Drinking when pregnant - Is it safe?

Drinking when pregnant - Is it safe? - You're three months pregnant and barely showing a bump, when someone pours you half a glass of wine at the restaurant. Why deny yourself?

But look at it this way: If you drink when pregnant, then the unborn baby drinks too. Alcohol quickly enters your bloodstream and crosses into that of the baby via the placenta. But babies are slower at processing alcohol than adults, and so are exposed to its effects for longer.

In view of September 9th, which is Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day, we've compiled a guide to pregnancy and alcohol, to help you make an informed decision.


Heavy drinking

There is no doubt that heavy drinking or binge drinking can permanently damage a baby's health at all stages of pregnancy.

Heavy drinking is six or more units of alcohol a day, while drinking five or more units in one sitting is considered binge drinking.

Heavy drinking during pregnancy puts the baby at risk of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), an umbrella term used to describe a number of health conditions, ranging from mild to severe, which are all linked to alcohol consumption during pregnancy. These include facial abnormalities, restricted growth and development and learning and behavioural difficulties.

Heavy drinking also increases the risk of having a miscarriage or premature birth and having a stillborn baby.


Light drinking

When it comes to moderate or light drinking during pregnancy, there is much debate about how much alcohol a pregnant woman can consume without risking the health of her baby, and no clear answer.

The Department of Health currently advises pregnant women to avoid drinking alcohol, but also says that if a woman chooses to drink, they should not drink more than one to two units of alcohol once a week, and should not get drunk.

The UK health watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), advises women in the first three months of pregnancy to avoid alcohol altogether, due to an increased risk of miscarriage.

Specifically, NICE states:

• Pregnant women and women planning a pregnancy should be advised to avoid drinking in the first three months of pregnancy if possible because it may be associated with an increased risk of miscarriage.
• If women choose to drink alcohol during pregnancy they should be advised to drink no more than two UK units once or twice a week... Although there is uncertainty regarding a safe level of alcohol consumption in pregnancy, at this low level there is no evidence of harm to the unborn baby.

However, this does not mean that moderate or light drinking during pregnancy is safe, or that the baby is safe from the effects of alcohol after the first three months of pregnancy. It's just that - at this point in time - scientists are unsure about the effects small quantities of alcohol can have on an unborn baby.


What's in a unit?

One UK unit of alcohol is 8g or 10ml of pure alcohol (ethanol). This is the equivalent to:

• Half a pint of ordinary strength lager, beer or cider (3.5% alcohol by volume/ABV)
• One standard measure (25ml) of spirits, such as gin, vodka, whisky or rum (40% ABV)
• Half a standard glass (175ml) of wine (11.5% ABV)

Women who are pregnant therefore need to keep an eye on the strength of their drink, the size of their glass and how full the glass actually is, if they decide to have a drink.

It's also worthwhile remembering that pubs often sell spirits as doubles, wine in large glasses, and friends don't use measures when pouring drinks.

In the end, if you want to be absolutely sure your baby is not affected in any way by alcohol, the only thing to do is not to drink at all. ( yahoo )

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Air pollution increases risk of premature birth

Air pollution increases risk of premature birth -Traffic fumes worst - Air pollution can increase a woman's risk of giving birth prematurely by up to a third, new research suggests.

A study in California found that air pollutants derived from a number of sources can be harmful to pregnant women, but traffic-related pollution was linked to a 30 per cent increase in risk.

The researchers looked at 100,000 births which took place within a five mile radius of air quality monitoring stations in Los Angeles County, over 22 months, beginning in 2004.

They compared health information about the births and mothers with that of air pollution levels from the same time period.

Overall, the study found that exposure to 'critical pollutants' such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) was linked to a thirty per cent higher risk of giving birth prematurely. PAHs are present in car exhaust fumes.

Other air pollutants, such as benzene and fine particulate matter from diesel fumes were associated with a 10 per cent higher risk of premature birth, while ammonium nitrate fine particles - an agricultural pollutant - were associated with a 21 per cent increase in risk.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Health, also found that pollution levels were higher in winter and lower in coastal areas.

Dr Beate Ritz, who led the study, said: "Air pollution is known to be associated with low birth weight and premature birth.

"Our results show that traffic-related PAH are of special concern as pollutants, and that PAH sources besides traffic contributed to premature birth.

"The increase in premature birth risk due to ammonium nitrate particles suggests secondary pollutants are also negatively impacting the health of unborn babies." ( yahoo )

READ MORE - Air pollution increases risk of premature birth

What's the best exercise for heart health?

What's the best exercise for heart health? - A combination of weight training and aerobic exercise might be the best prescription for overweight people at risk for diabetes and heart disease, a new study suggests.

People doing only aerobic exercise dropped weight and inches off their waistlines -- so an aerobic-only program is also a good (and less time-consuming) option, researchers said. Those in the study who just lifted weights saw very little benefit in terms of heart health, although they did gain strength.

"Aerobic plus resistance is clearly the optimal program," said Dr. Timothy Church, who studies exercise and disease at Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.

The findings, he told Reuters Health, are in line with other recent research and physical activity guidelines that suggest mixing in a little resistance training with regular aerobic exercise.

Researchers led by Lori Bateman of the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina randomly assigned 196 overweight, sedentary adults to three different exercise programs.

One group did resistance training three days a week, working out on eight different weight machines to target upper and lower body muscles. A second group did two hours of aerobic training per week on gym machines -- the equivalent of about 12 miles of walking or jogging over the course of the week. The third group was assigned to do both the weight-training and aerobic-exercise programs.

More than one quarter of the exercisers dropped out of the study during the eight-month exercise programs and some others didn't have complete before-and-after health readings for researchers to compare.

In the end, Bateman and her colleagues analyzed the pre-exercise and post-exercise status of 86 participants.

On average, people in the weight-training group who completed the exercise program gained about 1.5 pounds and added a smidgen to their waistline, without changing any of their other heart or diabetes risk factors.

Those in the aerobic group lost an average of 3 pounds and half an inch from their waists.

Study participants who did both weight and aerobic training dropped about 4 pounds and 1 waistline inch. That group also saw a decrease in diastolic blood pressure (the bottom blood pressure reading) and in a "metabolic syndrome" score that reflects combined heart and diabetes risk factors.

However, statistical analyses showed that participants doing both aerobics and weight training didn't necessarily have better outcomes than those who just did aerobic training.

The researchers said it wasn't clear if the apparent marginal benefits of the combination regimen -- the 4-pound weight loss versus 3, for instance -- were due to the effects of weight training, or just more total time in the gym.

Resistance training builds muscle and bone, which can actually add weight to the body, although it is leaner, stronger body mass.

Both the aerobic-only group and the combined-exercise group also lowered their levels of triglycerides -- a type of fat in the blood.

Church, who wasn't involved in the new study, said that the number of drop-outs made the data harder to interpret, but that the trends are consistent with what other researchers have found. Previous studies have also shown that weight training by itself has a very minimal benefit for heart health, he said.

Because aerobic exercise alone seemed to be almost as good, if not as good, as aerobic and resistance training combined, Bateman said that "when you're weighing the time commitment that you're going to spend, if your overall goal is to...improve your diabetes and heart disease risks, our study would suggest that aerobic exercise is the best way to better those outcomes."

That said, "we're not trying to send a message that resistance training is not good for things like increasing lean body mass or increasing strength," she told Reuters Health. ( Reuters Health )

READ MORE - What's the best exercise for heart health?

Girls Starting Puberty At Younger Ages

Girls Starting Puberty At Younger Ages - Add one more reason to the long list of reasons to support Michelle Obama's initiative to prevent childhood obesity: it will help reverse the trend of girls starting puberty at younger and younger ages. A new study shows a rapid trending downwards of the average age of girls beginning puberty, and the escalating rates of childhood obesity are being eyeballed as the likely culprit.

There's some suggestion that environmental estrogens could play a role, but that's unproven, while it's well-known that body fat does produce hormones that can kick start puberty. Granted, it's not an either/or situation---it's possible that a combination of environmental influences and increased body fat play a role. Nonetheless, the relationship between weight and puberty isn't, from what I understand at least, particularly controversial. It makes evolutionary sense that the body would start puberty once enough fat has accumulated that the body can support a pregnancy, and of course we know that severe anorexics often stop menstruating once they drop below a certain amount of body fat. As long as everything's working properly, the biology of all this is pretty neat. I recall from Natalie Angier's book Woman: An Intimate Geography the general rule that menstruation begins after a girl reaches a certain weight, usually around 100 pounds. If you're not overweight, this usually happens right before you teenage years, but as kids get fatter younger, we're seeing puberty start to happen at much younger ages, at least in girls. In this study, 10% of white girls, 23% of black girls, and 15% of Hispanic girls age 7 had enough breast tissue to have started puberty.

What to make of all this? It's true---and most women can attest to this reality---that once your hips and breasts start to come in, harassment from men follows shortly thereafter, and this can be traumatic for very young girls. I bristle at the notion that the solution for this is preventing early puberty instead of fighting a culture that turns a blind eye to men harassing women on the street. Instead of manipulating girls' bodies, why not manipulate the culture to accept girls as they are?

However, men harassing young women isn't the only consideration on the table. There's an problem when the age of sexual maturation predates emotional maturation, and that gap increasing isn't something to wave off. Adolescence is hard enough without extending the number of years you have to suffer it into elementary school. And, as the researchers pointed out, the earlier you go through puberty the higher your chances of suffering from various cancers later in life. As preventing too much weight gain in childhood is something theoretically in the realm of control, it's a place to focus efforts. ( slate.com )

READ MORE - Girls Starting Puberty At Younger Ages

What Is the Oldest Age You Can Join the Army?

What Is the Oldest Age You Can Join the Army? - The military protects all American citizens' rights, but serving in the military is not a right. Service is a privilege, which provides higher education opportunities, excellent benefits and travel opportunities. A recruit must meet specific qualifications for the privilege, which include good physical condition, mental strength and commendable character. A recruit must also meet age criteria. For the Army, a ripe 18-year-old recruit is ideal, and 42 is the age limit.

The Importance of Age

According to the Army Jobs website, a citizen as young as 17 years, 9 months can enter the Army. As long as a parent consents, the Army enlists the child and ships the recruit to basic training. The 18 to 24 age group has the youthful energy and stamina that influences the Army's operations and success. Although older recruits possess energy and stamina, most do not match the energy levels of their younger counterparts. Energy is imperative for success in the military.

Prior Service Loophole

The 42-years limit applies only to initial enlistment. According to Army Reenlistment, 62 is the age limit for reenlistment. A soldier interested in reenlisting not only enjoys the loophole, but also benefits financially from previous years of service. The official Army website promises a healthy financial bonus for a reenlisted soldier. A soldier who reenlists for three years receives a bonus of up to $5,000, while a six-year reenlistment enjoys a $10,000 bonus.

Waivers

Age waivers are very rare, outside of prior service enlistment. However, an older applicant may enlist, if the applicant fulfills a need. A thread from Military.com's forum highlights a specific need, as a 47-year-old lawyer wants a commission in the Army Reserve. A marine in the thread addresses his concern, and encourages his chances. The marine claims that the supply of doctors, lawyers and chaplains is short in the military and that thus the demand can take priority over age. The marine also provides personal experience with waivers, stating that he has seen many doctors and attorneys over the age of 50 welcomed into the service.

The Military is not an Equal Opportunity Employer

Mary C. Griffin, in her article "Making the Army Safe for Diversity," addresses the application of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the armed forces. Griffin specifically notes Title VII, which protects Americans from discrimination in the work force. However, Griffin recognizes that the Chappell v. Wallace (1983) case was ruled in favor of the military. The case addressed the issue of discrimination in the military, with the court ruling that a service person cannot sue the military for discrimination. Even if a civilian doesn't agree with the military's age restrictions or requirements of conduct, the courts recognize that the military is not an equal opportunity employer. Therefore, the military enjoys the freedom to set specific standards, whether the standards deal with age or conduct.

The Benefit of Enlisting Young

A recruit benefits from enlisting while young. Those within the 18 to 24 age group are maturing and entering a new phase in life. The Army, perhaps more than any other career, provides a solid foundation for personal growth. The Army also carries a huge responsibility, as soldiers are expected to protect their country. Because of the responsibility, some young soldiers look for a discharge from duty. Other soldiers accept the responsibility, endure the trials and grow. The Army's responsibilities, trials and demands greatly benefit and mature a young recruit. ( ehow.com )

READ MORE - What Is the Oldest Age You Can Join the Army?

It's common but new treatments are bringing help

It's common but new treatments are bringing help - Most Americans still think of infertility as a women's health issue, but the numbers show that male factor infertility is almost as common.

"It is an unfortunate yet common myth that infertility is a female problem," says Bar-Chama. "In reality, 40% of infertility cases are due to a female factor, 30%-40% due to a male factor and the rest is a combination of the two." Doctors estimate 2.5 million American men could have male factor infertility. About one out of five American couples suffer from infertility.

"Infertility is defined as a couple unsuccessfully trying to conceive after 12 months of unprotected intercourse," says Bar-Chama. "However that does not mean that a couple at high risk for infertility who are anxious should wait a whole year to be initially evaluated."

Fertility declines with age for both men and more so for women, and Bar-Chama recommends that both men and women of advancing age be evaluated early in their attempt to conceive.

Infertility is even more common in men with certain risk factors. "Men are more likely to have fertility problems if they have a history of scrotal or inguinal surgery, undescended testicles or endocrine disorders such as low testosterone and STDs," says Bar-Chama. "Another risk factor is toxin exposures, whether as the result of behavioral choices or chemotherapy received for cancer."

Smoking cigarettes, excessive drinking, being overweight and using anabolic steroids are all factors that decrease fertility.

Male infertility can also have a genetic cause, such as the presence of additional chromosomes or the deletion of important genes responsible for sperm production. Chronic conditions that can contribute to male infertility include dilated veins within the scrotum, called varicoceles, that disrupt the sensitive temperature-dependent process of sperm production.

With today's technological advances, even in the most severe cases where the semen analysis reveals no sperm at all, "we are able to perform complex microsurgical procedures to either relieve blockages or retrieve and successfully utilize sperm directly isolated from within the testicle," says Bar-Chama.

Signs and symptoms

For most men, there are no red flags for infertility until they begin trying to start a family. "If you're trying to conceive and are not successful, it is important to undergo an evaluation of both partners," says Bar-Chama. "It can potentially save you an unnecessary delay in the process and significant emotional pain."

For men, the initial fertility evaluation is simple and noninvasive and is comprised of a physical exam, semen analysis and blood work.

"If the sperm count is low, it is important to figure out why so that reversible conditions can be identified and treated and potentially life-threatening conditions such as testicular cancer can be diagnosed and treated early," says Bar-Chama. "Our goal is optimize the male's fertility potential."


Traditional treatment

The past decade has seen remarkable advances in infertility treatments, which can range from medication to new microsurgery techniques and advanced assisted reproductive technologies.

"Our goal is to optimize the fertility status of the male to achieve the pregnancy in the most natural way," says Bar-Chama. "We want to work with men to see what's curable and what's not curable, and for the most difficult cases we can offer the most advanced micro-surgical and reproductive technologies."

For some patients, the first step is making lifestyle changes like quitting smoking or losing weight. "For others, we can diagnose chronic conditions, including hormonal problems like low testosterone," says Bar-Chama. "We can also evaluate for genetic causes, which can call for advanced or alternative options, such as microsurgical extraction of testicular sperm, adoption or donor sperm."

Microsurgery opens up a wealth or surgical options, including minimally invasive correction of a varicocele and vasectomy reversals. "For men with no sperm in the ejaculate, we can use microsurgical techniques to extract testicular sperm," says Bar-Chama. "Then we coordinate with the harvesting of the women's eggs so that the sperm are injected directly into the female egg, using an
advanced procedure called ICSI" — intracytoplasmic sperm injection.


Research breakthroughs

Advances in treating infertility have improved radically in the past decade, and they continue to evolve.

"Some of the most promising research is focused on isolating, growing and differentiating those stem cells located in the testicle that develop into mature sperm," says Bar-Chama. "These cells have remarkable potential for differentiating into neural, cardiac and muscle cells as well as the future promise of repopulating a sterile testis, for instance after chemotherapy."


Questions for your doctor

One of the first questions about infertility a couple should ask is, "Is it in the male?" Unfortunately, some women go through many invasive tests when a basic noninvasive evaluation would show that the man is the cause. The next question is, "Why do I have male infertility, and are there medical and surgical options to improve my fertility?" Medical advances have enabled many difficult male-infertility couples to become parents.

"Practicing in a male infertility program is truly rewarding," says Bar-Chama. "It's a true privilege to participate in the joy and fulfillment of infertile couples who are successfully treated."


What you can do

Get informed.

The American Fertility Association (theafa.org/), a patient advocacy group, has excellent information on getting pregnant, infertility and finding a local fertility professional. The Society for the Study of Male Reproduction (http://www.ssmr.org) is a good place to identify male infertility specialists in your area. ( nydailynews.com)

READ MORE - It's common but new treatments are bringing help

Why doughnuts can make you depressed...and the other surprising, everyday triggers that can cause depression

Why doughnuts can make you depressed...and the other surprising, everyday triggers that can cause depression - Depression is a blight that leaves few families untouched.

Last year alone, 5.5 million Britons took antidepressants, according to research just published by scientists at the universities of Warwick and Stirling.

Bereavement, money and relationship worries are among the well-known triggers, says chartered psychologist Dr Rick Norris, founder of Mind Health Development and a practising NHS clinician.

As much as they might cheer us up at the time, comfort foods such as doughnuts can be bad for the waistline and for mental well-being

However, there are many other causes, for which medication might not be the only answer.

For, as the experts reveal, our everyday activities - from what we eat to our exposure to the sun - can also lead to low mood...

HOT WEATHER

Most people will be cheered by this week’s weather, but for many thousands of others, it means one thing: depression.

That’s because they suffer from the summer form of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) — here, depression is triggered not by lack of sun, but by too much of it. Up to 600,000 Britons are thought to suffer from ‘summer SAD’.

It’s thought to be linked to sensitivity to heat and hormonal imbalances — one theory is that when it’s hot the body produces less of the thyroid hormone, leading to a lack of energy.

Another theory is that hot weather reduces the ability to cope with mental stress.

Up to 600,000 Britons are thought to suffer from 'summer SAD'. It's thought to be linked to sensitivity to heat and hormonal imbalances

‘In people with summer depression, you see a decreased appetite and insomnia; with winter depression, you get an increased appetite and increased sleep,’ explains Dr Alfred Lewy, director of the sleep and mood disorders laboratory at Oregon Health and Science University.

There is also an increase in the suicide rate during hot weather — analysis of more than 50,000 suicides in England and Wales between 1993 and 2003 showed the suicide rate rose once the average daily temperature reached 18C. This could be linked to a drop in the brain’s levels of serotonin, the ‘happy hormone’, which can dip in the summer months.

‘There are likely to be several factors involved,’ says lead researcher Dr Lisa Page, of Kings College London’s Institute of Psychiatry.

‘People tend to drink more alcohol in summer — not only does it have a depressive effect, it also disinhibits us, so we are more likely to act impulsively. Hot weather also disturbs sleep and this could possibly tip someone over the edge.’

THE PILL

Women taking birth control pills are almost twice as likely to be depressed as those who don’t, according to a 2005 study from Monash University, Australia.

‘It’s entirely possible that the Pill can change mood in some women who are sensitive to it,’ says Dr Ailsa Gebbie, vice-president of the faculty of sexual and reproductive health at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

‘We don’t know why, but it’s thought to be linked to the serotonin pathways in the brain. On the other hand, hormonal contraceptives can also be very helpful for treating PMT.’

The sugar crash that follows eating a doughnut can make you feel worse

DOUGHNUTS

As much as they might cheer us up at the time, comfort foods such as doughnuts can be bad for the waistline and for mental well-being.

‘We tend to crave sugary and fatty foods for a quick mood fix, but the sugar crash that follows could make you feel worse,’ explains Helen Bond, of the British Dietetic Association.

‘Our mood is determined by a steady supply of energy from blood glucose to the brains.’

Information is carried between the cells by chemicals such as dopamine. Rising levels of dopamine can boost mood; falling levels are linked to sadness.

While it’s best to eat foods that release their energy slowly, such as wholegrain bread, ‘if you fancy something sweet, chocolate might do the job,’ adds Helen Bond.

‘A neurotransmitter called phenylethylamine is thought to be released from eating it, leading to feelings of alertness. Choose chocolate with more than 85 per cent cocoa to avoid the sugar crash.’

STREET LIGHTS

Too much light in the bedroom —from street lights, a night light or even the glow of a TV screen — can have a negative effect on the brain, scientists at Ohio State University have found.

In animal studies, they discovered that exposure to dim light at night over time can cause changes in the hippocampus, an area of the brain linked with depression — hamsters who’d been affected showed depressive symptoms, such as failing to eat treats.

TEA AND COFFEE

‘I’m always amazed by the number of people I see who feel depressed because of sleep problems, yet who drink endless cups of tea and coffee, even late into the evening,’ says Dr William Shanahan, executive medical director at Capio Nightingale.

‘They feel utterly miserable because they can’t sleep at night and feel dreadful the next day.

‘It’s remarkably common. The golden rule is no caffeine after 4pm — an espresso after dinner can be fatal for your sleep.’

BLOOD PRESSURE PILLS

Some beta-blockers for high blood pressure (such as propranolol), and retinoids, which treat skin conditions such as acne and psoriasis, have been linked with depression.

‘We are now fairly confident that beta-blockers can cause depression in some people,’ says Professor David Taylor, director of pharmacology and pathology at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

‘The same goes for Roaccutane, which is prescribed for acne, and possibly interferon, used in multiple sclerosis and hepatitis patients. What isn’t clear is why these drugs may be having this effect.’

Smoking may increase the risk of severe depression by 93 per cent

CIGARETTES

Smoking may increase the risk of severe depression by 93 per cent, scientists at the University of Melbourne found.

The study of 1,043 women, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, found that of those who were smokers, 15 per cent went on to develop major depressive disorder, compared to 6.5 per cent of non-smokers.

‘Nicotine creates a sense of relaxation, so people smoke in the belief that it reduces stress and anxiety, but this is only temporary,’ says Dr Eva Cyhlarova, head of research at the Mental Health Foundation.

Nicotine stimulates the release of dopamine, the feel-good brain chemical.

While this temporarily increases the supply, it also encourages the brain to switch off its own mechanism for making dopamine, so in the long-term the supply decreases.

OVERACTIVE THYROID

A common cause of low mood or depression is an overactive thyroid (increased activity of the thyroid gland), which affects elderly people in particular, says Dr Mark Vanderpump, consultant endocrinologist at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

‘A simple blood test from your GP can rule this out. The most common cause of an overactive thyroid is Grave’s disease — by producing too many hormones, you can feel irritable.’

THE INTERNET

In a study in China last year of 1,000 teenagers, those who used the internet excessively were found to be two and a half times more likely to develop depression.

‘Our lives are being invaded by technology and this can be exhausting for the brain,’ says Dr Richard Graham, an expert in technology addiction at Capio Nightingale Hospital, London.

‘If you are constantly on the internet or phone, it can bring about symptoms of depression.

‘You can become less confident in real social situations as you become more confident in virtual worlds. If you’re spending more than two hours a day using the internet, and it’s not for work reasons, you have cause for alarm.’

VEGETARIAN DIET

There’s evidence to suggest that a lack of unsaturated fatty acids — compounds found in oily fish — may contribute to depression, says Dr Eva Cyhlarova, of the Mental Health Foundation.

Earlier this year, U.S. scientists found that women who took fish oil during pregnancy had a lower risk of post-natal depression.

‘My worry is that vegetarians may struggle with getting an adequate supply of these important nutrients. While some nuts and seeds provide fatty acids, the body has to convert them. The problem is that nutrients are lost in this process.’

PROCRASTINATING

While depression can cause us to procrastinate, poor time management can also be a trigger, says clinical psychologist Dr Funke Baffour.

‘Leaving everything until the end of the day means you feel as though everything is spiralling out of control. Working in the evening will also knock out things that can help stave off depression, such as eating a healthy dinner and spending time with family.’

ATKINS DIET

Carbohydrates raise the level of the ‘feel-good’ brain chemical serotonin, helping you feel happy, content and combating low mood, says Helen Bond.

Conversely, low-carb dieters are susceptible to mood swings, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston.

Scientists there have found that a lack of carbohydrates causes the brain to stop regulating serotonin, causing feelings of anger and depression — dubbed ‘Atkins attitude’, after the famous low-carb Atkins diet.

Women who undergo plastic surgery are up to three times more likely to kill themselves

COSMETIC SURGERY

People who’ve had cosmetic surgery can sometimes suffer from depression a year or two later, says Dr Mark Vanderpump.

Women who undergo plastic surgery are up to three times more likely to kill themselves, according to research published in the journal Current Psychiatry Reports.

Cosmetic surgery patients also had a three-times higher rate of death due to self-destructive acts, such as binge-drinking.

‘It might be that these people don’t like the results or that they struggle to accept their new look,’ says Dr Vanderpump. ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - Why doughnuts can make you depressed...and the other surprising, everyday triggers that can cause depression

Three hours in the sun a day 'can halve breast cancer risk'

Three hours in the sun a day 'can halve breast cancer risk' - Spending an average of three hours a day exposed to sunlight can slash the risk of breast cancer by up to 50 per cent, according to research.

The research is the latest in a series of studies suggesting regular exposure to the sun’s rays may have a powerful anti-cancer effect by stimulating the production of vitamin D in the skin.

Laboratory tests suggest breast cells are capable of converting vitamin D to a hormone that has anti-cancer properties.

Rays of hope: Regular exposure to the sun can help ward off cancer

Canadian researchers compared 3,101 breast cancer victims with 3,471 healthy women who had not suffered tumours.

Each one was quizzed on how much time they spent outdoors between April and October during four stages of life: their teens, twenties and thirties, forties and fifties and from 60 to 74.

The results, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, showed that women who had at least 21 hours a week exposure to the sun’s UV rays in their teens were 29 per cent less likely to get cancer than those getting under an hour a day.

For women who spent the most time out side in their forties and fifties, the risk fell by 26 per cent and for those above 60, sunshine halved their chances of a tumour.

Bright idea: Sunbathing has health benefits for men, too

Meanwhile, men who get the recommended amount of vitamin D are less likely to suffer heart attacks or strokes, a study has found.

The U.S. research, which followed nearly 119,000 adults for two decades found men who got at least 600 IU of vitamin D per day were 16 per cent less likely to develop heart problems or stroke than men who got less than 100 IUD. But there was no such pattern among women, the researchers at Harvard School of Public Health found.

Both findings should be balanced in terms of the skin cancer risks of exposure to the sun, experts cautioned. ( dailymail.co.uk )

READ MORE - Three hours in the sun a day 'can halve breast cancer risk'

Ovarian cancer screening does not cut death risk

Ovarian cancer screening does not cut death risk - Women who are screened regularly for ovarian cancer, which is often diagnosed too late to be treated, show no lower risk of dying from it, a large US study showed on Saturday.

The randomized clinical trial of close to 80,000 women age 55 to 74 also found that some women underwent unnecessary surgery after false positives came up in either their ultrasound or blood scans.

Annual screening for ovarian cancer does not cut death rates in women at average risk "but does increase invasive medical procedures and associated harms," said the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Similar rates of cancer and deaths were seen across the both groups -- 212 ovarian cancer cases and 118 deaths from it in the intervention group over 13 years of follow up.

The unscreened group saw 176 cases of ovarian cancer and 118 deaths caused by it. The difference in survival rates "was not statistically significant," the study said.

However 3,285 women received false-positive results, and 1,080 underwent surgery to have one or both ovaries removed.

Fifteen percent of these women experienced "major complications," said the study led by Saundra Buys of the University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City.

There may be ways to improve upon the screening, such as examining small changes in the CA-125 blood test over time, rather than by a single measure as was done in this study, the authors said.

But even the best methods for annual screening may not help when it comes to a disease like ovarian cancer, which has often spread to other organs by the time it is detected and is the fifth deadliest cancer among women.

"Evidence from modeling suggests that aggressive cancers progress rapidly through the early stages, limiting the ability to detect these cancers with yearly screening." ( AFP )

READ MORE - Ovarian cancer screening does not cut death risk

Eye scans give glimpse to future health problems

Eye scans give glimpse to future health problems - Doctors will soon be able to predict future health problems by studying scanned images of a patient's eye.

Singapore Eye Research Institute director Wong Tien Yin said: "When we take the picture of the retina, we are imaging, essentially, blood vessels as well as the nerves that we can see in the retina.

"And so, any disease that damages blood vessels or nerves, potentially, we can predict some of these diseases from eye imaging itself".

The image is studied by a group of trained researchers before the doctor gives a patient the prognosis of his or her health.

Damaged blood vessels will enable doctors to tell if and when a patient will suffer from a heart attack or stroke, and how likely he or she will develop diabetes and hypertension.

The diseases are the top four killers in Singapore aside from cancer.

Researchers are also finding out that the eye can show the onset of other types of diseases.

"In fact, we are quite surprised that our technology has allowed us to examine and predict many different diseases," professor Wong said.

"Some of the diseases we have been exploring... are quite new, for example, blood vessel damage in the retina... We are also exploring other very common conditions such as dementia."

A scan costs between S$20 and S$80, and has an accuracy rate of 70 per cent.

The eye research institute hopes to make this technology available to the public by the end of this year. ( CNA/wk )

READ MORE - Eye scans give glimpse to future health problems

Alzheimer's disease may cause global cash crunch

Alzheimer's disease may cause global cash crunch - Alzheimer's disease could cause a global cash crunch in coming generations - as people begin to regularly live to 100 - and must be considered a serious fiscal danger, experts said on Thursday.

Already 24-37 million people worldwide live with the incurable form of dementia, and that number is projected to reach 115 million by 2050, a panel of Alzheimer's disease experts told the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

As women bear fewer children and the population ages, the world will become increasingly ill-prepared to cope with large numbers of dependent elderly people and must begin investing more in research to prevent the disease, they said.

Places like Russia, Europe, the United States and parts of Asia are experiencing "declining populations, fewer workers and more people dependent upon public health systems for their support," said George Vradenburg, founder of an advocacy group called USAgainstAlzheimer's.

"That is producing fiscal stress on our health systems around the world and it is producing the risk that the developed world - particularly the Asian rim and particularly western Europe - are going to be declining in their economic growth and prosperity in the coming years."

According to the London-based Alzheimer's Disease International, the total estimated worldwide cost of the disease in 2010 was 604 billion dollars, or nearly one percent of global GDP.

"If Alzheimer's were a country, it would be the 18th largest economy based on GDP," said Daisy Acosta, the chair of ADI, describing Alzheimer's as "the single most important health and social crisis of the 21st century."

"The impact of this disease today is massive and will accelerate with the years to come," she said.

And yet, compared to other major health woes such as cancer and HIV/AIDS, the amount of research money being spent on preventing it is minimal.

"We invest six billion a year for cancer, four billion dollars a year for heart disease, two billion dollars a year for AIDS," said Bill Thies, chief scientific officer at the Alzheimer's Association.

"We are at about 450 million a year for Alzheimer's disease," he said.

"Without increasing that significantly we are going to see the peak of this epidemic and we are going to see the worst possibilities of it."

The experts acknowledged that the strain of caring for an Alzheimer's patient usually falls on the family, but in the years to come nations as a whole could prepare themselves better by considering how to run an aging economy.

"My grandchildren, aging experts tell me, will live to 110 or 120," said Vradenburg, noting that after age 85 one in two people is diagnosed with dementia.

"We are going to see increasingly a physically able population but a cognitively disabled population."

In order to prevent the older set from consuming a nation's economic resources for health care, countries must think about how to put dementia patients to work in order to keep their economies from collapsing, he said.

"We need to change our aging populations from people who are taking a public benefit... and turn them into productive taxpayers who are participants in the workforce," Vradenburg said.

"Those countries that get it right and figure out how to support their aging populations - keeping them healthy and keeping them productive - are going to be winners in the 21st century."

Those who do not will be "losers," he added.

"It is critical for the world to begin to recognise this not just as a health issue but as a fiscal issue."

Eric Hall, president of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, called for a global meeting early next year to compare notes among nations on how to best approach the problem and formulate a global action plan.

House Representative Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said the world must come together to find a solution.

"We are in a race against time here... and that is across the whole planet," said Markey.

"It is imperative for us to have an action plan that does work, because failure is not an option here." ( AFP )

READ MORE - Alzheimer's disease may cause global cash crunch

Yuck! Most Kids Don't Shower Before Using Public Pools

Yuck! Most Kids Don't Shower Before Using Public Pools - Most people shower after a day at the pool, but do you know anyone who's adamant about showering before going in the water? Many parents don't understand the risk of water infections from public pools and water parks, and few realize a pre-swim shower can largely prevent these illnesses, new research shows.

Recreational water illnesses (RWI), which are spread by swallowing, breathing in or contacting contaminated water in some way, affect more than 10,000 Americans each year. Public pools and water parks play a major role in spreading RWIs, but few parents have their kids take the necessary preventive steps, according to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health.

The poll asked 865 parents, with children ages 5 to 12, questions regarding their opinions about water park risks and basic water park rules. When asked about whose responsibility it is to prevent infections, 28 percent of parents indicated it's the sole responsibility of the water park's staff. Furthermore, most parents chose to ignore parks' requests for hygienic pre-swim showers.

Showering before a swim isn't just about curbing germs. A 2010 study by University of Illinois researchers found that when swimmers' nitrogen-rich consumer products, such as cosmetics and sunscreens, mixed with pool disinfectants, the products become chemically modified and converted into more toxic agents. Long-term exposure to toxic disinfection byproducts may be able to mutate genes, induce birth defects, accelerate the aging process, cause respiratory ailments and even induce cancer, according to the University of Illinois researchers.

"While 64 percent of parents feel it is very important for children to not swallow the water at a water park, only 26 percent of parents think it is very important to shower before getting in the water," Matthew Davis, director of the poll and associate professor in the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at the university's medical school, said in a statement.

It's true that water parks should make sure that their water has been correctly disinfected — but disinfection can only go so far, the researchers say. Although chlorine kills most of the germs that cause RWIs within an hour, cryptosporidiosis, a parasite that causes abdominal cramping, diarrhea and nausea, can survive for days even in properly disinfected water.

The best way to fight the spread of RWIs like cryptosporidiosis is to prevent the parasites from entering public pools and water parks in the first place.

The researchers recommend that parents make sure their children wash thoroughly with soap and water before swimming.

Parents should also take their kids on bathroom breaks and frequently conduct diaper checks to prevent their children from urinating in the pool. Unfortunately, this problem isn't limited to children, as one in five adults admit to peeing in swimming pools, according to 2009 survey conducted by the Water Quality and Health Council. ( foxnews.com )

READ MORE - Yuck! Most Kids Don't Shower Before Using Public Pools

Scientists probe DNA of E. coli for outbreak clues

Scientists probe DNA of E. coli for outbreak clues – Scientists are quickly combing the DNA of the killer bacteria behind the world's worst E. coli outbreak to find clues about how to treat patients and prevent future epidemics.

So far, one strain from a German patient has been sequenced by Chinese and German scientists. While the genetic information is preliminary, experts say there are a few hints about where the bacteria came from and why it might be so lethal.

The E. coli causing Europe's massive outbreak is likely the product of another strain first detected a decade ago in Germany, but with some dangerous mutations, experts say. German investigators have declared the outbreak was caused by contaminated sprouts from an organic farm in northern Germany. So far, the bug has killed at least 35 people and sickened more than 3,000, including several hundred who have developed life-threatening kidney failure.

Flemming Scheutz, head of the World Health Organization's Collaborating Centre laboratory in Denmark, said the strain is particularly good at picking up new genes. Because E. coli is constantly evolving, it is riddled with genes swapped from other strains found in animals and humans, giving it countless opportunities to acquire something lethal.

"It's just very unfortunate that in this case, it recombined and took on these (dangerous) genes and that it happened to do it in the food chain," he said.

Scheutz said some previously seen related strains were also quite toxic but that scientists needed more samples to have a better understanding of how the new strain behaves. "It's like looking at a family photo with three people and the 50 others are missing," he said.

Others say the DNA sequences they've seen so far appear worrying enough.

Stephen Smith, a microbiologist at Trinity College in Dublin, said the new E. coli appears to stick to human intestines in a different way and that the bacteria might reproduce faster than other E. coli strains. More bacteria in the intestines could explain why the disease is so deadly, he said. Smith was not involved in the sequencing work.

"It could be the bacteria's genes are causing it to produce more toxin, which may affect patients differently," he said. The toxin usually targets the kidney, triggering a severe E. coli complication. But in the European outbreak, many of those patients have also suffered from neurological problems including paralysis.

Frederick Blattner of the University of Wisconsin, who has analyzed the new sequence information, said the toxin released by the German E. coli seemed extremely potent.

"With other strains, it can take a million of them in your stomach to make you sick," he said. "But with this bacteria, it might be possible to be infected with much lower numbers."

Researchers have also found the E. coli bacteria has at least eight genes that make it resistant to many antibiotics.

"That could give suggestions to doctors about what treatments to select for patients," said Bicheng Yang, a spokeswoman for BGI, the Chinese laboratory that sequenced the bacteria. In Germany, many patients with the most severe form of the disease, which involves kidney failure, have been treated with dialysis and blood transfusions.

"The next step is to do further tests at the molecular level to see what drugs might work," she said. Yang added that knowing more about the bacteria's origins could help stop future outbreaks and avoid things that could speed up the mutation process.

Gad Frankel, a microbiologist at Imperial College in London, said DNA information might help scientists figure out how the bacteria sticks to certain vegetables — and then stop it before it happens. "It's possible we could develop inhibitors to prevent the interaction between E. coli and vegetables," he said, explaining a biodegradeable spray could theoretically be made to do the job.

Experts agreed that narrowing down where the new E. coli came from was key to averting future epidemics. "The evolution of E. coli just happens when bugs get together," Smith said. "We can't stop evolution, but if we can learn today how and where it happens, we might be able to save lives in the future." ( Associated Press )

READ MORE - Scientists probe DNA of E. coli for outbreak clues