Autism Risk From Antidepressants Is Very Small: Study

Photo: Getty Images

About 10% of pregnant women take antidepressants, and most start before they become pregnant. The medications—the most popular of which are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs—are important for treating depression, but they also carry a warning that pregnant women shouldn’t take them because the drugs could potentially harm developing babies. Some studies have linked the drugs to a higher risk of certain birth defects, while others found that some of this risk was overblown.

In the latest study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers try to clarify how safe antidepressants are during pregnancy. They looked at any connection between the prescription medications and autism in children born to women who used them while pregnant. The current analysis detected a slightly higher risk of autism among children of antidepressant users, but experts say that the risk is still very small.

MORE: These Antidepressants May Be Riskier For Pregnant Women, Study Says

Previous studies investigating the same risk found conflicting results; some detected a link while others did not. But most earlier studies involved small numbers of women and their children, so Anick Berard, professor of perinatal epidemiology at the University of Montreal, and her colleagues turned to a much larger population: all of the babies born in Quebec between 1998 and 2009. They correlated whether the mothers filled a prescription for an antidepressant a year before getting pregnant, just before or any time during pregnancy with another factor: diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder in their infants.

Among all single births, the risk was highest among expectant moms who began antidepressants during their second or third trimesters, compared to those getting the medications during their first trimester. That makes sense, says Berard, because while anatomical development of organs occurs early during gestation, brain development, which could affect autism risk, starts later.

MORE: Why Taking Antidepressants During Pregnancy Might Not Be So Risky

Because they had prescription data, Berard’s team could also see whether different types of antidepressants had different effects on autism risk. The SSRIs were associated with a two-fold greater risk. Berard stresses that this increased risk is small risk relative to the rate of autism among newborns. On average, about 1% of babies born are diagnosed with the developmental disorder. The greater relative risk seen in this study raises that to under 2%—a small relative increase.

Other experts caution that the findings don’t necessarily help women struggling with the difficult question of whether to continue (or in some cases start) taking antidepressants during pregnancy. Treating depression is important for a healthy pregnancy, since mentally healthy mothers will be better able to take care of themselves and their growing babies.

“Unfortunately I don’t think this study really adds a lot in terms of our understanding about how antidepressants may affect the developing fetus,” says Leandra Berry, associate director of clinical services autism center at Texas Children’s Hospital, who was not involved in the study.

While the study involved a large number of women, it still could not establish for certain that the antidepressants—and not the depression or anxiety prompting the prescription—were contributing to the autism risk.

MORE: Study Finds Possible Association Between Autism and Air Pollution

“Prior research suggested a link between maternal mental health conditions including depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia to an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in their offspring,” says Berry. “Just depression alone could account for the slightly increased risk of ASD in this sample who were born to mothers who were exposed to antidepressants. [The researchers] cannot parse out what unique contribution antidepressant usage was making above and beyond having depression or a mental health condition.”

There might be something about the women being prescribed antidepressants during pregnancy that makes them different somehow from women not prescribed the drugs, and that difference might be involved in the connection to autism. Dr. Bryan King, director of Seattle Children’s Hospital Autism Center, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study, says that women who continue taking antidepressants during their pregnancy may also have more severe depression or anxiety than women who might also be depressed but aren’t prescribed the drugs. That may also be a factor in autism risk, since some genetic studies have found connections between genes associated with depression and those correlated to autism. “It’s really hard to drill down into the signal found in this study and to attribute it to the drugs specifically,” he says.

MORE: How Brain Scans Can Diagnose Autism With 97% Accuracy

She admits that in some ways her results are somewhat crude. The study did not account for the severity of depression, the dose of the antidepressant or how much of the medications they actually took. Berard could only use filling a prescription as an indication that the women took at least one pill; some may have taken the entire prescription, which usually lasts for a month, while others did not.

But she hopes that the findings serve as a stepping stone to more research—specifically studies that analyze the dosage of antidepressants—to tease apart the long-term effects that the drugs taken during pregnancy can have on child development. In the meantime, she, Berry and King say that the study should not discourage women who need the medications from taking them even if they become pregnant, because depression can have serious consequences if it’s untreated.

This article originally appeared on Time.com.

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1QK2PzW

Electromagnetic Waves May Help Fight Deadly Brain Cancer

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Low-intensity electromagnetic waves might help slow a quick-growing and deadly form of brain cancer, researchers report.

Patients with glioblastoma experienced slightly better overall survival and delayed recurrence of their brain cancer if their heads were exposed to a type of electromagnetic field therapy alongside conventional chemotherapy, the Swiss research team found.

This therapy, called tumor-treating fields, already is approved in the United States and could prove useful in tackling other forms of cancer, said lead researcher Dr. Roger Stupp, chairman of the department of oncology and cancer center at the University Hospital Zurich.

“This treatment may soon become a valuable addition to many situations where improved local tumor control by a noninvasive treatment is of importance,” Stupp said.

The tumor-treating field device resembles a swimmer’s cap, with insulated electrodes lining the interior, explained Dr. John Sampson, chief of neurosurgery at the Duke University School of Medicine, in Durham, N.C. Wires run from the cap to a battery-powered backpack.

When placed on a shaved head, the electrodes in the cap deliver low-intensity alternating electric fields to the brain, Sampson said.

These electric waves are believed to interfere with cancer cells’ ability to divide, slowing the progress of a tumor or even causing it to shrink, Stupp said.

The trial was funded by the device’s manufacturer, Novocure.

The study focused on people suffering from glioblastoma, which the researchers referred to as the most devastating malignancy of the central nervous system in adults. The cancer forms from the glue-like supportive tissue of the brain known as glial tissue, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

Most patients with glioblastoma die within one to two years of diagnosis, the researchers said in background information. During the last decade, they said, all attempts to improve the outcome for patients with glioblastoma have failed in large, randomized trials.

The Swiss research team randomly assigned nearly 700 patients with glioblastoma to one of two follow-up treatments after all had completed chemotherapy and radiation therapy. About two-thirds received the tumor-treating electromagnetic waves plus the chemotherapy drug temozolomide, while the remaining third received temozolomide alone.

People receiving the tumor-treating electromagnetic waves had to shave their scalp and wear the electrode-laced cap at least 18 hours a day, according to the study.

“The device has to be carried around at all times, usually in a small backpack,” Stupp said, noting that the new models weigh about 2 pounds.

People who received the electromagnetic field treatment remained cancer-free an average three months longer than those who got only follow-up chemotherapy — 7.1 months compared with four months, the researchers reported.

Average overall survival also was about five months longer, amounting to 20.5 months in the tumor-treating fields group versus 15.6 months in the chemotherapy-only group.

Patients experienced very few side effects from the electromagnetic wave treatment, with the most common being a rash from the electrode cap. Ointments and steroid creams usually cleared up the problem, Stupp said.

Stupp called the results a step forward in the “management of these patients suffering from this most aggressive and debilitating brain tumor.”

The findings were published Dec. 15 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Previous trials involving tumor-treating fields have not produced strong results like these, said Sampson, who wrote a journal editorial accompanying the study.

Because of those mixed early results, and because the therapy is somewhat mysterious, hospitals in the United States have been reluctant to embrace the technology, Sampson said.

“The problem you get into is that you have a therapy with positive survival data in a large trial, but the mechanism is largely unknown,” he said. “It’s sort of like magic, right? It seems to work, but people don’t know why.”

Stupp agreed that cancer doctors are still scratching their heads over the new technology.

“The experience and data are consistent and convincing,” Stupp said. “But because it’s a novel and somewhat unusual way to treat cancer it is still met with a lot of skepticism by many of my colleagues and peers.”

One concern is that the new trial wasn’t “blinded.” That meant that patients knew they were being treated with electromagnetic fields, and that could have influenced the results, Sampson said.

However, he added that tumors generally don’t respond to placebo effects. “You can’t give someone a placebo and expect their tumor to shrink,” Sampson said.

The tumor-treating field device “is available at a growing number of certified treatment centers all across the United States,” Stupp said. “Currently, there are over 200 hospitals equipped and trained for the use of this device.”

More information

For more on glioblastoma, visit the American Brain Tumor Association.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1ZamuvG

Many Americans Dubious of Flu Shot’s Effectiveness

TUESDAY, Dec. 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Less than half of Americans strongly believe that the flu shot will help them avoid the illness, and one-third don’t believe it will protect them at all, a new survey finds.

The fact that The Harris Poll turned up so many flu shot doubters is troubling, one expert said, because immunization does offer protection.

“Vaccination can provide as much as a 60 to 70 percent guarantee of protection against the flu,” said Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “Why wouldn’t everyone want as much protection as possible?”

However, the online survey of 2,225 adults, conducted in mid-October, found that 32 percent didn’t think flu vaccination would protect them, while only 43 percent “strongly believed” a flu shot offers help against the virus.

And nearly half of those surveyed — 42 percent — thought “people take the flu season too seriously.”

Many respondents said there were many other ways that they could protect themselves from the flu, such as: washing their hands frequently (69 percent), using hand sanitizers (37 percent) and staying well rested (63 percent). Other trusted strategies included healthy eating (54 percent), dressing appropriately for the weather (48 percent) and taking vitamins (37 percent), the poll revealed.

Support for the flu shot seemed to increase with age. For example, three-quarters of Americans 70 and older — a group especially vulnerable to the flu — felt the vaccine could protect them, according to the survey. However, that number dropped to 47 percent for baby boomers and to only one-third for Gen Xers and millennials.

The opposite was true when it came to alternative remedies, the findings showed. For example, while just 8 percent of those over 70 believed homeopathic treatments could protect them from the flu, 14 percent of baby boomers, 18 percent of Gen Xers and 29 percent of millennials believed these products might help.

Still, nothing offers the protection of the flu shot, another expert said, and the consequences of skipping the vaccine can be dire.

Studies show that use of the flu vaccine “reduced children’s risk of flu-related pediatric intensive care unit admission by 74 percent during flu seasons from 2010-2012,” said Dr. Howard Selinger, chair of family medicine at Quinnipiac University’s School of Medicine in Hamden, Conn.

“Flu vaccination was also associated with a 71 percent reduction in flu-related hospitalizations among adults of all ages, and a 77 percent reduction among adults 50 years of age and older during the 2011-2012 flu season,” Selinger added.

“The take-home message is that healthy behaviors and flu vaccination together can make a tremendous difference in keeping people healthy,” Selinger said. “And should they catch the flu, it should shorten the course of the illness and reduce the severity of the symptoms.”

In the meantime, many Americans do the best they can to avoid flu germs in the first place. The poll found that 51 percent of respondents said they limit contact with children to try and miss out on the flu, while 35 percent said they avoid public transportation during flu season.

Thirty-two percent believe that doors, knobs and handles are most likely to be tainted with germs, followed by phones (19 percent), toilets and toilet handles (5 percent), remote controls, sponges and money (4 percent each).

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about flu vaccination.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1NRDvHr

Industry Paying for Growing Percentage of Medical Trials

TUESDAY, Dec. 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — There’s been a sharp rise in the number of industry-funded clinical trials of medical treatments and a significant decline in those financed by the U.S. government in recent years, new research finds.

The number of newly-registered industry-funded trials rose from almost 4,600 in 2006 to 6,550 in 2014 — a 43 percent increase, the found. At the same time, the number of trials supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) fell from nearly 1,400 to almost 1,050 — a 24 percent decrease, the researchers said.

That means there were six times more industry-funded trials registered in 2014 than trials funded by the NIH, according to the study.

The study authors suggested that these changes mean industry-funded clinical trials have a growing influence compared to government-supported trials. And, they noted, while companies have a vested interest in the outcomes of their clinical trials, government-financed trials often lead to prevention and treatment recommendations.

“My concern is that independent trials are on the decline and that means we have less high-quality data to inform public health that are not influenced by commercial interests,” study leader Dr. Stephan Ehrhardt, an associate professor in the department of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, said in a school news release.

“When I am doing a government-funded trial comparing two treatments, I start with the assumption that both treatments are equal. I don’t have a vested financial interest in the outcome,” he said.

“But when I am a drug company testing my new product, my objectivity can be compromised by the company’s bottom line since it costs me millions of dollars to develop and test my product to get it on the market. It might be difficult for me to be completely objective. The stakes are very high,” Ehrhardt said.

The findings were published Dec. 15 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers looked at clinical trials — studies conducted on people — registered in the United States between 2006 and 2014. A trial must be registered if the results are going to be published, the researchers explained.

Ehrhardt believes there are two reasons for the decline in NIH-supported clinical trials: reduced federal government funding for the agency and increased competition for government medical research dollars.

He said that experts need to discuss how to best allocate health-related research budgets.

“What best informs public health? It’s probably clinical trials in large populations, such as testing to see if a reduced-salt diet reduces blood pressure. That study changed the way people eat and helped to reduce hypertension in many people. Industry would never do that. They’d have no interest in a reduced-salt diet. There’s no money in that,” he concluded.

More information

The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about clinical trials.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1ZamsE5

CEO’s Plan to Raise the Price of a Cheap Drug Sparks Outrage (Again)

Photo: Getty Images

Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli, who raised the price of the antiparastic drug Daraprim by 5,000% earlier this year, is at it again.

This time Shkreli is pursuing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to sell the drug benznidazole, used to treat Chagas disease. Although the drug is available in South and Central America (where Chagas is more common), it is not FDA-approved for sale in the U.S. Right now the CDC provides infected patients with free benznidazole on an experimental basis—but it won’t be free for long if Shkreli gets his way.

RELATED: How Healthy Is Your State? All 50, Ranked From First to Worst

The New York Times reports that Shrkeli intends to take advantage of a federal program that awards vouchers worth hundreds of millions of dollars; the program is designed to encourage companies to develop drugs for rare or neglected diseases. But instead of developing a novel treatment (which is very expensive) Shkreli plans to simply secure FDA approval for a drug that’s already in use in other countries.

This would give his company sole rights to sell benznidazole in the U.S. for a minimum of five years. Shkreli plans to raise the cost to something equitable to breakthrough Hepatitis C drugs, which range from $60,000 to $100,000 for just one course of treatment. To put that number into perspective, benznidazole currently costs $50 to $100 in Latin America for a two-month course.

The CDC estimates there are more than 300,000 cases of Chagas disease in the U.S. It is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, found in the feces of the triatomine insect, also known as the “kissing bug” since it bites people’s faces.

RELATED: The 20 Biggest Lessons We Learned About Our Health in 2015

If left untreated, the disease can be fatal. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 30% of patients infected with the parasite experience life-threatening symptoms like irregular heartbeat and digestive issues due to an enlarged esophagus and colon.

RELATED: 6 Insane Examples of Prescription Drug Price Increases

Spiking the price could make it nearly impossible for some to afford treatment for Chagas. This is especially problematic considering the disease hits the poor and people without insurance the hardest.

As Sheba Meymandi, MD, director of a Chagas treatment center at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center explained to the New York Times: “It’s caused a lot of angst in the Chagas community. Everyone’s in an uproar.”

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1YhXjFf

Majority of U.S. Hospitals Don’t Require Flu Shots for Staffers: Survey

TUESDAY, Dec. 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — More than half of U.S. hospitals don’t require health care providers to get a seasonal flu shot, a new study finds.

In the 2013 survey of infection control specialists at 386 hospitals nationwide, about 43 percent said flu vaccination was mandatory for all health care providers. About 10 percent more said their hospital would require the shot the next flu season.

The researchers also found that only 1.3 percent of Veterans Affairs hospitals required all health care providers to get a flu shot. The VA wants near-universal flu vaccination in its hospitals by 2020, according to the study in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

Opposition from employee unions or concerns about staff opposition were reasons why nearly 28 percent of VA hospitals and about 15 percent of non-VA hospitals did not require flu vaccination, according to the report.

A number of national recommendations say all health care workers should receive seasonal flu vaccination.

“Vaccination of health care workers has been shown to significantly reduce patients’ risk of influenza and its complications, including pneumonia and death, compared with vaccination of patients alone,” study senior author Dr. Sanjay Saint, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan, said in a university news release. Saint is also chief of medicine at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

“To put it bluntly, American hospitals have a lot of work to do,” he added.

Study lead author M. Todd Greene, a research investigator at the University of Michigan and the VA, said mandatory flu shots will likely face some continued opposition.

“But our findings suggest that opportunities remain for many health care organizations to require vaccination of their staff to increase coverage rates,” Greene added.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about seasonal flu vaccination.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1m3Smnt

Scans Show Many Injured U.S. Vets May Have Brain ‘Scarring’

By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — New research finds brain “scarring” in many members of the U.S. military who suffered concussions during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“More than half of the military service members we studied have one or more lesions on the brain that can be thought of as scars in their brains,” said study lead author Dr. Gerard Riedy, a radiologist specializing in the brain at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

The study involved more than 800 service members with blast-related concussions. More than four out of five reported one or more blast-related incidents, and almost two-thirds said they lost consciousness.

According to Riedy, the new study “is just the tip of the iceberg” in terms of research into how soldiers are affected by these often-devastating injuries.

The Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center estimates that more than 300,000 service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries between 2000 and 2015. Bombs often caused the injuries.

Concussions, the focus of the new study, are the mildest of these brain injuries. But they may differ from the concussions caused by car accidents, sports collisions or falls in civilian life, the study authors said.

National Football League statistics, for example, show that it’s rare for football injuries to cause a player to lose consciousness, Riedy said.

“In addition, a bomb going off and a linebacker hitting you are very different,” he said. Also, a football player is typically taken off the field after a head injury.

“In the military when an IED [improvised explosive device] goes off, that is usually just the start of the action. There are no timeouts, and when a service member wakes up after loss of consciousness they must often have to perform in a chaotic and hostile situation,” Riedy said. “Some researchers believe that this is a contributing factor to the high incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder in these patients.”

In the study, 834 service people who suffered traumatic brain injuries (mostly concussions) from 2009 to 2014 underwent MRI brain scans, as did 42 adults without head injuries. Bombs caused 84 percent of the brain injuries.

The researchers said they saw signs of brain scarring in 52 percent of injured patients, small areas of bleeding in 7 percent and signs of pituitary gland abnormalities in 29 percent. The pituitary gland, which produces crucial hormones in the body, is located at the base of the brain.

The results are important, Riedy said, because they can lead to more accurate diagnoses.

The study results were published in the Dec. 15 online edition of Radiology.

However, one expert said the findings by themselves aren’t necessarily cause for concern.

Dr. David Cifu, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Virginia Commonwealth University, said the study patients don’t represent most of those who suffered concussions in the military. The study participants were more severely affected by their injuries and required special treatment, he said.

As a result, the findings “may not apply to the vast majority of servicemen, veterans or civilians with concussion,” he suggested.

Cifu also said the findings of “extremely minor and small” brain scarring aren’t a major cause for concern.

“In the overwhelming majority of individuals, it will mean nothing,” Cifu said. “In a small number, the small areas of structural damage will cause problems, but this is rare.” Also, the pituitary gland findings probably aren’t meaningful, added Cifu, who wasn’t involved in the study.

Cifu said proper care can aid recovery from traumatic brain injury. The best approach is to treat specific symptoms and look for rehabilitation strategies that allow patients to manage their lives and adapt, he added. Over the long term, it’s important to stay fit, eat a nutritious diet, avoid isolation and keep the mind active, he said.

More information

For more about traumatic brain injury and the military, see the U.S. Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1m3Smnn

How to Avoid Weight Gain When Traveling for the Holidays

credit: Getty Images

‘Tis the season for holiday travel! As one of the busiest times of the year approaches, many of us are preparing for a vacation with our families and friends. While this is something to look forward to, it can also be stressful. Not to mention, there’s often lots of indulging between now and New Year’s—and the last thing any of us wants is to pack on extra weight. Here are my five best tips for staying fit while you’re on-the-go this holiday season.

RELATED: 24 Fat-Burning Exercises (No Crunches!)

1. Walk everywhere

Instead of taking cabs or buses, try to walk whenever possible. This is one of my favorite things to do when traveling, even if I’m going somewhere familiar. It’s amazing what you can discover by walking around your hometown, and you’re fitting in extra exercise as a bonus. To give yourself an extra boost, always take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator. And don’t get on those moving sidewalks in the airport!

 2. Find a local hike

For bonus points: Don’t just walk, hike! Do a bit of research to find a scenic spot for the whole family to enjoy. Not only will you boost your burn, but a change of scenery is also a great way to bond with your loved ones and experience something new.

3. Sightsee while on a run

Plenty of people just head home for the holidays, but if you’re going somewhere new and exciting this year do not overlook running routes as a fun way to see the sights. Nothing spices up a run or brisk walk quite like a beautiful view. If there’s a lake, ocean, or park nearby, use it as the starting point for your workout. This is a great way to explore the area on foot while getting your body moving and breaking a sweat.

RELATED: 11 Fitness Foods to Help You Get in Shape Faster

4. Splurge, but only when it’s worth it

This is one of my go-to tips no matter where I am. I always want to enjoy the amazing food that come with the holidays, but I don’t want to expand my waistline while I’m there, either. If I did that every time I traveled, I’d surely gain weight over time.

Instead, I choose to splurge wisely on a few comfort meals or must-try restaurants, but I eat pretty simply the rest of the trip. In other words, if you’re at that famous bakery your mom loves and want to try their freshly baked bread, absolutely do it! But if you’re going to stop at a chain restaurant just to fuel up, opt for something on the healthier side and save those calories for dessert later on.

5. When all else fails, take five

When there’s free time in between activities or if it feels like we’ll be having a quieter day, I like to fit in a short workout. Here’s a quick circuit I love when I only have a few minutes to spare. It requires no equipment and can be done anywhere, such as if you’re waiting for your family to get ready for dinner. Do it once or as many times as you can before everyone is ready to go!

1 minute of squat to left side kicks

1 minute of squat to right side kicks

1 minute of burpees

1 minute plank

1 minute of squat jumps

Looking for more ways to beat the holiday bulge? Check out this 20-minute holiday workout plan, which has fat-burning moves that allow you to indulge in moderation without feeling the guilt.

RELATED: 20 Ways to Do a Plank

Jennifer Cohen is a leading fitness authority, TV personality, entrepreneur, and best-selling author of the new book, Strong is the New Skinny. With her signature, straight-talking approach to wellness, Jennifer was the featured trainer on The CW’s Shedding for the Wedding, mentoring the contestants’ to lose hundreds of pounds before their big day, and she appears regularly on NBC’s Today Show, Extra, The Doctors and Good Morning America. Connect with Jennifer on Facebook, Twitter, G+ and on Pinterest.

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1TNeRI8

Standing on World Stage Has Its Perils

MONDAY, Dec. 14, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Elected national leaders often go gray quickly — just look at President Obama’s silver-tipped crown. Now, a new study says they tend to die prematurely, too.

“The stress of governing may substantially accelerate mortality for our elected leaders,” study senior author Dr. Anupam Jena, an associate professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School, said in a Harvard news release.

Jena and colleagues compared 279 elected presidents and prime ministers in 17 countries with 261 candidates who failed to get elected. The study included winners and losers of elections held from 1722 to 2015.

The results: Elected leaders lived 2.7 fewer years and were 23 percent more likely to die prematurely than the runners-up.

This did not prove that being elected a leader caused premature death, as only an association was seen in the study.

The study appears in the holiday issue of the journal BMJ.

Previous research found that being a U.S. president had no significant effect on life expectancy, but the sample size may have been too small, the authors of the new study said.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers tips and advice for healthy living.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1O5Py5K

Take Our 12 Days of Fitness Challenge to Stay Active Through the Holidays

Photo: Getty images

The holiday season is upon us, which means lots of merrymaking (read: sips and sweets). And while it may not be your intention to slack on your fitness routine, it does happen. In an effort to help you stay (somewhat) in line, we tapped 12 top trainers to provide some of their must-do moves. They are super simple–meaning they don’t require any crazy equipment– but will still help you work up a decent sweat. Try adding one to your current routine daily. Or, if you’ve been sprawled out on the couch watching TV all day (no judgement), use the next commercial break to do at least one of these moves. Happy holidays and happy sweating!

On the first day of fitness my trainer gave to me… Bridge Pose

Per Meg McNeal of Lyon’s Den Power Yoga: “This is an accessible way to stretch the front body and strengthen the back muscles. Your quadriceps strongly engage bringing the power of this pose into the legs.”

How to do it: Lay down on the ground bending both knees so feet are flat on the floor and you can graze the backs of your heels with your middle fingers. Feet should be about hip-width distance apart with toes facing forward. Lift hips up and walk the upper arm bones underneath your body, interlacing the fingertips underneath you. Pressing the four corners of the feet down into the floor to engage the leg muscles and keep rotating the inner thighs toward one another as if you were squeezing a yoga block (use a block if you want!); hold for 5 full breaths. Release the arms out from underneath you and roll down through the spinal column. Take one breath to rest and then come right back up. Repeat 5 times total.

Modification: Slip a yoga block (at its greatest height) underneath the body and rest your sacrum on the block. This is a resting bridge pose, which will stimulate and invigorate the body as a backbend but with a lot less work involved.

RELATED: Yoga Poses for Anxiety, Pain, and More

On the second day of fitness my trainer gave to me… Seated Dumbbell Front Raise

Corey Calliet of Calliet X-treme Fitness, AKA the man who helped Michael B. Jordan get the drool-worthy body for his staring role in Creed, says: “This shoulder sculptor targets the front delts to build and define the muscle. Feel the burn!”

How to do it: Sit tall on an exercise bench with an 8-10 pound dumbbell in each hand. Raise arms with an explosive force; hold and squeeze for a count of two at the top. Slowly and with control lower dumbbells back down, and then repeat. Complete 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

On the third day of fitness my trainer gave to me… Walk Out Plank Push-up

“This is a great at-home workout that targets multiple muscles— core, chest, anterior deltoids and triceps — without any need for equipment,” explains Lena Marti, instructor at HIIT-based Orangetheory and star of Bravo’s fitness reality series Work Out New York.

How to do it: Start standing; bend knees slightly and place hands on the floor. Keep back flat. Walk hands out into a plank position and perform one pushup. When you rise back to plank, walk hands back to toes and stand. Do 4 sets of 8 reps with 45 seconds to 1-minute rest in between sets.

Modification: Perform the push-up on your knees.

On the fourth day of fitness my trainer gave to me… Kettlebell High Pull

“This is a great lower and upper body exercise that will really works those shoulders,” explains Tyler Manzo, CrossFit coach at Brick Grand Central. “And the higher the reps the bigger the shoulder burn.”

How to do it: Start with feet an inch outside of shoulders with a kettlebell on the ground between feet. With chest up and eyes forward, bend knees and grab the kettlebell with both hands. Keeping arms straight, stand up with force, pulling the kettlebell up to chest by bending elbows out to the sides and raising forearms. Do 4 sets of 10 reps.

RELATED: 17 Ways to Burn More Calories All Day

On the fifth day of fitness my trainer gave to me… Hip Drive into Step Up and Lift

“This combo makes a great workout finisher or super-efficient mini workout that hits all your largest muscle groups for a metabolic shock that will have you burning calories and fat for the rest of your day,” says Brynn Putnam, founder of Refine Method, a boutique fitness studio in NYC.

How to do it: Sit with your hips on your heels holding an 8-10 pounds medicine ball at your chest. Brace your abs and drive from your glutes, coming to your knees. Step your right foot forward, then use your left foot to step up onto a 6- to 12-inch box, lifting up until right toe, and then lifting the ball across your body towards your left shoulder. Step down and return to seated position. Perform for 60 seconds and then rest for 30s, alternating sides. Do 6-10 rounds.

On the sixth day of fitness my trainer gave to me… Lateral Burpee

“This bodyweight move, which can be done anywhere with very little space, works the chest, shoulders, legs and core and is fantastic for burning fat and improving overall conditioning,” says Adam Rosante, founder of The People’s Bootcamp and author of The 30-Second body: Eat Clean. Train Dirty. Live Hard.

How to do it: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Squat down and place hands on the floor under shoulders. Jump feet back to land in a push-up position. Perform a push-up. Jump feet back to start, then explosively jump straight up and over to the right. Land softly and repeat the entire movement, this time jumping up and over to the left. Keep alternating sides. Perform the move for 30-seconds, resting up to 30-seconds before repeating. That’s 1 round. Do 8 total rounds.

RELATED: 30-Day Weight Loss Challenge

On the seventh day of fitness my trainer gave to me…Plank

“Planks are a great ab-targeting exercise that incorporate the whole body— shoulders, arms, upper and lower back, glutes, thighs, hamstrings, calves and feet,” notes Danny Musico, celeb trainer who has whipped everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Wahlberg to Jessica Simpson and JoJo into tip-top shape.

How to do it: Get into the “up” part of a push-up, aligning your shoulders, arms, upper and lower back while contracting your core down through your glutes. Keep your body as straight as possible with the focus on your mid-section stability. Do 3 sets starting at 30 seconds and then build up.

On the eighth day of fitness my trainer gave to me…Lynx Hamstring Curl

“This move works your entire core, along with your butt and hamstrings,” says Harley Pasternak, is the man behind a bevy of celeb bodies including Megan Fox, Katy Perry and Ariana Grande.

How to do it: Lie face-up, legs extended out in front of you with heels on Lynx discs (or Valslides, Sklz Slidez, or even towels). Slowly move feet in toward butt as you lift butt and lower back off the ground to come into a hip bridge. Slide feet back out and then using your core lift up to a seated position with hands straight out in front of you. Lower back down and repeat entire move. Do 3 sets of 10-15 reps.

On the ninth day of fitness my trainer gave to me… Backwards Lunge Jumps

“Not only will this explosive move help elevate your heart rate, but it is a great sculptor for your quads, hamstrings, calves and abs while simultaneously working on your coordination,” explains Alonzo Wilson, Founder of Tone House, an extreme athletic fitness studio in New York.

How to do it: Start with feet together, take a giant step back with the right leg, and lower down into a lunge. Explode off the left leg jumping up and driving the right knee forward. Land back in the lunge position. Do all reps on right and then repeat move on left side. Do 3 sets of 20 reps per leg.

Modification: Can’t jump? Lunge back and then rise up and drive your working knee forward.

RELATED: A (Safe!) Jump-Start Cleanse

On the tenth day of fitness my trainer gave to me… Renegade Row

“Not only will this help stabilize your core, it will also help improve posture and tone arms when done correctly,” explains Joe Holder, Nike running and training coach and elite trainer at S10 Training. “This is crucial as proper posture creates a better-perceived physique. The back, especially mid-back, is an often under targeted area for women and this exercise hits key muscles that will assist in posture improvement and overall strength.”

How to do it: Grab a pair of 8- to 10-pound dumbbells and get in plank position with your hands on weights and feet hip-width apart; press into dumbells for better balance. Bend right elbow and then raise dumbbell until your elbow passes your torso. Lower arm back to start and repeat on the other side. Continue alternating. Do 3 sets of 12 reps.

On the eleventh day of fitness my trainer gave to me…Hand Step-Up

“Many women shy away from machines in the gym for chest work and have truly poor form when doing push-ups,” says Andia Winslow, founder of the Fit Cycle and a running coach at New York City’s indoor running studio Mile High Club. “That’s why the Hand step-up is a great starter move. It works the chest and shoulders yes, but when down properly, the core as well. It also helps with posture and body control.”

How to do it: Find an elevated surface— curb, back of a treadmill, low plyo box, stack of hard back books—and situate body in push-up form in front of elevated surface with legs extended and shoulders stacked over wrists. For 30 seconds, with right hand leading, place right hand on elevated surface followed by left and then return right hand to lower surface, followed by left. Take a one-minute break and repeat the move for another 30 seconds, leading with the left hand. Do 3 rounds.

RELATED: 20 Ways to Do a Plank

On the twelfth day of fitness my trainer gave to me… Bent-Leg Butt Lift

“This is the ultimate butt-lifting move,” says Jason Bayus, trainer at YG Studios in New York City. “With your shoulders set up lower than your hips, you’re enlisting gravity to help strengthen and tone those glutes. The slow descent of the leg challenges your right obliques while also toning the supporting arms isometrically.”

How to do it: Start on all fours with hands clasped together and head lightly resting on hands. Lift your right leg as high as possible, leg and knee turned out with your foot flexed. Slowly begin to bend your right knee to a 90-degree angle as the leg drops to your side almost to the floor. (Keep foot higher than knee) Next, press the leg and heel of your right foot back up high into the air as your leg straightens directly behind you. Switch legs. Work up to 3 sets of 25 reps per leg.

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1lJPufX