TANYA NOLAN: A US scientist says he's discovered why viral infections caught during pregnancy can significantly increase the risk of a child developing a mental illness later in life.
Professor Paul Patterson from the California Institute of Technology has told a neuroscience conference in Melbourne that it's a protein produced by pregnant women to help fight infection that leads to an increased risk of the baby becoming schizophrenic or autistic.
Fellow neuroscientists say the finding is in line with other research being carried out in the field, but stress that genetic factors also play a key role in the development of mental illnesses.
Barbara Miller reports.
BARBARA MILLER: Don't drink, smoke, take drugs, get stressed, eat raw fish. The list of nos for pregnant women is long.
And they include some over which women may feel they have little control, such as getting a cold or the flu. A viral infection during pregnancy is associated with an increased chance that the baby will develop schizophrenia or autism.
Professor Paul Patterson from the California Institute of Technology says by carrying out experiments on mice, he's figured out why.
PAUL PATTERSON: It appears from our work that the body's natural mechanism for fighting a virus, which includes producing proteins in the blood, some of those proteins, one in particular called Interleukin Six, is a key for altering foetal brain development that leads to these abnormal behaviours.
BARBARA MILLER: So, in what percentage of the mice did you detect these abnormal behaviours in their offspring?
PAUL PATTERSON: Yeah, it's not in every mouse, it's in the majority of the mice.
BARBARA MILLER: Would that suggest that the majority of the women who do have influenza during pregnancy would have to worry that their child may develop abnormally?
PAUL PATTERSON: Well in humans it's not the majority, it's an increase of about three to seven-fold over normal.
Of course not every woman who gets a cold during pregnancy will have a schizophrenic offspring, that's because of… presumably because of the genotype, you have to have a certain set of genes to be susceptible to these environmental insults.
BARBARA MILLER: Women, pregnant women, hearing this would be extremely worried. Do you think they should be?
PAUL PATTERSON: I don't think it's a matter of alarm, I think it's just a matter of commonsense really.
You know, I do it myself because I don't like to get colds. So when I go shopping, after I get in my car I wipe my hands with a disinfectant and when my child is sick with a cold, I'm always washing my hands after touching him and contacting his clothes and so on, I washed my hands.
These are commonsense measures. It's just that we don't do them normally because we're not hyper worried about a cold; we just accept it as a fact of life.
BARBARA MILLER: Professor Patterson's research has not yet been accepted for publication. But Professor Ian Hickie from the Brain and Mind Research Institute at the University of Sydney says the findings appear to be in line with other work being carried out in the field.
IAN HICKIE: I think it adds further to the research that has been going on in looking for the specific aspects of the immune response in the mother that may be affecting the brain development in the child.
And that's one of the strong theories in schizophrenia is that there is something in the environment that alters the brain development early on in children who later go on to develop schizophrenia in later life.
And that that may not be simply genetically determined, it may depend on some exposures, things like infection in the environment.
BARBARA MILLER: Professor Hickie says pregnant women who do contract a viral infection shouldn't panic.
IAN HICKIE: We're still talking at an individual level about low risk.
Schizophrenia is not a common illness per se, but schizophrenia is a very severe illness in many cases. So we're talking about trying to look at preventative strategies that might reduce the risk overall. And understanding another link in that puzzle gives us some chance then of looking at preventative strategies.
TANYA NOLAN: That's Professor Ian Hickie from the University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Research Institute.
source : www.abc.net.au
Showing posts with label women's health care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women's health care. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Negative mood can affect IVF choice
Canadian fertility researchers claim to have found a link between the emotional state of a mother-to-be and whether she chooses to have one or multiple embryos implanted through IVF.
Dr Christopher Newton, who led the study, said the research could lead to a better understanding for the need of good mental health as well as good physical health when trying to become pregnant.
"Research quite unrelated to infertility - for example, in gambling or playing the lottery - had shown that decision-making could be influenced by particular mood states and by the individual tendencies of some people to engage in greater risk taking behaviour", Dr Newton explained.
Women who were deemed to be in negative, more depressive moods when asked what they thought of their chances of multiple pregnancies believed it to be low. They also chose the more risky option of a multiple embryo transfer when asked to choose between that and a single embryo transfer (SET), taking the riskier option rather than chancing not falling pregnant at all.
More positive potential parents on the other hand, were happier to choose the less risky SET option, though financial constraints and the parents' backgrounds were not taken into account.
"If infertility patients were to gain a better understanding or the risks and benefits of transferring more or fewer embryos and the acceptability of SET were to increase, there could be huge benefits, not just emotional and physically to mothers and children, but also in terms of costs to healthcare systems," Dr Newton concluded.
The idea of a SET is still treated warily by some couples looking to become pregnant because of the cost associated with IVF treatments. By choosing multiple embryo transfers, the potential parents boost their chances of becoming pregnant, though at a significant risk compared to SETs.
source : www.bounty.com
Dr Christopher Newton, who led the study, said the research could lead to a better understanding for the need of good mental health as well as good physical health when trying to become pregnant.
"Research quite unrelated to infertility - for example, in gambling or playing the lottery - had shown that decision-making could be influenced by particular mood states and by the individual tendencies of some people to engage in greater risk taking behaviour", Dr Newton explained.
Women who were deemed to be in negative, more depressive moods when asked what they thought of their chances of multiple pregnancies believed it to be low. They also chose the more risky option of a multiple embryo transfer when asked to choose between that and a single embryo transfer (SET), taking the riskier option rather than chancing not falling pregnant at all.
More positive potential parents on the other hand, were happier to choose the less risky SET option, though financial constraints and the parents' backgrounds were not taken into account.
"If infertility patients were to gain a better understanding or the risks and benefits of transferring more or fewer embryos and the acceptability of SET were to increase, there could be huge benefits, not just emotional and physically to mothers and children, but also in terms of costs to healthcare systems," Dr Newton concluded.
The idea of a SET is still treated warily by some couples looking to become pregnant because of the cost associated with IVF treatments. By choosing multiple embryo transfers, the potential parents boost their chances of becoming pregnant, though at a significant risk compared to SETs.
source : www.bounty.com
Cheerios 'Sisters Saving Hearts' Awards $25,000 in Grants to African-American Women and Organizations Working to Combat Heart Disease
Cheerios 'Sisters Saving Hearts' Awards $25,000 in Grants to African-American Women and Organizations Working to Combat Heart Disease
Author-Health Care Advocate Dr. Ian Smith Delivers Keynote Address and Presents Awards to 2007 Honorees
Five African-American women and their associated non-profit organizations were recently awarded Cheerios' Sisters Saving Hearts(TM) Grants for their efforts to raise awareness about heart disease and the cardiovascular risk factors that disproportionately affect Black women. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among American women, particularly those of African heritage. In early 2007, Cheerios(R), through its Circle of Helping Hearts(TM) campaign launched Sisters Saving Hearts, a three-year initiative and grant program to address the issue.
These grant recipients are being honored for their outstanding leadership and commitment in the fight against heart disease. Each honoree has dedicated their time and energy to provide education, develop programs and strategies that encourage healthy lifestyle choices to help lower the incidence of heart disease and its effects on the African-American community.
"General Mills is very committed to issues that affect women, especially those related to health. Our Sisters Saving Hearts grant recipients represent some of the extraordinary individuals who are working at a local level to help women of color combat heart disease, and improve overall health in communities across the country," said Amy Sweeney, Associate Marketing Manager, Cheerios. Sweeney continued, "We applaud the commitment and dedication of these honorees, and we're hopeful that the positive response and support that Cheerios Sisters Saving Hearts has received will inspire others to join the fight to eradicate this disease."
"It gives me great pleasure to be here today to help Cheerios honor these remarkable women, and acknowledge the work that they are doing to educate African-Americans on the health risks associated with heart disease," said Dr. Ian Smith, author, medical/diet expert for VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club" and creator of the 50 Million Pound Challenge. Dr. Smith continued, "African- Americans are being afflicted with heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes at astonishing rates, and we need more individuals like these Sisters Saving Hearts grant recipients, to create programs and identify resources that will make a positive and lasting impact on the health of African-Americans and our communities as whole."
The 2007 Cheerios Sisters Saving Hearts recipients are the first to receive a grant through the initiative. The program is part of a three-year commitment launched through General Mills' Cheerios Circle of Helping Hearts(R) campaign to honor African-American women and organizations who are working to generate greater awareness of the risks of heart disease. Cheerios received nominations for individuals and organizations from across the United States, and winners were selected based on their creativity, quality of service, and reach/impact of their work on the community. Through the program, General Mills seeks to encourage individuals to do their part to combat heart disease at a grassroots level, and recognize those who are making a difference.
source : sev.prnewswire.com
Author-Health Care Advocate Dr. Ian Smith Delivers Keynote Address and Presents Awards to 2007 Honorees
Five African-American women and their associated non-profit organizations were recently awarded Cheerios' Sisters Saving Hearts(TM) Grants for their efforts to raise awareness about heart disease and the cardiovascular risk factors that disproportionately affect Black women. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among American women, particularly those of African heritage. In early 2007, Cheerios(R), through its Circle of Helping Hearts(TM) campaign launched Sisters Saving Hearts, a three-year initiative and grant program to address the issue.
These grant recipients are being honored for their outstanding leadership and commitment in the fight against heart disease. Each honoree has dedicated their time and energy to provide education, develop programs and strategies that encourage healthy lifestyle choices to help lower the incidence of heart disease and its effects on the African-American community.
"General Mills is very committed to issues that affect women, especially those related to health. Our Sisters Saving Hearts grant recipients represent some of the extraordinary individuals who are working at a local level to help women of color combat heart disease, and improve overall health in communities across the country," said Amy Sweeney, Associate Marketing Manager, Cheerios. Sweeney continued, "We applaud the commitment and dedication of these honorees, and we're hopeful that the positive response and support that Cheerios Sisters Saving Hearts has received will inspire others to join the fight to eradicate this disease."
"It gives me great pleasure to be here today to help Cheerios honor these remarkable women, and acknowledge the work that they are doing to educate African-Americans on the health risks associated with heart disease," said Dr. Ian Smith, author, medical/diet expert for VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club" and creator of the 50 Million Pound Challenge. Dr. Smith continued, "African- Americans are being afflicted with heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes at astonishing rates, and we need more individuals like these Sisters Saving Hearts grant recipients, to create programs and identify resources that will make a positive and lasting impact on the health of African-Americans and our communities as whole."
The 2007 Cheerios Sisters Saving Hearts recipients are the first to receive a grant through the initiative. The program is part of a three-year commitment launched through General Mills' Cheerios Circle of Helping Hearts(R) campaign to honor African-American women and organizations who are working to generate greater awareness of the risks of heart disease. Cheerios received nominations for individuals and organizations from across the United States, and winners were selected based on their creativity, quality of service, and reach/impact of their work on the community. Through the program, General Mills seeks to encourage individuals to do their part to combat heart disease at a grassroots level, and recognize those who are making a difference.
source : sev.prnewswire.com
Don't trust men, buy condoms yourself: Renuka tells women
New Delhi: After vociferously and unabashedly expressing her opinion on the matter of sex education in India, Union Women and Child Development Minister, Renuka Chowdhry is on the warpath again.
This time she has a note of caution for all women of the country. Speaking at a meeting of the National Women Forum of Indian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, she said women should not just trust the men to protect them against the disease.
"Women in India have to ensure their own protection and not depend on the men," she said.
She added that women have to learn to get condoms so that they are safe against the disease and said that there was nothing embarrassing about going into a drugstore and buying a pack of condoms.
''You cannot trust men or your husbands. If you believe that men will be careful, then you can forget about protecting yourself," she said.
"Men will not buy a condom when they come home drunk and staggering. Women need to get condoms to protect themselves. Let the men be suspicious," she added.
She rounded up the talk by saying, "This moral hypocrisy that we posture with, is only going to hurt our citizens a lot more. Leaders, opinion makers, and politicians must make it mandatory to talk on these issues in whichever forum they could."
"If we don't, we are going to affect the generations to come, and we'll have to be guilty of it," she finished.
source : www.ibnlive.com
This time she has a note of caution for all women of the country. Speaking at a meeting of the National Women Forum of Indian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, she said women should not just trust the men to protect them against the disease.
"Women in India have to ensure their own protection and not depend on the men," she said.
She added that women have to learn to get condoms so that they are safe against the disease and said that there was nothing embarrassing about going into a drugstore and buying a pack of condoms.
''You cannot trust men or your husbands. If you believe that men will be careful, then you can forget about protecting yourself," she said.
"Men will not buy a condom when they come home drunk and staggering. Women need to get condoms to protect themselves. Let the men be suspicious," she added.
She rounded up the talk by saying, "This moral hypocrisy that we posture with, is only going to hurt our citizens a lot more. Leaders, opinion makers, and politicians must make it mandatory to talk on these issues in whichever forum they could."
"If we don't, we are going to affect the generations to come, and we'll have to be guilty of it," she finished.
source : www.ibnlive.com
Chlamydia common among young women and men
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A large number of people between the ages of 14 and 39 years have chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease, a new report indicates, while gonorrhea, another STD, is less prevalent.
Based on 6,632 people ages 14 to 39 tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea between 1999 and 2002, researchers estimate that 2.2 percent of Americans in this age range -- a little more than 2 out of every 100 -- have Chlamydia infection and that 0.24 percent -- fewer than 1 out of every 400 - have gonorrhea infection.
Sexually active adolescents, especially girls, bear the brunt of chlamydia and gonorrhea infection, according to Dr. S. Deblina Datta and colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta. Almost half of those found to have gonorrhea also had chlamydia.
Young women, who are targeted for chlamydia screening and are at risk for long-term effects of the infection, had an "unacceptably high burden" of chlamydia infection, Datta and colleagues report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, released today The data also show roughly equal prevalence of chlamydia and gonorrhea between males and females and disproportionately high rates among non-Hispanic black persons.
Both chlamydia and gonorrhea infection can cause symptoms such as discharge from the vagina or penis, pain with urination, abdominal pain, or no symptoms at all. In women, chlamydia and gonorrhea can lead to infertility. These STDs can also lead to premature birth, low birth weight and serious infections in newborns.
Antibiotic treatment is needed to clear up these STDs, avoid spreading them to partners, and ward off complications.
The current findings, the CDC team concludes, "support current recommendations" to screen sexually active girls and young women age 25 years or younger for chlamydia, to retest those with chlamydia, and to co-treat individuals with gonorrhea for chlamydia.
"Despite the considerable prevalence of chlamydia in males, the value of screening males needs to be better defined," they note.
source : www.sciam.com
Based on 6,632 people ages 14 to 39 tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea between 1999 and 2002, researchers estimate that 2.2 percent of Americans in this age range -- a little more than 2 out of every 100 -- have Chlamydia infection and that 0.24 percent -- fewer than 1 out of every 400 - have gonorrhea infection.
Sexually active adolescents, especially girls, bear the brunt of chlamydia and gonorrhea infection, according to Dr. S. Deblina Datta and colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta. Almost half of those found to have gonorrhea also had chlamydia.
Young women, who are targeted for chlamydia screening and are at risk for long-term effects of the infection, had an "unacceptably high burden" of chlamydia infection, Datta and colleagues report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, released today The data also show roughly equal prevalence of chlamydia and gonorrhea between males and females and disproportionately high rates among non-Hispanic black persons.
Both chlamydia and gonorrhea infection can cause symptoms such as discharge from the vagina or penis, pain with urination, abdominal pain, or no symptoms at all. In women, chlamydia and gonorrhea can lead to infertility. These STDs can also lead to premature birth, low birth weight and serious infections in newborns.
Antibiotic treatment is needed to clear up these STDs, avoid spreading them to partners, and ward off complications.
The current findings, the CDC team concludes, "support current recommendations" to screen sexually active girls and young women age 25 years or younger for chlamydia, to retest those with chlamydia, and to co-treat individuals with gonorrhea for chlamydia.
"Despite the considerable prevalence of chlamydia in males, the value of screening males needs to be better defined," they note.
source : www.sciam.com
Poor Sleep Associated With Cognitive Decline In Elderly Women
The women's cognitive decline was associated with interrupted or fitful sleep. Total sleep time per night made no difference, says lead author Kristine Yaffe, MD, chief of geriatric psychiatry at SFVAMC and professor of psychiatry, neurology, epidemiology, and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
"This indicates that it's not how long you sleep, but how well you sleep," she says.
The study appears in the July 17, 2007 issue of Neurology.
Yaffe speculates that there are three possible explanations for the association between cognitive decline and disturbed sleep. She says the first and most likely reason is that whatever neurodegenerative condition is starting to cause cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer's disease, is also affecting areas of the brain that govern sleep.
"Sleep is very complex," notes Yaffe. "It involves a coordinated series of neurologic functions that we don't entirely understand. It's not unlikely that early neurodegenerative disease could start having an effect on sleep centers as well."
Another possibility is that someone who is becoming cognitively impaired is sleeping poorly "because they're aware of their condition and they're worried about it."
Finally, Yaffe says that other factors entirely, such as brain inflammation or genetic changes, might cause both cognitive decline and sleep disturbance at the same time.
The researchers studied 2,474 women who were part of a larger ongoing prospective study of risk factors for osteoporosis that began in 1986. The mean age of the women was 68.9 years at the beginning of the study. Their cognitive health was measured at regular intervals over the course of the study using two standard cognitive tests: the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Trail Making Test, Part B, known as Trails B.
After 13 to 15 years in the study, the women were fitted with an actigraph, a small device worn on the wrist that measures movement and is known from previous studies to be highly accurate in differentiating sleep from wakefulness. The women wore the device for at least three consecutive 24-hour periods.
Women who performed progressively worse on both cognitive tests over time were significantly more likely to have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep than women whose performance did not decline. Women who performed progressively worse on the Trails B test also napped significantly more during the day.
The association between cognitive decline and poor sleep remained even after the researchers adjusted for a host of other demographic factors such as age, education, depression, exercise, and health status.
"It's been known for some time that people with cognitive problems often have sleep problems, but those studies have mostly been done on severely demented people in nursing homes," observes Yaffe. "Ours was the first study to look at the relationship between sleep and cognition in healthy women dwelling in the community who did not have dementia to begin with."
Yaffe offers several cautions concerning the results of the study. First, men and African-American women were excluded from the original osteoporosis study because both of those groups have low incidence of osteoporotic fractures. Additionally, sleep patterns were measured only once, "so it's more of a snapshot."
However, Yaffe says that the research group has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue tracking sleep patterns and cognitive health over time in the same study cohort. "Hopefully, we'll be able to tell if cognitive changes lead to sleep disturbances, or if the reverse is true, or if they have a common independent cause."
Co-authors of the paper were Terri Blackwell, MA, of the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute (CPMCRI); Deborah E. Barnes, PhD, of SFVAMC and UCSF; Sonia Ancoli-Israel, PhD, of the University of California, San Diego and the VA San Diego Healthcare System; and Katie Stone, PhD, of CPMCRI, for the Study of Osteopororic Fractures Group.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
"This indicates that it's not how long you sleep, but how well you sleep," she says.
The study appears in the July 17, 2007 issue of Neurology.
Yaffe speculates that there are three possible explanations for the association between cognitive decline and disturbed sleep. She says the first and most likely reason is that whatever neurodegenerative condition is starting to cause cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer's disease, is also affecting areas of the brain that govern sleep.
"Sleep is very complex," notes Yaffe. "It involves a coordinated series of neurologic functions that we don't entirely understand. It's not unlikely that early neurodegenerative disease could start having an effect on sleep centers as well."
Another possibility is that someone who is becoming cognitively impaired is sleeping poorly "because they're aware of their condition and they're worried about it."
Finally, Yaffe says that other factors entirely, such as brain inflammation or genetic changes, might cause both cognitive decline and sleep disturbance at the same time.
The researchers studied 2,474 women who were part of a larger ongoing prospective study of risk factors for osteoporosis that began in 1986. The mean age of the women was 68.9 years at the beginning of the study. Their cognitive health was measured at regular intervals over the course of the study using two standard cognitive tests: the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Trail Making Test, Part B, known as Trails B.
After 13 to 15 years in the study, the women were fitted with an actigraph, a small device worn on the wrist that measures movement and is known from previous studies to be highly accurate in differentiating sleep from wakefulness. The women wore the device for at least three consecutive 24-hour periods.
Women who performed progressively worse on both cognitive tests over time were significantly more likely to have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep than women whose performance did not decline. Women who performed progressively worse on the Trails B test also napped significantly more during the day.
The association between cognitive decline and poor sleep remained even after the researchers adjusted for a host of other demographic factors such as age, education, depression, exercise, and health status.
"It's been known for some time that people with cognitive problems often have sleep problems, but those studies have mostly been done on severely demented people in nursing homes," observes Yaffe. "Ours was the first study to look at the relationship between sleep and cognition in healthy women dwelling in the community who did not have dementia to begin with."
Yaffe offers several cautions concerning the results of the study. First, men and African-American women were excluded from the original osteoporosis study because both of those groups have low incidence of osteoporotic fractures. Additionally, sleep patterns were measured only once, "so it's more of a snapshot."
However, Yaffe says that the research group has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue tracking sleep patterns and cognitive health over time in the same study cohort. "Hopefully, we'll be able to tell if cognitive changes lead to sleep disturbances, or if the reverse is true, or if they have a common independent cause."
Co-authors of the paper were Terri Blackwell, MA, of the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute (CPMCRI); Deborah E. Barnes, PhD, of SFVAMC and UCSF; Sonia Ancoli-Israel, PhD, of the University of California, San Diego and the VA San Diego Healthcare System; and Katie Stone, PhD, of CPMCRI, for the Study of Osteopororic Fractures Group.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Bachmann needs to join heart disease campaign
"Your mother is dead" was the message I received at 2:30 a.m. on Oct 16, 1966. I was 22 years old, just beginning a new marriage and career as a teacher. No one loses their mother at 45 and from heart disease. Only men died from that. But I did.
After six weeks of bed rest and medications, she was sent home. Cardiologists gave her no medicine or cardiac rehab to continue her recovery. Mom died three months later. If we had the HEART for Women's Act in motion then, more testing and treatments might have been done. I believe she died for reasons that could be have been prevented today.
I am also a survivor of cancer and heart disease having had triple bypass for three blocked arteries, brain surgery and ovarian cancer. I visited Congresswoman Michele Bachmann on April 24, 2007 in Washington, D.C. as part of the American Heart Association's Federal Lobby Day.
I asked her to support the HEART for Women Act. She is still one of only seven women legislators (out of 74) who have not signed on to co-sponsor this bill!
Why is she not helping the women in her state and district? We want and need her support on this issue.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. Health care providers should not turn away women who have symptoms of heart problems regardless of their age, health care programs, socio-economic status or race.
source : www.sctimes.com
After six weeks of bed rest and medications, she was sent home. Cardiologists gave her no medicine or cardiac rehab to continue her recovery. Mom died three months later. If we had the HEART for Women's Act in motion then, more testing and treatments might have been done. I believe she died for reasons that could be have been prevented today.
I am also a survivor of cancer and heart disease having had triple bypass for three blocked arteries, brain surgery and ovarian cancer. I visited Congresswoman Michele Bachmann on April 24, 2007 in Washington, D.C. as part of the American Heart Association's Federal Lobby Day.
I asked her to support the HEART for Women Act. She is still one of only seven women legislators (out of 74) who have not signed on to co-sponsor this bill!
Why is she not helping the women in her state and district? We want and need her support on this issue.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. Health care providers should not turn away women who have symptoms of heart problems regardless of their age, health care programs, socio-economic status or race.
source : www.sctimes.com
Interleukin Genetics Completes Enrollment of Studies in Japan and China on Genetic Risk for Osteoporosis and Cardiovascular Disease
Interleukin Genetics, Inc. announced today that it has completed patient enrollment in clinical studies in Japan and China as part of its preparation for the planned launch of genetic tests in Asian markets in 2009.
In collaboration with investigators at Tongji Medical College in Wuhan, China, 1,300 subjects who have cardiovascular disease or are healthy controls have been enrolled in the clinical study. The other study, in collaboration with the New Medical Research System Clinic in Tokyo, completed enrollment of 400 subjects ahead of schedule. The study in Tokyo is focused on genetic variations, bone loss and osteoporosis in post-menopausal women in Japan. Interleukin expects completion of data collection for both studies by the end of August.
"Interleukin Genetics expects to provide multiple genetic tests for commercial launches in Asia in the next few years through our global partnership with Alticor, or possibly with other partners through more traditional medical channels," said Ken Kornman, Chief Scientific Officer. "As Interleukin did in North America, we will provide tests that have been scientifically validated and that provide important information to help individuals live healthier lives for longer periods. The studies in Japan and China will help Interleukin's scientists to better understand how genetic variations that predict increased risk for heart attacks and osteoporosis may be influenced by dietary and environmental factors in different populations and help us successfully introduce our genetic tests into these important markets."
About the Studies
Interleukin Genetics is investigating the role of genetics in determining individual risks for early cardiovascular disease events and for bone loss and related fractures in specific populations.
Variations in the interleukin-1 (IL-1) gene family have been shown to be associated with over-expression of key inflammatory mediators, such as C-reactive protein, and with increased risk for early first heart attacks in Caucasians. Using its proprietary IL-1 technology, Interleukin is now collaborating with Tongji Medical College to study multiple genetic links to risk for early myocardial infarction (MI) in a Chinese population. This study of 1,300 individuals will focus on multiple candidate genes and their relationship to levels of inflammatory mediators and to risk for early MI. The cardiovascular disease genetics study in China is under the direction of Dr. Tangchun Wu at Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China.
Variations in the interleukin-1 (IL-1) gene family have also been shown to be associated with increased bone resorption and with vertebral fracture risk in postmenopausal Caucasian women. Interleukin is now collaborating with New Medical Research System Clinic to study IL-1 and other genetic factors that may lead to accelerated bone breakdown in Japanese women during the early years after menopause, the period of greatest bone loss. Key objectives of this 400 patient study include testing the hypothesis that, in postmenopausal Japanese women who are not on hormone replacement therapy, common variations in IL-1 genes are associated with increased bone turnover leading to net bone loss, as demonstrated by elevated markers of bone metabolism, primarily for bone breakdown. The osteoporosis study in Japan is under the direction of Dr. Masataka Karube, M.D., New Medical Research Systems Clinic, and Dr. Osamu Chaki, M.D. Ph.D., Yokohama City University Medical Centre, Yokohoma, Japan, who is the Medical Advisor.
Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of deaths in the U.S., with approximately 36% of all deaths attributable to cardiovascular disease. Although heart disease is often considered a problem of older individuals, it is well established that the disease starts in adolescence, and the American Heart Association reports that there are more than 140,000 deaths each year due to heart disease in individuals under the age of 65. Approximately 1.2 million Americans have a new or recurrent heart attack each year. In spite of great public awareness and efforts to reduce risk factors, such as smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes, heart disease remains a major individual and public health problem. In addition, we now know that most first heart attacks occur in individuals who do not have high cholesterol, and one-fifth of all cardiovascular events are in individuals without any standard risk factor. There is therefore a great need to develop better tools to identify individuals who are at increased risk for first heart attacks.
Although heart disease has historically been low in Asian countries compared to Western populations, the disease in Japan, Korea, and China is rapidly changing with changes in diet and shifts to more urban environments. This is evident in Korea where as of the year 2000, 84% of the population lived in urban areas and the incidence of coronary artery disease increased over 6-fold from 1981 to 1994.
Osteoporosis and Vertebral Fracture
The greatest increase in osteoporosis in the future is projected to be in Asia and in Latin America. Osteoporosis has been referred to as a "silent disease" because bone loss occurs without symptoms, and for many people, the first indication that they have the disease is when a fracture occurs. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, approximately 75 million people in the United States, Europe and Japan have osteoporosis, a number that is expected to double in the next 50 years. It is further estimated that another 225 million individuals have low bone mass, or osteopenia. The disease affects both men and women over 50 years of age and of all ethnic backgrounds, although in the U.S. women represent 80% of the disease population, and the disease is most common among non-Hispanic white and Asian women.
Vertebral, or spine fractures, often occur without any symptoms and only become evident when the individual notices a loss of height, develops the "dowager's hump" appearance, or starts to experience pain resulting from compression of vertebrae. It is well established that osteoporosis significantly increases the risk of vertebral, hip, wrist and other fractures -- over 1.5 million fractures in the U.S. annually - with 1 in 2 women and 1 in 4 men over 50 suffering an osteoporosis-related fracture during her/his lifetime. In 2002, costs directly associated with osteoporosis-related hip fractures were estimated to be $18 billion.
About Interleukin
Interleukin Genetics is a biotechnology company focused on developing, acquiring, and commercializing personalized health products. The company uses functional genomics to help in the development of risk assessment tests, pharmacogenetic tests, nutritional and therapeutic products based on the genetic variations in people. Interleukin Genetics has commercialized genetic tests for periodontal disease risk assessment, cardiovascular risk assessment, and general nutrition assessment. In addition, through its the Alan James Group subsidiary, the company sells its nutraceutical brands, including Ginkoba(R), Ginsana(R), and Venastat(R) through the nation's largest food, drug and mass retailers. Interleukin's current development programs focus on osteoporosis and weight management genetic risk assessment tests, as well as its new proprietary OTCeutical(R) products for distribution through the Alan James Group. Interleukin expects that these programs will also lead to the personalized selection of nutritional and therapeutic products, and provide consumers and healthcare professionals with better preventative product alternatives. For more information about Interleukin and its ongoing programs, please visit http://www.ilgenetics.com.
Certain statements contained herein are "forward-looking" statements including statements regarding our ability to develop diagnostic, personalized nutritional and therapeutic products to prevent or treat diseases of inflammation and other genetic variations, our ability to screen nutritional compounds for their effects on inflammatory responses and other genetic variations, given specific genetic patterns and our ability to make progress in advancing our core technologies. Because such statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward- looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risk of market acceptance of our products, the risk of technology and product obsolescence, delays in product development, our ability to identify appropriate commercial partners and enter into favorable arrangements with them, the performance of our commercial partners, the availability of adequate capital, the actions of our competitors and other competitive risks, and those risks and uncertainties described in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, as amended, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other filings made by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any obligation or intention to update these forward-looking statements.
source : money.cnn.com
In collaboration with investigators at Tongji Medical College in Wuhan, China, 1,300 subjects who have cardiovascular disease or are healthy controls have been enrolled in the clinical study. The other study, in collaboration with the New Medical Research System Clinic in Tokyo, completed enrollment of 400 subjects ahead of schedule. The study in Tokyo is focused on genetic variations, bone loss and osteoporosis in post-menopausal women in Japan. Interleukin expects completion of data collection for both studies by the end of August.
"Interleukin Genetics expects to provide multiple genetic tests for commercial launches in Asia in the next few years through our global partnership with Alticor, or possibly with other partners through more traditional medical channels," said Ken Kornman, Chief Scientific Officer. "As Interleukin did in North America, we will provide tests that have been scientifically validated and that provide important information to help individuals live healthier lives for longer periods. The studies in Japan and China will help Interleukin's scientists to better understand how genetic variations that predict increased risk for heart attacks and osteoporosis may be influenced by dietary and environmental factors in different populations and help us successfully introduce our genetic tests into these important markets."
About the Studies
Interleukin Genetics is investigating the role of genetics in determining individual risks for early cardiovascular disease events and for bone loss and related fractures in specific populations.
Variations in the interleukin-1 (IL-1) gene family have been shown to be associated with over-expression of key inflammatory mediators, such as C-reactive protein, and with increased risk for early first heart attacks in Caucasians. Using its proprietary IL-1 technology, Interleukin is now collaborating with Tongji Medical College to study multiple genetic links to risk for early myocardial infarction (MI) in a Chinese population. This study of 1,300 individuals will focus on multiple candidate genes and their relationship to levels of inflammatory mediators and to risk for early MI. The cardiovascular disease genetics study in China is under the direction of Dr. Tangchun Wu at Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China.
Variations in the interleukin-1 (IL-1) gene family have also been shown to be associated with increased bone resorption and with vertebral fracture risk in postmenopausal Caucasian women. Interleukin is now collaborating with New Medical Research System Clinic to study IL-1 and other genetic factors that may lead to accelerated bone breakdown in Japanese women during the early years after menopause, the period of greatest bone loss. Key objectives of this 400 patient study include testing the hypothesis that, in postmenopausal Japanese women who are not on hormone replacement therapy, common variations in IL-1 genes are associated with increased bone turnover leading to net bone loss, as demonstrated by elevated markers of bone metabolism, primarily for bone breakdown. The osteoporosis study in Japan is under the direction of Dr. Masataka Karube, M.D., New Medical Research Systems Clinic, and Dr. Osamu Chaki, M.D. Ph.D., Yokohama City University Medical Centre, Yokohoma, Japan, who is the Medical Advisor.
Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of deaths in the U.S., with approximately 36% of all deaths attributable to cardiovascular disease. Although heart disease is often considered a problem of older individuals, it is well established that the disease starts in adolescence, and the American Heart Association reports that there are more than 140,000 deaths each year due to heart disease in individuals under the age of 65. Approximately 1.2 million Americans have a new or recurrent heart attack each year. In spite of great public awareness and efforts to reduce risk factors, such as smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes, heart disease remains a major individual and public health problem. In addition, we now know that most first heart attacks occur in individuals who do not have high cholesterol, and one-fifth of all cardiovascular events are in individuals without any standard risk factor. There is therefore a great need to develop better tools to identify individuals who are at increased risk for first heart attacks.
Although heart disease has historically been low in Asian countries compared to Western populations, the disease in Japan, Korea, and China is rapidly changing with changes in diet and shifts to more urban environments. This is evident in Korea where as of the year 2000, 84% of the population lived in urban areas and the incidence of coronary artery disease increased over 6-fold from 1981 to 1994.
Osteoporosis and Vertebral Fracture
The greatest increase in osteoporosis in the future is projected to be in Asia and in Latin America. Osteoporosis has been referred to as a "silent disease" because bone loss occurs without symptoms, and for many people, the first indication that they have the disease is when a fracture occurs. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, approximately 75 million people in the United States, Europe and Japan have osteoporosis, a number that is expected to double in the next 50 years. It is further estimated that another 225 million individuals have low bone mass, or osteopenia. The disease affects both men and women over 50 years of age and of all ethnic backgrounds, although in the U.S. women represent 80% of the disease population, and the disease is most common among non-Hispanic white and Asian women.
Vertebral, or spine fractures, often occur without any symptoms and only become evident when the individual notices a loss of height, develops the "dowager's hump" appearance, or starts to experience pain resulting from compression of vertebrae. It is well established that osteoporosis significantly increases the risk of vertebral, hip, wrist and other fractures -- over 1.5 million fractures in the U.S. annually - with 1 in 2 women and 1 in 4 men over 50 suffering an osteoporosis-related fracture during her/his lifetime. In 2002, costs directly associated with osteoporosis-related hip fractures were estimated to be $18 billion.
About Interleukin
Interleukin Genetics is a biotechnology company focused on developing, acquiring, and commercializing personalized health products. The company uses functional genomics to help in the development of risk assessment tests, pharmacogenetic tests, nutritional and therapeutic products based on the genetic variations in people. Interleukin Genetics has commercialized genetic tests for periodontal disease risk assessment, cardiovascular risk assessment, and general nutrition assessment. In addition, through its the Alan James Group subsidiary, the company sells its nutraceutical brands, including Ginkoba(R), Ginsana(R), and Venastat(R) through the nation's largest food, drug and mass retailers. Interleukin's current development programs focus on osteoporosis and weight management genetic risk assessment tests, as well as its new proprietary OTCeutical(R) products for distribution through the Alan James Group. Interleukin expects that these programs will also lead to the personalized selection of nutritional and therapeutic products, and provide consumers and healthcare professionals with better preventative product alternatives. For more information about Interleukin and its ongoing programs, please visit http://www.ilgenetics.com.
Certain statements contained herein are "forward-looking" statements including statements regarding our ability to develop diagnostic, personalized nutritional and therapeutic products to prevent or treat diseases of inflammation and other genetic variations, our ability to screen nutritional compounds for their effects on inflammatory responses and other genetic variations, given specific genetic patterns and our ability to make progress in advancing our core technologies. Because such statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward- looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risk of market acceptance of our products, the risk of technology and product obsolescence, delays in product development, our ability to identify appropriate commercial partners and enter into favorable arrangements with them, the performance of our commercial partners, the availability of adequate capital, the actions of our competitors and other competitive risks, and those risks and uncertainties described in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, as amended, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other filings made by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any obligation or intention to update these forward-looking statements.
source : money.cnn.com
High Blood Pressure Medication Strategy Proves Effective In Hispanic Women
Researchers studied 22,500 patients enrolled in the landmark International Verapamil SR-Trandolapril study, known as INVEST, and tracked a subgroup of 5,017 Hispanic and 4,710 non-Hispanic white women who were randomly assigned to a drug strategy containing either a sustained release form of the calcium antagonist verapamil or the beta-blocker atenolol. Hispanic women achieved greater blood pressure control and were half as likely as white women to suffer adverse outcomes.
A UF study described in the current issue of the Journal of Women's Health revealed that when treated with either of two commonly prescribed medication strategies, Hispanic women achieved greater blood pressure control and were half as likely as white women to suffer adverse outcomes such as heart attack, stroke or death from any cause. The findings provide new data on a population of ethnic women who have been all but absent from such research.
"The study is unique in that we enrolled a substantial number of women and a substantial number of Hispanic patients from a variety of different Hispanic regions. As a result, we have data that enabled us to really fully evaluate the treatment of hypertension in this ethnically diverse group," said Rhonda Cooper-DeHoff, Pharm.D, M.S., a research assistant professor of medicine and associate director of the clinical research program in cardiovascular medicine at UF's College of Medicine.
UF researchers studied 22,500 patients enrolled in the landmark International Verapamil SR-Trandolapril study, known as INVEST, and tracked a subgroup of 5,017 Hispanic and 4,710 non-Hispanic white women who were randomly assigned to a drug strategy containing either a sustained release form of the calcium antagonist verapamil or the beta-blocker atenolol.
The INVEST study enrolled more Hispanic patients than any other hypertension trial to date, Cooper-DeHoff said, and included Hispanic participants from the mainland United States, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, Canada, Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador.
After 24 months of follow-up, researchers found that both treatment strategies worked -- and worked better in the Hispanic women.
Blood pressure control, defined at less than 140/90 mmHg, was achieved in 75 percent of Hispanic women and 68 percent of non-Hispanic white women.
And despite having a higher prevalence of diabetes at baseline, only 5.7 percent of Hispanic women suffered from adverse cardiovascular outcomes, compared with 12.3 percent of non-Hispanic white women.
Cooper-DeHoff attributed the low incidence of adverse outcomes to the fact that Hispanic women enrolled in the study were younger. If follow-up had continued over a longer period of time, adverse outcomes in the Hispanic women may have increased, she said.
However, these women remained at a lower risk for these outcomes even after statisticians adjusted for age and other factors. Still, she warned that problems associated with diabetes are likely to show up in these patients down the road.
"Diabetes in and of itself imparts significant future adverse cardiovascular outcomes," she said. "These women should be well-monitored under the care of a physician so that they can prevent future cardiovascular morbidity and mortality related to hypertension and diabetes. Importantly, because the Hispanic population is the fastest-growing ethnic minority in the United States, Hispanics -- especially women -- should be included in future cardiovascular research in order to further our understanding of these high-risk diseases in Hispanic patients."
High blood pressure is becoming more prevalent in women across all ethnic groups, Cooper-DeHoff said. And although it is thought to actually be less common in Hispanic women, fewer Hispanics have been included in hypertension studies.
"The INVEST findings are important because they demonstrate that this treatment for Hispanic women really pays off," said Thomas G. Pickering, M.D., D. Phil., director of the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Medical Center. "They've got something really interesting with this study, and it wasn't something that could have been expected."
source : www.sciencedaily.com
A UF study described in the current issue of the Journal of Women's Health revealed that when treated with either of two commonly prescribed medication strategies, Hispanic women achieved greater blood pressure control and were half as likely as white women to suffer adverse outcomes such as heart attack, stroke or death from any cause. The findings provide new data on a population of ethnic women who have been all but absent from such research.
"The study is unique in that we enrolled a substantial number of women and a substantial number of Hispanic patients from a variety of different Hispanic regions. As a result, we have data that enabled us to really fully evaluate the treatment of hypertension in this ethnically diverse group," said Rhonda Cooper-DeHoff, Pharm.D, M.S., a research assistant professor of medicine and associate director of the clinical research program in cardiovascular medicine at UF's College of Medicine.
UF researchers studied 22,500 patients enrolled in the landmark International Verapamil SR-Trandolapril study, known as INVEST, and tracked a subgroup of 5,017 Hispanic and 4,710 non-Hispanic white women who were randomly assigned to a drug strategy containing either a sustained release form of the calcium antagonist verapamil or the beta-blocker atenolol.
The INVEST study enrolled more Hispanic patients than any other hypertension trial to date, Cooper-DeHoff said, and included Hispanic participants from the mainland United States, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, Canada, Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador.
After 24 months of follow-up, researchers found that both treatment strategies worked -- and worked better in the Hispanic women.
Blood pressure control, defined at less than 140/90 mmHg, was achieved in 75 percent of Hispanic women and 68 percent of non-Hispanic white women.
And despite having a higher prevalence of diabetes at baseline, only 5.7 percent of Hispanic women suffered from adverse cardiovascular outcomes, compared with 12.3 percent of non-Hispanic white women.
Cooper-DeHoff attributed the low incidence of adverse outcomes to the fact that Hispanic women enrolled in the study were younger. If follow-up had continued over a longer period of time, adverse outcomes in the Hispanic women may have increased, she said.
However, these women remained at a lower risk for these outcomes even after statisticians adjusted for age and other factors. Still, she warned that problems associated with diabetes are likely to show up in these patients down the road.
"Diabetes in and of itself imparts significant future adverse cardiovascular outcomes," she said. "These women should be well-monitored under the care of a physician so that they can prevent future cardiovascular morbidity and mortality related to hypertension and diabetes. Importantly, because the Hispanic population is the fastest-growing ethnic minority in the United States, Hispanics -- especially women -- should be included in future cardiovascular research in order to further our understanding of these high-risk diseases in Hispanic patients."
High blood pressure is becoming more prevalent in women across all ethnic groups, Cooper-DeHoff said. And although it is thought to actually be less common in Hispanic women, fewer Hispanics have been included in hypertension studies.
"The INVEST findings are important because they demonstrate that this treatment for Hispanic women really pays off," said Thomas G. Pickering, M.D., D. Phil., director of the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Medical Center. "They've got something really interesting with this study, and it wasn't something that could have been expected."
source : www.sciencedaily.com
The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine announces that men and women 50-75 years old who took 800 mcg of folate a day for three years scored higher in cognitive tasks than subjects who were given a placebo.
The study was conducted with 818 adults ages 50-75 who had elevated homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is an amino acid suspected in the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
With the consumption of folate, the test subject's group increased their level of folate in the blood by 5 and the homocysteine concentration decreased by 25%.
"It's the first study to convincingly show that folate can slow cognitive decline," said lead author Jane Durga. The study involved healthy older people, not those with Alzheimer's symptoms, so it doesn't show if folate might ward off that disease. "That's the key question," Durga said. (American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine)
"We know Alzheimer's disease, the pathology, begins many, many years before the symptoms. We ought to be thinking about the health of our brain the same way we think about the health of our heart," she added.
Research findings provide evidence that a diet high in folate is beneficial to your health and may play a role in a variety of diseases. The scientific community has suspected folate's role in dementia for some time. Previous studies have shown that low folate levels are connected to diminished cognitive function and heart disease.
Women of child bearing age should take 400 mcg of folate, also known as folic acid, daily. It is important that women realize they should take folate not only when they are pregnant, but prior to conception, also. Folate has been shown to prevent spina bifida and other neurological disorders in newborns by up to 50%. (Dr.Spock.com)
Although folate may provide health benefits and aid in the slow down of cognitive functioning in aging adults; it is not the only thing you can do.
The American Alzheimer's Association offers one hour interactive workshops entitled "Maintain Your Brain: How to Live a Brain Healthy Lifestyle", geared toward educating the general public and teaching healthy ways to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life.
Some suggestions are:
Use your brain. The more experience you have of challenging your brain power, the more new connections your brain will make. These build up the ability to adapt to age related damages in the future.
Challenge your brain with word and number puzzles, play scrabble or chess, and never stop learning. Pursue personal interests by taking a class or going to workshops.
Stay socially active. Human interaction is important in fighting declining cognitive functioning. Lack of socialization actually predicts a decline in cognitive functioning.
Exercise on a daily basis. Keep your arteries clear. Clogged arteries slow blood flow to the brain.
Try to combine mental, physical, and social activities to get three times the benefits at once.
Eat a heart-healthy diet and get plenty of folate. This will benefit your brain as well as your heart.
Foods high in folate are: green leafy vegetables, asparagus, calf's liver, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, beets and lentils. Including them in your daily food intake will provide your body with the needed amounts of folate. Taking a multi vitamin or a folate supplement may be an alternative for those who do not eat enough of these high folate foods.
source : www.associatedcontent.com
The study was conducted with 818 adults ages 50-75 who had elevated homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is an amino acid suspected in the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
With the consumption of folate, the test subject's group increased their level of folate in the blood by 5 and the homocysteine concentration decreased by 25%.
"It's the first study to convincingly show that folate can slow cognitive decline," said lead author Jane Durga. The study involved healthy older people, not those with Alzheimer's symptoms, so it doesn't show if folate might ward off that disease. "That's the key question," Durga said. (American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine)
"We know Alzheimer's disease, the pathology, begins many, many years before the symptoms. We ought to be thinking about the health of our brain the same way we think about the health of our heart," she added.
Research findings provide evidence that a diet high in folate is beneficial to your health and may play a role in a variety of diseases. The scientific community has suspected folate's role in dementia for some time. Previous studies have shown that low folate levels are connected to diminished cognitive function and heart disease.
Women of child bearing age should take 400 mcg of folate, also known as folic acid, daily. It is important that women realize they should take folate not only when they are pregnant, but prior to conception, also. Folate has been shown to prevent spina bifida and other neurological disorders in newborns by up to 50%. (Dr.Spock.com)
Although folate may provide health benefits and aid in the slow down of cognitive functioning in aging adults; it is not the only thing you can do.
The American Alzheimer's Association offers one hour interactive workshops entitled "Maintain Your Brain: How to Live a Brain Healthy Lifestyle", geared toward educating the general public and teaching healthy ways to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life.
Some suggestions are:
Use your brain. The more experience you have of challenging your brain power, the more new connections your brain will make. These build up the ability to adapt to age related damages in the future.
Challenge your brain with word and number puzzles, play scrabble or chess, and never stop learning. Pursue personal interests by taking a class or going to workshops.
Stay socially active. Human interaction is important in fighting declining cognitive functioning. Lack of socialization actually predicts a decline in cognitive functioning.
Exercise on a daily basis. Keep your arteries clear. Clogged arteries slow blood flow to the brain.
Try to combine mental, physical, and social activities to get three times the benefits at once.
Eat a heart-healthy diet and get plenty of folate. This will benefit your brain as well as your heart.
Foods high in folate are: green leafy vegetables, asparagus, calf's liver, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, beets and lentils. Including them in your daily food intake will provide your body with the needed amounts of folate. Taking a multi vitamin or a folate supplement may be an alternative for those who do not eat enough of these high folate foods.
source : www.associatedcontent.com
Latest word on estrogen
Q:I am going through menopause and my hot flashes and vaginal dryness are driving me and my husband crazy. I read a few years ago that hormones are dangerous. Is there any new information?
A: Any woman going through menopause can have very serious and detrimental changes to her sexuality. Until several years ago many women were placed on estrogen with an excellent chance to diminish hot flashes and regain physical sexual arousal. Then came a study known as the Women's Health Initiative, indicating that taking estrogen increases the risk for heart disease. The newest data is reassuring. High-tech heart scans were used to follow up on these women and the results show that those taking estrogen were 30 percent to 40 percent less likely to have calcium blockages that can clog coronary arteries. The timing of when the hormones are started is crucial. Women who started their estrogen during menopause benefited with decreased heart disease, but those who started their hormone replacement 10 years later actually had more heart disease. These data apply only to women on estrogen who do not have a uterus and do not include those being treated with both estrogen and progesterone.
The data show that estrogen can actually be helpful to the heart health of perimenopausal women. If you are in the perimenopausal years, ask your gynecologist whether estrogen is right for you.
source : www.miamiherald.com
A: Any woman going through menopause can have very serious and detrimental changes to her sexuality. Until several years ago many women were placed on estrogen with an excellent chance to diminish hot flashes and regain physical sexual arousal. Then came a study known as the Women's Health Initiative, indicating that taking estrogen increases the risk for heart disease. The newest data is reassuring. High-tech heart scans were used to follow up on these women and the results show that those taking estrogen were 30 percent to 40 percent less likely to have calcium blockages that can clog coronary arteries. The timing of when the hormones are started is crucial. Women who started their estrogen during menopause benefited with decreased heart disease, but those who started their hormone replacement 10 years later actually had more heart disease. These data apply only to women on estrogen who do not have a uterus and do not include those being treated with both estrogen and progesterone.
The data show that estrogen can actually be helpful to the heart health of perimenopausal women. If you are in the perimenopausal years, ask your gynecologist whether estrogen is right for you.
source : www.miamiherald.com
Sunday, July 15, 2007
How schizophrenia may start in womb
SCIENTISTS have discovered why mothers-to-be who catch influenza during pregnancy can trigger schizophrenia in their unborn babies.
The breakthrough, revealed at a brain conference in Melbourne, brings US researchers closer to developing a therapy that could reverse the harmful effects of viruses on foetuses.
Women who get respiratory infections such as influenza in the second trimester of pregnancy are up to seven times more likely to have a child with schizophrenia. There is also a higher risk of autism.
A neuroscientist from the California Institute of Technology, Paul Patterson, said this risk was much greater than any known genetic influence.
Professor Patterson believes the virus is able to trigger a mental "switch" that permanently alters and inflames the brain of the foetus, setting the child up for mental illness in later life. But until now little was known about exactly how the virus caused the change.
In tests on mice, the research team gave pregnant rodents the flu virus and watched the effect on the young mice after birth.
"The offspring had strikingly abnormal behaviour consistent with things that have been seen in schizophrenia and autism, like disrupted social behaviour, fear of novel situations and increased anxiety," Professor Patterson told delegates at the World Congress of Neuroscience yesterday.
The researchers discovered that rather than the virus directly triggering the brain change, it was the mother's immune response to the bug that caused the problem.
"The proteins produced by the mother's immune system to fight the infection seemed to be linked to the problem," he said.
"We found that if you block one protein in particular, then the offspring seem to be completely normal, and presumably their pathology will be too."
source : www.smh.com.au
The breakthrough, revealed at a brain conference in Melbourne, brings US researchers closer to developing a therapy that could reverse the harmful effects of viruses on foetuses.
Women who get respiratory infections such as influenza in the second trimester of pregnancy are up to seven times more likely to have a child with schizophrenia. There is also a higher risk of autism.
A neuroscientist from the California Institute of Technology, Paul Patterson, said this risk was much greater than any known genetic influence.
Professor Patterson believes the virus is able to trigger a mental "switch" that permanently alters and inflames the brain of the foetus, setting the child up for mental illness in later life. But until now little was known about exactly how the virus caused the change.
In tests on mice, the research team gave pregnant rodents the flu virus and watched the effect on the young mice after birth.
"The offspring had strikingly abnormal behaviour consistent with things that have been seen in schizophrenia and autism, like disrupted social behaviour, fear of novel situations and increased anxiety," Professor Patterson told delegates at the World Congress of Neuroscience yesterday.
The researchers discovered that rather than the virus directly triggering the brain change, it was the mother's immune response to the bug that caused the problem.
"The proteins produced by the mother's immune system to fight the infection seemed to be linked to the problem," he said.
"We found that if you block one protein in particular, then the offspring seem to be completely normal, and presumably their pathology will be too."
source : www.smh.com.au
For women, a matter of the HEART
Cardiovascular diseases kill more women each year than the next five causes of death combined, according to the American Heart Association.
I could've been one of those women.
Six years ago, I was a 41-year-old avid athlete who had no idea women my age could get heart disease. That ignorance could have cost me my life. Once I finally did go to cardiologists, I lost almost two years of my life due to misdiagnosis, treatments and procedures that failed or caused life-threatening complications, which led to my bypass surgery five years ago. Unfortunately, I am not alone. There are thousands of women in this country who are misdiagnosed or have delayed diagnosis, mistreatment and inappropriate treatment for their hearts.
More women die from cardiovascular diseases than do men, yet less than 15 percent of women perceive heart disease to be their greatest health risk. For minority women, the statistics are even more troubling. For example, nearly half of African-American women (45 percent) have some form of cardiovascular disease, compared to 32 percent of white women. Unfortunately, too many women are paying the price for a lack of awareness.
This is a problem Congress needs to address. I am urging everyone to support the HEART for Women Act -- bipartisan legislation aimed at improving the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of heart disease and stroke in women. The bill is intended to close gaps in the treatment of cardiovascular disease in women and give both women and health care providers crucial information to help reduce the death rate.
Although we know more today about cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, much more could be done to address disparities in treatment and prevention for women. Surprisingly, many physicians are not getting the message. A recent American Heart Association survey found that only 8 percent of primary care physicians recognized that heart disease kills more women each year than men. As a result, women are less likely to undergo aggressive screenings which can reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke, and are not recommended for certain diagnostic testing and treatments, such as angioplasties and stents.
But the problem doesn't end there. We need to address the lack of gender-specific information in new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration. For about one-third of new drugs approved by the FDA, doctors and patients do not have sufficient information about their safety and effectiveness in women. Women represent just 38 percent of subjects in cardiovascular studies funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The HEART for Women Act takes a multipronged approach in educating women and health care providers and ensuring the effectiveness of new medication in women. The legislation would raise awareness and provide training for health care providers, tighten FDA requirements for reporting gender-specific data about new and experimental medicines and devices, and expand the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's WISEWOMAN screening programs to all 50 states. The program provides free heart disease and stroke prevention screening, such as tests for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, for low-income, uninsured women at risk for heart disease and stroke.
The risks for cardiovascular disease in women have been clearly evident for decades, yet it continues to take a devastating toll, claiming the lives of mothers and daughters and costing our nation millions of dollars in health care expenses. This year, cardiovascular diseases will cost Americans more than $400 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity. As researchers continue to explore ways to reduce death and disability from cardiovascular disease, women have not benefited as much as men from the advances in treatment over the past decades, and provisions in this bill can help change that. By supporting the HEART for Women Act, together we can help put women on an equal footing with men in the fight against cardiovascular disease.
source : www.commercialappeal.com
I could've been one of those women.
Six years ago, I was a 41-year-old avid athlete who had no idea women my age could get heart disease. That ignorance could have cost me my life. Once I finally did go to cardiologists, I lost almost two years of my life due to misdiagnosis, treatments and procedures that failed or caused life-threatening complications, which led to my bypass surgery five years ago. Unfortunately, I am not alone. There are thousands of women in this country who are misdiagnosed or have delayed diagnosis, mistreatment and inappropriate treatment for their hearts.
More women die from cardiovascular diseases than do men, yet less than 15 percent of women perceive heart disease to be their greatest health risk. For minority women, the statistics are even more troubling. For example, nearly half of African-American women (45 percent) have some form of cardiovascular disease, compared to 32 percent of white women. Unfortunately, too many women are paying the price for a lack of awareness.
This is a problem Congress needs to address. I am urging everyone to support the HEART for Women Act -- bipartisan legislation aimed at improving the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of heart disease and stroke in women. The bill is intended to close gaps in the treatment of cardiovascular disease in women and give both women and health care providers crucial information to help reduce the death rate.
Although we know more today about cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, much more could be done to address disparities in treatment and prevention for women. Surprisingly, many physicians are not getting the message. A recent American Heart Association survey found that only 8 percent of primary care physicians recognized that heart disease kills more women each year than men. As a result, women are less likely to undergo aggressive screenings which can reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke, and are not recommended for certain diagnostic testing and treatments, such as angioplasties and stents.
But the problem doesn't end there. We need to address the lack of gender-specific information in new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration. For about one-third of new drugs approved by the FDA, doctors and patients do not have sufficient information about their safety and effectiveness in women. Women represent just 38 percent of subjects in cardiovascular studies funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The HEART for Women Act takes a multipronged approach in educating women and health care providers and ensuring the effectiveness of new medication in women. The legislation would raise awareness and provide training for health care providers, tighten FDA requirements for reporting gender-specific data about new and experimental medicines and devices, and expand the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's WISEWOMAN screening programs to all 50 states. The program provides free heart disease and stroke prevention screening, such as tests for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, for low-income, uninsured women at risk for heart disease and stroke.
The risks for cardiovascular disease in women have been clearly evident for decades, yet it continues to take a devastating toll, claiming the lives of mothers and daughters and costing our nation millions of dollars in health care expenses. This year, cardiovascular diseases will cost Americans more than $400 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity. As researchers continue to explore ways to reduce death and disability from cardiovascular disease, women have not benefited as much as men from the advances in treatment over the past decades, and provisions in this bill can help change that. By supporting the HEART for Women Act, together we can help put women on an equal footing with men in the fight against cardiovascular disease.
source : www.commercialappeal.com
How racism hurts -- literally
FOUR YEARS AGO, researchers identified a surprising price for being a black woman in America. The study of 334 midlife women, published in the journal Health Psychology, examined links between different kinds of stress and risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Black women who pointed to racism as a source of stress in their lives, the researchers found, developed more plaque in their carotid arteries -- an early sign of heart disease -- than black women who didn't. The difference was small but important -- making the report the first to link hardening of the arteries to racial discrimination.
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The study was just one in a fast-growing field of research documenting how racism literally hurts the body. More than 100 studies -- most published since 2000 -- now document the effects of racial discrimination on physical health. Some link blood pressure to recollected encounters with bigotry. Others record the cardiovascular reactions of volunteers subjected to racist imagery in a lab. Forthcoming research will even peek into the workings of the brain during exposure to racist provocations.
Scientists caution that the research is preliminary, and some of it is quite controversial, but they say the findings could profoundly change the way we look at both racism and health. It could unmask racism as a bona fide public health problem -- just as reframing child abuse and marital violence as public health concerns transformed the way we thought about these ubiquitous but often secret sources of suffering. Viewing racial discrimination as a health risk could open the door to understanding how other climates of chronic mistreatment or fear seep into the body -- why, for instance, pregnant women in California with Arabic names were suddenly more likely than any other group to deliver low birth-weight babies in the six months after 9/11.
Most striking, researchers note, is how consistent the findings have been across a wide range of studies. The task now, they say, is to discover why.
"We don't know all the internal processes," said James Jackson, director of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. "But we can observe an effect, and we need to find out what's going on."
The burgeoning research comes at a time when lawmakers and government officials are increasingly focused on the problem of racial disparities in health. African-Americans today, despite a half century of economic and social progress since the civil rights movement, face a higher risk than any other racial group of dying from heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and hypertension. In the United States, affluent blacks suffer, on average, more health problems than the poorest whites. Spurred by statistics like these, dozens of states and cities have been passing legislation intended to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health.
source : www.boston.com
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The study was just one in a fast-growing field of research documenting how racism literally hurts the body. More than 100 studies -- most published since 2000 -- now document the effects of racial discrimination on physical health. Some link blood pressure to recollected encounters with bigotry. Others record the cardiovascular reactions of volunteers subjected to racist imagery in a lab. Forthcoming research will even peek into the workings of the brain during exposure to racist provocations.
Scientists caution that the research is preliminary, and some of it is quite controversial, but they say the findings could profoundly change the way we look at both racism and health. It could unmask racism as a bona fide public health problem -- just as reframing child abuse and marital violence as public health concerns transformed the way we thought about these ubiquitous but often secret sources of suffering. Viewing racial discrimination as a health risk could open the door to understanding how other climates of chronic mistreatment or fear seep into the body -- why, for instance, pregnant women in California with Arabic names were suddenly more likely than any other group to deliver low birth-weight babies in the six months after 9/11.
Most striking, researchers note, is how consistent the findings have been across a wide range of studies. The task now, they say, is to discover why.
"We don't know all the internal processes," said James Jackson, director of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. "But we can observe an effect, and we need to find out what's going on."
The burgeoning research comes at a time when lawmakers and government officials are increasingly focused on the problem of racial disparities in health. African-Americans today, despite a half century of economic and social progress since the civil rights movement, face a higher risk than any other racial group of dying from heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and hypertension. In the United States, affluent blacks suffer, on average, more health problems than the poorest whites. Spurred by statistics like these, dozens of states and cities have been passing legislation intended to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health.
source : www.boston.com
HEALTH: Cancer risk higher with Western diet
HEALTH: Cancer risk higher with Western diet
Older Chinese women who eat a Western-style diet loaded with meats and sweets appear to have a greater risk for breast cancer than women who eat mainly soy and vegetables, a new study has concluded. Previous research has found connections between a meat- and fat-heavy Western diet and several kinds of cancer, as well as heart disease and diabetes. And other research has identified links between obesity and cancer.
Researchers said this study signals a link between breast cancer and overall eating patterns — not a single food or nutrient — in Asian women, who have long had lower rates of the disease than Western women. But their numbers have started to rise as their diets have become more Westernised.
The study, which is not definitive, looked at general eating habits of about 3,000 women in Shanghai, ranging in age from 25 to 64. About half of that group had been diagnosed with breast cancer and are participants in an ongoing breast cancer study in Shanghai.
The ‘meat-sweet’ group loaded up on red meat, shrimp, fish, candy, desserts, bread and milk. The ‘vegetable-soy’ group stuck to tofu, vegetables, sprouts, beans, fish and soy milk.Post-menopausal women in the meat-sweet group showed a 60 percent greater risk of developing the most common kind of breast cancer, the kind fueled by the hormone estrogen, compared to those in the vegetable-soy group, according to US and Chinese researchers who conducted the study.
Researchers couldn’t say how the combination of a Western diet and obesity might work in tandem to drive breast cancer. The study, which appears in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, found no link, good or bad, between breast cancer and a vegetable-soy diet. Scientists also said that the research should be a less frustrating guide for anybody looking to adopt sensible eating habits, instead of often contradictory research that names one vitamin, mineral or food as a cancer-quashing magic bullet. ap
source : www.dailytimes.com.pk
Older Chinese women who eat a Western-style diet loaded with meats and sweets appear to have a greater risk for breast cancer than women who eat mainly soy and vegetables, a new study has concluded. Previous research has found connections between a meat- and fat-heavy Western diet and several kinds of cancer, as well as heart disease and diabetes. And other research has identified links between obesity and cancer.
Researchers said this study signals a link between breast cancer and overall eating patterns — not a single food or nutrient — in Asian women, who have long had lower rates of the disease than Western women. But their numbers have started to rise as their diets have become more Westernised.
The study, which is not definitive, looked at general eating habits of about 3,000 women in Shanghai, ranging in age from 25 to 64. About half of that group had been diagnosed with breast cancer and are participants in an ongoing breast cancer study in Shanghai.
The ‘meat-sweet’ group loaded up on red meat, shrimp, fish, candy, desserts, bread and milk. The ‘vegetable-soy’ group stuck to tofu, vegetables, sprouts, beans, fish and soy milk.Post-menopausal women in the meat-sweet group showed a 60 percent greater risk of developing the most common kind of breast cancer, the kind fueled by the hormone estrogen, compared to those in the vegetable-soy group, according to US and Chinese researchers who conducted the study.
Researchers couldn’t say how the combination of a Western diet and obesity might work in tandem to drive breast cancer. The study, which appears in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, found no link, good or bad, between breast cancer and a vegetable-soy diet. Scientists also said that the research should be a less frustrating guide for anybody looking to adopt sensible eating habits, instead of often contradictory research that names one vitamin, mineral or food as a cancer-quashing magic bullet. ap
source : www.dailytimes.com.pk
Women more depressed after heart attack
Women more depressed after heart attack
EDMONTON, Alberta, Women are more likely than men to have lingering depression after suffering heart attacks, Canadian researchers said.
A study by the University of Alberta and McGill University found that 14.3 percent of women had worsening depression one year after their initial myocardial infarctions. Eleven percent of men studied had a similar experience.
Results of the study were published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing.
"The findings are of concern because depression impedes recovery and ultimately, the quality of life in patients following a heart event," said lead author Colleen Norris, an associate professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, said Friday in a release.
Norris said women are less likely to be referred to or to attend cardiac rehabilitation, and therefore don't have access to the support and assistance to make necessary lifestyle changes.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
EDMONTON, Alberta, Women are more likely than men to have lingering depression after suffering heart attacks, Canadian researchers said.
A study by the University of Alberta and McGill University found that 14.3 percent of women had worsening depression one year after their initial myocardial infarctions. Eleven percent of men studied had a similar experience.
Results of the study were published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing.
"The findings are of concern because depression impedes recovery and ultimately, the quality of life in patients following a heart event," said lead author Colleen Norris, an associate professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, said Friday in a release.
Norris said women are less likely to be referred to or to attend cardiac rehabilitation, and therefore don't have access to the support and assistance to make necessary lifestyle changes.
source : www.sciencedaily.com
Yo-yo dieting 'can increase the risk of kidney cancer'
Women have been warned that yo-yo dieting can more than double the risk of developing kidney cancer.
Scientists have found that women who repeatedly lose weight only to put it back on are at a significantly higher risk of the disease later in life.
Experts have known for years that smoking and obesity are two of the main risk factors for kidney cancer.
But the latest research suggests that "weight cycling" - as typified by the fluctuating shape of Geri Halliwell - may exert an even bigger influence on the disease than body size.
Each year 6,700 people in Britain are diagnosed with kidney cancer, most over 65 and more men than women. It is the UK's 13th most common cause of cancer and is notoriously difficult to treat.
Swedish and American scientists studied 140,057 women aged between 50 and 79 for almost eight years, and found that yo-yo dieting and a large waistline were far bigger risk factors in the development of the disease in older women than just obesity.
Women whose weight fluctuated by more than 4.5kg (10lb) on more than ten occasions during their adult life were two and a half times more likely to develop kidney cancer than women whose weight had remained stable.
The researchers also found it was safer for women to gain weight steadily as they grew older than to lose weight and keep it that way through strict dieting.
Women who did this were found to have a 60 per cent increased risk of developing the cancer.
Obesity was an important factor in kidney disease risk. The scientists report in the American Journal of Epidemiology that when they measured waistline as a proportion of hip size, they found the greater the ratio between waist and hips, the more chance a woman had of getting the disease.
When compared to average waist size, those with the largest waist to hip ratios were found to have an 80 per cent increased risk of developing a type of kidney cancer known as renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
In the study, the authors say there could be several explanations to why repeated weight changes and large waistlines are such risk factors for women.
They point out that studies have shown that weight cycling is associated with increased incidence of high blood pressure, another risk factor for RCC.
Another possibility is that frequent weight fluctuations may result in kidney damage by inducing metabolic or functional changes that increase susceptibility to cancer.
Dr Colin Waine of the National Obesity Forum said: "When we think of obesity we tend to think of the risks of diabetes and heart disease but the risks are not inconsiderable for certain cancers.
"The most prominent ones are post-menopausal breast cancer and colonic cancer, but others such as pancreatic, kidney and oesophageal cancer are affected too.
"Yo-yo dieting is never a healthy thing to do because the body never gets a chance to settle. It knocks the metabolism all to hell, which is bad for you in many ways."
Earlier this year, the world's largest study of weight loss concluded that diets are damaging for most slimmers because of the tendency to regain the weight.
More than two-thirds pile the pounds straight back on, raising the danger of heart attack, stroke and diabetes, said University of California researchers.
Dressed in jeans and a cropped shirt, Geri Halliwell looked trim and healthy on her arrival at Heathrow Airport yesterday afternoon.
However, the former Spice Girl's weight has fluctuated alarmingly over the years.
In the mid-1990s, Miss Halliwell was known as the curviest in the group.
But her weight plummeted from 8st 7lb to 7st after she left the band in 2000, causing some friends to fear for her health.
Three years later the singer's curvy figure was back, although her precise weight appeared to vary from month to month.
She looked healthy and glowing while pregnant with daughter Bluebell Madonna last year, and lost her baby weight weeks after giving birth.
Now aged 34, Miss Halliwell seems to have settled - at least for the time being - for a slim and trim shape.
source : www.dailymail.co.uk
Scientists have found that women who repeatedly lose weight only to put it back on are at a significantly higher risk of the disease later in life.
Experts have known for years that smoking and obesity are two of the main risk factors for kidney cancer.
But the latest research suggests that "weight cycling" - as typified by the fluctuating shape of Geri Halliwell - may exert an even bigger influence on the disease than body size.
Each year 6,700 people in Britain are diagnosed with kidney cancer, most over 65 and more men than women. It is the UK's 13th most common cause of cancer and is notoriously difficult to treat.
Swedish and American scientists studied 140,057 women aged between 50 and 79 for almost eight years, and found that yo-yo dieting and a large waistline were far bigger risk factors in the development of the disease in older women than just obesity.
Women whose weight fluctuated by more than 4.5kg (10lb) on more than ten occasions during their adult life were two and a half times more likely to develop kidney cancer than women whose weight had remained stable.
The researchers also found it was safer for women to gain weight steadily as they grew older than to lose weight and keep it that way through strict dieting.
Women who did this were found to have a 60 per cent increased risk of developing the cancer.
Obesity was an important factor in kidney disease risk. The scientists report in the American Journal of Epidemiology that when they measured waistline as a proportion of hip size, they found the greater the ratio between waist and hips, the more chance a woman had of getting the disease.
When compared to average waist size, those with the largest waist to hip ratios were found to have an 80 per cent increased risk of developing a type of kidney cancer known as renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
In the study, the authors say there could be several explanations to why repeated weight changes and large waistlines are such risk factors for women.
They point out that studies have shown that weight cycling is associated with increased incidence of high blood pressure, another risk factor for RCC.
Another possibility is that frequent weight fluctuations may result in kidney damage by inducing metabolic or functional changes that increase susceptibility to cancer.
Dr Colin Waine of the National Obesity Forum said: "When we think of obesity we tend to think of the risks of diabetes and heart disease but the risks are not inconsiderable for certain cancers.
"The most prominent ones are post-menopausal breast cancer and colonic cancer, but others such as pancreatic, kidney and oesophageal cancer are affected too.
"Yo-yo dieting is never a healthy thing to do because the body never gets a chance to settle. It knocks the metabolism all to hell, which is bad for you in many ways."
Earlier this year, the world's largest study of weight loss concluded that diets are damaging for most slimmers because of the tendency to regain the weight.
More than two-thirds pile the pounds straight back on, raising the danger of heart attack, stroke and diabetes, said University of California researchers.
Dressed in jeans and a cropped shirt, Geri Halliwell looked trim and healthy on her arrival at Heathrow Airport yesterday afternoon.
However, the former Spice Girl's weight has fluctuated alarmingly over the years.
In the mid-1990s, Miss Halliwell was known as the curviest in the group.
But her weight plummeted from 8st 7lb to 7st after she left the band in 2000, causing some friends to fear for her health.
Three years later the singer's curvy figure was back, although her precise weight appeared to vary from month to month.
She looked healthy and glowing while pregnant with daughter Bluebell Madonna last year, and lost her baby weight weeks after giving birth.
Now aged 34, Miss Halliwell seems to have settled - at least for the time being - for a slim and trim shape.
source : www.dailymail.co.uk
Hormone therapy unhelpful after 65
New research involving the University of Adelaide has confirmed that women aged 65 and over should not start hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a possible prevention for heart disease and other conditions.
The results show that older women who were not already on HRT are not likely to gain any health benefits from taking it - instead, there might be increased risks of cardiovascular and other serious conditions if they start taking HRT for the first time.
The international research team - led in Australia by Professor Alastair MacLennan from the University of Adelaide's Discipline of Obstetrics & Gynaecology - studied more than 5600 women in the UK, Australia and New Zealand from 1999 to 2002 in the hopes of assessing the long-term effects of HRT.
That study was cut short in 2002 when another study found that elderly post-menopausal women taking HRT had more heart attacks and strokes than non-HRT users. As a result, millions of women around the world stopped taking HRT.
However, the WISDOM team's findings and those from recent trials suggest that these risks only apply to older women who have established heart disease, Professor MacLennan says.
"Our findings support the view that HRT is a safe treatment for younger women in early menopause to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life," he says.
"Women commencing HRT under age 60 have a reduction in heart disease because oestrogen prevents thickening and hardening of the coronary arteries, but cannot reverse this once arterial disease is established after about age 65.
"Based on our studies, HRT only has adverse effects for women over 65 who are taking HRT for the first time.
"Research teams throughout the world - including ours - had hoped to find cardiovascular benefits of HRT in older women, but that has proven not to be the case, although improved quality of life and reduced fracture rates were seen," he says.
The 5600 women studied by the WISDOM team were monitored for an average of 12 months and main outcomes such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporotic fractures, breast cancer and deaths, were recorded.
The results show that there was a significant increase in the number of major cardiovascular events (angina, heart attack or sudden coronary death) and blood clots in those taking combined hormone therapy (oestrogen and progestogen) compared with the placebo group. Rates for cerebrovascular disease, breast or other cancers, and overall deaths were not significantly different in these two groups.
"The study confirms an early increase in blood clots and cardiovascular risk in older women starting hormone replacement therapy on average 15 years after menopause," Professor MacLennan says.
"This is consistent with the early findings of the Women's Health Initiative and other trials, and supports the conclusion that combined oestrogen and progestogen therapy should not be initiated to prevent cardiovascular disease in older post-menopausal women.
"However, these results cannot necessarily be applied to younger menopausal women starting HRT to relieve symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats. For these women, recent studies suggest there are cardiovascular benefits of taking HRT around the time of menopause.
"More research is needed to assess conclusively the long-term benefits and risks among these women," he says.
source : www.sciencealert.com.au
The results show that older women who were not already on HRT are not likely to gain any health benefits from taking it - instead, there might be increased risks of cardiovascular and other serious conditions if they start taking HRT for the first time.
The international research team - led in Australia by Professor Alastair MacLennan from the University of Adelaide's Discipline of Obstetrics & Gynaecology - studied more than 5600 women in the UK, Australia and New Zealand from 1999 to 2002 in the hopes of assessing the long-term effects of HRT.
That study was cut short in 2002 when another study found that elderly post-menopausal women taking HRT had more heart attacks and strokes than non-HRT users. As a result, millions of women around the world stopped taking HRT.
However, the WISDOM team's findings and those from recent trials suggest that these risks only apply to older women who have established heart disease, Professor MacLennan says.
"Our findings support the view that HRT is a safe treatment for younger women in early menopause to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life," he says.
"Women commencing HRT under age 60 have a reduction in heart disease because oestrogen prevents thickening and hardening of the coronary arteries, but cannot reverse this once arterial disease is established after about age 65.
"Based on our studies, HRT only has adverse effects for women over 65 who are taking HRT for the first time.
"Research teams throughout the world - including ours - had hoped to find cardiovascular benefits of HRT in older women, but that has proven not to be the case, although improved quality of life and reduced fracture rates were seen," he says.
The 5600 women studied by the WISDOM team were monitored for an average of 12 months and main outcomes such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporotic fractures, breast cancer and deaths, were recorded.
The results show that there was a significant increase in the number of major cardiovascular events (angina, heart attack or sudden coronary death) and blood clots in those taking combined hormone therapy (oestrogen and progestogen) compared with the placebo group. Rates for cerebrovascular disease, breast or other cancers, and overall deaths were not significantly different in these two groups.
"The study confirms an early increase in blood clots and cardiovascular risk in older women starting hormone replacement therapy on average 15 years after menopause," Professor MacLennan says.
"This is consistent with the early findings of the Women's Health Initiative and other trials, and supports the conclusion that combined oestrogen and progestogen therapy should not be initiated to prevent cardiovascular disease in older post-menopausal women.
"However, these results cannot necessarily be applied to younger menopausal women starting HRT to relieve symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats. For these women, recent studies suggest there are cardiovascular benefits of taking HRT around the time of menopause.
"More research is needed to assess conclusively the long-term benefits and risks among these women," he says.
source : www.sciencealert.com.au
At home and at work, she was a dynamo who inspired generations of women
Until Saturday, nothing, but nothing, could stop the indefatigable force that was Dorothy Dolphin. A hardscrabble upbringing during the Great Depression, the sudden death of her young husband, the glass ceiling for women in the mid-20th-century business world -- she overcame them all during her 87 years.
"Her energy level was amazing," said her daughter, Kathy Dolphin, on Sunday, a day after her mother's death.
"She never retired. She was giving speeches until age 82. She spoke to tons and tons of women's groups. And when she would lay out how many problems she's overcome in life, that had a way of motivating people."
When Dolphin wasn't building a business empire (banks, fast-food franchises and one of the Twin Cities' foremost staffing companies), Dolphin was inspiring other women to start their own businesses. When she wasn't serving on countless boards, most passionately in higher education, Dolphin was nurturing and prodding her young daughter, one of three children, through a mysterious, debilitating disease.
In 1960, her husband, New Brighton banker Bill Dolphin, died from a malaria-related kidney ailment. Instead of leaning on her family -- her brother, billionaire Carl Pohlad, has repeatedly noted that "she never asked for anything" -- Dorothy went to work selling jewelry, radio ads and even Tupperware before landing a job at Employers Overload. A few years later, Kathy contracted a skin-muscle disease that baffled doctors from here to the Mayo Clinic.
"Dorothy was not gonna quit. She was gonna take us everywhere till she got the answer," said Kathy Dolphin, who spent three years in University Hospital, eventually learning she had something called dermatomyositis. "When I got out and they said I had a 60-40 chance of living three years, she put me in wheelchair and said, 'Kathy, we're never coming back here.'
"It was always tough love with her. She'd say, 'We're not gonna be nurses, so don't think you're gonna ring your little bell and we're gonna come running.' She always gave me inner strength."
During the course of Kathy's illness, Dorothy was working long hours ("She would always sneak into the hospital to see me because she never got done with work before visiting hours were over"). She earned promotions to office manager and then national recruitment director.
Soon she discovered that three men with similar jobs had considerably higher salaries. But rather than complain -- "It wouldn't have done any good to raise a ruckus," she told the Star Tribune in 1989. "You'd just be called a troublemaker" -- Dolphin struck out on her own. Her first company, Dolphin Staffing, grew quickly, and Dorothy soon branched out.
Today her children run the three enterprises: Tom in banking, Gregory with the fast-food franchises and Kathy at Dolphin Staffing. (When the three siblings started working for their mother, she insisted that they start calling her Dorothy because she thought it would be unprofessional for clients to hear a barrage of "Hey, Mom" calls. )
"Dorothy raised three leaders," Kathy Dolphin said, "and the companies were built so we could all have responsibility and work together, but we didn't have to answer to each other. We were more like a spider web than a ladder, always adding on."
While building her own web of businesses, Dolphin also was inspiring others. In the late 1980s, for example, she changed Judy Beyers' life.
"She ran into me at the Lumber Exchange. I was part of an exhibition called Women of Strength," Beyers recalled. "She said, 'Are those your legs?' I said yes. She said, 'Can I have those legs at my age?' "
Shortly after hiring her as a personal trainer, Dolphin began exhorting Beyers to start her own business.
"She started sending her friends to me and mentoring me. Once she believed in you, that was it; there were no excuses for you not to do what she set out," said Beyers, whose Edina firm, Powersource Personal Training, is among the Twin Cities' largest in this field. "She was this tiny, delicate-looking thing, but the power that came out of her was incredible. She's like a force, a powerful energy source, making you believe in your goals and achieving them."
Born Dorothy May Pohlad in West Des Moines, Iowa, Dolphin took a stab at Hollywood stardom before settling in Minnesota. "People looked at her with pleasure," said Dr. Harvey O'Phelan, her companion of the past 18 years. "She was uniquely attractive, with a look that said, 'Look at me, I'm Dorothy Dolphin.' "
She is survived by O'Phelan, her brother, sisters Helen Quinn and Jean White, and her three children, for whom 87 years was not enough.
"Her mother lived to be 106," said Kathy Dolphin with a chuckle, "so my mom cheated us."
source : www.startribune.com
"Her energy level was amazing," said her daughter, Kathy Dolphin, on Sunday, a day after her mother's death.
"She never retired. She was giving speeches until age 82. She spoke to tons and tons of women's groups. And when she would lay out how many problems she's overcome in life, that had a way of motivating people."
When Dolphin wasn't building a business empire (banks, fast-food franchises and one of the Twin Cities' foremost staffing companies), Dolphin was inspiring other women to start their own businesses. When she wasn't serving on countless boards, most passionately in higher education, Dolphin was nurturing and prodding her young daughter, one of three children, through a mysterious, debilitating disease.
In 1960, her husband, New Brighton banker Bill Dolphin, died from a malaria-related kidney ailment. Instead of leaning on her family -- her brother, billionaire Carl Pohlad, has repeatedly noted that "she never asked for anything" -- Dorothy went to work selling jewelry, radio ads and even Tupperware before landing a job at Employers Overload. A few years later, Kathy contracted a skin-muscle disease that baffled doctors from here to the Mayo Clinic.
"Dorothy was not gonna quit. She was gonna take us everywhere till she got the answer," said Kathy Dolphin, who spent three years in University Hospital, eventually learning she had something called dermatomyositis. "When I got out and they said I had a 60-40 chance of living three years, she put me in wheelchair and said, 'Kathy, we're never coming back here.'
"It was always tough love with her. She'd say, 'We're not gonna be nurses, so don't think you're gonna ring your little bell and we're gonna come running.' She always gave me inner strength."
During the course of Kathy's illness, Dorothy was working long hours ("She would always sneak into the hospital to see me because she never got done with work before visiting hours were over"). She earned promotions to office manager and then national recruitment director.
Soon she discovered that three men with similar jobs had considerably higher salaries. But rather than complain -- "It wouldn't have done any good to raise a ruckus," she told the Star Tribune in 1989. "You'd just be called a troublemaker" -- Dolphin struck out on her own. Her first company, Dolphin Staffing, grew quickly, and Dorothy soon branched out.
Today her children run the three enterprises: Tom in banking, Gregory with the fast-food franchises and Kathy at Dolphin Staffing. (When the three siblings started working for their mother, she insisted that they start calling her Dorothy because she thought it would be unprofessional for clients to hear a barrage of "Hey, Mom" calls. )
"Dorothy raised three leaders," Kathy Dolphin said, "and the companies were built so we could all have responsibility and work together, but we didn't have to answer to each other. We were more like a spider web than a ladder, always adding on."
While building her own web of businesses, Dolphin also was inspiring others. In the late 1980s, for example, she changed Judy Beyers' life.
"She ran into me at the Lumber Exchange. I was part of an exhibition called Women of Strength," Beyers recalled. "She said, 'Are those your legs?' I said yes. She said, 'Can I have those legs at my age?' "
Shortly after hiring her as a personal trainer, Dolphin began exhorting Beyers to start her own business.
"She started sending her friends to me and mentoring me. Once she believed in you, that was it; there were no excuses for you not to do what she set out," said Beyers, whose Edina firm, Powersource Personal Training, is among the Twin Cities' largest in this field. "She was this tiny, delicate-looking thing, but the power that came out of her was incredible. She's like a force, a powerful energy source, making you believe in your goals and achieving them."
Born Dorothy May Pohlad in West Des Moines, Iowa, Dolphin took a stab at Hollywood stardom before settling in Minnesota. "People looked at her with pleasure," said Dr. Harvey O'Phelan, her companion of the past 18 years. "She was uniquely attractive, with a look that said, 'Look at me, I'm Dorothy Dolphin.' "
She is survived by O'Phelan, her brother, sisters Helen Quinn and Jean White, and her three children, for whom 87 years was not enough.
"Her mother lived to be 106," said Kathy Dolphin with a chuckle, "so my mom cheated us."
source : www.startribune.com
Smoke-Free For Life: Tips To Quit
(NAPSI) - Your determination to give up tobacco doesn't have to go up in smoke, if you heed a few hints:
• Commit to quit. Set a quit date and stick to it.
• Clean house. Throw away all cigarettes and other smoking-related items such as ashtrays, lighters and matches. After you throw away your cigarettes, soak them with water so you can't get them out of the trash.
• Take it slow. Use over-the-counter nicotine-replacement therapy (gum, lozenges or the patch) that lets your body gradually reduce nicotine cravings to help in this process. Determine which one is best for your level of smoking and follow the directions for optimum results.
• Off to dreamland. When withdrawing from nicotine, a good night's sleep (a full eight hours) becomes even more important.
• Change your routine. Eliminate as many of the people, places and activities that triggered stress or made you crave a cigarette, such as coffee or alcohol.
• Sweat it out. A walk around the block or another form of exercise will ease your craving and help ease tension.
• Just your imagination. Create distractions or substitutes for your nicotine craving. Chew gum, suck on lollipops or hard candy or use toothpicks.
• Share the love. Tell your family and friends you're quitting and ask for their support. Focus on healthful habits and the freedom you are creating by kicking the habit.
• Patience is a virtue. If at first you don't succeed, try again. Don't beat yourself up if you are not successful the first time quitting. Research shows that only 9 percent of smokers stop for seven months or longer, and most ex-smokers require multiple quit attempts. Never give up ... it's worth it to quit.
• Reach out for help. Call the National Cancer Institute Smoking Quitline at (877) 44U-QUIT and visit www.smokefree.gov. Or call (800) Quit-Now.
• Remember, smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for a heart attack as well as for stroke, lung cancer and emphysema.
• Dr. Morris is president of the National Medical Association, the collective voice of physicians of African descent and a leading force for parity in medicine and promotion of optimal health. To learn more about the association,
source : www.imperialvalleynews.com
• Commit to quit. Set a quit date and stick to it.
• Clean house. Throw away all cigarettes and other smoking-related items such as ashtrays, lighters and matches. After you throw away your cigarettes, soak them with water so you can't get them out of the trash.
• Take it slow. Use over-the-counter nicotine-replacement therapy (gum, lozenges or the patch) that lets your body gradually reduce nicotine cravings to help in this process. Determine which one is best for your level of smoking and follow the directions for optimum results.
• Off to dreamland. When withdrawing from nicotine, a good night's sleep (a full eight hours) becomes even more important.
• Change your routine. Eliminate as many of the people, places and activities that triggered stress or made you crave a cigarette, such as coffee or alcohol.
• Sweat it out. A walk around the block or another form of exercise will ease your craving and help ease tension.
• Just your imagination. Create distractions or substitutes for your nicotine craving. Chew gum, suck on lollipops or hard candy or use toothpicks.
• Share the love. Tell your family and friends you're quitting and ask for their support. Focus on healthful habits and the freedom you are creating by kicking the habit.
• Patience is a virtue. If at first you don't succeed, try again. Don't beat yourself up if you are not successful the first time quitting. Research shows that only 9 percent of smokers stop for seven months or longer, and most ex-smokers require multiple quit attempts. Never give up ... it's worth it to quit.
• Reach out for help. Call the National Cancer Institute Smoking Quitline at (877) 44U-QUIT and visit www.smokefree.gov. Or call (800) Quit-Now.
• Remember, smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for a heart attack as well as for stroke, lung cancer and emphysema.
• Dr. Morris is president of the National Medical Association, the collective voice of physicians of African descent and a leading force for parity in medicine and promotion of optimal health. To learn more about the association,
source : www.imperialvalleynews.com
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