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.
On the popular television show “Glee,” the ultimate prize for a great performance is a trip to a restaurant called Breadstix. And in the real world, breadsticks are a main attraction at restaurants like the Olive Garden, and even pizza delivery services have gotten on the breadstick bandwagon.
But in terms of nutrition, the typical breadstick is not a food most people associate with healthful eating. This week, Martha Rose Shulman tries to change that image with five new recipes for baking a more healthful breadstick. . . .
Here are five flavorful ways to prepare healthful homemade breadsticks. And for a gluten-free breadstick, you can substitute gluten-free flour mix for the whole-wheat flour in this week’s recipes.
These grainy breadsticks can be irresistible, and they’re much healthier than the restaurant variety.
Walnut oil gives these breadsticks a nutty flavor.
Sesame seeds are used in both the dough and the coating of these nutty-tasting breadsticks.
Rye and caraway, a match made in heaven, aren’t just for Jewish rye bread and rye crisps.
Sesame, poppy and sunflower seeds give these breadsticks a satisfying crunch.
2 New Drugs May Treat Advanced Melanoma
By alynn Boyles
Studies Show Yervoy and Vemurafenib Improve Survival in Melanoma Patients
June 6, 2011 — Two new drugs that work in very different ways are being hailed as game changers in the treatment of patients with advanced forms of the deadly skin cancer melanoma.
New studies of the experimental drug vemurafenib and the newly approved drug Yervoy (ipilimumab) were published online in the New England Journal of Medicine and also presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago.
Underused Treatments Could Save Lives From Heart Failure
By Salynn Boyles
Study Shows Thousands of Lives Could Be Saved From Treatments Such as Beta-Blockers
June 8, 2011 — Close to 70,000 heart failure deaths could be prevented in the U.S. each year if more patients were on recommended therapies, new research suggests.
The study is among the first to quantify the impact, in terms of lives saved, of broader use of drug and cardiac device treatments for heart failure.
About 6 million people in the U.S. have heart failure and roughly 282,000 die of the disease each year, according to the CDC.
Lung Protein May Predict Heart Risk
By Salynn Boyles
Study Shows Protein Levels in Blood May Indicate Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke
June 10, 2011 — A promising blood test for lung injury may also predict heart attack and stroke risk as well as death from cardiovascular causes.
In a large study from Canada, high levels of circulating surfactant protein-D (SP-D) in the blood were found to be strongly predictive of death from heart and vascular causes, independent of established risk factors for heart attack and stroke.
Why Smokers Gain Weight When Quitting
By aniel J. DeNoon
Study Provides Clues on Nicotine’s Role in Reducing Appetite
June 10, 2011 — Why do people gain weight when they quit smoking?
If you guessed “Nicotine, of course,” you’d be right. But now researchers have zeroed in on the exact brain cells that nicotine triggers to cut appetite and body fat.
It turns out that nicotine activates different kinds of brain-cell switches, or receptors, with very different effects, says study leader Marina Picciotto, PhD, of Yale University.
8 ‘New’ Cancer Causes By Daniel J. DeNoon
U.S. Adds 8 Chemicals — Some Common — to Carcinogen List
June 10, 2011 — There are now eight new substances on the official U.S. list of toxins known to cause or suspected of causing cancer.
There are now 240 agents on the list, maintained by the National Toxicology Program (NTP). The NTP lists agents in two categories: those known to cause cancer, and those expected to be added to the “known carcinogen” list once there’s more scientific evidence.
Energy Boost From the Color Red?
By Jennifer Warner
Seeing Red Makes Muscles Move Faster and Stronger, Researchers Say
June 10, 2011 — Seeing the color red makes muscles move faster and with more force, a new study suggests. The finding could have important implications in sports and other activities where a quick burst of energy is needed.
“Red enhances our physical reactions because it is seen as a danger cue,” researcher Andrew Elliot, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester, says in a news release.
Extreme Weather Affects Indoor Air Quality
By Denise Mann
Climate Changes May Increase Health Problems Related to Indoor Air Quality, Report Finds
June 9, 2011 — Heat waves, floods, and other extreme weather may affect indoor air quality and increase the risk of health problems, according to a new report issued by the Institute of Medicine.
“We spend 90% of our time indoors, and climate change and how we adapt and respond to it will have an impact on our health,” says report author John D. Spengler, PhD, the Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
Asthma Drug May Be Fat-Burner Pill
By Katleen Doheny
Formoterol Boosted Fat Burning Up to 25% in Study
June 6, 2011 — A medicine used to treat asthma may also be a fat-burning drug, new research suggests.
When taken in pill form, the drug known as formoterol boosted fat burning while preserving protein metabolism, thus maintaining muscle mass, says researcher Paul Lee, MD, PhD, of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and an endocrinologist at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, Australia.
New Guidelines Suggest Higher Doses of Vitamin D
By Daniel J. DeNoon
Endocrine Society Says Vitamin D Deficiency May Be Common in U.S.
June 6, 2011 — Noting that vitamin D deficiency is “very common in all age groups,” new treatment guidelines call for many Americans to take more vitamin D than is currently recommended.
The guidelines, from the Endocrine Society, offer some contradictory advice. They say that virtually everyone in the U.S. should be taking vitamin D supplements, but that only those at risk for vitamin D deficiency should have their vitamin D blood levels checked.
Smoking Raises Risk of Peripheral Artery Disease
By Bill Hendrick
Study Shows Tenfold Increased Risk of PAD for Women Who Smoke
June 6, 2011 — Smoking may dramatically increase a woman’s chance of developing peripheral artery disease (PAD), a study shows.
PAD affects about 8 million Americans. It is often a serious, debilitating disorder caused by narrowing of the arteries in the lower extremities. PAD not only causes pain in the legs but is also associated with an increased risk of heart attack, according to new research.
FDA Raises Concerns Over Arsenic in Chickens
By Daniel J. DeNoon
Carcinogen Is Found in Livers of Chickens Fed Arsenic Drug; FDA Says Chicken OK to Eat
June 8, 2011 — An FDA study has found “very low levels” of a cancer-causing form of arsenic in the livers of chickens given the widely used feed additive 3-Nitro or Roxarsone.
Pfizer said today it would voluntarily suspend U.S. sales of the drug in 30 days. The FDA says sales will not resume until all its concerns have been addressed.
E. coli Down, Salmonella Up in U.S.
by Daniel J. DeNoon
Despite Progress, Bad Bugs in Food Sicken 1 in 6 Americans Each Year
June 7, 2011 — Germ-filled food sickens one in six Americans every year, the CDC says in its annual report on food safety.
The CDC’s FoodNet system, which covers about 15% of the U.S. population, reported some 20,000 illnesses, 4,200 hospitalizations, and 68 deaths from nine different food-borne infections in 2010.
But many Americans who get food poisoning don’t get counted by FoodNet, including many people who are hospitalized or killed. For every reported case of salmonella, for example, the CDC estimates there are 29 uncounted cases.
Skin Cancer Protection Starts in Infancy
By Denise Mann
Skin Damage During First Year of Life Raises Skin Cancer Risk Later, Researchers Say
June 6, 2011 — As summer kicks into full gear, parents of newborns and toddlers must take special care to protect their child’s skin from the sun’s damaging rays.
The changes that lead to skin cancer may actually begin during baby’s first year, when an infant’s skin is most vulnerable to burns and sun damage, according to a new report in the July issue of Pediatrics.
Flu Vaccine Rates Are High for 2 Seasons in a Row
By Denise Mann
But CDC Says Vaccine Rates Are Still Short of Government’s Long-Term Goals
June 9, 2011 — Flu vaccination rates remained high during the 2010-2011 flu season, according to data in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The 2010-2011 flu season marked the first time that the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended flu shots for everyone aged 6 months or older. It was also the first flu season after the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, which caused a run on flu vaccines. As a result, there was greater production of seasonal flu shots prepared for the 2010-2011 flu season. This year’s flu vaccine protects against both the seasonal flu and H1N1.
Facial Wrinkles Linked to Lower Bone Density
By Brenda Goodman
Study Suggests Loss of Collagen in Early Menopause May Weaken Skin and Bones
June 7, 2011 — Women with deeply furrowed brows in early menopause may also have troubled bones, an early report of a new study shows.
Researchers measured the number and depth of facial wrinkles and the skin firmness of 114 women who were within three years of their last menstrual period.
Bone density at the hip, spine, and heel was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans and ultrasound.
Too Much Pregnancy Weight Linked to Baby’s Obesity Risk
By Denise Mann
Study Suggests Pregnant Women Who Gain Excess Weight Deliver Babies With Too Much Body Fat
June 7, 2011 — Women who put on too much weight during their pregnancy are more likely to give birth to newborns with excessive body fat, and this may set their children up for being overweight or obese as they age, a study suggests.
The new findings, which were presented at the Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston, held even if the mother was normal weight before becoming pregnant.
Ovarian Cancer Screen: Risks May Outweigh Benefits
Screenings Don’t Cut Deaths Among Average-Risk Women and Sometimes Lead to Unnecessary Medical Procedures, NCI Study Finds
June 6, 2011 — Ovarian cancer screening does not reduce disease-related deaths among average-risk women, but it does result in an increase in invasive medical procedures and associated harms. That’s according to findings from a large, long-awaited, government-funded trial.
Nearly 80,000 women were enrolled in the ovarian screening arm of the National Cancer Institute’s screening study, presented Saturday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2011 Annual Meeting.
Drug May Be New Option to Cut Breast Cancer Risk
By Brenda Goodman
Study Shows Aromasin May Help Prevent Breast Cancer in High-Risk Women
June 6, 2011 — Women over age 60 can safely take an estrogen-lowering drug to reduce their risk of getting breast cancer, a new study shows.
The drug, Aromasin, blocks the production of estrogen that’s made outside of the ovaries. It’s approved by the FDA to reduce the risk of recurrence in certain postmenopausal women who’ve already been through at least one bout of breast cancer.
Flaxseed May Be No Help for Hot Flashes
by Jennifer Warner
Study Shows Ground Flaxseed Is No Better Than Placebo in Easing Hot Flashes
June 7, 2011 — Flaxseed may be no help in fighting hot flashes, according to a new study.
Some preliminary reports had suggested the plant-based estrogen-like compounds called phytoestrogens in flaxseed might be effective in cooling hot flashes in women.
But this study showed no difference in the number of hot flashes reported by women taking flaxseed vs. those taking a dummy treatment.
Testosterone Decline: Not Inevitable With Age?
By Kathleen Doheny
Researchers Find Age Does Not Affect Testosterone in Healthy Men
June 7, 2011 — Testosterone decline is not inevitable with age, according to Australian scientists. Older men in excellent health can maintain their hormone levels, they say.
”What we found was, when you consider all the possible influences, age had no effect on testosterone levels in these very healthy men,” says researcher David Handelsman, MD, PhD, director of the ANZAC Research Institute at the University of Sydney.
New Clues on Genetic Causes of Autism
By Kathleen Doheny
Research Also Sheds Light on Why Boys Are More Affected by Autism Than Girls
June 8, 2011 — Genetic mutations not inherited from parents appear to explain some cases of autism, new research suggests. And the mutations may number in the hundreds.
While the new research is a step forward, it is a small puzzle piece. “It could explain up to 2% of all autism cases,” says researcher Stephan J. Sanders, MD, a postdoctoral research associate at Yale University’s Child Study Center.
Survey: Increased Health Risks for Gay Teens
By Bill Hendrick
CDC Study Shows Gay High School Students Are More Likely to Smoke and Use Drugs
June 7, 2011 — High school students who identify as being gay, lesbian, or bisexual are more likely than heterosexual students to smoke, drink alcohol, use drugs, and take part in violent and suicidal behaviors, a CDC survey shows.
CDC researchers analyzed survey results from about 156,000 high school students.
“This report should be a wake-up call for families, schools, and communities that we need to do a much better job of supporting these young people,” Howard Wechsler, EdD, MPH, of the CDC, says in a news release. “Any effort to promote adolescent health and safety must take into account the additional stressors these youth experience because of their sexual orientation, such as stigma, discrimination and victimization.”
Study: Mental Health Is Top Concern for Youth
By Kathleen Doheny
Researchers Say Injuries and Infectious Diseases Are Also Among Top Medical Problems for Youth
June 6, 2011 — The years from middle childhood to young adulthood, often viewed as some of the healthiest, are not always, according to a new global report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
In the report, researchers find three main causes of disability in those ages 10 through 24, says researcher Colin Mathers, PhD, a scientist at WHO in Geneva. The top three are neuropsychiatric disorders, unintentional injuries, and infectious and parasitic diseases.
Yoga May Improve Balance of Stroke Patients
By Jennifer Warner
Study Shows Yoga Classes May Help Prevent Falls in Older Stroke Patients
June 6, 2011 — Practicing yoga after a stroke may help rebuild balance and prevent potentially disabling falls among the elderly, a study shows.
The study shows stroke survivors who participated in a specialized post-stroke yoga class improved their balance by up to 34%.
Researchers say the participants also experienced a big boost in their own self-confidence after their yoga practice and became more physically active in their communities.
Moderate Exercise May Cut Risk of ‘Silent’ Stroke
By Salynn Boyles
Study Shows Moderate to Intense Activity May Decrease Chances of Having Silent Stroke
une 8, 2011 — People who continue to engage in moderate to intense exercise as they age may be less likely to develop the small brain lesions commonly referred to as silent strokes, new research suggests.
Silent strokes are generally not recognized at the time they happen because patients do not have the symptoms associated with major strokes, such as severe headache, dizziness, speech problems, and paralysis.
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