Month: January 2014

In a new study, about half of the children who were obese by age 14 were already overweight in kindergarten. The risk of teen obesity for those overweight 5-year-olds was about 4 times as high as for children of normal weight. The study included more than 7,700 children in kindergarten from across the United States. Their average age was about 5½ when the study began. Researchers measured the children’s weight and height 7 times between kindergarten and eighth grade (about age 14). When the study began, 12.4% were obese. Another 14.9% were overweight. Those figures rose to 20.8% obese and 17% overweight in eighth grade. About 5.4% of children became overweight during kindergarten and 1.7% each year from fifth through eighth grades. Researchers suggested that children who were at highest risk tended to become overweight and then obese early.

Women who have high levels of estrogen even after menopause may be more likely to develop dementia, a study finds. The risk is especially high for those who also have diabetes. In this study, their risk of diabetes was 14 times as high as for women who had lower estrogen and no diabetes. The study included 675 women who had passed menopause and did not take hormone replacement therapy. All were age 65 or older when the study began. Researchers kept track of the women for about 4 years. In that time, women were twice as likely to develop dementia if they had high estrogen levels. All of these comparisons accounted for other health factors that also can increase the risk of dementia. Women with diabetes had such a high risk in part because their estrogen levels were so high. Those with dementia had 70% higher estrogen levels than diabetic women without dementia.

Older male smokers should receive a one-time test to see if they have a swelling of the aorta in the abdomen. And the newest advice says that some male nonsmokers may benefit, too. The advice comes from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. An enlarged section of artery is called an aneurysm. An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is most likely to occur in men who are current or past smokers. The task force recommends a one-time ultrasound scan for AAA for men ages 65 to 75 who have ever smoked. The latest update says that some men in the same age group who have never smoked also may benefit from a one-time ultrasound. They include men with a parent or sibling who had AAA or a personal history of aneurysm in another location. Those with heart or artery disease also might be at risk.