Most Free Fitness Apps Are Basically Useless, Study Finds

Photo: Getty Images

Downloading a free fitness app may seem like a smart way to get moving, but a new study reveals most fail to measure up to physical activity guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

University of Florida researchers scored apps based on aerobic activity, strength and resistance, and flexibility. Of the 30 popular free workout apps available for iPhone and Android that were tested, just one received an overall score above a 50%: Sworkit Lite, which offers strength, yoga, pilates, and stretching workouts from 5 to 60 minutes in length.

Here is the researchers’ full list, ranked by “overall quality score”:

Photo: Courtesy of University of Florida

“We found that most apps are not as safe as they could be and are not providing users with the most effective workouts,” lead author François Modave, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Health Outcomes and Policy at the University of Florida, told Health.

RELATED: Why High-Intensity Workouts May Be Better for You

The study, which was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, also discovered that safety guidelines and warnings were absent or fairly weak on most of the apps, which can make beginner exercisers more prone to injury.

Another problem the researchers came across were app paywalls. While some might have matched more of the ACSM’s fitness criteria when all of the resources were paid for and unlocked, apps were still deemed unsafe if the free access was lacking. “If you charge, you at least have to make sure that on the free portion of the app the content is still evidence-based and built on true, expert information,” Modave says.

RELATED: 15 Ways Exercise Makes You Look and Feel Younger

So, should you steer clear of free fitness apps? Not necessarily, but you should vary your sources of exercise information.

For example, if you really like using workout apps, you can use multiple programs so you get a complete fitness regimen, adds the study’s co-author Heather Vincent, PhD, a member of the ACSM Consumer Information Committee.

“My piece of advice would be try to find an app that contains a bit of everything to get started,” Vincent says. “But if you’re having trouble finding the perfect, user-friendly option, choose a couple that might be really close and that are very strong on one or two components. You should try doing those components from one app and maybe choose a different one to complete the program.”

RELATED: 10 Awesome Health and Fitness Apps

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The Best Eye Cream for Your Skin

Photo: Getty Images

If you’re under 25, there’s a good chance you’ve been bypassing the eye cream aisle at your local drugstore or beauty supply shop. After all, it was only recently that you stopped depending on the acne products that got you through those pubescent breakouts, so wrapping your mind around working an anti-aging product into your routine might seem a little premature. Newsflash: Eye cream isn’t just an anti-aging product. In fact, if you’ve ever experienced dryness, puffiness, or up-all-night-induced dark circles, now is the time to break out this skin savior.

“No age is too young for eye cream,” says Dr. Neal Schultz, NYC-based dermatologist, host of DermTV.com and creator of BeautyRx by Dr. Schultz. “The issues that occur in the eye area (dryness, flakiness, discoloration, and swelling) can happen at 17 and at 47.” That said, rather than choosing an eye cream according to your age, zero in on the issues you’re having with your skin in the under eye area.

Afterhours study (or party!) sessions may elicit under eye bags and dark circles. Noticing swelling or discoloration? Instead of relying on your concealer as a quick cover-up, Dr. Schultz recommends a more long-term fix by targeting the issue head-on with ingredients like Regu-age (a soy peptide complex), hyaluronic acid, and vitamin K for their anti-inflammatory and brightening properties.

Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream, $18, nordstrom.com
Ole Henriksen Ultimate Lift Eye Crème, $42, sephora.com
BeautyRx Ultra Nourishing Eye Therapy Cream, $85, beautyrx.com

Meanwhile, chlorine, salt water, sweat, and sun exposure can trigger dryness and flakiness this summer. “If dryness is your issue, you need moisturizing ingredients like humectants, or emollients,” says Dr. Schultz, who also recommends an exfoliator specially-formulated for sloughing away dead skin cells that accumulate under the eyes. Why can’t your facial scrub handle that? Dr. Schultz explains: “Exfoliators created for the rest of your face can be too acidic or harsh for the thin, sensitive skin under your eyes,” he says. “Products formulated for the eyes go through special testing that products for the rest of your face don’t have to go through because they’re more likely to get into your eyes.” Dr. Schultz’s go-to for sweeping away dry patches is a glycolic acid-based exfoliator for its ability to penetrate the pores, leaving skin silky-smooth.

Philosophy Ultimate Miracle Worker Eye Cream, $70, sephora.com
BeautyRx Gentle Exfoliating Eye Therapy Cream, $60, beautyrx.com

Desperately trying to prolong the day fine lines and wrinkles start to crop up in your eye area? Dr. Schultz is all for taking preventative measures. “Dynamic motion (smiling, squinting) is the biggest cause for fine lines,” he says. “Since it isn’t realistic to advise you to avoid bending the skin, using eye creams is a great way to avoid breaking down the collagen in your eye area.” Start by applying a lightweight formula as the third step of your daily regimen—after your cleanser and toner and before moisturizer and sunscreen. “I always recommend putting eye cream on before heavier creams, to give the product direct contact with your skin and to prevent the heavier products from migrating into your eyes as the day goes on,” says Dr. Schultz. Dab — don’t rub! — it on with your ring finger to avoid any pulling or tugging that can lead to sagging skin. Now, wasn’t that eye-opening?

Drunk Elephant Shaba Complex Eye Serum, $85, sephora.com

This article originally appeared on MIMIchatter.com.

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10 New Eye Creams That Will Make You Look Rested… Even When You’re Not

MIMI Chatter is an endless stream of beauty content. We bring together the must-knows and the how-tos from your favorite sites, beauty influencers, our editors, and YOU.

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The 5 Best Cardio Workouts That Don’t Involve Running

Photo: Getty Images

Sure, running is a great workout to have as a part of your cardio repertoire — it’s not only a great way to get fitter, but it improves your mental wellbeing, too. (Read one woman’s story about how running saved her life.) But it’s not right for everyone, and more importantly, running is not the only way to stay in shape. In fact, there are many different types of dynamic cardio workouts that give you a stellar calorie burn, while sculpting muscle at the same time. Try these five workouts on for size — but, instead of going through the motions, maximize your efforts with the expert-approved tips below. Can’t make the modifications just yet? No problem. Work your way up incrementally, and bookmark this page for when you’re ready to take your sessions to the next level.

RELATED: Dread the Gym? Here’s What Might Motivate You

5 Killer Cardio Workouts — That Aren’t Running

 

The Workout: Indoor Cycling

The Burn: 714 calories per hour
How to Maximize It: After setting up properly, boost your burn by “focus[ing] on pulling your pedals up behind you,” says Holly Rillinger, Master Instructor at Flywheel Sports. “Most times [when spinning] we are only pushing down with our quads, but when you’re clipped in [to a spin bike’s pedals], you have the advantage of using the full stroke.” Focusing on the upwards motion helps target your glutes and hamstrings, so you’ll increase burn more calories while sculpting your entire lower body, too. Rillinger also suggests adding more resistance during quick sprint sessions: “When you have momentum, you can handle more resistance than at the beginning of the sprint. It’ll raise your heart rate and blast more fat,” she says. And use your core to resist that urge to collapse onto the handlebars when you’re exhausted — your abs will thank you later.

The Workout: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

The Burn: 554 calories per hour
How to Maximize It: HIIT, which involves drills like sprints, lunges, and speed skaters with brief periods of rest in between, “keeps your engine revved after [exercising], so you burn more calories than a workout at a steady, moderate pace, ” says Yusuf Jeffers, a trainer at HIIT studio Tone House in New York City. But make sure you’re giving your body its deserved rest periods, says Jeffers. You can’t push yourself hard enough if you’re not recovering fully between rounds. “Plus, insufficient recovery results in overuse injuries and diminished results.” What’s the right amount of rest? Catch your breath for at least half as long as you just worked. A recent study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Researchfound that a 2:1 work to rest ratio is ideal. (Remember, even though they’re meant to be quick workouts, don’t go too fast. Here’s how to time ‘em right.)

RELATED: Try Our Heart-Rate-Based HIIT Workout, Inferno HR

The Workout: The VersaClimber 

The Burn: 1,000-plus calories per hour
How to Maximize It: You’ll never go back to that dusty StairMaster once you get the hang of this interval-based workout. The key to getting the most from the VersaClimber? Simply keeping up. Because you’re working your lower and upper body together into one climbing motion, expect to get fatigued fast. But even though you’ll feel tired, you’ll be building strength, endurance and coordination, according to Jason Walsh, founder of Rise Nation, an LA-based VersaClimber studio. “The act of climbing on a VersaClimber not only makes you strong, but also reinforces better moving patterns while working against gravity,” Walsh says. “The motions on the VersaClimber build a stronger core and back which gives you better posture and makes you a more deadly athlete.” Win, win.

The Workout: Indoor Rowing

The Burn: 578 calories per hour
How to Maximize It: Hop on an indoor rowing machine to work your entire body in ways you didn’t think were possible. Every stroke you take incorporates about 84 percent of your muscles, says Helaine Knapp, founder and CEO of CITYROW. And unlike running, it’s super-low-impact on your joints. But just as with running, proper form is essential. “The stroke can [feel] counterintuitive if you’re new to rowing,” Knapp says. “Most of the power should come from your legs as you push back, hinging forward at your hips. Your arms move last, pulling in, and are also first to release as you return to starting position.” Sit up straight with your abs pulled in tight, and focus on your power — not speed. Pick up your pace and you’ll likely take short strokes that don’t work the full range of muscle and can put excess stress on your lower back, according to a study in the Journal of Sports Sciences. “The minute you prioritize speed over proper form, your stroke breaks down and you’re cheating yourself out of the full benefits of the workout,” Knapp says.

The Workout: Plyometrics

The Burn: 550 calories per hour
How to Maximize It: See people cranking out jump squats, burpees, or box jumps at the gym? Those are all moves in what’s referred to as plyometrics, a method of metabolic conditioning reliant on explosive movements (think: hops, bounds and fast feet). The goal is to contract the maximum number of muscle fibers in the minimum amount of time. Plyometrics “‘trick’ your nervous into executing movements with maximum force very quickly,” says Jeffers. Channel the need for max force and quick feet by working out when you’re “fresh and ready-to-go, never tired or completing after another workout,” he warns. “Doing so trains your nervous center to react slower and weaker, which defeats the cumulative benefits of the workout.” Try doing these explosive moves on rubber flooring or grass; anything that’s too soft or too hard will diminish your power on each jump or push-off.

RELATED: 6 Plyometrics Exercises for a Shorter, More Intense Workout

All calorie counts are based on estimates from CalorieCount.com.

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3 Quick HIIT Workouts for Beginners

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Life by DailyBurn is dedicated to helping you live a healthier, happier and more active lifestyle. Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain strength or de-stress, a better you is well within reach. Get more health and fitness tips at Life by DailyBurn.

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Frozen Donor Eggs May Lead to Fewer Births Than Fresh Ones

By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) may be less likely to give birth if they use frozen eggs from donors instead of fresh donor eggs, a new study finds.

Use of frozen donor eggs is increasing, and some IVF centers have established frozen donor egg banks, the researchers said.

“Our research demonstrated that — contrary to some claims made mostly by commercial interests — frozen eggs offer a lower chance of pregnancy and delivery chance after IVF than fresh eggs,” said study co-author Dr. Norbert Gleicher, medical director and chief scientist with the Center for Human Reproduction in New York City. “Patients should be made aware of this fact, before making a choice.”

Until recently, fresh eggs, often from anonymous donors, were usually used for certain IVF procedures, said Gleicher, who is also president of the Foundation for Reproductive Medicine.

“Eggs from usually young, mostly anonymous egg donors are fertilized with partner sperm and transferred into the uterus of a woman, who usually no longer has her own eggs to work with,” he explained.

But women often had to wait months for fresh eggs, while frozen eggs can be stored.

Dr. Rebecca Sokol, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, said frozen egg banking gives patients access to a wider field of donors and provides greater flexibility for scheduling and coordination. She considers these “advantages that may outweigh slightly lower success rates for some patients.”

The study results don’t address the likelihood of births from eggs a woman freezes for her own later use.

The new study, published in the Aug. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined over 11,000 IVF procedures that used donor eggs in 2013. The numbers come from centers that perform 92 percent of all IVF procedures in the United States, the study authors said.

Twenty percent of the procedures used frozen eggs. Of the frozen-egg procedures that resulted in the transfer of an embryo into a woman desiring a child, 47 percent resulted in a live birth. The number of live births was 56 percent when fresh eggs were used.

It’s not clear why frozen eggs resulted in fewer births. Perhaps, the study authors wrote, frozen eggs lost quality during freezing or thawing.

However, many fewer frozen eggs are used for a given procedure than when fresh eggs are involved.

“While frozen donor egg cycles resulted in a somewhat lower percentage of live births than fresh in this national report, this outcome is not unexpected since recipients of frozen eggs typically get fewer eggs for a treatment half as expensive as traditional donor egg with fresh eggs,” said Dr. James Toner, president of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology.

The study acknowledges another complication: The statistics are anonymous, so researchers don’t know the ages of the donors or recipients, which potentially could throw off the results.

Because of the study’s limitations, “we don’t know if fresh is better,” said Dr. Lawrence Grunfeld, a clinical associate professor of medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

“There may be a slightly lower success rate with frozen eggs,” he said. “On the other hand, the diminished success rate could be due to lower egg numbers available.”

For now, people should look at factors such as cost and availability of fresh versus frozen eggs, Grunfeld said. In addition, “future studies should look at the number of eggs available via the two technologies.”

Toner stressed the positive aspects of the findings. “Egg-freezing has only recently been widely adopted, and these results show how effective this approach can be for those needing donor eggs,” he said. “It is not yet known whether these reassuring outcomes will be seen in women in their 30s and 40s.”

A more complete understanding of these outcomes will take time, he said.

For now, Gleicher said, “Patients should be openly informed about advantages and disadvantages of all options.”

Sokol pointed out that great improvements in technique and outcomes have been made in recent years. Still, “patients should be cautioned that putting their eggs into storage today is no guarantee of having a baby tomorrow.”

More information

For more about infertility treatments, visit the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

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Tying the Knot May Mean Less Drinking for Young Adults

TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Toasting the bride and groom may bode well for healthful drinking later: A new study finds that marriage appears to lower drinking rates among young adults.

Researchers looked at long-term data from an ongoing study of familial alcoholism to learn how people’s drinking habits changed between ages 18 and 40. They also looked at how drinking habits were affected by marriage.

About 50 percent of the study participants were children of alcoholics, researchers said.

“Confirming our prediction, we found that marriage not only led to reductions in heavy drinking in general, this effect was much stronger for those who were severe problem drinkers before getting married,” Matthew Lee, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri, said in a university news release.

Although this study found a link between marriage and reduced drinking, it wasn’t designed to prove a cause-and-effect relationship between them.

But, Lee said one way marriage may change drinking behavior is by conflicting with the demands of a person’s expected role in marriage. “Thus, more severe problem drinkers are likely required to more substantially alter their drinking habits to adapt to the marital role,” he explained.

The study was published recently in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Further research is needed to learn more about how marriage reduces people’s drinking. Such insight could help lead to new ways to treat alcohol use disorders.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has more about alcohol use disorders.

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Screen Teens With Depression for Heart Disease, Experts Say

TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Teens with major depression or bipolar disorder may face a higher risk for heart disease and they need to be followed closely, new recommendations from the American Heart Association state.

“Youth with mood disorders are not yet widely recognized as a group at increased risk for excessive and early heart disease. We hope these guidelines will spur action from patients, families and health care providers to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease among these youth,” Dr. Benjamin Goldstein, a child-adolescent psychiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center at the University of Toronto, said in a heart association news release.

Goldstein and his colleagues reviewed published studies and found that teens with major depression or bipolar disorder were more likely than other teens to have: high blood pressure; high cholesterol; obesity, especially around the midsection; type 2 diabetes; and hardening of the arteries.

A 2011 study included in the review looked at more than 7,000 American adults younger than 30 and found that a history of depression or attempted suicide was the top risk factor for heart disease death caused by narrowed/blocked arteries in young women; it was the fourth highest risk factor in young men.

The reasons for this increased risk are unclear. It’s known teens with mood disorders are more likely to have unhealthy habits such as smoking, drug use and physical inactivity, but these factors alone do not explain why they are more likely to develop heart disease, the researchers said.

Some medications used to treat mood disorders can cause weight gain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar levels, but most of the teens in the studies included in the review were not taking these medicines.

Some studies have found that inflammation and other types of cell damage are more common among teens with mood disorders, and that may help explain their increased risk of heart disease, the experts added.

The statement was published Aug. 10 in the journal Circulation.

“Mood disorders are often lifelong conditions, and managing cardiovascular risk early and assertively is tremendously important if we are to be successful in ensuring that the next generation of youth has better cardiovascular outcomes,” Goldstein said.

“These disorders indicate an increased risk of heart disease that requires increased vigilance and action at the earliest possible stage,” he concluded.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more about teen depression.

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Mixed Results on Value of Testosterone Supplements for Men’s Health

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Testosterone therapy may not be as bad for men’s heart health as previously thought, but it doesn’t seem to turn back time on their sex lives either, a new trial shows.

“That was the surprising thing,” said senior study author Dr. Shalender Bhasin, director of the Boston Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “Many middle-aged and older men take testosterone because they feel it will improve their sex life, but the study showed that men who had low-normal or slightly low levels did not show any improvement.”

Testosterone therapy has become big business in the United States, as baby boomers seek ways to counter the effects of aging, Bhasin said.

Sales of testosterone amounted to around $20 million a year in the early 1990s, but by 2012 it had grown into a $2 billion industry, he said.

However, recent studies have cast a pall on testosterone therapy, indicating it may increase risk of heart attacks and strokes, said Bhasin, who also serves as director of the hospital’s Research Program in Men’s Health: Aging and Metabolism.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March started requiring all prescription testosterone products to carry a label warning about possible increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

“Testosterone has become a blockbuster drug,” he said. “It’s just extraordinary growth, and there’s been growing concern among the regulatory agencies about the potential for the increase in risk of cardiac events.”

To assess the safety and effectiveness of testosterone treatment, Bhasin and his colleagues enrolled 308 men older than 60 with testosterone levels in the low or low-normal range, or about what you’d expect in normally aging males.

As men age, their testosterone levels naturally decline, on average by 1 percent a year after age 40, researchers said. Testosterone, a hormone primarily secreted by the testicles, plays a key role in male reproduction, muscle growth, bone mass and body hair.

About half the men were provided daily testosterone gel packets, which they rubbed into their skin. The other men were given a placebo gel that contained no medicine. The research was supported by drug manufacturers Solvay Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Abbvie Pharmaceuticals, which provided the testosterone gel.

After three years, researchers found that men using testosterone gel had not suffered any additional hardening of their arteries, compared with men using a placebo gel. Researchers used hardening of the arteries as a measure because it is one of the leading causes of heart attacks and strokes, Bhasin said.

However, the men also hadn’t shown any improvement in their sex lives, researchers said. Their levels of sexual desire, erectile function and overall sexual function were about the same as men taking the placebo. Their health-related quality of life also did not differ significantly, the investigators found.

“The study shows that indiscriminate use of testosterone by older men, whose levels are low-normal, is not indicated,” Bhasin said. “If your levels are low-normal, it’s not going to help your sexual function or quality of life.”

The findings were reported in the Aug. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study results call into question the whole purpose of testosterone therapy, said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of clinical cardiology at National Jewish Health in Denver and a member of the American College of Cardiology’s Patient-Centered Care Committee.

“You have to ask yourself, why go on this drug if it doesn’t make anyone feel better?” Freeman said.

At the same time, other studies have shown that a healthy diet and regular exercise can improve the sexual ability of aging men, he added.

“The magic bullet may be lifestyle, not testosterone,” Freeman said. “Maybe we’re looking in the wrong area. You can markedly improve sexual function with diet and exercise, although many people don’t want to do that.”

Bhasin pointed out that his clinical trial only looked at hardening of the arteries, and was not lengthy enough to assess overall risk of heart attack or stroke. There may be increased cardiac risk that the trial could not detect, he said.

“We really need long-term trials to look at the effect of testosterone on heart attacks or strokes,” he said.

More information

For more on testosterone therapy, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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Sexting, Internet Safety for Kids Big Concerns in Survey

TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Sexting and online safety are now some of the leading health concerns adults have for children, an annual poll finds.

“The increasing level of concern about Internet safety and sexting that are now ranked even higher than smoking as major childhood health issues really dominates the story this year,” poll director Dr. Matthew Davis, a professor of pediatrics and internal medicine in the child health evaluation and research unit at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, said in a university news release.

Concerns about Internet safety rose to fourth from eighth in 2014, and sexting climbed from 13th to sixth, the survey found. Childhood obesity, bullying and drug abuse remained the top three child health concerns among adults, according to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, which was released Aug. 10.

“We found that while the public may find benefits to today’s shifting media environment, whether through cellphones or other technology, many also recognize risks that may make young people vulnerable,” Davis said.

Childhood abuse and neglect ranked fifth, and smoking and tobacco use was seventh, the findings showed.

Other major health concerns adults have for children include: unsafe neighborhoods; alcohol abuse; sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS; depression; suicide; hunger; too few opportunities for physical activity; gun-related injuries; motor vehicle crashes; attention-deficit disorder; autism; medication safety; vaccine safety; infant death; and food allergies.

The survey found racial/ethnic differences in adults’ views of threats to children’s health. For example, black adults rated depression fourth, school safety fifth and alcohol abuse seventh, and their rating of hunger rose from 15th in 2014 to 10th this year.

Overall, child abuse and neglect was ranked as the fifth major health concern, but was ranked third by Hispanic adults.

“We found that adults from different communities across the U.S. see the challenges of child health differently,” Davis said. “It’s important to understand the priorities of different communities we are trying to reach as we work to safeguard children’s health and help them live the healthiest lives they can,” he added.

“The major health issues that people are most worried about for children across the country reflect the health initiatives providers, communities and policy makers should be focused on,” Davis said.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers tips for raising safe and healthy children.

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12 Deaths Now Reported in NYC Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Aug. 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Two more deaths were reported Monday in the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City, bringing the total to 12.

The number of reported cases also increased, from 100 to 113, officials from the New York City Department of Mental Health and Hygiene said in a news release.

The outbreak has been traced to water-filled cooling towers in the South Bronx.

Health experts note that the elderly, smokers and those with respiratory conditions are most vulnerable to the potentially deadly bacteria. New York City health officials said last week that of those who had died, all were older individuals with other medical conditions.

“There are probably going to be more cases because the disease has a long incubation period — 10 to 14 days,” said Dr. Robert Glatter, an attending physician in the department of emergency medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Another expert explained that the disease is more likely to get a foothold during warm weather.

“Every summer, when we are using air conditioning, the odds of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease increases,” said Dr. Debra Spicehandler, an infectious diseases specialist at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y.

Hospitals routinely test their water for Legionnaires’, she said. However, hotels, apartment buildings and offices are not required to test for it.

Glatter said that most of the people who are affected by Legionnaires’ are the elderly, people who smoke and those with chronic medical conditions, such as emphysema or asthma. Children and young adults are usually not affected, he said.

According to Glatter, the bacteria is commonly found in water and soil. “However, when it is able to set up shop in cooling towers where the water is warm, it can reproduce quickly and spread,” he said.

But Spicehandler noted that “it’s a very simple, treatable disease most of the time.”

Among the young and healthy, the infection runs its course without treatment, but among those at high risk, up to 30 percent can die, Glatter said.

Fortunately, Legionnaires’ cannot be spread person-to-person, Glatter said. “It is airborne and is contracted by inhaling it or, in theory, through drinking water,” he said.

Legionnaires’ causes fever, cough and chills, Glatter said. If caught early, it can be treated with antibiotics.

“Death is usually caused by respiratory failure,” Glatter said. “The bacteria overwhelms the lung tissue and reduces the ability to get oxygen into the lungs. Asphyxia [suffocation] is the main cause of death,” he said. “Death can occur within three to five days or sooner.”

Legionnaires’ disease was first seen among 2,000 American Legionnaires attending a convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1976, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak was linked to air conditioner cooling towers in the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel. That outbreak sickened 221 people, and 34 died.

“People should not be alarmed at this point,” Glatter said. “The cooling towers are being cleaned and disinfected, and these measures should make the public feel safer,” he said.

More information

Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more on Legionnaires’ disease.

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‘Scoring System’ May Spot Those in Greatest Need of Colonoscopy

TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Colonoscopy can save lives, but experts agree that testing rates remain too low. Now, researchers say a special scoring system might point to those people at highest risk for colon cancer, who may need the test the most.

The system might also make colon cancer screening more efficient and boost the number of people who get checked for the disease, said a team led by Dr. Thomas Imperiale of Indiana University Medical Center, in Indianapolis.

One expert said more efforts are needed to get people to undergo colonoscopy, which is currently recommended once every 10 years beginning at age 50.

“Five percent of the U.S. population will be diagnosed with colon cancer within their lifetimes,” said Dr. Arun Swaminath, director of the inflammatory bowel disease program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He was not involved in the new research.

Swaminath noted that one study published in 2012 found that “colonoscopy reduced the risk of death from colon cancer by 53 percent, by removing polyps. No other procedure is available to remove polyps from anywhere in the colon.”

And while some areas of the United States have rates of compliance with colonoscopy guidelines of 75 percent or more, “many areas have poor colon cancer screening rates,” he added.

Imperiale’s team noted that not all people deemed to be at “average risk” for colon cancer face the same risk of the disease, and so some might benefit more from invasive colonoscopy than others.

In the new study, the Indiana researchers looked at more than 4,400 Americans who were scheduled to undergo their first screening colonoscopy. They calculated a clinical “score” for each of these patients, based on their health information, and the five most common risk factors for colon cancer: age, sex, waist size, smoking and family history.

Then they looked at the results of each patient’s colonoscopy. The study found that patients classified under the scoring system as low-risk did, in fact, have far fewer advanced abnormal growths that might develop into cancer, compared to patients classified as high-risk.

So, patients scoring at the lower end of risk for colon cancer might be able to have less invasive screening tests (such as the fecal occult blood test), while those at higher risk would require a colonoscopy, Imperiale’s team concluded.

However, Swaminath wasn’t fully sold on the notion.

He believes that the scoring system “was only modestly able to separate people within the risk groups.” Swaminath pointed out that even the new study found that “low- to intermediate-risk patients still have a risk between of between 1.9 percent to 9.9 percent of harboring a polyp that can develop into cancer.”

For now, he said, the data from this study is not strong enough to spur any changes in current screening recommendations.

Dr. Jules Garbus is co-chief of colon and rectal surgery at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y. He seemed more supportive of the new scoring system.

“A risk stratification tool is critical in helping physicians make appropriate screening recommendations for patients,” Garbus said. “While high-risk patients may ultimately require a screening colonoscopy, many average- and low-risk patients could undergo less invasive screening procedures. This can improve patient compliance with screening, as well as address escalating health care cost issues.

The study is published Aug. 10 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about colorectal cancer screening.

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