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Air Pollution Linked to Risk of Preterm Birth

MONDAY, Feb. 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Exposure to high levels of air pollution in pregnancy may increase the risk of having a preterm baby, new research suggests.

For the study, researchers examined nearly 225,000 births of single babies in Ohio between 2007 and 2010. More than 19,000 of them were preterm deliveries — before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Exposure to high levels of small particle air pollution during pregnancy was associated with a 19 percent increased risk of preterm birth. The risk was greatest when high levels of exposure occurred during the third trimester, the study found.

“Although the risk increase is modest, the potential impact is robust, as all pregnant women are potentially at risk,” study author Dr. Emily DeFranco, a physician-researcher at the Center for Prevention of Preterm Birth of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, said in a medical center news release.

The type of air pollution looked at in the study is composed of small particles from car exhaust or burning wood, coal and other fossil fuels. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this type of air pollution can be inhaled deep into the lungs.

Preterm birth rates were highest among women 40 and older, black women, those with no prenatal care or with lower education level, and those exposed to levels of small particle air pollution above the EPA standard, according to the researchers.

The findings were published online recently in the journal Environmental Health.

The report doesn’t prove that exposure to air pollution causes premature births, but the researchers believe the association is significant.

“We estimate that decreasing the amount of particulate matter in the air below the EPA’s standard threshold could decrease preterm birth in women exposed to high levels of small particulates by about 17 percent, which corresponds to a 2.22 percent decrease in the preterm birth rate in the population as a whole,” DeFranco said.

In a previous study, she found that exposure to high levels of particulate air pollution in the third trimester of pregnancy was associated with a 42 percent higher risk of stillbirth.

Last year, the American Lung Association listed two areas in Ohio — Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville and Cleveland-Akron-Canton — among the 10 worst regions in the United States for year-round particle pollution.

More information

The World Health Organization has more on air pollution.

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Fitness Linked to Better Survival After First Heart Attack

MONDAY, Feb. 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Being in good shape may improve a person’s chances of surviving a first heart attack, a new study indicates.

“We knew that fitter people generally live longer, but we now have evidence linking fitness to survival after a first heart attack,” said study author Dr. Michael Blaha. He is a heart specialist and assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

“It makes sense, but we believe this is the first time there is documentation of that association,” Blaha said in a Hopkins news release.

The study also adds to evidence that regular exercise reduces the risk of heart attack and death from all causes, he said.

The researchers examined the medical records of more than 2,000 people, average age 62, who had done a treadmill stress test before they suffered a first heart attack. The tests provide a metabolic equivalent (MET) score, which ranges from 1 to 12, with 12 being the most physically fit.

Those with MET scores of 10 or higher were 40 percent less likely to die after a first heart attack than other patients. And one-third of patients with a MET score of 6 or less died within a year of their first heart attack, the study found.

Overall, each whole number increase in MET score was associated with an 8 percent lower risk of death after a first heart attack, according to the researchers from Johns Hopkins and the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

However, only an association was seen between MET scores and risk of death after a first heart attack, not a cause-and-effect connection.

Study author Clinton Brawner, a clinical exercise physiologist at the Henry Ford Health System, said, “Our data suggest that doctors working with patients who have cardiovascular risk factors should be saying, ‘Mr. Jones, you need to start an exercise program now to improve your fitness and chances of survival, should you experience a heart attack.’ ”

Each year, about 550,000 people in the United States have a first-time heart attack, according to the American Heart Association.

The new study was published online Feb. 1 in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers a guide to physical activity.

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Girls Who Eat More Fiber May Face Lower Breast Cancer Risk Later: Study

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Feb. 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Teenage girls who get plenty of fiber in their diets may have a lower risk of breast cancer later in life, a new, large study suggests.

The study, published online Feb. 1 in the journal Pediatrics, does not prove that fiber, itself, helps prevent breast cancer.

But researchers said it offers some of the first strong evidence that fiber consumption is linked to breast cancer risk, and it hints that the teen years could be particularly important.

Fiber-rich foods include vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains.

Most past studies have failed to uncover a correlation between fiber and breast cancer risk. But in just the past year, a few have suggested there may be some connection after all, according to Dr. Kathleen Harnden, co-author of an editorial published with the study.

“These new findings add to evidence that fiber may be protective for some women, and that fiber intake at a certain time in life may be important,” said Harnden, a hematology-oncology fellow at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

According to Harnden, it “makes sense biologically” that fiber intake during the teen years might matter. “That’s the time in life when the breasts are developing,” she said. “It’s also when body composition is developing.”

Body composition is important, she noted, because obesity has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer after menopause.

The new findings are based on more than 44,000 U.S. female nurses who were mostly in their 30s and 40s at the outset of the study. The women were surveyed about their diets — going back to high school — and other lifestyle habits. Over the next 20 years, slightly more than 1,000 women developed breast cancer.

Overall, the study found, women who had eaten more fiber as young adults had a lower breast cancer risk. Those who’d been in the top 20 percent for fiber intake as young adults were 19 percent less likely to develop the disease than women in the bottom 20 percent.

Women with the highest fiber intake as teenagers also showed a reduced risk — 16 percent lower than women who’d eaten the least fiber as teens.

Those women did not consume huge amounts of fiber, either. On average, they were close to the recommended amount of fiber for women — 25 grams a day.

It’s difficult to conclude that fiber, itself, lowered women’s risk, Harnden said. The researchers accounted for a number of other factors — including overall diet, body weight and smoking — but it’s still hard to attribute a benefit to one component of a person’s lifestyle, Harnden said.

Lead researcher Maryam Farvid, a visiting scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health, agreed. That’s in part because high-fiber foods contain many other nutrients, she said.

Still, Farvid added, there are many reasons to fill your diet with fiber-rich foods. Past studies have shown that fiber may help lower the risks of heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers, she said.

Harnden made the same point. “There are so many health benefits to a high-fiber diet, it’s a good change to make,” she said. “Everyone can benefit.”

And the latest findings, Harnden added, underscore the importance of fiber in children’s diets. “Your tastes for different foods, and your ideas of what a good diet is, start early in life,” she said.

She suggested giving your kids a wide variety of “colorful” whole foods, including plenty of fruits and vegetables.

The same advice goes for adults. “Eat real food, not too much of it, and make it largely plant-based,” Harnden said.

More information

The American Heart Association has more on dietary fiber.

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Jess Sepel's FebFast tips

We chat to clinical nutritionist Jess Sepel on how to stay on track this FebFast - are you up for the challenge?

The festive season is over, the January hangover has slowly subsided and it’s time to rekindle the healthy routine you’ve been avoiding so far in 2016.

Lacking motivation? The annual Febfast event encourages a month-long pause from alcohol and sugar, while raising money for underprivileged youth. Enter as a team or go it alone; just use it as an opportunity to give your body a break from the vino and the sweets for a good cause.

We spoke to clinical nutritionist and all-round health guru Jess Sepel to get her tips and tricks on how to stay on track for the challenge.

Stay hydrated

Make sure you’re drinking your two litres of water every day. If this isn’t exciting enough for you, swap to a few glasses of sparkling water with fresh lemon or lime, or freeze your favourite fruits into ice cubes and pop them in your drink. Not only is this refreshing on a hot day, but the fruit infuses as the ice melts for the sweetener taste (minus the calories).

Eat your protein

Protein keeps you fuller for longer, and it doesn't necessarily have to come in the form of red meat, chicken or eggs. Potatoes, chia seeds, green peas and rice are examples of foods also high in protein.

Snack pre-party

Have a satiating snack before you head out to a celebratory event so that you don’t find yourself starving and turning to foods you wouldn’t normally eat. My favourite snack options before heading out are hummus and vegie sticks, coconut yoghurt or Greek yoghurt topped with berries and sugar-free granola, or chopped apple with almond butter.

Be balanced

If you do indulge, don’t feel it has to be an ‘all or nothing’ affair. Let yourself enjoy a few treats occasionally and remember that your body can handle unhealthy foods in small amounts. Trust yourself.

Get active

Use Febfast as an opportunity to wake up early on the weekend and go for a run, practice yoga outside as the sun rises or even just take the dog for a stroll around the block. Physical activity in the morning before you start your day will kick start your endorphins and leave you feeling awake and energised.

Prioritise your health

Prioritise your physical and mental wellbeing by making a conscious decision to balance your fun – enjoy activities that aren’t centred on drinking or alcohol. Go to brunch with your besties, take a walk along the coast with your family or have a booze-free picnic.

NEXT: Find out how alcohol affects you.

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Combative Patients a Hazard for Paramedics

SUNDAY, Jan. 31, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Paramedics are much more likely to be assaulted on the job than firefighters, a new study indicates.

“First responders are an interesting group. They go in because they want to help, and when they go in they encounter these situations they never got training for,” lead investigator Jennifer Taylor, an associate professor in the Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia, said in a university news release.

Taylor and her colleagues analyzed U.S. data and found that paramedics are 14 times more likely to be the victim of a violent assault while working than their firefighter co-workers.

Male paramedics had a 12 times higher risk than male firefighters, and female paramedics had a more than 9 times higher risk than female firefighters, the study found.

Interviews with paramedics revealed that they didn’t receive training on how to deal with combative patients or how to protect themselves. Another major problem is a lack of information from dispatchers.

“We’re dispatched in way too many incidents that we have no idea what we’re walking into,” one paramedic said, according to the news release.

The paramedics also said dispatchers are often too slow in sending backup when they face a threat to their safety.

The risk of violence combined with the stress of dealing with large numbers of calls can lead to high burnout rates among paramedics.

“No one has looked at what the implication is for patient and public safety if we beat our medics into the ground,” Taylor said. “For cities that are large and have a huge issue of poverty, we’re exhausting our workers. We don’t have standards for how many medics we should have per 100,000 people.”

As a result, Taylor said, she’s “very worried about exhaustion, burnout and possible emotional detachment by the responders.”

The researchers said they are examining ways to reduce paramedics’ risk of injury and stress levels.

The study findings were published in the February issue of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.

More information

The U.S. Department of Labor has more about paramedics and emergency medical technicians.

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