And recent research has validated this saying, showing the beneficial effects of eating apples against heart disease and other health conditions. Read more in the following article.

Eating Apples Benefits the Heart

by Reuben Chow

A team of researchers who looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2004 has found that eating apples can offer protective effects against metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of symptoms related to increased heart disease risk.

People who had reported eating any form of apples within the past 24 hours had 27% lower chance of having the symptoms of metabolic syndrome. These include high blood pressure, or a large waist measurement (over 40 inches for men or over 35 inches for women). They also had lower blood levels of C-reactive protein, which is a marker for inflammation signifying heightened risk for diabetes and heart disease.

This recent study led by Victor Fulgoni, PhD, adds to increasing evidence that apples are good for the heart. The recent Iowa Women’s Health Study, for example, tracked over 34,000 women for close to two decades and found a link between the consumption of apples and lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease as well as coronary heart disease.

Prior to that, research in Finland using data of 9,208 people and carried out over a period of 28 years found that those who ate apples frequently had lower risk of getting a stroke.

Some beneficial compounds in apples include antioxidant flavonoid compounds such as epicatechin, epigallocatechin, kaempferol and quercetin, which play an important role in inhibiting inflammation and preventing low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol from oxidizing, which in turn triggers a series of processes which then cause the buildup of plaque in arteries; pectin, a soluble fiber which helps lower cholesterol levels; and vitamin C, another important antioxidant and immune boosting nutrient.

And antioxidants are just one part of the entire picture. Rui Hai Liu, PhD, a Cornell University food scientist who is an apple expert and who had in other research identified anti-cancer elements in extracts of whole apples, feels that there is still a lot to learn about how the various constituents in apples “work together additively and synergistically to provide health benefits”.

This point was echoed by one of the team members of the Iowa Women’s Health Study, David Jacobs, PhD, a University of Minnesota researcher. “There are probably thousands of compounds in apples that we haven’t yet identified and maybe won’t identify for a long time, but we really don’t need to know all that, because we can eat whole apples,” he said.

This piece of advice from Jacobs really applies to all food in general - eat them in their natural, whole forms, as provided by Nature, and we will reap the maximum benefits. Unfortunately, most of us today eat processed material which, while edible, barely even passes off for food in the truest sense of the word.

Much of the useful phytochemicals in apples can be found in its skin, and you may want to eat that, too. Afraid of pesticides? Buy organic apples. If you cannot afford them or they are not available in your area, you may want to use a natural vegetable cleaning liquid to help remove as much of the chemicals from the skin as possible before consumption.

Source

Apples for Your Heart? (http://node2-www.care2.com/greenliving/apples-for-your-heart.html)

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The situation is worse for children and teenagers, because they are still at an impressionable age and are even more easily influenced by what they see and hear. With kids today spending so much time on the internet and in front of the television, we find that even their health is taking a hit. And why wouldn’t it? Such media not only promote sedentary lifestyles, they also inculcate poor values and undesirable living and eating habits. Read more in the following article.

Media Exposure Has Adverse Impact on Children’s Health

by Reuben Chow

Some natural health practitioners advocate the avoidance of television in the pursuit of good health. Why? Because television, more often than not, is filled with bad news, negative attitudes, violence and sex. Often, it also promotes insecurity, fear, hatred and consumerism. A recent study conducted by the United States National Institutes of Health, Yale University and the California Pacific Medical Center has affirmed such assertions, revealing that exposure to media sources has a negative effect on the physical health of children.

Details and Findings of Study

The study team had looked at 173 previous studies conducted since 1980 about the effects which the media has on children. About four out of every five of the studies concurred that heavy exposure to the media raises the risk of harmful behavior and conditions in children, including attention problems, drug and alcohol use, obesity, poor grades in school, smoking as well as sex. With specific regard to sex, 93% of those studies found that children with more exposure to the media have sex at a younger age.

How much time exactly are children today spending with the mass media? The numbers do not look too good. On average, the study found that a child in the modern world today spends close to 45 hours each week with media sources such as cell phones, the internet, magazines, movies, music, television, and video games. That is almost as much as the average combined time spent each week with their parents and in school, which number at 17 hours and 30 hours respectively.

The Impact of the Media

The impact of the media can be very pronounced, yet also very subtle. Subconsciously, what we watch and read can be having a profound impact on our attitudes and habits without us even knowing it. Of course, this can apply to both adults and children. The latter, though, are more susceptible because they are still at a more impressionable age. “Our kids are sponges, and we really need to remember they learn from their environment,” said Cary P Gross, a professor at Yale School of Medicine and co-author of the study.

The Urgent Need to Address the Problem among Children

The study team hopes to raise awareness among parents, teachers and society in general about the adverse effects which the media has on the health of our children. Other studies have already surfaced the gravity of the situation in the present-day, with obesity and disease rates among the young ones climbing alarmingly. A recent study even found that young children are already having arteries which are as degenerated as middle-aged adults! (http://news.all4naturalhealth.com/arteries-of-children-and-teenagers-as-degenerated-as-middle-aged-adults/)

The children are of course the future of the world and, going at the present rate of deterioration, we are going to be left with generations of very unhealthy people in the not-too-distant future. Both economically and socially, it is not an exaggeration to say that the consequences could be quite disastrous.

Adults of today are the children`s shepherds, and with that comes responsibility. It is important not just to limit children`s use of media, but also to guide them on evaluating the volumes of information which they are flooded with on a daily basis. And while this was an American study, many developed nations may have similar trends, and action all-round may be needed.

Ezekiel Emanuel, another co-author of the study from the National Institutes of Health, summed it up pretty well when he said, “The idea that this is having a really measurable adverse impact on health makes it important to take this seriously. Every year, we have 4 million new kids. How long are we going to wait?”

Source

Media Exposure Is Bad For Kids` Health, Study Says (http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_Media_Exposure_Is_Bad_For_Kids_Health_Study_Says_30386.html)

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The bad news is that our potable water supplies which come right through to our taps at home have been found to contain these harmful substances, even after treatment. This makes it all the more crucial that we filter our drinking water before consumption. The following article reveals more.

Many Man-Made Chemicals Detected in Drinking Water Supplies

by Reuben Chow

For most of us who live in developed nations, the taps in our homes bring potable water right to our cups. But if you or your family has the habit of drinking water direct from the tap without additional filtering, then there is mounting evidence to make you reconsider such a routine. In a United States Geological Survey (USGS) study conducted last year, it was revealed that low levels of certain man-made chemicals remain in drinking water supplies even after the necessary treatment processes.

Details and Findings of Study

For the study, water samples were examined for the presence of about 260 commonly used chemicals. To obtain a nationally representative sample of water systems across the US, water from nine sites in Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon and Texas were tested.

Some 130 different chemicals, which include pesticides, gasoline hydrocarbons, household-use products and solvents, were found in rivers and streams before cleanup at public water treatment plants.

The assumption many of us would have is that the water treatment process would remove most, if not all, of these chemicals. That, however, as found by the study, is quite far from the truth, as about two out of every three of the 130 chemicals remained in the water post-treatment. According to the study team, many of these substances were concentrated at levels roughly equal to one thimble of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Impact on Human Health

The study report said that most of the detected concentrations of the various chemicals were below levels which would harm humans. But that is hardly a reassuring assertion, considering that these chemicals have not been proven to be safe, but are instead assumed to be not that dangerous due to lack of information.

“We are concerned that they have been detected, but at this point there is insufficient information to really judge anything. Because there are no standards set for most of the compounds, there isn`t a basis for whether there is a health effect,” said Tom Schrempp, director of production at Water District No. 1 of Johnson County.

“Most of the man-made chemicals assessed in the USGS study are unregulated in drinking water and not required to be monitored or removed,” Tom Jacobus, general manager of the Washington, D.C., Aqueduct, which was one of the water systems assessed in the study, also said.

The fact that many of these manufactured chemicals are not even regulated by authorities should be raising alarm bells in the consumer, in particular because many things which were once assumed to be safe were one day shown to have undesirable effects. The example of E. coli, a type of bacteria, was raised by Ken Midkiff, a water-quality expert. According to him, E. coli in water was not regulated before 1980. “What is deemed as harmless today may be viewed as toxic in the future,” he said.

And the greater danger lies in the potential synergistic effects, but in a negative sense, that these chemicals could have. “The biggest concern is the stew effect. Trace amounts of this mixed with trace amounts of that can equal what? We don`t know,” said Scott Dye, director of Sierra Club`s Water Sentinel program. This is something which the study report noted, and further research is definitely necessary.

What We Can Do

In the meantime, do you want to continue taking chances? If you have not already done so, installing a water filter in your home, or getting a water distiller, would be a great and possibly essential idea. Many agree that distilled water and reverse osmosis (RO) water are two of the best types of pure water drinking.

In addition, one more lesson for us is the environmental impact we can have when we dump chemicals down drains and toilets. Water treatment does not seem to be able to remove all of these substances, and many of them linger in the environment, for goodness knows how long.

“This is really a learning moment for folks. We all need to work harder on what`s going into wastewater, because these things are persistent in the environment,” said Dye.

Possible measure we can take? Start using all-natural soaps, shampoos, detergents and other agents in place of the toxic commercial ones which most people use. Doing so will not only safeguard our wellbeing, but the health of Mother Earth too.

Source

Chemical traces left in treated water, study finds (http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/story/924573.html) (article no longer available; cached version from Google used)

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Recent research has drawn an interesting link between one’s risk of heart disease (and death) and working for a poor boss. This connection is discussed in more detail in the following article.

Incompetent Bosses Raise Risk of Heart Disease and Related Death

by Reuben Chow

When someone says that his or her boss ‘will be the death of me’, her or she could mean it more than just figuratively. According to recent research conducted in Sweden, employees’ risk of getting angina, heart attack and even death were higher when they felt that their bosses were incompetent.

Details of Study

Published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine in Nov 2008, the study team used data on over 3,100 Swedish men who were part of the Work, Lipids, and Fibrinogen Stockholm study. The men were aged 19 to 70 and the researchers checked their hearts while they were at work between 1992 and 1995. This information was then tallied with hospital records for occurrences of heart issues and death till 2003.

Findings of Study

From the 74 cases of heart attack, angina or death from heart disease which took place during the follow-up period, the study team found that, the more competent men felt their bosses were, the lower their risk of getting heart disease. On the flip side, men who felt that their bosses were incompetent had higher risk of developing heart disease. Significantly, the risk got higher the longer someone worked for such a boss.

“This study is the first to provide evidence of a prospective, dose-response relationship between concrete managerial behaviors and objectively assessed heart disease among employees,” said Anna Nyberg from the Department of Public Health Sciences at the Karolinska Institute, and Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University, the leader of the study.

“Enhancing managers’ skills - regarding providing employees with information, support, power in relation to responsibilities, clarity in expectations, and feedback - could have important stress-reducing effects on employees and enhance the health at workplaces,” added Nyberg.

Defining and Producing Competent Bosses

What are some key attributes of a supposed good boss? According to the study team, these include:

* communicating and giving feedback;
* consideration for employees;
* delegating authority;
* including people in decision-making;
* managing change;
* setting clear goals; and
* setting realistic expectations.

“Stress-related diseases are a large problem in our society. The workplace is one area in which stress occurs and thus can be reduced. This study suggests that managers have key roles in determining stress-related factors at work, which means that psychosocial work environment interventions could be directed towards managers in order to reduce stress in employees,” Nyberg said.

Conclusion

One thing we must note is that, despite other studies having suggested that stressful work environments can increase the risk of cardiovascular conditions, the cause-and-effect link has not been well-established. “However, none of these studies have demonstrated causality, and it remains entirely unknown whether making these types of changes in the workplace would produce favorable effects on cardiovascular health,” said Dr Gregg C Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Intuitively, though, the findings of this study do make some sense. After all, unhappy environments and relationships can be as toxic and bad for health as the worst foods or harmful chemicals. In any case, it makes a lot of sense to work for a boss whom one thinks is competent, not just for health, but also for career and personal development, growth and fulfillment.

Source

Bad Bosses Are Hard on the Heart (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/25/AR2008112500741.html)

Read more Current Health Articles by this author on Natural Health, Nutrition, Alternative Medicine, etc.

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And it’s not just respiratory related health conditions which see increases in risk; the study highlighted in the following article discusses how smoking even increases a woman’s chances of suffering premenstrual syndrome, or PMS.

Smoking Increases Risk of Premenstrual Syndrome

by Reuben Chow

Are you a smoker who suffers from bad premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms? If your answer is “yes”, you may have one more reason to consider throwing the sticks away. A study at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst has found that women aged 27 to 44 years who smoke are two times as likely to get premenstrual syndrome over the following 2 to 4 years, in particular hormonally related symptoms such as backaches, bloating, acne and tenderness of the breasts.

Details and Findings of Study

Published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the study looked at the data of 116,678 US registered nurses since 1989 from the Nurses’ Health Study II. In gist, it found that women who were current smokers had 2.1 times the likelihood of reporting the development of PMS in the next 2 to 4 years, as compared to their non-smoking compatriots. And the intensity of the habit matters too; one other finding of the study was that the more one smoked, the greater the risk of developing such symptoms.

“Our findings lend further support to the idea that smoking increases the risk of moderate to severe PMS, and provides another reason for women, especially adolescents and young women, not to smoke,” said Dr Elizabeth R Bertone-Johnson, the leader of the study.

Another interesting finding the study team uncovered was that ladies who started smoking during adolescence or young adulthood had even higher risk of getting the said symptoms. For example, those who picked up smoking before turning 15 had 2.53 times the likelihood of getting PMS.

And it may not be a simple matter of those who started earlier having smoked more in total, with the timing of picking up the habit perhaps really making a difference. “Our findings do not suggest that this is entirely due to the fact that women who start smoking at younger ages smoke for more years than those starting when they are older. Additional research on the impact of smoking at different times in women’s lives is needed,” said Dr Bertone-Johnson. So, if you are a smoker who started young, this is a piece of information you would want to be taking note of.

The Hormone Link

Broadly speaking, PMS symptoms are not very well understood by the medical community, although many believe the role of hormones to be significant. Pharmaceutical drugs which affect hormonal levels in the body, for example, can wreck havoc with a woman’s menstrual cycle and also cause PMS symptoms.

And with smoking having been shown to affect certain hormone levels, the link is definitely there. “Previous studies suggest that smoking may alter levels of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and other hormones, many of which may be involved in the development of PMS. Some studies have found that smokers have shorter and more irregular menstrual cycles than non-smokers. Smoking may also lower levels of vitamin D in the body, which also may increase a woman’s risk of developing PMS,” added Dr Bertone-Johnson.

Bottom Line

The study team noted another piece of research in 2005 which found that 26% of female 12th-graders had smoked on at least one of the previous 30 days. That is a significant proportion. Combine that with the findings of this study, and we could see smoking being a major cause of PMS symptoms in young ladies.

We already know about the long-term detrimental effects of cigarette smoking. Now, this study has uncovered a relatively short-term adverse impact on health. With the researchers having found that some 20% of women had bad enough PMS to affect their relationships and normal day-to-day activities, surely there is further impetus for female smokers to try to kick the habit.

Source
Cigarette smoking may worsen premenstrual woes (http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNewsMolt/idUKTRE4AE0RP20081115?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0)

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Constipation may seem like a trivial and harmless problem, but the fact is that this seemingly little ailment can have far reaching and detrimental effects on various aspects of a person’s health. The following article discusses more.

Childhood Constipation: A Bigger Health Problem Than We Think

by Reuben Chow

Is your child constipated, or showing signs of constipation? If so, you may want to do something about it, especially in view of the findings of recent research conducted at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The study found that the negative impact on children suffering from constipation as well as the costs associated with the ailment are roughly as significant as those for asthma and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Details of Study

The study team, comprising gastroenterologists and researchers from the hospital, used data from a survey which represented the national population. In particular, the team analyzed data of children aged under 18 who had been diagnosed with constipation or who were prescribed with laxatives for two years in a row (2003 and 2004), in a bid to ascertain their use of healthcare services and the costs they incurred.

Findings of Study

The study, to be published in The Journal of Pediatrics in early 2009, found that children who had constipation used healthcare services more than their counterparts who did not have the condition, to the tune of an additional $3.9 billion each year. However, despite the potential costs, both health-wise and financially speaking, constipation does not receive the same amount of health campaign publicity as other conditions like asthma and ADHD. And it is hoped that the findings of this study will help raise some awareness of the potential gravity of the condition.

“Despite being considered by many a relatively benign condition, childhood constipation has been shown to be associated with a significantly decreased quality of life. The day-to-day struggle caused by constipation can often be emotionally devastating, and can also have an impact on the overall health and well-being of affected children and their families,” said Carlo Di Lorenzo, MD, head of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the leader of the study.

About Constipation

And, hopefully, the increased awareness will also lead to more and earlier action on the part of parents. But before we go into that, a little more on constipation should be discussed.

What do you understand by constipation? Broadly speaking, most of us would take the condition to mean infrequent or difficult bowel movements, or both. But how infrequent should bowel movements be before one is considered constipated? That very much depends on whose point of view we are seeking.

Conventional medicine seems to think that it is within normal to go to the toilet once every couple of days. Indeed, this is stated on the National Institutes of Health website: “Some people think they are constipated if they do not have a bowel movement every day. However, normal stool elimination may be three times a day or three times a week, depending on the person.”

In natural healing circles, however, many believe that our bowels should be moving at least once every day. In fact, some even state that, for optimal health, a person should be having a bowel movement for every main meal one consumes – that is at least two big toilet visits a day. Going by this definition, almost all of us would be considered constipated to some extent!

In debating this issue, let us exercise some common sense. Imagine having a meal, perhaps even a burger or a steak, and then not going to the toilet for the next 48 to 72 hours. That means that that meal you just had would be sitting in your intestines for at least that long. If that food had been left on the dinner table at room temperature, it would probably have gone bad during that time. Now, imagine it sitting in your warm innards, at body temperature. Many natural healers contend that that food would have putrefied in our bodies, releasing untold toxins for our systems to deal with!

Unblocking Constipation

If your child is having infrequent or difficult bowel movements, there are some natural remedies you could consider trying before you turn to pharmaceutical laxatives, which can have undesirable adverse effects.

The most obvious tip is to consume more fruits and vegetables. Refined foods and fast food tend to be constipating, and consumption of those items should be reduced, if not cut out altogether. Flaxseeds are great for relieving constipation, as is psyllium. These items are generally considered suitable for long-term use and, if taking them, one should ensure the intake of adequate amounts of water.

Prune juice is another effective option. And, if more push is needed, a supplement containing stimulating herbs such as senna leaves, cascara sagrada bark and aloe latex could be used; these plants contain chemicals which stimulate contraction of the bowel muscles.

Good bowel habits is critical for both short-term and long-term health, and taking steps toward it is something which all of us, and not just children, should attempt. There is a saying that “death begins in the colon”, and there is surely good reason why it came about in the first place.

Main Source

Childhood Constipation Deemed Significant Health Issue (http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/gd/applications/controller.cfm?page=204&id=582&type=new)

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Recent research has linked pregnant ladies’ exposure to hairspray to an increased risk of hypospadias, a common genital birth defect in boys.

Hairspray Exposure in Pregnant Women Increases Risk of Common Birth Defect in Boys

by Reuben Chow

In a groundbreaking study, research recently published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives has revealed that pregnant women who are exposed to hairspray while at work have more than double the risk of giving birth to a son with hypospadias, a common genital birth defect.

About Hypospadias

Hypospadias, a condition whereby there is displacement of the urinary opening to the underside of the penis, is one of the most common birth defects to affect the male genitals. It is estimated that, in the United States and the United Kingdom, hypospadias hits about 1 in every 250 boys.

Typically, the condition can be treated using surgery after the child turns one, although serious cases of the disease can cause problems with urination, sex and fertility. As of now, the causes of hypospadias are not well understood.

Details of Study

In the said study, which was jointly conducted by the Imperial College in London, University College Cork and the Centre for Research in Environment Epidemiology in Barcelona, researchers conducted detailed interviews via telephone with 471 mothers across London whose sons had hypospadias. For the control group, interviews were also carried out with 490 mothers whose sons were not affected by the condition. A range of dietary and lifestyle factors were looked at, including occupation, family history of the condition, type of diet, smoking, intake of folate supplements as well as possible exposure to chemicals.

Findings of Study

Funded by several UK and European governmental organizations, the study found that boys borne to women who were exposed to hairspray at work during the first trimester of their pregnancies had two to three times the risk of getting hypospadias.

It is suggested that this link could be down to the presence of chemicals found in hairspray called phthalates. According to Wikipedia, these chemicals are esters of phthalic acid and their main use is as plasticizers, which are substances used to improve the flexibility of plastics. Previous studies conducted on phthalates had suggested possible adverse effects on hormonal systems and reproductive development. Certain phthalates had also been shown in other studies to possibly cause liver and testes damage as well as allergies and asthma in children.

The said study did not show up any increase in hypospadias risk in boys whose mothers had consumed a vegetarian diet during pregnancy, a link which had been suggested in smaller studies conducted in the past.

Another finding of the study was the 36% reduction in hypospadias risk for boys whose mothers had taken folic acid supplements during the first trimester. Presently, it is already recommended by the UK Department of Health for pregnant women to consume such supplements until the 12th week of pregnancy. This is done to lower the risk of neural tube defects, for example spina bifida.

“Hypospadias is a condition that, if left untreated, can cause problems in later life. Although surgery to correct it is usually successful, any surgery will be traumatic for the child and his parents. It is encouraging that our study showed that taking folic acid supplements in pregnancy may reduce the risk of a child being born with the condition. Further research is needed to understand better why women exposed to hairspray at work in the first 3 months of pregnancy may have increased risk of giving birth to a boy with hypospadias,” said Paul Elliot from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Imperial College London, the author of the study.

In the meantime, this is another example of a potentially dangerous environmental toxin in our midst, and pregnant mothers may want to watch their exposure to common commercial hairsprays, whether in the workplace or elsewhere.

Main Source

Hairspray Is Linked To Common Genital Birth Defect, Says Study (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081121081353.htm)

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The research study highlighted in the following article sheds some light on the link between vitamin D and high blood pressure, or hypertension.

Lack of Vitamin D Raises Hypertension Risk

by Reuben Chow

The trail of vitamin D’s health benefits just keeps getting longer and longer. In the past few months alone, numerous studies have been published suggesting vitamin D has protective and beneficial effects against bone disease, heart problems, Parkinson’s disease and overall mortality. Recently, another study published in the journal Hypertension has linked low levels of vitamin D in the blood with a higher risk of getting hypertension, or high blood pressure.

Details and Findings of Study

Previous studies had already suggested that a link between low levels of vitamin D in the blood and hypertension existed. Definitive data in the form of prospective studies, however, had been somewhat limited. The said study followed some 1,484 women from the Nurses’ Health Study II. The study subjects did not have hypertension at its commencement, and the women were aged from 32 to 52 years, with their average age being about 43 years.

After having accounted for a series of factors which could affect blood pressure, including age, race, body mass index, level of physical activity, family history of the disease, use of oral contraceptives, as well as blood levels of calcium and phosphorous, the study team found that women with lower levels of vitamin D had much higher incidence of hypertension.

Women who ranked in the lowest quartile for blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or 25(OH)D, had a 66% higher risk of having high blood pressure, as compared to those in the highest quartile. The median 25(OH)D blood levels were also lower in hypertension sufferers (25.6 ng/mL) as compared with those who did not have the condition (27.3 ng/mL).

All in all, almost two thirds, or 65.7% of the women, were found to be deficient in vitamin D (less than 30.0 ng /mL). That, in itself, is quite a startling statistic. Perhaps nurses spend the majority of their days indoors, away from the health-promoting rays of the sun. And it was found that those deficient in the vitamin were 47% likelier to develop high blood pressure than those who had enough of it.

“Given that 65.7 percent of women were vitamin D deficient, the population risk attributable to vitamin D deficiency is 4.53 new cases of high blood pressure per 1000 young women annually. If this association is causal, then vitamin D deficiency may account for 23.7 percent of all new cases of high blood pressure developing among young women every year,” wrote the study team, comprising Dr John P Forman and his colleagues from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Bottom line

As mentioned at the start of this article, knowledge of vitamin D’s health benefits just keeps increasing. As far as lowering blood pressure is concerned, it is still unclear if vitamin D supplementation would do the trick, something which the study team has asked future research to look into. In meantime, most of us are well aware of the health benefits of the vitamin D which our bodies create on their own, a process which is only possible if we allow the sun’s life-giving rays to touch our naked and unblocked skin.

Main Source

Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Risk of Incident Hypertension Among Young Women (http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/52/5/828)

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In the study which is highlighted in the following article, we learn how the arteries of our young ones today are deteriorating at a dangerous rate, making their condition parallel that of middle aged men and women. How frightening.

Children and Teenagers Found to Have Arteries of Middle Aged Adults

by Reuben Chow

Many people have the idea that they can enjoy life in their younger years, eat and drink whatever they want, do whatever they like, and not have to worry about diseases or illnesses until they are much older. Well, the evidence is building up against such a mentality. In a small study which was presented at the American Heart Association’s recent annual meeting in New Orleans, researchers took a peek inside the neck arteries of a group of children and teens. Alarmingly, they saw cardiovascular systems which looked more like they belonged to middle-aged 45 year olds.

Details of Study

Using ultrasound imaging, the study team measured the thickness of the inner walls of carotid arteries which bring blood to the brain. Higher carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a sign of plaque or fatty deposit buildup in important arteries which lead to the heart and the brain. This restricts blood flow and can cause stroke and heart attacks.

The children and teenagers involved in the study were aged 6 to 19, with the average age at 13 and the majority from 10 to 18. Their CIMT measurements were then compared to adult plaque levels. The numbers did not make for good reading at all.

Findings of Study

On average, the children’s mean CIMT was 0.45 millimeters, with the highest hitting 0.75 millimeters. One particular 12 year old boy had a reading of 0.54 millimeters, which is right in the middle of the healthy range for a 45 year old man (i.e. 0.50 to 0.57 millimeters).

More than 50% of the 70 young persons who were involved in the study were, by “vascular age” terms, about 3 decades older than their actual age. “There’s a saying that you’re as old as your arteries. These kids are showing up with arteries that show middle-aged conditions,” said Dr Geetha Raghuveer, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine, the leader of the study. This means that the children, at such a tender age, are at risk for heart attacks, stroke, and death.

“If I see a kid with a 0.54 plaque in his carotid artery, a 12-year-old kid, I’m going to be concerned,” Dr Raghuveer also said.

Further, the study team found that some of the youngsters had triglyceride levels which were far above the healthy range. In addition, those with poor cholesterol profiles, either too high for the “bad” or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol or too low for the “good” or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, as well as those who were obese, with body mass index (BMI) in the top 5 percentile, had the highest risk. And with statistics showing that more than one in six children aged 2 to 19 in the United States being considered obese, there might be a ticking time bomb waiting to blow up.

Young People Living in Aged Bodies

You might think such shocking findings might be groundbreaking. But, in reality, they are nothing new. Other studies previously conducted had found increasing numbers of children with narrowed and hardened arteries. Indeed, autopsy studies had uncovered a strong association between the onset of heart disease and risk factors in the young.

These are conditions which usually develop during adulthood. It is hard to imagine how degenerate our diets and lifestyles must have become that we have managed to accelerate the disease-development and aging processes by this much. “It kind of hammers home that the risk might be speeded up. It does kind of fit with the concept that kids with high cholesterol and other risk factors probably have premature aging factors,” said Dr Stephen Daniels, the chief pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital in Denver.

While, according to Dr Samuel S Gidding, chief of pediatric cardiology at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., children and teenagers do not usually get heart attacks, they can still be at risk for getting the early signs of heart disease. And he feels that a proactive attitude is critical. He advises that changing one’s diet and increasing the amount of exercise can slow down or perhaps even stop the degeneration process.

The Bottom Line

But of course. Dietary and lifestyle factors form the two pillars of optimum health, perhaps none more so than in the case of heart health. The young ones need to stop downing those burgers and sodas and start eating right. They need to stop rotting on their couches and start running and playing in the sun again, like they used to in years gone by. After all, there is just so much evidence mounting on the accelerating rates of deterioration of our children’s bodies that things have gone beyond merely alarming.

It is frightening to think how unhealthy the majority of the population is going to be in ten, twenty or thirty years’ time. Unless most of us do something about it now, of course.

Main Source

Obese Kids Have Middle-Aged Arteries (http://www.newsweek.com/id/168702)

Read more Current Health Articles by this author on Natural Health, Nutrition, Alternative Medicine, etc.

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When it comes to information on medical drugs, however, recent research has surfaced a problem - critical information, such as that on side effects, is often missing. Read more in the following article.

Important Drug Information Often Missing from Wikipedia

by Reuben Chow

Go to Google.com, key in terms such as “aspirin”, “panadol”, “beta blockers”, “warfarin” or “statin”, and a Wikipedia page will be somewhere near the top of the first page of search results. With many people searching online for health-related information, and a significant proportion of them looking up pharmaceutical drugs, it is important that the information provided on Wikipedia is unbiased, accurate and complete. However, a study which was published in the December 2008 issue of The Annals of Pharmacotherapy has suggested otherwise, having discovered that Wikipedia pages are often missing important information on pharmaceutical drug medications, including possible dangerous side effects and drug interactions.

About Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a free-to-access online encyclopedia featuring just about any topic of interest you can imagine, be it history, science, famous people or places. It has millions of pages covering over 250 languages. You can think of any subject matter – sports teams, flowers, songs, brand names – type it into Google and, chances are, a Wikipedia page will appear in the top ten results.

Wikipedia is unique in that users can add and edit content. This makes Wikipedia a global free marketplace of information, with content provided for users by users.

Details and Findings of Study

In the study, the research team analyzed Wikipedia pages relating to 80 different drugs. While they discovered few factual errors, they also found that Wikipedia pages tended to leave out important information on pharmaceutical drugs. For example, one potential dangerous adverse effect of the anti-inflammatory drug Arthrotec (diclofenac and misoprostol) is that it can cause miscarriage, yet this piece of information is omitted. Another example of missing information is the possibility of the herb St John’s Wort interfering with the action of Prezista (darunavir), a HIV drug.

“If people went and used this as a sole or authoritative source without contacting a health professional, [...] those are the types of negative impacts that can occur,” said Dr Kevin A Clauson of Nova Southeastern University in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, the leader of the study.

As a benchmark, the study team compared Wikipedia to Medscape Drug Reference (MDR), a peer-reviewed free website. They put together 80 questions relating to 8 categories of drug information, such as how they work, dosages and potential side effects, and looked for the answers on the two websites.

The researchers found that Wikipedia actually fared better in terms of accuracy. Wikipedia answers did not show up any factual inaccuracies, while there were four on MDR. The problem though, was what was not discussed on Wikipedia – it only managed to answer 40% of the questions, as compared with 82.5% for MDR. Wikipedia answers were also less likely to be complete. While there were only 14 errors of omission for MDR, there were 48 for Wikipedia.

And omitted information can be very critical missing links, especially when something as potentially dangerous as pharmaceutical drugs is involved. “I think that these errors of omission can be just as dangerous”, said Dr Clauson.

What was interesting was the study team’s discovery that Wikipedia information tended to show “marked improvement” after a 90-day period, perhaps indicating that information provided by the free market is always evolving and improving.

What was not so encouraging, in fact very frightening, however, was that, according to Dr Clauson, representatives from drug companies have been caught deleting information from Wikipedia pages, information which might make their drugs seem unsafe. With a third of people carrying out health-related searches on the internet said to be looking for prescription and over-the-counter drug information, this is something which the general public must be extremely wary about.

The Bottom Line

Broadly speaking, Wikipedia is still a good source of information for most things. But, as Dr Clauson puts it, it should not be used as the sole resource, and certainly should not be a resource for medical professionals. “You still probably want to go to medlineplus.gov or medscape.com for good quality information that you can feel confident in,” he said.

If you or people you know use Wikipedia as a source of drug information, then you should take note of the findings of this study. They could quite literally save lives.

Main Source

Wikipedia often omits important drug information: study (http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSTRE4AN7BO20081125)

Read more Current Health Articles by this author on Natural Health, Nutrition, Alternative Medicine, etc.

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