‘Paleo’ Diet May Help Older Women’s Hearts, Waistlines

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

SUNDAY, April 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The so-called Paleo diet may help older women lose weight, improve their cholesterol profile and lower future risk of diabetes and heart disease, a new study has found.

Women experienced these benefits by sticking to the guidelines of the Paleo diet, even though they were not required to restrict their calorie intake, the researchers said.

The study results indicate that the Paleo diet could prove an effective means of battling the obesity epidemic, said lead study author Caroline Blomquist, a doctoral student at Umea University in Sweden.

The findings are scheduled for presentation Sunday at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in Boston. The data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

“Obesity-related disorders have reached pandemic proportions with significant economic burden on a global scale,” Blomquist said in a prepared statement. “It is of vital interest to find effective methods to improve metabolic balance.”

A Paleo diet requires people to eat foods similar to those available to humans during the Paleolithic period, which dates from 10,000 to 2.5 million years ago, according to the Mayo Clinic. The diet typically includes foods that could be obtained by hunting and gathering — lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds — and limits foods that became common with the advent of farming, such as dairy products, grains and legumes.

In this study, Blomquist and her colleagues had 35 postmenopausal women who were obese but had normal blood sugar levels follow a Paleo diet for two years.

The group aimed to consume 30 percent of their daily energy intake from protein, 30 percent from carbohydrates, and 40 percent from fats mainly made up of “good” unsaturated fats.

The diet used in the study included lean meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and berries, with rapeseed, olive oils and avocado as additional fat sources. It excluded dairy products, cereals, added salt and refined fats and sugar.

An outside expert noted that the study diet was a modified one that veers slightly from a strict Paleo diet.

“I’m not sure I would say this is a Paleo diet,” said Dr. Caroline Apovian, director of the Nutrition and Weight Management Center at Boston Medical Center. “This is more of a cross between a Paleo diet and a Mediterranean diet.”

A “control group” of 35 postmenopausal women were asked to follow a low-fat diet consisting of 15 percent protein, 30 percent fat and 55 percent carbohydrates.

After two years, the women eating the Paleo diet reported they had decreased their intake of “bad” saturated fats by 19 percent, while increasing by their intake of monounsaturated fats by 47 percent and their intake of polyunsaturated fats by 71 percent. In comparison, the women on the low-fat diet reported no significant changes in their intake of fats.

Specific fatty acids associated with insulin resistance were significantly lower in the women eating Paleo-type foods compared with those on the prudent control diet.

Both diets, however, resulted in similar — and significant — weight loss, the researchers said.

Apovian said it makes sense that the Paleo diet could provide some health benefits.

“You’re basically eliminating all processed and simple carbohydrates, which we know is one of the exacerbations or causes of overweight, obesity and insulin resistance,” Apovian said.

But the diet could cause some deficiencies in crucial nutrients, said nutritionist Connie Diekman. She is director of university nutrition for Washington University in St. Louis and a former president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Eliminating all dairy could put calcium, vitamin D and potassium intakes at risk, while cutting back on legumes and whole grains could cause deficiencies in fiber, manganese, magnesium and selenium, said Diekman.

“Avoiding beans and grain foods also makes meeting nutrient needs harder,” she said. “The beauty of including all food groups is that, when consumed in proper portions, we can more easily meet nutrient needs. When a food group is skipped, nutrient balance can be impacted.”

It also can be difficult for a person to follow a lifestyle diet like Paleo, Diekman added.

“The best advice I would give is to find an eating plan that does two things — includes the foods that you enjoy and meets your nutrient needs — and then learn about proper portions,” she said.

Apovian also noted another downside to a Paleo diet is that it focuses on foods that are not available to the Americans who need the diet most.

“To the average American and to the lower socioeconomic classes that suffer the most from disease and obesity, they can’t do this. It’s financially impossible,” Apovian said. “Low-income people who need to eat like this, can’t. That’s the problem in this country.”

More information

For more on the Paleo diet, visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/222HvIg

Non-Surgical Procedure May Be New Weight-Loss Tool

By Amy Norton
HealthDay Reporter

SUNDAY, April 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A procedure long used to halt stomach bleeding may offer another way to treat severe obesity, a preliminary study suggests.

The study, of seven severely obese adults, found that the minimally invasive procedure caused no serious complications. It also spurred some weight loss: Patients lost 13 percent of their excess weight, on average, over the next six months.

Experts stressed that the procedure — bariatric artery embolization — is not approved for weight loss, and remains in clinical trials. It’s not clear whether or how it could fit in with the current treatments for severe obesity.

Those treatments include invasive procedures such as gastric bypass surgery, which alters the digestive tract to limit how much food a person can eat and the body’s absorption of calories.

“Those procedures are highly effective, but they also have risks,” said Dr. Clifford Weiss, who led the new study. He is an associate professor of radiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

The short-term risks include bleeding and infections, and in the long run, people can develop nutritional deficiencies and potentially dangerous hernias, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Weiss said that embolization could potentially serve as an intermediate step between lifestyle changes and weight-loss drugs — which have limited effects for severe obesity — and gastric surgery.

The approach is an extension of a long-used procedure called gastric artery embolization, where microscopic beads are injected into an artery supplying the stomach. Traditionally, it has been done in emergency situations to stop serious stomach bleeding.

But recent research has hinted that embolization may also trigger weight loss. One study, of 32 patients who had the procedure for stomach bleeding, found a pattern: Those who’d had the left gastric artery treated lost 8 percent of their body weight, on average, over the next three months.

In contrast, patients who had a different artery embolized lost 1 percent of their body weight.

The left gastric artery supplies a part of the stomach called the fundus, which produces the hormone ghrelin. And ghrelin’s main job is to stimulate hunger, Weiss explained.

“Our hypothesis is that (embolization) causes weight loss by lowering ghrelin production,” he said. However, he added, that’s not proven.

Weiss was scheduled to present the findings Sunday at the annual meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology, in Vancouver, Canada. The study is preliminary, he stressed, and was designed only to test the safety and feasibility of embolization as an obesity treatment.

“This is not something you can ask your local radiologist to do,” Weiss said. But, he added, some U.S. centers are running clinical trials of the approach.

An obesity surgeon who was not involved in the study said the findings are “way too preliminary to get excited.”

But he also praised the effort. “This is a world-class medical center looking at an innovative approach to weight loss,” said Dr. Bruce Wolfe, a spokesman for the Obesity Society.

What remains to be seen is whether embolization has lasting effects that are actually worthwhile, added Wolfe, who is a professor at Oregon Health & Science University, in Portland. The weight loss in this preliminary study was “modest,” and on par with lifestyle changes and medication — not surgery, he added.

A recent NIH-funded study found that three years after gastric bypass, patients had typically kept off almost one-third of their total initial weight.

Over six months, patients in this new study lost 13 percent of their excess weight — not their total weight, Wolfe pointed out.

He also questioned whether the procedure would have to be repeated, or whether “more beads” would have to be injected in the stomach arteries to boost the weight loss. If that were the case, Wolfe said, there might be more risks.

Weiss agreed that there are still plenty of questions about long-term effects.

“We don’t know how effective this is ultimately going to be,” he said. “We’re not trying to replace bariatric [weight-loss] surgery.”

And no one is saying that embolization, by itself, would be enough, Weiss stressed. “The goal is to decrease a patient’s hunger. We see this as a tool to be used with proper diet and exercise,” he explained.

“This is not a magic bullet against obesity,” Weiss said.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has more on managing obesity.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1ZW23D2

‘Love Hormone’ Nasal Spray Might Help Dieters’ Self-Control

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

SATURDAY, April 2, 2016 (HealthDay News) — In spray form, the “love hormone” oxytocin might aid weight loss, a small pilot study suggests.

A single dose of oxytocin nasal spray decreased impulsive behavior in overweight and obese men, researchers found.

“Impulsive behavior is an issue in obesity and results in overeating,” said lead researcher Franziska Plessow, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and a research fellow in the neuroendocrine unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

“This could be a new, powerful way of helping obese individuals overcome their compulsive [eating],” Plessow said. “That’s why we are excited about this.”

Much research needs to be done first, however. Plessow said her team plans to see if the spray has the same effect on women.

Oxytocin occurs naturally in the human body and is important for controlling food intake and weight, the researchers said. The hormone has been linked with maternal bonding and mating. When a new mother nurses her baby, for instance, her brain releases oxytocin to help cement the mother-child connection.

Last year, Plessow’s group found that oxytocin nasal spray reduced the amount of calories from fat that people ate without affecting appetite, though researchers were not sure why, she explained.

The next step is to see if the spray actually helps people control how much they eat, since overeating isn’t always related to poor self-control, the researchers said.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The results were scheduled for presentation Saturday at the Endocrine Society annual meeting, in Boston.

For the study, Plessow and colleagues used a synthetic oxytocin nasal spray made by Novartis to see if it would suppress impulsive behavior in 10 overweight and obese men.

The men were trained to respond to a square symbol on a computer screen by pressing a left button and to respond to a triangle by pressing a right button.

After becoming familiar with that task, they were told not to press a button upon seeing the symbol but instead to listen for a beep after the symbol appeared.

This new task required the men to control their impulse to respond to the image, Plessow said.

The men tried the test twice, using either oxytocin nasal spray or a placebo spray 15 minutes before each attempt.

Men receiving oxytocin pressed the buttons less often when they were not supposed to compared with men given the placebo, researchers found.

This showed that they had more self-control after receiving oxytocin, Plessow said.

One expert, however, said the findings won’t do much to solve the obesity epidemic.

“Learning new things about the involvement of hormones in the regulation of appetite is certainly valuable. The hope that there may be a particular drug to control it all may be less so,” said Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center and president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

Many such drugs have shown some short-term benefit, only to prove ineffective, toxic, or both over time, he added.

Katz believes the solution to widespread obesity requires substantial changes within the food industry.

“Are we truly inclined, as a society, to peddle foods that willfully promote overeating and also peddle drugs to oppose that tendency as opposed to eating wholesome foods in the first place?” Katz asked.

Data and conclusions presented at meetings are usually considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

More information

For more on obesity, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1UL3FQT

Waistline May Predict Heart Disease Better Than Weight

By Don Rauf
HealthDay Reporter

SATURDAY, April 2, 2016 (HealthDay News) — When it comes to heart health, new research adds to the argument that a pear-shaped body, which is heavy in the hips, may be better than an apple-shaped body, which carries more weight around the belly.

A study of diabetes patients found that increasing waist size appears to be a stronger predictor of serious heart disease than body weight or body mass index (BMI, the weight-to-height ratio).

“We have known that abdominal obesity is more linked to coronary atherosclerosis [plaque buildup in the arteries] than other forms of obesity,” said Dr. Brent Muhlestein, a study author and co-director of research at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City.

“We found that left ventricle heart function got worse with progressive waist circumference. The relation between left ventricle function and waist circumference remained highly significant, even after adjusting for body weight,” Muhlestein said.

The left ventricle is the heart’s primary pumping chamber, and abnormal ventricular function is a common cause of heart disease, including congestive heart failure, the study authors noted.

Muhlestein added that reducing your waist size may reduce your risks.

For this investigation, scientists measured waist circumference, total body weight and BMI in 200 men and women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Diabetes can raise heart risks, but patients did not start the study with any symptoms of heart disease.

The researchers evaluated the heart function of study participants by using echocardiography — a type of ultrasound. They noted that left ventricular function got progressively worse as waist sizes got bigger, with heart decline eventually leveling off at 45 inches of waistline.

The study authors noted that the link between waist circumference and reduced heart function was independent of total body weight and BMI.

Dr. Sarah Samaan, a cardiologist and physician partner at the Heart Hospital at Baylor in Plano, Texas, said these results support previous research indicating that fat in the abdominal area is much more risky than fat elsewhere in the body.

“Abdominal fat produces a wide range of inflammatory substances, and is more highly correlated with heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes than other types of fat,” said Samaan, who was not involved with the study. “We know that heavier people are more likely to have stiffer hearts, which in turn can predispose to heart failure. This study shows us that fat in the abdominal area is especially harmful to heart function.”

When compared to men, women in the study in general had better heart function at each increasing level of abdominal obesity. “In general, abdominal obesity had a greater adverse effect on men than women,” Muhlestein said.

He said women are advised to maintain a waist size of about 34 inches or less, while men should try to keep their waist circumference at 40 inches or less.

Previous research from the same team of scientists at Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore showed that the greater your BMI, the greater your risk of heart disease.

Exercise and diet remain the mainstays of treatment for all obese persons, including those with an apple shape, said Muhlestein. “This study emphasizes, however, that those of us who have an apple shape should perhaps be even more motivated to reduce all of our cardiovascular risk factors, including our waist circumference,” he said.

Samaan added that aerobic exercise is the best type of exercise to burn belly fat.

“While crunches may strengthen the abs, they won’t necessarily burn abdominal fat,” she said. “Also, smokers tend to hold more belly fat, even if their total body weight is normal, so quitting smoking may help.”

The report was to be presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, in Chicago. Until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, data and conclusions presented at meetings are usually considered preliminary.

More information

The American Heart Association has more on how body composition affects heart health.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/21YY08e

Right Neighborhood May Mean 90 Extra Minutes of Exercise a Week

FRIDAY, April 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — People who live in bustling neighborhoods get at least 90 more minutes of exercise a week than other city dwellers, a new global study finds.

The study included more than 6,800 adults, aged 18 to 66, in 14 cities in 10 countries.

On average, study participants did 37 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity, such as brisk walking or more intense exercise. Among the cities in the study, Baltimore had the lowest average rate of activity (about 29 minutes a day) and Wellington, New Zealand, had the highest (just over 50 minutes a day).

But those in activity-friendly neighborhoods did up to an hour and a half more exercise per week, according to the study published April 1 in The Lancet. These neighborhoods had high residential density, a large number of intersections and public transit stops, and parks within walking distance.

“Neighborhoods with high residential density tend to have connected streets, shops and services — meaning people will be more likely to walk to their local shops. Interestingly, distance to nearest transport stop was not associated with higher levels of physical activity, whereas the number of nearby transport stops was,” study lead author James Sallis, from the University of California, San Diego, said in a journal news release.

“This might mean that with more options, people are more likely to walk further to get to a transport stop that best meets their needs. The number of local parks was also important, since parks not only provide places for sport, but also a pleasant environment to walk in,” he explained.

Physical inactivity is linked with more than 5 million deaths worldwide each year. This study suggests that designing healthier cities can help tackle the problem of physical inactivity, according to the researchers.

The “total health gained by changing to optimal activity-friendly environments will be close to 2 million fewer deaths and around 3 percent fewer non-communicable diseases,” Dr. Shifalika Goenka, of the Public Health Foundation of India, wrote in an accompanying journal editorial.

“We need interventions to counter the rapidly growing inactivity that urbanization leads to, by providing environments that change the way we live our daily lives. It is high time that built environments provide the quadruple boost towards health, environment, equity (or public good), and habitat,” Goenka concluded.

More information

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

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1StfG6T

Scientists Grow and Transplant Functioning Skin Onto Mice

By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, April 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — In an advance that could serve as a step toward better transplants of skin and even hair in people, Japanese researchers report that they’ve grown complex, functioning mouse skin.

The bioengineered version of the skin contains all three layers of skin tissue along with appendage organs, such as sebaceous glands and hair follicles, the study authors reported.

What’s more, the newly developed skin tissue was able to form the proper connections to the muscle, fat and nerve tissue around it. Those connections allow the transplanted skin tissue to function properly, such as growing hair and releasing oils from the sebaceous glands, the researchers said.

Although artificial skin is currently available, it doesn’t contain functioning hair follicles or sebaceous glands, said the study’s senior author Takashi Tsuji. He’s a team leader with the Laboratory for Organ Regeneration at the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan.

But, right now, the mouse skin is only in the early stages of research. In fact, Tsuji estimated it could be a decade before this strategy could be tested in humans. And it’s important to remember that research that looks promising in animals doesn’t always pan out in humans.

Still, Dr. Seth Orlow, chair of dermatology at NYU School of Medicine in New York City, said that “research like this is important because it is one step in a long journey of steps to eventual extraordinary therapies that lie ahead.” Orlow was not involved with the research but is familiar with the study findings.

Skin transplants — better known as skin grafts — have long been a treatment for burns and other skin wounds. However, the various types of skin grafts — moving skin from one part of the body to another, from one person to another, from an animal to a person — create medical challenges.

Artificial skin can be an option, but since it doesn’t have hair follicles or oil glands, it’s not as desirable, the researchers said.

So scientists still dream of growing skin in the laboratory and then grafting it onto people who need it. Enter the new research, which aims to create a more complete form of substitute skin by using stem cells that create skin cells.

In the new study, the researchers used bioengineering to create mouse skin tissue in the lab. They then transplanted bits of skin tissue as small as one square millimeter into mice. The scientists included a fluorescent marker in the transplanted tissue so they could easily identify the transplanted skin tissue.

The new skin functioned for more than 70 days on the animals, Tsuji said. Within two weeks, mice began to grow hair in the transplanted skin, the study found.

The researchers didn’t test whether the immune system of the mice would reject the skin, because these mice had weakened immune systems. However, Tsuji said the transplants should work without being rejected if the donor mice that provide the stem cells are compatible with the ones that get the skin.

What’s the potential here for humans?

Burn victims may benefit from substitute skin, NYU’s Orlow said. And so might people with hair loss and other medical conditions.

“In theory, we may eventually be able to create structures like hair follicles and other skin glands that could be transplanted back to people who need them, like people who are born with a genetic condition which causes them to lack sweat glands or hair follicles,” Orlow said.

“And in theory, such follicles might be transplanted to people suffering from certain types of acquired hair loss, like male- or female-pattern hair loss,” he added.

But Orlow cautioned that the research was performed in mice, and “additional research would be needed to see if this even works for human stem cells.” In addition, Orlow said, the strategy used to create the mouse skin tissue is “laborious” and not likely to be feasible as a way to create a significant supply of human skin.

The study was published in the April 1 issue of Science Advances.

More information

Learn more about your skin’s layers from the American Academy of Dermatology.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1N1Grxw

7 Concealers Makeup Artists Swear By

Photo: Getty Images

Concealer: the life-changing beauty product that can bring you from Walking Dead status to walk-the-runway-ready in a couple of swipes. And as any woman who has ever tried to cover her dark circles or acne marks knows, concealer comes in so many formulas that it can be close to impossible to choose the right one. We went to the pros to find out what they consider to be the best of the best.

For full coverage: Cle de Peau Concealer ($70; nordstrom.com)

“This has full-coverage capability without a typical full-coverage heavy feel, and it doesn’t settle into fine lines or wrinkles—a telltale sign that you’ve loaded up on concealer or foundation. The color range is vast and can complement many skin tones. A little goes a very long way, so it’s worth the splurge!” —Lauren Gott, Los Angeles- and New York-based celebrity makeup artist; A-list clientele includes Kiernan Shipka and Jewel

Photo: nordstrom.com

For sweat proof coverage: Amazing Cosmetics Concealer ($42; sephora.com)

“In my opinion, it’s the best concealer out there and it has something for everyone. It comes in 20 shades and three families of undertones, making matching someone’s skin tone perfectly a possibility. It’s great for all-day wear and even held up against 14-hour dance days on the set of Smash!” —Rebecca Perkins, Co-Founder and Head makeup artist at Rouge New York

Photo: sephora.com

For a subtle sheen: Chanel Correcteur Perfection Long Lasting Concealer ($42; nordstrom.com)

“There are a ton of concealers I love, but this is my current go-to. If I’m just spot correcting, I match the concealer to complexion, or if I’m highlighting under the eyes, I choose a shade lighter than the skin tone I’m working with. It’s an easy way to illuminate features without sparkle.” —Joni Powell, Los Angeles based makeup artist who has worked on the sets of The O.C. and Hart of Dixie

Photo: nordstrom.com

For buildable coverage: TARTE Maracuja Creaseless Concealer ($25; sephora.com)

“It addresses so many of my clients’ concerns: It provides full coverage without creasing, while also hydrating the eye area. On the rest of the face, I start with just a small amount of formula and build it up for more coverage. And an added bonus of TARTE’s products is that they’re natural and generally safe to use on all skin types.” —Neil Scibelli, a New York-based celebrity makeup artist who has glammed up Molly Sims and Elle MacPherson

Photo: sephora.com

For a flawless finish: M.A.C. Studio Finish Concealer ($19; nordstrom.com)

“This is my all-time favorite. I like it because of its versatility and consistency—it never fails. It’s a true medium- to full-coverage concealer, but can be used as thinly as any lightweight formula out there. Its easy to work with and very easy to blend smoothly. I always tell my closest friends, you don’t really need foundation, you just need a really great concealer!” —New York City makeup artist Robert Greene, who has worked with Sienna Miller and Zoey Saldana

Photo: nordstrom.com

For a moisture boost: KOH GEN DO Moisture Concealer ($54; nordstrom.com)

“I love this palette because it’s gentle, easy to apply, and has botanical ingredients that cover and neutralize the undereye skin and lids. It’s a sheer formula that builds easily depending on if you use it under the eye or on skin imperfections.” —New York city makeup artist Azara Red, who has worked with DKNY and Nicole Miller

Photo: nordstrom.com

For the undereye: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer ($35; sephora.com)

This is my new favorite concealer. It’s waterproof and humidity resistant. It blends well and has great coverage. I always pay attention to longevity of a product and the way it sets on the skin. I apply the creamy concealer in the morning using my ring finger in a gentle blotting motion to cover dark spots and imperfections. It sets nicely on the skin and does not emphasize any fine lines.” —Kristine Cruz, makeup artist at Antonio Prieto Salon in New York City

Photo: sephora.com

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1RRWJk3

Should You Take Tamiflu? Here’s What to Know

Getty Images

At the first signs of the flu (fever, chest pain, body chills) you might spend a good hour or two consulting with Dr. Google about what drugs could help. Or not. Let’s face it, the flu renders almost everybody useless, and you probably feel miserable enough to take just about anything.

Odds are your doc will prescribe one of three antiviral meds: inhaled zanamivir (brand name Relenza), intravenous peramivir (Rapivab), or oral oseltamivir, otherwise known as Tamiflu. Of those three, we’re willing to bet you get a script for Tamiflu. Not only is it the one your friends have heard of, it’s also the only one that made the World Health Organization’s list of essential medications.

But Tamiflu has been the subject of controversy in recent years—which has left many wondering, How are you supposed to know when it’s worth taking? With flu season still in full swing, we’ve gathered the facts on this pricey drug so you can weigh the pros and cons before you’re too achy to think straight.

RELATED: 22 Ways to Survive Cold and Flu Season

How well does Tamiflu work?

A 2014 review by the Cochrane Collaboration, an independent network of researchers, found that the drug did not reduce hospitalization rates for the flu, and only shortened the duration of people’s symptoms by 17 hours. But 17 hours isn’t nothing when you feel totally terrible.

It is worth noting that the study authors expressed some doubt about their findings: “We identified problems in the design of many of the studies that we included, which affects our confidence in their results.”

As for flu prevention, the Food and Drug Administration says Tamiflu can also keep people from getting sick in the first place.

Can I skip the flu shot and take Tamiflu instead?

Nope—the drug is not a substitute for early flu vaccination, according to the drug’s manufacturer. Getting a flu shot is the best way to prevent the flu. Your protection lasts through the entire season. Plus, Tamiflu is expensive. Consumer Reports quoted the cost of a 5-day course as at least $100.

RELATED: Another Surprising Reason You Should Get a Flu Shot

Who should take it?

Tamiflu is approved to treat influenza in people whose symptoms have not lasted longer than two days (which might come as a surprise to anyone who has gotten a script after being sick for a week.)

“The literature on antivirals for influenza shows that they work best when taken 48 to 72 hours after the onset of flu symptoms,” explains Susan Rehm, MD, vice chair of the department of infectious disease at the Cleveland Clinic. If your take antivirals after that window, “the potential benefits are less,” she notes.

That said, doctors might prescribe Tamiflu to people who are immunocompromised or at risk of flu-related complications, even if the 72-hour period has passed, Dr. Rehm says. “Even healthy people may develop complications of influenza, like bacterial pneumonia,” she says. (If you have a fever or shortness of breath that lingers, alert your doctor, Dr. Rehm urges.)

RELATED: 10 Biggest Myths About the Flu

Should I be worried about resistance to Tamiflu?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “antiviral resistance to oseltamivir… among circulating influenza viruses is currently low.”

The bottom line?

Whether you take Tamiflu or not is up to you and your doctor. No one should take any drug unnecessarily, Dr. Rehm points out. And the side effects of Tamiflu—which include nausea and vomiting—are worth considering. But, she says, among her patients who have decided to take Tamiflu, “many comment that they seemed to have recovered more quickly.”

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1RCU48r

FDA Suggests Limit for Arsenic in Infant Rice Cereal

FRIDAY, April 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A proposed limit on “inorganic” arsenic in infant rice cereal was announced Friday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Infant rice cereal is a leading source of arsenic exposure in babies, the agency said, since arsenic can find its way into rice from natural sources or from fertilizers and pesticides.

The proposed limit is 100 parts per billion, which is similar to the level set by the European Commission for rice used in the production of food for infants and young children. Most infant rice cereal currently sold in the United States either meets, or is close to, the FDA’s proposed limit, the agency said.

“Our actions are driven by our duty to protect the public health and our careful analysis of the data and the emerging science,” said Susan Mayne, director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

“The proposed limit is a prudent and achievable step to reduce exposure to arsenic among infants,” she said in an FDA news release.

Inorganic arsenic exposure in infants and pregnant women may lead to a child’s decreased performance on certain developmental tests that measure learning, the FDA noted.

In a statement, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists applauded the move.

ACOG President Dr. Mark DeFrancesco thanked the FDA “for its thoughtful analysis of arsenic in rice and rice products and its potential health impact.”

He said, “ACOG guidance will remain the same: Ob-gyns should continue to advise women to eat a variety of whole grains. For pregnant women, half of their grains should consist of whole grains.”

Arsenic occurs naturally in the soil and water, but it also comes from fertilizers and pesticides. There are two forms of arsenic — organic and inorganic. The inorganic form is more toxic. Rice has higher levels of inorganic arsenic than other foods. One reason: As rice plants grow, they tend to absorb arsenic from the environment more than other crops, the FDA said.

Infant rice cereal is widely used in the United States, and the FDA offers advice for parents and caregivers of infants. Babies should be given iron-fortified cereals to ensure they are getting enough of the important nutrient, but iron-fortified rice cereal is not the only option. Other iron-fortified cereals include oat, barley and multigrain.

Toddlers and pregnant women should eat a well-balanced diet that includes a variety of grains, the FDA said.

It’s estimated that exposure to inorganic arsenic in rice and rice products causes an additional four cases of lung and bladder cancer over the lifetime for every 100,000 people in the United States. This would be much less than 1 percent of all lung and bladder cancer cases in the nation, according to the FDA.

The agency noted that research has found that cooking rice in excess water — six to 10 parts water to one part rice — and draining excess water can reduce inorganic arsenic levels in the rice by 40 percent to 60 percent. However, this method may remove some important nutrients, the FDA said.

Public comments on the proposed arsenic limit will be accepted for 90 days.

More information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has more about arsenic in food.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1Y4BF8l

CDC Zika Summit Details Plans to Fight Mosquito-Borne Illness

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, April 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — As the continental United States braces itself for the Zika virus, federal, state and local health officials gathered Friday in Washington, D.C., to prepare for the upcoming mosquito season.

More than 300 public health experts attended the Zika Action Plan Summit, hosted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and intended to help ensure a coordinated response to the mosquito-borne illness.

The summit focused on monitoring Zika cases, dealing with gaps in local mosquito-control efforts, and making tests available that will let pregnant women know if they have been exposed to Zika, the officials said.

Zika is suspected — but not proven — to cause the birth defect microcephaly, which leads to an abnormally small head and brain, as well as miscarriages and a host of other adverse outcomes to the fetus, CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said during the conference.

“The risk is to pregnant women and the developing fetus, and all of our activities need to be focused on mitigating that risk,” Frieden said.

In most other people, Zika infection is relatively harmless and often symptomless.

Leaders at the summit also pressured Congress to pass emergency funding for efforts to fight Zika. President Barack Obama has requested $1.9 billion for Zika response, but lawmakers have yet to act.

Dr. Edward McCabe, chief medical officer of the March of Dimes, said Congress should pass emergency legislation.

“The March of Dimes is very concerned that we have a very narrow window of opportunity, and it will close rapidly,” McCabe said. “We have the opportunity to slow the spread of Zika into the United States over the next few months. If we’re successful, we could save dozens or even hundreds of infants from being born with devastating birth defects, but we must act now.”

White House Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Amy Pope reinforced that sense of urgency.

“As the White House Ebola response coordinator, I know from firsthand experience we cannot wait until we see widespread transmission in the United States before taking steps to prepare,” Pope said. “It’s just too late at that point.”

So far, the only cases of Zika in the mainland United States have been travel-related, involving people who contracted the virus while visiting nations in Central or South America or the Caribbean, where active outbreaks are ongoing. There had been 312 such cases in the United States as of March 30, according to the CDC.

However, the virus is expected to become active in some parts of the southern United States when mosquito season begins in early summer. The Gulf Coast states of Florida, Louisiana and Texas are particularly at risk, the CDC has previously stated.

Right now, the front line of the U.S. fight against Zika is in Puerto Rico, where 325 locally acquired infections have occurred, Frieden said.

At Friday’s summit, the CDC offered technical support to states for the development of Zika action plans, so local officials can be prepared to respond if mosquitoes in their area start transmitting the virus from person to person.

There currently is no vaccine or treatment for Zika. So, CDC officials emphasized prevention — both by controlling mosquito breeding and by protecting against mosquito bites.

Zika is mainly transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which feed primarily on human blood and most often breed in standing water near human dwellings and neighborhoods, according to the CDC.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito doesn’t range as far north as the other potential Zika carrier, the Aedes albopictus mosquito, according to maps released by the CDC.

Unfortunately, health officials learned at the summit that the U.S. currently has a patchwork of local mosquito-control efforts.

Some programs are very effective at battling the pests, Frieden said, and others are essentially “the guy who shovels the snow in the winter and does a little bit of fogging in the summer.”

State and local officials also will have to deal with the problem of insecticide resistance, Frieden said. Mosquitoes in different areas are resistant to different types of insecticides. So officials will not be able to assume that the bug-killers they have on hand will work against the pests in their areas.

“In Puerto Rico, there was no one pyrethroid that worked on the entire island,” Frieden said, referring to a type of insecticide. “That makes mosquito control even more complicated and even more technically challenging, because you have to match the insecticide used to the resistance of the [mosquito] population.”

Zika also can be spread through sexual intercourse or blood transmission. There have been six cases of sexual transmission in the United States, all from males to their sex partners. The CDC recommends that men should use condoms for at least six months after travel to areas with active Zika infection.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new test to screen donated blood for Zika virus, which will help protect the nation’s blood supply, said Dr. Nicole Lurie, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Federal officials also are working with pharmaceutical companies to develop better tests and potentially even a vaccine for Zika, Lurie said.

In the meantime, the CDC has developed a Zika test intended mainly for pregnant women, and the agency can make available tens of thousands of the tests, Frieden said. The only drawback — the test can only detect active virus in a woman’s blood, not any prior infection that has occurred.

Zika typically has been a mild disease, causing symptoms in only one of every five people infected. The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes, the CDC says.

But the virus could pose a serious risk to unborn children. Mounting evidence has shown that some pregnant women infected with Zika have given birth to children with microcephaly. More than 5,000 confirmed or suspected cases have been reported in Brazil.

Zika also has been linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, an uncommon nervous system illness in which a person’s immune system damages the nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis, according to the CDC.

Frieden said he wouldn’t be surprised if Zika is proven to cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, given that a wide range of bacteria, viruses and other immune system challenges can trigger the syndrome.

“I anticipate that causal connection will be confirmed in the near future,” he said.

The CDC offers this advice to protect yourself from Zika infection:

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, and use insect repellent.
• Eliminate all sources of standing water inside and outside the home.
• Use screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes outside.
• Repair and seal aging or failing septic systems.

More information

To learn more about Zika virus transmission, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

---

from Health News / Tips & Trends / Celebrity Health http://ift.tt/1Y4BGZR