Month: May 2015

Teens who have seen a lot of alcohol drinking in movies may be more likely to drink themselves, a new study concludes. Researchers used information from a long-term study of British children. When they were 15, about 5,000 of them were asked about how often and how much alcohol they drank. They also were asked about which of 50 popular movies they had seen. Teens were put into groups based on how much alcohol drinking they had seen in these movies. Overall, drinking was common. About 86% of the teens said they had tried alcohol. Nearly half had participated in binge drinking. About 40% said they had had some sort of problem with school, work, friends or police that was related to alcohol. Researchers adjusted their numbers to account for factors other than movie exposure that might make teens more likely to drink.

Two popular food brands have recalled products contaminated by listeria. Blue Bell brand ice cream has been linked with 8 illnesses and 3 deaths. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the outbreaks April 9. Also last week, Sabra said it had recalled 30,000 cases of classic hummus. The bacteria were found in several tubs of hummus in Michigan. No infections have been linked to hummus, state health officials said. The CDC said 3 people in Texas became ill after eating Blue Bell ice cream between 2011 and 2014. Five cases in Kansas occurred from January 2014 to January 2015. Three of the Kansas patients died. Blue Bell Creameries has closed a plant and recalled several products. An expert interviewed by HealthDay News said people can get sick 3 to 70 days after being exposed to listeria.

Blue Bell Creameries has removed all of its frozen dessert products from the market because of possible listeria contamination. The Texas-based company made the announcement April 20. Blue Bell also reported results of recent tests. They found Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in some cartons of chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream made on two dates in March. This means that listeria has been found in products made by several different plants. That’s why Blue Bell decided to pull all frozen desserts. People should return any products they have for a full refund. Ten cases of listeria infection dating back to 2011 have been linked to Blue Bell ice cream products. The most recent were this year. Three people have died. Listeria symptoms include nausea, vomiting and stomachache. Symptoms can start 3 to 70 days after exposure. Severe cases are rare.

Short people may be more likely to have heart disease, and that could be linked to their genes, a new study finds. The study looked at genetic data and height for more than 18,000 adults. Researchers found that those who were shorter and had genes related to shorter height were more likely to have heart (coronary artery) disease. Heart-disease risk increased about 13.5% for every 2½ inches of height difference. People who were shorter also were more likely to have high levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Both of these blood fats are linked with a higher risk of heart disease. But researchers found that having higher levels of blood fats could explain only about one-third of the greater risk in shorter people. One detailed analysis suggested that the higher risk with shorter height may exist in men only.