Health News

REPORTING POINT 12/11

HEALTH NEWS

“Live healthy...Live well”

Dedicated to providing pertinent information on health, fitness, and nutrition to foster a culture of wellness among Southwest Airlines flight crews and their families.

by Larry Kline

email: livehealthy-livewell@cox.net

TEXTING/DRIVING RISK – at least 28 percent of all traffic crashes in the U.S. (or 1.6 million crashes each year) are caused by drivers using cell phones or sending/reading text messages, according to estimates by the National Safety Council.  That includes 1.4 million accidents each year caused by cell phones and at least 200,000 accidents caused by texting.  At any given moment, about one in ten drivers is using a phone, and one in 100 is texting.  University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 4/10.

MORE BPA RISK IDENTIFIED – Bisphenol-A (BPA), the controversial chemical used since the 1960s found in some hard plastic bottles and in the epoxy resin lining of food and beverage cans, has been linked, for the second time, to heart disease.  The latest study, involving 1,500 Americans, found that BPA levels in urine (a marker for BPA exposure) dropped between 2003 and 2006, but that those with the highest levels were still at increased risk for heart disease.  The FDA expressed concern that BPA may affect the brain, behavior, and prostate glands in fetuses, infants, and children at current exposure levels and is further evaluating BPA’s safety. 

BPA also has hormone-disrupting properties that may lead to weight gain, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction, besides heart disease.

The average American consumes 17 percent of their food from cans; BPA has been found in 100 percent of canned pastas, 89 percent of soups, 83 percent of beans, and 50 percent of canned tuna.  Some manufacturers are offering their products in pouches or boxes to avoid BPA containers.  Polycarbonate containers that have the number “7” denoted on the bottom of the container may have BPA-permeated polycarbonate.  Polypropylene containers (with the recycling number 5) are deemed safe at this time. Several states and other local governments and some manufacturers have voluntarily eliminated BPA from their product containers.  Men’s Health 7/10, University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 4/10.

STRENUOUS EXERCISE MAY PROTECT BRAIN - Older people who regularly exercise at moderate to intense levels may have a 40 percent lower risk of developing brain damage linked to ischemic strokes, certain kinds of dementia and mobility problems. The journal Neurology says the MRIs of people who exercised at higher levels were significantly less likely to show silent brain infarcts — caused by blocked arteries that interrupt blood flow and are markers for strokes — than people who exercised lightly. Until now, studies have shown exercise helps lower blood pressure, bad cholesterol and insulin levels, all risk factors for strokes causing brain damage. Treating those conditions is helpful, but often brain damage from multiple infarctions is not reversible.

It's not good enough just to exercise, but the more (intense) the better.  Columbia University researchers think exercise is protecting against the development of brain infarcts, and the hope is with lower risk of having these events, you'd also be at lower risk of dementia or stroke.  Forty-three percent of participants in this study reported that they had no regular exercise; 36 percent engaged in regular light exercise, such as golf, walking, bowling or dancing; and 21 percent engaged in regular moderate-to-intense exercise, such as hiking, tennis, swimming, biking, jogging or racquetball. There was no difference between those who engaged in light exercise and those who did not exercise.

Some of the effects of exercise appear to be related to improving other health conditions that affect the risk of stroke, such as hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol and low HDL, diabetes, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and heart disease. The American Heart Association’s guidelines for ideal cardiovascular health include 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise a week. Submitted by Christine Kline, RD, CNSD.

THE SEDENTARY RISK – the longer one sits, the greater the risk of dying.  Using questionnaires, researchers at the American Cancer Society tracked roughly 53,000 men and 70,000 women for 14 years.  Women who indicated that they sat for at least six hours a day – not counting time spent sitting at work – were 34 percent more likely to die over the 14-year period (mostly from heart disease or stroke) than those who sat for less than three hours a day.  Men who sat for at least six hours were 17 percent more likely to die.  These statistics were valid even for those who exercised regularly.

            The least-active people had the highest risk of dying.  Women who did the least exercise (like brisk walking) and who sat for at least six hours a day during their leisure time were almost twice as likely to die as those who did the most exercise and who sat for less than three hours a day.  Men who did the least exercise and sat for at least six hours a day were 1 ½ times more likely to die.

            Scientists recommend getting up and moving around – even just to stretch your legs on a long flight. Sometimes it is hard to follow advice to exercise more, but just sitting less can be beneficial.  Other studies have linked long bouts of sitting and lack of movement with obesity, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic disorders. Nutrition Action Healthletter 9/10, University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 4/10.

ESTROGEN THERAPY INCREASES KIDNEY STONE RISK – according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine of more than 10,000 post-menopausal women, those given hormone therapy (estrogen or estrogen plus progestin) for six or seven years, on average, were about 20 percent more likely to develop a stone than those given a placebo.  Estrogen therapy increases the risk of strokes and breast cancer.  It is currently unclear why it may also increase kidney stones.  University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 5/11.

COFFEE FOR THE PROSTATE – coffee may lower the risk of lethal prostate cancer.  A study that tracked 48,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study from 1986 to 2006 found that those drank one to five cups of coffee a day had about a 30 percent lower risk of lethal (fatal or metastatic) prostate cancer than those who consumed no coffee. Men who drank at least six cups a day had a 60 percent lower risk.  It did not matter if the coffee was regular or decaf.  Journal of the National Cancer Institute 103:1, 2011.

STATINS-GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS – the good news about statin drugs is that they may decrease the risk of cataracts.  A study in the Annals of Epidemiology reported that people age 45 to 75 who were taking statins to improve their cholesterol levels had a nearly 40 percent lower risk of cataracts compared to non-users; however, the risk was not reduced in people over 75.

            The bad news about statins is that they slightly increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.  A study in the Lancet, which collated data from 13 large clinical trials found that statin users had a 9 percent higher risk of developing diabetes over a four-year period, and the risk increased with age.  An accompanying editorial to the article emphasized the cardiovascular benefits of statins far outweigh the small increased risk but recommended that physicians monitor blood sugar in older statin users.  University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 5/10.