Coffee drinking benefits in the NEWS!

Regular Coffee Drinking Has Been Linked To Many Health Benefits.

Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug used worldwide [1]. Regular Coffee Drinking has been recently in the NEWS several times and has been linked with the following Health Benefits:

1) Regular Coffee Drinkers are less likely to have Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

2) They are less likely to suffer from Parkinson Disease.

3) They are less likely to suffer from Dementia and Alzheimer's

4) They are less likely to suffer from the following Cancers:

• Reduced risk of Skin Cancer (Basal Cell Carcinoma-especially in women).
• Reduced risk of developing Prostate Cancer among men.
• Reduced risk of Estrogen negative Breast Cancer among women.
• Reduced risk of Colon Cancer.
• Reduced risk of Liver Cancer (damage).

5) They have a reduced risk of Heart Disease.

6) They (women) have a reduced risk of Stroke.

7) They (women) have a reduced risk of Depression.

8) They have a reduced risk of Gallstones.

9) They (esp. elderly women) have improved cognitive function.

10) They have an improved endurance performance in long-duration physical activities.

11) Hot Coffee drinkers are less likely to carry MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus).

[1]James, J. E. (1991). Caffeine and Health (pp. 430). London: Academic Press.

Please click on each link enjoy reading it with a hot cup of Coffee!!

Thank you for reading Health benefits of coffee at Top Medical News.

Sincerely,

Harish Malik, M.D.

Support for Breast-Feeding Found Lacking in Many U.S. Hospitals.

The U.S. CDC study found that only 4% of U.S. Hospitals offered full range of services for new moms and found that only 14% of hospitals have a written breast-feeding policy.

Breast-feeding helps babies grow up healthy and reduces health-care costs. Low rates of breast-feeding in the United States result in $2.2 billion in additional medical costs per year.

According to CDC, babies who are fed formula and stop breast-feeding early have higher rates of obesity, diabetes, respiratory and ear infections. They also require more doctor visits, hospitalizations and prescriptions.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, news release, Aug. 2, 2011

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Hypertension linked to increased Cancer Risk in men and increased mortality in Cancer patients of both sexes.

According to a study released on September 27, 2011 (Stockholm, Sweden), hypertension is associated with an increased risk for cancer death, and that hypertension increases the risk of developing cancer — although the latter effect reached statistical significant only in men, not women.

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High Protein diet raises risk of Type 2 Diabetes

According to the abstract, presented at Lisbon, Portugal, at European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 47th Annual Meeting, Swedish researchers found a 37% increased risk for type 2 diabetes associated with high protein intake (hazard ratio [HR], 1.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17 to 1.61; P for trend < .001]. High intake of processed meat was also associated with an elevated risk for diabetes (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.36; P for trend = .005). Even after controlling for the intake of processed meat, the positive association between protein intake and diabetes remained statistically significant.

High-protein diets have been shown to be effective for short-term weight loss and glycemic control. However, the results of this trial suggest caution when considering this approach for weight loss or better control of diabetes which might be counterproductive in the long run.

The researchers suggested that replacing protein with carbohydrates, especially breads and cereals rich in fiber, might be preferable.

Reference: Medscape medical news, http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/749500 accessed on Sep. 13, 2011

Thorough Chewing Raises Hormones Regulating Food Intake

(Lisbon, Portugal) Thorough chewing of food stimulates the release of 2 intestinal peptides that reduce appetite and food intake in obese individuals, according to the results of a study presented here at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 47th Annual Meeting.
Research was done in Japan, led by M. Saito from the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Medicine at Ohu University in Fukushima, Japan. They reported that their study is the first to show that thorough chewing stimulates postprandial increases of glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 and peptide YY (PYY), both of which are secreted by intestinal L cells.

Reference: Medscape medical news, http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/749504 accessed on Sep. 13, 2011
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A Report finds that Colon Cleansing Has No Health Benefit, May Harm.

Review of 20 studies finds the popular procedure "Colon Cleansing" -- also called colonic irrigation or colonic hydrotherapy -- often involves the use of chemicals followed by flushing the colon with water through a tube inserted in the rectum, can come with serious side effects.

Source: Dick Hoenninger, spokesman, International Association for Colon Hydrotherapy, San Antonio, Texas; Georgetown University Medical Center, news release, Aug. 1, 2011.

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Higher Risk Of Mortality In Younger Black Dialysis Patients Than White Patients

Researchers found that black patients younger than 50 years old who receive the blood-filtering process actually fare worse than whites.

Source:  Dorry L. Segev, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor, surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore; Ajay Singh, M.D., clinical chief, renal division, director, dialysis, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and associate professor, medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Aug. 10, 2011, Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Increased Muscle Mass May Lower Risk of Pre-Diabetes: Study Shows Building Muscle Can Lower Person's Risk of Insulin Resistance

A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that the greater an individual's total muscle mass, the lower the person's risk of having insulin resistance, the major precursor of type 2 diabetes.

Researchers analyzed data from 13,644 adults who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III between 1988 and 1994. They found that for each 10 percent increase in the skeletal muscle index (SMI) -- the ratio of muscle mass to total body weight -- there was an 11 percent reduction in insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.

Source: University of California, Los Angeles, news release, July 28, 2011

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Genes, Not Healthy Living, Get Most to Age 100!

New research suggests that your life choices might not be the crucial factor in determining whether you make it to 95 or beyond; it finds that many extremely old people appear to have been as bad as everyone else at indulging in poor health habits during their younger years.

Olshansky said the findings underscore the importance of genetics to life span. "The only way anyone has any chance at all of living an exceptionally long life is if they won the genetic lottery at birth," he said.

Sources: Jill P. Crandall, M.D., professor, clinical medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City; S. Jay Olshansky, Ph.D., professor, epidemiology, University of Illinois at Chicago; 2011 Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

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FDA approves First Scorpion Sting Antidote!

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just approved the first treatment specifically for the sting of the Centruroides scorpion, the most common type in the United States. The new biologic treatment—called Anascorp—was given a priority review because adequate treatment did not exist in the United States, says Karen Midthun, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

“This product provides a new treatment for children and adults and is designed specifically for scorpion stings,” Midthun says. “Scorpion stings can be life-threatening, especially in infants and children.”

Source: FDA Consumer Updates page

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Gene Mutation Can Leave People Without Fingerprints (adermatoglyphia)

Study published in the Aug. 4 online edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics,  of a Swiss family with skin-specific version of gene sheds light on rare condition. Fingerprints are fully formed by 24 weeks after fertilization and do not undergo any modification throughout life. Skin-specific version of the gene SMARCAD1 is implicated in the regulation of fingerprint development and also sweat gland development.

 

Source: Cell Press, news release, Aug. 4, 2011

 

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Early Morning Smoking Riskier For Cancer

The online version of journal Cancer Those who have a cigarette as soon as they wake may be more addicted than others.

The findings suggest the desire to have a cigarette immediately after waking up may increase smokers' risk for cancer, the researchers concluded. As a result, these smokers would benefit from smoking cessation programs that specifically target this early morning behavior and the greater risks involved, they added.

Source: Cancer, news release, Aug. 8, 2011

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Maternal Blood Test Can Determine Sex of Fetus at 7 Weeks

Noninvasive Fetal Sex Determination Using Cell-Free Fetal DNA.

The study concluded that "Despite interstudy variability, performance was high using maternal blood. Sensitivity and specificity for detection of Y chromosome sequences was greatest using RTQ-PCR after 20 weeks' gestation. Tests using urine and tests performed before 7 weeks' gestation were unreliable. "

Source: Diana W. Bianchi, M.D., executive director, Mother Infant Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston; Susannah Baruch, J.D., policy consultant, Generations Ahead; August 10, 2011 Journal of the American Medical Association

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Intelligence largely rooted in GENES!

Journal Molecular Psychiatry reports that there's no one 'smart' gene, but many genes that play a role in high IQs.

References:

Source: Ian Deary, Ph.D., MBChB, professor, differential psychology, University of Edinburgh, Scotland; Peter Visscher, Ph.D., professor, statistical genetics, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia; Aug. 12, 2011, Molecular Psychiatry

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Taller people at greater risk of cancer!

A study done in UK and published in the journal Lancet Oncology found that for every 10 cm increase in height over 5 feet in women raises their risk of  developing cancer by 16%. Somehow, smoking was inversely related to height. taller women who were smokers actually had a slightly lower risk of cancer than shorter women who smoked cigarettes.

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