Breathing Smog in Pregnancy Linked to Child's Behavior Problems

Clickbank Products Breathing Smog in Pregnancy Linked to Child's Behavior Problems



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By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Women exposed to higher levels of certain air pollutants while pregnant are more likely to have children with anxiety, depression and attention problems by ages 6 and 7, new research suggests.

"This study provides new evidence that prenatal exposure to air pollution at levels encountered in New York City can adversely affect child behavior," said Frederica Perera, a professor of environmental health sciences and director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

She led the new study, published online March 22 in Environmental Health Perspectives.

The researchers looked at pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). They are created by the burning of fossil fuels and are common in urban environments. Traffic emissions are a major source of these pollutants.

The study is believed to be the first to link behavior problems in school-age children with two measures of prenatal PAH exposure: air concentrations and a PAH-specific marker found in mothers' blood samples and umbilical cord blood. The PAH, inhaled by the mom during pregnancy, can cross the placenta, experts know.

Perera's team followed the children of 253 inner-city women who gave birth between 1999 and 2006. None of the mothers smoked.

The researchers measured the concentrations of PAH in the environment of the mothers for 48 hours during trimester two or three. They also took blood samples from the mothers and the umbilical cords.

In addition, the women answered questions about their children's behavior, including describing any attention problems, anxiety or depression. The attention problems would not qualify as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, Perera noted.

The investigators found a link between higher PAH exposure levels and behavior problems. "Symptoms of anxiety and depression were 45 percent higher in the higher exposure group versus the lower," Perera said. Attention problems were 28 percent greater in the higher PAH exposure group.

When the researchers took into account other sources of pollutants such as tobacco smoke and diet, the link remained. However, although the study found an association between prenatal PAH exposure and childhood behavior problems, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The level of problems were those that could result in referral to a doctor for further evaluation, Perera noted.

Several mechanisms could explain the link, she said. Oxidative stress is one. Or, the chemicals may be "endocrine disrupters, which are capable of affecting the normal signaling that occurs in early brain development."

Perera plans to follow the children until they are age 12.

"The study by itself is not convincing to me," said Dr. Victor Klein, an obstetrician-gynecologist who specializes in high-risk pregnancies and is director of patient safety and risk reduction at North Shore-LIJ Health System in Great Neck, N.Y. He reviewed the study and said that "further research has to be done."

Meanwhile, Klein said, it's "common sense" to try to keep your environment as pollution-free as possible, especially when pregnant. However, that can be easier said than done. He tells women to exercise, watch their diet and get good prenatal care.

Another expert, Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in New Hyde Park, wondered if the study would apply to pregnant women living outside New York City. "On one hand, I don't think people will be surprised that pollution poses a potential risk," he said. "What is striking here is they have been able to document and quantify it."

The broader message, Adesman said, is the need for society to clean up the air and to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

Perera said that to reduce exposure to pollutants, pregnant women should not smoke and should ask others not to smoke in their homes and offices. When cooking, she said, ventilate with a fan. Avoid other toxic chemicals such as pesticides. And, in addition, eat a healthy diet full of antioxidant-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables, she advised.

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Frederica Perera, Dr.P.H., professor, environmental health sciences and director, Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York City; Andrew Adesman, M.D., chief, developmental and behavioral pediatrics, Steven & Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, New Hyde Park, N.Y.; Victor Klein, M.D., obstetrician-gynecologist, geneticist and director of patient safety and risk reduction, North Shore-LIJ Health System, Great Neck, N.Y.; March 22, 2012, Environmental Health Perspectives, online

Breathing,Pregnancy,Linked,Childs,Behavior,Problems

Dense Breasts May Be Linked to Cancer Recurrence

Clickbank Products Dense Breasts May Be Linked to Cancer Recurrence



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THURSDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Breast cancer is more likely to recur in women over 50 who have denser breast tissue, researchers report, noting that doctors should take breast density into account when making initial treatment decisions.

The Swedish study found that women with denser breasts had nearly twice the risk of recurrence, either in the same breast or in the surrounding lymph nodes, than women with less dense breasts.

"We found that if you have a PD [percentage density] at diagnosis of 25 percent or more, you have an almost twofold increased risk of local recurrence in the breast and surrounding lymph nodes than women with a PD of less than 25 percent," said Dr. Louise Eriksson and colleagues from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

"However, density does not increase the risk of distant metastasis [spread] and has no effect on survival," Eriksson said.

Breast density, which can be determined through mammography, varies among women and decreases with age, especially at menopause, the researchers noted.

For the study, the researchers reviewed mammograms and treatment results for almost 1,800 postmenopausal women, aged 50 to 74, who were part of a larger study of women diagnosed with breast cancer in Sweden between 1993 and 1995.

The findings were presented Wednesday at the European Breast Cancer Conference, in Vienna.

It is known that dense breast tissue increases the odds of developing cancer, but whether breast density might influence recurrence has not been established.

"Our study shows that breast density before or at diagnosis should be taken into account even after diagnosis, for instance, when deciding on adjuvant [secondary] treatment and follow-up routines," Eriksson said in a meeting news release. "Perhaps women with dense breasts should be followed more frequently or for a longer period of time in order to quickly spot any local recurrence."

The research showed that breast density differs greatly. "In the group of women I studied, those with the lowest percentage density had breasts that were less than 1 percent dense, whereas those with highest PD had 75 to 80 percent dense breasts," Eriksson said. The average was 18 percent, she noted.

She said the findings are significant because of the detailed information on each woman and the overall size of the study. "This is one of the largest studies to date studying mammographic density, tumor characteristics and prognosis," Eriksson said in the news release.

Why dense breasts influence cancer is still unclear, and researchers say more work is needed before the findings could influence medical practice.

David Cameron, a professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said in the news release that the study is more thought-provoking than practice-changing, "since it is not clear what a patient, or her physician, should do if the mammogram shows a higher density of the normal breast tissue."

Research presented at meetings is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

-- Margaret Steele Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: European Breast Cancer Conference, news release, March 21, 2012

Dense,Breasts,Linked,Cancer,Recurrence

Secondhand Smoke in Childhood Linked to Lung Disease Years Later

Clickbank Products Secondhand Smoke in Childhood Linked to Lung Disease Years Later



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MONDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Children exposed to secondhand smoke have nearly twice the risk of developing a lung condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease when they're adults, a new study has found.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a term used for a number of conditions, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

In the study, Norwegian researchers looked at 433 adult COPD patients and 325 adults without the disease to assess risk factors for the condition, which causes breathing difficulties and grows worse over time.

Women exposed to secondhand smoke as children had a 1.9 times greater risk of developing the lung disease than those who weren't exposed, while men exposed to secondhand smoke as children had a 1.5 times to 1.7 times greater risk than those who were not exposed, the investigators found.

Overall, childhood exposure to secondhand smoke was a much stronger risk factor for developing COPD than exposure to secondhand smoke during adulthood, according to the report published online recently in the journal Respirology.

"Our results suggest that the long-term burden of COPD could be reduced if children were not exposed to cigarette smoke," study author Ane Johannessen and colleagues at Haukeland University Hospital, in Bergen, Norway, noted in a journal news release. "Further, they indicate that factors affecting early-life development of lung function has important long-term consequences for adult life."

While the study uncovered an association between secondhand smoke exposure in childhood and COPD in adults, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

-- Robert Preidt Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Respirology, news release, March 15, 2012

Secondhand,Smoke,Childhood,Linked,Disease,Years,Later

Obesity Linked to Poorer Mental Skills in Seniors

Clickbank Products Obesity Linked to Poorer Mental Skills in Seniors



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THURSDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity is associated with reduced memory and thinking skills in adults aged 60 to 70, especially those with greater amounts of abdominal fat, according to a new study.

The study included 250 people aged 60 and older who underwent various measurements of their body fat and a test of thinking skills.

The researchers found that a high body mass index (BMI) was associated with increased risk of poor cognitive (mental) performance in people aged 60 to 70. BMI uses a person's height and weight to estimate their amount of body fat. In general, a higher BMI means more body fat.

The study also found that those with the highest level of abdominal fat tended to have worse thinking skills than those with the least amount of abdominal fat.

Among the participants aged 60 to 70, those who were obese were older, more likely to be male and more likely to have high blood pressure than those who weren't obese.

There was no association between obesity and reduced mental skills among people older than 70, according to the study in the journal Age and Ageing.

"Our findings have important public health implications. The prevention of obesity, particularly central obesity, might be important for the prevention of cognitive decline or dementia," lead author Dae Hyun Yoon, of the Seoul National University Hospital Healthcare System in South Korea, said in a journal news release.

Although the study found that obese adults aged 60 to 70 tended to have poorer thinking skills, it did not prove that obesity caused people to have worse memory or mental skills.

-- Robert Preidt Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Age and Ageing, news release, March 21, 2012

Obesity,Linked,Poorer,Mental,Skills,Seniors

Stronger Food Smells Linked to Smaller Bites

Clickbank Products Stronger Food Smells Linked to Smaller Bites



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Study: Food Odors May Be a New Way to Control How Much You Eat

By Cari Nierenberg
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

March 20, 2012 -- Is the secret to a slimmer waistline found in your nose?

A new study suggests that food aromas can make a difference in the amount of food people eat.

Dutch researchers found that a food's aroma intensity influenced a person's first bite as well as additional bites. Higher aroma intensities, or more concentrated smells, led to smaller bite sizes of a food. (A bite size in this study referred to the amount of food placed in the mouth at any one time.)

"The reduction in bite size as a result of aroma is relatively small," the researchers write. In fact, they estimate it may be between 5% and 10% of food intake per bite.

People typically take smaller bites of a food when they don't like it or it's unfamiliar, as well as when they're feeling full. Bite size can also vary based on a food's texture.

For this small study, published online in the journal Flavour, researchers wanted to find out how increasing the aroma intensity of a food affected the amount eaten on a bite-by-bite basis.

They watched 10 people, aged 26 to 50, eat a vanilla custard dessert. Instead of handing volunteers a spoon and having them sit at a table, each participant was seated in a dentist's chair.

They were fitted with a nose piece connected to a device that delivered smells of the creamy dessert. And a tube was place into their mouth to pump in a desired amount of custard.

While this may not sound like a great way to enjoy a sweet treat, it allowed the scientists to vary a food's aroma as well as measure how much was eaten.

Participants pushed a button to control the amount of the custard dessert fed into their mouths while their noses were catching a whiff of one of three creamy aroma conditions. They were randomly presented with no smell, a weak smell, or a strong creamy smell; however, the taste of the custard remained the same throughout the test.

Researchers found that increasing the aroma intensity reduced the bite size. In other words, stronger smells led to smaller bites.

"Bite size was associated with the aroma presented for that bite and also for subsequent bites (especially for the second to last bite)," says Rene de Wijk, PhD, at the Top Institute of Food and Nutrition and Wageningen University in the Netherlands, in a news release.

"Smaller bites are associated with lower flavor sensations from that food, and there is an unconscious feedback loop using bite size to regulate the amount of flavor experienced," de Wijk says.

For example, if a person smells a strong creamy aroma, it may make the custard seem thicker and creamier, and possibly higher in fat and calories, so they may eat less of it.

SOURCES: de Wijk, RA. Flavour, published online March 20, 2012. News release, BioMed Central.

©2012 WebMD, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Stronger,Smells,Linked,Smaller,Bites

Low 'Bad' Cholesterol Levels May Be Linked to Cancer Risk

Clickbank Products Low 'Bad' Cholesterol Levels May Be Linked to Cancer Risk



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SUNDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- There may be a link between low levels of "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and increased cancer risk, according to new research.

In the study, researchers looked at 201 cancer patients and 402 cancer-free patients. They found that cancer patients who never took cholesterol-lowering drugs had low LDL cholesterol levels for an average of about 19 years prior to their cancer diagnosis.

The finding suggests there may be some underlying mechanism that affects both LDL cholesterol levels and cancer risk, the study authors said.

Still, other experts cautioned that the finding is preliminary, and lowering your LDL levels is well known to cut the odds for the number one killer, heart disease.

The study was slated for presentation Sunday at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) annual meeting in Chicago.

Previous studies of cholesterol-lowering drugs have suggested a strong link between low LDL cholesterol levels and cancer risk. This new study is the first to investigate the association between low LDL cholesterol levels and cancer risk over an extended period of time only in cancer patients who have never taken cholesterol-lowering medication, the researchers said.

"There has been some debate as to whether or not medications used to lower cholesterol may contribute to cancer, but the evidence so far tells us that the drugs themselves do not increase the risk of cancer. We wanted to take those medications out of the equation and just look at the link between cancer and low LDL cholesterol itself in people who had never taken statins or other cholesterol-lowering drugs," lead investigator Dr. Paul Michael Lavigne of Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said in an ACC news release.

Although the study uncovered an association between low LDL levels and increased cancer risk, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

A cardiology expert weighed in on the new study.

"I strongly believe that lowering LDL cholesterol significantly lowers the risk of cardiovascular events, but the association between low LDL cholesterol and cancer remains a hypothesis that requires further testing," said Dr. Jeffrey Berger, director of cardiovascular thrombosis at NYU Langone Medical Center and an assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine in New York City.

"The association between low LDL cholesterol and the risk of cancer has become a topic of increasing interest, but conclusions cannot be drawn from this study," Berger added. "The study suggests that there may be some sort of unique attribute among subjects that already have a low LDL cholesterol that may make them susceptible to cancer, but future studies will have to look at why that is."

Study author Lavigne said the findings do not suggest that having low LDL cholesterol somehow leads to the development of cancer, and urged patients with high LDL cholesterol to continue treatment to lower their LDL cholesterol in order to prevent heart disease.

"There is no evidence to indicate that lowering your cholesterol with a medication in any way predisposes to a risk for cancer. We suspect there may be some underlying mechanism affecting both cancer and low LDL cholesterol, but we can only say definitively that the relationship between the two exists for many years prior to cancer diagnosis, and therefore underscores the need for further examination," Lavigne said.

Another expert agreed that patients should not abandon cholesterol-lowering lifestyle changes or medications based on the new findings.

Dr. David Friedman, chief of heart failure services at North Shore Plainview Hospital in Plainview, N.Y., said that "statins used for LDL reduction shouldn't be stopped if there is an appropriate use to lower heart disease risk."

Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

-- Robert Preidt Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Jeffery S. Berger, M.D., M.S., director, cardiovascular thrombosis, NYU Langone Medical Center and assistant professor, NYU School of Medicine, New York City; David A. Friedman, MD, chief of heart failure services at North Shore Plainview Hospital, Plainview NY; American College of Cardiology, news release, March 25, 2012

Cholesterol,Levels,Linked,Cancer