Vitamin E Increases Lung Cancer Risk

A recent four-year long study of 78,000 adults between the ages of 50 to 76 that covered supplement-taking habits and lung cancer incidence proved taking vitamin E habitually may increase the risk of lung cancer.

The study shows every increase in vitamin E of 100 milligrams a day associated with a 7 percent rise in lung cancer risk, averaging out to a 28 percent increase in risk over 10 years for someone taking 400 milligrams of vitamin E daily, further proving that vitamin supplements are not always capable with suppressing health problems.


"Vitamins are essential nutrients that act to maintain health and prevent vitamin deficiency," Pamela Mason, spokeswoman for the London-based Health Supplements Information Service, said in a statement. "They were never intended to be used to prevent chronic disease such as cancer. Indeed, it would be asking a lot of a vitamin pill to expect it to prevent cancer."

In addition to the expected association with smoking, family history and other lung cancer risk factors, there was a slight but statistically significant association with vitamin E supplementation and incidence of the disease in 521 of the participants surveyed.

The primary cause of lung cancer is smoking, so the most preventive measure is simply not to smoke, but for the cases of other types of cancer such as breast and colon, vitamin supplements have been linked to reducing the risk.

Full Article

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Flu Vaccination Age Recommendation Extends

One of the largest expansions of flu vaccination coverage in U.S. history by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee will cover an additional 30 million children between the ages of 6 months and 18 years old no later than the 2009-10 flu season.


Children tend to come down with the flu at higher rates than adults, but usually don't get as sick, even though this season there were 68 child deaths out of the the estimated 36,000 Americans who die each year from the disease.


"We want the recommendation expanded, because we hear even to this day people say, 'The recommendation doesn't apply to me. I don't have to get vaccinated.' It's completely the opposite," said Richard Kanowitz, president of Families Fighting Flu, who lost a 4-year-old daughter to influenza in 2004.. "You need to get vaccinated. The CDC just puts out a recommendation, and the confusion over whether people need to get vaccinated needs to be dispelled by having a clear message --everyone should get vaccinated. The more people who get vaccinated, the more lives get saved."


The virus strain most common in the United States right now is the influenza A H3N2 strain, and it's a strain not included in this year's vaccine, which is not well-matched against influenza type B and contributes to this year's flu season that has hit many areas of the country hard.

A new influenza strain has already been selected by the FDA for the 2008-09 flu vaccine recommended for adults and children ages 6 months to 18 years, which includes strains Brisbane/10, a version of the H3N2 flu; a second new Type A strain known as H1N1/Brisbane/59; and a newer Type B/Florida strain, that will hopefully protect U.S. citizens when flu season comes again.


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U.S. Healthcare to Double in 9 Years

As baby boomers emerge into the Medicare system, healthcare spending will double in the U.S. and shift from the private to the public sector by 2017, reaching $4.3 trillion and accounting for one-fifth of the gross domestic product, a new government report shows.


U.S. citizens may need to prepare themselves by saving and budgeting for 2017 because Medicare spending is expected to account for $884 billion instead of the spending level of $427 billion for 2007.


"Our expectation is that growth in health spending is expected to be steady over the projection, which is 2007 through 2017, at 6.7 percent per year," said report co-author Andrea Sisko, an economist with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, during a teleconference Monday.
"At the same time, we are expecting economic growth to slow to an average annual rate of 4.7 percent. As a result, the combination of steady health spending growth and slowing economic growth will lead to the health care part of gross domestic product rising to nearly 20 percent by 2017, nearly one-fifth of the economy," Sisko said.


Health care spending grew to more than $2.1 trillion in 2006, accounting for 16 percent of gross domestic product, which will only grow as the years pass on.


Hospital spending is expected to increase and gradually slow down through 2017, prescription drug spending is expected to slow down initially and then start to accelerate through 2017, and drug spending will increase, while Medicaid is projected to grow to $717.3 billion over the next 10 years.

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FDA Approves New Cancer Fighting Drug

The FDA approved a new cancer stalling drug, Avastin, for women with advanced breast cancer and those in need of lung and colon cancer treatment.


An expert panel of advisors to the FDA voted against the drug because the drug's ability to slow the growth of cancerous tumors did not outweigh the risk of blood clots and other cardiovascular problems leading to a rare number of deaths and a significant number of patients who experienced no gain from experiments during testing.


"Avastin improves progression-free survival, but we don't know if it improves overall survival," said Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman of hematology/oncology at Ochsner Health System in Baton Rouge, La. "There are increased side effects [and] risks in using Avastin, but, in appropriate patients, it may be beneficial."


In trial results submitted to the FDA by Genentech before the advisory panel met, the use of Avastin (bevacizumab) did stall malignancy in women with advanced breast cancer by an average of 5.5 months, when combined with paclitaxel, but the same study of 722 patients showed that patients reaped no gain in overall survival after taking Avastin.


Avastin, with a price tag of $50,000 per year, is currently being tested against 20 cancers in 300 trials and this latest approval is expected to add more than $700 million in annual sales to the $2.3 billion in sales that was generated in 2007 by the drug's use among lung and colon cancer patients.


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Link Between Adolescent Trauma and Smoking

A recent study involving 15,000 cigarette smokers between the ages of 15 to about 22 link reasons for smoking in teen years to childhood abuse or physical violence.

It's considered normal for adolescents to experiment with smoking or drinking, but if young people are experimenting and have had a lot of stress in their lives, they may need help.

"Traumatic experiences in adolescence bubble up in all kinds of ways, often self-destructive and health-jeopardizing," said Michael Resnick, director of Healthy Youth Development Prevention Research Center at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis.

More than 80 percent of smokers start before age 18 and about 20 percent of adults smoke as a result of picking up a casual "light, social smoking" habit in college that transforms into a full blown addiction later. 

The study's results suggest that doctors need to pay more attention to teenagers and young adults who have had such traumas to prevent all kinds of addictions, such as drinking, drug abuse, and gambling.

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Missing Chromosomes and Treatment Deintensify Brain Tumor

A recent study of patients with an inoperable brain tumor found those without chromosomes 1p and 19q did better on the chemotherapy drug temozolomide, than those without the genetic abnormality.

The lack of these chromosomes actually helps people with Gliomatosis cerebri, a rare and difficult to diagnose brain tumor respond better to a new treatment and live 4 years longer than those with the chromosomes.

"Before now, we weren't sure which factors influenced how well a person with this type of brain tumor would respond to the treatment," said Dr. Marc Sanson of INSERM, the French government health agency in Paris.


Study participants underwent genetic testing and received monthly treatments of temozolomide for up to two years, resulting in 88 percent of those missing the chromosomes responding well to the drug compared with only 25 percent of those with the chromosomes.


Those afflicted with the brain tumor and the two missing chromosomes will now be treated with the chemotherapy drug temozolomide, and will survive an average of 5.5 years longer than patients with the chromosomes, without tumor growth.

Full Article: Missing Chromosomes Respond to Brain Tumor Treatment

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USDA Orders Largest Beef Recall in U.S. History: 143.4 Million Pounds

The U.S. government on Sunday recalled 143.3 million pounds of beef that dated to cattle slaughtered two years ago at Hallmark/ Westland Meat packing.

The government has classified the recall as Class II, meaning there is little likelihood of illness to the 150 (unnamed) school districts and food assistance programs that already consumed the botched meat.

"We don't know exactly where all the product went," said Ken Peterson, USDA's assistant administrator, for the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service in a conference call.

The proof behind the recall was discovered by a non-governmental organization, the U.S. Humane Society, who sent a society member undercover at Hallmark/ Westland to videotape the meatpacker improperly slaughtering what are called "downer" cattle or those unable to walk to slaughter.

The school districts and fast food chains are banning Hallmark/Westland Meat after the government suspended operations at the slaughterhouse and as a result several employees have been fired and charged with misdemeanor and felony counts of animal cruelty and illegal movement of a non-ambulatory animal.

Hopefully, the huge recall will put the safety of the U.S. beef supply front and center in Congress. The USDA is required by law to regulate and report, but how much longer can U.S. citizens test their luck with weak enforcement of federal food safety regulations?

The Full Story: The Grit and Grim of What Really Goes into the Beef you're Eating


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Your Waistline has Something to Tell You

Your body needs fat, but too much around the belly or on the thighs is a no, not just for your appearance, but for your health.

Obesity is measured by taking the Body Mass Index (BMI) which calculates your body size while trying to account for bone mass.

The faulty part of the measurement is that it doesn't take into consideration a person's muscle mass. In fact, a person's waist measurement is a more accurate forecaster of heart attacks than the body mass index.

Studies have already shown that obesity is just as unhealthy as smoking, but recent studies show carrying excess fat specifically around your belly is about as bad it gets.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) have set a waist measurement cutoff point at above 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men—no matter how much you actually weigh.

Most people don't know this, but each human body contains visceral fat, a dangerous hidden fat that surrounds vital organs deep inside your body, which must be added into waistline measurement.

To learn more about how to measure your waist and visceral fat, click here. Get healthy and learn from this article.

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Living 100 Years is Easy?

Health troubles throughout a lifetime are no longer a barrier to reaching the golden age of a 100. A survey reveals many people who live to the age of 100 have had chronic ailments prior to their big birthday. 

People who develop heart disease, diabetes, prostate cancer, etc. still have a fighting chance to make it to the century mark. It is a common misconception that living to the age of 100 is limited to those who had not developed chronic illness in their previous life. 

For this study, Boston University researchers conducted interviews with hundreds of people that had reached 100 about their health in the past. 

Those questioned either had chronic illness in the past or didn't encounter illness in the past at all. What they all have in common is their age despite the difference in health background. 

Hopefully, more detailed surveys will be made to conclude what factors contribute to living a century!

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Sugar Substitute Packets Pack on the Pounds

Americans dump packets of artificial sweetners into just about anything these days. Coffee, fruit, toast, and the list goes on. 

Researchers show Americans have been fooled into thinking these "substitutes" are better than the real thing. Americans don't expect extra pounds from a substitute that is suppose to be better for them. 

Purdue researchers studied rats to determine the side effects of artificial sweetners and the results are in. 

The tested rats had less control of their appetitite when artificial sweetning was present. 

The rats gained more and ate more, thus proving that artificially sweetened products may interfere with an automatic process. A process involving the body's ability to detect fullness.

Scared for your hips? The Proof is in the Article

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Ipod's Attribute to Hearing Loss

Turning down the volume of personal music players could prevent a reported one in eight--or about 5 million- listeners noise-induced hearing loss. 

A study shows hearing loss experience in young Americans can accelerate hearing loss normally associated with aging. 

And we all know how hard it is for our 65-year-old grandparents to hear us speak anyway. 

Also, a fun fact for those not disturbed by pre-mature hearing loss: It is the third most common health problem in the United States and affects more than 31 million Americans. 

The American Academy of Audiology has constructed a campaign, Turn it to the Left, to encourage kids and young adults to turn down the volume and prevent hearing loss before it begins.

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Low-Carb Diets Preferable to Prevent Diabetes

We live in an era of fad diets, crash diets, fat flushes, and weight loss by popping magical pills. 

Little do we know, these diets may be guiding us down the road to diabetes. 

A recent study is now claiming low-carb diets, high in animal fat and protein doesn't increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. 

Most doctors and nutritionists, up until now, recommend a low-fat diet to prevent type 2 diabetes. Low-fat, high carbohydrate diets have no known long term effects for dieters attempting this weight loss method. 

About 85,000 women participated in this study which lasted 20 years. If you have been fooled into low-fat dieting and want to learn more about how to change your eating habits, check out this article for the cold hard facts. To learn more

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Marijuana Effects Users! It's Proven!

Marijuana users can be commonly heard saying that the effects of their habit are minimal and the drug should be legalized.

 Some say it isn't even a drug. Well, whether it is or it isn't, studies have surfaced proving that marijuana effects the gums of our mouth. 

In fact, pot smokers face many of the same health consequences that tobacco users do, such as an increased risk of heart disease.

 Only now do researchers approve that the nasty habit destroys gum tissue and increases chance by three times for developing serious gum disease.
To here more about the study and facts: click here

They proof is in the Journal:
Journal of the American Medical Association



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Spring Break is Upon Us

It's that time of year again. Girls from the age of 18 to 22 are running to the gym then running on the treadmill, eating less, and browsing the racks for the perfect itsy bitsy bikini.

 Shopping is fine, but crash dieting is not. Neglecting the body of food effects it in ways most young adults don't think about. Their bodies are invincible, right? 

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New Flu Strain not Included in Vaccine

It's officially flu season. Covering your mouth mid-cough and washing your hands excessively isn't going to cut it this time around. There is a new kid on the block. Well, a new strain infecting Americans that is not included in this year's flu vaccine. Each year's vaccine contains protections against three influenza strains. Every year, the flu infects up to 20 percent of the population, causes the hospitalization of 200,000 people and kills 36, 000. Eleven states have been hit hard by the flu. Some 132 million doses of vaccine were produced this year, which id more than ever before. There is still enough for those who haven't had their shot. So, hurry out to your local clinic, get your shot, and hope for the best. 

Read the full story to learn more...

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