Kurriosity

Monday, May 20, 2013

College Women More Prone to Problem Drinking Than Men

It comes as little surprise that college students sometimes binge drink, but new research shows that college women are more likely to drink unhealthy amounts of alcohol on a weekly basis than are college men.

Much of this difference is probably because the amount of alcohol that‘s considered safe on a weekly basis is much lower for women than it is for men: seven drinks for women versus 14 for men. But, there‘s good reason for that difference. Women don‘t metabolize alcohol in the same way as men, and lesser amounts of alcohol can increase the risk of breast cancer and liver disease in women.

Throughout the study, 15 percent of women exceeded weekly drinking limits compared to 12 percent of men. In addition, men‘s weekly drinking appeared to go down throughout the year, but not so for women.

"College women adopt a drinking style that will cause toxicity soon. Overall, women drink less than men do, but they don‘t seem to know how much less they should be drinking in a week," explained Bettina Hoeppner, lead study author and an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School.

Hoeppner said the biggest concern is that women may be setting themselves up for long-term health problems, particularly if they‘re not aware of the safe weekly alcohol limits. She noted that women might think they‘re fine if they don‘t binge drink, but it‘s easy to hit the weekly limit by just having a glass of wine with dinner every night.

The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines low-risk drinking as no more than three drinks a day or seven drinks a week for women. For men, those limits are four drinks a day and 14 drinks a week.

The daily limits were set to avoid the physical and thinking problems that can occur from drinking too much in one day. The weekly limits took into account how much alcohol someone would need to consume to raise their risk of chronic health conditions, such as liver disease, sleep disorders, heart disease and some cancers.

Hoeppner‘s study included 992 college students: 575 females and 417 males. The students provided biweekly reports of their daily drinking habits through a Web-based questionnaire.

Two-thirds of both the men and women exceeded the NIAAA weekly or daily guidelines at least once during the year, according to the study. Slightly more than 51 percent of the women and about 45 percent of the men exceeded weekly drinking limits at least once during the year.

Men were slightly more likely to exceed daily limits than women: 28 percent of men versus 25 percent of women, but the researchers said this difference wasn‘t statistically significant.

The study findings appear online May 17 and in the upcoming October print issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Dr. Marc Galanter, director of the division of alcoholism and drug abuse at the NYU Langone Medical Center, said he suspects that college women may be trying to drink as much as their male counterparts. "I think these young women are independent souls and are motivated to drink in a manner that‘s similar to the way that men are drinking," he said. "In terms of what‘s considered normative, there isn‘t much difference between men and women now."

But, he cautioned, "Comparable levels of drinking for women have a greater impact in terms of intoxication."

Study author Hoeppner said she didn‘t think that women were necessarily trying to drink as much as men, just that they might not be as aware of what‘s considered a safe weekly limit.

"Women need to be reminded that there are weekly limits, and women can exceed those limits quickly. It‘s important to track the number of drinks you have per week, not just on occasion. And, alcohol prevention information should address the rationale behind weekly limits," Hoeppner suggested.

Study Links Coffee to Lower Risk for Rare Liver Disease

Just a few extra cups of coffee each month might help prevent the development of an autoimmune liver disease known as primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a new study suggests.

Investigators from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., found that drinking coffee was associated with a reduced risk of developing the disease, which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, liver failure and biliary cancer. This association, however, does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

"While rare, PSC has extremely detrimental effects," Dr. Craig Lammert, an instructor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, said in a news release from the American Gastroenterological Association. "We are always looking for ways to mitigate risk, and our first-time finding points to a novel environmental effect that might also help us determine the cause of this and other devastating autoimmune diseases."

The study involved a large group of patients with PSC and an early form of liver cirrhosis, known as biliary cirrhosis. The researchers compared these patients to a healthy "control" group. The findings indicated that drinking coffee was linked to lower risk for PSC. Coffee consumption, however, was not associated with reduced risk for biliary cirrhosis.

The patients with PSC were much less likely to be coffee drinkers than those in the control group. The healthy participants spent roughly 20 percent more of their lives regularly drinking coffee, the investigators found.

A separate study found that enhancements to palliative care, or specialized comfort care for people with terminal illnesses, are needed to improve quality of life for cirrhosis patients who are rejected for a liver transplant. The review, conducted by researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada, found that only 3 percent of the patients examined died while in hospice care.

"In our study, less than 10 percent of patients had even been referred to palliative care," said Constantine Karvellas, assistant professor of medicine at the university. "We need to be better about ensuring quality of life for these patients."

Palliative care focuses on relief from symptoms, pain and stress. The study showed that more than half of the patients involved in the study had pain and nausea in their final days. Other patients examined also experienced depression, anxiety, breathlessness and anorexia. The researchers said 80 percent were repeatedly hospitalized and underwent invasive procedures.

"Palliative care offers a way to avoid some of these costly procedures and at the same time improve the quality of life for these patients," Karvellas said. "This data helps to start the conversation on how we can make a positive difference in the lives of many patients and families."

The findings of both studies were scheduled for Monday presentation at the Digestive Disease Week annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. Studies presented at medical meetings should be seen as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Kale: One Superfood

Full of nutrients, rich in flavor and versatile in how it is prepared, Kale is a winner in the kitchen. Chefs everywhere consider Kale to be a Superfood that shouldn’t be skipped. Kale can find its way to your table in no time at all, with simple cooking methods to make it a family favorite!

Kale contains betacarotene and antioxidants, and is boosting with vitamins. In fact one cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6, 40 % of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C and 1,020% of vitamin K. It also contains copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus. This superfood has been shown to have anti-cancer properties and can help to lower cholesterol as well.

Kale is one vegetable that can remain an integral part of your diet all year through as it actually thrives in cooler weather. The freshest kale will have firm dark colored leaves and hardy stems.

Now that you understand its health benefits, where can kale fit at your table? Well for starters you can use kale as your leafy green when tossing a salad. Replace romaine or spinach for kale leaves for a change of pace. Toss kale into your favorite pasta dish such as penne with kale and white beans, or cold pasta salad with feta and kale. Perhaps you want to make a soup, to simmer with your carrots, onions and chicken, nothing is better than kale. Kale sauteed with garlic can be a great side dish to accompany steak or fish for great color and taste.

Looking for another way to have your family fall in love with kale? Then look no further than these great recipes to make kale your kids new favorite food. No one will ever guess it is kale that gives this smoothie its great color and taste. Throw some kale, ice, water or soy milk and a frozen banana in the blender for a creamy smoothie that tastes delicious.

Or better yet kale chips will have your family munching on good taste and good nutrition. It is as easy as spreading out cleaned kale leaves on a baking sheet, sprinkling with olive oil and cooking for 5 minutes, then toss and bake for another 5 minutes at 350 degrees. When done sprinkle with sea salt and serve for a sure fire crunchy hit!

It is no wonder that chefs everywhere are touting kale as a superfood that makes the grade. Both it’s nutrition and its flavor get an A plus! Try it for yourself and no doubt it’ll find its way into your shopping cart week after week.

X-Rays May Up Breast Cancer Risk

Women with certain gene mutations are more likely to develop breast cancer if they were exposed to radiation from chest X-rays or mammograms before age 30, compared with those who have the gene mutations and weren't exposed to radiation, new research suggests.

The study included nearly 2,000 women, 18 and older, in the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom. All of the women had a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, which have long been linked to raised risks for breast and ovarian cancer.

Forty-eight percent of the women reported ever having an X-ray and 33 percent had undergone a mammogram, according to the report published online Sept. 7 in the BMJ. The average age at first mammogram was 29.

Between 2006 and 2009, 43 percent of the women were diagnosed with breast cancer. A history of any exposure to radiation from chest X-rays or mammograms between age 20 and 29 increased the risk of breast cancer by 43 percent, and any exposure before the age of 20 increased the risk by 62 percent, the researchers found. Exposure between ages 30 and 39 did not increase the risk of breast cancer, they noted.

For every 100 women, age 30, with BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations, nine will have developed breast cancer by the age of 40, and the number of cases of breast cancer in these women would have increased by five if all of them had had one mammogram before age 30, according to calculations by Anouk Pijpe of the Netherlands Cancer Institute and colleagues.

However, this estimate "should be interpreted with caution because there were few women with breast cancer who had had a mammogram before age 30 in the study," the researchers explained in a journal news release.

Pijpe and colleagues recommended that non-ionizing radiation imaging techniques, such as MRI, be used for women who carry these BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations.

Exposure to radiation is an established risk factor for breast cancer among all women, the study authors pointed out. Some countries recommend that women under age 30 avoid mammography breast cancer screening.

Experts in the United States said the study raises many questions.

"The authors should be applauded for carrying out such a complex study in a concerted effort," said Dr. Aye Moe Thu Ma, director of breast surgery at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. The study "brings into question the current National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines on the use of mammograms for BRCA patients as early at 25 years of age," she added.

Ma also agreed that for patients who carry the BRCA gene mutations and who have not undergone mastectomy, "they may be best to be screened with MRI if the patients are younger than 30 and after discussing the risks and benefits of the MRI with the patient."

Another breast cancer specialist agreed that screening these patients may require a tailored approach.

"Women with BRCA mutations should adhere to a screening program designed specifically for them based on personal and family risk factors, in addition to accounting for their BRCA status, so that they may maximize benefit derived from screening and minimize any potential risks," said Dr. Eva Chalas, chief of clinical cancer services at Winthrop University Hospital, in Mineola, N.Y.

And Ma also stressed that, "this study is focused on a small group of high-risk patients who are sensitive to radiation, and does not apply to the general public."

Experts currently disagree on the recommended frequency of screenings and the intervals between them. In 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force ignited debate when it recommended screening mammograms every two years for women ages 50 to 74. It advised women in their 40s at average risk of breast cancer to discuss the pros and cons with their doctors and then decide about the value of screening. Other organizations, including the American Cancer Society, continue to advise women 40 and older to get yearly screening mammograms.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about breast cancer.

Violent Video Games May Numb Players to Brutality

Teenage boys who play violent video games for hours on end may become desensitized to the brutality, a small new study finds.

The research focused on 30 boys, aged 13 to 15, who were divided into two groups. One group typically played violent video games for three or more hours a day (high exposure) while the other group played such games for no more than an hour a day (low exposure).

The researchers monitored the boys‘ reactions after playing a violent game ("Manhunt") and a nonviolent cartoon game ("Animaniacs"). They played each game for two hours on different evenings.

Differences between the boys‘ reactions emerged later in the night after gaming. During sleep, the boys in the low-exposure group who played the violent game had faster heart rates and poorer quality of sleep than those in the high-exposure group. The boys in the low-exposure group also reported increased feelings of sadness after playing the violent game.

Both groups of boys had higher stress and anxiety levels after playing the violent game, according to the study, which was published in the May issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine.

"The violent game seems to have elicited more stress at bedtime in both groups, and it also seems as if the violent game in general caused some kind of exhaustion," wrote Malena Ivarsson, of the Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University in Sweden, and colleagues. "However, the exhaustion didn‘t seem to be of the kind that normally promotes good sleep, but rather as a stressful factor that can impair sleep quality."

The differences between the two groups‘ physical and mental responses suggest that frequent exposure to violent video games may have a desensitizing effect, the researchers said. The study, however, didn‘t prove a cause-and-effect relationship, and it‘s possible that boys with certain traits may be attracted to violent games, the researchers said.

More information

The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry has more about children and video games.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Amusement park injuries

More than 4,000 American children are injured on amusement rides each year, according to a new study that calls for standardized safety regulations.
Between 1990 and 2010, nearly 93,000 children under the age of 18 were treated in U.S. emergency rooms for amusement-ride-related injuries -- an average of nearly 4,500 injuries per year.
More than 70 percent of the injuries occurred from May through September, which means that more than 20 injuries a day occurred during these warm-weather months, said researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children‘s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
The head and neck region was the most frequently injured (28 percent), followed by the arms (24 percent), face (18 percent) and legs (17 percent). The most common types of injuries were soft tissue (29 percent), strains and sprains (21 percent), cuts (20 percent) and broken bones (10 percent).
The percentage of injuries that required hospitalization or observation was low, suggesting that serious injuries are rare. From May through September, however, an amusement-ride-related injury serious enough to require hospitalization occurs an average of once every three days, according to the study, which was published online May 1 and in the May print issue of the journal Clinical Pediatrics.
Youngsters were most likely to suffer injuries as a result of a fall (32 percent) or by either hitting a part of their body on a ride or being hit by something while riding (18 percent). Thirty-three percent of injuries occurred on amusement park rides, 29 percent on mobile rides at fairs and festivals, and 12 percent on rides at malls, stores, restaurants and arcades.
"Although the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has jurisdiction over mobile rides, regulation of fixed-site rides is currently left to state or local governments, leading to a fragmented system," study senior author Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy, said in a hospital news release. "A coordinated national system would help us prevent amusement-ride-related injuries through better injury surveillance and more consistent enforcement of standards."
Smith and his colleagues also found that injuries on mall rides are more likely to be head, neck or face injuries; concussions; or cuts than injuries on fixed or mobile rides. Nearly three-fourths of injuries on mall rides occurred when a child fell in, on, off or against the ride. The researchers noted that mall rides often are located above hard surfaces and may not have child restraints.
"Injuries from smaller amusement rides located in malls, stores, restaurants and arcades are typically given less attention by legal and public health professionals than injuries from larger amusement park rides, yet our study showed that in the U.S. a child is treated in an emergency department, on average, every day for an injury from an amusement ride located in a mall, store, restaurant or arcade," said Smith, who also is a professor of pediatrics at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. "We need to raise awareness of this issue, and determine the best way to prevent injuries from these types of rides."
Smith and his colleagues offered the following amusement-ride safety tips:

Always follow all posted height, weight, age and health restrictions, as well as all loading or seating-order instructions.
Always use safety equipment such as seat belts and safety bars, and keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times.
If you don‘t think your child will be able to follow the rules, keep him or her off the ride. If you are worried about the safety of a ride, don‘t let your child go on it.
Do not let your child go on a mall ride if it is over a hard, unpadded surface or if it does not have a child restraint such as a seat belt.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Snoring Toddlers May Have More Behavior Problems

Toddlers who snore persistently are more likely to have behavior problems, such as hyperactivity, depression and attention issues, during the day than their non-snoring peers, new research indicates.

The study also looked at factors that might contribute to or protect against snoring in this young age group, and they found one was strongly protective: breast-feeding. Factors that made persistent snoring more likely included low socioeconomic status, race and exposure to environmental smoke, said study author Dean Beebe, director of the neuropsychology program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

"Snoring is cute in comics or cartoons, but in reality it's not normal for kids to snore for weeks or months on end," said Beebe, who is also an associate professor of pediatrics.

"Snoring can disrupt the quality of sleep, and a tired toddler has a much lower tolerance for frustration. When you add chronicity to the problem, over time, that lack of sleep sets up negative interactions within the toddler's environment, which may change the way they respond," Beebe explained. "This is a developing brain. The connections that are made and retained are about their experiences. A lack of sleep could fundamentally alter those experiences."

Results of the study were published online Aug. 13 and in the September print issue of Pediatrics.
Beebe's study included 249 children who were involved in a prospective study that followed the children's health from birth. Their mothers let the researchers know how often the children snored when they were 2 and again when they were 3.

Of participants, 170 children were non-snorers. Their mothers said they rarely snored at either age. Fifty-seven children were transient snorers. Their mothers reported loud

snoring more than twice a week either when they were 2 or 3, but not at both times. The snorers were the smallest group. Just 22 youngsters snored more than twice a week when they were 2 and were still snoring that much when they were 3.

Children who were persistent snorers were more likely to have been exposed to environmental tobacco smoke prenatally and into childhood. Snorers were significantly more

likely to be black and to have a low socioeconomic status, according to the study. The researchers didn't find any differences in motor development between snorers and non-snorers or transient snorers, but they did find that snorers were more likely to be hyperactive, depressed or inattentive.
Dr. Sangeeta Chakravorty, director of the pediatric sleep evaluation center at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, wasn't surprised by the findings.

"Snoring impacts sleep, and sleep loss impacts behaviors," she explained. But, she noted that the study wasn't able to determine whether the behavior problems were just because the children were tired, or if their snoring was significant enough to cause a chronic lack of oxygen, because the study only included information from the children's mothers. There were no objective data, such as oxygen levels throughout the night.

Chakravorty added that snoring in this age group is actually common. She said enlargement of the adenoids was the biggest cause of snoring, followed by enlarged tonsils. Nasal allergies can also cause snoring, as can abnormalities in the facial structure or the structure of the airway. And obesity can cause snoring in children like it does in adults.

Both experts recommended bringing up any persistent snoring with your child's pediatrician.

"If you hear your child snoring more than three to four times a week in the absence of an upper respiratory infection [cold], and it lasts more than a month, seek help from the pediatrician," Chakravorty said.

"There are treatments for snoring," said Beebe, who cautioned that parents should be prepared for the possibility that treating the snoring may not always cure the behavior problems.

"Snoring may or may not be the cause of behavior problems," he said.

While the study found an association between toddler snoring and behavior problems, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

More information
Learn more about snoring and sleep problems in children from the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay.
All rights reserved.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Breast Study on Twins

Breast feeding, daily moisturizing and hormone replacement therapy can make a woman's breasts appear more beautiful, but smoking, drinking alcohol and having multiple pregnancies can take an aesthetic toll, according to researchers.

A study of identical twins published Tuesday in theAesthetic Surgery Journal, titled "Determinants of Breast Appearance and Aging in Twins," shows environmental factors play a key role in how a woman's breasts age.

Other factors like higher body mass index (BMI) and larger bra and cup sizes also contribute to accelerated breast aging, according to the study.

An estimated 316,848 women had breast augmentations and 127,054 had breast lifts performed in 2011, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Now, women can identify lifestyle behaviors that can slow the aging process to avoid surgical intervention, according to the study, which was funded by a grant from the Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation.

For the last three years, plastic surgeon Hooman T. Soltanian of University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, studied 161 pairs of twins.

"It's very rare that both twins have been through the same exact environmental factors throughout life," he said. "The idea was that they have the same [breasts] from a genetic standpoint. If we see a difference, it's more likely to be environmental factors."

Soltanian collected data from consenting women between the ages of 25 and 74 at the annual Twins Days Festival in Twinsberg, Ohio. The average age of the study's participants was 45.5 years old.

"The twins come from all over the country for a weekend to have fun and celebrate," he said. "We have been using that opportunity to study their breasts. It's not a longitudinal study, but a cross-sectional study."

The study had two parts. First, each set of twins was given a questionnaire on lifestyle habits, such as smoking, drinking, number of pregnancies, use of a bra, stress at work, sports, hormone replacement therapy, moisturizing and exposure to the sun. Each twin answered independently.

Then, photos of the twins' breasts were taken "in a secluded area by professionals." Those photos were "subjectively evaluated by independent reviewers."

Soltanian acknowledged there is "no objective measurement" for what makes a breast "beautiful." But researchers looked for skin tone, droopiness, shape and areola size.

Moisturizing seemed an "obvious" advantage on a breast's appearance, showing fewer wrinkles, according to Soltanian.

Those who received hormone replacement therapy after menopause had more attractive breast shape, size, projection, areolar shape and areolar size.

The study seemed to refute myths about the negative effects of nursing a baby, findings that even surprised Soltanian. Even though the size and shape of the areola had suffered, the skin quality was better in women who breast fed.

"All these twins did not breast-feed without being pregnant and pregnancy has a negative effect on breast appearance," he said. "My explanation is that women who breast fed have a different hormonal milieu -- sort of like internal hormone replacement. So even though those were disadvantages, they gained some benefit."

Soltanian, who does reconstructive surgeries for women after breast cancer, said this twin research could be expanded to longitudinal studies that look for environmental influences when one twin has cancer and the other doesn't.

As for the study's importance, he said, "It's obvious to me that breast appearance and breast health as a whole are a major part of female health."

Couch-Potato Kids

Lack of exercise and obesity are the top two health concerns for U.S. children, according to adults who took part in a newly released national survey.

The respondents were asked to identify the 10 biggest health concerns for children in their communities, and 39 percent said it was lack of exercise, 38 percent said obesity and 34 percent said smoking and tobacco use.

The remaining top concerns listed in the poll from the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital were: drug abuse (33 percent), bullying (29 percent), stress (27 percent), alcohol abuse (23 percent), teen pregnancy (23 percent), Internet safety (22 percent) and child abuse and neglect (20 percent).

"Childhood obesity remains a top concern, and adults know it is certainly linked to lack of exercise," poll director Dr. Matthew Davis, associate professor of pediatrics and internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and associate professor of public policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, said in a university news release.

"The strong perception that lack of exercise is a threat to children's health may reflect effective recent public health messages from programs such as First Lady Michelle Obama's 'Let's Move' campaign," he suggested. "But exercise offers many more benefits other than weight loss or preventing obesity -- such as better attention and learning in school and improved sense of well-being."

The poll's results varied based on respondents' race and ethnicity. Hispanic adults were more likely to rate obesity as a greater risk (44 percent) than lack of exercise (38 percent), and also rated drug abuse higher than smoking and tobacco use.

Black adults felt that smoking and tobacco use was the most serious health concern for children (43 percent). They also ranked racial inequality seventh on the list and gun-related injuries ninth.

Compared to whites, black and Hispanic adults ranked sexually transmitted diseases as a greater health concern for children.

"The strong connection of many of the top 10 child health concerns to health behaviors among children and adolescents underscores the importance of public programs and communication initiatives -- for example, those designed to prevent drug abuse, tobacco use, alcohol abuse and teen pregnancy," Davis said.

"Child health varies across communities, and these results emphasize a need for local programs that respect and address community-specific health priorities for youth," he added.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outlines the ABCs of raising safe and healthy kids.