Health News

May 24, 2006

A Cleveland-based research group has reported that women who fail to get enough sleep each night are at risk for gaining weight. The long-term study focused on women who slept 5 hours or less each night. The study found that 32 percent of these women were more likely top gain a significant amount of weight than those women who slept 7 hours each night.

It's possible that sleeping less may affect changes in a person's basal metabolic rate -- the number of calories burned when at rest -- which may account for the weight gain associated with sleep depravation.

May 23, 2006

According to researchers common painkillers such as ibuprofen increase the risk of heart problems in older people.

They found that 14 per cent of patients admitted to hospital for heart failure for the first time were taking painkillers, compared with 10 per cent of healthy people.

Researchers warn that although this is a relatively small rise, it could have a big impact because many people suffer heart failure and arthritis, for which painkillers are often routinely prescribed. Heart failure mainly affects older people, who suffer from breathlessness caused by the inability of the heart to pump blood effectively around the body.

May 16, 2006

For a third straight year, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America study showed that about 1 in 5 teens have tried prescription drug painkillers such as Vicodin or OxyContin to get high -- about 4.5 million teens. It also indicated that many teens feel experimenting with prescription drugs is safer than illegal highs.

Teen smoking and drinking continued to drop, but teenage abuse of prescription drugs has become "an entrenched behavior" that many parents fail to recognize, a survey released Tuesday showed.

Forty percent of teens said prescription medicines were "much safer" than illegal drugs, while 31 percent said there was "nothing wrong" with using prescription drugs "once in a while." The study further found that 29 percent of teens believe prescription pain relievers are non-addictive.

May 15, 2006

The Kenyan Government has banned smoking in public places. Charity Hgilu, Kenya's Health Minister, signed a Legal Notice outlawing smoking in public places. The new law is expected to come into full effect within two weeks.

The Legal Notice also addresses tobacco advertising, importation, distribution and tobacco sales. Under this new law tobacco advertisements must prominently display a health warning on tobacco products.

May 4, 2006

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered autism is very common among U.S. children. The first national survey of the condition found that up to one in every 175 children had the disorder.

Autism causes problems with learning, socializing, and behavior. This study by the CDC reveals that over 300,000 children aged 4 to 17 had autism in 2003-04. Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism.

The CDC analyzed data on 24,673 children whose parents took part in two separate government surveys on health in the United States to generate its first national estimate of the prevalence of autism.

These surveys affirm that autism has become a major public health concern.

May 3, 2006

The William J. Clinton Foundation announced that the nation's largest beverage distributors have agreed to halt nearly all soda sales to public schools. The distributors in this agreement include Cadbury Schweppes PLC, Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc. and the American Beverage Association.

The beverage companies will be selling water, unsweetened juice and low-fat milks to elementary and middle schools under the new deal.

With disappointing reports on rising child obesity rates, many school districts and state legislatures have been working to cut back student consumption of high caloric sodas.

May 3, 2006

According to a recent report in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, researchers note that the national obesity statistics rely on self-reported weight and height, which are often wrong.

People generally report inaccurate numbers for their weight and height making people sound lighter or taller than they actually are. The researchers recalculated America's obesity statistics, adjusting for those errors. The result: The nation's obesity estimates went up.

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May 1, 2006

Today marks the beginning of the first breast cancer treatment study of its kind. 150 women who are known to have the BRAC1 or BRAC2 genes will take part in the new study and will undergo treatment with the drug carboplatin. Currently there is not treatment for women who carry the HBAC gene.

Women who carry the HBAC gene have an 85 percent chance of developing breast cancer by the time they are 70. Many women with the "breast cancer gene" are known to remove their breasts and get hysterectomies to prevent cancer from developing.

According to an article on the Telegraph, one in 44 Ashkenazi Jewish women carry the mutation against fewer than one in 100 in the non-Jewish population.

Laboratory work suggests that carboplatin is 20 times more effective on BRCA cancer cells than standard chemotherapy.