Health and Fitness News

Welcome to the Stars Hollow Health and Fitness weekly diary. It will publish on Saturday afternoon and be open for discussion about health related issues including diet, exercise, health and health care issues, as well as, tips on what you can do when there is a medical emergency. Also an opportunity to share and exchange your favorite healthy recipes.

Questions are encouraged and I will answer to the best of my ability. If I can’t, I will try to steer you in the right direction. Naturally, I cannot give individual medical advice for personal health issues. I can give you information about medical conditions and the current treatments available.

You can now find past Health and Fitness News diaries here and on the right hand side of the Front Page.

People make the party, but blini are always an exciting addition. As Martha Rose Shulman writes in this week’s Recipes for Health:

  If you want something fun for a New Year’s Eve buffet, look no farther than these yeasted buckwheat pancakes. Although they are traditionally served with caviar and sour cream, blini also can be topped with delicious, healthy alternatives.

Here she offers a range of toppings for these famous Russian treats, excellent as finger foods or as part of a sit-down meal.

Family Stress Linked to Angina Pain

Study Shows Demanding Relationship With a Partner May Have an Impact on Heart Health

Dec. 23, 2010 — Just in time for those holiday family gatherings comes news that family stress — especially stress involving spouses and children — may hurt the heart.

People in a Danish study who reported having a worrisome or demanding relationship with a partner had a more than threefold increased risk for developing the severe chest pain condition known as angina.

Angina is both a warning sign and symptom of heart disease.

Researchers followed more than 4,500 men and women in their 40s and 50s with no known heart problems for six years. Those with the most stressful close family relationships had the highest risk of developing angina.

Study researcher Rikke Lund, MD, PhD, says it has long been known that positive social relationships are good for the heart. “We wanted to look at it another way and examine the impact of difficult social relationships on cardiovascular risk,” she tells WebMD.

Genetic Defect at Work in Deadly Brain Tumors

1 in 4 Glioblastomas May Have Newly Discovered Fault in Gene

Dec. 22, 2010 — Scientists say they’ve discovered a genetic defect that may contribute to the development of as many as one in four cases of glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive type of brain tumor.

The defect, a deletion in a gene known as NFKBIA, prevents cells from making enough of a protein that acts as a natural tumor suppressor.

Without the protein, called I-kappa-B, cancer cells become particularly aggressive and difficult to kill.

The study, which was published online Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that patients with the NFKBIA deletion had significantly worse responses to treatment and much shorter survival times than those whose tumors did not have the defect.

Gardasil Approved for Anal Cancer Prevention

HPV Vaccine Prevents Anal Cancer in Women and Men

Dec. 22, 2010 — The FDA today approved Merck’s Gardasil HPV vaccine for prevention of anal cancer in both males and females ages 9 through 26 years.

HPV — human papillomavirus — is a sexually transmitted infection. It most commonly causes genital warts, but it also causes several cancers and precancerous lesions.

Gardasil already is approved for preventing cervical, vulvar, and vaginal cancer in females, and for preventing genital warts in both males and females.

However, the vaccine is routinely recommended only for girls. It remains optional for boys. Another HPV vaccine, Cervarix, is approved only for cancer prevention in girls.

Death Rate High Among People With Persistent Seizures

Children With Epilepsy Have Higher-Than-Expected Risk of Death in Adulthood

Dec. 22, 2010 — Researchers who followed 245 children with epilepsy into adulthood found that 24% died over a 40-year period, a rate that was three times higher than expected in the general population.

More than half (55%) of these deaths were related to epilepsy, says researcher Shlomo Shinnar, MD, PhD, director of the comprehensive epilepsy management center at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

The increased risk of death was limited to people who had not been seizure-free for at least five years and those who had another neurologic condition, particularly severe cognitive impairment, he tells WebMD.

Psoriasis, Heart Disease, and Diabetes: What’s the Link?

Metabolic Syndrome, a Risk Factor for Heart Disease and Diabetes, More Likely in People With Psoriasis

Dec. 20, 2010 —  Having psoriasis appears to double the risk that a person will also have a dangerous clustering of risk factors for heart disease and diabetes known as metabolic syndrome, a new study shows.

Previous research has found patients with psoriasis to be at higher risk for getting diabetes and high blood pressure, but the new study, which is in the Archives of Dermatology, is one of the first to document the broader complement of cardiovascular risks associated with the disease.

Quitting smoking improves cholesterol

(Reuters Health) – Smokers who successfully quit may enjoy yet another health benefit: improved cholesterol profiles. A boost in “good” cholesterol comes with quitting despite weight gain after putting out the last cigarette, hints a new study.

If confirmed in future research, the finding could shed light on the strong, yet somewhat mysterious relationship between smoking and heart health. Up to 20 percent of heart disease deaths are currently blamed on smoking, but researchers haven’t yet had a clear understanding of what lies behind the effect. Smoking likely affects the cardiovascular system in a variety of ways, including lowered oxygen levels and wear and tear on the heart itself.

Some small studies have also shown that smoking lowers good cholesterol (HDL) and raises bad cholesterol (LDL), lead researcher Dr. Adam Gepner of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, in Madison, told Reuters Health in an e-mail.

Drug overdoses on the rise in most age groups

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) — More and more people are dying from abusing or misusing drugs, including both prescription and illegal drugs, new research suggests.

In some groups, deaths from “accidental poisonings” — most the result of drug overdoses — are more than ten times higher than they were in the late 1960s, the study found.

While the notoriously drug-loving baby boomers account for part of the recent increase as they age and embrace prescription medications, death from accidental poisoning is higher across almost all age groups than it was a few decades ago, especially among white Americans. And the upward trend doesn’t appear to be leveling off.

“I went in expecting to see a blip (in increased accidental poisonings) with the baby boomer(s),” Dr. Richard Miech, the study’s lead author and head of Health and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver, told Reuters Health. After all, he said, “you’ve seen pictures of Woodstock.”

Recall of Defective Glucose Test Strips

FDA Says Faulty Strips Could Give Diabetes Patients Inaccurate Reading of Glucose Levels

Dec. 22, 2010 — The FDA says it is working with Abbott Diabetes Care to recall 359 million defective glucose test strips — sold under a variety of brand names — that  may make blood glucose levels look lower than they really are.

The FDA says the defective strips “can lead users to try to raise their blood glucose when it is unnecessary or to fail to treat elevated blood glucose due to a falsely low reading,” and that “both scenarios pose health risks.”

Lipitor Recall Grows by 19,000 Bottles

Smelly Bottles Plague Popular Cholesterol Drug

Dec. 21, 2010 — The Lipitor recall continues with Pfizer’s recall of 19,000 more bottles of the popular cholesterol drug.

A musty smell has led to four recalls, totaling 345,000 bottles since August 2010.

The latest recall is dated Dec. 17 on Pfizer’s web site. The 19,000 bottles represent a single lot of Lipitor. Pfizer says one customer complaint spurred recall of the entire lot.

Sears Canada recalls shopping bags

(Reuters) – Retailer Sears Canada Inc issued a safety recall for certain reusable shopping bags sold at its stores between July and December, due to the presence of higher levels of lead.

Flu kills 27 in Britain, spreading in Europe

(Reuters) – Flu has killed 27 people in Britain since the influenza season began in October and transmission of the virus is picking up across the European Union, health officials said on Thursday.

Latest data from Britain’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) showed that 24 people died with the H1N1 flu strain that spread around the world as a pandemic in 2009, and three with from a strain known as flu type B. Eighteen of those who died were adults and nine were children.

“The level of flu activity we are currently seeing is at levels often seen during the winter flu seasons, but due to the fact that H1N1 is one of the predominant strains circulating at the moment, we are seeing more severe illness in people under the age of 65 than we would normally expect,” said John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases department at the HPA.

Haiti urged to halt cholera anti-voodoo lynchings

(Reuters) – The head of Haiti’s voodoo religion appealed to authorities Thursday to halt bloody lynchings of voodoo priests by people who blame them for causing the Caribbean country’s deadly cholera epidemic.

Since the epidemic started in mid-October, at least 45 male and female voodoo priests, known respectively as “houngan” and “manbo,” have been killed. Many of the victims were hacked to death and mutilated by machetes, Max Beauvoir, the “Ati” or supreme leader of Haitian voodoo, told Reuters.

Do all contraceptives lower ovarian cancer risk?

(Reuters Health) – Birth control pills have long been known to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, but a new study suggests any type of contraceptive – even, surprisingly, vasectomy – may also be protective.

After comparing women with ovarian cancer to those without, researchers found that women who used any type of contraception — birth control pills, tubal ligation (getting your “tubes tied”), intrauterine devices (IUDs), barrier method (such as diaphragms) or male vasectomy — had between a 40 and 65 percent lower risk of ever developing ovarian cancer.

It’s not a surprise to see an association between birth control pills and ovarian cancer, and even to see one for tubal ligation, since other studies have shown the same thing, study author Dr. Roberta Ness of the University of Texas School of Public Health told Reuters Health.

Odds of a Healthy Baby Increase With Single Embryo Transfer

Double Embryo Transfer Increases Risk of Complications Related to Multiple Pregnancy, IVF Study Finds

Dec. 21, 2010 — Women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) are nearly five times more likely to carry a baby to term if they undergo a single embryo transfer instead of a double embryo transfer, according to an international study.

Researchers led by D.J. McLemon, an investigator at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and colleagues conducted a review of medical literature that included 1,367 women from eight different clinical trials. Half of the women underwent single embryo transfer and the other half underwent double embryo transfer.

New Insight on Benefits of Breastfeeding

Researchers Shed Light on What Makes Breast Milk Unique

Dec. 22, 2010 — Although women have been breastfeeding for generations and groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life, researchers are finally beginning to get a better handle on exactly what makes breast milk unique and beneficial.

The new article appears in the December 23/30 issue of Nature.

Is Alternative Medicine Risky for Kids?

Researchers Say Parents Need to Be Aware of Potential Side Effects of Alternative Medicine

Dec. 23, 2010 – The growing numbers of parents who turn toward complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat their children’s illnesses may often assume that “natural” means safe and harmless.

But new research in the Archives of Childhood Diseases suggests that many complementary and alternative remedies can have significant — even fatal — side effects.

Complementary and alternative medicine includes vitamins, herbs, and special diets.

Alissa Lim, MD, a pediatrician at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues tracked and analyzed all CAM-related adverse events reported to the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Units from January 2001 through December 2003.

Breastfed Kids May Get Higher Test Scores

Study Suggests Benefits of Breastfeeding Last Into the School Years, Particularly for Boys

Dec. 20, 2010 — Breastfeeding babies for longer than six months may give them a brain boost that lasts well into their school years, a new study suggests, and this benefit may be particularly important for boys.

The study, which was published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, found that 10-year-olds who were breastfed for longer than six months as infants scored higher on standardized math, reading, writing, and spelling tests than children who were breastfed for less than six months.

Exercise, Vitamin D Reduce Risk of Falls in Elderly

Researchers Say Number of Falls, Costs Expected to Rise

Dec. 20, 2010 — A federal task force’s review finds that for Americans 65 and older, exercise and vitamin D supplements can help reduce the risk of falling.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reviewed findings from 54 clinical trials to determine the benefits and possible harmful effects of interventions aimed at preventing falls in elderly people.

More Fried Fish Eaten in ‘Stroke Belt’

Frying Process Negates Some Health Benefits of Fish

Dec. 22, 2010 — Eating fried fish is more common in “stroke belt” states than other states, which may contribute to the higher rate of fatal strokes in those states, a new study indicates.

The omega-3 fatty acids in fish, especially fatty fish, have been associated with a reduction in the risk of stroke, studies have shown. However, research indicates that the process of frying fish causes a loss of these beneficial fatty acids.

The stroke belt states include North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Louisiana. People living in the stroke belt states are more like to have a stroke and to die from stroke than people living in other states, the researchers say.

The scientists also identified a region they called the “stroke buckle,” which includes the coastal plain region of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. People in the stroke buckle are even more likely than those in the stroke belt to have fatal strokes, the researchers say.

The Deadliest Diets

Study ID’s 2 Eating Patterns That Make Older Adults Die Sooner

Dec. 22, 2010 — Two specific eating patterns increase the risk of death for older adults, a 10-year study finds.

Compared to people who ate healthy foods, men and women in their 70s had a 40% higher risk of death if they got most of their calories from high-fat dairy foods or from sweets and desserts.

University of Maryland researcher Amy L. Anderson, PhD, and colleagues monitored the eating patterns of 2,582 adults aged 70 to 79. They found that these diets fell into six patterns or clusters.

After adjusting for risk factors such as sex, age, race, education, physical activity, smoking, and total calories, “the High-Fat Dairy Products cluster and the Sweets and Desserts cluster still showed significantly higher risk of mortality than the Healthy Foods cluster,” Anderson and colleagues found.

Weight Loss During Marathon Improves Running Time

Study Suggests Less Fluid Intake May Improve Performance for Marathoners

Dec. 20, 2010 — Marathoners who lost the most body weight during a race finished more quickly, even though their weight loss exceeded the amount typically recommended for best running performance, according to a new study.

The weight loss reflects a lower level of fluid intake or a faster rate of fluid loss.

Most runners are cautioned to ”hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.” But the new study suggests that might be too much of a good thing for performance results.

“The clear evidence is that drinking just to thirst is the optimum strategy,” says researcher Timothy Noakes, MD, the Discovery Health Professor of Exercise and Sports Science at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Dairy Fat May Lower Diabetes Risk

New Research Suggests That a Fat Found Primarily in Dairy Foods May Lower Diabetes Risk

Dec. 20, 2010 — Experts recommend avoiding high-fat dairy products to lower diabetes risk, but a new study suggests this advice may be wrong.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health say they have identified a substance found primarily in dairy fat that appears to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Known as trans-palmitoleic acid, it is present in the fat of ruminant animals such as cows, sheep, and goats.

In the Harvard study, people with the highest levels of the fatty acid in their blood had a threefold lower risk of developing diabetes over time than people with the lowest levels.

They also had healthier HDL, or good, cholesterol levels, lower body fat, and less insulin resistance.