The Evolution of Trojan Man

By Kate Rope

When I was in middle school, I remember giggling at a condom ad that ran on late-night radio. A couple would be about to, you know, do it! when Trojan Man would ride up on his horse and give the amorous pair a simple weapon in the war against sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy: a small piece of latex. I can still remember the baritone voice-over announcing his arrival: “TROJAN MAN!” It seemed so mysterious and exciting! (Of course, I would later learn that the word exciting is not really the most apt one to use when describing a condom.) Read More

Black Raspberries Get Cancer at the Genes

Black raspberries slow cancer by altering hundreds of genes.

New research strongly suggests that a mix of preventative agents, such as those found in concentrated black raspberries, may more effectively inhibit cancer development than single agents aimed at shutting down a particular gene.

Researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center examined the effect of freeze-dried black raspberries on genes altered by a chemical carcinogen in an animal model of esophageal cancer.

The carcinogen affected the activity of some 2,200 genes in the animals’ esophagus in only one week, but 460 of those genes were restored to normal activity in animals that consumed freeze-dried black raspberry powder as part of their diet during the exposure.

These findings, published in the journal Cancer Research, also helped identify 53 genes that may play a fundamental role in early cancer development and may therefore be important targets for chemoprevention agents.

“We have clearly shown that berries, which contain a variety of anticancer compounds, have a genome-wide effect on the expression of genes involved in cancer development,” says principal investigator Gary D. Stoner, a professor of pathology, human nutrition and medicine who studies dietary agents for the prevention of esophageal cancer.

“This suggests to us that a mixture of preventative agents, which berries provide, may more effectively prevent cancer than a single agent that targets only one or a few genes.”

Stoner notes that black raspberries have vitamins, minerals, phenols and phytosterols, many of which individually are known to prevent cancer in animals.

“Freeze drying the berries concentrates these elements about ten times, giving us a power pack of chemoprevention agents that can influence the different signaling pathways that are deregulated in cancer,” he says.

To conduct this study, Stoner and his colleagues fed rats either a normal diet or a diet containing 5 percent black-raspberry powder. During the third week, half the animals in each diet group were injected three times with a chemical carcinogen, N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine. The animals continued consuming the diets during the week of carcinogen treatment.

After the third week, the researchers examined the animals’ esophageal tissue, thereby capturing gene changes that occur early during carcinogen exposure. Their analyses included measuring the activity, or expression levels, of 41,000 genes. In the carcinogen-treated animals, 2,261 of these genes showed changes in activity of 50 percent or higher.

“These changes in gene expression correlated with changes in the tissue that included greater cell proliferation, marked inflammation, and increased apoptosis,” Stoner says.

In the animals fed berry powder, however, a fifth of the carcinogen affected genes – exactly 462 of them – showed near-normal levels of activity, when compared with controls. Most of these genes are associated with cell proliferation and death, cell attachment and movement, the growth of new blood vessels and other processes that contribute to cancer development. The tissue also appeared more normal and healthy.

Lastly, of the 462 genes restored to normal by the berries, 53 of them were also returned to normal by a second chemoprevention agent tested during a companion study.

“Because both berries and the second agent maintain near-normal levels of expression of these 53 genes, we believe their early deregulation may be especially important in the development of esophageal cancer,” Stoner says.

“What’s emerging from studies in cancer chemoprevention is that using single compounds alone is not enough,” Stoner says. “And berries are not enough. We never get 100 percent tumor inhibition with berries. So we need to think about another food that we can add to them that will boost the chemopreventive activities of berries alone.”

Source
Cancer Research
Ohio State University

Health Tip: Get Rid of Allergens

(HealthDay News) -- Allergy symptoms can be caused by many things, commonly pet dander, dust, mold, grasses and trees, and certain foods.

To keep symptoms from airborne allergens at bay, try these suggestions from the American Academy of Family Physicians:

• Reduce exposure to pollen by showering, washing your hair, and changing your clothes before going to bed.


• Keep doors and windows shut -- especially on dry, windy days -- and run the air conditioner in your home and car when possible.


• Clean areas prone to mold in your home -- such as shower curtains and bathroom windows -- with bleach. Avoid having plants in the house.


• Keep pet dander at a minimum by bathing your pet frequently, and using an air filter and allergen-resistant bedding.


• Reduce dust by frequently washing bedding, drapes and stuffed animals. Install wood floors instead of carpeting.

Number of New U.S. HIV Infections Gets Revised Upwards

(HealthDay News) -- The number of Americans newly infected with HIV each year is, and has long been, higher than what was previously assumed, U.S.health officials have announced at an international conference.

That's because the latest calculations have been arrived at via a new and improved method, they added.

Using the new method, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that about 56,300 new HIV infections occurred in the United States in 2006 -- a figure 40 percent higher than the former estimate of 40,000 infections annually.

"This is the clearest picture we've ever had of new HIV infections occurring in the United States," said Dr. Richard Wolitski, acting director of the division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at CDC, which conducted the study.

"This is a wake-up call," he added. "We have to do more as individuals, communities and a nation to make sure we're doing everything we can to stop the further spread of HIV."

The new numbers don't mean that the epidemic is worse than previously thought, simply that the level of new HIV infections has remained stable but at a rate higher than was previously believed.

The findings were to be presented at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City over the weekend. They will also appear in the Aug. 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

The CDC used new technology, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2005, that can distinguish recent from older HIV infections.

Although the number of new infections is higher than once thought, the populations bearing most of the burden remain the same, namely gay and bisexual men (of all races and ethnicities) and black men and women.

"The magnitude of new infections is larger than previously thought, but we have the same picture of who's at risk," Wolitski noted.

"These new CDC numbers lend credence to what public health officials have long been saying, that HIV is alive and well and thriving in certain communities in the U.S.," added Rowena Johnston, vice president of research for the Foundation for AIDS Research in New York City. "Using these advanced methods to paint a more accurate picture of the numbers of new HIV infections is important for working out where our prevention messages have worked, and where there is a need for improvement. It's time to take a precision strike approach towards HIV prevention in this country."

More information
There's much more on HIV/AIDS at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health Tip: Questions to Ask Your Doctor When You're Pregnant

(HealthDay News) -- When you head to the doctor for your first prenatal visit after learning that you're pregnant, you should prepare a list of questions.

The American Pregnancy Association offers this list of topics for discussion:

• Is there a phone number or nurse line that I can call when I have questions?
  Who should I call if I start bleeding or cramping?


• What should I consider an emergency?


• Now that I'm pregnant, do I need to make changes to my nutrition, exercise routine and sexual activity?


• How often will I have prenatal visits?

Health Tip: Prevent Back Injury

(HealthDay News) -- Lifting or carrying objects -- even light ones -- can cause injury and pain if you don't follow the proper techniques.

The National Safety Council offers these suggestions to help prevent back injuries:

• Take the time to stretch your legs and back before doing a lot of carring or lifting.
• Wear safety protection on your hands and feet.
• Use a stool or sturdy ladder to reach objects that are seated above your shoulders.
• Keep your feet solid. Lift with your legs, not your back. Carry the object close to you.
• Always get help carrying very heavy objects.
• Keep your stomach pulled in and use those muscles to support your back.

Health Tip: Prevent Dehydration

(HealthDay News) -- It's easy to get dehydrated if you're not careful. A stomach bug, sweating outside in the hot weather, and just not drinking enough water can lead to dehydration, a serious condition.

Stay well-hydrated with these suggestions from the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

• Drink plenty of fluids -- especially water -- each day.


• When exercising or sweating, and during hot weather, be sure to drink more water.


• Elderly people, children and people who are sick need to be carefully monitored to prevent dehydration.


• Drink plenty of fluids if you are vomiting, have a fever, or have diarrhea.


• If you think you may be starting to get dehydrated, contact your doctor at once -- before you start to have symptoms.


• Warning signs of dehydration may include: not producing tears, sunken eyes, little or no urine output for eight hours or more, rapid heartbeat, listlessness, and dry skin, mouth or eyes.

Health Tip: Prevent Jet Lag

(HealthDay News) -- Jet lag can dampen the fun of any trip when your body struggles to adjust to a new time zone.

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions to prevent jet lag:

• Start your trip well-rested. Make sure you get plenty of sleep before your trip.
• Avoid alcohol and overeating.
• Eat Healthy meals.
• Get as much exercise as possible.
• Avoid sleep medications. If you use them, don't take them for more than a few days.
• Follow the schedule of the time zone you are in. Eat meals and go to bed when the locals do.

Green Tea Antioxidant May Help Prevent Alzheimer's

(HealthDay News) -- An antioxidant found in green tea appears to prevent the development of amyloid fibrils, a toxic protein associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, a new study finds.

Amyloid plaque is commonly seen in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and appears to disrupt the function of cells. Strategies to prevent the development of amyloid plaque are one avenue being explored in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's.

Now, a German team says the tea antioxidant, called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), has potent anti-plaque ability.

"We can use small molecules like EGCG to convert certain misfolded structures of a protein into a new type of molecule, which is less toxic or not toxic for cells," said lead researcher Erich Wanker, from the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin.

The findings are published in the May 30 online edition of Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

The accumulation of amyloid plaque in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's, are thought to be caused by the misfolding of certain proteins, which then become toxic to cells. The way proteins fold is key to their function, the researchers explained.

In experiments in the laboratory, the German team found that EGCG seems to change potentially harmful proteins into proteins that are not detrimental to brain cells. "We are able to convert a toxic structure into a less toxic structure," Wanker explained.

Because EGCG binds to unfolded proteins -- which are not associated with Alzheimer's -- the discovery could lead to medications that recognize the more troublesome proteins and convert them to harmless substances.

"This method could be more generally used to get rid of or remove the concentration of misfolded proteins in cells," Wanker said. "This strategy should be tested with patients. If treated early on, it could prevent the formation of amyloid plaque," he speculated.

Whether this type of treatment could reverse plaques that have already formed in the brain isn't known, Wanker said.

He noted that the study remains basic science, and he was cautious about recommending green tea as a way of preventing Alzheimer's disease. "I don't want to do a lot of speculating which could point people in the direction that could be harmful," Wanker said. "We have to go step-by-step."

One expert believes the approach could yield real results, however.

"Red wine, yellow curry and green tea have suspected health benefits because of high content of antioxidants," said Greg M. Cole, a neuroscientist at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, and associate director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. He was not involved in the study.

"This study provides evidence that a compound called EGCG, one of the major polyphenols in green tea, may be useful for diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, because it can block the formation of the filament-forming protein aggregates implicated in causing disease," Cole said.

One novel aspect of the study is the authors' demonstration that EGCG prevents toxic filament formation by redirecting the aggregating proteins to make non-toxic proteins, Cole said.

"This is surprising, because similar protein aggregate spheres called amyloid oligomers can be highly toxic to neurons and synapses," Cole said. "It will be important for the authors to prove that the EGCG-directed proteins also lack toxicity to synapses which were not present in the systems used to test toxicity," he said.

Assuming that the green tea compound has a stable effect and chronically blocks toxicity to real neurons and synapses, it could have genuine potential for Alzheimer's patients, Cole said.

"The major caveat is the very poor absorption and delivery of EGCG seen in some studies," Cole said. The fact that EGCG isn't available for patenting by pharmaceutical companies might be a problem, too, he said, since it could "limit the investment needed for clinical trials of sufficient size to prove that it really works."

In related research, a team of American scientists said that interrupting a key signaling pathway in immune system cells allowed those cells to enter the brain and attack and remove amyloid plaque.

Reporting May 30 in Nature Medicine, a team led by research scientist Terrence Town, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, conducted their study in genetically engineered mice. The group blocked a molecule that typically suppresses a portion of the immune response. Once the system was freed up, immune cells called macrophages made their way to the brains and devoured up to 90 percent of amyloid plaques, the team said.

"If these experimental animals are representative of the clinical syndrome of Alzheimer's disease, we may have a therapeutic target that we did not have before," study co-author Dr. Jun Tan, of the University of South Florida, said in a statement.

More information
For more about Alzheimer's disease, visit the Alzheimer's Association.

Sticking With My Morning Workout

To make running a daily habit, I’m setting concrete goals
by Amanda MacMillan

I never thought I’d say this, but my long weekend runs have become the easiest part of my training program. Sure, it took me 98 minutes to run 9.5 miles on Saturday, but 98 measly minutes out of a full weekend of leisure is an easy sacrifice.

Trying to run three to five miles three days a week, on the other hand, is a different story. With long work days, dinner dates, and meet-ups with friends, I’ve been having trouble squeezing it in.

During the winter, I had no choice but to use the treadmill; that meant I could run on my lunch break or right after work. Now that the weather’s nicer, I’ve been spoiled—and suddenly, it just seems wrong (and really, really difficult) to run in the sticky, sweaty gym.

Running in midtown Manhattan isn’t an option I want to consider either, thanks to the crowded sidewalks and vehicle exhaust. And for safety reasons, I don't particularly like running anywhere after dark. So that means I have to either cut my day short and hightail it home to Brooklyn at a decent hour, or do the unthinkable: Wake up early.

I am not a morning person. But for the last two weeks, I’ve been trying desperately to haul my butt out of bed for a sunrise workout. I've marked my calendar. I've programmed “Gonna Fly Now” as my new cell phone alarm. I've asked my boyfriend to call me at 6 a.m. and scold me for being lazy. A few ambitious mornings I’ve made it out, but nothing’s been able to consistently beat out the allure of the snooze button.

I posed my dilemma to Walter R. Thompson, PhD, professor of kinesiology and health at Georgia State University and an expert in exercise adherence. Give it some time, he advised: It will probably take about a month of regular morning workouts before I start to notice their benefits and actually look forward to them. A big part of this, he explained, is breaking old routines and establishing new ones.

“You’ve spent the last 25 years getting out of bed and not even thinking about exercise,” he told me. “That’s a hard habit to break.”But my Monday-Wednesday-Thursday schedule is a good start, he added. “Sleeping in once or twice a week gives you a breather to look forward to, but you’re still exercising enough to meet your goals.”

Speaking of goals, he suggested setting both short-term (to keep from losing focus) and long-term ones (to remember the progress I've made, even in the event of setbacks along the way).

So for the remainder of my training, I’m doing just that: My long-term goal is to run the entire Brooklyn Half Marathon on May 3. And next week, maybe I’ll aim to shave another minute off my five-mile time.

This week? I’m just focusing on getting up and out the door when I say I will.

The Soaring Cost of Dental Care Is Nothing to Smile About

Let’s drill down into why it’s so expensive to have a healthy mouth
by Amy O'Connor

This is me holding my $1,200 crown (it recently popped out, hence this blog), my husband’s $450 mouth guard, and the retainer I have worn since I was a teenager.

Notice that I am not smiling. We spend far more on dental care and devices than we do on doctors, and it’s getting more expensive as we get older. Continue reading »

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Know Suicide's Warning Signs

(HealthDay News) -- While many people view spring as a time of renewal and hope, the greatest number of suicides in the United States occur each year in April and May, notes the American College of Emergency Physicians.

It's not clear why suicide rates spike in the spring, said ACEP President Dr. Linda L. Lawrence. But "we do know that suicide is the 11th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States, with one suicide occurring every 16 minutes or about 11 suicides per 100,000 people," she said in a prepared statement.

"Moreover, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 25- to 34-year-olds and the third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds. Men take their own lives nearly four times more often than women, with men ages 75 and older having the highest rate of suicide, although over a lifetime, women attempt suicide two to three times as often as men," Lawrence said.

For every successful suicide attempt, there are 25 failed attempts that often leave people seriously injured and in need of medical care. More than 90 percent of all suicides are linked with a mood disorder or other psychiatric illnesses, which can be treated through behavioral therapy and medication, Lawrence said.

"So we want to build greater public awareness and understanding of suicide in order to prevent these needless deaths and injuries from occurring," she said.

As part of that effort, the ACEP wants to educate people about the warning signs of suicidal behavior, which include:

• Feeling depressed, down or excessively sad.


• Feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness or having no purpose in life, along with a loss of interest or pleasure in doing things.


• Preoccupation with death, dying or violence, or talking about wanting to die.


• Seeking access to medications, weapons or other means of committing suicide.


• Wide mood swings -- feeling extremely up one day and terribly down the next.


• Feelings of great agitation, rage or uncontrolled anger, or wanting to get revenge.


• Changes in eating and sleeping habits, appearance, behavior, or personality.


• Risky or self-destructive behavior, such as driving recklessly or taking illegal drugs.


• Sudden calmness (a sign that a person has made the decision to attempt suicide).


• Life crises, trauma or setbacks, including school, work or relationship problems, job loss, divorce, death of a loved one, financial difficulties, diagnosis of a terminal illness.


• Putting one's affairs in order, including giving away belongings, visiting family members and friends, drawing up a will or writing a suicide note.

If a person is threatening to commit suicide, take it seriously, remain calm and take the following steps, ACEP advises:

• Don't leave the person alone. Prevent access to firearms, knives, medications or any other item the person may use to commit suicide.


• Don't try to handle the situation alone. Call 911 or the local emergency response number. Phone the person's doctor, the police, a local crisis intervention team, or others who are trained to help.


• While waiting for help, listen closely to the person. Let the person know you're listening by maintaining eye contact, moving closer, or holding his or her hand, if appropriate.
  Ask questions to determine what method of suicide the person is considering and whether he or she has an organized plan.


• Remind the person that help is available.


• If the person does attempt suicide, immediately call for emergency medical assistance and administer first aid, if necessary.

More information

For more on preventing suicide, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More Seniors Falling Victim to Escalator Injuries

(HealthDay News) -- Older Americans are being injured during slips and falls on escalators at increasing rates, a new study finds.

The rate of injuries to older adults riding escalators more than doubled from 1991 to 2005, said study lead author Dr. Joseph O'Neil, an associate professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and an expert on injury prevention.

"Escalators are a safe means of getting from one floor to another for older Americans, but you do need to be careful, especially if you have mobility, balance or vision problems," he said.

O'Neil and his colleagues published their findings in the March issue of the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.

Reviewing records from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the research team found that nearly 40,000 adults age 65 and older were injured on escalators between 1991 and 2005. In fact, the rate rose more than two-fold during that period: from 4.9 injuries per every 100,000 older Americans in 1991 to 11 injuries per 100,000 people by 2005.

The trend of increasing escalator accidents is likely related to shifts in lifestyle, O'Neil speculated. "Older adults are now more active at an older age than probably ever before," he noted, adding that the mean age of the accident victims in the study was 80 years old.

But while escalator accidents are an important matter of public safety for the elderly, they should not be blown out of proportion, O'Neil said. "This is a small portion of the total number of injuries that occur in older adults," he said.

Most of the injuries were not serious. Only 8 percent of the injured were admitted to a hospital after evaluation in an emergency department. The most common injuries were to the lower extremities (about 26 percent) and the head (25 percent). The leading type of injury was soft-tissue injuries (54 percent), such as sprains, followed by cuts (about 22 percent) and fractures (almost 16 percent). Women accounted for more than 73 percent of escalator injuries.

The new study does provide insight into the ways in which injuries take place on escalators among older adults, however.

The most frequent cause of escalator injury was a slip, trip or fall, which accounted for 85 percent of all injuries in the study, the researchers said.

"Most of the slip-trip-or-fall injuries happened while a person was standing on the escalator, not trying to step on or off or pass by another person," O'Neil said.

Stepping on or off the escalator only accounted for a small portion (14 percent) of slips, trips and falls. Injuries caused by walking up or down while riding an escalator were rare. Also, only 3 percent of the total injuries resulted from a garment, shoe, bag or purse becoming caught in the escalator, the study found.

The reasons that older adults slip, trip and fall on escalators are likely very similar to the causes of injuries in other situations, O'Neil said. "Factors that could contribute to a fall include poor equilibrium, decreased visual acuity, coordination problems, changes in muscle strength and balance, and lack of agility," he said.

According to Jessie VanSwearingen, associate professor of physical therapy at the University of Pittsburgh, vision problems are probably the most important cause of escalator falls.

"Older people are more reliant on vision for their balance than younger people are," she said.

Escalators are very disruptive to vision because both the escalator and the surrounding environment are moving, she added.

One way to prevent these accidents is to "stabilize your vision," VanSwearingen said, offering the following tips:

• Do not look down at the moving steps, which is disorienting.
• Find an object ahead of you and focus on it.
• Don't look side to side at distractions or displays.

"If you need a cane or walker to get around, then you should definitely use an elevator," O'Neil added.

More information : For more on preventing falls among older adults, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Severe Menopause Symptoms Raise Heart Risks

(HealthDay News) -- Women who have the most severe menopausal symptoms may also be at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, a new study suggests.

Dutch researchers surveyed 5,648 women, aged 46 to 57, about their menopausal complaints and collected data on other health information such as their cholesterol and blood pressure.

Night sweats were reported by 38 percent of women; flushing by 39 percent.

Those with flushing had higher cholesterol levels than those without the symptom. They also had higher blood pressure, higher body mass index (BMI, a ratio of weight to height) and a slightly higher chance of developing heart disease over the next decade. The women with night sweats had comparable results.

The researchers, from the University Medical Center Utrecht, conclude that the connection between severity of symptoms and heart disease risk may be the result of reduced beneficial effects of estrogen on the functioning of blood vessel walls, as estrogen declines during menopause.

The Dutch researchers were scheduled to present their findings Friday at the American Heart Association's Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention Conference, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"The implication is the women with the worst symptoms may be at higher risk, clinically, for heart disease," said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of women & heart disease, at the Heart & Vascular Institute at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York City.

But the American Heart Association does not advise postmenopausal women to take hormone therapy to reduce heart disease or stroke risk, due to clinical trials that show the hormones, over time, actually increase cardiovascular risks. Hormone therapy is only recommended to relieve very severe symptoms of menopause, and only for the shortest possible period.

The take-home point from this study for the general population, according to Steinbaum, is to pay close attention to improvement in lifestyle habits before menopause and before estrogen levels decline. "One of the things I talk about is lifestyle management to control high blood pressure, high cholesterol," she explained.

If women keep in check the risk factors of heart disease, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, by eating healthfully and exercising often before menopause, the transition "doesn't have to be as terrible" as many women fear it will be.

Among her suggestions: Exercise at least 20 to 30 minutes three to five days a week, and eat a diet filled with fiber, vegetables, fruits, multi-grains, legumes and omega-3 fatty acids.

In a second study, also scheduled to be presented Friday at the conference, French researchers found the type of hormone delivery method affects the risk of blood clots in postmenopausal women.

Researchers from Paul Brousse Hospital in Villejuif, France, compared women who did not use hormones with those who used estrogen, taking it either orally or transdermally with a patch. Some women took only estrogen, others took estrogen plus progesterone, pregnane, norpregnane or nortestosterone.

The researchers found that transdermal estrogen alone or in combination with progesterone or pregnane derivatives did not raise the risk for blood clots, while other delivery systems did.

They looked at a population of nearly 86,000 French women -- including 984 with blood clots -- who were followed for more than 10 years.

"This [study] is one more piece of the puzzle," said Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. When women take hormones orally, she said, the metabolism involves much more processing through the liver, for instance.

While the study concluded that the patch delivery is less risky when it comes to blood clots, Wu said "the indications remain the same" for hormone therapy. It should be used only for very severe menopausal symptoms interfering with daily life, for the shortest possible time.

More information
To learn more about menopause and heart disease risks, visit the American Heart Association.

Balancing Your Hormones Without Drugs... You Can Feel Good Again $19.95 [ learn more ] Hormone imbalance can be reversed! Look and feel better than ever, just take the time to learn about yourself and read the information contained in this just released e-book about reversing hormone imbalance. Are you ready to finally look and feel great? If so... read on... - E-Book Version.(BH)

Most With High Blood Pressure Don't Follow Recommended Diet

(HealthDay News) -- Few people with high blood pressure follow recommended dietary guidelines that help control the disease, a new study says.

In fact, people with hypertension actually appear to be eating worse than before the government-approved guidelines were introduced, according to the report published in the Feb.
11 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study said young people, blacks and the obese fared the worst in their dietary habits.

A diet high in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products has been shown to help significantly lower blood pressure, according to background information in the article. This Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) method, first published in 1997, complements other lifestyle changes, such as reducing sodium and losing weight, and can also help lower cholesterol levels, previous studies have shown.

The DASH diet is recommended by the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection and Treatment of High Blood Pressure for all patients with hypertension.

The study analyzed dietary, health and personal data of adults collected in surveys done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1988 to 1994 and from 1999 to 2004.

Using the DASH guidelines, researchers identified goals for eight target nutrients and calculated scores ranging from zero to nine for individuals with and without hypertension from the surveys; those who scored a 4.5 or higher were considered to be following the diet.

Dr. Philip B. Mellen, of the Hattiesburg Clinic in Hattiesburg, Miss., and his colleagues found that among individuals surveyed from 1999 to 2004, 28 percent had been diagnosed with hypertension. These individuals had an average DASH score of 2.92 (compared with 3.12 among those without high blood pressure), and only 19.4 percent followed the diet. Compared with those surveyed in 1988 to 1994, 7.3 percent fewer individuals with hypertension followed the DASH diet, reflecting fewer patients who consumed target levels of total fat, fiber and magnesium.

The findings suggest that the diet of Americans with hypertension has not been greatly influenced by the recommendations emerging from the DASH trial and instead reflect secular trends in the dietary patterns of the overall population, the authors wrote. Moreover, the DASH score was lower in subgroups likely to receive the greatest benefit from the DASH diet -- blacks and obese individuals.

More information
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about high blood pressure and how to control it.

Antiretroviral Drugs May Prevent Vaginal Transmission of HIV

(HealthDay News) -- Antiretroviral drugs used to treat people with HIV might also prevent vaginal transmission of the virus, claims a study by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

The vast majority of new HIV infections worldwide, which total about 6,800 new transmissions daily, occur through unprotected vaginal sex with an infected partner.

For this study, the researchers used special mice with fully developed human immune systems that produced the infection-fighting cells specifically targeted by HIV in people. The Texas team found that daily doses of antiretroviral drugs before and after exposure to HIV can prevent vaginal transmission of the virus.

HIV was introduced vaginally into the mice. None of the mice that received the antiretroviral drugs emtricitabine (FTC) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) showed any evidence of infection, while 90 percent of mice that didn't receive the drugs became infected by HIV.
The study was published in the Jan. 14 online issue of PLoS Medicine.

"Our motivation is to look for interventions that can be implemented rapidly and have the potential to make a big difference," senior study author Dr. J. Victor Garcia-Martinez, a professor of internal medicine, said in a prepared statement.

"We don't want something in 10 years. We want female-controlled prevention measures now. Our observations support the potential for antiviral drugs to function as an effective pre-exposure prophylaxis against the further spread of AIDS," Garcia-Martinez said.

More information
The New Mexico AIDS Education and Training Center has more about HIV/AIDS drugs.

Moderate Exercise Cuts Risk of Metabolic Syndrome

(HealthDay News) -- A brisk 30-minute walk most days of the week is enough to undo metabolic syndrome, a health condition that can lead to heart disease, diabetes and stroke, a new study suggests.

"What we found was a modest amount of moderate intensity exercise was very effective in improving metabolic syndrome risk," said study author Johanna L. Johnson, a clinical researcher at Duke University Medical Center's department of medicine.

At the start of the study, 41 percent of the 171 participants had metabolic syndrome; at the end, just 27 percent did. The study was published in the Dec. 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.

About one-quarter of all U.S. adults have metabolic syndrome, a collection of risk factors that can eventually set you up for more serious health problems. While some experts debate the validity of considering metabolic syndrome a disease unto itself, the risk factors are potentially dangerous. They include a large waist circumference; high blood pressure; high levels of triglycerides; low levels of good (HDL) cholesterol; and high blood sugar. If you have three or more of the five risk factors, you have metabolic syndrome.

Johnson and her colleagues looked at the effects of different amounts and intensities of exercise.
The researchers assigned the 171 men and women to one of four groups. One was a control group, whose members continued to be sedentary. The other three groups included:

• A low amount/moderate intensity group. They did brisk walking three to five days a week, aiming for about 11 miles, and typically putting in about three hours a week.


• A low amount/vigorous intensity group. They did the same 11 or so miles but at a jogging pace, so they ended up getting about two hours of exercise a week.


• A high amount/vigorous intensity group. They jogged at a vigorous pace about 17 miles a week, putting in about three hours.

What was a bit surprising, Johnson said, was the benefits conferred to each group.
"What we found was that modest amounts of moderate intensity exercise [the low/moderate group] were very effective in improving metabolic syndrome," she said. Those who exercised the most, jogging 17 miles a week, gained a bit more benefit in terms of lowered metabolic syndrome scores, she said.

Those in the low amount/vigorous intensity group didn't improve their scores as much as those who did less-intense exercise for a longer period of time, the low amount/moderate intensity group.

Moderate intensity activity every day, or almost every day, may be better for metabolic syndrome risk reduction than more vigorous activity a few days a week, the researchers suggested.

All three groups of exercisers did have a reduction in their waistline circumference. Waist circumferences above 34.6 inches in women and 40.2 in men are a risk factor for metabolic syndrome, the researchers said.

The high amount/vigorous intensity group had the best reduction in body mass index (BMI, a ratio of weight to height). It went from an average of 29.2 to 28.4. A BMI of 30 and higher is termed obese.

So, the bottom line for middle-age, sedentary, overweight people? "If you tell them to go out for a brisk walk 30 minutes on most days of the week, they are highly likely to improve health and metabolic syndrome risk," Johnson said.

The new research confirms advice on exercise from the American College of Sports Medicine and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she added.

"It confirms that exercise is beneficial," said Kerry Stewart, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who also has done research on the topic.

"It confirms the benefit of exercise for reducing metabolic syndrome and all the risk factors that make up metabolic syndrome," he said. The surprise, he agreed, was that moderate activity may be enough.

More information
To learn more about metabolic syndrome, visit the American Heart Association.

Blackberries, Broccoli Sprouts Battle Cancer

(HealthDay News) -- Your local farmer's market might hold the key to cancer prevention, since new research shows that black raspberries, broccoli sprouts and some raw vegetables reduce the risk of esophageal and bladder cancers.

Data from three studies on the subject was presented Thursday at the American Association for Cancer Research's Sixth Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention, in Philadelphia.

Fruits and vegetables have long been known to help reduce the risk of certain cancers. Based on prior research, the American Cancer Society recommends eating five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

In the first study, Ohio State University researchers found black raspberries may protect against esophageal cancer by reducing the oxidative stress that results from Barrett's esophagus, a precancerous condition usually caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease. The esophagus is a long tube that connects the throat to the stomach. Reflux disease causes stomach acid to continually splash back up into the esophagus.

"Specifically in the case of Barrett's patients, reflux of the stomach and bile acid contribute to ongoing oxidative damage. Thus, our hypothesis is that feeding a food that is high in potential protective constituents, such as antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals, may help restore the oxidative balance," lead researcher Laura Kresty said.

People with Barrett's esophagus typically are 30 to 40 times more likely to develop esophageal cancer, which has a poor five-year survival rate of 15 percent.

The team gave 32 grams to 45 grams of black raspberries daily for six months to 20 patients with Barrett's esophagus. They analyzed changes in blood, urine and tissue before, during and after the treatment, and found lower levels of some of the chemical markers of oxidative stress in both urine and tissue samples.

Black raspberries previously have been shown to reduce the risk of oral, esophageal and colon cancer in animal models, according to the researchers, who called for further study in humans.

Dietitian Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, a professor of behavioral science at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas in Houston, said she would feel comfortable advising people with Barrett's to eat black raspberries. "It couldn't hurt," she said, but added that further studies need to find out if the berries really do prevent cancer.

In other research presented at the meeting, broccoli sprouts and cruciferous vegetables both showed promise in the fight against bladder cancer, according to two separate teams from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.

Using a rat model, a team lead by Dr. Yuesheng Zhang, a professor of oncology, demonstrated that a broccoli sprout extract reduced bladder cancer in rats by 70 percent.

"Our present study shows that broccoli sprout extracts fed to rats in the diet inhibits bladder cancer development induced by a carcinogen. We don't yet know if the extracts inhibit the growth of a existing bladder cancer," said Zhang, who explained that broccoli sprouts are a rich source of a well-known cancer preventive agent known as sulforaphane.

"We next plan to find out if broccoli sprout extracts can fight bladder cancer in humans," Zhang noted.

A second team at the institute found that people who ate three or more servings of raw, cruciferous vegetables per month reduced their risk of bladder cancer by 40 percent.

Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.

The team analyzed the dietary habits of 275 people with early bladder cancer and 825 people who were cancer-free. The researchers specifically asked how many servings of raw or cooked cruciferous vegetables they ate before their diagnosis and whether they smoked.

Analysis of the data showed that the more raw, cruciferous vegetables people ate, the lower their risk of bladder cancer. In comparison to people who smoked and ate fewer than three servings of raw vegetables a day, nonsmokers eating at least three servings of cruciferous vegetables daily were 73 percent less likely to develop bladder cancer.

"In our study, we do find intake of raw cruciferous vegetables showed risk reduction of bladder cancer in smokers, and even the heavier smokers," said lead researcher Li Tang.

The researchers stressed that the benefits are derived from raw cruciferous vegetables, giving cole slaw the edge over cabbage soup when it comes to cancer prevention.

"This confirms that there are a variety of compounds within fruits and vegetables that contribute to reducing the risk of cancer. Research like these studies contribute to our knowledge about what the impact of specific nutrients may be on specific types of cancer," said Colleen Doyle, director of nutrition and physical activity for the American Cancer Society.

"Cooking leaches out some nutrients but makes others more absorbable. Until we know more in this regard, the bottom-line message for consumers is eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, raw and/or lightly cooked. Focus on those with the most color, since, in general, fruit and vegetables with the most color have the most cancer-fighting antioxidants and phytochemicals."

"Surveys we've done indicate many people don't think they have control over their cancer risk, but studies clearly indicate they do. For the majority of people who don't smoke, watching their weight, being more active and eating a healthy diet are the most important ways to reduce cancer risk," Doyle said.

More information
To learn how diet and physical activity can help prevent cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.

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Depression Linked to Bone Loss in Younger Women

(HealthDay News) -- Premenopausal women struggling with depression have lower bone mass than do non-depressed women in the same age range, a new study found.

The bone loss was most pronounced in certain regions of the hip, which is troubling given that hip fractures are one of the most serious -- and potentially fatal -- consequences of osteoporosis.

The level of bone loss seen in the depressed women was the same or higher than that associated with other, established risk factors for osteoporosis, including smoking, low calcium intake and lack of physical exercise, the researchers said.

The findings, published in the Nov. 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, could have implications for the prevention of osteoporosis.

"Premenopausal women with depression should be screened for low bone mass," said Dr. Giovanni Cizza, senior author of the study who conducted the research while at the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health. "They should do a bone mineral density measurement, because osteoporosis is a silent condition. Until someone fractures, you don't know you have osteoporosis."

Cizza is now a staff clinician at the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

A woman's bone mass peaks during youth then thins after menopause. Previous, preliminary studies had suggested that depression might be a risk factor for low bone mass in older women.

For this study, Cizza and his colleagues looked at 89 women with depression and 44 women without depression. The women ranged in age from 21 to 45. The depressed women were taking antidepressant medications.

Seventeen percent of the depressed women had thinner bone density in the femoral neck, a vulnerable part of the hip. Only 2 percent of non-depressed women, by contrast, had thinner bone in this area.

Twenty percent of depressed women also had low bone density in the lumbar spine, compared with 9 percent of the non-depressed women.

Blood and urine samples also revealed that the depressed women had lower levels of "good" proteins called cytokines. "The bad cytokines that may cause bone loss are higher," Cizza said.

It's not clear what role antidepressants might play, but by relieving the depression, the drugs may also help bone mineral density, the researchers said.

More information
To learn more about bone health, visit the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

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Sleep Problems Plague the Older Set

(HealthDay News) -- Older Americans often have difficulty getting a good night's rest. It's a huge quality-of-life problem, experts say, because contrary to popular belief, seniors require about the same amount of sleep as younger adults.

"Sleep problems and sleep disorders are not an inherent part of aging," said Dr. Harrison G. Bloom, a senior associate at the International Longevity Center-USA and associate clinical professor of geriatrics and medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

"It's pretty much of a myth that older people need less sleep than younger people."

Yet, in a study published recently in The American Journal of Medicine, researchers found that more than half of older Americans have problems getting the shuteye they need.

Older people tend to have "sleep fragmentation," meaning they wake up more often during the night, said study author Dr. Julie Gammack, an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine at St. Louis University.

They also seem to get less "REM" sleep, the type of sleep during which rapid eye movement occurs, Bloom added.

It's unclear what role these naturally occurring changes in sleep patterns have on a person's quality of life, Bloom said. "What is important, though, is that older people often have actual sleep disorders and problems with sleep," he said.

And, experts say, there is usually more than one cause.

"Sleep disturbance in older adults is typically associated with acute and chronic illnesses, including specific sleep disorders like sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome that appear with greater frequency in older populations," said Michael V. Vitiello, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and associate director of the University of Washington's Northwest Geriatric Education Center.

As people age, they typically develop more diseases and suffer from aches and pains. "These things can disrupt sleep, so what they may perceive as a sleep disorder may actually relate to the effects of some of their other medical problems," Gammack noted.

Taking multiple medications, as many older people do, can also lead to fatigue and "hypersomnia," or being tired all the time, Bloom added.

Another big problem, he noted, is depression and anxiety. "Those are very commonly associated with sleep problems."

Despite the prevalence of sleep difficulties in older adults, many patients aren't getting the help they need.

"The average physician receives very little training about sleep disorders and typically does not routinely screen patients for them," said Vitiello, who serves on the board of directors of the National Sleep Foundation. This may be due to a lack of time or training or the belief that there is little that can be done to improve sleep, he explained.

As a result, problems like insomnia, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea and circadian rhythm disorders are underdiagnosed and undertreated, Bloom said.

To rectify the problem, a national coalition of aging, geriatric medicine and sleep organizations is currently developing guidelines to promote prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sleep problems in older adults. The National Coalition for Sleep Disorders in Older People expects to publish its recommendations by mid-2008.

"The reason we're concerned with these [problems], besides a major issue on quality of life and being tired the next day and not functioning properly, is that these sleep disorders are associated with hypertension, diabetes, pulmonary disease, heart disease, depression and anxiety," said Bloom, chairman of coalition's expert task force.

A cause-and-effect relationship has yet to be established between sleep disorders and these chronic health problems, but Bloom suspects they at least contribute to each other. And he believes a causal relationship may be found in years to come.

"This is very, very much a tip-of-the-iceberg problem," he said.

More information
For tips on better sleep, visit the National Sleep Foundation.

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