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Although it’s common knowledge that the “Mediterranean diet” is supposed to provide heart benefits, it hasn’t been clear how much of its different constituents should be consumed. Now, some preliminary research has provided clues about how much of what product could be effective. The research was presented at the meeting of the European Association for [...]
The post Clarifying the Mediterranean diet appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

This week’s announcement from Mount Sinai Hospital’s World Trade Center Health Program that Ground Zero workers have been found to have a “15 percent higher rate of cancer” than expected set off cries for more compensation for the heroic WTC victims of the toxic dust at the site of the terrorist destruction over 11 years ago. [...]
The post Ground zero cancer: cynical manipulation of statistics rather than science appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced yesterday that the City plans to raise the legal age for tobacco product purchases to 21 from 18. Given the stated support for this proposal by both a majority of the Council, as well as Mayor Bloomberg, the likelihood is close to 100 percent that this will be enacted and go into effect, probably this year.

It s called the cinnamon challenge a dare popularized by YouTube, in which the hapless victim tries to swallow a spoonful of ground cinnamon in a minute without liquids.

Earlier this month, we published a Dispatch item on the possibility of using cellphones to combat childhood obesity. Now, a new study published in the journal Obesity suggests that active games – exergames which are a form of exercise and use technology to track body movement – may play a role in weight loss in [...]
The post Exergames for weight-loss in teens appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

The question of whether or not students should be screened using an electrocardiogram to detect cardiac problems before engaging in sports has come up again. Although the European Society of Cardiology advocates for the use of an ECG, the American Heart Association recommends only taking a history and doing a physical examination without an ECG. [...]
The post ECG as a screening tool for athletes? appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

So we’ve gotten through another Earth Day. I meant to write something about this event when it occurred, yesterday, but I was too busy dealing with its proponents’ fanciful dogmas concerning “sustainability” and carbon footprints, and never got around to it. Better late than never. This year, we managed to avoid the devastating effects of [...]
The post Earth Day should be about people too appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

After the politically-motivated listing of the plastic hardener Bisphenol-A (BPA) was at last squeezed onto California’s nefarious Proposition 65 list of allegedly toxic chemicals, a local Sacramento judge kicked it off, correctly stating that the chemical’s listing flew in the face of scientific and regulatory evidence. A division of California’s environmental agency finally figured out [...]
The post BPA on Prop 65 list: now you see it, now you don’t, thankfully appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Before you give your young child medication, make sure to carefully read the label. According to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, 40 percent of parents are giving children under four years of age cough medications they should not be taking. And 25 percent of parents reported giving [...]
The post Read the label before giving your child cough medicine appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

We have been writing regularly about the escalating crisis of antibiotic resistance (for the latest developments in this area, see the blog by ACSH advisor Dr.

Concerns about the effects of different parenting styles on eating patterns and body weight of children have grown along with the increased prevalence of obesity in young people. A new study examines the association of two types of controlling parental practices — food restriction and pressure-to-eat — with adolescents’ body weight. KA Loth and colleagues [...]
The post Parents of adolescents: Ease up on controlling food-related practices appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

According to new research from the CDC, rates of foodborne illnesses have increased from the period of 2006-2008 and 2012. Specifically, increases occurred in the prevalence of illness from Campylobacter — associated with poultry, raw milk and contaminated water, and Vibrio associated with raw shellfish. Symptoms of illness range from diarrhea, stomach pain and fever [...]
The post Rise in foodborne illness appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

A study conducted by the technology’s developer — but not yet published — shows some cause for optimism in non-invasively diagnosing the 2nd leading cancer killer in the U.S., colorectal cancer (CRC). The test, made by Exact Sciences Corp. and called Cologuard , uses immuno-chemistry to seek DNA alterations — mutations, in other words — characteristic of CRC in [...]
The post Early optimism for new DNA-based test for colorectal cancer appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy has been an issue of concern for several decades. It’s well known that heavy drinking can have severe effects on the fetus, resulting in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome — a constellation of effects that can include mental retardation as well as facial and other abnormalities. Because of concerns about such problems, pregnant [...]
The post New study: Pregnancy no reason to avoid light drinking appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Sometimes vaccines simply work, and sometimes they really work. Such is the case for human pappilomavirus (HPV), the causative pathogen for most cases of cervical cancer. A study of more than 85 thousand native-born Australians revealed some very encouraging, and possibly even startling results. In 2007, two HPV vaccines were approved in Australia—Merck’s Gardisil, and GlaxoSmithKline’s Cervarix. The country began a campaign [...]
The post HPV Vaccine—Even better than you thought. appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Over ten years ago, Derek Lowe, an organic chemist who specializes in drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry started a small blog called “In the Pipeline,” which was mostly about developments in the drug industry. In the ensuing decade, his blog exploded, and is now the most widely-read and influential blog in the pharmaceutical/chemistry/science universe. [...]
The post ACSH Welcomes a Guest Celebrity appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

It is virtually impossible to be unaware of the huge (and growing) problem of opiate addiction in the US. While traditional narcotics (Percocet, Vicodin) have always been abused drugs, it is OxyContin that gets most of the news—and rightfully so. OxyContin contains 5-10 fold more oxycodone than a Percoset pill, and lacks the acetaminophen as [...]
The post OxyContin(use) appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

In a new study published in PLOS Medicine, researchers once again highlight the importance of receiving vaccinations, specifically the herpes zoster vaccination for those individuals 65 and older. They reported that the vaccination reduced the incidence of zoster (shingles) and postherpetic neuralgia (nerve damage and disabling pain following an outbreak of shingles) among this age goup. [...]
The post Talk to your doctor about the herpes zoster vaccine appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Sure, we could be doing better, but still: the undeniable fact is that the infant mortality rate in America fell by 12 percent between 2005 and 2011, after years of stagnation at an embarrassingly higher rate. This gratifying information was released this week by the CDC . The most impressive declines were noted in those [...]
The post Declining U.S. infant mortality trend continues appeared first on Health & Science Dispatch.

Josh Bloom, Medical Progress Today, 4/17/13 "OxyContin(ues)- The FDA gets it right"
The age-old debate about pharmaceutical patents, novelty, and money will probably never end.

It seems intuitive, but a food s packaging may contain cues that make you eat more or less without consciously realizing. And with the increase seen in snacking, packaging could make a huge difference in eating habits.

Can you patent a human gene? The Supreme Court today seemed skeptical, raising questions about the legality of Myriad Genetic s isolation of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that signal an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

If you need another reminder about the importance of vaccinations, just look to the events of this past weekend. A Wisconsin college student and a Los Angeles man died of meningitis, and the New York City Department of Health issued an alert stating that five measles cases occurred in Borough Park, Brooklyn this past month in children who had not been vaccinated.

Alcoholism, an extremely widespread disease with devastating consequences, takes a huge toll on individuals, families and society at large. But, despite this, alcoholics have one real option: quitting outright (AA) with or without the help of drugs.