Archive for February, 2009
February 26th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
The cardiovascular benefits of alcohol consumption have been touted for several years. This has been welcome news for those who enjoy drinking, but there may be a huge price to pay in the long run.
The good news about alcohol has been well publicized, but the bad news has usually been absent from the news story. People have grown accustomed to their nightly glass, or two, of wine and are totally surprised to hear that drinking alcohol increases cancer risk. For years the American Cancer Society (ACS) has been warning of the cancer risks of alcohol, but the ACS has a small voice compared to the nightly news. Unfortunately, many have now grown accustomed, and yes addicted, to their daily alcohol and don’t want to give it up.
Recently, a large new study from the University of Oxford further emphasizes the link of regular alcohol consumption with cancer. The British researchers studied 1.3 million women and found that as little as one drink or more per day increased the risk of a half dozen types of cancer. The increased risk was similar in women who drank wine exclusively and in those who consumed other types of alcohol.
Leading authorities contend that no level of alcohol consumption should be considered safe when it comes to cancer. The American Cancer Society summarizes the research to date and publishes the following recommendations on its website: “Alcohol raises the risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx (throat), larynx (voice box), esophagus, liver, and breast, and probably of the colon and rectum. People who drink alcohol should limit their intake to no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits. The combination of alcohol and tobacco increases the risk of some cancers far more than the effect of either drinking or smoking alone. Regular intake of even a few drinks per week is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer in women, especially in women who do not get enough folate. Women at high risk of breast cancer may want to consider not drinking any alcohol.”
The Oxford researchers acknowledge that studies have shown some cardiovascular benefits associated with moderate alcohol consumption, but they say the cancer risk may outweigh those benefits. There are many other well known health problems associated with alcohol such as hypertension, stroke, cardiac arrhythmias, mental decline and dementia, cirrhosis of the liver, dilated cardiomyopathy, and fetal alcohol syndrome. Also, the disasterous consequences of acute intoxication such as fatal motor vehicle accidents and chronic destructive addiction are just a few of the many social hazards of alcohol.
The dangers of alcohol are well known, have been known for a long time, and it is far from the whole story to say that alcohol is good for you.
Source: Allen NE, et al “Moderate alcohol intake and cancer incidence in women” J Natl Cancer Inst 2009; 101: 296-305.
Source: Lauer MS, Sorlie P “Alcohol, cardiovascular disease, and cancer: treat with caution” J Natl Cancer Inst 2009; 101: 282-283.
Source: “Even a Few Drinks a Day Increases Cancer Risk in Women”, MedPage Today, February 24, 2009
February 24th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Higher calcium intake may reduce the risk of digestive system cancers in both men and women according to a study of men and women over 50 from the National Institute of Health. The study also found a reduction in total cancer risk with increasing calcium intake in women, but not men. The analysis showed no effect of calcium intake on the risk of breast cancer or prostate cancer, however.
The highest calcium intake, and lowest cancer risk, in this study was consistent with current recommendations of 1,200 mg/d for adults over 50. Calcium supplements were taken by 14% of the men and 41% of the women in this study.
Calcium is also well known as an essential nutrient in the battle against osteoporosis, which is known as the “silent disease”. It is a silent disease in that it progresses insidiously and painlessly up until the first symptom, which is usually a broken bone. Unfortunately by then, most of the damage has been done. Both men and women over age 50 are at risk of osteoporosis. One-half of all women and one-fourth of all men over age 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their remaining lifetime.
To prevent osteoporosis, the current guidelines for adults over 50 are to consume 1,200 mg/d of calcium in the form of food or calcium supplements. Adults under age 50 need 1,000 mg daily, and teenagers need the most, 1300 mg/d.
Calcium in foods, especially from milk and milk products, has been found to be better absorbed than from supplements. Milk products include hard cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, green vegetables and spinach. A simple way to estimate one’s daily intake of dietary calcium is to multiply the number of dairy servings consumed each day by 300 mg. One serving equals 8 oz of milk or yogurt, 1 oz of hard cheese, 16 oz of cottage cheese, or 2 cups of broccoli.
Despite all efforts to eat a calcium-rich diet, if dietary intake of calcium remains below the recommended value, calcium supplementation is recommended.
Read more important details about Calcium supplementation and Osteoporosis from Bay Area Medical Information.
Source: Park Y, et al “Dairy food, calcium, and risk of cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study” Arch Intern Med 2009; 169: 391-401.
Source: MedPage Today, February 23, 2009
February 23rd, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Food poisoning can occur from either a virus, a bacteria, or a parasite. By far the most common cause of food poisoning are the Noroviruses, which are widespread in the community but also are well known for sickening cruise-ship passengers, according to the CDC. A virus does not respond to antibiotics, whereas bacteria are treatable with antibiotics.
The symptoms of norovirus illness usually include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping. Sometimes people additionally have a low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of tiredness. Symptoms of norovirus illness usually begin about 24 to 48 hours after ingestion of the virus, but they can appear as early as 12 hours after exposure. The illness is usually brief, with symptoms lasting only about 1 or 2 days. Most people get better within 1 or 2 days, and they have no long-term health effects related to their illness. However, sometimes people can become dehydrated and may need special medical attention.
The next most common type of food poisoning come from two types of bacteria, campylobacter and salmonella. Both of these bacteria are diagnosed by a simple stool culture which must be ordered by a health care provider.
Salmonella has been in the news quite a bit lately. Earlier in 2008, salmonella poisoning was linked to hot peppers and tomatoes from Mexico that sickened more 1,400, and the recent peanut-related salmonella outbreak has triggered one of the largest food recalls ever in the United States. It has been linked to nine deaths and caused 654 confirmed illnesses in 44 states so far. The salmonella-peanut butter outbreak is continuing, though the numbers of new cases have declined modestly since December. This outbreak was traced to Peanut Corp. of America, which is now undergoing bankruptcy proceedings. To date, more than 2,100 products in 17 categories have been voluntarily recalled by more than 200 companies, and the list continues to grow.
Salmonella is a bacteria that invades a person’s gastrointestinal system (stomach and intestines). It can be in drinking water or food, but it also can occur from coming in contact with infected animals or contaminated surfaces. Most people with a Salmonella infection develop a diarrhea illness within 6 to 72 hours from the ingestion of the bacteria. Diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and fever occur in varying degrees of severity, depending on a number of factors. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, although mild cases may only last 1-2 days. In some cases, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized, however most persons recover without treatment.
Some cases of salmonella may cause severe illness, hospitalization and even death in susceptible people such as children under 5, the elderly, and people who have lowered natural resistance to disease. In some cases, arthritic symptoms may follow 3-4 weeks after the onset of the gastrointestinal symptoms.
Campylobacter is also a bacteria that can be a food-borne illness, but it can also be spread to humans from infected animals. Most people who become ill with campylobacter get diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever within two to five days after exposure to the organism. The symptoms can be severe and the diarrhea may be bloody and sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The illness typically lasts one week. The severity varies from person to person. Some people who are infected do not have any symptoms at all, while those with compromised immune systems may have an infection so severe that it spreads to the bloodstream and causes a serious life-threatening infection.
There are a number of very important precautions you can take to prevent food poisoning.
Read more:
Source: CDC, February 2009
February 21st, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Most of us truly love our coffee and especially look forward to that first cup in the morning. It’s delicious, it helps you wake up, and quite honestly, most of us are addicted to this wonderful brew. But are we going to regret this delicious indulgence some day?
A number of researchers have recently investigated the health benefits of coffee and found that drinking regular coffee on a routine basis was associated with many important health benefits such as a decreased risk of stroke, diabetes and dementia. Also, several studies have found that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s. Other research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily was linked to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer, an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk, and nearly half the risk of gallstones.
Coffee has been found to be helpful in people who have asthma. It also has been known to stop a headache, improve mood, increase concentration and give you that extra energy needed to get through the day.
Some of the health benefits of coffee are merely from the caffeine. An eight ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee contains about 85 mg of caffeine, whereas eight ounces of black tea only has about 45 mg of caffeine and 12 ounces of Coke has 35 mg of caffeine. Many of the so called “Sports/Energy Drinks” on the market are loading up on caffeine for that extra jolt and may contain over 150 mg of caffeine.
Researchers believe that most of the health benefits from coffee probably originate from substances other than caffeine. Phenolic compounds in coffee have strong antioxidant properties, which may improve endothelial function. Caffeinated coffee appears to have beneficial effects on glucose metabolism, inflammation, and endothelial function which would account for protection against diabetes and stroke.
Of course adding cream which is loaded with fat may counteract some of the health benefits of coffee, and pouring several spoons full of sugar into the cup adds another carbohydrate load that is not beneficial.
While these studies are very good news for coffee drinkers, be aware that coffee can lead to a number of health problems. These can include fast heart rate, tremors, irritable bladder, excessive urination, stomach irritation, gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), nausea, vomiting, restlessness, anxiety, depression, and difficulty sleeping.
Caffeine is notorious for interfering with much-needed sleep. Many people get in a viscious cycle of using caffeine to mask their sleep deprivation, but then the excess caffeine keeps them from falling asleep the following night. The best way to break this cycle is to avoid all caffeine eight to ten hours before your desired bedtime. Drinking coffee later in the day is more likely to cause insomnia as well as stomach irritation and reflux for many people.
Another drawback of coffee is that certain drugs can interact with caffeine. Pregnant women and people with coronary heart disease or peptic ulcers are often advised to restrict or avoid using caffeine altogether.
Contrary to the popular belief that coffee will sober you up after drinking too much alcohol, it can actually worsen the problem. A recent study found that a high caffeine energy drink mixed with vodka actually reduced the participants’ perception of motor coordination compared with vodka alone. This could obviously lead to disasterous consequences in a person who is drinking heavily away from home and has several cups of coffee to sober up before driving home.
So, is coffee good for us? It depends on who you are, how much you drink, and when you drink it. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about the amount of coffee you drink.
Source: “High Coffee Consumption Linked to Lower Stroke Risk for Women”, MedPage Today, February 17, 2009
Source: Lopez-Garcia E, et al “Coffee consumption and risk of stroke in women” Circulation 2009; 119: 1116-1123.
February 19th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Drinking caffeinated coffee regularly may be linked with a lower stroke risk, according to Harvard and Madrid researchers. Women who drank two to three cups a day had a 19% reduction in the risk of all strokes but consumption of tea and caffeinated soft drinks was not significantly associated with a lowered stroke risk. The association was significant only in women who had never smoked or who had quit.
Other recent studies have also found that drinking coffee was associated with a decreased risk of diabetes as well as dementia.
Researchers believe the health benefits from coffee probably originate from substances other than caffeine. Phenolic compounds in coffee have strong antioxidant properties, which may improve endothelial function. Caffeinated coffee appears to have beneficial effects on glucose metabolism, inflammation, and endothelial function which would account for protection against diabetes and stroke.
While these studies are very good news for coffee drinkers, be aware that more research needs to be done. Also keep in mind that some people should not drink coffee at all, and for others, drinking too much coffee can be problematic and lead to a number of health problems.
Source: “High Coffee Consumption Linked to Lower Stroke Risk for Women”, MedPage Today, February 17, 2009
Source: Lopez-Garcia E, et al “Coffee consumption and risk of stroke in women” Circulation 2009; 119: 1116-1123.
February 17th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Relax with your pet and lower your blood pressure. Many studies have found scientific evidence of the therapeutic benefits of pet ownership.
Contact with farm animals appeared to be therapeutic for patients with mental illness according to Norwegian researchers. These findings were similar to previous studies which have shown that animal-assisted therapy involving cats and dogs was associated with decreased stress and improved self-confidence, social competence, and overall quality of life.
In a study from the Minnesota Stroke Institute in Minneapolis, people who owned cats had a lower risk of dying from a heart attack or other cardiovascular disease, including stroke. Whereas people who did not own cats had a 40% higher risk of dying from a heart attack than people who were cat owners.
It’s very important, however, to find the pet that will fit into your lifestyle. Impulsive purchases of a cute puppy, for instance, can be disasterous and can actually turn into a source of a huge amount of stress and unhappiness.
Source: Berget B, et al “Animal-assisted therapy with farm animals for persons with psychiatric disorders: effects on self-efficacy, coping ability and quality of life, a randomized controlled trial” Clin Pract Epidemol Ment Health 2008; 4: 9.
Source: Qureshi A et al, “Cats as domestic pets reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases: Results from the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Study Mortality Follow-up Study.” ASA Meeting 2008.
February 17th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Passive smoking, also known as secondhand smoke, has been found to impair cognition according to British researchers from the University of Cambridge. In their recent study, nonsmokers with the heaviest secondhand smoke exposure were at a 44% higher risk of scoring in the bottom 10% on cognitive testing, compared with those with the lowest level of passive smoking.
People over fifty were included in this clinical trial, but other studies have also connected secondhand smoke exposure to impaired cognition in both children and adolescents.
Passive smoking has also been found to be a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, tuberculosis, breast cancer, psoriasis, glucose intolerance, and other chronic medical conditions.
The results from a number of studies affirm that public interventions which prohibit smoking can have an enormous impact on public health. In fact several studies have provided evidence that smoking bans have not only reduced respiratory symptoms among workers in service industries, but hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction in the general population have significantly decreased.
Source: “Secondhand Smoke Linked to Adult Cognitive Impairment’, MedPage Today, February 15, 2009
Source: Llewellyn D, et al “Exposure to secondhand smoke and cognitive impairment in non-smokers: national cross sectional study with cotinine measurement” BMJ 2009; DOI: 10.1136/bmj.b462.
Source: Menzies D et al. “Respiratory Symptoms, Pulmonary Function, and Markers of Inflammation Among Bar Workers Before and After a Legislative Ban on Smoking in Public Places.” JAMA. 2006;296:1742-1748
February 17th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Calcitriol is a new prescription vitamin D ointment that was approved by the FDA earlier this month. In clinical trials of patients with mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis treated twice daily for eight weeks, calcitriol yielded significant improvement after two weeks of use. Adverse events were minimal and generally mild. Calcitrol is not yet in pharmacies but is expected to be available by early spring.
Source: Koo, J “New Developments in Topical Therapy” SDEF 2009.
Source: “Newly Approved Vitamin D Ointment Appears Effective for Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis”, MedPage Today, February 13, 2009
February 16th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Excess abdominal fat may increase the risk of migraine headaches in young and middle-aged adults report researchers from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. In their recent large-scale study, people aged 20 to 55 who had larger waistlines were more likely to have migraines than those with smaller waistlines. However, among those older than 55, total body obesity wasn’t associated with migraine in women or men.
Excess abdominal fat also appears to be linked with diverticulitis, diverticular bleeding, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. In a recent study published in the Journal of Stroke, researchers found those who had a waist circumference greater than 40.2 inches for men or 34.6 inches for women, the risk of stroke increased more than 4-fold compared with individuals with a normal waist size. In general, women with a waist measurement of more than 35 inches and men with a waist measurement of more than 40 inches may have an increased risk for the above diseases.
A recent small study has found that periodic, intense exercise is best for burning the fat around the midsection. While any type of exercise is helpful, people who want to reshape their figures may need to boost the intensity of their workouts, researchers have found. Their study followed 27 middle-aged obese women. They found that those who exercised at a higher intensity for four months successfully shed fat from their midsections while those who exercised at a lower intensity showed no such changes in body fat.
It’s very important to note that anyone new to exercise should start off slow and gradually build the intensity, duration and frequency of workouts. Older adults and people with chronic health conditions should talk to their doctors before becoming more active.
Source: Dr. B. Lee Peterlin, of Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, American Academy of Neurology news release, February 2009
February 13th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Exercising fifty minutes per day, five days per week of moderate-intensity physical activity is now recommended instead of thirty minutes per day, five days per week. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has determined that this is the amount necessary for both weight loss and prevention of weight gain. The ACSM also recommends strength training as part of a health and fitness regimen.
Greater amounts of weekly physical activity — 250 minutes or more per week — have been associated with significant weight loss, the ACSM adds.
Make it fun and exercise with a friend — these are two of the best ways to assure that you’ll stick to a regular program of exercise. Read more about getting started on an exercise program.
Check with your health care provider before beginning an exercise program. If you have chest pain, feel faint or light-headed, or become extremely out of breath while exercising, stop the activity at once and tell your doctor as soon as possible.
Source: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, February 2009.