Health News Tidbits

Health News Tidbits – June 2004

Standard Prostate Test Often Misses Cancer -
15% of older men with supposedly normal PSA readings have prostate cancer anyway - some with aggressive tumors. The study, which appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, conducted with the help of funding and personnel from the National Cancer Institute, is one of several recent studies questioning the efficacy of PSA tests. NEJM 5/27/04

Chondroitin Sulfate May Slow Knee Osteoarthritis -
Based on results of two three-month periods during one year, a group taking 800 mg daily of chondroitin sulfate showed a 36% decrease in pain compared to 23% in the placebo.
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 4/2004

Flu Vaccine Still Contains Mercury -
Despite the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Public Health Service requesting the removal of all mercury-containing vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control have recommended that 6 to 23 month old children get annual flu vaccines and did not recommend mercury-free forms of the vaccine. The CDC's reasoning was that the risk of contracting the flu and facing health complications greatly outweighed any of the potential risks from thimerosal-containing vaccines. Let it be known that last winter, the CDC admitted that the flu vaccine was virtually ineffective in fighting influenza in 2003. Centers for Disease Control

Vitamin D Deficiency Called Major Health Risk -
There has been a sharp increase in the number of rickets in children, a bone disorder caused by vitamin D deficiency. Doctors have come across adults who for years lived with severe muscle weakness and pain, until they discovered vitamin D deficiency. Recent studies have also showed that elderly who are low in vitamin D are at high risk for bone fracture and bone thinning. Recent studies have shown that cancer, high blood pressure, depression, and immune-disorders such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis have all been linked to low vitamin D. In response, many experts have called for higher recommendations of vitamin D supplementally, from food, and sun. More sun exposure has ignited a heated debate between those in favor and the skin cancer experts against. It should be noted that vitamin D can be extremely toxic when taken in high doses, so consult a licensed health professional for a dosage that is right for you. Washington Post May 21, 2004

Zinc Assists Pneumonia -
The addition of zinc to standard antimicrobial treatment may accelerate recovery from pneumonia. 270 children with severe pneumonia given 20 mg zinc per day recovered an average of one day earlier than did those given placebo, and their average stay in the hospital was one day shorter. Zinc also is used to treat and prevent diarrhea, and it may boost the body's immune response to infection. The Lancet 5/21/2004

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) Shows Promise and Safety -
According to researchers, CLA supplementation of 3.4 grams daily for a one year period reduces body fat mass in healthy, overweight humans by as much as 9% compared to the placebo. Related adverse events, typically rated as mild or moderate, were nearly equal among groups taking the either CLA or placebo (3-5%) in the randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study.
American Journal Clinical Nutrition, June 2004

Half of Population at risk of Birth Defects -
A genetic variant responsible for processing folate is compromised in almost half the population, thus increasing the risk of neural tube defects during pregnancy and fetal growth. Folic Acid supplementation has been suggested for many years, although, research shows that only 25% of women in childbearing years supplement with folic acid.
British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology May, 2004

New Recommendations for Treating Ear Infections -
The most prestigious journal overseen by Pediatricians released updated guidelines that apply to children aged 2 months through 12 years with ear infections. The most important recommendation is for the Pediatrician to take a "wait and see" method for a period of three months from diagnosis for a child not at risk. The guidelines clearly stated that antihistamines and decongestants are ineffective, and antimicrobials (antibiotics) and corticosteroids do not have long-term efficacy and should not be used for routine management. They went on to say adenoidectomy should not be performed unless a distinct indication exists (nasal obstruction, chronic adenoiditis). Pediatrics May 2004

Sodas Raise Cancer Risk -
Sweetened carbonated drinks may raise the risk of esophageal cancer. Harvard researchers found that with countries with per capita annual consumption of more than 20 gallons of fizzy soft drinks also had rising rates of esophageal cancer. Specifically, in the U.S., as per capita consumption of soda has risen by more than 450% over the past 25 years, the incidence rates of esophageal cancer have risen by more than 570%. American Cancer Society and Annual Meeting of Cancer and Gastrointestinal Experts 5/17/04

Prozac in Pregnancy Toxic to Fetus -
Normal doses of the antidepressant Prozac can cause babies to be born lighter and sleepier than normal, or make them jittery or cause respiratory problems, a panel appointed by the National Toxicology Program said. "These effects appear to result more readily from in utero exposure late in gestation," the report, issued for public comment, reads. The report is a summary from a working group of experts who studied dozens of medical studies using the drug, known generically as fluoxetine. "The evidence suggests that developmental toxicity can also occur in the form of shortened gestational duration and reduced birth weight at term." CNN April 28, 2004

Breast-Feeding Helps Cholesterol -
Researchers claim that rapid growth in infancy, encouraged by enriched infant formulas, might increase the risk of heart disease and stroke later in life. A cholesterol profile started in the 1980's shows that results were 14% better in adolescents who had been fed breast milk as babies, compared to those who were fed formula. The results further the belief that infant nutrition permanently affects cardiac health later in life, and specifically that breast milk feeding has a beneficial effect. The Lancet, May 2004

Homocysteine Levels Linked With Fracture Risk -
High levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to heart disease, appear to double the risk of fracture in individuals 55 or older with osteoporosis, even when bone mineral density is normal. Homocysteine levels may be reduced by supplementation of folic acid, B-6, and B-12. NEJM 5/13/2004

U.S. Medical System Creates Errors -
Of the 3.5 billion prescriptions written by American doctors every year, nearly one in every 100 is either the wrong drug, the wrong dose, or the wrong patient. According to Harvard researchers, twenty one percent (nearly six million) of those prescriptions contain "serious errors."
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 5/4/2004

Breast Feeding Cuts Infant Death by 20% -
Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences said breast-fed children in the U.S. are twenty percent less likely to die during the first year of life than whose are not nursed. The study surveyed 9,000 infant deaths in 48 states. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that all mothers breast-feed their babies for the first year, and two years of possible. American Academy of Pediatrics May 2004

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