse group of about 200 adults, half men.
The researchers found that from early October to late February the subjects gained an average of 1.05 pounds, 75 percent of that from Thanksgiving to Jan. 1.
Those who were the most active had the least gain, and those who already were overweight gained the most.
But only 10 percent of people gained more than 5 pounds. Another study carried out at Tufts had similar results.
A pound does not sound like much. But because a typical adult gains 1 to 2 pounds a year, the holiday pound has significant long-term effects.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Most people gain about 1 pound over the holidays.
With all the opportunities to gorge and laze around over the holidays, it is little surprise that conventional wisdom suggests that the average person will pack on at least 5 pounds this season.
In reality, though, studies show that most people will gain far less. The only problem is that the holidays probably account for much of a person's annual weight gain over the course of a lifetime.
According to most studies on the subject, the average person gains 1 to 2 pounds from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. One of the most recent and thorough studies to examine the idea, published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2000, followed a diverse group of about 200 adults, half men.
The researchers found that from early October to late February the subjects gained an average of 1.05 pounds, 75 percent of that from Thanksgiving to Jan. 1.
Those who were the most active had the least gain, and those who already were overweight gained the most.
But only 10 percent of people gained more than 5 pounds. Another study carried out at Tufts had similar results.
A pound does not sound like much. But because a typical adult gains 1 to 2 pounds a year, the holiday pound has significant long-term effects.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Most people gain about 1 pound over the holidays.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Can Raisins soaked in Gin stop Arthritis pain?
THE CLAIM
Raisins soaked in gin can ease arthritis pain.
THE FACTS
In 2004, Teresa Heinz Kerry, the Mozambique-born heiress and wife of John Kerry, who was then running for president, advocated an unusual remedy for arthritis while discussing health care at a campaign stop in Nevada.
"You get some gin and get some white raisins -- and only white raisins -- and soak them in the gin for two weeks," she said. "Then eat nine of the raisins a day."
Although some people poked fun at the statement, Heinz Kerry was repeating a popular folk remedy that has been around for decades. Countless Web sites for arthritis sufferers mention it as a cure for pain, and several books on folk remedies promote it. But whether there is any real science behind it is an open question.
To date, no rigorous studies have examined whether gin or raisins -- together or alone -- can ease arthritis symptoms. Grapes contain compounds called proanthocyanidins, which are thought to help fight infection and reduce inflammation. They also contain resveratrol, the powerful antioxidant that scientists say gives red wine many of its disease-fighting properties.
Dr. Steven Abramson, the director of rheumatology at the New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases, said studies are looking at whether resveratrol and other substances in red wine can affect joint disease. But raisins are a poor source of resveratrol, which usually is destroyed when grapes are dried. And the Department of Agriculture says levels of proanthocyanidins in raisins are "undetectable."
As for the gin, Abramson said, some people find it can help dull pain, but only in moderation.
THE BOTTOM LINE
There is no evidence that raisins soaked in gin have any particular effect on arthritis pain.
Raisins soaked in gin can ease arthritis pain.
THE FACTS
In 2004, Teresa Heinz Kerry, the Mozambique-born heiress and wife of John Kerry, who was then running for president, advocated an unusual remedy for arthritis while discussing health care at a campaign stop in Nevada.
"You get some gin and get some white raisins -- and only white raisins -- and soak them in the gin for two weeks," she said. "Then eat nine of the raisins a day."
Although some people poked fun at the statement, Heinz Kerry was repeating a popular folk remedy that has been around for decades. Countless Web sites for arthritis sufferers mention it as a cure for pain, and several books on folk remedies promote it. But whether there is any real science behind it is an open question.
To date, no rigorous studies have examined whether gin or raisins -- together or alone -- can ease arthritis symptoms. Grapes contain compounds called proanthocyanidins, which are thought to help fight infection and reduce inflammation. They also contain resveratrol, the powerful antioxidant that scientists say gives red wine many of its disease-fighting properties.
Dr. Steven Abramson, the director of rheumatology at the New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases, said studies are looking at whether resveratrol and other substances in red wine can affect joint disease. But raisins are a poor source of resveratrol, which usually is destroyed when grapes are dried. And the Department of Agriculture says levels of proanthocyanidins in raisins are "undetectable."
As for the gin, Abramson said, some people find it can help dull pain, but only in moderation.
THE BOTTOM LINE
There is no evidence that raisins soaked in gin have any particular effect on arthritis pain.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Does chlorine in drinking water increase the risk of Cancer?
THE CLAIM
Chlorine in drinking water can increase the risk of cancer
THE FACTS
Companies that sell water filters often claim that the chlorine in most tap water causes cancer. Is it true? Scientists say chlorination can produce at least one group of chemical byproducts, trihalomethanes, that are considered carcinogenic. But studies over the years have differed on whether levels of these compounds in tap water adversely affect health.
Some studies have found a link to cancer, others have not. The most reliable findings may be those of meta-analyses, large studies that pool results of many smaller ones. Three such meta-analyses in 1992, 2003 and 2004 linked long-term consumption of chlorinated water to small increases in the rates of bladder cancer, particularly in men. Several agencies, including the World Health Organization, say the evidence is weak and point out that any risk from chlorine byproducts is tiny compared with risks associated with non-chlorinated water. Many countries that have relaxed chlorination standards have seen outbreaks of cholera and other diseases.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Some studies have found byproducts of chlorination associated with a slight increase in cancer risk, but the findings are disputed by major health organizations.
Chlorine in drinking water can increase the risk of cancer
THE FACTS
Companies that sell water filters often claim that the chlorine in most tap water causes cancer. Is it true? Scientists say chlorination can produce at least one group of chemical byproducts, trihalomethanes, that are considered carcinogenic. But studies over the years have differed on whether levels of these compounds in tap water adversely affect health.
Some studies have found a link to cancer, others have not. The most reliable findings may be those of meta-analyses, large studies that pool results of many smaller ones. Three such meta-analyses in 1992, 2003 and 2004 linked long-term consumption of chlorinated water to small increases in the rates of bladder cancer, particularly in men. Several agencies, including the World Health Organization, say the evidence is weak and point out that any risk from chlorine byproducts is tiny compared with risks associated with non-chlorinated water. Many countries that have relaxed chlorination standards have seen outbreaks of cholera and other diseases.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Some studies have found byproducts of chlorination associated with a slight increase in cancer risk, but the findings are disputed by major health organizations.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Are heart Attacks More Frequent on Birthdays?
THE CLAIM
Heart attacks are more common on birthdays.
THE FACTS
If the stress of a pink slip or the strain of physical exertion can set off a heart attack, why not the emotion associated with birthdays?
One extensive examination of the claim was conducted by Canadian researchers and published in the journal Neurology this year. In the study, the researchers tracked more than 50,000 patients, with an average age about 70, who were treated for heart failure at hospitals in Ontario in a two-year period. They found a strong relationship between birthdays and the onset of so-called vascular events.
Strokes, acute myocardial infarctions and transient ischemic attacks were 27 percent more likely to occur on birthdays than on other days of the year. But there was no corresponding increase for other types of illness, such as appendicitis, head trauma or symptoms of asthma, suggesting that heart attacks were unique. The scientists attributed the phenomenon largely to anxiety and other "psychosocial stressors," but other factors may be involved.
Another large study, in New Jersey in 1993, found a similar birthday spike -- 21 percent for men and 9 percent for women -- suggesting that overindulgence may play a role. Drinking and smoking, for example, are more common on birthdays, especially among men, something that also could explain the gender difference in the New Jersey study.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Heart attacks occur more frequently on birthdays than on other days of the year.
Heart attacks are more common on birthdays.
THE FACTS
If the stress of a pink slip or the strain of physical exertion can set off a heart attack, why not the emotion associated with birthdays?
One extensive examination of the claim was conducted by Canadian researchers and published in the journal Neurology this year. In the study, the researchers tracked more than 50,000 patients, with an average age about 70, who were treated for heart failure at hospitals in Ontario in a two-year period. They found a strong relationship between birthdays and the onset of so-called vascular events.
Strokes, acute myocardial infarctions and transient ischemic attacks were 27 percent more likely to occur on birthdays than on other days of the year. But there was no corresponding increase for other types of illness, such as appendicitis, head trauma or symptoms of asthma, suggesting that heart attacks were unique. The scientists attributed the phenomenon largely to anxiety and other "psychosocial stressors," but other factors may be involved.
Another large study, in New Jersey in 1993, found a similar birthday spike -- 21 percent for men and 9 percent for women -- suggesting that overindulgence may play a role. Drinking and smoking, for example, are more common on birthdays, especially among men, something that also could explain the gender difference in the New Jersey study.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Heart attacks occur more frequently on birthdays than on other days of the year.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
US panel endorses 2nd vaccine for kids' virus
A federal advisory panel has endorsed a second vaccine to combat a common and potentially fatal virus that causes diarrhea and vomiting in children.
The new two-dose vaccine for infants, made by GlaxoSmithKline, was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration in April. The vaccine advisory committee agreed Wednesday that it should be added to the recommended vaccines for infants, as well as the three-dose vaccine made by Merck & Co. and approved in 2006.
Both vaccines are given orally to prevent rotavirus, which causes 67,000 hospitalizations of children under 5 each year in the U.S., but only about 30 deaths. Worldwide, it kills an estimated 500,000 children a year.
Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and children, but is perhaps better known as the cause of vomiting that often strikes children in the winter.
The vaccine advisory panel's recommendations typically are adopted by the government, which issues vaccination guidelines to doctors and hospitals.
The committee voiced no preference for one vaccine over the other.
The new two-dose version can be completed in four months, compared to six months for the older version. Both are estimated to cost about $200. Government endorsement of a vaccine often means insurance companies will pay for it.
Wide use of the older vaccine is credited with reducing the severity of rotavirus over the past year.
The virus follows a pattern similar to flu season, but the 2007-08 season was the mildest in 15 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The new two-dose vaccine for infants, made by GlaxoSmithKline, was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration in April. The vaccine advisory committee agreed Wednesday that it should be added to the recommended vaccines for infants, as well as the three-dose vaccine made by Merck & Co. and approved in 2006.
Both vaccines are given orally to prevent rotavirus, which causes 67,000 hospitalizations of children under 5 each year in the U.S., but only about 30 deaths. Worldwide, it kills an estimated 500,000 children a year.
Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and children, but is perhaps better known as the cause of vomiting that often strikes children in the winter.
The vaccine advisory panel's recommendations typically are adopted by the government, which issues vaccination guidelines to doctors and hospitals.
The committee voiced no preference for one vaccine over the other.
The new two-dose version can be completed in four months, compared to six months for the older version. Both are estimated to cost about $200. Government endorsement of a vaccine often means insurance companies will pay for it.
Wide use of the older vaccine is credited with reducing the severity of rotavirus over the past year.
The virus follows a pattern similar to flu season, but the 2007-08 season was the mildest in 15 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Never Bathe in a Thunderstorm?
THE CLAIM
Never bathe or shower in a thunderstorm.
THE FACTS
It has the ring of an urban legend and seems too bizarre to be true. But the claim that taking a shower during a lightning storm can electrocute you is no old wives' tale, experts say.
The basis of the claim is that a bolt of lightning that hits a house or building -- even one that is protected against severe weather -- can travel through plumbing, into metal pipes, and shock anyone who comes into contact with a faucet or appliance.
Metal pipes are not only excellent conductors of electricity, but they also carry tap water laden with impurities that help conduct electrical current.
In the real world, the odds of being harmed this way are extremely minute. But it is not unheard of. Ron Holle, a former meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who tracks lightning injuries, estimates that 10 to 20 people in the United States are shocked annually while bathing, using faucets or handling appliances during storms. "There are a ton of myths about lightning," he said, "but this is not one of them."
In a storm, a protected building acts somewhat like a metal cage. Electricity from a lightning strike is conducted around you and eventually dissipates into the ground. There is no real risk unless you touch something connected to plumbing, electrical wiring or another conducting path.
Dr. Mary Ann Cooper, who runs the Lightning Injury Research Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said people had been shocked and even killed washing dishes, doing laundry and sitting in bathtubs in storms. A database of these incidents is online at struckbylightning.org.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Lightning can travel through plumbing and shock people
Never bathe or shower in a thunderstorm.
THE FACTS
It has the ring of an urban legend and seems too bizarre to be true. But the claim that taking a shower during a lightning storm can electrocute you is no old wives' tale, experts say.
The basis of the claim is that a bolt of lightning that hits a house or building -- even one that is protected against severe weather -- can travel through plumbing, into metal pipes, and shock anyone who comes into contact with a faucet or appliance.
Metal pipes are not only excellent conductors of electricity, but they also carry tap water laden with impurities that help conduct electrical current.
In the real world, the odds of being harmed this way are extremely minute. But it is not unheard of. Ron Holle, a former meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who tracks lightning injuries, estimates that 10 to 20 people in the United States are shocked annually while bathing, using faucets or handling appliances during storms. "There are a ton of myths about lightning," he said, "but this is not one of them."
In a storm, a protected building acts somewhat like a metal cage. Electricity from a lightning strike is conducted around you and eventually dissipates into the ground. There is no real risk unless you touch something connected to plumbing, electrical wiring or another conducting path.
Dr. Mary Ann Cooper, who runs the Lightning Injury Research Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said people had been shocked and even killed washing dishes, doing laundry and sitting in bathtubs in storms. A database of these incidents is online at struckbylightning.org.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Lightning can travel through plumbing and shock people
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Can Air Fresheners Cause Lung damage?
THE CLAIM
Air fresheners can cause lung damage.
THE FACTS
For years, scientists have suspected that a chemical in many household deodorizing products may cause short-term lung problems -- and possibly worse.
Now it appears that those concerns are probably valid. In a study published this month, scientists at the National Institutes of Health say they found that people with relatively high blood concentrations of the substance -- 1,4-dichlorobenzene, an organic chemical -- show signs of slightly reduced lung function. The chemical is also in mothballs, tobacco smoke and toilet deodorizers.
The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, followed 953 Americans, average age 37, for six years. After controlling for factors like smoking, it found that the 10 percent of people with the highest blood levels of 1,4-DCB did 4 percent worse on lung function tests than the 10 percent of people with the lowest levels.
Four percent may sound inconsequential, but the researchers pointed out that even a small reduction in respiratory function "may indicate some harm to the lungs."
The simple solution, scientists say, is to limit the use of such products.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Studies suggest chronic exposure to a chemical in air fresheners can cause lung problems.
Air fresheners can cause lung damage.
THE FACTS
For years, scientists have suspected that a chemical in many household deodorizing products may cause short-term lung problems -- and possibly worse.
Now it appears that those concerns are probably valid. In a study published this month, scientists at the National Institutes of Health say they found that people with relatively high blood concentrations of the substance -- 1,4-dichlorobenzene, an organic chemical -- show signs of slightly reduced lung function. The chemical is also in mothballs, tobacco smoke and toilet deodorizers.
The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, followed 953 Americans, average age 37, for six years. After controlling for factors like smoking, it found that the 10 percent of people with the highest blood levels of 1,4-DCB did 4 percent worse on lung function tests than the 10 percent of people with the lowest levels.
Four percent may sound inconsequential, but the researchers pointed out that even a small reduction in respiratory function "may indicate some harm to the lungs."
The simple solution, scientists say, is to limit the use of such products.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Studies suggest chronic exposure to a chemical in air fresheners can cause lung problems.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Does Exposing Wounds to Air Help Healing?
THE CLAIM
Wounds heal better when exposed to air.
THE FACTS
Most parents and school nurses have a time-honored approach to treating a small wound: Clean it up, stop the bleeding and then let it get some air.
The point of this approach is to lower the odds of infection and to speed the healing process. But over the years, researchers have found that what many people know about treating small cuts and scrapes is wrong.
Exposing a wound to the air so it can breathe is a terrible mistake, experts say, because it creates a dry environment that promotes cell death.
A handful of studies have found that when wounds are kept moist and covered, blood vessels regenerate faster and the number of cells that cause inflammation drop more rapidly than they do in wounds allowed to air out. It is best to keep a wound moist and covered for at least five days.
Another common mistake is applying antibiotic ointments, said Dr. Mark Davis, a professor of dermatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. These ointments may keep the wound moist, he said, but they also can lead to swelling and an allergic reaction called contact dermatitis. Plain and simple Vaseline, applied twice a day, works fine.
And as awful as removing scabs may sound, it may be a good idea, Davis said. A small initial scab will help stop the bleeding, but if left for too long it will do more harm than good.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Exposing a cut so it can breathe slows healing.
Wounds heal better when exposed to air.
THE FACTS
Most parents and school nurses have a time-honored approach to treating a small wound: Clean it up, stop the bleeding and then let it get some air.
The point of this approach is to lower the odds of infection and to speed the healing process. But over the years, researchers have found that what many people know about treating small cuts and scrapes is wrong.
Exposing a wound to the air so it can breathe is a terrible mistake, experts say, because it creates a dry environment that promotes cell death.
A handful of studies have found that when wounds are kept moist and covered, blood vessels regenerate faster and the number of cells that cause inflammation drop more rapidly than they do in wounds allowed to air out. It is best to keep a wound moist and covered for at least five days.
Another common mistake is applying antibiotic ointments, said Dr. Mark Davis, a professor of dermatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. These ointments may keep the wound moist, he said, but they also can lead to swelling and an allergic reaction called contact dermatitis. Plain and simple Vaseline, applied twice a day, works fine.
And as awful as removing scabs may sound, it may be a good idea, Davis said. A small initial scab will help stop the bleeding, but if left for too long it will do more harm than good.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Exposing a cut so it can breathe slows healing.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Do some foods have negative calories?
THE CLAIM
Some foods have negative calories.
THE FACTS
For years, diets and weight-loss books have boasted that you can eat a piece of food and burn calories at the same time. The idea is that some foods have so few calories that the act of chewing them requires expending more energy than is absorbed, resulting in a calorie deficit and ultimately weight loss.
Topping the list of "negative calorie" foods are vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, cucumbers and celery. Celery, for example, contains eight to 10 calories a stalk and is 95 percent water.
Chewing most foods typically only burns about five calories an hour, but the act of digesting may require slightly more. That is particularly the case with celery because it is mostly cellulose, a type of fiber that humans do not have the enzymes necessary to properly break down and use.
Cathy Nonas, director of obesity and diabetes programs at North General Hospital in New York City, said that while no hard studies exist, it is possible that snacking on celery might cause a very slight calorie deficit. But the difference would be so minuscule that at the end of the day it would have no real impact unless the celery was replacing other fattening or high-calorie foods.
The other problem is that celery is not only low in calories but also low in vitamins and minerals.
"If you substitute celery for cookies and pretzels, and those are the things that were putting you over the top in terms of weight then, yes, you will lose weight," she said. "But you're not going to lose weight by chewing celery a couple times a day if you're not exercising and changing what else you eat."
THE BOTTOM LINE
It may be possible to expend a few more calories than you absorb eating something like celery, but in the end the deficit is negligible.
Some foods have negative calories.
THE FACTS
For years, diets and weight-loss books have boasted that you can eat a piece of food and burn calories at the same time. The idea is that some foods have so few calories that the act of chewing them requires expending more energy than is absorbed, resulting in a calorie deficit and ultimately weight loss.
Topping the list of "negative calorie" foods are vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, cucumbers and celery. Celery, for example, contains eight to 10 calories a stalk and is 95 percent water.
Chewing most foods typically only burns about five calories an hour, but the act of digesting may require slightly more. That is particularly the case with celery because it is mostly cellulose, a type of fiber that humans do not have the enzymes necessary to properly break down and use.
Cathy Nonas, director of obesity and diabetes programs at North General Hospital in New York City, said that while no hard studies exist, it is possible that snacking on celery might cause a very slight calorie deficit. But the difference would be so minuscule that at the end of the day it would have no real impact unless the celery was replacing other fattening or high-calorie foods.
The other problem is that celery is not only low in calories but also low in vitamins and minerals.
"If you substitute celery for cookies and pretzels, and those are the things that were putting you over the top in terms of weight then, yes, you will lose weight," she said. "But you're not going to lose weight by chewing celery a couple times a day if you're not exercising and changing what else you eat."
THE BOTTOM LINE
It may be possible to expend a few more calories than you absorb eating something like celery, but in the end the deficit is negligible.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Does a spicy meal before bed disrupt sleep?
THE BELIEF:
A spicy meal before bed can disrupt sleep.
THE FACTS:
An old wives' tale has it that a little kick to the palate before bed can lead to fitful sleep, if not nightmares.
It's the sort of wisdom that often turns out to be based on no evidence at all -- or, worse, flat wrong. But in this case, it's good advice.
Research has shown over the years that a spicy meal at night can indeed lead to poor sleep. The most direct study to show this was published in The International Journal of Psychophysiology by a team of Australian researchers. The scientists recruited a group of young, healthy men and had them consume meals that contained Tabasco sauce and mustard shortly before they turned in on some evenings and nonspiced control meals on other evenings.
On the nights that included spicy meals, there were marked changes in the subjects' sleep patterns. They spent less time in both the light phase of sleep known as Stage 2 and the deep, slow-wave Stages 3 and 4. All of which meant that they experienced less sleep over all and took longer to drift off.
Several things may account for the effect. An obvious possibility is indigestion. But the scientists also noted that after eating the spicy meals, the subjects had elevated body temperatures during their first sleep cycles, which has been linked in other studies to poorer sleep quality.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
A spicy meal before bed can impair sleep.
A spicy meal before bed can disrupt sleep.
THE FACTS:
An old wives' tale has it that a little kick to the palate before bed can lead to fitful sleep, if not nightmares.
It's the sort of wisdom that often turns out to be based on no evidence at all -- or, worse, flat wrong. But in this case, it's good advice.
Research has shown over the years that a spicy meal at night can indeed lead to poor sleep. The most direct study to show this was published in The International Journal of Psychophysiology by a team of Australian researchers. The scientists recruited a group of young, healthy men and had them consume meals that contained Tabasco sauce and mustard shortly before they turned in on some evenings and nonspiced control meals on other evenings.
On the nights that included spicy meals, there were marked changes in the subjects' sleep patterns. They spent less time in both the light phase of sleep known as Stage 2 and the deep, slow-wave Stages 3 and 4. All of which meant that they experienced less sleep over all and took longer to drift off.
Several things may account for the effect. An obvious possibility is indigestion. But the scientists also noted that after eating the spicy meals, the subjects had elevated body temperatures during their first sleep cycles, which has been linked in other studies to poorer sleep quality.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
A spicy meal before bed can impair sleep.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Cell Phones and TB
Researchers at MIT believe they've discovered a new weapon in the battle against tuberculosis: Free cell phone minutes.
For years, doctors have struggled to get some TB patients to take all their medication, which generally involves a six-month regimen of multiple drugs.
Now a student-led group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a way to use cell phones to let patients test themselves. And if the tests show patients are following doctor's orders, they get rewarded with free minutes.
"We're piggybacking on one of the bigger rollouts of infrastucture out there, which is wireless technology and telecom technology," said Jose Gomez-Marquez, one of the project's leaders.
The system works like this: Patients test their urine using a strip that reveals a numeric code if it detects TB medicine. They then text message the code to their health care provider and get credit toward incentives such as free minutes.
The in-home tests also eliminate the need for health care workers to make several patient-monitoring visits a week, a routine that is often impractical in remote places, Gomez-Marquez said.
Mobile phones are good tools for the project because they are common in the developing world, where it's often cheaper to erect cell towers than miles of poles and wires, Gomez-Marquez said.
Dr. Mario Raviglione, director of a World Health Organization program to fight TB, called the MIT idea "creative." But he said personal visits must continue because systems that depend heavily on patient self-reporting have often failed.
"I would think it's a dangerous game to rely only on incentives," he said.
In 2006, the most recent year statistics are available, 9.2 million people worldwide were diagnosed with tuberculosis and 1.7 million died.
The disease can be cured with a steady regimen of drugs. But many patients start feeling better and stop taking the medicine too soon. Others abandon the drugs because of side effects such as nausea, fever and rashes.
If the drugs are taken only sporadically, the bacteria build up resistance. The WHO estimates that 5 to 10 percent of TB deaths are patients who stop taking medication properly.
The MIT group - which originally included five students - took on the TB problem in 2007 as part of the university's annual "IDEAS competition," which challenges participants to solve various world problems.
Under the TB treatment system used by the WHO, the relationship between the patient and health care worker can get adversarial, said Elizabeth Leshen, an MIT junior working on the project.
"We wanted to do something that takes the health care worker out of the supervisory role and puts him or her back into the patient care role," she said.
Cell minutes were chosen as an incentive because patients want them and phone companies are willing to give them out, said Gomez-Marquez, who added that other incentives and reporting methods can be tailored to different regions.
A small study of 20 patients in Nicaragua last year indicated the MIT system could work, and a larger study in Pakistan is planned for this summer. The team is trying to raise the $200,000 for a full-scale clinical trial.
The WHO's Raviglione said the MIT group's program could be an asset, particularly in developed countries, where people are more familiar with technology. But he said it must be combined with regular visits from health care workers or community leaders who can ensure patients take their medicine.
Before personal visits became routine in the 1990s, death rates from tuberculosis were estimated at 40 to 50 percent, according to the WHO. After officials began making visits as part of a broad strategy to fight TB, that figure dropped to 15 percent.
"Human contact is essential for people who have to take drugs for a long time," Raviglione said.
For years, doctors have struggled to get some TB patients to take all their medication, which generally involves a six-month regimen of multiple drugs.
Now a student-led group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a way to use cell phones to let patients test themselves. And if the tests show patients are following doctor's orders, they get rewarded with free minutes.
"We're piggybacking on one of the bigger rollouts of infrastucture out there, which is wireless technology and telecom technology," said Jose Gomez-Marquez, one of the project's leaders.
The system works like this: Patients test their urine using a strip that reveals a numeric code if it detects TB medicine. They then text message the code to their health care provider and get credit toward incentives such as free minutes.
The in-home tests also eliminate the need for health care workers to make several patient-monitoring visits a week, a routine that is often impractical in remote places, Gomez-Marquez said.
Mobile phones are good tools for the project because they are common in the developing world, where it's often cheaper to erect cell towers than miles of poles and wires, Gomez-Marquez said.
Dr. Mario Raviglione, director of a World Health Organization program to fight TB, called the MIT idea "creative." But he said personal visits must continue because systems that depend heavily on patient self-reporting have often failed.
"I would think it's a dangerous game to rely only on incentives," he said.
In 2006, the most recent year statistics are available, 9.2 million people worldwide were diagnosed with tuberculosis and 1.7 million died.
The disease can be cured with a steady regimen of drugs. But many patients start feeling better and stop taking the medicine too soon. Others abandon the drugs because of side effects such as nausea, fever and rashes.
If the drugs are taken only sporadically, the bacteria build up resistance. The WHO estimates that 5 to 10 percent of TB deaths are patients who stop taking medication properly.
The MIT group - which originally included five students - took on the TB problem in 2007 as part of the university's annual "IDEAS competition," which challenges participants to solve various world problems.
Under the TB treatment system used by the WHO, the relationship between the patient and health care worker can get adversarial, said Elizabeth Leshen, an MIT junior working on the project.
"We wanted to do something that takes the health care worker out of the supervisory role and puts him or her back into the patient care role," she said.
Cell minutes were chosen as an incentive because patients want them and phone companies are willing to give them out, said Gomez-Marquez, who added that other incentives and reporting methods can be tailored to different regions.
A small study of 20 patients in Nicaragua last year indicated the MIT system could work, and a larger study in Pakistan is planned for this summer. The team is trying to raise the $200,000 for a full-scale clinical trial.
The WHO's Raviglione said the MIT group's program could be an asset, particularly in developed countries, where people are more familiar with technology. But he said it must be combined with regular visits from health care workers or community leaders who can ensure patients take their medicine.
Before personal visits became routine in the 1990s, death rates from tuberculosis were estimated at 40 to 50 percent, according to the WHO. After officials began making visits as part of a broad strategy to fight TB, that figure dropped to 15 percent.
"Human contact is essential for people who have to take drugs for a long time," Raviglione said.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Hearts don't gain if blood sugar is leashed
Two large studies involving more than 21,000 people found that those with Type 2 diabetes experienced no reduction in their risk of heart attacks and strokes and no reduction in their death rates if they rigorously controlled their blood-sugar levels.
The results bolster findings reported in February, when one of the studies, by the National Institutes of Health, ended prematurely. At that time, researchers made the surprising announcement that study participants who were rigorously controlling their blood sugar actually had a higher death rate than those whose blood sugar control was less stringent.
Now the federal researchers are publishing detailed data from that study. Researchers in the second study, from Australia and involving participants from 20 countries, are also publishing their results on blood sugar and cardiovascular disease. That study did not find an increase in deaths, but neither did it find any protection from cardiovascular disease with rigorous blood-sugar control.Thus both studies failed to confirm a dearly held hypothesis that people with Type 2 diabetes could be protected from cardiovascular disease if they strictly controlled their blood sugar.
Changing behavior
It was a hypothesis that seemed almost obvious. Cardiovascular disease accounts for 65 percent of deaths among people with Type 2 diabetes. And because diabetes is characterized by high levels of blood sugar, the hope was that if people with diabetes could just get their blood sugar as close to normal as possible, their cardiovascular disease rate would be nearly normal as well.
Diabetes researchers say the message is that patients should obtain at least moderate control of blood sugar to protect against eye, kidney and nerve disease. But for heart disease, they say, the only proven method of preventing complications is to give statins to control cholesterol, drugs to control blood pressure and aspirin to control blood clotting, and encourage people to lose weight and exercise.
The Australian study did find one advantage to strict blood-sugar control—a slight reduction in new or worsening kidney disease. The rate among those with intense sugar control was 4.1 percent as compared with 5.2 percent among those with less intense control.
That study got its major support from French drug manufacturer Servier. The company had no influence on the conduct of the study or the analysis or publication of its results, said Stephen MacMahon, a principal investigator and professor of cardiovascular medicine and epidemiology at the University of Sydney.
The results bolster findings reported in February, when one of the studies, by the National Institutes of Health, ended prematurely. At that time, researchers made the surprising announcement that study participants who were rigorously controlling their blood sugar actually had a higher death rate than those whose blood sugar control was less stringent.
Now the federal researchers are publishing detailed data from that study. Researchers in the second study, from Australia and involving participants from 20 countries, are also publishing their results on blood sugar and cardiovascular disease. That study did not find an increase in deaths, but neither did it find any protection from cardiovascular disease with rigorous blood-sugar control.Thus both studies failed to confirm a dearly held hypothesis that people with Type 2 diabetes could be protected from cardiovascular disease if they strictly controlled their blood sugar.
Changing behavior
It was a hypothesis that seemed almost obvious. Cardiovascular disease accounts for 65 percent of deaths among people with Type 2 diabetes. And because diabetes is characterized by high levels of blood sugar, the hope was that if people with diabetes could just get their blood sugar as close to normal as possible, their cardiovascular disease rate would be nearly normal as well.
Diabetes researchers say the message is that patients should obtain at least moderate control of blood sugar to protect against eye, kidney and nerve disease. But for heart disease, they say, the only proven method of preventing complications is to give statins to control cholesterol, drugs to control blood pressure and aspirin to control blood clotting, and encourage people to lose weight and exercise.
The Australian study did find one advantage to strict blood-sugar control—a slight reduction in new or worsening kidney disease. The rate among those with intense sugar control was 4.1 percent as compared with 5.2 percent among those with less intense control.
That study got its major support from French drug manufacturer Servier. The company had no influence on the conduct of the study or the analysis or publication of its results, said Stephen MacMahon, a principal investigator and professor of cardiovascular medicine and epidemiology at the University of Sydney.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Food Industry Improves Non Allergenic Lines
Kari Keaton is the sort of customer most businesses used to hate. The Rockville, Md., mother lingers at the grocery store, poring over ingredient labels. She calls food manufacturers and interrogates their customer service representatives about what sorts of foods get processed in the same facility and probes them on the meaning of "natural flavoring." And after all that effort, she still may not buy their product.
Keaton's sons, 10 and 15, have severe food allergies. Keeping them from accidentally eating something that could trigger a fatal reaction has become the former IBM field manager's full-time job.
But Keaton, 52, and consumers like her are increasingly coveted by corporations and entrepreneurs who see an economic opportunity in catering to the needs of people who have food allergies or celiac, a condition treated by avoiding gluten. Marketing to the food-sensitive has become so widespread that the Girl Scouts now sell three kinds of milk-free cookies, Anheuser-Busch has a gluten-free beer and Kellogg's makes Pop-Tarts in nut-free factories.
The market for food-allergy and intolerance products is projected to reach $3.9 billion this year, according to Packaged Facts, a New York research firm. And the market for gluten-free foods and drinks is expected to hit $1.3 billion by 2010, up from $700 million in 2006, according to research firm Mintel.
Who's affected?
14 million affectedAn estimated 12 million people in the United States have food allergies, and an additional 2 million have celiac disease, a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks itself when exposed to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. The number of children with peanut allergies alone has doubled in the past decade.
Until scientists learn more about the increase in the number of people with food allergies, the prescription for people with life-threatening food allergies or celiac is to avoid the foods that make them sick, a task that is getting easier.
Whereas a decade ago the "free from" food market consisted of small manufacturers whose products were sold mainly in health-food stores, today it encompasses an ever-growing list of start-up companies, mainstream retailers such as Safeway and Giant Food, and some food industry giants such as General Mills.
Food manufacturers have had to pay more attention to the needs of people with food allergies since the federal government in 2006 began requiring ingredient labels to disclose whether products contain milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts—such as almonds and cashews—fish, shellfish, soy and wheat.
Gluten is not on that list, but many manufacturers disclose it. Some companies, such as Stonyfield Farm, use gluten-free in their marketing. In April, General Mills said it had reformulated Rice Chex to be gluten-free."Rice Chex ... was truly our effort to meet the needs of these consumers," said Kevin Farnum, director of sanitation, quality and regulatory operations for General Mills. "We know there is a great demand among consumers to have free-from labeling.
"Other major food manufacturers such as Kellogg's and Campbell Soup also sell products safe for people with food allergies and celiac, but they have been more cautious about embracing the free-from claim. Unlike with organic products, there are no government standards for what "free-from" means.
Complicated processThe steps General Mills took to ensure that Rice Chex was gluten-free also illustrate how hard it can be for a large manufacturer to do so. In addition to tweaking the recipe, the company had to review its production process, from the time the rice is harvested to when the cereal is packaged, to be certain gluten would not get into the product.
New, smaller companies are more nimble. They don't have existing factories to convert. They can build facilities that are peanut- and tree-nut-free from Day One.
The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade estimates that 300 of its 2,800 members offer more than 7,000 non-allergenic products, compared with five years ago, when about 50 members did.Internet start-ups are also seeking to satisfy demand. Heather and Brian Selwa started online store Peanut Free Planet two years ago in Cicero, Ind. Competitors Patrick Felkner and Steve Rubinstein launched Allerneeds.com, another peanut-free retailer, in Anaheim, Calif., four months ago.
Brick-and-mortar stores are clearing space on their shelves too. "We've seen a dramatic increase in the number of customers looking for these type of products really in the last few years," said Safeway spokesman Greg TenEyck. "We've greatly increased the number and types of products we are offering.
"The same thing is happening at Giant and at Whole Foods Market, which has an array of private-label products and a designated gluten-free bakery in North Carolina.
All this is good news for food allergy and celiac sufferers, said Anne Munoz-Furlong, co-founder of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network in Fairfax, Va. "They want to be able to go to the grocery store and buy food like everyone else," she said.
Keaton's sons, 10 and 15, have severe food allergies. Keeping them from accidentally eating something that could trigger a fatal reaction has become the former IBM field manager's full-time job.
But Keaton, 52, and consumers like her are increasingly coveted by corporations and entrepreneurs who see an economic opportunity in catering to the needs of people who have food allergies or celiac, a condition treated by avoiding gluten. Marketing to the food-sensitive has become so widespread that the Girl Scouts now sell three kinds of milk-free cookies, Anheuser-Busch has a gluten-free beer and Kellogg's makes Pop-Tarts in nut-free factories.
The market for food-allergy and intolerance products is projected to reach $3.9 billion this year, according to Packaged Facts, a New York research firm. And the market for gluten-free foods and drinks is expected to hit $1.3 billion by 2010, up from $700 million in 2006, according to research firm Mintel.
Who's affected?
14 million affectedAn estimated 12 million people in the United States have food allergies, and an additional 2 million have celiac disease, a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks itself when exposed to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. The number of children with peanut allergies alone has doubled in the past decade.
Until scientists learn more about the increase in the number of people with food allergies, the prescription for people with life-threatening food allergies or celiac is to avoid the foods that make them sick, a task that is getting easier.
Whereas a decade ago the "free from" food market consisted of small manufacturers whose products were sold mainly in health-food stores, today it encompasses an ever-growing list of start-up companies, mainstream retailers such as Safeway and Giant Food, and some food industry giants such as General Mills.
Food manufacturers have had to pay more attention to the needs of people with food allergies since the federal government in 2006 began requiring ingredient labels to disclose whether products contain milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts—such as almonds and cashews—fish, shellfish, soy and wheat.
Gluten is not on that list, but many manufacturers disclose it. Some companies, such as Stonyfield Farm, use gluten-free in their marketing. In April, General Mills said it had reformulated Rice Chex to be gluten-free."Rice Chex ... was truly our effort to meet the needs of these consumers," said Kevin Farnum, director of sanitation, quality and regulatory operations for General Mills. "We know there is a great demand among consumers to have free-from labeling.
"Other major food manufacturers such as Kellogg's and Campbell Soup also sell products safe for people with food allergies and celiac, but they have been more cautious about embracing the free-from claim. Unlike with organic products, there are no government standards for what "free-from" means.
Complicated processThe steps General Mills took to ensure that Rice Chex was gluten-free also illustrate how hard it can be for a large manufacturer to do so. In addition to tweaking the recipe, the company had to review its production process, from the time the rice is harvested to when the cereal is packaged, to be certain gluten would not get into the product.
New, smaller companies are more nimble. They don't have existing factories to convert. They can build facilities that are peanut- and tree-nut-free from Day One.
The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade estimates that 300 of its 2,800 members offer more than 7,000 non-allergenic products, compared with five years ago, when about 50 members did.Internet start-ups are also seeking to satisfy demand. Heather and Brian Selwa started online store Peanut Free Planet two years ago in Cicero, Ind. Competitors Patrick Felkner and Steve Rubinstein launched Allerneeds.com, another peanut-free retailer, in Anaheim, Calif., four months ago.
Brick-and-mortar stores are clearing space on their shelves too. "We've seen a dramatic increase in the number of customers looking for these type of products really in the last few years," said Safeway spokesman Greg TenEyck. "We've greatly increased the number and types of products we are offering.
"The same thing is happening at Giant and at Whole Foods Market, which has an array of private-label products and a designated gluten-free bakery in North Carolina.
All this is good news for food allergy and celiac sufferers, said Anne Munoz-Furlong, co-founder of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network in Fairfax, Va. "They want to be able to go to the grocery store and buy food like everyone else," she said.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Protein shakes quell hunger pangs, with differing results
Ever get so hungry you could gnaw your way through the refrigerator door? Maybe you need more protein in your diet.
Protein is the nutrient that tells the brain you've had enough to eat, said Dr. Michael Tamber, an endocrinologist at The Everett Clinic.
Some protein-rich shakes can even help you lose weight when used as meal replacements, but many are laden with calories and sugar.
The ideal protein shake contains between 100 and 150 calories, at least 10 grams of protein and no more than 2 grams of fat, he said.
Sugar should be low, which he defined as less than a few grams. Artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols used for flavorings, such as sorbitol, are both fine.
We compared three popular protein shakes. All the nutritional value is based on the mix alone. Not surprisingly, all three taste better blended with cold milk. Eight ounces of skim milk adds 90 calories and 8 grams of protein.
Shaking it up?
Tamber typically recommends a shake for breakfast and lunch, and protein bars for snacks midmorning and midafternoon. Eat a sensible dinner with a lean protein and vegetables. Keep "white" carbohydrates, such as rice and potatoes, to a minimum. Avoid calorie-laden juice, sodas and blended coffee drinks, or nuts and full-fat cheese. Snack on vegetables and lean proteins.
GNC Designer WheySold at GNC stories, Designer Whey is marketed to athletes who want to gain lean mass and lose fat. It comes in a mammoth 2.1-pound container. Because it's 97 percent lactose-free, it's suitable for most people with lactose intolerance. It mixes easily with a spoon; no blender is needed, according to the directions.
Nutrition: The product contains 100 calories, 2 grams of fat, no fiber and 18 grams of protein per serving when mixed as directed. Flavors: The product comes in chocolate and French vanilla. We tested the chocolate.
Cost: $34.99 for a 2.1-pound container; 87 cents a serving.
Taste: Let's face it, none of these are going to taste like malted milk.
Designer Whey tastes like a glass of not-too-sweet chocolate milk.
What the doctor says: It's low in calories, fat and sugar, and almost entirely made up of protein. This product would work as a meal replacement. However, little evidence exists to suggest that this product builds muscles more effectively than similar products, he said.
Kashi GoLean Energy Shake Mix This mix is designed to satisfy hunger. Nutrition: The mix, with 23 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber, contains only half a gram of fat. It's also loaded with 220 calories and 23 grams of sugar per serving when mixed as directed. Flavors: It comes in vanilla and chocolate; we tested the vanilla.Cost: $7.99 for a 14.8-ounce canister; $1.14 a serving.
Taste: Whirred up in a blender with some milk and ice, this is the yummiest of the bunch, probably because of all that glorious sugar. However, this stuff becomes gloppy and grainy when shaken rather than blended. What the doctor says: Very high in sugar and fairly high in calories. This product contains a lot of protein, but it's not among his first choices for meal replacement.
SlimFast Optima
This product is aimed at dieters, and it claims to control hunger "up to four hours."
Nutrition: The mix contains 110 calories, 3 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein per serving when mixed as directed.Flavors: It comes in various flavors; we tested the milk chocolate.
Cost: $9.85 for 12.83 ounces; 70 cents a serving.
Taste: True chocoholics won't find anything here to write home about, but this shake offers a pleasant enough chocolate taste, even mixed with water. Shaken or stirred, the mixture comes out smoother than the other two.What the doctor says: This product has been the subject of many studies and research does show people have some success losing weight with it. The protein content, however, is low. People who choose to use this product should make sure they get plenty of lean protein from other sources, such as fish or poultry.
Protein is the nutrient that tells the brain you've had enough to eat, said Dr. Michael Tamber, an endocrinologist at The Everett Clinic.
Some protein-rich shakes can even help you lose weight when used as meal replacements, but many are laden with calories and sugar.
The ideal protein shake contains between 100 and 150 calories, at least 10 grams of protein and no more than 2 grams of fat, he said.
Sugar should be low, which he defined as less than a few grams. Artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols used for flavorings, such as sorbitol, are both fine.
We compared three popular protein shakes. All the nutritional value is based on the mix alone. Not surprisingly, all three taste better blended with cold milk. Eight ounces of skim milk adds 90 calories and 8 grams of protein.
Shaking it up?
Tamber typically recommends a shake for breakfast and lunch, and protein bars for snacks midmorning and midafternoon. Eat a sensible dinner with a lean protein and vegetables. Keep "white" carbohydrates, such as rice and potatoes, to a minimum. Avoid calorie-laden juice, sodas and blended coffee drinks, or nuts and full-fat cheese. Snack on vegetables and lean proteins.
GNC Designer WheySold at GNC stories, Designer Whey is marketed to athletes who want to gain lean mass and lose fat. It comes in a mammoth 2.1-pound container. Because it's 97 percent lactose-free, it's suitable for most people with lactose intolerance. It mixes easily with a spoon; no blender is needed, according to the directions.
Nutrition: The product contains 100 calories, 2 grams of fat, no fiber and 18 grams of protein per serving when mixed as directed. Flavors: The product comes in chocolate and French vanilla. We tested the chocolate.
Cost: $34.99 for a 2.1-pound container; 87 cents a serving.
Taste: Let's face it, none of these are going to taste like malted milk.
Designer Whey tastes like a glass of not-too-sweet chocolate milk.
What the doctor says: It's low in calories, fat and sugar, and almost entirely made up of protein. This product would work as a meal replacement. However, little evidence exists to suggest that this product builds muscles more effectively than similar products, he said.
Kashi GoLean Energy Shake Mix This mix is designed to satisfy hunger. Nutrition: The mix, with 23 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber, contains only half a gram of fat. It's also loaded with 220 calories and 23 grams of sugar per serving when mixed as directed. Flavors: It comes in vanilla and chocolate; we tested the vanilla.Cost: $7.99 for a 14.8-ounce canister; $1.14 a serving.
Taste: Whirred up in a blender with some milk and ice, this is the yummiest of the bunch, probably because of all that glorious sugar. However, this stuff becomes gloppy and grainy when shaken rather than blended. What the doctor says: Very high in sugar and fairly high in calories. This product contains a lot of protein, but it's not among his first choices for meal replacement.
SlimFast Optima
This product is aimed at dieters, and it claims to control hunger "up to four hours."
Nutrition: The mix contains 110 calories, 3 grams of fat, 5 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein per serving when mixed as directed.Flavors: It comes in various flavors; we tested the milk chocolate.
Cost: $9.85 for 12.83 ounces; 70 cents a serving.
Taste: True chocoholics won't find anything here to write home about, but this shake offers a pleasant enough chocolate taste, even mixed with water. Shaken or stirred, the mixture comes out smoother than the other two.What the doctor says: This product has been the subject of many studies and research does show people have some success losing weight with it. The protein content, however, is low. People who choose to use this product should make sure they get plenty of lean protein from other sources, such as fish or poultry.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Experts on aging say medical breakthroughs are right around the corner
Is 90 the new 50?
Not yet, researchers into aging say, but medical breakthroughs to extend life significantly and ease the ailments of getting older are closer than many people think.
"The general public has no idea what's coming," said David Sinclair, a Harvard Medical School professor who has made headlines with research into the health benefits of a substance found in red wine called resveratrol.
Speaking on a panel of aging experts, Sinclair had the boldest predictions. He said scientists can greatly increase longevity and improve health in lab animals like mice, and that drugs to benefit people are on the way.
"It's not an if, but a when," said Sinclair, who co-founded Sirtris Pharmaceuticals to pursue such drugs. The company, which is testing medicine in people with Type 2 diabetes, recently was purchased for $720 million by GlaxoSmithKline, the world's second-largest drug maker.
Sinclair said treatments could be a few years or a decade away, but they're "really close. It's not something (from) science fiction and it's not something for the next generation."
The discussion of aging was a closing event of the first World Science Festival, a five-day celebration of science for the public that brought together researchers ranging from biologists to quantum physicists. Participants included Nobel laureates, business leaders and philosophers.
Robert Butler, a pioneer of aging research who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for the book "Why Survive? Being Old in America," said that while medicine and biology are important for longevity, having friendships and close relationships also have a big impact.
Butler said a revolution in longevity has already arrived, noting that in the last century life spans increased 30 years, more than in the previous 5,000 years of human history.
Given the latest research, he said, more resources must be devoted to understanding the biology of aging, since "with one pill, we might be able to do a lot for many different conditions."
Some of that research comes from Richard Weindruch, a professor at the University of Wisconsin and director of LifeGen Technologies who studies how extremely low-calorie diets affect aging.
Weindruch said his research, which began by showing how consuming little food could greatly increase the life spans of mice, moved on in 1989 to a long-term study on monkeys that can live up to 40 years.
"Just now we're starting to see statistically significant improvements in survival and resistance to disease and favorable effects on brain aging," he said. He said his team hopes to publish these results soon.
Sinclair said that based on Weindruch's work, he set out a decade ago to find the genes involved in caloric restriction and find a pill that can provide the benefits "without you feeling hungry all the time."
He described how his research found that mice given large doses of resveratrol "live longer, they're almost immune to the effects of obesity. They don't get diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's as frequently. We delay the diseases of aging."
Sinclair showed video of mice on resveratrol running on a treadmill far more vigorously than those who didn't get the substance. He called them "our Lance Armstrong mice."
A large dose meant the equivalent of a human drinking about 1,000 bottles of red wine daily, he said.
While the implications of the 2006 study for humans was uncertain, the news set off a surge in sales of dietary supplements with resveratrol. Some scientists warned of its unproven effects and raised safety concerns.
Sinclair has said that he has taken resveratrol supplements, but at the longevity event he cautioned that right now there is no proven magic pill to extend life.
His suggestion?
Exercise.
Not yet, researchers into aging say, but medical breakthroughs to extend life significantly and ease the ailments of getting older are closer than many people think.
"The general public has no idea what's coming," said David Sinclair, a Harvard Medical School professor who has made headlines with research into the health benefits of a substance found in red wine called resveratrol.
Speaking on a panel of aging experts, Sinclair had the boldest predictions. He said scientists can greatly increase longevity and improve health in lab animals like mice, and that drugs to benefit people are on the way.
"It's not an if, but a when," said Sinclair, who co-founded Sirtris Pharmaceuticals to pursue such drugs. The company, which is testing medicine in people with Type 2 diabetes, recently was purchased for $720 million by GlaxoSmithKline, the world's second-largest drug maker.
Sinclair said treatments could be a few years or a decade away, but they're "really close. It's not something (from) science fiction and it's not something for the next generation."
The discussion of aging was a closing event of the first World Science Festival, a five-day celebration of science for the public that brought together researchers ranging from biologists to quantum physicists. Participants included Nobel laureates, business leaders and philosophers.
Robert Butler, a pioneer of aging research who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for the book "Why Survive? Being Old in America," said that while medicine and biology are important for longevity, having friendships and close relationships also have a big impact.
Butler said a revolution in longevity has already arrived, noting that in the last century life spans increased 30 years, more than in the previous 5,000 years of human history.
Given the latest research, he said, more resources must be devoted to understanding the biology of aging, since "with one pill, we might be able to do a lot for many different conditions."
Some of that research comes from Richard Weindruch, a professor at the University of Wisconsin and director of LifeGen Technologies who studies how extremely low-calorie diets affect aging.
Weindruch said his research, which began by showing how consuming little food could greatly increase the life spans of mice, moved on in 1989 to a long-term study on monkeys that can live up to 40 years.
"Just now we're starting to see statistically significant improvements in survival and resistance to disease and favorable effects on brain aging," he said. He said his team hopes to publish these results soon.
Sinclair said that based on Weindruch's work, he set out a decade ago to find the genes involved in caloric restriction and find a pill that can provide the benefits "without you feeling hungry all the time."
He described how his research found that mice given large doses of resveratrol "live longer, they're almost immune to the effects of obesity. They don't get diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's as frequently. We delay the diseases of aging."
Sinclair showed video of mice on resveratrol running on a treadmill far more vigorously than those who didn't get the substance. He called them "our Lance Armstrong mice."
A large dose meant the equivalent of a human drinking about 1,000 bottles of red wine daily, he said.
While the implications of the 2006 study for humans was uncertain, the news set off a surge in sales of dietary supplements with resveratrol. Some scientists warned of its unproven effects and raised safety concerns.
Sinclair has said that he has taken resveratrol supplements, but at the longevity event he cautioned that right now there is no proven magic pill to extend life.
His suggestion?
Exercise.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Tell teens to diet? Fat chance that works
If you want your overweight teenagers to slim down, don't tell them to go on a diet. That most likely will make matters worse, according to a new study.
University of Minnesota researchers who study adolescent health found that parents who correctly perceived their kids as overweight tended to use only one strategy: advising them to diet. But five years later, those kids were far more likely to still be too heavy than were overweight kids whose parents had no idea they were fat and did nothing.
In short, it's a technique that seems certain to backfire, said Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, a professor of epidemiology at the university and the lead author of the study published this week in the journal Pediatrics.
"My concern is that if parents know their kids are overweight, they are going to do things that lead to further weight gain over time," she said.
Neumark-Sztainer said she decided to research the issue because of the growing practice of schools evaluating kids' weight and sending the results home to parents. In some places it's called an obesity report card. It began because parents often don't know whether their kids are at a healthy weight, and some experts think telling them is one way to fight skyrocketing rates of childhood obesity.
The practice was recommended for schools by the federal government's health advisory agency, the Institute of Medicine. But it's highly controversial because it can be embarrassing and stigmatizing to adolescents and teenagers.
"When my son became overweight in middle school, they used to measure body fat and send (the result) home with him," said Anne Fletcher, a Mankato, Minn., mother and the author of "Weight Loss Confidential," a book that examines how teenagers, including her own son, successfully lost weight. "It was devastating. He said, 'Don't they know I already know I'm fat?' "
Neumark-Sztainer said she wanted to find out whether parents would use that information wisely.
The researchers looked at survey results for 300 adolescents and some of their parents taken in 1998 as part of an ongoing adolescent health study at the university called Project EAT. The kids, from Minnesota middle and high schools, reported heights and weights that put them in the overweight category.
They found that 46 percent of girls' parents and 60 percent of boys' parents incorrectly thought their kids' weights were about right. Of the parents who knew their kids were too heavy, about 60 percent encouraged them to diet.
In 2003, about 200 of the kids were re-surveyed. Those who had been encouraged to diet were much more likely to still be overweight -- about 74 percent of boys compared with 52 percent of those boys not encouraged to diet. For girls, the difference was 66 and 44 percent, respectively. Both groups reported about the same eating patterns, including the frequency of fast-food meals, and the quantity of fruits and vegetables at home.
Neumark-Sztainer said public health experts have known that adolescents and teenagers who say they diet are the ones who are most likely to have long-lasting weight and eating disorder problems. She said this study shows that just informing parents their kids are overweight is counterproductive.
"If you are going to talk with parents about their children's weight, you need to specifically help them make positive changes at home," said Neumark-Sztainer, who has written a book for parents on the subject called "I'm Like So Fat."
Fletcher said that when she talked to teens for her book, they said the worst thing their parents could do was pressure them.
"Nagging, preaching, coercion does not work," she said. "Let the kid be in charge. It's up to the teen to decide if and how he or she wants to lose weight."
That can be very difficult for parents. "There seems to be a fine line between helpful and harmful parenting," the researchers said in their study.
The best thing parents can do to be role models, said Neumark-Sztainer, is to provide and eat healthful food, have regular family meals, and do physically active things with their kids. "Do more. Talk less," she said.
University of Minnesota researchers who study adolescent health found that parents who correctly perceived their kids as overweight tended to use only one strategy: advising them to diet. But five years later, those kids were far more likely to still be too heavy than were overweight kids whose parents had no idea they were fat and did nothing.
In short, it's a technique that seems certain to backfire, said Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, a professor of epidemiology at the university and the lead author of the study published this week in the journal Pediatrics.
"My concern is that if parents know their kids are overweight, they are going to do things that lead to further weight gain over time," she said.
Neumark-Sztainer said she decided to research the issue because of the growing practice of schools evaluating kids' weight and sending the results home to parents. In some places it's called an obesity report card. It began because parents often don't know whether their kids are at a healthy weight, and some experts think telling them is one way to fight skyrocketing rates of childhood obesity.
The practice was recommended for schools by the federal government's health advisory agency, the Institute of Medicine. But it's highly controversial because it can be embarrassing and stigmatizing to adolescents and teenagers.
"When my son became overweight in middle school, they used to measure body fat and send (the result) home with him," said Anne Fletcher, a Mankato, Minn., mother and the author of "Weight Loss Confidential," a book that examines how teenagers, including her own son, successfully lost weight. "It was devastating. He said, 'Don't they know I already know I'm fat?' "
Neumark-Sztainer said she wanted to find out whether parents would use that information wisely.
The researchers looked at survey results for 300 adolescents and some of their parents taken in 1998 as part of an ongoing adolescent health study at the university called Project EAT. The kids, from Minnesota middle and high schools, reported heights and weights that put them in the overweight category.
They found that 46 percent of girls' parents and 60 percent of boys' parents incorrectly thought their kids' weights were about right. Of the parents who knew their kids were too heavy, about 60 percent encouraged them to diet.
In 2003, about 200 of the kids were re-surveyed. Those who had been encouraged to diet were much more likely to still be overweight -- about 74 percent of boys compared with 52 percent of those boys not encouraged to diet. For girls, the difference was 66 and 44 percent, respectively. Both groups reported about the same eating patterns, including the frequency of fast-food meals, and the quantity of fruits and vegetables at home.
Neumark-Sztainer said public health experts have known that adolescents and teenagers who say they diet are the ones who are most likely to have long-lasting weight and eating disorder problems. She said this study shows that just informing parents their kids are overweight is counterproductive.
"If you are going to talk with parents about their children's weight, you need to specifically help them make positive changes at home," said Neumark-Sztainer, who has written a book for parents on the subject called "I'm Like So Fat."
Fletcher said that when she talked to teens for her book, they said the worst thing their parents could do was pressure them.
"Nagging, preaching, coercion does not work," she said. "Let the kid be in charge. It's up to the teen to decide if and how he or she wants to lose weight."
That can be very difficult for parents. "There seems to be a fine line between helpful and harmful parenting," the researchers said in their study.
The best thing parents can do to be role models, said Neumark-Sztainer, is to provide and eat healthful food, have regular family meals, and do physically active things with their kids. "Do more. Talk less," she said.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Healthy eating with diabetes
Careful meal-planning plays an important role in regulating diabetes, but there is not a single diet that works for everyone. Each individual should have a meal plan based on diabetes treatment goals, eating habits and lifestyle. Here are some general guidelines to help you create a balanced diet:
- Choose whole-grain products, such as whole-grain breads, pastas and brown rice, over refined products.
- Eat foods high in fiber such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. Fiber helps regulate blood sugar.
- Choose whole fruits over fruit juices.
- Avoid "empty calorie" foods, which are foods high in calories but low in nutrients.
- Limit saturated fat by avoiding fried foods and limiting animal products.
- Limit salt. Season with herbs, garlic or lemon. Canned foods and frozen meals usually are high in salt.
- Choose low-sodium options.
- Eat cold-water fish, such as salmon, sardines or mackerel, two to three times a week.
- Other sources of omega-3 fatty acids are fish oil supplements, flax seeds and walnuts.
- Eat magnesium-rich foods. Sources include tofu, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains and green leafy vegetables.
In addition to the above recommendations, the American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes consult a registered dietician once per year to design an individualized meal plan.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Is blood-sugar control's value limited?
Two large studies involving more than 21,000 people found that people with type 2 diabetes had no reduction in their risk of heart attacks and strokes and no reduction in their death rate if they rigorously controlled their blood sugar.
The results provide more details and bolster findings reported in February, when one of the studies, by the National Institutes of Health, ended prematurely. At that time, researchers surprised diabetes experts with the announcement that study participants who were rigorously controlling their blood sugar had a higher death rate than those whose blood-sugar control was less stringent.
Now the federal researchers are publishing detailed data from that study. Researchers in the second study, from Australia and involving participants from 20 countries, are also publishing their results on blood sugar and cardiovascular disease.
That study did not find an increase in deaths, but neither did it find any protection from cardiovascular disease with rigorous blood-sugar control.
Thus both studies failed to confirm a dearly held hypothesis that people with type 2 diabetes could be protected from cardiovascular disease if they strictly controlled their blood sugar.
It was a hypothesis that seemed almost obvious. Cardiovascular disease accounts for 65 percent of deaths among people with type 2 diabetes. Since diabetes is characterized by high levels of blood sugar, the hope was that if people with diabetes could get their blood sugar as close to normal as possible, their cardiovascular-disease rate would be nearly normal.
The two studies were presented Friday in San Francisco at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association and will be published next week in The New England Journal of Medicine.
A third study, similar but smaller, by the Department of Veterans Affairs, will be presented at the meeting Sunday.
Diabetes researchers said the message is that patients should obtain at least moderate control of blood sugar to protect against eye, kidney and nerve disease. But for heart disease, they said, the only proven method of preventing complications is to give statins to control cholesterol, drugs to control blood pressure and aspirin to control blood clotting, and encourage people to lose weight and exercise.
The Australian study did find one advantage to strict blood-sugar control: a slight reduction in new or worsening kidney disease. But researchers disagreed about whether the kidney-disease effect in the Australian study was enough to advise patients to strive for rigorous blood-sugar control. The Australian investigators said it was.
Others were not so sure. The kidney effect was "a modest benefit," said David Nathan, director of the diabetes center at Massachusetts General Hospital.
And the excess deaths among patients in the intensive-treatment group in the U.S. study gave Nathan and others pause.
Researchers said it was difficult to compare the studies from the United States and Australia. For example, patients in the two studies took different drugs to lower blood sugar and lowered their blood glucose at different rates: quickly in the U.S. study, over a period of years in the Australian one.
Those in the U.S. study used a wide variety of drugs. But all those in the Australian study assigned to rigorous blood-sugar control were required to take the diabetes drug sulfonylurea gliclazide (modified release), which is not used in the United States.
The study got its major support from Servier, the drug's maker. Servier had no influence on the conduct of the study or the analysis or publication of its results, said Stephen MacMahon, a principal investigator and professor of cardiovascular medicine and epidemiology at the University of Sydney.
In both studies, intensive control of blood sugar meant levels of a blood protein, hemoglobin A1C, of 6 percent to 6.5 percent, and less rigorous control meant an A1C goal of 7 percent to 7.9 percent, typical levels achieved by people with type 2 diabetes in the United States.
The results provide more details and bolster findings reported in February, when one of the studies, by the National Institutes of Health, ended prematurely. At that time, researchers surprised diabetes experts with the announcement that study participants who were rigorously controlling their blood sugar had a higher death rate than those whose blood-sugar control was less stringent.
Now the federal researchers are publishing detailed data from that study. Researchers in the second study, from Australia and involving participants from 20 countries, are also publishing their results on blood sugar and cardiovascular disease.
That study did not find an increase in deaths, but neither did it find any protection from cardiovascular disease with rigorous blood-sugar control.
Thus both studies failed to confirm a dearly held hypothesis that people with type 2 diabetes could be protected from cardiovascular disease if they strictly controlled their blood sugar.
It was a hypothesis that seemed almost obvious. Cardiovascular disease accounts for 65 percent of deaths among people with type 2 diabetes. Since diabetes is characterized by high levels of blood sugar, the hope was that if people with diabetes could get their blood sugar as close to normal as possible, their cardiovascular-disease rate would be nearly normal.
The two studies were presented Friday in San Francisco at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association and will be published next week in The New England Journal of Medicine.
A third study, similar but smaller, by the Department of Veterans Affairs, will be presented at the meeting Sunday.
Diabetes researchers said the message is that patients should obtain at least moderate control of blood sugar to protect against eye, kidney and nerve disease. But for heart disease, they said, the only proven method of preventing complications is to give statins to control cholesterol, drugs to control blood pressure and aspirin to control blood clotting, and encourage people to lose weight and exercise.
The Australian study did find one advantage to strict blood-sugar control: a slight reduction in new or worsening kidney disease. But researchers disagreed about whether the kidney-disease effect in the Australian study was enough to advise patients to strive for rigorous blood-sugar control. The Australian investigators said it was.
Others were not so sure. The kidney effect was "a modest benefit," said David Nathan, director of the diabetes center at Massachusetts General Hospital.
And the excess deaths among patients in the intensive-treatment group in the U.S. study gave Nathan and others pause.
Researchers said it was difficult to compare the studies from the United States and Australia. For example, patients in the two studies took different drugs to lower blood sugar and lowered their blood glucose at different rates: quickly in the U.S. study, over a period of years in the Australian one.
Those in the U.S. study used a wide variety of drugs. But all those in the Australian study assigned to rigorous blood-sugar control were required to take the diabetes drug sulfonylurea gliclazide (modified release), which is not used in the United States.
The study got its major support from Servier, the drug's maker. Servier had no influence on the conduct of the study or the analysis or publication of its results, said Stephen MacMahon, a principal investigator and professor of cardiovascular medicine and epidemiology at the University of Sydney.
In both studies, intensive control of blood sugar meant levels of a blood protein, hemoglobin A1C, of 6 percent to 6.5 percent, and less rigorous control meant an A1C goal of 7 percent to 7.9 percent, typical levels achieved by people with type 2 diabetes in the United States.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Hospitalized Children Pick Up Too Many Infections
Hospitalized children suffer too many infections and other preventable complications that extend their stays and cost millions, according to a study released today.
Researchers found that some complications occurred in up to 4 percent of children treated at 38 children's hospitals nationwide.
Children are three times more susceptible to infections in hospitals compared with adults, the study shows. Better hand washing, sterilization, preventive antibiotic treatments and other safety techniques can help reduce hospital-based infections.
"I disagree with the notion that we should take it as a given that some infections will happen," said the study's co-author, Dr. Matthew Kronman, an infectious-disease specialist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "I think we can do better."
Researchers studied the medical records of thousands of children hospitalized in 2006, looking for 12 complications known as adverse events by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The complications include infections from catheters, bedsores, accidental punctures and foreign objects left in children's bodies after surgery.
Children and adults suffer different complications at different rates, and the study is the first to analyze pediatric patients alone.
Children are more likely than adults to have some complications, such as postoperative infections and hemorrhaging, but less likely to suffer others, such as bedsores.
The study found that of 430,000 children hospitalized in 2006, more than 6,600 suffered complications caused by their care. Also, 4,300 of the total number of children studied died, but it is not clear whether the deaths resulted from medical mistakes.
"We need to do a better job of identifying ways to prevent some of these complications," said study leader Dr. Samir Shah, an infectious-disease specialist at the Philadelphia hospital.
"A lot of the ongoing safety efforts have focused on adults, but complications of medical care have a clear impact on children's health as well as the costs of caring for children."
Researchers said that the nearly 3,000 cases of infections caused by medical care were distressingly high.
"If we were to eliminate all infection due to medical care, that would save over $700 million in charges each year," Kronman said.
The complications lengthened hospital stays from a range of three days for accidental lacerations to 24 days for sepsis, an infection of the bloodstream. The resulting additional charges ranged from $35,000 to $337,000, according to the report.
Medicare and some private insurers have recently announced they will stop paying for certain preventable medical errors.
Co-author Shah said the report, published in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics, could lead to changes in nurse-to-patient ratios as well as hospital safety policies.
Researchers found that some complications occurred in up to 4 percent of children treated at 38 children's hospitals nationwide.
Children are three times more susceptible to infections in hospitals compared with adults, the study shows. Better hand washing, sterilization, preventive antibiotic treatments and other safety techniques can help reduce hospital-based infections.
"I disagree with the notion that we should take it as a given that some infections will happen," said the study's co-author, Dr. Matthew Kronman, an infectious-disease specialist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "I think we can do better."
Researchers studied the medical records of thousands of children hospitalized in 2006, looking for 12 complications known as adverse events by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The complications include infections from catheters, bedsores, accidental punctures and foreign objects left in children's bodies after surgery.
Children and adults suffer different complications at different rates, and the study is the first to analyze pediatric patients alone.
Children are more likely than adults to have some complications, such as postoperative infections and hemorrhaging, but less likely to suffer others, such as bedsores.
The study found that of 430,000 children hospitalized in 2006, more than 6,600 suffered complications caused by their care. Also, 4,300 of the total number of children studied died, but it is not clear whether the deaths resulted from medical mistakes.
"We need to do a better job of identifying ways to prevent some of these complications," said study leader Dr. Samir Shah, an infectious-disease specialist at the Philadelphia hospital.
"A lot of the ongoing safety efforts have focused on adults, but complications of medical care have a clear impact on children's health as well as the costs of caring for children."
Researchers said that the nearly 3,000 cases of infections caused by medical care were distressingly high.
"If we were to eliminate all infection due to medical care, that would save over $700 million in charges each year," Kronman said.
The complications lengthened hospital stays from a range of three days for accidental lacerations to 24 days for sepsis, an infection of the bloodstream. The resulting additional charges ranged from $35,000 to $337,000, according to the report.
Medicare and some private insurers have recently announced they will stop paying for certain preventable medical errors.
Co-author Shah said the report, published in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics, could lead to changes in nurse-to-patient ratios as well as hospital safety policies.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Donate $10 to Stop Malaria
Donating $10 to buy a mosquito net to save an African child from malaria has become a hip way to show you care, especially for teenagers. The movement is like a modern version of the March of Dimes, created in 1938 to defeat polio, or like collecting pennies for UNICEF on Halloween.
Unusual allies, such as the Methodist and Lutheran churches, the National Basketball Association and the United Nations Foundation, are stoking the passion for nets that prevent malaria. The annual "American Idol Gives Back" fundraising television special has donated about $6 million a year for two years. The music channel VH1 made a fundraising video featuring a pesky man in a mosquito suit.
Part of what has helped the campaign catch on is its sheer simplicity and affordability — $10 buys one net to save a child. Nothing But Nets, the best-known campaign, has raised $20 million from 70,000 individuals, most of it in donations averaging $60.
That is a small fraction of the overall need, which experts estimate at $2.5 billion. But it gives the effort a populist edge, and participation is psychologically rewarding for anyone whose philanthropic pockets are shallower than those of Bill Gates.
Crucial to the drive against malaria, which kills an estimated 1 million people a year, mostly in Africa, has been the development of an inexpensive, long-lasting insecticidal net. Unlike old nets, which either had no insecticide or had to be dipped twice a year, the new ones keep killing or repelling mosquitoes for three to five years. When more than 60 percent of the inhabitants of a village use them over their beds while they are sleeping, malaria rates usually drop sharply.
Major donors have focused on malaria since the creation in 2001 of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which has paid for 106 million nets. President Bush in 2005 started the President's Malaria Initiative, which has bought 6 million so far.
The Gates Foundation has spent almost $1.2 billion on malaria, and although most goes toward research into vaccines and new drugs, part went to match the first $3 million raised by Nothing But Nets.
In recent years a welter of malaria campaigns has sprung up worldwide, but U.S. participation was anemic until two years ago when Rick Reilly, then the back-page columnist for Sports Illustrated, stumbled onto a BBC documentary about malaria in Africa, which said: "Up to 3,000 children die needlessly each day of malaria — and all they need is a net."
Before asking his readers to donate $10 or $20, he searched for an agency to collect the money and buy the nets. He found the U.N. Foundation, started in 1998 by Ted Turner. Already sponsoring a campaign called Malaria No More, it agreed to his request that a new group be started with the name Nothing But Nets. "That's a real title," Reilly said. "It's so simple that even sports fans can get it."
Unusual allies, such as the Methodist and Lutheran churches, the National Basketball Association and the United Nations Foundation, are stoking the passion for nets that prevent malaria. The annual "American Idol Gives Back" fundraising television special has donated about $6 million a year for two years. The music channel VH1 made a fundraising video featuring a pesky man in a mosquito suit.
Part of what has helped the campaign catch on is its sheer simplicity and affordability — $10 buys one net to save a child. Nothing But Nets, the best-known campaign, has raised $20 million from 70,000 individuals, most of it in donations averaging $60.
That is a small fraction of the overall need, which experts estimate at $2.5 billion. But it gives the effort a populist edge, and participation is psychologically rewarding for anyone whose philanthropic pockets are shallower than those of Bill Gates.
Crucial to the drive against malaria, which kills an estimated 1 million people a year, mostly in Africa, has been the development of an inexpensive, long-lasting insecticidal net. Unlike old nets, which either had no insecticide or had to be dipped twice a year, the new ones keep killing or repelling mosquitoes for three to five years. When more than 60 percent of the inhabitants of a village use them over their beds while they are sleeping, malaria rates usually drop sharply.
Major donors have focused on malaria since the creation in 2001 of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which has paid for 106 million nets. President Bush in 2005 started the President's Malaria Initiative, which has bought 6 million so far.
The Gates Foundation has spent almost $1.2 billion on malaria, and although most goes toward research into vaccines and new drugs, part went to match the first $3 million raised by Nothing But Nets.
In recent years a welter of malaria campaigns has sprung up worldwide, but U.S. participation was anemic until two years ago when Rick Reilly, then the back-page columnist for Sports Illustrated, stumbled onto a BBC documentary about malaria in Africa, which said: "Up to 3,000 children die needlessly each day of malaria — and all they need is a net."
Before asking his readers to donate $10 or $20, he searched for an agency to collect the money and buy the nets. He found the U.N. Foundation, started in 1998 by Ted Turner. Already sponsoring a campaign called Malaria No More, it agreed to his request that a new group be started with the name Nothing But Nets. "That's a real title," Reilly said. "It's so simple that even sports fans can get it."
Monday, June 2, 2008
Red Wine Can Increase Your Life Span
Red wine may be much more potent than was thought in extending human life span, researchers say in a new report.
The study is based on dosing mice with resveratrol, an ingredient in some red wines. Some scientists take resveratrol in capsule form but others think it is far too early to take the drug, especially using wine as its source, until there is better data on its safety and effectiveness.
The report is part of a new wave of interest in drugs that may enhance longevity. On Monday, Sirtris, a startup founded in 2004 to develop drugs with the same effects as resveratrol, completed its sale to GlaxoSmithKline for $720 million.
Sirtris is seeking to develop drugs that activate protein agents known in people as sirtuins. "The upside is so huge that, if we are right, the company that dominates the sirtuin space could dominate the pharmaceutical industry and change medicine," Dr. David Sinclair, of the Harvard Medical School, a co-founder of the company, said Tuesday.
Mainstream scientists have long derided the idea of life-extending elixirs, but the door has been opened to drugs that exploit an ancient biological survival mechanism, that of switching the body's resources from fertility to tissue maintenance. The improved tissue maintenance seems to extend life by cutting down on the degenerative diseases of aging.
The reflex can be prompted by a faminelike diet, known as caloric restriction, which extends the life of laboratory rodents by up to 30 percent, but is far too hard for most people to keep to and has not been proven to work in humans.
Research started nearly 20 years ago by Dr. Leonard Guarente, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, showed recently that the famine-induced switch to tissue preservation may be triggered by activating the body's sirtuins. Sinclair, a former student of his, found in 2003 that sirtuins could be activated by a number of natural compounds, including resveratrol.
Sinclair's finding led in several directions. He and others have tested resveratrol's effects in mice, mostly at doses far higher than the minuscule amounts present in red wine.
One of the more spectacular results was obtained last year by Dr. John Auwerx of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France. He showed that resveratrol could turn couch-potato mice into champion athletes, making them run twice as far on a treadmill before collapsing.
Sirtris, meanwhile, has been testing resveratrol and other drugs that activate sirtuin. These drugs are small molecules, more stable than resveratrol, and can be given in smaller doses.
Separately, a research team led by Tomas Prolla and Richard Weindruch, of the University of Wisconsin, reports in the journal PLoS One today that resveratrol may be effective in mice and people in much lower doses than previously thought necessary.
In earlier studies, like Auwerx's of mice running on treadmills, the animals were fed such large amounts of resveratrol that to gain equivalent dosages people would have to drink more than 100 bottles of red wine a day.
The Wisconsin scientists used a dose on mice equivalent to just 35 bottles a day. But red wine contains many other resveratrol-like compounds that may also be beneficial. Taking these into account and mice's higher metabolic rate, four 5-ounce glasses of wine "starts getting close" to the amount of resveratrol they found effective, Weindruch said.
Resveratrol can also be obtained in the form of capsules marketed by several companies.
The study is based on dosing mice with resveratrol, an ingredient in some red wines. Some scientists take resveratrol in capsule form but others think it is far too early to take the drug, especially using wine as its source, until there is better data on its safety and effectiveness.
The report is part of a new wave of interest in drugs that may enhance longevity. On Monday, Sirtris, a startup founded in 2004 to develop drugs with the same effects as resveratrol, completed its sale to GlaxoSmithKline for $720 million.
Sirtris is seeking to develop drugs that activate protein agents known in people as sirtuins. "The upside is so huge that, if we are right, the company that dominates the sirtuin space could dominate the pharmaceutical industry and change medicine," Dr. David Sinclair, of the Harvard Medical School, a co-founder of the company, said Tuesday.
Mainstream scientists have long derided the idea of life-extending elixirs, but the door has been opened to drugs that exploit an ancient biological survival mechanism, that of switching the body's resources from fertility to tissue maintenance. The improved tissue maintenance seems to extend life by cutting down on the degenerative diseases of aging.
The reflex can be prompted by a faminelike diet, known as caloric restriction, which extends the life of laboratory rodents by up to 30 percent, but is far too hard for most people to keep to and has not been proven to work in humans.
Research started nearly 20 years ago by Dr. Leonard Guarente, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, showed recently that the famine-induced switch to tissue preservation may be triggered by activating the body's sirtuins. Sinclair, a former student of his, found in 2003 that sirtuins could be activated by a number of natural compounds, including resveratrol.
Sinclair's finding led in several directions. He and others have tested resveratrol's effects in mice, mostly at doses far higher than the minuscule amounts present in red wine.
One of the more spectacular results was obtained last year by Dr. John Auwerx of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France. He showed that resveratrol could turn couch-potato mice into champion athletes, making them run twice as far on a treadmill before collapsing.
Sirtris, meanwhile, has been testing resveratrol and other drugs that activate sirtuin. These drugs are small molecules, more stable than resveratrol, and can be given in smaller doses.
Separately, a research team led by Tomas Prolla and Richard Weindruch, of the University of Wisconsin, reports in the journal PLoS One today that resveratrol may be effective in mice and people in much lower doses than previously thought necessary.
In earlier studies, like Auwerx's of mice running on treadmills, the animals were fed such large amounts of resveratrol that to gain equivalent dosages people would have to drink more than 100 bottles of red wine a day.
The Wisconsin scientists used a dose on mice equivalent to just 35 bottles a day. But red wine contains many other resveratrol-like compounds that may also be beneficial. Taking these into account and mice's higher metabolic rate, four 5-ounce glasses of wine "starts getting close" to the amount of resveratrol they found effective, Weindruch said.
Resveratrol can also be obtained in the form of capsules marketed by several companies.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Hyperventilation
THE BELIEF:
If you're hyperventilating, breathe into a paper bag.
THE FACTS:
Like a bandage for a cut or a crutch for a broken leg, the brown paper bag is a symbol for hyperventilation.
Grabbing a bag and breathing into it repeatedly, known in medical literature as "rebreathing," has long been recommended to ease rapid, uncontrolled breathing. Some doctors even keep bags in the office for that reason. But most medical studies and experts suggest that the method, though accepted, is dangerous and should be retired.
The idea behind it is to increase carbon dioxide levels. Hyperventilation causes the body to expel too much carbon dioxide, and "rebreathing" exhaled air helps restore that lost gas.
The problem is that several medical conditions, such as asthma and heart attacks, can be confused with hyperventilation. In such cases reducing oxygen and increasing carbon dioxide can be deadly. One study in The Annals of Emergency Medicine described three cases in which people having heart attacks thought, wrongly, that they were hyperventilating and died after losing oxygen while breathing into bags.
Another study said using a bag was no better at easing hyperventilation than using an open tube. For better results, experts say, stay calm and practice breathing slowly and deliberately.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Most studies advise against paper bags to treat hyperventilation.
If you're hyperventilating, breathe into a paper bag.
THE FACTS:
Like a bandage for a cut or a crutch for a broken leg, the brown paper bag is a symbol for hyperventilation.
Grabbing a bag and breathing into it repeatedly, known in medical literature as "rebreathing," has long been recommended to ease rapid, uncontrolled breathing. Some doctors even keep bags in the office for that reason. But most medical studies and experts suggest that the method, though accepted, is dangerous and should be retired.
The idea behind it is to increase carbon dioxide levels. Hyperventilation causes the body to expel too much carbon dioxide, and "rebreathing" exhaled air helps restore that lost gas.
The problem is that several medical conditions, such as asthma and heart attacks, can be confused with hyperventilation. In such cases reducing oxygen and increasing carbon dioxide can be deadly. One study in The Annals of Emergency Medicine described three cases in which people having heart attacks thought, wrongly, that they were hyperventilating and died after losing oxygen while breathing into bags.
Another study said using a bag was no better at easing hyperventilation than using an open tube. For better results, experts say, stay calm and practice breathing slowly and deliberately.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Most studies advise against paper bags to treat hyperventilation.
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