Health and Fitness News

Welcome to the Stars Hollow Health and Fitness News 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.

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Layers of Flavor: Lasagna With Roasted Vegetables

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Roasting brings a rich dimension to all sorts of vegetables. I’d never thought of roasting broccoli, for instance, but now I’ll be roasting that vegetable as often as I steam it, for sure.  [..]

You can get ahead on lasagna by making up big batches of marinara sauce and freezing it, or in a pinch use a good commercial brand. The noodles are no-boil, which really makes these lasagnas easy to assemble. They make great one-dish meals, and I think they’re very kid-friendly. They can be made ahead and reheated (I’m pulling the leftovers of this week’s recipe tests out of my refrigerator and feeding them to a group of hungry teenagers after a school concert tonight), or frozen.

~Martha Rose Schulman~

Lasagna With Steamed Spinach and Roasted Zucchini

This is adapted from a much richer Italian vegetable lasagna recipe. Roasting the zucchini adds a welcome layer of flavor.

Lasagna With Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

Now that I’ve discovered how delicious roasted cauliflower is and how easy it is to do it, that’s the only way I want to cook it. It might be difficult to abstain from eating the cauliflower before you’ve gotten it into your lasagna.

Lasagna With Roasted Eggplant, Mushrooms and Carrots

This is like a combination of eggplant Parmesan and lasagna, with the added texture and flavor provided by savory mushrooms and sweet roasted carrots.

Lasagna With Roasted Broccoli

The broccoli part of this recipe is adapted from Molly Stevens’ Blasted Broccoli in her wonderful book “All About Roasting.”

Lasagna With Roasted Beets and Herb Béchamel

I also call this “pink lasagna,” as the beets will bleed into the béchamel and onto the pasta when it bakes. Roast the beets ahead so that they will be cool enough to handle easily when you’re ready to assemble the lasagna.

General Medicine/Family Medical

Can Aspirin, Other NSAIDs Lower Skin Cancer Risk?

by Denise Mann

Study Suggests Common Painkillers May Reduce Risk of Some Skin Cancers, Including Melanoma

May 29, 2012 — Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen may help protect against certain types of skin cancer — including melanoma, the most dangerous form of this disease.

The new study hints at a possible link between NSAID use and skin cancer risk. It does not prove that a link exists or speak to how these medications may stave off skin cancer risk. Other studies have produced conflicting results. The findings appear online in the journal Cancer.

Men vs. Women: Whose Offices Are Germier?

by Matt McMillen

Study Finds Bacterial Contamination Common in the Workplace

May 30, 2012 — If you’re reading this at work, brace yourself. A new study shows that typical offices have hundreds of types of bacteria in them, and men’s offices have the most.

Researchers report finding more than 500 different types of bacteria on common surfaces in offices in three major U.S. cities. And, perhaps less surprisingly to some people, they found that men’s offices are more contaminated than women’s.

“Humans are spending an increasing amount of time indoors, yet we know little about the diversity of bacteria and viruses where we live, work, and play,” says lead researcher Scott Kelley, PhD.

Missing Teeth, Cavities Common in U.S

by Matt McMillen

Ethnicity, Income Are Significant Factors in Getting Proper Dental Care, CDC Says

May 31, 2012 — There are fewer cavities in the United States today than there were two decades ago, the CDC reports, but not every population group has shown the same amount of improvement.

According to new estimates released today, at least 1 in 5 Americans has one or more untreated cavities, and the poorer you are, the more likely you are to be one of the untreated 20%, at least among adults.

Non-Hispanic blacks and Mexican-Americans accounted for a large number of those not receiving care for their cavities, also known as dental caries. More than 60% of African-Americans had lost at least one tooth, compared to just under 50% of whites and Mexican-Americans.

Warnings/Alerts/Guidelines

Salmonella Outbreak Again Tied to Ohio Hatchery

by Matt McMillen

CDC: Illnesses Reported in 23 States; 18 Hospitalized

May 31, 2012 — Live chicks and ducklings from an Ohio mail-order hatchery have been linked to salmonella poisoning in 93 people in 23 states, according to the CDC.

The agency has joined state and federal health and agriculture officials in the investigation of the salmonella outbreak. So far, 18 people have been hospitalized, and one person may have died, as a result of the outbreak. More than a third of those reported ill are children ages 10 and under.

Illnesses have occurred from Maine down to South Carolina and as far west as Texas. The first case was reported on March 1.

Diabetes Drug Actos Again Linked to Bladder Cancer

by Denise Mann

Study: Use of Actos for More Than 2 Years Doubles Bladder Cancer Risk

May 31, 2012 — The diabetes drug Actos (pioglitazone) already carries a warning about its risk for bladder cancer, and now new research suggests that this risk may be greater than previously believed.

According to the new study, use of Actos for more than two years doubles the risk of bladder cancer. Still, the overall risk of any one person developing bladder cancer by taking Actos is very small.

Flame Retardant Found in Some Common Foods

by Kathleen Doheny

Researchers Test 36 Food Samples, Detect Flame Retardant in 15

May 31, 2012 — A common flame retardant is found in many popular foods, including fish and turkey, according to new research.

Researchers tested foods such as meats, fish, and peanut butter.

Fifteen of the 36 food samples tested had detectable levels of hexabromocyclododecane, or HBCD, says researcher Arnold Schecter, MD, MPH, professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Dallas.

HBCD is used in foams in thermal insulation, in electrical equipment, and consumer products. It is found in the environment and wildlife. People are exposed from products and dust in the home and workplace.

Seasonal Flu/Other Epidemics/Disasters

Chagas Disease FAQ

by Daniel J. DeNoon

Is Chagas Disease Really the ‘AIDS of the Americas’?

May 31, 2012 — Chagas disease is being called the new “AIDS of the Americas.”

The shocking comparison has put this neglected tropical disease in headlines around the world.

Who’s at risk? Is Chagas really as bad as AIDS? Here’s WebMD’s Chagas disease FAQ.

Global Cancer Rates Set to Soar by 2030Global Cancer Rates Set to Soar by 2030 by Denise Mann

Cancer Prevention Steps May Help Stem Rise in Cancer Rates

May 31, 2012 — Worldwide cancer rates are set to jump more than 75% by 2030.

And these rates may increase even further — by 90% — among less developed countries, according to what one leading New York City cancer doctor calls an “eye-opening” new report in the journal Lancet Oncology.

If the new predictions hold, 22.2 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2030, compared with 12.7 million in 2008.

Women’s Health

Panel: Hormone Therapy Not for Prevention of Chronic Conditions

by Daniel J. DeNoon

More Risk Than Benefit When Hormone Therapy Used to Prevent Chronic Conditions

May 29, 2012 — Women should not use hormone therapy (HT) to prevent chronic conditions, such as bone loss, after menopause.

The advice is the draft recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). It does not apply to women using hormone therapy to treat menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes.

“We are just looking at women without symptoms who are trying to prevent something bad from happening in the future,” the leader of the task force’s HT analysis, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, MD, PhD, tells WebMD. Bibbins-Domingo is associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

Night Shift Linked to Increased Breast Cancer Risk

by Denise Mann

May 29, 2012 — Are women who work the night shift at greater risk for developing breast cancer?

Maybe, a new study suggests.

Overall, Danish women who worked the night shift were 40% more likely to develop breast cancer than women who always worked during daytime hours.

This risk increased among women who worked more frequent night shifts for longer periods of time.

Specifically, women who worked night shifts at least three times a week for six years or longer were more than twice as likely to develop breast cancer as women who had not worked this shift as often.

The study appears in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Pediatric Health

Friends Influence How Active Kids Are

by Salynn Boyles

Research Has Implications for Preventing Child Obesity

May 28, 2012 — Kids who like to be active can influence others to do the same, or at least that’s what new research finds.

Children in social groups that included others who were physically active were six times more likely to be physically active themselves in a study published today in the journal Pediatrics.

When researchers directly measured activity levels among children attending after-school programs in Nashville, Tenn., they found the activity level of their closest peers to be the strongest influence on the amount of time the children spent engaged in physical activity.

Soy and Cow’s Milk-Based Baby Formulas Face Off

by Jennifer Warner

Soy and Cow’s Milk-Based Formulas Offer Similar Developmental Benefits, but Breast Milk Is Best

May 29, 2012 — Soy and cow’s milk-based baby formulas may offer similar developmental benefits for baby. But a new study confirms breast milk still is the best.

Researchers found no differences in behavioral development, such as language and other thinking-related skills, between infants fed soy formula or milk formula during the first year of life.

Aging

Exercise, Vitamin D Can Lower Fall Risk in Elderly

by Salynn Boyles

Task Force Reviewed More Than 50 Studies

May 29, 2012 — Older people can reduce their risk for serious falls by exercising regularly and taking vitamin D supplements, an expert panel now says.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force panel found “convincing evidence” that exercise or physical therapy and vitamin D supplementation can help reduce the risk of falls in people aged 65 and older.

Researchers reviewed more than 50 clinical trials to assess the benefits and harms of different strategies for preventing falls in older adults living in the community outside of nursing homes and other assisted-living centers.

Do We Smell Our Age?

by Kathleen Doheny

Study: Older People Have Special Scent, but It’s Not as Unpleasant as Stereotype Implies

May 30, 2012 — If one of your concerns about getting older is that you’ll have that so-called ”old people’s smell” that is the butt of jokes and bad birthday greeting cards, here’s some new, reassuring research.

Older people “do have a characteristic odor, but it’s not a negative odor,” says Johan Lundstrom, PhD, a sensory neuroscientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a research institute in Philadelphia.

“The negative association with old people’s body odor seems to come from our negative association with old age,” he tells WebMD.

In his new research, middle-aged men actually were evaluated as most stinky of three adult age groups. Middle-aged women smelled best.

Mental Health

Personality Secrets to a Long Life

by Kathleen Doheny

Researchers Find Centenarians Optimistic, Extroverted, Positive; Some Became That Way Later in Life

May 30, 2012 — A new study may offer some tips to help you stick around for your 100th birthday.

Try to be optimistic, easygoing, sociable, and conscientious. Don’t bottle up your feelings. Suppress the urge to talk ill of others, the new research suggests.

That combination of personality factors seems to describe the secrets of living to 100, says researcher Nir Barzilai, PhD, director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, N.Y.

Nutrition/Diet/Fitness

Will Dark Chocolate a Day Keep the Doctor Away?

by Kathleen Doheny

Study: Dark Chocolate May Lower Heart Disease and Stroke Risks

May 31, 2012 — Should people at high risk of heart attack and stroke eat dark chocolate every day?

Maybe, according to a new study from Australia.

“Dark chocolate may be a pleasant and effective way of delivering important dietary components that can provide health benefits to the ever increasing numbers of people at increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” says researcher Christopher M. Reid, PhD, professor of cardiovascular epidemiology and preventive medicine at Monash University in Australia.

Foods to Avoid if You Want to Avoid Gout Attacks by Cari Nierenberg

Gout Flare-ups Nearly 5 Times as Likely in People With Diets High in Some Meats, Seafood

May 30, 2012 — If you have gout, you may want to pass on the liver and keep the anchovies off the pizza.

People who had the highest amounts of compounds called purines in their diets increased their risk of having a gout flare-up by almost five times compared to those eating the least purine-rich foods, a new study shows.

Foods with the highest purine content include liver, organ, and game meats, sardines, mussels, anchovies, herring, and beer.

Foods with moderate levels of purine include red meats, chicken, fish, asparagus, mushrooms, peas, beans, lentils, cauliflower, and spinach.

Cash Helps People Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes

by Denise Mann

Study Shows That Cash Incentive Can Get People off the Couch

May 29, 2012 — Knowing you need to make healthy lifestyle changes like exercising more and eating less fat is, as most anyone knows, a lot different from actually doing it.

Now new research shows that cold, hard cash may help more people make — and maintain — such changes.

According to the study, adults were more likely to eat better and spend less time channel surfing on the couch when they kept a digital record of their diet and activity — and received $175 for meeting their health goals during the three weeks of the study.

The findings appear in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Picking Healthy Meals Harder Than Doing Taxes?

by Cari Nierenberg

Online Survey Shows Americans’ Attitudes About Diet, Health, and Food Choices

May 25, 2012 — Fifty-two percent of Americans responding to an online survey said they think it’s easier to do their own taxes than it is to figure out how to eat healthfully.

Men, people lacking a college degree, overweight or obese adults, and people with high blood pressure, heart disease, or high cholesterol were most likely to say they find it harder to know what foods they should or should not be eating.