Fiber from whole grains may lower diabetes risk
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The type of fiber found in whole grains and many vegetables—called insoluble fiber—may help prevent diabetes by improving the body’s use of the blood-sugar-regulating hormone insulin, a small study suggests. The findings, published in Diabetes Care, add to evidence linking cereal fiber to a lower diabetes risk.
Since a decline in insulin sensitivity precedes type 2 diabetes, people may help lower their diabetes risk by getting more insoluble fiber, Dr. Martin Weickert, a researcher at the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Nuthetal who led the study told Reuters Health.
Engineers could aid bird flu vaccine effort
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Avian flu experts appealed on Monday to engineers—a group largely left out of flu preparedness efforts—to come up with potential breakthroughs for speeding vaccine production in case of a deadly pandemic.
The hope is that engineers could use their expertise in areas such as assembly lines and production techniques to help vaccine developers jump hurdles.
The matter has gained urgency as the H5N1 flu strain moves quickly among birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. Experts worry it could change to a form that spreads easily among people and kills millions.
Biofeedback—Mind Over Body
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Mind over body, is it possible? For some people, biofeedback therapy helps them understand and control aspects of their body that are usually beneath their level of consciousness.
In the April issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource, biofeedback uses techniques and computerized instruments to identify information about subtle, involuntary physiological changes within the body—muscle tension, sweating, increased heart rate and shallow breathing—in response to different stressors. Biofeedback professionals believe you can learn to control these responses to promote positive changes in your health, such as fewer headaches or lower blood pressure. Biofeedback is used to treat many health conditions, including backaches, teeth grinding, high blood pressure, anxiety, migraines and asthma.
US FDA says one abortion pill death unrelated
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One of two recent deaths of women taking the abortion pill RU-486 was unrelated to an abortion or use of the drug, but the second case is still under investigation, U.S. regulators said on Monday.
The woman in the second case showed symptoms of infection, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said. Both cases were reported in March.
RU-486, also known as Mifeprex or mifepristone, is approved for terminating a pregnancy of 49 days or less. Another drug, misoprostol, is given two days later to complete the abortion.
Facing Facts and Fears About Hearing Loss
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If everyone is mumbling and your partner is complaining about the loud TV volume, perhaps your hearing isn’t what it once was.
Roughly one-third of Americans over age 60 and 40 percent to 50 percent of adults 75 and older have hearing loss.
Even though it’s common, some people are reluctant to deal with their hearing loss because of embarrassment or worry about seeming old. But if you suspect hearing loss, the most important thing you can do is see a doctor or an audiologist, advises the April issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource.
Stroke Patients May Be More Likely to Experience Memory Decline
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A history of stroke may be associated with progressive memory difficulties in patients without dementia or cognitive impairment, according to a study in the April issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Cerebrovascular disease, which includes stroke, is the second leading cause of death and the major cause of long-term disability in Western societies, according to background information in the article. Several studies have shown that risk factors for vascular disease, such as diabetes and hypertension, are associated with stroke, which in turn may increase the risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. However, it remains unclear whether stroke is directly related to cognitive decline - increasing problems with thinking, learning and memory - in patients without dementia or cognitive impairment.
Lack of research forcing elderly to cope with chronic pain
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Annually, over 4,000 studies related to pain are published while only one percent of those look at pain and aging.
There is a clear need for more investigators from many fields to further the efforts of current researchers, according to a recent paper published in the journal Pain Medicine.
Today, chronic pain in the elderly population is viewed by many as normal. It is often communicated with patients that pain is a normal part of aging and frequently not treated. Those practitioners that do try to treat the pain are often unsuccessful because they do not have the right tools. Out of this, the need for more research for pain and aging has risen.
Estrogen therapy may increase the risk of venous thrombosis
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Estrogen therapy may increase the risk of venous thrombosis, the formation of blood clots in the veins, among postmenopausal women who have had their uterus removed, according to a study in the April 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Venous thromboembolism (VT), which includes the conditions deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot in a deep vein) and pulmonary embolism (a blood clot that travels to the lungs), affects about one adult per 1,000 years of life, according to background information in the article. Researchers suspect that hormone therapy may increase a woman’s risk of developing VT. The largest study analyzing the relationship between hormone therapy and VT is the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), which included two large clinical trials. One WHI trial examined the effects of estrogen plus progestin and found that this combination of hormones appeared to increase the risk of VT.
Epstein-Barr virus infection linked to multiple sclerosis
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Young adults with high levels of antibodies against the Epstein-Barr virus, the virus that most often causes mononucleosis, may be more likely to develop multiple sclerosis 15 to 20 years later, according to a study in the Archives of Neurology.
Researchers have long suspected that external factors may influence the risk for multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, according to background information in the article. Some studies have suggested that the Epstein-Barr virus, which affects up to 96 percent of Americans by the time they reach age 35 to 40 years, may play a role.
Gerald N. DeLorenze, Ph.D., Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, Calif., and colleagues examined the records of patients who joined a health plan between 1965 and 1974, when they were an average of 32.4 years old.
Removal of a woman’s ovaries raises risk of dementia
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Mayo Clinic researchers have found that ovariectomy, surgical removal of a woman’s ovaries, raises her risk of developing dementia or cognitive impairment. Risk is especially increased if a woman has her ovaries removed at a young age.
The researchers studied 1,209 women who had surgical removal of both ovaries and 1,302 women who had only one removed from 1950 to 1987 in Olmsted County, Minn., home of Mayo Clinic. They compared each of the women who had undergone ovary removal with women who had no ovaries removed and followed them over time to see whether they developed dementia or cognitive impairment. Dementia or cognitive impairment was determined by interviewing a family member who reported a diagnosis of dementia, or by a low score on a telephone cognitive test given to the affected individual.
Passive smoking increases diabetes risk
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A study published on the British Medical Journal website shows for the first time that breathing other people’s smoke raises the risk of developing glucose intolerance, the precursor to diabetes.
The US research also shows that overall, white Americans are more susceptible to this effect than African-Americans.
Researchers examined 4572 men and women in four US cities, dividing them into four categories of smoking status: ranging from those who smoked, to those who had neither smoked nor breathed in other people’s smoke. The study focussed only on those who were white or African-American.
Allergies tied to habitual snoring in youngsters
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Allergies, African-American race, and a parental history of snoring are all associated with an increased risk of habitual snoring in 1-year-old children, new research shows.
Fifteen percent of children in the current study were habitual snorers, defined as snoring at least three times per week, according to the report in the medical journal Chest.
“Given the extent of this problem in very young children and the negative impact of obstructive sleep-disordered breathing on the cognitive functioning of school-age children, we strongly recommend that these high-risk groups be targeted for early identification and treatment,” Dr. Maninder Kalra, from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio, and colleagues emphasize.
First-born’s sex has no impact on breast ca survival
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Contrary to earlier reports, there does not appear to be an association between the sex of a woman’s first child and her chances of subsequently surviving breast cancer, according to researchers.
“Given that previous reports advocated the use of the sex of the first child in making decisions related to breast cancer therapy and counseling, our findings are reassuring and clinically important,” write the researchers in the International Journal of Cancer.
Many diabetics can’t define “healthy” weight
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Although weight loss is a cornerstone of managing diabetes, many people who have the disease don’t know what their ideal weight range should be, a study suggests.
About half of the time, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found, overweight diabetics defined their “healthiest” weight with a number that was still too heavy for their height.
Some even considered a weight in the obese range to be their optimal number, according to findings published in the journal Diabetes Care.
New Research Shows Second-Hand Smoke Raises Diabetes Risk
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Active and passive smoking and development of glucose intolerance among young adults in a prospective cohort: CARDIA study BMJ Online First
A study published on bmj.com this week shows for the first time that breathing other people’s smoke raises the risk of developing glucose intolerance, the precursor to diabetes.
The US research also shows that overall, white Americans are more susceptible to this effect than African - Americans.
