The DASH Diet Action Plan: Based on the National Institutes of Health Research: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension

This is the user-friendly guide to the DASH diet. Proven to lower blood pressure and cholesterol without medication, it was developed in research sponsored by US National Institutes of Health, entitled, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH). Each new research study continues to prove the benefits of the DASH Diet. The DASH diet is recommended by the U.S. treatment guidelines for hypertension. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advocate this eating plan for everyone. And the DASH diet forms the basis for the USDA MyPyramid. It is an eating plan that is rich in fruits, vegetables, low fat or nonfat dairy, is low in sodium, and includes lean meats, fish and poultry, grains, nuts and beans. The DASH diet helps lower cholesterol and supports healthy weight loss. It is flexible enough to meet the lifestyle and food preferences of most people. However, many people have found it difficult to follow the DASH diet. This is the user-friendly book, designed to make it easy to DASH. It was written by a dietitian who is experienced in helping people make sustainable changes in how they eat. Learn how to follow the DASH diet in your real life. Accommodate DASH even when eating on-the-run. Add more vegetables into your diet, even if you think you hate vegetables. Learn how to manage salt intake. Makeover your kitchen to simplify following DASH. Lose weight with the DASH diet. The book has 28 days of meal plans (with adjustments for 1200, 1600, and 2000 calorie plans), and DASH-friendly recipes. And this is the complete healthy lifestyle plan for hypertension. It includes the healthy weight loss and exercise that will lower blood pressure. Make your own personal DASH Diet Action Plan, with the specific steps to fit the DASH diet into your daily routine. Reach your goal to lower blood pressure or just having a healthier lifestyle. Purchasing this book is your first step in improving your health for the long run.
About the Author
Marla Heller is a Registered Dietitian, holding a Master of Science in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) where she completed course work towards a PhD in Behavior Sciences and Health Promotion. She is experienced in a wide variety of nutrition counseling specialties. She has been an adjunct clinical instructor in the Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics at UIC, and also taught at Dominican University, National-Louis University, and the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago. In addition to The DASH Diet Action Plan, Marla contributed the 4-week menu plan for Win the Weight Game by Sarah, the Duchess of York, and wrote the healthy eating chapter in "I Always Start My Diet on Mondays!" by Janice Alpert. She has been a spokesperson for the Greater Midwest Affiliate of the American Heart Association and is a Past-President of the Illinois Dietetic Association. Marla was diagnosed with high blood pressure in May of 2003. Since that time she has managed to lower her blood pressure by following the DASH diet, and incorporating the other lifestyle changes to support reaching and maintaining healthy blood pressure. Marla lives the program that is featured in her book, The DASH Diet Action Plan.

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Amidon Press; 1 edition (March 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097634081X
• ISBN-13: 978-0976340812
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches

Smoking during pregnancy cuts child's good cholesterol

Mothers who smoke while pregnant are causing changes to their unborn babies that can lead them to have less of a type of cholesterol known to protect against heart disease, scientists said on Tuesday.

In a study in the European Heart Journal, Australian researchers found that by the age of eight, children born to mothers who smoked in pregnancy had lower levels of HDL cholesterol, at around 1.3 millimoles per liter (mmol/L), than those born to mothers who hadn't smoked, with about 1.5 mmol/L.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is often referred to as "good" cholesterol and is known to play an important role in protecting against atherosclerosis, where fatty materials collect along the walls of arteries, thickening and eventually blocking them, leading to heart problems and heart attacks.

"Our results suggest that maternal smoking 'imprints' an unhealthy set of characteristics on children while they are developing in the womb, which may well predispose them to later heart attack and stroke," said David Celermajer, a professor of cardiology at the University of Sydney.

"This imprinting seems to last for at least eight years and probably a lot longer," he said, adding that the heart disease risk for smokers' children could be 10 to 15 percent higher.

MORE

Annual Limits Policy will be OFF LIMITS in 2014 according to Obamacare

n 2014, the Affordable Care Act will ensure all Americans have access to high-quality, affordable, and comprehensive health insurance plans that cannot include lifetime or annual dollar limits on benefits.

To implement the ban on restrictive annual limits before 2014, most insurance plans began phasing out their annual limits in September 2010. Millions of Americans are now in plans that cannot impose annual limits below $750,000, and that limit will increase in the coming years until 2014 when no annual dollar limits will be permitted for non-grandfathered plans. The law also restricts the sale of new plans with low annual limits except under very limited circumstances.

Protecting Worker’s Coverage

A small number of workers and individuals only have access to limited benefit, or “mini-med,” plans with lower annual limits than are generally permitted by law and which can provide very limited protection from high health care costs. Employers and insurers estimated that requiring mini-med plans to comply with the new rules could cause mini-med premiums to increase significantly, forcing employers to drop coverage and leaving some workers without even the minimal insurance coverage they have today.

In order to protect coverage for workers in mini-med plans until more affordable and more valuable coverage is available in 2014, the law and regulations issued on annual limits allow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to grant temporary waivers from this one provision of the law that phases out annual limits if compliance would result in a significant decrease in access to benefits or a significant increase in premiums. Plans that receive waivers must comply with all other provisions of the law and must alert consumers that the plan has restrictive coverage and includes low annual limits. Additionally, these waivers are temporary and after 2014, no waivers of the annual limit provision are allowed.

On June 17, 2011, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced a process for plans that have already received waivers and want to renew those waivers for plan or policy years beginning before January 1, 2014. The new guidance extends the duration of waivers that have been granted through 2013, if applicants submit annual information about their plan and comply with requirements to ensure that their enrollees understand the limits of their coverage. Existing waiver recipients must apply to extend their current waiver and all applications must be submitted by September 22, 2011; after that date applications for an extension will no longer be considered. Any plans that have not yet applied for a waiver also must apply by September 22, 2011.

Plans with low annual limits (e.g., $10,000) are most likely to need waivers to prevent a significant increase in premiums or decrease in access to coverage to comply with the current limit of $750,000. Many of these plans have already received a waiver. Plans with higher annual limits are less likely to qualify for a waiver because complying with the new rules is unlikely to lead to a significant increase in premiums or decrease in access to care. Still, the policy announced today gives all plans and issuers with restricted annual limits below $2 million a reasonable opportunity to apply for a waiver.

Increasing Transparency for Consumers

The Affordable Care Act includes consumer protections that that will require plans, particularly mini-med plans, to give consumers more information about their health insurance plans. Health insurers offering mini-med plans must notify consumers in plain language that their plan offers extremely limited benefits and direct them to www.HealthCare.gov where they can get more information about other coverage options.

The new guidance issued on June 17, 2011 imposes more stringent disclosure requirements and requires a new version of this consumer notice that will make the information easier for families to understand. Health plans with waivers must tell consumers that their health care coverage is subject to an annual dollar limit that is lower than what is required under the law. Specifically, the yearly notice must include the dollar amount of the annual limit along with a description of the plan benefits to which the limit applies. Plans must illustrate how the annual limit would impact a consumer who was hospitalized, so families can understand how far their coverage will reach if they become seriously ill. To do so, the updated model notice compares a policy’s annual limit with examples demonstrating the average cost of night’s stay in the hospital. Plans with waivers must attest annually to their compliance with the consumer disclosure requirement.

Phasing Out Annual Dollar Limits

Until annual dollar limits are banned for non-grandfathered plans beginning in 2014, insurers and plans must phase out the use of annual dollar limits on essential health benefits. Today, most plans cannot impose an annual limit that is less than $750,000. That limit will increase to $1.25 million for plan years starting after September 23, 2011 and to $2.0 million for plan years starting after September 23, 2012. No annual dollar limits are permitted with respect to plan or policy years beginning on or after January 1, 2014, except in the case of grandfathered individual market policies.

On September 3, 2010, HHS issued the original guidance laying out the waiver process requiring

plans to demonstrate that complying with a $750,000 annual limit would cause a significant increase in premiums or a significant decrease in access to benefits. This process has ensured that 3.1 million Americans – about 2 percent of people with private insurance – have been able to keep their health coverage during the transition to 2014. The new guidance extends the duration of waivers through 2013, if applicants submit annual information about their plan and comply with disclosure requirements. Existing waiver recipients may apply for an extension of their current waiver, and all applications must be submitted by September 22, 2011. After September 22, 2011, no application for extension will be considered.

Some existing plans have annual limits above $750,000, but below $2 million. Actuarial analysis suggests that plans can meet the increased annual limit of $1.25 million with just minimal premium increases (less than one percent). Similarly, increasing annual limits from $1.25 million to $2 million the following year will have a small impact on premiums. It is therefore unlikely that these plans will qualify for a waiver to comply with the annual limit policy. However, if the circumstances of a particular plan indicate that it will need a waiver from these requirements to prevent a significant increase in premiums or decrease in benefits, the plan can apply for a waiver before September 22, 2011.

40 inch Waistlines put most men in risk zone for serious illnesses

Men can gain significant health benefits from watching their waist size and, if necessary, losing some flab around the middle, the American Dietetic Association says.

"Just as it's important to know your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and weight numbers, men need to know their waist circumference. So, get out the tape measure," registered dietitian and ADA spokesman Jim White said in an ADA news release.

For an average male, a waistline of 40 inches puts him into the "disease-risk zone," the experts warned.

Excess abdominal fat, as opposed to fat elsewhere on the body, increases men's risk for health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer. This fat around internal organs is known as visceral fat.

To correctly measure your waist size, wrap the tape measure over bare skin on your natural waistline, a little above the belly button at the narrowest part of your torso. Don't hold the tape measure too loose or too tight, White said.

"Eating better, decreasing stress levels, engaging in physical activity and getting at least seven to nine hours of sleep every day can help keep a man's midsection under control," registered dietitian and ADA spokesman Manuel Villacorta said in the news release.

MORE

Study Finds disclosing one's sexual identity makes people even happier than previously thought.

Support Is Key to 'Coming Out' Process for Gay People: Study
The long-term impact of this step often depends on local community, researchers say

For gay and lesbian Americans, the rewards of "coming out" often hinge on the support of the local community, a new study shows.

Research has shown that gays, lesbians or bisexuals who reveal their sexual orientation typically boost their self-esteem and experience less anger and depression. And the new study found that disclosing one's sexual identity makes people even happier than previously thought.

However, the benefits of coming out are limited to socially supportive settings, and may not apply to those exposed to hostile or judgmental environments.

"In general, research shows that coming out is a good thing," said the study's co-author, Richard Ryan, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester in a news release. "Decades of studies have found that openness allows gay people to develop an authentic sense of themselves and to cultivate a positive minority sexual identity."

The researchers pointed out however, that by making no distinction between the different environments in which people came out, previous studies underestimated just how beneficial revealing one's sexual orientation can be when done in a supportive setting.

In the same vein, these studies also failed to account for the detrimental effects of "coming out" among disapproving groups.

After questioning 161 lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals, ranging in age from 18 to 65, about their experiences with friends, family, coworkers, school peers, and religious community, researchers found those who are open about their sexuality amid accepting groups reap psychological rewards.

MORE

Study Finds Botox Alternative Better at Smoothing 'Crow's Feet'

A more recently approved version of botulinum toxin type A beat the anti-wrinkle medication Botox in a trial that compared the respective powers of each in erasing those unwanted lines of aging around the eyes known as "crow's feet."

"One month after treatment, on a two-to-one preference basis, patients picked Dysport over the Botox in terms of wrinkle improvement," said study co-author Dr. Corey S. Maas, an associate clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, as well as a plastic surgeon with The Maas Clinic, based in San Francisco and Lake Tahoe.

"So, we can say that when it comes to addressing the smile lines around the eyes, the crow's feet, at one month the Dysport is more effective than Botox," Maas said. "And that's a big deal, because Botox is such a recognized household name now. And it's such a great drug. But when you have something that comes in that's as good in some areas, let alone even better, it's big news for all of us, both doctors and patients."

Maas and his colleagues report the findings in the June 20 online edition of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.

MORE

Obesity and lack of exercise linked to chronic pain

It may not be surprising, but people who exercise at least one hour per week have a lower risk of troublesome back, neck, and shoulder pain, a new study shows.

The new evidence supports the possibility that obesity and physical inactivity play a role in a person's risk of developing chronic pain in those areas, said study co-author Dr. Paul Mork, of Norwegian University of Science and Technology in an email to Reuters Health.

Mork and colleagues followed more than 30,000 adults who participated in a large Norwegian health study. They recorded participants' body mass index (BMI) - a measure of weight related to height - at the start of the study, as well as how often they exercised, and then tracked them over the next 11 years.

The authors divided the participants into four categories based on how often they exercised, and four categories based on their BMI. They also looked at how many people in each category developed chronic neck, shoulder, and lower back pain.

Overall, 1 of every 10 people in the study developed lower back pain, and nearly 2 of every 10 developed shoulder or neck pain.

MORE

It Takes More Than One Reading To Gauge Blood Pressure Control

Before changing hypertension drugs, doctors should consider multiple readings, researchers say

Evaluating how well a person responds to medication meant to lower blood pressure requires multiple readings, new research suggests.

Blood pressure often spikes at doctor appointments, a condition known as "white coat" hypertension, so readings should also be taken by patients at home, said the study's lead author, Dr. Benjamin Powers, assistant professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center.

''Collecting just a few, five or six, blood pressure readings from home will help your doctor make much better decisions about whether your blood pressure is in or out of control," Powers said.

For the study, Powers and his colleagues evaluated 444 U.S. veterans with high blood pressure, about 90 percent of them men with an average age of 64. All had been diagnosed about 10 years earlier. Their blood pressure was considered uncontrolled, even though most took multiple blood pressure-lowering medications. Untreated, high blood pressure can lead to stroke.

The study compared blood pressure readings taken in three settings -- at home, in a doctor's office, and at a clinical research setting -- at the study start and again at 6, 12 and 18 months. The findings are published in the June 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The measurements varied widely, Powers found. "Only a third of them were consistently categorized as in or out of control by all three measures," he said.

MORE

IUDs Officially Recommended for Healthy Women, Teens

A female contraceptive device whose reported side effects kept it off the frontline of birth control for years has been formally endorsed for all healthy adult women and adolescents by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The endorsement represents a new chapter in the history of intrauterine devices (IUDs). The T-shaped pieces of plastic laced with copper or hormones to prevent pregnancy may raise the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease, which can result in serious complications, including infertility, according to the Mayo Clinic.

But many experts say that risk is small, and the new recommendations, published in a Practice Bulletin in the July issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, replace guidelines issued in January 2005.

At that time, only women who had given birth and were at low risk for sexually transmitted diseases were considered routine candidates for IUDs. However, researchers say other women and adolescents have been using them, despite the lack of official endorsement from the organization until now.

IUDs, once unpopular in the United States, are "safe" and "cost-effective," said Dr. Adam Jacobs, medical director of the family planning division at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

"What you see now is a rethinking of the idea of how to prevent unintended pregnancy," said Jacobs, calling IUDs the "most cost-effective form" of birth control available.

MORE

Most pregnant women do not need to be screened for vitamin D deficiency, nor given additional supplements according to ACOG

Most pregnant women do not need to be screened for vitamin D deficiency, nor given additional supplements, according to an official statement issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Vitamin D provided by the mother's body helps build a baby's bones and teeth before it's born. Vitamin D is manufactured in the skin in response to sunlight and occurs naturally in some foods, as well as being added to others such as milk.

Pregnant women do not generally have tests to check their vitamin D levels. But many are asking if they should, or whether they should take supplements, said Dr. George Macones, chair of ACOG's committee on obstetric practice. "And for the most part, the answer is no."

Macones and his colleagues came to that conclusion after reviewing available evidence about the value of screening for low vitamin D levels in every woman who's pregnant - and finding a lack of data to prove a benefit to mother or baby.

Performing an additional blood test that has no benefit would be a waste of healthcare resources, said Macones. "If there isn't a reason to do it, you're just wasting money and time."

MORE

Olive oil lovers have lower stroke risk

Older people who use olive oil in their cooking and on their salads may have a lower risk of suffering a stroke, researchers reported Wednesday. In a study that followed older French adults for five years, researchers found that those who regularly used olive oil were 41 percent less likely to have a stroke than those who never used the oil. The findings, reported in the journal Neurology, hint that the well-known connection between olive oil and heart disease might extend to stroke as well. Olive oil is a key ingredient in the so-called Mediterranean diet. And some clinical trials have suggested that the diet helps control risk factors for heart disease, like high blood pressure, abdominal obesity and elevated levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol. High olive oil intake is also linked to a lower risk of heart attack, and a longer lifespan among heart attack survivors. These latest findings support the general advice that people replace dubious dietary fats -- namely, saturated fats and "trans" fats -- with olive oil and other unsaturated fats, according to an expert not involved in the study. But he also stressed that the study does not prove that olive oil, per se, helps prevent strokes.

"We need to remember that this is an observational study," said Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas, a neurologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York who wrote an editorial published with the study. The study found a correlation between people's olive oil use and their stroke risk, he told Reuters Health -- but that doesn't necessarily translate into cause-and-effect. "People who use a lot of olive oil may be very different from people who don't," Scarmeas said. Olive oil users may, for example, have higher incomes, eat better overall or exercise more often than people who never use the oil. The researchers on the new study, led by Cécilia Samieri of the French national research institute INSERM, tried to account for those differences. And after they did, olive oil was still linked to a lower stroke risk. But it's impossible to fully account for all those variables, Scarmeas noted. What's needed, he said, are clinical trials where people are randomly assigned to use olive oil or not, then followed over time to see who suffers a stroke. Such clinical trials are considered the "gold standard" of medical evidence.

The current study included 7,625 French adults age 65 and older who reported on their diets and other lifestyle factors. People who said they used olive oil for both cooking and as a dressing were considered "intensive users." Over the next five to six years, those intensive users suffered strokes at a rate of 0.3 percent per year. That compared with just over 0.5 percent among non-users, and 0.4 percent among moderate users. When the researchers factored in other diet habits, exercise levels and major risk factors for stroke -- like high blood pressure and diabetes -- heavy olive oil use was tied to 41 percent reduction in the odds of stroke.

MORE

Sugar-sweetened beverages are the largest source of added sugars in the diet of America's youths.

Consuming these beverages increases the intake of calories—a factor potentially contributing to obesity among youth nationwide.

Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. Among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years, obesity increased from 5.0% to 18.1%.  In recent decades, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among children and adolescents has been increasing.  Boys aged 12–19 years consume an average of 22.0 ounces of full-calorie soda drink per day—more than twice their daily intake of fluid milk (9.8 ounces); girls consume an average of 14.3 ounces of full-calorie soda and 6.3 ounces of fluid milk per day.

Results from the 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study (NYPANS)—a school-based survey that collected information on physical activity and dietary behaviors among a nationally representative sample of high school students—underscore the need to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Survey findings, published in a CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report(MMWR) entitled "Beverage Consumption Among High School Students—United States, 2010," show that although water, milk, and 100% fruit juice were the beverages most commonly consumed during the 7 days before the survey, daily consumption of regular soda or pop, sports drinks, and other sugar-sweetened beverages also is prevalent in this population, especially among male and black students. In addition, among high school students, nearly two thirds consumed any combination of these beverages on a daily basis, and almost one third of students consumed any combination of these beverages two or more times per day.

MORE

Depressed and Sleep-Deprived Teens May Crave Carbohydrates

Daytime sleepiness is associated with an increased craving for carbohydrates among teens, according to new research.

The study of 262 high school seniors in New Jersey found that their desire for carbohydrates increased with the severity of daytime sleepiness. The likelihood of having a strong craving for carbs was 50 percent higher among those with excessive daytime sleepiness.

The researchers also found that students with strong cravings for carbs were more likely to have depression (34 percent) than those with little or no desire for carbohydrates (22 percent). Students with major depression were nearly three times more likely to have a strong craving for carbohydrates.

"This is one of the first studies in a high school population to show a linear relationship between carbohydrate craving and sleep deprivation," principal investigator Dr. Mahmood Siddique, a clinical associate professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey, said in an American Academy of Sleep Medicine news release.

Sleep plays a major role in regulating appetite and metabolism, Siddique noted in the news release.

"This study is important given the rising epidemic of obesity among teens as well as increasing metabolic syndrome and diabetes among young adult populations," Siddique said. "This study highlights the importance of diagnosing sleep deprivation as a risk factor for obesity among young adults. Those who are depressed and sleep-deprived may be at special risk for obesity."

The study was to be presented Tuesday at SLEEP 2011, an Associated Professional Sleep Societies meeting in Minneapolis.

MORE

High School Kids Get Too Many Sugary Drinks And Too Little Exercise

Only one in 10 kids meets federal goals for fitness, study reveals
Thursday, June 16, 2011

When it comes to the eating and exercise habits of America's teens, new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention paints a decidedly pessimistic picture.

Not only are high school kids guzzling far too many high-calorie sodas, they're also getting very little exercise, the CDC research team found.

In fact, just one in 10 high school boys and girls are meeting the minimum goals for physical activity outlined by in the CDC's recently released "Healthy People 2020" report, the researchers found.

The twin studies -- one on exercise and the other on beverage consumption among high school students -- stem from an anonymous 2010 survey of nearly 11,500 boys and girls in grades 9 to 12 at both public and private schools across 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The findings from the two studies appear in the June 17 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

For example, the CDC has called for youth to engage in a minimum of one hour of aerobic exercise per day, along with a minimum of three hours of muscle-strengthening activity per week.

But just over 15 percent of poll participants met the aerobic objectives, while only about half met the strength-building goal. Only 12.2 percent met both guidelines.

MORE

New drug to treat Alcoholism shows a 50% drop in the number of heavy drinking days

Lundbeck nails PhIII for drug to curb alcohol dependence

June 15, 2011 — 10:33am ET | By Ryan McBride

With high hopes to change the way alcohol dependence is treated, Copenhagen-based drug company Lundbeck has shown that its experimental pill nalmefene has passed a final Phase III trial in route to potential European approval.

The late-stage trials of drug, which a Lundbeck ($LUN.CO) executive has tagged as a potential blockbuster, have provided a nice package of data on safety, efficacy and tolerability of the treatment. In a key measure of efficacy in the latest Phase III, patients on the drug showed a more than 50 percent drop in the number of heavy drinking days--which was five drinks for men and four for women--after six months of treatment. And the company again says that it's on track to submit its application to European regulators for approval of the drug by late 2011.

"Across the clinical phase III program consistency and robustness were observed and the studies support the overall positive clinical profile of nalmefene," Anders Gersel Pedersen, head of drug development at Lundbeck, said.

Rather than quitting cold turkey, patients take Lundbeck's drug on an as-needed basis to reduce their intake to levels that they control, according to the company.

MORE

Distracted Driving May Be Rising Despite State Laws

Compiling, comparing legislation might help find best way to curb texting, talking, researchers say

By Mary Elizabeth Dallas

Friday, June 10, 2011

FRIDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- More than 300,000 car accidents each year in the United States are the result of distracted driving due to texting, talking or otherwise operating a mobile device, yet driver use of these devices seems to be increasing, researchers warn.

Troubling statistics such as this one have prompted lawmakers in 39 states as well as Washington D.C. to pass laws regulating the use of cellphones and other "smart" devices while driving. A new study from Temple University revealed, however, that these laws and their penalties vary greatly in content and effectiveness.

The study, published in the June issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, investigated distracted driving laws passed between 1992 and 2010, and found they varied greatly from state to state based on the following criteria:

• Type of mobile device (cellphones, laptops, tablet computers)
• Categories of drivers (by age or by driving permit type)
• Types or locations of mobile device use.

In compiling and comparing this legislation, the researchers found that they could ultimately pinpoint the provisions within a given law that make it particularly effective. This could help reduce the number of distracted driving accidents and save lives, the study authors said.

"We know that distracted driving is dangerous, yet despite the diffusion of distracted driving laws, there is evidence that driver use of mobile devices is increasing," the study's lead author, Jennifer Ibrahim, an assistant professor of public health in the College of Health Professions and Social Work, said in a Temple University news release. "Our study is the first step toward understanding which laws really do reduce distracted driving, and thus can reduce related crashes and associated injuries and fatalities."

MORE

Older adults who were insulted, intimidated by parents at risk for sleep problems

Emotional Abuse in Childhood May Disrupt Sleep Decades Later

Older adults who were insulted, intimidated by parents at risk for sleep problems, study finds

By Mary Elizabeth Dallas

Friday, June 10, 2011

FRIDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- Emotional abuse in childhood can lead to sleep disruption in old age, a new study finds.

In analyzing nearly 900 adults ageD 60 and older, researchers found that seniors who were emotionally abused by their parents decades earlier were at greater risk for poor sleep quality years later.

"A negative early attachment continues to exert an influence on our well-being decades later through an accumulation of stressful interpersonal experiences across our lives," study author Cecilia Y. M. Poon, said in a news release from the Gerontological Society of America. "The impact of abuse stays in the system. Emotional trauma may limit a person's ability to fend for themselves emotionally and successfully navigate the social world."

The study included 877 adults who answered questions about their childhood in a 1995 midlife development survey. A decade later, these participants were re-questioned about their relationships, emotional distress and quality of sleep, including how often within the past month they had trouble falling or remaining asleep or felt tired regardless of how much sleep they got.

Researchers found those who endured early emotional abuse (not physical abuse or emotional neglect) by their parents reported a higher number of problems sleeping in old age.

Emotional abuse included insults, swearing, silent treatment, intimidation, or threats of violence or physical abuse.

The study, published in the Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological and Social Sciences, pointed out that emotional abuse during childhood also took a toll on adult relationships.

MORE

City Pavement Affects Weather, Boosting Smog

City Pavement Affects Weather, Boosting Smog: Study

Urban development can alter wind patterns, causing buildup of pollutants, researchers say

By Mary Elizabeth Dallas

Friday, June 10, 2011

FRIDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- Urban development is exacerbating air pollution in coastal regions, new research says.

The study, led by researchers at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), found that the sprawl of strip malls and other paved areas can affect weather patterns, trapping pollutants and hurting air quality during the summer months.

In conducting the nine-day study, which focused on the Houston area, the investigators used atmospheric measurements and computer simulations to analyze how paved surfaces affected breezes. They found that pavement, which heats up and keeps land warmer overnight, reduced night-time winds. The reason for this, the study authors explained, is that when land temperatures rise, the contrast between land and sea temperatures is reduced and winds die down.

The study, published in June in the Journal of Geophysical Research -- Atmospheres, also noted that buildings impede local winds, resulting in stagnant air in the afternoons. As a result, pollutants accumulate, instead of being blown out to sea.

"The developed area of Houston has a major impact on local air pollution," study author Fei Chen, an NCAR scientist, said in a news release from the journal publisher. "If the city continues to expand, it's going to make the winds even weaker in the summertime, and that will make air pollution much worse."

The study authors noted that the development of paved areas such as strip malls and subdivisions, which impede the clearing of smog and air pollution, could have implications for the air quality of growing coastal cities in the United States as well as other regions overseas.

Although the researchers pointed out that more study is needed to better understand the link between wind patterns and urban development, they suggested that the findings may inspire city planners to take new approaches to development.

The study found that drought conditions could also worsen air pollution since dry soil heats up more quickly during the day than wet soil.

MORE

Heavy Cell Phone Use Might Raise Risk of Brain Tumors

Study found small increase in incidence, but experts suggest using ear piece, speaker phone to be safe

Friday, June 10, 2011

FRIDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- The debate over whether or not cell phones might cause brain tumors continues, as a new international study finds a small risk among people who are heavy cell phone users or who have used them for a long time.

Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, was not involved with the latest research, but said that "the study is not conclusive that cell phones cause brain tumors."

The study shows a correlation between cell phone use and the risk of brain tumors, Brawley said. "But this is a suggestion, it is by no means definitive," he said.

Brawley noted there is an ongoing study bombarding the brains of mice with radio frequency radiation to see if brain tumors develop. "If that study is positive, that's going to really tell us that cell phones are not good. If that study is negative, the debate will continue," he said.

The latest report was published in the June 10 online edition of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) added cell phones to its list of things that might cause cancer. WHO said cell phones are "possibly carcinogenic to humans" and placed them in the same category as the pesticide DDT and gasoline engine exhaust.

For the new study, a research team led by Elisabeth Cardis, from the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain, collected data on 1,229 people with brain tumors and 3,673 people without brain tumors.

MORE

Insect Stings Hold Deadly Risk for Some

New guidelines issued to help diagnose, treat those with insect allergies

By Robert Preidt

Saturday, June 11, 2011

SATURDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- For most people, insect stings are a painful annoyance, but they can be deadly for those who are allergic to them, researchers warn.

Each year in the United States, more than half a million people have to go to emergency departments after suffering insect stings, and at least 50 die, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, which recently released updated guidelines for diagnosing and treating people with hypersensitivity to insect stings.

Its three key recommendations for people who are allergic to stings:

• Consider allergy shots
• Avoid all stinging insects, including bumblebees
• Be aware of factors that increase the chances of a serious reaction

Research indicates that allergy shots are effective in preventing allergic reactions to stings. The shots work like a vaccine, exposing recipients to increasing amounts of the stinging insect allergen in order to boost the immune system's tolerance of it.

MORE

New substances added to HHS Report on Carcinogens

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today added eight substances to its Report on Carcinogens, a science-based document that identifies chemicals and biological agents that may put people at increased risk for cancer.

The industrial chemical formaldehyde and a botanical known as aristolochic acids are listed as known human carcinogens. Six other substances — captafol, cobalt-tungsten carbide (in powder or hard metal form), certain inhalable glass wool fibers, o-nitrotoluene, riddelliine, and styrene — are added as substances that are reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens. With these additions, the 12th Report on Carcinogens now includes 240 listings.

"Reducing exposure to cancer-causing agents is something we all want, and the Report on Carcinogens provides important information on substances that pose a cancer risk," said Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., director of both the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP). "The NTP is pleased to be able to compile this report." John Bucher, Ph.D., associate director of the NTP added, "This report underscores the critical connection between our nation’s health and what’s in our environment."

The Report on Carcinogens is a congressionally mandated document that is prepared for the HHS Secretary by the NTP. The report identifies agents, substances, mixtures, or exposures in two categories: known to be a human carcinogen and reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. A listing in the Report on Carcinogens does not by itself mean that a substance will cause cancer. Many factors, including the amount and duration of exposure, and an individual’s susceptibility to a substance, affect whether a person will develop cancer.

Once a substance is nominated by the public or private sector and selected for consideration, it undergoes an extensive evaluation with numerous opportunities for scientific and public input. There were at least six opportunities for public input on each substance. The NTP used established criteria to evaluate the scientific evidence on each candidate substance under review. The NTP drew upon the scientific expertise of several federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

"The strength of this report lies in the rigorous scientific review process," said Ruth Lunn, Dr.P.H., director of the NTP Office of the Report on Carcinogens. "We could not have completed this report without the significant input we received from the public, industry, academia, and other government agencies."

A detailed description of each substance listed in the Report on Carcinogens is included in the new report.

Two known human carcinogens:

Aristolochic acids have been shown to cause high rates of bladder or upper urinary tract cancer among individuals with kidney or renal disease who consumed botanical products containing aristolochic acids. Aristolochic acids are a family of acids that occur naturally in some plant species. Despite a warning issued in 2001 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that advised consumers to discontinue use of any botanical products containing aristolochic acids, they can still be purchased on the Internet and abroad, and may be found as a contaminant in herbal products used to treat a variety of symptoms and diseases, such as arthritis, gout, and inflammation.

Formaldehyde was first listed in the 2nd Report on Carcinogens as a substance that was reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen, after laboratory studies showed it caused nasal cancer in rats. There is now sufficient evidence from studies in humans to show that individuals with higher measures of exposure to formaldehyde are at increased risk for certain types of rare cancers, including nasopharyngeal (the nasopharnyx is the upper part of the throat behind the nose), sinonasal, as well as a specific cancer of the white blood cells known as myeloid leukemia. Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical that is widely used to make resins for household items, such as composite wood products, paper product coatings, plastics, synthetic fibers, and textile finishes. Formaldehyde is also commonly used as a preservative in medical laboratories, mortuaries, and some consumer products, including some hair straightening products.

Six substances reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens:

Captafol was found to induce cancer in experimental animal studies, which demonstrated that dietary exposure to captafol caused tumors at several different tissue sites in rats and mice. Captafol is a fungicide that had been used to control fungal diseases in fruits, vegetables, ornamental plants, and grasses, and as a seed treatment. It has been banned in the United States since 1999, but past exposures may still have an effect on health.

Cobalt-tungsten carbide (in powder and hard metal form) showed limited evidence of lung cancer in workers involved in cobalt-tungsten carbide hard metal manufacturing. Cobalt-tungsten carbide is used to make cutting and grinding tools, dies, and wear-resistant products for a broad spectrum of industries, including oil and gas drilling, as well as mining. In the United States, cobalt-tungsten hard metals are commonly referred to as cemented or sintered carbides.

Certain inhalable glass wool fibers made the list based on experimental animal studies. Not all glass wool or man-made fibers were found to be carcinogenic. The specific glass wool fibers referred to in this report have been redefined from previous reports on carcinogens to include only those fibers that can enter the respiratory tract, are highly durable, and are biopersistent, meaning they remain in the lungs for long periods of time. Glass wool fibers generally fall into two categories for consumers: low-cost, general purpose fibers, and premium, special purpose fibers. The largest use of general purpose glass wool is for home and building insulation, which appears to be less durable and less biopersistent, and thus less likely to cause cancer in humans

o-Nitrotoluene is listed because experimental animal studies showed tumor formation at many different tissue sites in rats and mice. o-Nitrotoluene is used as an intermediate in the preparation of azo dyes and other dyes, including magenta and various sulfur dyes for cotton, wool, silk, leather, and paper. It is also used in preparing agricultural chemicals, rubber chemicals, pesticides, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and explosives. Workers in the United States are likely exposed to o-nitrotoluene through the skin or from breathing it during production and use. o-Nitrotoluene has also been detected in air and water near facilities that produce munitions, and near military training facilities.

Riddelliine has been found to cause cancer of the blood vessels in rats and mice, leukemia and liver cancer in rats, and lung tumors in mice. This botanical should not be confused with the drug Ritalin, prescribed for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Riddelliine is found in certain plants of the genus Senecio, a member of the daisy family, grown in sandy areas in the western United States and other parts of the world. Some common names for Senecio plants are ragwort and groundsel. Riddelliine-containing plants are not used for food in the United States, and have no known commercial uses. However, at least 13 Senecio species have been identified that are used in herbal medicines or possibly as food in other parts of the world. Exposure in humans could result from eating or drinking herbal medicine or teas, honey, or foods contaminated by parts of Senecio plants or after consuming products from animals that have fed on the plants.

Styrene is on the list based on human cancer studies, laboratory animal studies, and mechanistic scientific information. The limited evidence of cancer from studies in humans shows lymphohematopoietic cancer and genetic damage in the white blood cells, or lymphocytes, of workers exposed to styrene. Styrene is a synthetic chemical used worldwide in the manufacture of products such as rubber, plastic, insulation, fiberglass, pipes, automobile parts, food containers, and carpet backing. People may be exposed to styrene by breathing indoor air that has styrene vapors from building materials, tobacco smoke, and other products. The greatest exposure to styrene in the general population is through cigarette smoking. Workers in certain occupations may potentially be exposed to much higher levels of styrene than the general population.

The Report on Carcinogens, Twelfth Edition, is prepared by the National Toxicology Program, an interagency program headquartered at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health.

The NTP was established in 1978. The program was created as a cooperative effort to coordinate toxicology testing programs within the federal government, strengthen the science base in toxicology, develop and validate improved testing methods, and provide information about potentially toxic chemicals to health, regulatory, and research agencies, scientific and medical communities, and the public. The NTP is headquartered at the NIEHS.

NIEHS supports research to understand the effects of the environment on human health and is part of NIH. For more information on environmental health topics. Subscribe to one or more of the NIEHS news lists to stay current on NIEHS news, press releases, grant opportunities, training, events, and publications.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

Baseline concussion tests for athletes may do more harm than good

Validity of Baseline Concussion Tests Questioned

'False-negative' results could endanger injured players, researcher says

By Robert Preidt

Sunday, June 12, 2011

SATURDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- Baseline concussion tests for athletes may do more harm than good in some cases, an expert warns.

Baseline concussion testing provides a baseline score of an athlete's cognitive abilities, such as reaction time, working memory and attention span. Athletes who suffer a concussion retake the test, and if there is a large decrease in the score, they are typically banned from play until their score improves.

But the tests, which are mandatory for hundreds of thousands of amateur and professional athletes in the United States, have a high "false negative" rate, according to Christopher Randolph, a neuropsychologist at Loyola University Health System.

A false negative result means the test shows an athlete has recovered from a concussion when they're actually still experiencing effects from the injury. As a result, an athlete might be allowed to return to play before it's safe.

Randolph analyzed the scientific literature and could not find a prospective, controlled study of the current version of the most common baseline concussion test, called ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing). Athletes take the 20-minute test on a computer.

"There is no evidence to suggest that the use of baseline testing alters any risk from sport-related concussion, nor is there even a good rationale as to how such tests might influence outcome," Randolph wrote in an article published in a recent issue of the journal Current Sports Medicine Reports.

MORE

Weight-Loss Surgery May Not Lower Death Risk

Weight-Loss Surgery May Not Lower Death Risk: Study

But there's still evidence it reduces obesity-related health problems, researchers say

By Robert Preidt

Sunday, June 12, 2011

SUNDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Weight-loss surgery doesn't decrease the risk of death among severely obese middle-aged adults, a new study says.

U.S. researchers looked at 850 male patients at Veterans Affairs medical centers who had weight-loss (bariatric) surgery between January 2000 and December 2006. Their average age was 49.5 and their average body mass index was 47.4 (a body mass index, or BMI, over 40 is considered severely obese).

The death rate in this group of patients was compared to that of a control group of about 41,000 VA patients (average age 54.7, average BMI 42) who didn't have surgery.

Eleven of the 850 bariatric surgery patients (1.29 percent) died within one month after surgery. Unadjusted analysis of the death rates over a six-year period showed that the bariatric surgery patients had lower death rates than those in the control group, but further analysis showed that bariatric surgery was not significantly associated with reduced risk of death, said Matthew L. Maciejewski, of the Durham VA Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and colleagues.

The study, published online and in the June 15 print issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, was to be presented Sunday at an AcademyHealth research meeting in Seattle.

MORE

Heart Attack Victims Face Greater Risk of Dying When Ambulances Are Diverted

Medicare patients turned away from nearest hospital more likely to die, study finds

By Robert Preidt

Sunday, June 12, 2011


SUNDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Heart attack patients whose ambulances are diverted from the nearest ER to another one further away are at greater risk of dying -- not just soon after the heart attack, but for up to a year after the intervention, a new study finds.

Researchers examined data from 13,860 Medicare patients who were admitted to emergency departments for heart attack at hospitals in four California counties (Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara) between 2000 and 2005. Ambulance traffic was diverted from the nearest emergency department to another hospital on an average of 7.9 hours out of 24 hours.

Compared to patients who received care at the nearest hospital, those whose nearest emergency department were diverting ambulances for 12 hours or more had higher death rates after 30 days (19 percent vs. 15 percent), 90 days (26 percent vs. 22 percent), 9 months (33 percent vs. 28 percent), and one year (35 percent vs. 29 percent).

The researchers also found differences in treatment patterns once patients were admitted to the emergency department. Catheterization rates were 49 percent for patients who weren't diverted and 42 percent for those whose nearest emergency department was sending ambulances to a hospital further away for 12 hours or more.

Rates of percutaneous coronary interventions such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement was 31 percent for patients who weren't diverted and 24 percent for patients who were diverted during a 12-hour period or more.

The study appears online and in the June 15 print issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, and will be presented at an AcademyHealth meeting.

"These findings point to the need for more targeted interventions to appropriately distribute system-level resources in such a way to decrease crowding and diversion, so that patients with time-sensitive conditions such as [heart attack] are not adversely affected," wrote the researchers, Yu-Chu Shen of the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif., and National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, Mass., and Dr. Renee Y. Hsia, of the University of California, San Francisco.

"It is important to emphasize that while demand on emergency care is increasing as evidenced by increasing utilization, supply of emergency care is decreasing. If these issues are not addressed on a larger scale, ED conditions will deteriorate, having significant implications for all," they concluded.

MORE

Scientists Identify Genes Linked to Migraines

Inheriting any one of 3 gene variants raises risk for severe headaches by up to 15%, researchers say

By Mary Elizabeth Dallas

Sunday, June 12, 2011

SUNDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified three genes linked to migraine headache and found that people who inherit any one of these genes have a 10 to 15 percent greater risk for the condition.

Migraine headache -- an abnormality in the response of nerve cells to stimuli -- is characterized by recurring severe headaches, which often result in nausea as well as sensitivity to light and sound.

In examining genetic data from more than 23,000 women, including over 5,000 migraine sufferers, the researchers found an association between the headaches and variations in three genes: TRPM8 (which plays a role in sensitivity to cold and pain), LRP1 (a gene involved in the transmission of signals between neurons) and PRDM16.

"While migraine remains incompletely understood and its underlying causes difficult to pin down, identifying these three genetic variants helps shed light on the biological roots for this common and debilitating condition," the study's lead author, Dr. Daniel Chasman, assistant professor in the preventive medicine division at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, said in a hospital news release.

One migraine expert called the findings "very exciting."

"The thinking for a long time was that migraine is most commonly a multi-genetic condition with potentially many genetic variations that contribute," noted Dr. Audrey Halpern, clinical assistant professor in the department of neurology at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. "We clearly understand now that migraine is a condition characterized by disordered sensory processing."

Although the study authors said the findings are encouraging, they noted that more research is needed to better understand exactly how each of these three genes is associated with migraine.

Halpern agreed that much more study lies ahead to unravel the genetics of migraine.

MORE