Health Articles Blogs: 10/06/10

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Light drinking 'no risk to baby'

5 October 2010 Last updated at 19:11 ET

Drinking one or two units of alcohol a week during pregnancy does not raise the risk of developmental problems in the child, a study has suggested.

Official advice remains that women abstain completely during pregnancy.

A study of more than 11,000 five-year-olds published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found no evidence of harm.

There were more behavioural and emotional problems among the children of heavy-drinking women.

When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it passes through the placenta and reaches the baby, which is less well-equipped to break it down.

Researchers have strongly linked heavy drinking to an increased risk of lifelong damage.

However, the evidence about the risks to lighter drinkers has been far less clear.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Mothers at a toddler's music group in Leeds received mixed messages

The study, led by University College London but involving three other UK universities, is the second by this group examining large numbers of children looking for signs that brain development had been affected.

No extra risk

The first had found no evidence of problems at age three, but the latest study extended the checks until school age to make sure nothing had emerged later.

The same result appeared, with no extra risk of behavioural and emotional issues compared with children whose mothers had abstained during pregnancy.

In fact, the children born to light drinkers appeared slightly less likely to suffer behavioural problems, and scored higher on cognitive tests, compared with women who stopped during pregnancy.

"Start Quote

Despite these findings, it is important to remember that 'light drinking' can mean different things to different people"

End Quote Chris Sorek Drinkaware

Dr Yvonne Kelly, from UCL, said : "There's now a growing body of robust evidence that there is no increase in developmental difficulties associated with light drinking during pregnancy."

She said that women could make "better decisions" with this information.

However, a spokesman for the Department of Health said that its advice would remain unchanged to avoid confusion among pregnant women.

"After assessing the available evidence, we cannot say with confidence that drinking during pregnancy is safe and will not harm your baby..

"Therefore, as a precautionary measure, our advice to pregnant women and women trying to conceive is to avoid alcohol."

Additional advice from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence urges women to avoid alcohol, particularly in the first three months of pregnancy.

This advice was backed by Chris Sorek, the chief executive of alcohol awareness charity Drinkaware.

He said: "Despite these findings, it is important to remember that 'light drinking' can mean different things to different people.

"There is a risk that if pregnant women take this research as a green light to drink a small amount, they could become complacent, drink more than they think they are and inadvertently cause harm to their unborn child.

"Excessive drinking during pregnancy can carry serious consequences and lifelong damage to children and should be avoided."

But Dr Tony Falconer, the president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said that while the "safest choice" was abstinence, the current evidence suggested that drinking one or two units, once or twice a week was acceptable.

"The key public health message, whether or not a woman is pregnant, is that light drinking is fine, but heavy and binge drinking should be avoided."

Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds

Troops to get more stress support

5 October 2010 Last updated at 21:35 ET

New measures to help soldiers who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan deal with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress are due to be unveiled.

There will be a 24-hour helpline and extra mental health nurses to support those who have served in the forces.

They are among steps recommended in a report, commissioned by Prime Minister David Cameron.

The measures will be announced by Defence Secretary Liam Fox at the Conservative Party conference.

BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale says that although cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among British troops have been relatively low in comparison with American military personnel, the problem is expected to get worse in the long term.

Support networks

Recent research found that one in four of those who fought in Iraq suffered mental health problems, with one in 20 diagnosed with PTSD.

Mr Cameron commissioned the report, focusing on mental health, as part of the Conservatives' commitment to improve care for veterans and serving troops.

The findings were made by Conservative MP Andrew Murrison who is himself a veteran of the Iraq War.

Dr Fox will implement two of the report's recommendations immediately - the 24-hour helpline and by employing an additional 30 mental health nurses to work with veterans and serving soldiers.

The Ministry of Defence and Department of Health will also look at improving mental health screening and increasing voluntary support networks for troops who have fought on the front line.

Dr Fox told a fringe meeting at the conference in Birmingham: "In my book, the unacceptably high level of suicide among our veterans is a matter of national shame and it does take priority over any investment in other welfare issues I am looking at."

Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds

Brain-claim baby milk ad banned

5 October 2010 Last updated at 19:11 ET

An advertising campaign for baby milk has been banned for claiming the product helps child brain development.

The advert for Hipp Organic said the follow-on milk contained essential Omega 3 fatty acids for healthy brain and nervous system development.

But the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled it was misleading and the claims cannot be used again.

Defending the advert, the company said the nutrients named are necessary for healthy mental development in toddlers.

Hipp Organic maintains the claim in the magazine advert related solely to the role of the dietary essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in normal and healthy development of the brain and nervous system, and was not about mental performance.

The ASA said the advert implied a specific health benefit from the use of the product.

The advert for Hipp Organic was headlined "We've learnt from the breast" and said the follow-on milk contained essential Omega 3 fatty acids for healthy brain and nervous system development, adding: "All this ensures organic goodness to complement Mother Nature's good work. Trust your natural instincts."

The ASA said that information submitted to them by Hipp Organic "was not sufficiently robust to support the product's claims in relation to healthy brain and nervous system development".

"We therefore concluded that the ad was misleading," said the ASA.

Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds

Strict diet 2 days a week 'cuts breast cancer risk by 40pc'

London, Oct 06 (ANI): A new study has indicated that a strict diet for two days a week consisting solely of vegetables, fruit, milk and a mug of Bovril could prevent breast cancer.

Women who cut back to just 650 calories a day, twice a week, had significantly lower levels of cancer-causing hormones in their blood, the study found, reports the Daily Mail.

The researchers said women at high risk of breast cancer could be put on similar diets for the rest of their lives to try to prevent tumours developing.

The study examined 50 overweight women aged 30 to 45 who were deemed to have a high genetic risk of developing breast cancer, as either their mother or sister had suffered from the disease.

For two days each week they were limited to eating just a third of the recommended 2,000-calorie daily intake for women.

This had to include four portions of vegetables, one piece of fruit, two pints of semi-skimmed milk and either green tea, a diet soft drink or a salty beverage such as a cup of hot Bovril. For the remainder of the week they were allowed to eat as much as they wanted, as long as they stuck to healthy food that was relatively low in fat.

After six months scientists found that the women had far less leptin and nsulin in their blood - hormones that can cause cancer.

Leptin fell by an average of 40 per cent and insulin by an average of 25 per cent.

The women also lost an average of a stone in weight and recorded a 15 per cent drop in levels of the potentially harmful C-reactor protein, which is also known to increase the risk of breast cancer, in their blood.

Another 50 women were put on a diet in which they were restricted to 1,500 calories every day and told to avoid sugary foods, fatty meat and excessive alcohol.

These women also had fewer cancer-causing hormones in their blood six months later, but insulin had fallen slightly less than in women on the two-day-a-week diet.

But the scientists behind this latest study believe that the two-day-a- week diet could be even more effective than general dieting.

They say that when the body is deprived of food the amount of sugar reaching breast cells decreases, which may result in them dividing less frequently and turning cancerous.

The research was published in the International Journal of Obesity. (ANI)

Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds

Ambulance line hit by phone fault

5 October 2010 Last updated at 15:46 ET

A technical fault affected 999 emergency calls to two of the Scottish Ambulance Service's three call centres, it has emerged.

The fault occurred between midnight and 0330 BST on Tuesday.

It disrupted calls to Inverness and Edinburgh, causing many to be diverted to operators in Glasgow.

The ambulance service said it was investigating the reason for the fault and said all emergency calls were answered using an overflow system.

A spokesman for the service said: "The Scottish Ambulance Service experienced some technical problems to the 999 service in its Inverness and Edinburgh Emergency Medical Dispatch Centres (EMDC) in the early ours of this morning.

"The problem occurred between approximately 12.30 and 03.30 and the EMDC in Cardonald was unaffected.

"All 999 calls were answered using the usual overflow system to Cardonald, along with existing contingency lines in Inverness and Edinburgh.

"A review is ongoing with BT to identify the cause and ensure that clinical outcomes were not affected."

The incident follows a similar breakdown in July, which meant no emergency calls were received at any of Scotland's three call centres for several hours.

Callers were diverted to operators in Belfast and the north of England instead.

'Serious questions'

The incident in July prompted Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon to make a statement to parliament in which she gave assurances that changes had been made to avoid a repeat incident.

Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour's health spokeswoman, said: "It is deeply concerning that emergency 999 calls have been disrupted for a second time in just a few months.

"This raises serious questions about the resilience of the system and we need to know why lessons were not learned from the first incident."

Liberal Democrat Health spokesman Ross Finnie said: "We now need to know, immediately, if ambulance response times were affected and if any patients were delayed getting to hospital.

"Given the previous incident, there now has to be a fundamental review of the technical capabilities of the 999 system."

A government spokesman said the latest incident was being fully investigated, and pointed out the back-up systems had worked, although it is still not clear if any patients were affected.

Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds

Global Fund gets $12 bn to fight AIDS, TB, malaria

New York, Oct 6 (DPA) Governments and corporations Tuesday committed to provide $11.7 billion to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria from 2011-2013.

The fresh resources were pledged to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria during a replenishment and pledging conference held in New York.

The amount pledged surpassed the $9.7 billion that the Global Fund received during its previous three-year period to implement health programmes in 144 developing countries.

'At a time when so many governments are tightening their belts, these commitments send a powerful message: It shows how seriously world leaders want to do the right thing beyond their borders, too,' UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said at the conclusion of the fund's two-day meeting.

'It shows they understand the importance of health for all people,' he said.

More than 40 governments, the European Commission, faith-based organisations, private foundations and corporations committed to contribute to the work of fighting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

The US led donors with $4 billion, followed by France with $1.4 billion, Germany $822 million, Japan $800 million, Britain $600 million, Canada $528.4 million, Australia $203 million and Norway $230 million.

The European Commission pledged $452.3 million and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave $300 million.

The Global Fund said the $11.7 billion comprise firm pledges as well as projections of financing expected from the countries and private organisations that were not able to make firm pledges during the meeting in New York.

Despite the pledges obtained for the 2011-2013 period, the amount still fell short of the 13-20 billion dollars the Global Fund had been seeking for the period. The fund has been providing two-thirds of funding to combat malaria and tuberculosis and the rest for anti-AIDS programmes.

The UN strongly supports the work of the fund because its achievements in developing countries would meet the Millennium Development Goals, which call for reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015.

UNAIDS said nearly $16 billion were available in 2009 to combat the epidemic, even though it was short by $10 billion of the estimated need.

UNAIDS said 5.2 million people are currently on HIV treatment, a 12-fold increase in six years to stop the spread of AIDS. It said there were 200,000 fewer AIDS-related deaths in 2008 than in 2004.

Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds

Dracula fish, lipstick gecko among new Mekong finds - WWF

A fish with curving vampire fangs, a gecko that looks as if it's wearing lipstick and a carnivorous plant more than seven metres (23 feet) high may sound like creatures from a nightmare but they are real.

They are just three of 145 new species found in the area surrounding Southeast Asia's Mekong River in 2009 and highlighted in a WWF International report issued on Wednesday ahead of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan, this month.

The diversity of the region, so rich that an average of three new species were discovered each week last year, also highlights the need for action to ensure these new finds survive, WWF International said.

Among the animals highlighted in "New Blood: Greater Mekong New Species Discoveries 2009" is the Dracula minnow, with bulging eyes and two sharp fangs curving from its low-slung jaw. Luckily, the fish only grows to a maximum of 16.7 mm (0.7 inch).

Cuter by far is the lipstick gecko, barely big enough to perch on a finger, with a dark barred pattern across its lips suggestive of cosmetics.

Other featured creatures include a fangless snake, a frog that chirps like a cricket, and a pitcher plant that traps insects and grows to a height of over seven metres.

"This rate of discovery is simply staggering in modern times," said Stuart Chapman, Conservation Director of WWF Greater Mekong, in a statement.

"Each year, the new species count keeps going up, and with it, so too does the responsibilty to ensure this region's unique biodiversity is conserved."

The report said these discoveries highlight the Greater Mekong's immense biodiversity but they also pinpoint the fragility of the region's diverse habitats and species.

The WWF report cited the likely local extinction of the Javan rhino in Vietnam as one tragic indicator of the decline of biodiversity in recent times.

The Greater Mekong region covers Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern Chinese province of Yunnan.

Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds

NHS plans 'will not be derailed'

5 October 2010 Last updated at 06:17 ET By Nick Triggle Health reporter, BBC News

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Andrew Lansley: "We will not delay in taking the action that is necessary"

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has suggested it is full steam ahead for his NHS reforms in England - despite mounting criticisms.

Unions have raised concerns in the past week about the overhaul, which will see GPs given control of NHS purse strings.

The British Medical Association, Unison and Royal College of Nursing questioned the pace and scale of change.

But in a speech to the Conservative Party conference, Mr Lansley said he would not let his reforms be derailed.

He opened his address by comparing his quick action - he published a plan two months after becoming health secretary - to Labour's approach.

Vision

He said it took Labour ministers three years to publish their vision - the NHS Plan which was set out in 2000.

"We want people to be clear, this is a government that is serious about real reform."

And despite the concerns of the unions, he said he would push ahead with his plans once the consultation ends later this month.

"Start Quote

We want people to be clear, this is a government that is serious about real reform"

End Quote Andrew Lansley Health Secretary

"We will not delay in taking action that is necessary."

The white paper, published in July, set out plans to create GP consortiums to take over the running of the health service from local managers.

It said pilots should be in place by the end of this financial year, before full roll out by 2013.

Unions have said the nature of the overhaul - 10 strategic health authorities and 151 primary care trusts are to be abolished - could threaten the savings the NHS has been told to make.

GPs, in particular, have also expressed concern the consortiums could affect the doctor-patient relationship and about the impact of the creeping commercialisation of the health service.

But Mr Lansley said the reforms would help "quality of care we expect".

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis called the overhaul a huge gamble.

He added: "It is a disgrace that Lansley is pressing ahead with his plans.

"Although he says he wants to put patients in the driving seat, these are just warm words. Lansley has not asked the public what they think, nor were these proposals in the Tory manifesto - nobody voted for them."

Meanwhile, Mr Lansley also announced the government was asking hospitals to formally monitor E. coli and MSSA infections.

Both are already recorded on a voluntary basis with figures showing they have been rising in recent years.

The health secretary said he was keen to monitor what the source of these infections were - most will be contracted in the community but using hospital recording is seen as the best way of identifying trends.

Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds

Mother's light drinking does not harm baby - study

Enlarge Photo A child touches her pregnant mother's stomach at the last stages of her pregnancy in...

Women who have one or two alcoholic drinks a week during pregnancy do not harm their children's behavioural or intellectual development, according to a study by British scientists on Wednesday.

The researchers found that pregnant women who drank up to a glass (175 millilitres) of wine, up to 50 ml of spirits or just under a pint of beer a week did not affect their children.

But children whose mothers were heavy drinkers were more likely to be hyperactive and have behavioural and emotional problems than those whose mothers did not drink during pregnancy, the scientists said.

Yvonne Kelly of the epidemiology and public health department at University College London said the findings helped fill a gap in scientific research about the risks of alcohol and pregnancy, which has mostly focused on risks of heavy drinking.

"We're talking about one or two drinks a week at the very most," Kelly said in a telephone interview. "Light drinkers would also include women who have a very occasional drink at a family celebration for example."

Previous studies have shown that heavy alcohol drinking during pregnancy can seriously harm the baby and many health authorities advise women to keep alcohol intake to a minimum when they are pregnant.

In their study, Kelly's team used data from the Millennium Cohort Study -- a large study tracking the long-term health of children born in the UK -- taking a representative sample of 11,513 children born between September 2000 and January 2002.

The mothers were questioned about their drinking habits during pregnancy and their children's behaviour at the age of three, and the children's behavioural and intellectual progress was then formally assessed at the age of five.

The women were classified either as teetotal, those who drank but not in pregnancy, light drinkers (up to one or two drinks a week), moderate drinkers (three to six drinks a week); and binge or heavy drinkers (seven or more drinks a week, or six at any one time).

The results, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, found no evidence to suggest that the behavioural or intellectual development of children born to light drinkers was compromised.

"Up to the age of five years there is no increased risk of poor socio-emotional or cognitive developmental outcomes in children born to mothers who drank not more than one or two units of alcohol per week during pregnancy," the scientists wrote.

Across the entire range of children of non-drinkers and drinkers, the study found that boys were more likely than girls to have more developmental problems and also more likely to have behavioural issues, be hyperactive, and have problems with peers. Girls were more likely to have emotional problems.

(Editing by Peter Graff)

Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds

Most Californians oppose legalizing marijuana - poll

Enlarge Photo A burlap bag advertising California Sinsemilla marijuana is shown for sale in a shop in...

Hopes that California will become the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana appear to be turning into a pipe dream.

Voters plan to oppose a measure on the Nov. 2 ballot to legalize marijuana use by 53 percent to 43 percent, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday that showed a big change of sentiment from June.

Liberally inclined and financially troubled, California was the first state to flout federal law and legalize marijuana for medical use, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll in June showed voters nearly evenly divided on the measure to legalize sales and recreational use, known as Proposition 19.

Marijuana use has taken off like a weed in California since voters in 1996 approved the drug for medical use. Doctors in markets including Oakland and Los Angeles are in price wars to provide medical referrals, which have fallen below $100, and Oakland in particular is setting up rules for the creation and taxation of marijuana-growing facilities.

The idea of taxing recreational marijuana draws a lot of attention.

"They should tax the hell out of it and send the money directly to the schools," said Deborah Wynn, 56, a jobless student aiming to work in the medical industry.

WIDESPREAD SCEPTICISM

But California is not as liberal as its reputation: enthusiasm for legalization in Los Angeles and San Francisco is offset by more conservative views in other parts of the state.

And while Democrats support marijuana legalization and outnumber Republicans in the state, Republicans are more consistent in their opposition. Democrats support legalization 54 percent to 45 percent, but Republicans are against it more than two to one, at or 66 percent to 30 percent.

Independents are nearly evenly divided.

Scepticism about legalization runs the gamut from those fearing it will not bring in the hoped-for hundreds of millions or billions of dollars in taxes to those who see marijuana as a real danger.

Michael Smith, a 20-year-old student at Long Beach City College who plans to become a nurse, said marijuana had been a gateway drug for friends who continued to ecstasy and Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug.

"I had two friends who were faded on marijuana and Xannies and flipped their truck on the 605 South," he said, referring to the nearby San Gabriel River Freeway. Both died.

Proposition 19 would allow recreational use of marijuana by adults and regulation of sales and cultivation by local governments, creating a potential hothouse of regulatory experimentation.

Marijuana use already is practically legal in California.

For those unable to obtain a medical referral, the criminal penalty for possession of less than an ounce (28 grams), was reduced last month from a misdemeanour to an "offence," essentially leaving the offender without a criminal record.

The top penalty remains a $100 fine.

"In this time of drastic budget cuts, prosecutors, defence attorneys, law enforcement, and the courts cannot afford to expend limited resources prosecuting a crime that carries the same punishment as a traffic ticket," Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote, as he signed the bill, despite his declared opposition to decriminalizing recreational marijuana use.

(Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Eric Walsh)