Health & WellnessS


Health

Prostate cancer screenings essentially useless

David Gutierrez
NaturalNews.com
Sat, 20 Jun 2009 08:28 UTC
Regular prostate cancer screening has no effect on the risk of death from the disease, according to a large-scale, long-term study conducted by researchers from the National Cancer Institute and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"There was little or no scientific evidence that it saved lives," said Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society.

The prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, which measures blood levels of a protein produced by the prostate gland, has been controversial as a cancer screening test since it first became popular in the 1990s. At the time, Brawley was one of many scientists who raised concern over the usefulness of the test.
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Study Finds Possible Genetic Indicator of Colorectal Cancer


Forbes.com
Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:45 UTC
If perfected, screening method could make disease detection easier, experts say

Scientists say they may be moving closer to developing a genetic test for colorectal cancer that could indicate who needs a more advanced colonoscopy screening.

In a study released this week, an international team of researchers report that they've found a genetic red flag that indicates the presence of cancer more than half the time.

The research is in its preliminary stages. But "molecular genetics will likely be the future of colon cancer screening," predicted cancer specialist Dr. Jerald Wishner.
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Does Location Affect Kids' Weight?


Forbes.com
Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:33 UTC
Study refutes belief that living near fast-food joints makes children fat

Living near a fast-food outlet doesn't make children fat, nor does living near a supermarket stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables make them thin, new research shows.

The study by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis researchers examined a decade of data on more than 60,000 children aged 3 to 18. They compared the children's weights before and after fast-food outlets or supermarkets opened near their homes. The study found that living near a fast-food outlet had little effect on weight gain and living near a supermarket wasn't associated with lower weight.
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Chubby people live longest, Japanese researchers say


Agence France Press
Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:27 UTC
Health experts have long warned of the risk of obesity, but a new Japanese study warns that being very skinny is even more dangerous, and that slightly chubby people live longer.

People who are a little overweight at age 40 live six to seven years longer than very thin people, whose average life expectancy was shorter by some five years than that of obese people, the study found.
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Alcohol a Common Factor in Suicides

Roni Caryn Rabin
New York Times
Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:25 UTC
Alcohol has long been known to play a role in suicides, but there have been little data regarding which victims use it and how often. Now the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in a large sample of suicide victims whose blood alcohol levels were measured post mortem, one in four had been legally drunk, with a blood alcohol content at or above the federal standard of 0.08, or 8 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.

The study's findings were limited because it examined data from only 17 states and because blood alcohol measurements were available for only 70 percent of those who committed suicide in those states. Still, about one-third of those tested had some level of alcohol in their bloodstream at death, the researchers found.
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Pesticides In Your Own Kitchen (Whether You Use Pesticides or Not)

Dan Shapley
Huffington Post
Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:58 UTC
A new study finds that the kitchen floors in most U.S. homes are laced with pesticides -- including pesticides known to cause cancer or disrupt the normal functioning of the human hormonal system. Sure, but if you don't use pesticides yourself, you're safe -- right?

Wrong.
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Mind-enhancing Drugs: Are They a No brainer?

Jeremy Laurance
The Independent
Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:02 UTC
Image
© AlamyScientists are debating whether stimulants are an acceptable means for people to boost their brain's performance
Advocates say they are an irresistible way of improving students' performance. Critics argue they are a dangerous fad.

In the middle of the exam season, the offer of a drug that could improve results might excite students but would be likely to terrify their parents. Now, a distinguished professor of bioethics says it is time to embrace the possibilities of "brain boosters" - chemical cognitive enhancement. The provocative suggestion comes from John Harris, director of the Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation at the University of Manchester, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Medical Ethics.
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Heart - Black

All That Glitters is Not Gold: Biotechnology Has Failed Us, So Why Promote It Abroad?

Paula Crossfield
Civil Eats
Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:44 UTC
The head of the World Food Program announced on Friday that an additional 105 million more people have become hungry in 2009, adding to the one billion plus who were already food insecure. The day before, Secretary Clinton gave a speech about hunger in the world, speaking in broad strokes: "[H]unger belies our planet's bounty. It challenges our common humanity and resolve. We do have the resources to give every person in the world the tools they need to feed themselves and their children."

In the next sentences, she gives a clue about what "tools" she might be referring to by praising the Green Revolution - without noting the depleted water table, reduced soil fertility, massive farmer debts and increased rates of farmer suicides left in the wake of the failed experiment in India.
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How to Get Those Amazing Amino Acids

Elizabeth Walling
Natural News
Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:27 UTC
Amino acids are the chemical building blocks of protein and could be called the building blocks of life. Structurally, your body is mainly compromised of proteins developed from amino acids. From twenty amino acids, the body manufactures more than 50,000 different types of protein that play vital roles in our bodies. Amino acids contribute significantly to the health of the nervous system, muscular structure, hormone production, vital organs and cellular structure. They are absolutely crucial for good health.

If you aren't getting enough amino acids in your diet, your health may be affected. Low levels of important amino acids are linked to symptoms like irritability, poor concentration, fatigue, depression and hormonal imbalances to name a few.
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Health

Nestle recalls Toll House cookie dough after E. coli warning


Reuters
Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:17 UTC
Nestle's U.S. baking division said on Friday that it was voluntarily recalling its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned of the risk of contamination with E. coli bacteria.

Nestle said the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were investigating reports of illnesses caused by E. coli O157:H7 in consumers who also reported having eaten raw cookie dough. E. coli can cause abdominal cramping, vomiting and diarrhea, the FDA said.

Since March, the FDA said, there have been 66 reports of illness across 28 states. Twenty-five people were hospitalized, according to the FDA, and no one has died.

"We want to strongly advise consumers that raw cookie dough should not be eaten," Nestle said in a statement. "This message also appears prominently on our packaging."
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