Nutrition

Everything in Moderation

We’ve all heard of the “super foods.” But should your diet be solely made up of those “perfect” health boosting foods?  According to dieticians and nutrition scientists, adhering to a rigid dietary regimen is not a good thing. A 2006 study published in the Journal of Nutrition compared one diet including foods from 18 different botanical families and another covering only 5 families. The researchers concluded that only the diverse diet “induced a significant reduction in DNA oxidation.” Essentially, smaller amounts of many phytochemicals (chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants that may affect health) may have greater beneficial effects than larger amounts of fewer phytochemicals. Researchers say variety gives you wider exposure to beneficial effects scientists may not yet even be aware of and limit your exposure to possible toxins, such as toxins in some mushrooms. So, in the case of your diet, variety truly is the spice of life.

Click here to read the full U.S.News & World Report article: http://www.usnews.com/health/diet-fitness/diet/articles/2010/02/23/why-an-all-superfoods-diet-is-a-mistake.html

Arthritis Risk

Assessing a Higher Arthritis Risk

A new study shows that inactivity and being overweight, particularly in women, may account for the high prevalence of arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitations (AALs) in Americans. This study, which was published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research, directly compared health differences associated with the prevalence and risk factors for arthritis and AAL between the United States and Canada. The study used data from a survey in which 3,505 Canadians and 5,138 Americans responded. Results showed that in the United States, the estimated prevalence of arthritis was higher (18.7%) than in Canada (16.8%). And in both countries, those who were physically inactive were more likely to have arthritis and AAL. Results suggest that the higher incidence of arthritis in American women may be due to a higher incidence of obesity and inactivity in those women and that public health messages promoting healthy weight and physical activity should also include messages about the possible risk for arthritis.

Click here to read the full Medscape article: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/717668

Mental Health

Could a Hospital Stay Increase Dementia Risk?

A group of researchers from the University of Washington and the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill found that elderly people who were hospitalized for a critical illness had a higher risk of dementia. Of the senior citizens who were hospitalized for a noncritical illness, 40% were more likely to develop dementia than their counterparts who were never hospitalized. For those who experienced critical illnesses, that risk was more than double. Researchers aren’t quick to blame the hospital. They say the increased risk may be due to the illness that sent them there. The results of this study are being published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Click here to read the full LA Times story: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/02/hospitalization-cognitive-decline-dementia-risk.html

Breast Health

Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines Result in Less Access to Mammograms

If you recall, those new breast cancer screening guidelines recommended that women at average risk for breast cancer should start having mammograms every two years at age 50 instead of annual screenings starting at age 40. Since those guidelines were published, access to mammograms for women ages 40 to 49 has decreased in some states. A survey conducted by the Avon Foundation for Women has found that respondents from a fourth of the areas surveyed reported changes in their states’ early detection programs for breast and cervical cancer. Respondents said that the guidelines as well as other factors, including budget cuts, have resulted in fewer women having mammograms or the elimination of early breast cancer screening programs for women younger than 50 offered through state-administered breast cancer screening programs. Some of those states that have made changes include California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, and New York. Some doctors are concerned that some women are using the new guidelines to put off breast cancer screening despite family history or risk factors.Click here to read the full U.S.News & World Report article:  http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health/cancer/articles/2010/02/23/access-to-mammograms-drops-after-guidelines-change.html

Cervical Cancer

Cervical Cancer Vaccine Not So Beneficial for Older Women

According to a new study, women older than 40 are unlikely to see much benefit from a cervical cancer vaccine. The vaccine for HPV is recommended for women aged 9 to 26, and a study was undertaken to see whether older women would be protected as well. The study, which was published in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that the rate of newly detected infections dropped with age — to 13.5% in women 42 and older, from 35% in women 18 to 25. Scientists say that although cervical cancer is more prevalent in older women, it develops decades after the initial infection with a carcinogenic virus. And since older women get fewer infections, the benefit of the vaccine is limited.

Click here to read the full New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/02/health/research/02prev.html?ref=health