Health News

February 28, 2006

Japan has a new hot video game that is about to hit the US. This new "brain" that includes word and math problems has the title: Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day.

Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo Co., read a book by Japanese neuroscientist Ryuta Kawashima which explained how to keep the mind sharp. Kawashima, Iwata and Nintendo programmers collaborated on the videogame.

The scientist, Ryuta Kawashima, invited a team of Nintendo programmers to his lab. For five months, they attached electrodes to the heads of test subjects, who played with a prototype puzzle game. Then they used Dr. Kawashima's brain-imaging technique to determine which drills stimulated the mind the most.

The resulting game, played on a hand-held machine, is Brain Age. Simpler than most other videogames, Brain Age flashes questions on one screen, while the player writes answers on the other. The player is peppered with a series of timed drills, allowing the game to measure the user's "brain age."

Most users find they are much "older." But by working through the mental exercises players can bring down their brain age and chart their progress over time. Nintendo, citing Dr. Kawashima's research, claims that playing Brain Age improves the memory and helps stave off the mental effects of aging.

The version of the game that will go on sale in the U.S. on April 17 will include counting, memory and reading drills, as well as Sudoku, a Japanese number puzzle that has recently become popular in the U.S. and Europe. Another brain-exercising quiz game will come out in May.

February 28, 2006

Critics of pain medication are asking the government to ban certain pain killing drugs. Darvon, Darvocet and related painkillers were associated with at least 2,110 deaths in between 1981 and 1999. The Public Citizen's Health Research Group says several hundred more have died each year accidentally after taking the drugs. The group plans to submit a petition to the FDA Commissioner.

Propoxyphene, is a relatively weak painkiller and poses an unacceptable toxic risk to the millions of patients who consume the painkiller each year. An analysis of 26 studies that compared propoxyphene and acetaminophen with just acetaminophen or a dummy pill found the "narcotic combination offered little benefit over acetaminophen alone" in treating pain. The body transforms propoxyphene into norpropoxyphene, which can build up in the body and is associated with a variety of heart problems, including arrhythmia.

February 27, 2006

A recent study of older men in the Netherlands shows that men who ate the equivalent of one-third of a chocolate bar every day had lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of death. Researchers still think it is too early in to conclude that chocolate actually led to better health because those men who ate cocoa may have other similarities that have led to better overall health. It was also pointed out that eating too much chocolate can cause obesity -- a health risk for high blood pressure and heart disease.

Researchers examined the eating habits of 470 healthy men who were not taking blood pressure medicine. The men who ate the most products made from cocoa beans -- including cocoa drinks, chocolate bars and chocolate pudding -- had lower blood pressure and a 50 percent lower risk of death. Cocoa beans contain flavanols, which are thought to increase nitric oxide in the blood and improve the function of blood vessels.

February 27, 2006

Two recent studies have shown that insulin-producing islet cells from the pancreas of newborn pigs can reverse type 1 diabetes in primates. The recent finding might lead to human clinical trials. Transplants of insulin-producing islet cells have long been considered a potential therapy and the first experiments using human cells were conducted as far back as 1977.

Scientists have turned to pigs as a potential source of islet cells because the animals produce a similar form of insulin to humans. Human islet cell prospects have been limited by a shortage of human tissue available for transplants, which requires islets from two pancreases donated after death. Grafts of tissue from animals, however, pose ethical and safety concerns because they raise the prospect of introducing viruses and other pathogens that might prove harmful.

In the longer term, human embryonic or adult stem cells might be used to grow islet cells for transplant, which could be cloned as a perfect genetic fit for patients or matched from large stem cell banks.

February 24, 2006

New research indicates that a virus may be behind some forms of prostate cancer. According to the leader of the study, Dr. Eric Klein of the Cleveland Clinic, the possibility is real that "prostate cancer could be cuased by an infectuous disease."

Cancers as being caused by or related to specific viruses is a novel idea that has been gaining ground in recent years. Other recent edivence suggests that viruses are also behind some liver and cervical cancers. Dr. Klein will be presenting his findings at an upcoming American Society of Clinical Oncology symposium in San Francisco.

The discovery was made by computer chip, the so-called gene chip. It compares cancerous tissue strands against a database of 20,000 DNA snippets of all know viruses among multiple species. What the analysis found was that men with the diseases had a highly positive match with a virus previously only found in mice. That virus is known to cause cancer in mice.

Even more interesting is the fact that these diseases may be passed on genetically, although the mechanisms for how this happens are still completely unclear. Other factors, including race and weight, also play a role in prostate cancer. According to Dr. Anthony Zietman at Massachusetts General Hospital, this discovery will mean that research "will take off in a whole new direction." For many American men, who suffer from prostate cancer more than from any other cancer, that research cannot proceed too swiftly.

February 23, 2006

According to a recent nationwide survey of 1,600 adults, many common beliefs about stress and gender are wrong. The study was conducted for a group that included the American Psychological Association (APA), National Women's Health Resource Center and iVillage.

The survey revealed that more women (28 percent) consider money to be "a very significant source of stress" than men do (19 percent). And men are more likely to turn to food for comfort than women are. Men and women also handle their stress differently. Men are more likely to become irritable, angry and sleepless from stress. Women tend to feel nervous and emotional. In general, the study shows that women are more stressed than men are. Single mothers carry the most stress, followed by single fathers. More women (27 percent) than men (20 percent) worry about the health of a spouse or child, and more women (25 percent) than men (15 percent) say children are a very significant source of stress in their lives.

Dr Newman from the APA offers some tips for dealing with stress. First, you should identify what is causing your stress. People are often not honest with themselves or do not want to admit what is causing them stress. Second, ask someone to help you with what is causing your stress. Finally, make time for yourself and be try to fit in activities such as exercise, reading or anything other hobby you enjoy.

February 22, 2006

Last week it was revealed that McDonald's fries are not gluten free. In fact, McDonalds has been using wheat and dairy to flavor their fries for years. Previously, the popular fast-food chain's fries were labeled "gluten free" and considered to be a "safe food" for anyone on a strict gluten- and casein-free diet, known as GFCF. Since the news broke, people in celiac and autistic communities have been deeply disturbed by the news. For those with celiac disease, even a trace of gluten can lead to severe intestinal damage; for many autistic children, gluten and casein cause hyperactive behavior and a host of gastrointestinal problems.

As of Friday, at least three lawsuits had been filed against McDonald's. Many parents who have children affected by celiac disease or other food allergies thought McDonalds fries were a safe treat. McDonald's acknowledged on Feb. 13 that a seasoning agent containing beef, wheat, and dairy ingredients -- previously listed as "natural flavor" -- is added to the oil at the factory where the potatoes are precooked by the supplier. McDonald's early this month removed the fries from its list of gluten-free offerings.

February 21, 2006

The Houston school district will soon be using a cafeteria automation system that lets parents dictate - and track - what their kids eat. Primero Food Service Solutions, developed by Houston-based Cybersoft Technologies, allows parents to set up prepaid lunch accounts so children don't have to carry money. Parents are also able to go online to track their child's eating habits and set restrictions on their diet. If a parent decides their child can only have chips once a week, the computer system will make sure those restrictions are being met. Giving parents control over what their kids can and can not eat is a recent addition to the prepaid cafeteria system which has been at work in some American schools for almost ten years.

Although many supporters of the program see this new monitoring ability as a positive development that may help tackle childhood obesity, some people feel that this system is too restrictive and may prevent children from freely making their own healthy choices.

February 17, 2006

Researchers in Taiwan have found that acupressure is more effective than traditional modes of physical therapy. The study gave 129 patients six sessions of either physical therapy or acupressure. The physical therapy patients received common treatments such as spinal manipulation, heat therapy and electrical stimulation as well as exercise. The acupressure patients received standardized treatment sessions.

The positive effects of the acupressure therapy lasted six months, compared to the shorter effects of traditional physical therapy. It was found that acupressure was especially effective for treating lower back pain. The team found acupressure resulted in an 89% reduction in disability compared to physical therapy. They also found those in the acupressure group reported greater benefits in terms of leg pain, interference with work and days off from work or school.

February 16, 2006

A new anti-obesity drug is said to work by turning off certain brain circuits. These brain circuits are the same as those that are triggered by marijuana to generate an increased appetite known as the "munchies." This new investigational drug -- Sanofi-Aventis SA's Acomplia, or Rimonabant -- is still being studied for long-term effects.

Currently the drug is pending approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In addition to a lack of information on the drugs long-term effects, the trial was limited by a high dropout rate. Rimonabant is the first of a new class of drugs and it has been speculated that this drug could be the first blockbuster anti-obesity medicine.

February 15, 2006

According to a study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, Vitamin C supplements can help halt the depletion of vitamin E in smokers and possibly help prevent cancer.

Vitamin E is one of the lungs' first lines of defense against cigarette smoke, which creates destructive free radicals. Healthy levels of vitamin E can help prevent the destruction of lung membranes. But, through this protective process, vitamin E itself can become a destructive radical. Sufficient levels of vitamin C help vitamin E return to non-radical form and continue to protect the lungs. Smokers who took vitamin C supplements had nearly the same amount of antioxidant protection as non-smokers.

The study was led by investigators at Oregon State University and is the first to demonstrate this type of interaction between the two antioxidants in humans. They researchers say the findings also suggest a possible mechanism by which smoking causes cancer.

February 14, 2006

Estrogen does not increase the risk of heart disease for women in their fifties and may even be protective, according to a new analysis that reassures women it is safe to use the hormone. Millions of women stopped taking estrogen after earlier research concluded it was dangerous. The new findings should ease their concerns about heart disease.
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February 13, 2006

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation and former President Bill Clinton have developed a plan in hopes of fighting childhood obesity in America. The alliance plans to work with food suppliers to provide low-cost healthy meals and snacks for students, and sporting goods suppliers to provide lower cost athletics equipment. The program will initially work with 253 schools in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

More than 9 million U.S. children over the age of 6 are considered obese, and during the past three decades, obesity rates tripled among U.S. children aged 6 to 11, according to data from the Johnson Foundation.
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February 10, 2006

Californians who volunteered for a nationwide study of mercury contamination had among the worst levels, with nearly one-third of those tested having concentrations in their tissues that exceeded safe levels. Experts say that mercury exposure has little to do with proximity to pollution sources. Instead, it is determined by diet. Mercury concentrations in the study were strongly linked to how frequently the volunteers ate fish and other seafood, a finding that has been documented in other studies worldwide.
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February 9, 2006

In 2003 the number of U.S. cancer deaths fell for the first time in over 70 years. It is believed that prevention, detection and treatment of cancer are all improving survival rates. The cancer society provided year-by-figure figures from government records beginning in 1930.
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February 8, 2006

Recent results from a controlled dietary modification trial shows that low-fat diets failed to reduce certain health risks in postmenopausal women between the ages of 50 to 79 years. The findings were reported in three separate studies in the Feb. 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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February 7, 2006

The chemical used to make Teflon and other products, known as PFOA, is already found in the blood of most Americans. PFOA is a suspected carcinogen and consumer groups have wanted it off the market for years, saying it's dangerous to people. A CBS News correspondent is reporting that scientists are now studying whether it is harming newborn babies.
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February 1, 2006

British scientists believe they have discovered why eating a diet rich in red meat seems to increase the risk of developing bowel cancer.

Diets high in red meat result in higher levels of damage to DNA, leaving the genetic code at greater risk of mutating and causing cancer, compared with vegetarian or higher fiber eating habits.
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