An unpleasant "surprise": higher risks from pollution

"Engine exhaust, such as this along Highway 900 between Issaquah and Renton, contains the tiny airborne particles that contribute to air pollution and health problems."

Air pollution has long been known to be bad for the lungs. But new University of Washington research, involving thousands of older women in dozens of cities nationwide, shows that it also raises the risk of women dying from heart disease or stroke.

The increased risk comes from tiny airborne particles typically found in engine exhaust. And the damage they cause to arteries in the heart and brain is worse than previously believed, the study found.

"It looks like it's about three times as big as previously estimated ... That's a surprise," said Dr. Joel Kaufman, the UW professor of environmental sciences who directed the study.

The scientists found that the greater the level of the so-called "fine particulate" pollution, the greater the risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Even a relatively slight increase boosted the risk significantly.

"There is no reason to think it isn't the same for men," said Kaufman.

Kaufman said the research focused on women because there was a readily available group already enrolled in long-term health research coordinated by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Data from the project, the 15-year Women's Health Initiative (WHI), have produced other important research on heart disease, breast cancer, colorectal cancer and osteoporosis.

Results from the air-pollution study are reported in this week's edition of the New England Journal of Medicine with Kristin Miller, a UW doctoral student, as the lead author. Other scientists from the UW, Hutchinson center and Harborview Medical Center co-authored the study, which was financed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Monitoring particles

The scientists analyzed the medical records of nearly 66,000 postmenopausal women from 36 cities and followed them for an average of six years. At the start, none had cardiovascular disease. But the researchers took into account nonpollution factors in reporting their results: age; race; smoking; education; income; weight; and the presence of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.

Pollution exposure was measured using monitors near their homes that looked for airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns, or 1 millionth of a meter, in diameter. About 30 to 40 of the particles would equal the diameter of a human hair. They are invisible except when spewed in large quantities from tailpipes or chimneys, or when they form haze over a city.

During the study, a total 1,816 of the women had heart attacks, strokes or were diagnosed with diseased arteries of the heart or brain. Of those, 261 died.

The risk of dying from a stroke or heart attack increased 76 percent for each 10-microgram increase in the particles in a cubic meter of air. The danger of nonfatal strokes and heart attacks from the same rate of pollution increase pushed the risk up 24 percent.

Overall, the women in the study were exposed to an annual average of 13.5 micrograms of the particles per cubic meter of air. In Seattle, the annual average is 11.3 micrograms per cubic meter. The EPA has set a limit of 15 micrograms before sanctions can be imposed on cities that don't rein in their pollution.

Other pollutants measured in the study did not increase the risk of heart disease or stroke.

Previous studies have shown much lower risks of cardiovascular disease stemming from pollution. But those studies looked only at death certificates instead of detailed medical records.

Pollution's effects

No one knows exactly how the pollution does its dirty work to the cardiovascular system. Kaufman speculates that the particles cause inflammation in the lungs which spreads to arteries, increasing arterial disease and the likelihood of deadly blockages to form.

Kaufman and his colleagues already have another study under way to better understand the mechanisms of air pollution's damage in 7,000 men and women of various races around the country. It will study how arteries harden and thicken over time when exposed to air pollution.

Source: Medical Health Care Information

Tips to Avoid Over Eating

Experts say there are things you can do to make yourself more likely to stop eating when you are comfortable. They include:

• Slow down, chew with purpose
• Eat only while sitting down
• Eat off smaller plates!
• Drink a 12 ounce glass of water before eating
• Wait 10 minutes before snacking
• Keep the right stuff up front

More Health & Fitness Tips >>>

Source: Medical Health Care Information

Dieting, Exercise Have Same Effect on Body-Fat Distribution

Whether you eat fewer calories or burn them off through exercise, the effect on body composition and fat distribution is the same, a new study says.

Researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., found that dieting alone is as effective as a combination of diet and exercise at cutting weight and fat -- as long as calories consumed and burned equal out.

Their study also indicated that adding exercise to a weight-loss program doesn't change body composition and abdominal fat distribution. That challenges the theory that specific exercises can reduce fat in certain areas. For example, some exercises are supposed to specifically target abdominal fat.

"It's all about the calories. So long as the energy deficit is the same, body weight, fat weight, and abdominal fat will all decrease in the same way," study senior author Dr. Eric Ravussin said in a prepared statement.

He and his colleagues studied 35 overweight people. They were divided into three groups: One group went on a diet that reduced their caloric intake by 25 percent (550 to 900 fewer calories a day); the second group reduced their caloric intake by 12.5 percent and increased their physical activity to burn 12.5 percent more calories.

The people in the third (control) group were put on a healthy diet designed to maintain their body weight.

After six months, the people in both the calorie-restricted and the calorie reduction/exercise groups had lost about 10 percent of their bodyweight, 24 percent of their fat mass, and 27 percent of their abdominal fat. However, their distribution of body fat remained the same.

"The inability of the interventions to alter the distribution of fat suggests that individuals are genetically programmed for fat storage in a particular pattern and that this programming cannot easily be overcome," Ravussin said.

While dieting alone can reduce weight, the researchers noted that exercise also improves aerobic fitness, which has many other health benefits.

"For overall health, an appropriate program of diet and exercise is still the best," Ravussin said.

Article Source: Medical Health Care Information

Car pollution serious threat to young lungs

Parents who teach their children to take care crossing the road may be neglecting a greater danger - living next to it.

Researchers have found that young people growing up in homes within 500m of a main road suffer significant damage to their lungs from exhaust fumes.

Compared with those who live at least 1.5km away the breathing of those in homes closer to the traffic is neither as deep nor as vigorous and their lungs do not develop as well.

The poorer condition of their respiration puts them at greater risk from asthma, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as adults and weakens their sporting ability, the research suggests.

The study, conducted in California, is the latest to show that air pollution damages the lungs and increases the rate of respiratory diseases. But few studies have examined its effect on lung growth in children.

Scientists from the University of Southern California measured the lung function of 3677 children over eight years from age 10 to 18. They found even healthy children with no history of asthma and who did not smoke suffered ill-effects from exposure to the traffic.

"Since lung development is nearly complete by age 18 years, an individual with a deficit at this time will probably continue to have less than healthy lung function for the rest of his or her life," they write in the online version of the Lancet.

The effect was greater in boys than in girls, whereas a European study had found a greater effect in girls than in boys.

Lung function was measured by checking how big a breath each child could take, and the maximum pressure they could muster when blowing it out.

The measurements were repeated over time to show how the lungs were developing.

The authors say carbon, nitrogen dioxide and ultra-fine particulates - tiny particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs when breathed in - are all raised near traffic-congested roads and could account for the damaging effects. Diesel exhaust in particular has been shown to cause inflammation in the bronchial walls in the lungs.

Pressure on space in many towns and cities is forcing the construction of homes and schools close to "busy roadways", they say.

"In view of the magnitude of the reported effects and the importance of lung function as a determinant of adult morbidity and mortality, reduction of exposure to traffic-related air pollutants could lead to substantial public health benefits."

Professor Stephen Holgate, professor of immunopharmacology at the University of Southampton in Britain, said the study added to evidence that exhaust fumes damaged lung development in children "probably in the first five to eight years of life".

"Reduced lung function in childhood is a known risk factor for the development and worsening of asthma in children and the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease later in life," he said, "as well as reducing exercise tolerance and increasing the risk of serious lung infections in childhood."

The World Health Organisation had emphasised the importance of reducing overall air pollutant exposure.

Article Sourece: Medical Health Care Information

New Food Pyramid Offers Building Blocks to Good Nutrition

Americans can better individualize their eating and exercise plans


The new and improved U.S. Department of Agriculture's food guide pyramid -- called MyPyramid -- is helping Americans, young and old, to better understand how to eat healthfully, dietitians say.


The new pyramid features vertical bands (rather than the old horizontal pyramid sections) in six different colors to represent different food groups and types. Orange equals grains, green is for vegetables, red is for fruits, blue represents dairy, purple is meat and beans, and yellow stands for oils.


Along the side of the pyramid, a drawing depicts a person climbing a set of steps to match the new slogan "Steps to a Healthier You," which is meant to encourage physical activity as essential.


Perhaps the most important feature of the new pyramid, unveiled in 2005: By plugging in certain personal information, such as age, gender, and levels of physical activity, you can get a nutrition plan that's tailored for you.


"It's more personalized," Marisa Moore, an Atlanta registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, said of the new pyramid and its Web site (www.MyPyramid.gov), which replaced the old, once-size-fits-all pyramid, in use since 1992.


And, the USDA is appealing not only to adults but to kids to clean up their diets, posting kid-friendly materials on the new pyramid Web site to help parents or teachers help their children eat more healthfully.


In general, the guidelines recommend consuming two cups of fruits and two-and-a-half cups of vegetables daily, three ounces of whole grain foods, three cups of low-fat or nonfat milk or other dairy foods, and about five ounces of meat and beans for protein.


Oils should be used sparingly, and the personalized guidelines offer specific maximum amounts -- say, five teaspoons for some people. The pyramid also suggests a maximum number of calories from "extras" such as sugars and solid fats -- for instance, 195 calories a day.


Noralyn Mills, a Baltimore dietitian and another American Dietetic Association spokeswoman, called the new guidelines more realistic than the old ones. And, they're more user-friendly, she added, which was the goal of making the changes from the old pyramid.


One important change, although it sounds small, is to list measurements in cups, instead of servings. "People have an idea what a cup is, they can visualize a cup," Mills said, adding, "I think there is a lot more usage of the pyramid than before." .


The new pyramid guidelines are meant to incorporate the latest in nutritional science, according to the USDA. .


"It's a little more motivational for people," said Moore. Besides alerting people that their diet should include specific amounts of grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, meats and beans, each personalized pyramid tells them how many "discretionary calories" they can eat per day for fats and sugars and oils. .


"You are able to meet all your nutritional needs without the guesswork," said Moore, although she advises those with diabetes and other health conditions to seek the help of a registered dietitian to help them personalize their menus even more.

Article Source : Medical health Care Information

Women Health Care

Women have been synonymous with multi tasking-juggling careers, motherhood, and household chores. This hectic lifestyle forces, health issues to take a back seat. To ensure a healthy lifestyle, it is imperative that women acquire health related literacy. Research has shown that 90% women are not concerned about their health due to lack of health care literacy, which has it’s consequences for the entire family. Women are prone to several health problems ,some which we have taken up to create a sense of awareness amongst women.

For complete article please visit Women Health Care Information