Tag Archives: HealthDay

Drink up, kiddos

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Kids should drink water every day and it should be the first option parents offer when kids are thirsty. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Alan Mozes, HealthDay


On any given day, 1 in 5 American youngsters don’t drink any water at all, a new survey shows.


And those who don’t end up consuming almost twice as many calories from sugar-sweetened beverages.


That, investigators warn, translates into an extra 100 calories per day, which over time can raise the risk for becoming overweight or obese.


“Drinking water is the healthiest beverage to drink,” said study author Asher Rosinger, director of the Water, Health and Nutrition Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University. “Water is an essential nutrient that is critical to proper physiological and cognitive functioning.”


By contrast, sugary drinks “are problematic because they have been linked to many negative health conditions, such as weight gain, dental caries (cavities), and type 2 diabetes,” said Rosinger. He noted that current guidelines recommend limiting daily intake of added sugars to less than 10% of all calories consumed.


“Kids should drink water every day and it should be the first option (parents) go to when their kids are thirsty,” Rosinger said.


In the study, data was collected from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys between 2011 and 2012 and between 2015 and 2016.


About 8,400 children, aged 2 to 19, reported whether they drank water each day—although amounts were not quantified—and how much of sugar-sweetened beverages they routinely consumed.


The latter included all non-diet sodas, sweetened fruit juices, sports drinks, energy drinks, and/or presweetened tea and coffee drinks. Zero-calorie diet sodas and drinks, 100% fruit juices and unsweetened coffee and teas were excluded.


Among the 1 in 5 who didn’t drink any water daily, sugared-drink calories totaled 200, on average, compared with 100 calories a day among water drinkers.


Sugared-drink habits varied somewhat by race, however. For example, white non-water drinkers were found to consume more additional calories from sugared drinks than Hispanic non-water drinkers (123 extra calories per day versus 61 extra calories per day).


Regardless, are such relatively low amounts of excess calories really a big deal? Yes, say investigators, who point out that taking in an extra 3,500 calories means packing on an extra pound.


That breaks down to just a little more than a month of 100 extra calories per day.


Rosinger did note that sugary drink consumption among American children has dropped over the last 15 years.


But he added that “there are still pockets and sub-populations that have high consumption levels. (So) it’s critical to identify which kids are particularly at risk for high sugar-sweetened beverage intake, since this can lead to these negative health effects.”


On that front, Rosinger noted that water insecurity due to contamination “is a growing problem in the U.S., so we need to keep that in mind as important context, especially when it comes to parents who may be giving their kids soda or juice because they distrust the water. Therefore, it’s critical to ensure that everyone has access to safe, clean water.”

The findings were published recently in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.


Lona Sandon is program director in the department of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. She said the findings “confirm what I have seen in practice: If someone is not drinking water, they are drinking something else, likely soft drinks or other sugary drinks.” She was not involved with the study.


Sandon’s advice to parents? “Provide water and low-fat plain milk at the table. Keep flavored milk only for special occasions. Avoid purchasing soft drinks or other fruit juice-type drinks that are laden with added sugar.


“Try no-calorie, flavored seltzer water instead. Make a no-soft drink or other sugary drinks rule in the household. Save them for special occasions. Keep 100% fruit juice to 1 cup per day. Keep sports drinks for sports, not with meals, and only if the child will be exercising for more than an hour.”


And dump the energy drinks, Sandon concluded.


“Kids do not need them.”


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


The science of shape

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About two dozen genetic variations help determine if a person is prone to carrying weight around the belly, according to new research. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Amy Norton, HealthDay


A large, new study has uncovered 24 genetic variations that help separate the apple-shaped people from the pear-shaped ones.


Researchers said the findings help explain why some people are prone to carrying any excess weight around the belly. But more importantly, they could eventually shed light on the biology of diseases linked to obesity—particularly abdominal obesity.


While obesity is linked to a range of health conditions, excess fat around the middle seems to be a particular risk factor for certain diseases—like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.


“But we haven’t really known why,” said lead researcher Ruth Loos, a professor at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, in New York City.


Her team dug into the genetics underlying body fat distribution. If researchers can learn about the important gene variants, Loos explained, they can better understand why some people develop diabetes or heart disease when they gain weight, while others do not.


The findings, published online recently in Nature Genetics, come from a huge international research effort, looking at over 476,000 people at 70 research centers around the world.


Loos and her colleagues focused on hunting down so-called coding variations—differences within genes that have the potential to alter the way that genes and their proteins function.


In the end, the scientists discovered two dozen coding variations that were associated with body fat distribution. Some of those variations have already been linked to processes such as blood sugar control and fat metabolism.


In general, Loos said, genes linked to obesity can be separated into two broad groups. One group acts on the brain, influencing how much you eat by regulating hunger and satiety.


“The gene variations we identified in this study don’t act in the brain,” Loos said. “They work at the cellular level, determining where fat will be stored in the body.”


It all raises the possibility of developing medications that can “tweak” those genetic pathways so that body fat is redistributed in a healthier way, according to Loos.


But that’s a long way off, she stressed.


The next step, Loos said, is to learn more about how these gene variations function in the body.


No one, however, is saying that body weight and shape are genetically set in stone.


Dr. Carl Lavie is medical director of cardiac rehabilitation and preventive cardiology at the Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, in New Orleans.


“Genes are involved in the development of obesity and where the fat is distributed,” Lavie said. “However, the evidence is much stronger for environmental causes.”


Those causes are no surprise: Lavie pointed to sedentary lifestyles and sugary, high-calorie diets.


“Regardless of a person’s genetic profile,” he said, “physical activity and reducing calorie intake can prevent obesity and abdominal obesity—and prevent it from progressing.”


Plus, Lavie noted, exercise boosts a person’s cardiovascular fitness level—which is a critical factor in the risk of developing or dying from heart disease.


Loos agreed that genes are not destiny.


“Obesity is partly genetic,” she said. “We should not forget that diet and exercise are very important.”


However, she added, people with a genetic predisposition toward storing belly fat will have a harder time keeping a trim, heart-healthy waistline.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Ready for fall? Keep an upstanding diet

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Root vegetables, always center stage in fall harvests, are great for hearty stews and soups. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


When summer fruits and vegetables start to disappear from grocery stores and the action shifts indoors to watching sports and munching on unhealthy snacks, it helps to have a diet plan in place to avoid weight gain.


First, remember that farmers’ markets are still open across the country. You can buy local as long as you make the shift from summer crops to fall ones.


That means tomatoes and cucumbers give way to offerings like root vegetables, including carrots, parsnips and turnips and the wide variety of squashes such as acorn, butternut, Hubbard and kabocha.


These are all great for hearty, cook-ahead soups and stews for dinners and brown bag lunches.


Vegetables in the orange family, including sweet potatoes, are rich in vitamin A.


But don’t overlook nutrient-dense dark, leafy greens like varieties of chard and bok choy.


Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may be abundant in your area and they taste great roasted with a slight drizzle of olive oil and finished with a splash of balsamic vinegar—hearty enough for a vegetarian meal.


Though local melons, stone fruits and many berries may be gone, explore sweet fall fruits like apples, pears and grapes, as well as the more exotic pomegranates, persimmons and quince, the season’s first cranberries and even fall raspberries.


Have fruit salads ready to snack on instead of greasy chips and crackers, or make a batch of baked apples or poached pears to satisfy a sweet tooth.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.




The indiscriminate snore

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Researchers suspect there may be a social stigma with snoring among women, leading some to withhold information about their snoring habits. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


New research shows that snoring is not the sole domain of men.


“We found that although no difference in snoring intensity was found between genders, women tend to underreport the fact that they snore and to underestimate the loudness of their snoring,” said lead investigator Dr. Nimrod Maimon. He is head of internal medicine at Soroka University Medical Center in Be’er Sheva, Israel.


“Women reported snoring less often and described it as milder,” Maimon said in a news release from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.


The study included more than 1,900 people, average age 49, who were referred to a sleep disorders center.


Snoring was found in 88% of the women, but only 72% reported that they snore. Both rates were about 93% in men in the study group.


Among people who snored, the average maximum loudness was 50 decibels among women and 51.7 decibels among men. While 49% of the women had severe or very severe snoring, only 40% rated their snoring at this level, the researchers found.


The study authors noted that there is a social stigma associated with snoring among women, so women may not be truthful when asked about snoring. More troubling, this may contribute to the underdiagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea in women.


Snoring is a common warning sign for obstructive sleep apnea, in which the upper airway repeatedly collapses during sleep. Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and other health issues.


“The fact that women reported snoring less often and described it as milder may be one of the barriers preventing women from reaching sleep clinics for a sleep study,” Maimon said.


When screening women for obstructive sleep apnea, health care providers should consider other factors in addition to self-reported snoring, he suggested.


For example, women with sleep apnea may be more likely than men to report other symptoms, such as daytime fatigue or tiredness.


The study was published online recently in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Dim the lights to help your child fall asleep

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Reading bedtime stories in a brightly lit room can make it difficult for a child to fall asleep. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


Exposure to bright light in the hour before bedtime can make it difficult for kids to fall asleep, family health experts warn.


As day changes to night, the body increases production of a sleep-inducing hormone called melatonin. But exposure to artificial light from light bulbs or electronic devices can disrupt melatonin production, according to a news release from the Family Institute at Northwestern University in Chicago.


Recent research into the effects of light on preschool-age children found that youngsters are particularly sensitive to light exposure in the hour prior to bedtime.


“According to some researchers, evening light exposure, with its melatonin-suppressing effect, may increase the likelihood of sleep disturbances in preschool-age children,” the institute explained.


Reading bedtime stories in a brightly lit room can make it difficult for a child to fall asleep, the organization pointed out. And kids who walk into a brightly lit area to get a drink of water or tell their parents they heard a strange noise may also have trouble getting back to sleep.


Parents can help induce sleep by dimming lights in the child’s room and any areas they might walk into if they wake up, the institute suggested.


In addition, mobile electronic devices are a significant source of light exposure. As many as 90 percent of preschool-age youngsters use such devices, often during the hour before bedtime.


Research shows that melatonin remains suppressed for nearly an hour after the lights go off. The investigators suggested making the hour before their child’s bedtime a device-free period, or having the brightness on their handheld electronics set to the lowest level.


The study, by Lameese Akacem and colleagues at the University of Colorado, Boulder, was published online recently in Physiological Reports.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Clip calories with tiny tweaks

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One example: Two caps of the ever-versatile portobello mushroom can serve as an alternative to high-carb bread buns. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


You can often lose weight by making small yet strategic calorie cuts at every meal, rather than eliminating entire meals or cutting portions so severely that you never feel satisfied.


You probably already know that a cup of blueberries with a dollop of creamy yogurt has a fraction of the calories of a slice of blueberry pie.


But there are many other ways you can trim the calories in favorite meals without diminishing their satisfying taste.

Here are 5 ideas that each shave off about 200 calories:

Eggs

If your idea of a big breakfast is a fatty sausage, egg and cheese sandwich, have a veggie-filled omelet instead. Make it with one whole egg and two extra whites for more protein and “overload” it with tomatoes, peppers and onions.

Romaine

Ditch the bread and high-calorie sandwich condiments at lunch by wrapping up lean protein, such as slices of roasted chicken, in large leaves of romaine lettuce with a touch of balsamic vinegar or hot sauce.

Cauliflower

To get the toothy appeal of steak, make your main course grilled portabello mushrooms and serve them with a side of mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes. With some no-salt seasoning, you won’t taste any difference.

Squash

There’s no need to give up your favorite red sauce if you use it to top spaghetti squash (or zucchini ribbons) rather than spaghetti, plus you can eat twice as much. Want healthier meatballs? Try making them with a blend of ground turkey and a whole grain like kasha or farro.

Salsa

Love Mexican food? You can still enjoy the taste—and get the fiber and protein goodness of beans—by simply skipping the tortilla or taco shell. And you don’t need sour cream if you have a dab of guacamole. Just go easy on the cheese and rice but double up on low-cal zesty salsa.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Deadly duo: Work stress, no sleep

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Being trapped in a pressured work situation where you lack power to make change is harmful to your health. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay


Job stress, high blood pressure and poor sleep may be a recipe for an early death, German researchers report.


In a study of nearly 2,000 workers with high blood pressure who were followed for almost 18 years, those who reported having both a stressful job and poor sleep were three times more likely to die from heart disease than those who slept well and didn’t have a trying job, the investigators found.


“As many as 50% of adults have high blood pressure,” said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.


It’s a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease and premature cardiovascular death, said Fonarow, who had no role in the new study.


“A number of studies have found associations between greater work stress and subsequent risk of cardiovascular events. Impairment in sleep has also been associated with increased risk,” he said. However, these associations did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.


In the new study, the researchers reported that among people with high blood pressure (“hypertension”), those who had work stress alone had a twofold higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, as did those who reported having poor sleep alone.


According to lead researcher Dr. Karl-Heinz Ladwig, “Sleep should be a time for recreation, unwinding and restoring energy levels. If you have stress at work, sleep helps you recover.” Ladwig is a professor at the German Research Centre for Environmental Health and also with the Technical University of Munich.


“Unfortunately, poor sleep and job stress often go hand in hand, and when combined with hypertension, the effect is even more toxic,” he added in a statement.


According to the study authors, a stressful job is one where employees have many demands but little control over their work. For example, an employer demands results but denies authority to make decisions.


“If you have high demands but also high control, in other words you can make decisions, this may even be positive for health,” Ladwig said. “But being entrapped in a pressured situation that you have no power to change is harmful.”


Poor sleep was defined as having difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. “Maintaining sleep is the most common problem in people with stressful jobs,” Ladwig said.


These problems combine over time to sap your energy and “may lead to an early grave,” he added.


Ladwig suggested that to lower the risk of an early death, people have to keep their blood pressure low, develop good sleep habits and find ways to cope with stress.


Mika Kivimaki, a professor of social epidemiology at University College London, thinks this study provides a unique look at workplace risk.


Most previous research on work stress has targeted the general working population, he said.


“The effects on health have been relatively modest. However, recent findings suggest stress might be a much bigger problem for those with pre-existing disease. This new study supports this notion,” said Kivimaki, who had no part in the study.


Focusing on people with high blood pressure was a good choice, he noted.


“In this group, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is common,” Kivimaki said. And for these patients, “stress response could increase cardiac electrical instability, plaque disruption and thrombus (clot) formation,” which can contribute to an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), heart attack or stroke.


The researchers think that employers can help by implementing programs that teach employees how to relax.


Employers should provide stress management and sleep treatment in the workplace, Ladwig added, especially for staff with chronic conditions like high blood pressure. Such programs should also include helping employees to quit smoking.


It is well known that people with high blood pressure can substantially lower their risk of heart attack and stroke by achieving and maintaining healthy blood pressure levels, Fonarow said. Whether or not workplace programs designed to reduce stress and improve sleep will pay off remains to be seen, he said.


The report was published recently in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


B12 deficiency—spot the signs

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Vegetarian diets can lead to a vitamin B12 deficiency, given that animal foods are the primary source of the vitamin. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


In the ABCs of vitamins, B12 is often overlooked.


But it’s essential for the making of nerve and red blood cells, as well as DNA along with many other body processes.


Adults and teens need just 2.4 micrograms a day, but you can fall short even on this small amount.


You’re at particular risk of a B12 deficiency if you’re a vegetarian because animal foods, like meat and dairy, are the only foods that deliver it.


If you have a health problem that affects nutrient absorption, like Crohn’s disease, have had bariatric surgery or take certain medications, you also run the risk.


So do people over 50 because of changes in stomach acids.


Common medications that can affect your body’s B12 levels:

  • PPIs such as omeprazole (Prilosec) and lansoprazole (Prevacid), used for treating heartburn or GERD.
  • H2 receptor antagonists such as famotidine (Pepcid) and ranitidine (Zantac), also used for treating those and other conditions.
  • Metformin, the diabetes drug.

A deficiency can develop slowly over time or come on rather fast.


Possible warning signs include emotional or thinking problems, fatigue, weakness, weight loss, constipation and numbness or tingling in hands and feet. These can also be symptoms of many other conditions, but it takes only a blood test to diagnose a B12 deficiency.


If you don’t eat animal-based foods, you can boost B12 with fortified soy foods or grain products like cereal.


And unless the deficiency is severe, you’ll get enough through a multivitamin supplement. When the deficiency is more serious, your doctor might give you a B12 shot to bring your level up to normal.


Be certain that the doctor who prescribes B12 supplementation for you is aware of any medications you’re taking to avoid negative interactions.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Why seniors struggle with eating

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Dysphagia has serious consequences for health and quality of life. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


If you have developed swallowing problems as you age, a new study may explain why.


A loss of muscle mass and function in the throat helps explain why 15 percent of seniors have difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), researchers have found.


“Dysphagia has serious consequences for health and quality of life,” said study author Sonja Molfenter. She is an assistant professor of communicative sciences and disorders at New York University in New York City.

“This research establishes the need for exercise programs for older adults that target throat muscles, just like those that target the muscles of the arms, legs and other parts of the human body,” Molfenter said in a university news release.


Swallowing problems can also lead to health issues such as malnutrition, dehydration and pneumonia from food and drink that end up in the lungs instead of going down the throat.


Research has also shown that when patients with dysphagia are admitted to the hospital, they’re in the hospital an average of 40 percent longer than those without dysphagia. That adds up to an estimated cost of $547 million a year, the study authors said.


Dysphagia in older adults is concerning as the proportion of seniors in the United States is expected to top 20 percent by 2030, the researchers noted.


The findings were published in the journal Dysphagia.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

For elderly, UTI poses serious risk

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Researchers in one recent study said doctors should consider quickly prescribing antibiotics to older adults who develop UTIs, given the increased risk of sepsis and death. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


For older adults with a urinary tract infection, antibiotic treatment should begin immediately to prevent serious complications, a new British study finds.


Delaying or withholding antibiotics in this age group can increase the risk of bloodstream infection (sepsis) and death, researchers reported recently in the BMJ.


The findings suggest that doctors should “consider early prescription of antibiotics for this vulnerable group of older adults, in view of their increased susceptibility to sepsis following UTI and despite a growing pressure to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use,” Paul Aylin and colleagues said in a journal news release. Aylin is a professor of epidemiology and public health at Imperial College London.


UTI is the most common bacterial infection in older patients. But concerns about antibiotic resistance have led to reductions in antibiotic use in England, the study authors noted.


For the study, the researchers analyzed data on more than 300,000 urinary tract infections among more than 150,000 patients aged 65 and older, between 2007 and 2015.


Of those patients, 87 percent were prescribed antibiotics on the day of diagnosis, 6 percent received a prescription within seven days and 7 percent did not take antibiotics, according to the report.


The patients were tracked for 60 days after their diagnosis. After accounting for other factors, the investigators found that sepsis and death rates were much higher among patients with no antibiotics or delayed prescriptions, compared with those who received immediate prescriptions.


On average, for every 37 patients not given antibiotics and for every 51 patients with delayed antibiotic treatment, one case of sepsis would occur that would not have occurred with immediate antibiotic treatment, the study authors said.


However, because this was an observational study, it cannot prove cause and effect.


The researchers also found that hospital admission rates were 27 percent among patients with no and delayed prescriptions, compared with 15 percent among those with immediate prescriptions.


Older men, especially those over 85, and those living in poorer areas had the highest risk of problems from no prescriptions or treatment delays, the findings showed.


Writing in an accompanying journal editorial, Alastair Hay, of the University of Bristol in England, suggested that further research is needed “to establish whether treatment should be initiated with a broad- or a narrow-spectrum antibiotic, and to identify those in whom delaying treatment (while awaiting test results) is safe.”


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Those perilous pooches

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Researchers have found that injuries sustained while dog walking—fractures, specifically—have jumped 163 percent in the 65 and older group over the past 15 years. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By E.J. Mundell, HealthDay


Walking the dog can be great exercise for seniors, but there could be one downside: fractures.


Fractures suffered by elderly Americans while walking their dogs have more than doubled in recent years, new research shows.


Still, taking your dog for a walk can also bring big health rewards, one joint specialist said.


“Pets can provide companionship for older adults—and the physical exercise from regularly walking a dog may improve other aspects of physical and psychological health,” said Dr. Matthew Hepinstall, who wasn’t involved in the new study.


“So, the risks of walking a dog should be balanced against potential benefits,” said Hepinstall, who helps direct joint surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.


The new research was led by Kevin Pirruccio, a second-year medical student at the University of Pennsylvania. His team tracked national data and found that among people aged 65 and older, fractures associated with walking leashed dogs rose from about 1,700 cases in 2004 to almost 4,400 cases in 2017—a 163 percent rise.


More than three-quarters of the fractures occurred in women, with hip and arm fractures being the most common. About half of all fractures occurred in the upper body, with fractures of the wrist, upper arm, finger and shoulder leading the way.


The most common type of fracture was a broken hip (17 percent). That’s cause for concern, Pirruccio’s team said, because the death rate linked to hip fractures in people older than 65 is close to 30 percent.


The researchers added that the study only involved data on fractures treated at emergency departments. The actual number of dog walking-related injuries among seniors might even be higher if injuries not typically seen in a hospital—for example, tendon or muscle tears—were factored in.

Why the rising rates of fractures tied to dog walking? The study authors theorized that increased pet ownership and a greater emphasis on physical activity for older adults may be driving the trend.


In a university news release, Pirruccio stressed that walking your pooch each day “has repeatedly demonstrated social, emotional and physical health benefits.” It’s also “a popular and frequently recommended activity for many older Americans seeking new ways to stay active,” he said.


On the other hand, “patients’ risks for falls must be factored into lifestyle recommendations in an effort to minimize such injuries,” Pirruccio said.


Hepinstall agreed.


“The take-home message for older adults and their families is that, when choosing to care for a pet, be sure to consider the strength and coordination of the older adult, and the size and expected behavior of the pet selected,” he advised.


Pet ownership and care may need to be re-assessed with age, Hepinstall added.


“When the mobility of older adults changes, they should be encouraged to re-evaluate their ongoing ability to care for any pets,” he said. “This will help ensure that the health and other needs of the adult and of the pet can be properly managed.”


The study was published recently in JAMA Surgery.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Safe travels for troubled tickers

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Know where to seek medical help quickly on vacation. Immediate care is especially critical in the event of a heart problem. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


Headed out on vacation? Beware of heart attack: It’s the leading cause of natural death among travelers.


If you have heart attack symptoms on the road, getting immediate medical care can improve your odds of long-term survival, according to a study presented Saturday at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology, in Malaga, Spain.


“If you are traveling and experience heart attack symptoms—such as pain in the chest, throat, neck, back, stomach or shoulders—that lasts for more than 15 minutes, call an ambulance without delay,” study author Dr. Ryota Nishio said in a society news release.


“Our study shows that long-term outcomes after a heart attack while traveling can be good if you get prompt treatment,” added Nishio, who works in the cardiology department at Juntendo University Shizuoka Hospital in Izunokuni, Japan.


For the study, the researchers examined data on more than 2,500 patients who had a heart attack and rapid treatment with a stent (percutaneous coronary intervention) between 1999 and 2015 at the hospital. It’s located on the Izu Peninsula, a popular tourist destination near Mount Fuji, and a regional center for percutaneous coronary intervention.


Patients who were traveling tended to be younger than other patients and had a higher prevalence of heart attacks due to a blockage in a major artery to the heart, the investigators found.


The researchers followed the patients for up to 16 years, comparing death rates among different groups. The median follow-up period was 5.3 years—meaning half were tracked longer, half for less time.


During the follow-up period, local patients had a much higher rate of death from all causes (25 percent) than travelers (17 percent), mainly due to cancer. But the two groups had similar rates of death from heart-related causes.


“It is important that, when you are over the immediate emergency phase, and return home, you see your doctor to find out how you can reduce your risk of a second event by improving your lifestyle and potentially taking preventive medication,” Nishio said.


Research presented at meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Sleep deprivation may play role in loneliness

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Nearly half of Americans feel lonely or left out—increasing the risk of early death by more than 45 percent, and doubling the risk of obesity. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


Sleep problems can play havoc with your social life, a new study suggests.


A series of experiments revealed sleep-deprived people feel lonelier and less eager to engage with others. That, in turn, makes others less likely to want to socialize with the sleep-deprived, researchers said.


The researchers also found that well-rested people feel lonely after spending just a short time with a sleep-deprived person, which suggests that social isolation caused by sleep problems may be contagious, according to the investigators at the University of California, Berkeley.


These findings are the first to show a two-way link between poor sleep and social isolation, offering new insight into what the researchers called a global loneliness epidemic.


“We humans are a social species. Yet sleep deprivation can turn us into social lepers,” study senior author Matthew Walker said in a university news release. He is a professor of neuroscience and psychology.


Brain scans of sleep-deprived people watching videos of strangers walking toward them showed heightened activity in networks typically activated when people feel their personal space is being invaded, the researchers found.


Sleep deprivation also reduced activity in brain regions that normally encourage social engagement, the findings showed.


“The less sleep you get, the less you want to socially interact. In turn, other people perceive you as more socially repulsive, further increasing the grave social-isolation impact of sleep loss,” Walker explained.


“That vicious cycle may be a significant contributing factor to the public health crisis that is loneliness,” he added.


Surveys suggest that nearly half of Americans feel lonely or left out. And loneliness increases the risk of early death by more than 45 percent, double the risk associated with obesity, research shows.


According to study lead author Eti Ben-Simon, “It’s perhaps no coincidence that the past few decades have seen a marked increase in loneliness and an equally dramatic decrease in sleep duration.” She is a postdoctoral fellow in Walker’s Center for Human Sleep Science.


“Without sufficient sleep, we become a social turn-off, and loneliness soon kicks in,” Ben-Simon said.


The study did offer a reason for optimism: A good night’s sleep makes a rapid difference.


Walker said that “just one night of good sleep makes you feel more outgoing and socially confident, and furthermore, will attract others to you.”


The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Get a grip on hand pain

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Hand pain can be a sign of serious conditions. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


You use your hands nearly every minute of the day, so any time they hurt it’s important to find out why.


Certain conditions can affect people who do the same hand movements for hours every day. Repetitive strain injury can cause pain in muscles, nerves and tendons.


Carpal tunnel syndrome swelling compresses a key nerve. The lesser known de Quervain’s tenosynovitis typically affects tendons on the inner sides of the wrist.


An autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis often causes joint pain. Without treatment, it can lead to deformities in your hands. The wrist and finger joints are common targets of osteoarthritis, which occurs over time from normal wear-and-tear.


Treatment might start with an over-the-counter or prescription NSAID to temporarily relieve pain, but their long-term use has been linked to side effects such as liver or kidney damage and elevated heart attack risk.


Stronger medications may be needed to stop a degenerative disease like rheumatoid arthritis. Corticosteroid injections are an occasional option to reduce inflammation.


Heat can ease stiffness while a cold pack can relieve soreness.


If you have a chronic condition, an occupational therapist can teach you how to limit stress on joints when using your hands. During a flare, he or she might suggest a splint to stabilize your hand.


Sometimes surgery is needed.


Dupuytren’s contracture, a thickening under the skin on the palm of the hand, can develop into firm lumps that cause fingers to bend inward. Unless lumps are removed early, it may be impossible to straighten fingers later on. If other options don’t help carpal tunnel and de Quervain’s, surgery might be the answer.


Many conditions worsen without appropriate treatment, so don’t delay in seeing your doctor or a hand specialist.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


The single-sport scourge

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Children are increasingly specializing in just one sport, such as basketball, a more popular choice among youth. It’s leading to a rise in burnout and injuries. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


Playing team sports is a great way to teach kids life lessons about leadership, teamwork and how to socialize with peers.


Sports are also a great way to build self-esteem and gain physical skills. Most important, they’re fun.


But too many—nearly three-quarters of young athletes—are specializing in just one activity as early as 7 years old, even playing on numerous league-level teams.


This puts them at risk for injury, stress, burnout and eventually abandoning sports, according to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics.


About 70% drop out by age 13 for such reasons as pressure to perform or, conversely, not getting enough playing time.


And at least half of athletic injuries are related to overuse. On the other hand, playing multiple sports offers benefits such as fostering a love of different activities that can last their entire lives.


To keep kids in the game, the the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests encouraging them to play multiple sports until at least age 15. To lessen the risk of injury, they need one or two days off every week.


If the decision has been made to specialize in a single sport, both parents and child should have a discussion with the child’s pediatrician to evaluate whether the young athlete’s goals are appropriate and realistic. Keep in mind that barely 1% of high school athletes get scholarships and only a fraction make it to the pros.


Kids who do specialize should take one-month breaks from their sport, ideally at three different times each year, while pursuing other activities. Parents should watch out for too much pressure being placed on those in elite sports programs.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Daytime drowsiness a sign of Alzheimer’s?

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Growing evidence suggests that lack of sleep may play a role in Alzheimer’s, and that getting enough sleep may be one way to reduce the risk of the memory-robbing disease. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


Feeling drowsy during the day might mean you have an increased risk for Alzheimer’s, new research suggests.


The long-term study included 123 adults with an average age of 60 when the study began. The findings showed that those who were very sleepy during the day had a nearly threefold increased risk of developing brain deposits of beta-amyloid, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease.


The findings add to growing evidence that lack of sleep may play a role in Alzheimer’s, and that getting enough sleep may be one way to reduce the risk of the memory-robbing disease, according to the researchers.


“Factors like diet, exercise and cognitive activity have been widely recognized as important potential targets for Alzheimer’s disease prevention, but sleep hasn’t quite risen to that status—although that may well be changing,” said study leader Adam Spira. He’s an associate professor in the department of mental health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore.


“If disturbed sleep contributes to Alzheimer’s disease, we may be able to treat patients with sleep issues to avoid these negative outcomes,” he added in a Hopkins news release.


It’s unclear why daytime sleepiness would be associated with beta-amyloid protein accumulation in the brain, Spira said. And the study did not prove that sleep actually causes beta-amyloid to build up in the brain.


But it may be that poor sleep due to sleep apnea or other factors causes the formation of beta-amyloid through an unknown mechanism, and that these sleep disturbances also cause excessive daytime sleepiness.


“However, we cannot rule out that amyloid plaques that were present at the time of sleep assessment caused the sleepiness,” Spira said.


Animal studies have shown that restricting night-time sleep can lead to more beta-amyloid protein in the brain and spinal fluid, and some human studies have linked poor sleep with greater levels of beta-amyloid in the brain.


Sleep problems are common in Alzheimer’s patients, and beta-amyloid accumulation and related brain changes are thought to harm sleep.


“There is no cure yet for Alzheimer’s disease, so we have to do our best to prevent it. Even if a cure is developed, prevention strategies should be emphasized,” Spira said. “Prioritizing sleep may be one way to help prevent or perhaps slow this condition.”


The study findings were published in the journal Sleep.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

3 steps to help prevent breast cancer

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Certain lifestyle changes can be most beneficial to women whose genetic profile puts them at increased risk of developing breast cancer. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


While genetics, such as carrying BRCA gene mutations, play a role in who is more likely to get breast cancer, everyday lifestyle factors are involved, too.


Research published in JAMA Oncology used data from thousands of women to identify which lifestyle factors in particular could affect a woman’s risk for breast cancer.


The study found that three specific steps could potentially prevent up to 29 percent of all breast cancers: Avoid alcohol and, after menopause, avoid both obesity and estrogen-progestin replacement hormone therapy.


The researchers noted that these recommendations could be most helpful for women at a high risk of breast cancer because of factors they can’t change, like genetics and their age at menstruation and menopause.


In fact, for them, having a low body mass index, not drinking alcohol, not smoking and not taking hormone therapy could lower breast cancer risk to that of the average woman.


The research has some limitations, however.


For instance, the study only looked at data from white women in the United States, not other ethnic groups. But these are lifestyle changes that can boost overall health for all women.


For more global advice, the American Institute for Cancer Research states that excess body fat is one of the strongest factors linked to a greater risk of breast cancer after menopause. So is abdominal fat, regardless of your body mass index (a measure of body fat based on height and weight).


The organization also warns that drinking alcohol can increase breast cancer risk before menopause and touts the positive effects of daily exercise and, for new moms, of breastfeeding.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


The hidden fallout of stroke

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Pay attention to bone health, particularly if you have limited mobility. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


Stroke survivors often face limited mobility, which quadruples their odds of osteoporosis, broken bones and falls. But most are never screened for these problems, new research reveals.


“Our study adds to previous research that found despite an increased risk, only a small number of people who have recently had a stroke are tested and treated for osteoporosis,” said lead author Dr. Moira Kapral. She is director of general internal medicine at the University of Toronto.


Impaired mobility can result in bone mineral density decline, which is associated with osteoporosis. The condition weakens bones and increases risk of fractures.


In this study, researchers looked at more than 16,500 Canadian stroke survivors, aged 65 and older, from Ontario.


Of these patients, only 5% had undergone bone mineral density testing, 15.5% had been prescribed medications for osteoporosis within the year after their stroke and only a small percentage were prescribed medications for osteoporosis for the first time.


Patients most likely to have bone mineral density testing tended to be younger, female and to have had low-trauma fractures in the year after their stroke.


Patients were more likely to be prescribed medications for osteoporosis after their stroke if they were female, already had the bone-thinning disease, had previously broken bones, had previous bone mineral density testing, or had fallen or broke bones after their stroke.


The study was published recently in the journal Stroke.


“This study offers more evidence that there is a missed opportunity to identify people with stroke at increased risk of fractures and to initiate treatment to prevent bone loss and fractures,” Kapral said in a journal news release.


Less than one-third of older U.S. women are screened for osteoporosis.


The maximum treatment rate for some high-risk patients is about 30%, the researchers pointed out.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Subtract the additive

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Propionate is a preservative commonly found in breads and other manufactured foods. Researchers are trying to pin down the effects on humans, but in animal trials the ingredient led to weight gain. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Amy Norton, HealthDay


If you’re watching your weight, you probably know to avoid sugary and fatty foods.


But what about preservatives?


Eating a preservative widely used in breads, baked goods and cheese may trigger metabolic responses that are linked to obesity and diabetes, an early study suggests.


The additive, called propionate, is actually a naturally occurring fatty acid produced in the gut. When it’s used as an additive in processed foods, it helps prevent mold.


But in the new study, researchers found that feeding mice low doses of propionate gradually caused weight gain and resistance to the hormone insulin—which, in humans, is a precursor to type 2 diabetes.


And when the researchers gave healthy adults a single propionate dose, it spurred a release of blood sugar-raising hormones—and a subsequent surge in insulin.


None of that proves propionate-containing foods raise the odds of weight gain and diabetes, said senior researcher Dr. Gokhan Hotamisligil, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.


“The point is not to say this additive is ‘bad,’” he stressed.


Instead, Hotamisligil said, his team is interested in understanding the effects—good or bad—of the various “molecules” humans consume in their diets.


“There’s a scarcity of scientific evidence on a lot of the things we put in our bodies through food,” he said. “Propionate is just one example.”


Still, Hotamisligil said, the findings do raise an important question: “Could long-time consumption of propionate in humans be a contributing factor to obesity and diabetes?”


When it comes to processed foods, the concern is usually directed toward ingredients like added sugar, sodium and trans fats. But there’s also a host of additives that, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, are “generally recognized as safe.”


Despite that “GRAS” status, though, there is typically little known about how those food additives might affect metabolism, according to Hotamisligil.


Dr. Emily Gallagher is an assistant professor of endocrinology at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine in New York City.


She agreed it’s important to dig into the potential metabolic effects of food additives.


“People may look at food labels and think they are making healthy choices,” said Gallagher, who had no part in the study. “But without our knowledge, very small amounts of certain additives in food may be causing detrimental metabolic effects.”


That said, it’s too soon to point the finger at propionate, according to Gallagher.


She called these early findings “thought-provoking,” but said longer-term studies are needed to better understand any health effects from the additive.


For the animal portion of the study, the researchers gave mice propionate in their water. The immediate effects included an increase in three hormones that spur the liver to produce glucose (sugar). Over time, chronic exposure to the additive caused the mice to gain weight and become resistant to the hormone insulin, which helps lower blood sugar levels.


The human portion of the study included 14 healthy people given a dose of either propionate or a placebo with a meal. Compared with the placebo meal, the additive caused the same hormonal response seen in mice, plus a surge in insulin in the blood.


Whether those effects over time could harm people’s health is unknown.


Many factors, including overall diet and exercise, affect the risks of obesity and diabetes, Gallagher pointed out.


For now, she said, the findings support the general advice that we should be limiting processed foods in favor of healthier, whole foods.


Hotamisligil agreed. “I’m not saying, if you don’t eat propionate, you’ll live forever,” he said. “But these are the types of foods we should limit anyway.”


The findings were published online recently in Science Translational Medicine.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.


Genetic engineering—the bloodsucker’s doom

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Scientists believe they can reduce mosquito populations by using a bacteria that interferes with the insects’ reproductive cycle. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay


Some mosquitoes spread diseases to humans through their bite, passing along harmful pathogens like Zika, dengue fever, West Nile virus and chikungunya.


Now humans are turning the tables, infecting these dangerous mosquitoes with bacteria that sabotage their ability to spawn.


Chinese researchers were able to reduce these mosquito populations by as much as 94% using a bacteria-based strategy that interferes with the insects’ reproductive cycle.


“In principle, all the mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue, malaria, West Nile, chikungunya and filariasis, can be controlled using this technology,” said senior study author Zhiyong Xi. He is director of the Sun Yat-sen University/Michigan State University Joint Center of Vector Control for Tropical Diseases. “There will be none of those diseases without transmission by mosquitoes.”


The mosquito control strategy hinges on bacteria called Wolbachia, which can affect the reproductive biology of mosquitoes, said Peter Armbruster, a professor of biology at Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C.


Essentially, a male mosquito carrying a specific strain of Wolbachia cannot successfully reproduce if the female is infected with a different strain of Wolbachia, explained Armbruster, who wrote an editorial accompanying the report in a recent issue of the journal Nature.


The Chinese research team created a lab-based colony of mosquitoes that all carry a newly developed combination of three Wolbachia strains. This hybrid strain doesn’t occur in the wild. The colony produced around 10 million male mosquitoes a week, Xi said.


The male mosquitoes were then released into the wild, in areas designated for pest control.


“They mate with wild females and then the wild females produce inviable eggs,” Armbruster said. “It’s a way of letting the males do the work by finding the females and preventing them from reproducing.”


The researchers also treated the mosquitoes with a low dose of radiation, enough to sterilize any accidentally released females carrying the triple bacteria strain but not enough to impair the male mosquitoes’ reproductive drive. This helped speed up laboratory production of the mosquitoes, Armbruster explained.


Field trials focused on Aedes albopictus mosquitoes were able to drive populations down by around 83% to 94%, with no wild mosquitoes detected for up to six weeks after release, the researchers reported.


Dr. Amesh Adalja is senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore. “Mosquitoes have long been a scourge of mankind and their effective control is one of the most daunting tasks in infectious diseases,” he said.


“Exploiting the phenomenon of mating incompatibility through male mosquito Wolbachiainfections, combined with irradiation, is an elegant solution that this study demonstrates is feasible,” Adalja said.


At least one American company, MosquitoMate, is already using a similar bacteria-based approach to control mosquitoes, Armbruster noted. The innovation in the study was the combination of three different Wolbachia strains and the use of radiation to make sorting and releasing mosquitoes an easier process.


You don’t want to release both male and female mosquitoes with the triple strain, because they’ll be able to successfully mate. Until now, lab technicians have had to run the mosquito swarms through a machine that separated males from females, and then do a second hand-sort to make sure all the females had been removed, Armbruster said.


Because the approach targets specific disease-carrying species of mosquitoes, it will not wipe out other benign mosquito populations that co-exist in the same area, Xi added.


“As mating happens only within the same species, this is a species-specific control tool, without any impact on non-target species,” Xi said. “The majority of mosquito species in nature are not disease vectors, and thus will not be targeted by our technique.”


These field tests released the lab-infected male mosquitoes on two small islands located on rivers that run through Guangzhou, the city with the highest dengue transmission rate in China, the study authors said.


The goal was to reach a 5-to-1 ratio of infected males versus wild males, to effectively suppress the mosquito populations, Xi said.


Further research will be needed to see if the same laboratory production techniques could be used to battle mosquitoes in large U.S. cities, Armbruster said.


“It’s still an open question whether this is scalable to a major metropolitan area,” Armbruster said.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.




Watch out for your lookers

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To ensure your sunglasses provide adequate protection from the sun’s rays, consider asking your eye doctor to have a look at them. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


Sunglasses need to be more than just fashion accessories, an eye expert advises.


“Think of sunglasses as sunscreen for your eyes,” said Dr. Dianna Seldomridge, clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology.


“Your eyes need protection from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays, just like your skin,” she explained. “Make sure your eyes are protected year-round. Harmful UV rays are present even on cloudy days.”


You should choose sunglasses that block 99% to 100% of both UVA and UVB radiation from the sun. You may be confused by labels that say the sunglasses provide 100% protection from UVA/UVB radiation, while others offer 100% UV 400 protection. Both will block 100% of the sun’s harmful radiation, the academy said in a news release.


If you’re skeptical of the UV protection label on sunglasses, take them to an optical shop or an ophthalmologist’s office, Seldomridge suggested. Most have a UV light meter that can test the sunglasses’ UV-blocking ability.


Consider buying oversized or wraparound-style sunglasses. The more coverage they provide, the better they protect your eyes, she said.


An important note: Dark lenses don’t block more UV rays than lighter lenses.


And you don’t have to pay a lot to get sunglasses that provide good eye protection, Seldomridge said. Less expensive ones marked as 100% UV-blocking can be just as effective as those that cost more.


Consider polarized lenses, which reduce glare from reflective surfaces (such as water or pavement). This doesn’t provide more protection from the sun but can make activities like driving or being on the water safer or more enjoyable.


Don’t forget sunglasses for your children, Seldomridge advised. Their eyes are just as susceptible to the sun’s harmful rays as yours and it’s a good idea to get them into the habit of wearing sunglasses at an early age.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Whip up a peach-perfect meal

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A peach streusel is a healthy way to sate those cravings for something sweet and summery. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


Sweet plums and peaches are great on their own, a good source of potassium and a sweet low-cal snack with only 40 calories each.


But you can also use them as the foundation of dishes perfect for summer entertaining.


When it comes to picking out the best stone fruit, look for firm, unblemished skins—no scratches or bruises. If they’re firm to the touch, let them rest on a countertop or windowsill or in a basket for four to five days until ripe.


If you love fruit pies, but not their calorie overload, fruit crisps are a great swap. They’re lower in calories because they have only a streusel topping, no pie crust. This also makes them easier to prepare.

Stone fruit crisp

  • 4 plums or peaches, halved, pitted and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 pint raspberries

(For the streusel)

  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup rolled oats

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Place the stone fruit slices in a large bowl along with the lemon juice, vanilla and cinnamon. Toss well. Arrange fruit in an 8-inch baking dish, overlapping them slightly, and then sprinkle with the raspberries.


In a clean bowl, use a pastry blender or fork to mix the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, butter and rolled oats until well combined. Sprinkle over the fruit and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until top is golden and the berries are bubbling. Cool 5 minutes before serving.


Yield: 4 servings


For a twist on traditional salsa, this fruit-based variation really satisfies.

Stone Fruit Salsa

  • 1 pound ripe peaches, plums or a mix, pitted and diced
  • 1/2 cup minced red onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, leaves and stems
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, toss well and refrigerate for about an hour before serving to allow the flavors to develop. Use as an accompaniment for grilled chicken or fish, or as a dip for whole-grain pita wedges or crackers.


Yield: 4 servings


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.





BMI, meet DNA

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Why do some folks manage to lose significant weight with casual dieting, while others will lose nary a pound with a strict plan? It often comes down to genetics, researchers say. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


While some people fight the “battle of the bulge” for a lifetime, others seem to effortlessly stay slim. And now scientists say it all boils down to genetics.


Certain DNA helps decide whether weight gain is a torment or not for people, British researchers report.


“It’s easy to rush to judgment and criticize people for their weight, but the science shows that things are far more complex,” said study leader Sadaf Farooqi.


Instead, “we have far less control over our weight than we might wish to think,” said Farooqi. She’s a professor at the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge.


One U.S. expert agreed.


“We stigmatize people based on weight and subconsciously blame them for not taking care of themselves,” said Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of obesity surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “We state they lack willpower, but instead, this study shows that the most thin and the heaviest have genetic dispositions that control their body weight.”


Of course, any number of factors affect weight, including eating habits and exercise levels. But some people stay thin despite unhealthy lifestyles, while others struggle with overweight and obesity despite their best efforts, the British team noted.


Prior studies on “obesity” genes have focused on people who were already overweight or obese.


But the new study also focused on thin people (those with a body mass index of 18 or below), trying to discover why they often have an easier time staying slim.


To do so, the Cambridge group analyzed the DNA of more than 1,600 thin, healthy Brits. They then compared that data with the genetics of nearly 2,000 severely obese people and more than 10,000 normal-weight people.


The investigators spotted several common gene variants already linked with obesity. They also found new genetic regions tied to severe obesity, and some others linked to “healthy thinness.”


The researchers then added up the contribution of the different genetic variants to calculate each person’s “genetic risk score.”


“As anticipated, we found that obese people had a higher genetic risk score than normal-weight people, which contributes to their risk of being overweight,” study co-author Ines Barroso, of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said in a university news release.


“The genetic dice are loaded against them,” Barroso said.


Thin people also had fewer genetic variants known to raise the odds of being overweight, according to the study published recently in the journal PLoS Genetics.


Farooqi’s conclusion: “Healthy thin people are generally thin because they have a lower burden of genes that increase a person’s chances of being overweight and not because they are morally superior, as some people like to suggest.”


These “thin genes” appear to be passed along through generations, the study authors added. About 74 percent of the thin people in the study had a family history of people being thin and healthy.


Does all of this mean that less genetically gifted people should just shrug and give in to becoming obese? Not so, said nutritionist and weight-management expert Michelle Milgrim.


“While genetics may play a leading role in determining our ‘weight destiny,’ there is a growing body of research to suggest that how we live our lives is as important as our genetic predispositions,” said Milgrim, who manages employee wellness at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, N.Y.


“Staying active, sitting less, cutting out processed and fast foods and focusing on eating a balanced diet of whole foods are general healthy recommendations for everyone, despite your genes,” she said.


In the meantime, the Cambridge researchers said their research might someday end up helping everyone stay thin, regardless of their personal DNA.


“We already know that people can be thin for different reasons” Farooqi said. “Some people are just not that interested in food whereas others can eat what they like, but never put on weight. If we can find the genes that prevent them from putting on weight, we may be able to target those genes to find new weight-loss strategies and help people who do not have this advantage.”


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Pets double as asthma antidote

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Just having a dog in baby’s first year is linked to a 13 percent lower risk of asthma later on. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


The “hygiene hypothesis” holds that early exposure to a variety of microorganisms may decrease the risk for chronic inflammatory diseases, like asthma.


Two Swedish studies that tracked 650,000 children found that exposure to farm animals and even dogs can have this kind of beneficial effect. Living on a farm cut kids’ asthma rate by half. Just having a dog in baby’s first year was linked to a 13 percent lower risk of asthma later on, the researchers reported.


Most Americans don’t live on farms, but these findings show that raising a baby in a household with a dog might have benefits beyond love and companionship. Early exposure to cats as well as dogs may offer some protection from developing allergies and asthma, health experts suggest.


Other steps can also help prevent childhood asthma.


First, don’t smoke or allow anyone else in your household to smoke. Smoking when pregnant increases the chances of your baby wheezing during infancy. And continued exposure to secondhand smoke has a direct tie to asthma and other respiratory illnesses in kids.


Also, try to breastfeed baby for at least four to six months to strengthen his or her immune system and help avoid infections that start in the lungs, common asthma triggers.


Other suggestions:

  • Reduce exposure to dust mites, a common allergen
  • Use zippered covers on pillows and mattresses, wash all bedding in hot water once a week and keep the humidity in your home below 50 percent
  • If you can, keep baby’s room free of carpeting and upholstered furniture, places where mites hide

Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Measles—an emerging travel trouble

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A big part of your checklist as you prepare for a trip overseas: Make sure you’re up to date on your measles vaccination. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


Due to waning vaccination levels in some areas, measles outbreaks are back with a vengeance.


But many globe-trotting Americans may not realize the problem is worldwide. Therefore, making sure your measles vaccination is up to date is paramount before jetting off.


In fact, U.S. outbreaks of measles “are usually started by foreign travelers importing the virus to the U.S.,” according to Dr. Len Horovitz. He’s a specialist in pulmonary illnesses at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.


“This is exacerbated by lack of vaccination in many foreign countries,” Horovitz said. And according to a regularly updated list of measles “hotspots” from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “this is clearly a global epidemic,” he said.


“Asia, Africa and the Middle East lead the list, but in Europe the Ukraine and Romania have had reports of outbreaks,” Horovitz noted. “Also included on the outbreak list are Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Bulgaria and Lithuania.”


Besides ruining a dream vacation, measles is very contagious and can be spread quickly to others, experts warn. And even if you think you got the shot in childhood, it’s smart to check and see if your immunity has waned, Horovitz said.


That’s especially true for some of the baby boomer generation.


“It’s well-known that vaccines between 1963 and 1967 were less effective and immunity can fade over the age of 50, even if you’ve had the disease,” Horovitz explained. “So one cannot assume immunity to measles, mumps or rubella in any adult.”


A simple blood test can gauge your immunity.


Horovitz said he’s been “testing patients for immunity in the last 10 weeks. All are adults and I’ve uncovered two or more patients each week who need booster vaccination. That’s 23 non-immune adults so far in a solo practice.”


According to Horovitz, one large commercial lab that tests for immunity to measles, mumps and rubella found that as many as 9%-13% of specimens lacked immunity to one or more of the three viruses.


So while getting kids vaccinated is crucial, “there’s also clear evidence that there is a significant number of non-immune adults in the U.S.,” Horovitz said.


Meanwhile, the measles situation in the United States continues to be dire.


“The 2018-2019 measles epidemic has been documented as one of the worst on record since 2000,” Horovitz said. “In April 2019, the CDC reported 695 cases in 22 states. The largest outbreaks were in Washington state and New York State.” He pointed out that 2018 saw a 300% increase in cases.


Some patients should not receive measles vaccination (including those with multiple sclerosis), so it’s better to assess a patient’s need for re-vaccination rather than just giving a booster to any patient requesting it or traveling to a country where measles is common, Horovitz said.


“A simple blood test with 24-hour turnaround time will reveal the immune status and need for vaccination. Patients who don’t require a booster should not be vaccinated, but a surprising number will require it,” he said.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



7 ways to give ticks the slip

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The correct way to remove a tick is to lift it gently with thin forceps or tweezers. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay


While only a few tick species infect people with diseases, the rising popularity of many outdoor activities and the spread of residential developments has upped the odds that one of those creepy parasites might latch on to you.


“Luckily, ticks don’t fly, jump or fall from the sky,” vector-borne disease expert Stephen Wikel said. He’s a professor emeritus of medical sciences at Quinnipiac University’s Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine, in North Haven, Conn.


“They generally move from grass to a living host, and crawl upwards, looking for a warm, moist area to feed. Ticks also have incredible anti-detection defenses. For example, their saliva is loaded with antihistamines, anticoagulants and other inhibitors that prevent wound healing, and dampen pain and itch responses; unfed nymphs are so small, they can be mistaken for freckles,” he said.


So, how can you avoid becoming a tick’s next meal? Wikel recommends the following preventive steps:

  • Protect your ankles. Wear long pants tucked into high socks when doing yard work. Wrap duct tape—sticky-side out—around where the pants and socks meet so that crawling ticks get stuck on the tape.
  • Dress properly. Use clothing, tents and other gear treated with repellent, such as permethrin. This repellent kills ticks, mosquitoes, chiggers and mites. These products are available online or at sporting goods stores.
  • Wear repellent. Apply topical insect repellent that contains less than 40 percent DEET. Children should use repellent that contains no more than 30 percent DEET, Wikel said.
  • Conduct tick checks. “Tick bites are painless, so if you are in an area with ticks, perform a thorough tick check and remove ticks immediately,” he advised.
  • Don’t forget pets.”The neurotransmitter blockers in anti-tick treatments and flea collars are very effective in keeping ticks from biting pets,” said Wikel. “When pets come indoors, check for crawling ticks to prevent them from getting off your pet and on to you.”
  • Create a tick-free zone. You can make your yard less attractive to rodent, deer and other tick-carriers. Keeping lawns trimmed and creating barriers between your yard and the woods with wood chips, mulch or gravel can eliminate tall grasses where ticks crawl. Remove wood piles and stones where mice, chipmunks and squirrels may hide. These little critters keep tick larva and nymphs circulating in nature.
  • Hike carefully. Stay in the center of hiking trails to avoid contact with vegetation.

If despite your best prevention efforts, a tick still attaches to you, there’s a right and a wrong way to remove ticks, Wikel cautioned.


Don’t use matches or the tip of a cigarette to burn off ticks. This could cause them to transmit bacteria more quickly.


The correct way to remove a tick is to lift it gently with thin forceps or tweezers. It’s also a good idea to use a magnifying glass while removing a tick, Wikel advised.


If you can remove the tick intact, you can bring it to your doctor’s office or local health department for identification.


If you develop symptoms within a few weeks after a tick bite, make an appointment with your doctor, advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Warning signs of tick-borne diseases may vary from person to person, said Wikel. Symptoms, which can range from mild to severe, may include: fever and chills, headaches, fatigue and muscle aches.


People with Lyme disease may also develop joint pain, he said.


“Many people think a sign of Lyme disease is a bull’s-eye rash, but rashes don’t always occur,” said Wikel.


If left untreated, Lyme disease can affect the joints, the heart or the nervous system. When diagnosed early, on the other hand, Lyme disease can be cured with antibiotics. This is the case for most tick-borne disease, Wikel said.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Allergic to red meat? Blame a tick

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Based on new findings, scientists suspect people are more likely than first thought to develop a red meat allergy if they’re bitten by a tick. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


Certain tick bites can cause a red meat allergy—and now scientists are shedding new light on the condition, known as alpha-gal syndrome.


Alpha-gal is a sugar found in most mammal blood, but not in humans.


“Our original hypothesis was that humans developed the allergy after being exposed to alpha-gal through a tick that had fed on a deer, dog or other small mammal that has alpha-gal,” said researcher Scott Commins.


When people develop an allergic immune response to alpha-gal, it can lead to a red meat allergy, explained Commins, who is an associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill.


“This new data suggests that ticks can induce this immune response without requiring the mammal blood meal, which likely means the risk of each bite potentially leading to the allergy is higher than we anticipated,” he said in a university news release.


In this study, scientists did a series of laboratory experiments with human immune cells and saliva from four species of ticks: Lone Star, deer, Gulf Coast and American dog. Some had fed on blood containing alpha-gal, others had not.


As expected, saliva from Lone Star and deer ticks that had recently fed on blood containing alpha-gal caused an immune cell reaction. But saliva from ticks that had not recently fed on blood also triggered a reaction, the findings showed.


“These results suggest that more tick bites than we initially suspected could pose a risk for developing red meat allergy,” Commins said.


However, no saliva from the Gulf Coast or the American dog ticks caused a reaction, according to the report.


The study was presented Saturday at an American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology meeting, in San Francisco. Research presented at meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.


There is no treatment for alpha-gal syndrome, other than avoiding foods and products that cause a reaction, the researchers noted.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Sharpen your metabolic insight

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Scrutinizing what you eat—and how much—will play an outsized role in shaping your metabolism in your mid-30s and beyond. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


Your metabolism rate determines how fast you burn calories. That can influence how fast you lose weight—and how easily you can gain it.


After age 25, metabolism naturally slows by 5 percent every decade.


So if you eat as much in your 40s as you did in your 20s, you’re going to add extra pounds—especially if you exercise less and lose muscle. In addition to weight training to maintain muscle, these tips from the American Council on Exercise can help.


Stick to well-spaced meals at the same times each day. This lets your body know to expect fuel at regular intervals and prevents it from conserving calories and adding to fat stores.


Calorie cutting is important if you need to lose weight, but reducing your intake to starvation levels also puts your body in conservation mode, slowing down metabolism.


So rather than speeding up weight loss, starvation ultimately slows it. And that’s why it’s so easy to regain lost weight when you start eating normally: Your metabolism tends to stay slow.


Dehydration can lead to a 2 percent drop in the number of calories burned, so drink at least eight glasses of water throughout each day and even more when you sweat a lot.


Watch the alcohol. Besides adding empty calories to your diet, processing alcohol diverts the liver from burning fat.


Also consider milk and other dairy choices for their calcium, a mineral involved in fat metabolism.


Dairy also delivers whey and casein—proteins that help build and preserve muscle. Remember that the more muscle you have, the more calories it takes to maintain it.


Finally, keep the hormones that regulate hunger and fullness on an even keel by getting enough sleep—at least seven hours a night.


Otherwise, you might find yourself craving sugary, fatty and starchy foods. Plus if you’re sleep-deprived on a regular basis, your body may not burn calories efficiently.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Study: E-cig vapors laden with toxic metals

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Think vaping is a safe alternative to tobacco cigarettes? Not likely. New research suggests e-cigarette vapor contains heavy metals. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Alan Mozes, HealthDay


If you think that “vaping” is a safe alternative to smoking, research suggests you might be inadvertently inhaling unsafe levels of toxic metals.


Scientists say the tiny metal coils that heat the liquid nitrogen in e-cigarettes may contaminate the resulting vapor with lead, chromium, manganese and nickel. The finding raises the possibility that e-cigarettes are not harmless to users.


“We analyzed 15 metals in e-liquid from the refill dispenser—before the liquid meets the heating element—in the vapor, and in the remaining e-liquid in the tank after vaping,” explained study author Pablo Olmedo. He’s an assistant scientist with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health’s department of environmental health and engineering, in Baltimore.


“We found that the metal concentrations were generally higher in the tank and aerosol compared to the refill dispenser,” said Olmedo. That suggests that the heating coil is the smoking gun, he added.


But study co-author Ana Maria Rule pointed out that their team also found “the presence of some metals in some of the liquids even before they are in contact with the coil.”


That could mean that “in addition to the metal coil, other factors could play a role in e-cigarette metal exposure, such as the voltage used to heat the coil,” said Rule, also an assistant scientist at Hopkins.


Unlike traditional smoking, vaping works by heating liquids that contain nicotine. The liquid passes through a heating coil, producing a vapor that proponents claim is free of much of the carcinogens associated with burning tobacco leaves.


Given that a recent U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse survey found that one in six high schoolers has vaped in the past month, the finding could have broad public health implications, the researchers said.


In the Hopkins study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, investigators recruited 56 vapers in the Baltimore area to see whether the heating process introduces toxins into what is inhaled.


The researchers used the vapers’ own e-cigarette devices when examining the chemical content of e-liquid, vapor and residue.


Tested chemicals included: aluminum, antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, nickel, titanium, tungsten, uranium and zinc. Prior research has linked prolonged inhalation of such metals to lung, liver, heart and brain damage.


Chronic exposure may also depress immune system function and raise the risk for certain types of cancer, the researchers said.


The team found that e-liquid exposed to heating coils produced a vapor containing significant amounts of chromium, lead, manganese, nickel and zinc.


Highly toxic arsenic was also found in both the e-liquid and the heated vapor among a subset of 10 vapers, though how that metal got into the unheated e-liquid remains unclear.


The team also noted that toxic metal levels seemed to be higher among vapers who changed their heating coils more often, suggesting that new coils may produce more toxins than older ones.


Regardless, Rule said, vapers should know that “as far as we know, all current electronic cigarettes use a metallic coil to generate the vapor, so not vaping is the only way to avoid or mitigate this (toxic) exposure.”


As for whether vaping is safer than smoking or worse, Rule said the team “did not set out to compare e-cigarettes to cigarettes.”


But Stanton Glantz, a professor of medicine with the University of California, San Francisco’s Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education, said it’s important to understand that e-cigs “have an entirely different toxicological profile” than cigarettes.


“So the risk profile is going to be different,” Glantz said. “The assumption has been that at least e-cigarettes aren’t worse. But this suggests they have something in them that isn’t even in standard cigarettes that’s worth being worried about.”


That worry was echoed by Patricia Folan, director of the Center for Tobacco Control at Northwell Health in Great Neck, New York.


“Considering the list of metals, toxic materials and lung-damaging materials found in e-cigarettes, these products are not a healthy product for teen consumption,” she said.


“I guess the question is, do we really want to promote and advertise these products and take a chance on damaging the health of our youth, without knowing their health effects and without regulation?” Folan asked.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Wakeful nights, woeful days

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Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat

By Alan Mozes, HealthDay


If you were up all night and you ache all over the next morning, your lack of sound slumber might be to blame.


New research found that sleep loss delivered a double whammy to the brain that all but guaranteed greater levels of body pain.


“Activity in the somatosensory cortex, previously associated with the location and intensity of pain, was enhanced following sleep loss,” explained study author Adam Krause.


And “in two regions called the striatum and the insula, sleep deprivation decreased the activity associated with pain (relief),” he added. These regions control the release of dopamine, often called the “feel-good” hormone.


Krause is a Ph.D. candidate with the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley.


During the study, 25 healthy, young participants got the normal eight hours of sleep one night. A week or so later, the same group underwent a night of no sleep whatsoever.


After each session, all the volunteers underwent “thermal pain sensitivity” tests, followed by MRI scans to monitor brain activity while their legs were exposed to uncomfortable levels of heat.


After a full night of sleep, most participants reported feeling heat discomfort at about 111 degrees Fahrenheit.


But after a night of no sleep, that pain threshold dropped to 107 degrees F.


Brain scans pinpointed the neurological basis for the uptick in pain sensitivity following sleep loss.


The research team then surveyed 60 adults (average age 38) over a 48-hour survey period. All had reported experiencing pain during the survey period, and all were asked to keep sleep diaries and report mood and anxiety levels, as well as rank pain intensity when experienced.


“We found that reductions from one night to the next in the quality of the sleep, rather than just the quantity—total hours asleep—predicted worse pain the following day,” Krause noted.


“The optimistic takeaway here is that better sleep can help manage and lower pain. (It’s) a natural analgesic that we can all pick up in repeat prescription each night, if we choose,” he said.


“It is our hope that this research especially encourages health care systems to bring sleep closer to the center of treatment. If we can improve sleep conditions in the setting in which patients are most often in pain—the hospital ward—perhaps we can reduce the dosage of narcotic drugs and clear hospital beds sooner,” Krause suggested.


The findings were published recently in the Journal of Neuroscience.


Monika Haack is an associate professor of neurology with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Human Sleep & Inflammatory Systems Laboratory in Boston. She expressed little surprise at the findings.


“There is very strong evidence to date—and the current study supports this again—that short or disturbed sleep, either in clinical (settings) or in the general population, increases our experience of next-day pain,” Haack said.


“And a number of studies, including the current study, have shown that sleep is a stronger predictor of pain than pain is a predictor of how we sleep,” she added.


“I think the most important and novel finding of the study is that the authors found a biological basis, neuronal brain structures, that correspond to the pain sensitivity increase observed after sleep loss. Only if we understand the biology and mechanisms underlying this relationship will we be able to develop target- or mechanism-specific strategies to prevent pain-processing changes associated with short or disturbed sleep,” Haack concluded.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Healthy fats in Mediterranean diet won’t boost weight

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Study shows a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetable fats such as olive oil and nuts had little effect on body weight or waist circumference compared to people on a low-fat diet. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


An eating plan that includes healthy fats such as olive oil and nuts isn’t likely to cause weight gain, a new study finds.


That’s good news for people who’d prefer to try the Mediterranean diet—which includes healthy fats—over a diet that’s low in fat. And the study authors suggest that current health guidelines may be creating an unnecessary fear of these healthful fats.


“More than 40 years of nutritional policy has advocated for a low-fat diet, but we’re seeing little impact on rising levels of obesity,” said study lead author Dr. Ramon Estruch, of the University of Barcelona in Spain.


“Our study shows that a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetable fats such as olive oil and nuts had little effect on body weight or waist circumference compared to people on a low-fat diet. The Mediterranean diet has well-known health benefits and includes healthy fats, such as vegetable oils, fish and nuts,” Estruch explained in a journal news release.


However, he also pointed out that not all fats are created equal. “Our findings certainly do not imply that unrestricted diets with high levels of unhealthy fats such as butter, processed meat, sweetened beverages, desserts or fast-foods are beneficial,” Estruch added.


The study included more than 7,400 women and men in Spain, aged 55 to 80. The study participants ate one of three eating plans: an unrestricted-calorie Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil; an unrestricted-calorie Mediterranean diet rich in nuts; or a low-fat diet meant to avoid all dietary fat.


All the participants had type 2 diabetes or high heart risk. More than 90 percent were overweight or obese, the study authors noted.


After five years, total fat intake fell from 40 percent to 37 percent in the low-fat diet group, and rose in both Mediterranean diet groups, from about 40 percent to 42 percent. The percentage of proteins and carbohydrates decreased in both Mediterranean diet groups, the findings showed.

People in all three groups lost some weight: an average of almost 2 pounds (0.88 kilograms) per person in the olive oil group, 1.3 pounds (0.60 kg) in the low-fat diet group, and 0.9 pounds (0.40 kg) in the nut group, the researchers said.


Waist circumference did increase slightly in all three groups, though less so in those on the healthy fat diets. The low-fat group had an increase of about a half-inch (1.2 centimeters) per person. The olive oil group saw an increase of about one-third of an inch (0.85 cm), and the nut group only saw an increase in waist circumference of 0.14 inches (0.37 cm), the study authors reported.


The report was published June 6 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.


“The fat content of foods and diets is simply not a useful metric to judge long-term harms or benefits,” Dariush Mozaffarian, professor in the School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University in Boston, wrote in an accompanying commentary.


“Energy density and total caloric contents can be similarly misleading. Rather, modern scientific evidence supports an emphasis on eating more calories from fruits, nuts, vegetables, beans, fish, yogurt, phenolic-rich vegetable oils, and minimally processed whole grains; and fewer calories from highly processed foods rich in starch, sugar, salt, or trans-fat,” Mozaffarian explained.


“Dietary guidelines should be revised to lay to rest the outdated, arbitrary limits on total fat consumption. Calorie-obsessed caveats and warnings about healthier, higher-fat choices such as nuts, phenolic-rich vegetable oils, yogurt, and even perhaps cheese, should also be dropped,” Mozaffarian wrote.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Noodle your veggies

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Pasta made from zucchini noodles—zoodles, as they’re called—has about a quarter of the calories you’d find in regular noodles. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


Want to get more veggies into your diet but feeling bored with the same old side dishes?


Making noodles from vegetables is the answer. They’re a great substitute for high-calorie, low-fiber traditional pasta and work just as well as a base for your favorite sauces.


While it’s possible to use a sturdy vegetable peeler to turn carrots or zucchini into noodle-length strips, a tool called a mandoline will cut your prep time in half. Just be aware that the mandoline blade has very sharp edges. You’ll want to hold the pusher accessory as you run the length of your vegetables across the blade. In addition, wear a thick kitchen glove to protect your fingers.


Zucchini is perfect for the mandoline because it slices easily. You can make the following sauce ahead of time. It yields enough for another meal.



Zucchini Noodles With Marinara Sauce

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Red chili flakes to taste
2 28-ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup white wine or broth, any variety
1 basil sprig
2 large zucchini
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive, safflower or grapeseed oil
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Brown the garlic in two tablespoons of oil for two to three minutes. Add chili flakes, the tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, salt and black pepper and stir. Next, add the wine or broth and the basil. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, 30 to 40 minutes until the sauce thickens. Set aside.

Wash the zucchini. Cut off the stems and discard. Insert the fine tooth blade into a mandoline and tighten the screw to hold it in place. Press the pusher into the center of the first zucchini and hold the pusher as you run the vegetable over the surface of the mandoline to form the noodles. Repeat with the other zucchini.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the tablespoon of the oil of your choice. Add the zucchini noodles and cook two to three minutes, stirring often until they soften. Top with marinara sauce and toss well. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.




Night owl? Check the family tree

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Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat

By Robert Preidt, HealthDay


Can’t sleep at night? Perhaps genetics is to blame.


In a new study, dozens of gene regions linked to insomnia have been pinpointed—and researchers also report a link between insomnia and heart disease.


American and British investigators analyzed data from more than 450,000 people in the United Kingdom—29 percent of whom reported frequent sleeplessness—and identified 57 gene regions associated with insomnia.


Those links were independent of known insomnia risk factors such as lifestyle, caffeine consumption, depression or stress.


“Our findings confirm a role for genetics in insomnia symptoms and expand upon the four previously found (genetic regions) for this condition,” said study lead author Jacqueline Lane. She’s a researcher at the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.


“All of these identified regions help us understand why some people get insomnia, which pathways and systems are affected and point to possible new therapeutic targets,” Lane added in a hospital news release.


Researchers also found evidence that increased insomnia symptoms nearly doubled the risk of coronary artery disease. They were also linked to depression and a reduced sense of well-being.


“Insomnia has a really significant impact on millions of people worldwide. We’ve long known there’s a link between insomnia and chronic disease. Now our findings suggest that depression and heart disease are actually a result of persistent insomnia,” said co-lead author Samuel Jones. He’s a research fellow at the University of Exeter in England.


Lane said these results open possibilities for future medications.


“All of these identified regions are possible new therapeutic targets for insomnia,” she said. “And 16 of these regions contain known drug targets.”


This in turn could have an effect on heart disease, as “the new causal relationships indicate the potential usefulness of insomnia therapeutics as possible treatments for coronary artery disease and depression,” Lane said.


The study was published online recently in Nature Genetics.


Insomnia affects 10 percent to 20 percent of people worldwide, and studies have suggested that about a third of the risk of insomnia is inherited.


Previous research has suggested that insomnia increases the risk of anxiety disorders, alcoholism, major depression and heart disease, but little has been known about the mechanisms involved in that increased risk.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.

Your health digs ginger

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Ginger is an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium and magnesium, but its most salient property is gingerol, an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Len Canter, HealthDay


Zesty ginger is more than just a great way to dress up your favorite recipes. It contains a potent immunity booster—its active compound gingerol is an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory compound.


Ginger is also a source of vitamin C and the minerals potassium and magnesium.


Ginger root is inexpensive and easy to find in the produce aisle of your local grocery store. Look for a piece that’s firm and smooth. It may have many nubs, but they shouldn’t be shriveled.


The skin should be a light brown and fairly smooth. Ginger keeps well for up to a few weeks in the produce bin of your fridge. Keep it wrapped in a paper towel and change the towel whenever it gets damp.


Many people peel ginger with a spoon, scraping off the skin with an edge. But a veggie peeler works too and may be faster.


When a recipe calls for minced ginger, after peeling, make horizontal slices and then cut each slice into matchsticks and cut the match sticks into tiny pieces.


For grated ginger, you could use a mini food processor or, even better, a microplane—just run one trimmed end of a piece of ginger across the metal mesh and let the ginger and its juice fall into a bowl.


Ginger is perfect for jazzing up salad dressings and marinades and for making an herbal tea.


For a simple main course, try it in this tasty vegetarian stir fry:



Ginger Stir Fry

2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame oil, then the vegetables and the ginger. Cook three to four minutes, stirring often, until the veggies soften. Add the rice and the soy sauce and toss well. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 serving


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.



Beware the ball pit

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A lab analysis of plastic balls from play areas found bugs responsible for pink eye, urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, heart inflammation and more. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)

By Serena Gordon, HealthDay


If the cacophony of children screaming and throwing tiny plastic balls everywhere hasn’t prompted you to forgo ball pits, a new study may just send you scurrying for the door.


The research found that ball pits were awash in microbes, some potentially quite dangerous.


The study team found 31 bacterial species and one species of yeast. Some of those bugs are responsible for pink eye, urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, heart inflammation and more.


“Be aware of this if you take your child to a physical therapy clinic, especially if the child has a compromised immune system,” said senior study author Dobrusia Bialonska, assistant professor of environmental microbiology at the University of North Georgia.


“You might consider asking for no treatment in the ball pit. We definitely showed that there are things on the balls that can potentially hurt a child who is immune-compromised,” she said.


Does that mean all kids need to steer clear of ball pits in fast food restaurants or other play spaces?


No, Bialonska said.


“We’re talking about pediatric physical therapy patients that may have some immune problems and may be more fragile. If kids are healthy, let them go and play. It may help build their immune system,” she said.


But kids should wash their hands when they jump out of the pit, especially if they’re going to eat after playing, Bialonska quickly added.


Ball pits became popular in the 1980s when they began popping up in commercial restaurant chains across the United States. But these play areas are often contaminated with visible dirt, vomit, urine and feces, researchers said. Numerous bacteria had already been identified in ball pits, but researchers wanted to learn how those used for physical therapy for children might compare.


The study team collected samples from six ball pits in Georgia physical therapy clinics. They randomly selected nine to 15 balls from each location, then swabbed the whole surface of each ball to find any microbes.


There were microorganisms on all of the balls, though some had very few. The researchers said it’s not unusual or concerning to see microbes anywhere humans are present. There should be concern when there are a lot of microbes, however.


Researchers noted a significant variation in the extent of microbial contamination from clinic to clinic. That suggests a need to develop guidelines for cleaning the balls and the pit area when they are used for physical therapy in potentially vulnerable kids, researchers said.


Bialonska said there are no standards or directions for cleaning these areas. She said someone had used a commercial washing machine to clean the balls. Others have tried using ultraviolet light to disinfect the balls.


Dr. Maryann Buetti-Sgouros, chair of pediatrics at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y., was not involved with the research, but reviewed the study.


“Common sense has to dictate how you address risks as a parent,” she said. “If there’s somewhere germy, what will you do to decrease the risk? A little bit of germs isn’t awful. Carry antibiotic wipes.”


Another expert agreed.


“Many of the microbes isolated are part of our normal flora,” said Dr. Salman Khan, an infectious disease physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “However, some of these have the potential to cause disease in patients with immunocompromising conditions and open wounds.”


Buetti-Sgouros said she doesn’t think ball pits are inherently worse than other places where kids play, but the balls cannot be sterilized between uses and are going to get covered in bacteria.


If you’re taking a child for physical therapy where there is a ball pit, she suggested asking how the balls are sterilized. “In this study, one of the clinics didn’t have as much bacteria. What were they doing differently?” she said.


Buetti-Sgouros also pointed out that injuries are a concern at ball pits and other kid play areas, such as those with multiple indoor trampolines.


“Again, let common sense dictate. But, I’d rather see kids outside where there’s ventilation and air,” she said.


The study was recently published in the American Journal of Infection Control.


Reprinted with permission from Spectrum Health Beat.