Iron-fortified rice cereal is a common starter food for infants, and rice intake for infants relative to body weight is about three times greater than for adults. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now proposing an “action level,” or limit, on the amount of inorganic arsenic that can be present in that cereal after extensive testing showed unacceptably high levels of the toxic chemical.

Arsenic, an element which is present in air, soil and water, exists in two forms, organic and inorganic. Inorganic arsenic is considered the more toxic when encountered in the diet, and rice has higher levels of the element than other foods. This is partly due to rice plants absorbing more arsenic from the environment as they grow than do other crops.

The FDA is proposing an action level on inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal of 100 parts per billion (ppb). This is comparable to the level set by the European Commission.

According to the FDA, exposure to inorganic arsenic in pregnant women and infants can result in decreased performance for the child on development tests that measure learning. The new data released by the FDA includes inorganic arsenic levels in 76 samples of infant rice cereals. Nearly half met the FDA’s proposed action level of 100 ppb inorganic arsenic. Seventy-eight percent were between 100 and 110 ppb. The agency found that all of the non-rice foods they tested were well below 100 ppb inorganic arsenic.

The FDA says that they expect manufacturers would be able to produce infant rice cereal that meets the proposed limits for inorganic arsenic through the use of good manufacturing practices, including using rice that has lower levels of the chemical.

According to previously published studies, cooking rice in excess water and draining off the extra can reduce the inorganic arsenic content by 40 to 60 percent, although the method can also remove some of the key nutrients.

Based on the findings from the FDA, the agency offers the following advice to parents of infants:

• Continue to feed the baby iron-fortified cereals to make sure the infant is getting enough iron.
• Rice cereal fortified with iron should not be the only source, or the first source, of iron. Other iron-fortified cereals include multigrain, oat and barley.
• Provide toddlers with a well-balanced diet, including a variety of grains.

The agency also advises pregnant women to consume a variety of grains for good nutrition, consistent with guidance from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which recommends that half of the grains consumed consist of whole grains.

Public comments are being accepted on the proposed action and risk assessment for 90 days.

According to a new study just released, over 640 million people across the world are now in the obese category, and the shocking news is the number if continuing to climb, despite doctors raising awareness of the health problems associated with being overweight.

A story on Fox News says the number of people with a body mass index (BMI) of over 30 has jumped from 105 million in 1975 to 641 million, as of 2014.  The study found more that 10 percent of all men are obese, and the news is worse for women, since one of every seven women were also found to be in the obese category.

The study involved over 700 researchers across the globe, along with the World Health Organization (WHO), and analyzed data on over 20 million adults from 186 countries, evaluating their height and weight to calculate their BMI.

BMI is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms, by their height in meters squared, and is generally used to identify if a person is obese or overweight.  A BMI of 25-29 is considered overweight. 30-39 as obese, and 40 and over as morbidly obese.

The study found 55 million adults were classified as morbidly obese, some one percent of men and two percent of women.  Being morbidly obese can interfere with a person’s basic life functions, including walking and, in some cases, actually breathing.

The  findings also showed China and the United States had the highest numbers of men and women classified as obese, with the US leading the way with the highest BMIs.  Japan was the country with the lowest BMIs, and the Swiss women and Bosnian men recorded the lowest BMIs  on the European continent.

Over the past 40 years, the average age-corrected BMI jumped from 21.7 to 24.2 for male adults, and women’s BMIs rose from 22.1 to 24.4 over the same period.  The researchers predicted that 18 percent of men and 21 percent of women would be categorized as obese by the year 2025, if the current trends continue.

Findings of the study were published in The Lancet medical journal on Thursday.

A new global study has indicated that adding a statin drug to the medication therapy of patients with high blood pressure and a moderate risk of heart disease can lower that risk by as much as 40 percent, according to an article on Reuters.

The findings from the trial, called HOPE-3, were presented at the annual scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago on Saturday.  The study involved patients who were over 55 for men and 60 for women, with at least one of the primary risk factors for heart disease, such as being obese or a smoker.  Over 12,000 patients worldwide were involved in the research.

The trial, funded by the Canadian Health Institutes and AstraZeneca, included research centers in China, India, Latin America, Africa, and Canada, but dd not include any centers in the United States, because of the high cost of research in the US.

The threshold for being considered as having high blood pressure was a systolic pressure of over 140.  These patients were given AstraZeneca Plc’s Crestor statin drug along with a combination tablet containing the blood pressure treatment candesatran and the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide.  Those receiving the treatment regimen experienced a 40 percent reduced risk of having a heart attack or stroke over a six-year period.

Dr. Salim Yusuf, a professor of cardiology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada who headed the study, said the trial indicates that those with a moderate heart disease risk, along with high blood pressure of 140 or more, should be given statin drugs as part of their treatment.  He continued that currently, physicians do not always prescribe statins the that risk group automatically.

“Intermediate-risk people with hypertension had a clear benefit when taking both a statin and an agent that lowers blood pressure,” commented Yusuf.  “These simple methods can be used practically everywhere in the world, and the drugs will become even cheaper as more and more systems and people adopt these therapies,” he added.

A report just published in the New England Journal of Medicine has demonstrated that long-term use of antibiotics for ongoing symptoms of Lyme disease is not helpful. About 10 to 20 percent of people who have been infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria responsible for the disease, continue to experience symptoms such as muscle disorders, fatigue and cognitive changes even if tests show no remaining signs of the bacteria. Many doctors continue to treat these symptoms with antibiotics, which the new study from Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands found may not be helpful. The Lyme disease infection is transmitted by Borrelia via infected blacklegged ticks.

Among the 280 people in the trial, no significant differences were found between the physical symptoms of those who were treated with a standard 2-week course of antibiotics versus those treated for an additional 12 weeks. Dr. Bart Jan Kullberg, lead researcher in the new study, said, “This study demonstrates that prolonged antibiotics may not help if you have symptoms after having had Lyme disease.”

The study does not draw any conclusions as to whether those lingering symptoms are related to the Lyme infection or not. Doctors are unable to explain these symptoms since there is no remaining evidence of the bacterium. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classifies them as Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, implying they are not sure the symptoms are not caused by something else.

Kullberg says more research is needed to understand these health issues. He says there may be some residual damage to the nervous or immune system, or there may be a “genetic predisposition to these issues.” Regardless, the study has shown that antibiotics are not the solution. However, he also “wouldn’t say that this is proof that the symptoms are not related to the prior infection.”

Other experts on Lyme disease disagree. Executive director of the American Lyme Disease Foundation Philip Baker says, “There’s absolutely no reason why antibiotics shouldn’t clear the infection.”

Others say the tests for Borrelia are not sensitive enough to pick it up in the later stages. According to Dr. Samuel Shor, associate clinical professor at George Washington University Health Care Sciences, the tests do not look for the bacteria, but instead search for antibodies to the bacteria. Sicker patients are less likely to have a big enough immune response to the bug, which means they may test negative. “When they say there is no evidence of Borrelia, they’re saying there is no test evidence. On the other hand, there is clinical evidence, which is the patient sitting in front of you with symptoms.”

The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society supports the existence of chronic Lyme disease. Shor, who is president of this organization, says he will continue giving antibiotics until the patient is in remission if he feels it will help, and does not intend to arbitrarily withhold treatment after 3 weeks if the patient has not improved.

Kullberg and Baker do not approve. Although they believe that the symptoms are real they do not believe that it is due to active Lyme disease, which would be helped by antibiotics. Baker said antibiotics will not help if the problem is residual damage to the nervous system.

According to new research, the number of obese people living in the world is greater than the number of underweight people, and the number continues to rise.

An article on CBS News says the research is based on over 40 years of global, regional and national trends in body mass index (BMI) in adults who are 18 or older.  The data shows the count of obese people has jumped from 105 million in 1975 all the way to 641 million by 2014.

The research also noted the proportion of men who are obese has tripled in the same period, climbing from 3.2 percent of the total global population to 10.8 percent.  The increase in obese women is not quite as dramatic, but still doubled to reach almost 15 percent, from 6.4 percent in 1975.  The study authors predicted about 20 percent of the world’s population would be obese by the year 2025.

The good news, if there is any, is that the number of underweight individuals across the globe decreased by about one third among both men and women.

“Over the past 40 years, we have changed from a world in which underweight prevalence was more than double that of obesity, to one in which more people are obese than underweight,” said Majid Ezzati, senior study author and a professor at Imperial College London’s School of Public Health.  “If present trends continue, not only will the world not meet the obesity target of halting the rise in the prevalence of obesity at its 2010 level by 2025, but more women will be severely obese than underweight by 2025.”

The research team was quick to point out the problem of excessively low weight in the poorest nations of the world still remains, and people should not infer from the findings this problem is no longer serious.  Almost one fourth of the population in south Asia is underweight, as are more than one of every eight individuals in central and east Africa.

Being seriously underweight bring with it a number of health issues, especially among pregnant young women and their unborn children, who face a greater risk of death through malnutrition.

The authors stress the need to control the epidemic of obesity spreading around the globe, suggesting new policies that include smart food choices and improved health care and training.

A new federally-funded study published March 16 in the journal Pediatrics has concluded that children with epilepsy should be monitored closely for learning and social issues, regardless of whether their seizures are well controlled. The researchers found that children with epilepsy can develop social and educational issues whether or not they still experience seizures.

The researchers, from Children’s Hospital of Chicago, found that behavioral problems and learning difficulties during childhood can result in suboptimal educational and social outcomes among young adults. They found that learning disabilities such as ADHD and dyslexia and behavioral conditions such as anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder, can play a significant role in educational and social achievement. Identifying these problems early may help avoid problems faced by the child once they reach adulthood.

Previous research has shown that children with epilepsy tend to have worse social outcomes than healthy children, but this is the first study that looked at the role of seizure control related to learning and behavioral problems. The study found that often a child had seizures really did not play as big a role as previously thought.

Anne Berg Ph.D., lead author of the study, said, “Frequency and intensity of seizures remain important predictors of how well a child does into adulthood, but somewhat to our surprise we also found seizures are by no means the sole influencers of social and educational outcomes among adults with childhood epilepsy.” She also said that physicians who care for children with epilepsy should not conclude that everything is fine simply because seizures are controlled.

Berg encourages pediatricians to screen children with epilepsy for behavioral, psychiatric and learning problems. While the team cautions that the psychiatric conditions are usually not stemming from the epilepsy, but can be included with the behavioral and learning problems that are often associated with the disease.

For 12 years the researchers followed 241 children and teens who were diagnosed with uncomplicated epilepsy between 1993 and 1997. The children were treated at neurology practices in Connecticut. They tracked the education levels of participants, along with employment, marital status, ability to drive, living arrangements and criminal records as they moved into adulthood. The evaluated them compared to how many seizures they experienced after being diagnosed, and how effectively their seizures were controlled with medications.

How well the child’s seizures were controlled was a big factor in how likely they were to get a college degree and become successfully employed as an adult. However, this was not a guarantee of educational or social achievement. The researchers found that learning difficulties affected education without regard to seizure control. Emotional or psychiatric problems affected social outcomes.

 

A male birth control injection will launch human trials later this year, after a promising new study on its effectiveness showed that the new drug was overwhelmingly successful in preventing pregnancy in rabbits. Vasalgel is a reversible birth control injection for men. Injected into the vas deferens, Vasalgel is a non-hormonal gel that blocks the travel of sperm, similar to what a vasectomy does on a permanent basis. Another injection could flush out the gel and allow the man’s sperm flow to resume.

So far the tests have only been on rabbits and the study was small, but researchers are optimistic about what it might mean for human couples who are tired of the choice between condoms or vasectomy, or having the birth control responsibility fall on the woman. The birth control injection in rabbits was effective for a year, and researchers say it could be even longer in human men. This might be a relief to men who aren’t thrilled with the idea of an injection into that particular area.

Vasalgel could be perfect for men who don’t want to worry about babies now and don’t want to bother with condoms, but think they might want to father a child later, since a vasectomy is difficult or impossible to reverse. In addition to being long-lasting, Vasalgel was found to be more effective than condoms at preventing pregnancy.

The study was published in the journal Basic and Clinical Andrology this week. Twelve adult male rabbits were treated with two different formulations of the gel, one of which was pure styrene maleic acid (SMA) and the other which was a mix of 80 percent SMA plus 20 percent anhydride. Both formulations were effective, with no sperm detected in 11 of the rabbits after injection. One rabbit had a very small sperm count at first, but eventually also dropped to zero. Seven of the rabbits then had the gel flushed from their systems and quickly returned to normal sperm flow.

A press release from Parsemus Foundation says that Vasalgel material forms a hydrogel once injected into the vas deferens. It remains in a soft, gel-like state, able to flex and adhere to the walls of the vas deferens. Many water-soluble molecues are allowed through the hydrogel, but not larger structures such as sperm.

Parsemus Foundation is looking for financial backers to help fund the ongoing research into the development of Vasalgel.

Struggling with a few extra pounds and looking for a simple way to shed the extra weight?  A new study says eating a diet of beans, chickpeas and lentils can assist dieters to feel more full, and as result, drop a few unwanted pounds in the process.  According to a story on UPI, eating a regimen that includes these foods has also been shown to lower the levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol.

The new study analyzed data from 21 clinical trials for the group of foods known as “pulses,” according to study lead author Russell de Souza, a researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.  “Though the weight loss was small, our findings suggest that simply including pulses in your diet may help you lose weight, and we think more importantly, prevent you from gaining it back after you lose it,” said de Souza in a press release provided by the hospital.

The team of researchers also noted this group of foods also have a low glycemic index, and the break down slowly during the digestive process, making them a fitting substitute for animal protein and unhealthy fats.

The researchers, looking at older studies that show people eating pulses feel more full at mealtimes, asked the participants to eat one serving, about three-quarters of a cup, of pulses each day.  Over a period of six weeks, the 940 adults involved in the study, lost an average of 0.75 pounds, without making any focused efforts to avoid any other types of foods.

De Souza credits the weight loss to the pulses increasing the feeling of being full, which he says increased by 31 percent in the participants, resulting in less food intake.  De Souza added the findings were in line with earlier studies that found eating beans, lentils and other pulses led to similar feelings of fullness.

Most experts were not surprised at the findings.  Antonella Apicella, an outpatient dietitian at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, remarked the study supported the notion that foods such as these may also reduce body fat, thereby contributing to weight loss, even without the caloric restrictions.

Results of the study were published in the March 30 edition of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Studies in the past have linked air pollution to preterm births, but a new analysis published in Environmental Health Perspectives on March 29 is the first to assign a price tag to the issue, estimating that the cost to the U.S. may be as much as $4 billion every year. The researchers analyzed birth records and air quality data and found an association between air pollution and 16,000 babies who were born prematurely.

The costs are estimated at $760 million for hospitalizations and long-term medication use, plus nearly $3.6 billion in lost wages and productivity due to the mental and physical deficits related to the early births. Lead study author Dr. Leonardo Trasande, who is a New York University School of Medicine environmental health researcher, said, “Air pollution-associated preterm birth contributes direct medical costs in the first few years of life due to associated conditions, such as in the newborn intensive care unit, as well as lost economic productivity due to developmental disabilities and lost cognitive potential.”

Premature infants also have difficulty digesting food and breathing in the weeks immediately after birth. They may also experience long-term problems such as impaired hearing, vision and cognitive skills. They may also develop social and behavioral problems.

The researchers came to the conclusion that about 3 percent of U.S. preterm births are attributable to air pollution. This is based on data from the Institute of Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency. They looked at federal databases for preterm birth rates and air quality over one year, and also used past research to calculate average risk for preterm births at various levels of pollution.

Preterm births related to air pollution were found to be higher in urban counties, particularly in the Eastern U.S. and Southern California. The study was conducted in Ohio, which the study discovered was the center of the U.S. region with the most premature births that could be linked to air pollution.

It is thought that air pollution contributes to a buildup of toxic chemicals in the blood that causes stress to the immune system that in turn weakens the placenta and shortens the amount of time that the baby is able to exist in the womb.

The study was unable to prove that pollution causes preterm births. The analysis also lacked data regarding individual exposure to air pollution that might influence the impact of toxins on pregnancy. However, the conclusions point strongly to the association between smog and pregnancy complications.

Most pregnant women are unable to just pack up and move away from pollution. According to Dr. Edward McCabe, March of Dimes’ chief medical officer, “Studies like this can put us in a stronger position to advocate for cleaner air.” He said that the solution is to reduce the sources of pollution.

Trasande says that many factors influence the risk of preterm birth, and air pollution is only a “modest” contributor. However, across the entire U.S, population, that risk adds up and becomes a significant public health issue. The U.S. rate of preterm births is significantly higher than in other developed countries, according to the study.

Head injuries or trauma can be difficult to evaluate, even for the best physicians, so many people who suffer concussions go un-diagnosed, some forever.  That leaves patients with a greater risk of more serious brain injuries, simply because many concussions go untreated.

The problem is there is no exact science to diagnosing a head injury, and researchers are constantly looking to develop a new method for recognizing when head injury patients need to be treated.

According to an article in the Washington Post, a new paper published Monday reports a team of researchers are near to having such a test to do just that.  The study involved taking blood tests from 600 patients that were admitted to a trauma center during the period of March 2010 through March 2014, with a head injury that resulted in loss of consciousness, amnesia, or disorientation.

The researchers evaluated the level of a biomarker known as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) at the initial admittance of the patients, and as the levels changed over time.  The results show the GFAP reached its highest point roughly 20 hours after the injury, and declined slowly over the next 72 hours.  The protein was still detectable, however, after seven days.

GFAP is only found in the brain and nervous system and plays a role in healing the body, when it is released into the bloodstream, according to previous research.

In the paper, published in JAMA Neurology, the researchers the biomarker “performed consistently” in helping to detect mild to moderate traumatic brain injury and traumatic intracranial lesions.  Using the blood test as a tool, physicians in the Emergency Room could quickly diagnose patients  The test could also be used for those whose symptoms were not immediately recognized, but may have felt confused or experienced headaches in the days following the injury.

Lead author Linda Papa, an emergency medicine physician at Orlando Health, remarked there were many diagnostic blood tests for other parts of the body, but there has never been a reliable test for brain trauma.  “We think this particular test could change that,” added Papa.