Category: news-perspectives

Sunscreens that Americans buy this summer should have more accurate labels. Updated rules from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took effect in December. But a consumer group says some labels may still be misleading. Sunscreens have a sun protection factor (SPF) to indicate how well they work. The FDA says sunscreens with an SPF of 15 to 50 can claim protection against skin cancer and early aging, as well as sunburn. The FDA says there’s no proof that protection increases further for numbers above 50. But an Environmental Working Group survey found higher numbers on 1 out of 7 products. The group checked 1,400 sunscreens. Experts worry that numbers above 50 could encourage people to stay out in the sun longer. The new FDA rules require all “broad spectrum” sunscreens to protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Both can cause skin cancer. UVA rays also cause skin aging.

Women in their 40s and 50s have a very low risk of stroke, but the risk doubles if they are depressed, a new study finds. The study included 10,547 women who had no history of stroke. Their ages ranged between 47 and 52 when the study began. Researchers had them fill out health surveys every 3 years for the next 12 years. In that time, 177 women had strokes. The stroke rate among women with depression was 2.4 times as high as for women without depression. Depressed women also were more likely to have other health factors, such as smoking, that increased their risk of stroke. After researchers accounted for those factors, depression alone almost doubled the women’s risk of stroke. Overall, about 1.5% of the women had strokes during the study. The journal Stroke published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it May 16.

The high sodium level of processed and restaurant foods is not getting much better, two new studies find. One study analyzed 685 meals from 19 sit-down, chain restaurants. The average meal had 2,269 milligrams (mg) of sodium. Most adults shouldn’t have any more than that in an entire day, U.S. government guidelines say. The guidelines recommend 2,300 mg a day or less for most people. Some groups are urged to stay under 1,500 mg a day. They include people over 50 and African Americans. People with high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease also are advised to stick to the lower level. The average American now consumes about 3,300 mg a day. Another new study found that recent efforts to reduce sodium in processed and restaurant foods have been “inconsistent and slow.” Researchers compared sodium levels in 402 processed foods from 2005 and 2011.

An influential group of experts is recommending that primary care doctors screen all adults for alcohol problems. The advice comes from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. This independent group reviews medical evidence and offers advice to doctors on preventive care. The new report says there’s enough evidence to show that asking one question can help show which patients may have “risky” drinking patterns. The question is: “How many times in the past year have you had five or more drinks in a day (if you’re a man), or four or more drinks (if you’re a woman or older than 65)?” If the person says this has happened at least once, the doctor can ask more questions to assess the degree of risk. Risky drinking may be causing current problems or may just increase the risk of problems later. The journal Annals of Internal Medicine published the study.

Surgery to repair pelvic organ prolapse fails over time for many women, a new study concludes. Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when the tissues that support the uterus, bladder and cervix are damaged or relax over time. The organs may push down into the top of the vagina. This can cause pain, bleeding and urinary problems. The study included 215 women. All had an operation called sacrocolpopexy to support the organs with a synthetic material called surgical mesh. Half also had another procedure to stop problems with urine leakage. The rate of failure increased each year in both groups. For example, symptoms returned within 2 years for 14% of the women who had both procedures. The return of symptoms occurred in 21% after 4 years and 29% after 7 years. Treatment failures were slightly lower for those who had the single procedure.

Almost half of older U.S. teens text while driving, a new survey shows. And those who text while driving are also more likely to do other dangerous things. Researchers used results from a national survey on youth behavior. They focused on answers given by 8,500 teens who were age 16 or older. Nearly 45% said they had texted or e-mailed while driving during the last 30 days. They were 5 times as likely to drive after drinking alcohol as teens who didn’t text while driving. About 25% of the teens texted while driving every day. Teens in this group were 40% less likely to wear seat belts than teens who just texted while driving once or twice in the last month. Older students and males were the most likely to text while driving. The journal Pediatrics published the study online. USA Today and HealthDay News wrote about it April 13.

Fish oil pills don’t reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in people at high risk of heart disease, a new study suggests. Earlier studies concluded that eating fatty fish, such as salmon and tuna, could lower risk in people with heart failure or a previous heart attack. The new study focused on about 12,500 people who never had a heart attack or stroke. But they had high blood pressure, a family history of heart disease or several other factors that increased their risk. They already were taking medicines to address those risks. People were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group took a daily capsule containing omega-3 fatty acids found in fish. The other group took placebo pills that contained olive oil. In the next 5 years, about 12% of each group died or spent time in a hospital because of a heart attack, stroke or other heart-related problem.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has endured both jokes and doubts about his political future because of obesity, says that he has had weight-loss surgery. Christie told the New York Post that he had a gastric banding procedure February 16. This surgery involves placing an adjustable band around the stomach to make it smaller. It makes people feel full faster. This and related procedures are the favored option for very obese people who have not lost weight in other ways. Christie, 50, did not announce that he had the procedure. He answered questions raised by the newspaper. Some commentators have said that health concerns could limit Christie’s political future. He has been mentioned often as a potential Republican candidate for president. But Christie told the Post that he got the procedure for the sake of his family, not politics. Christie has never revealed his weight.

About 13% of Americans age 60 and older say they are confused more often and having more problems with thinking and memory, a survey finds. One-third of this group said their confusion or memory issues have caused problems for them. They may have had problems with their social life, work, chores or other activities. Only one-third had talked to their doctors about these problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did the survey in 2011. It was the first survey of its type among older U.S. adults. Nearly 60,000 people in 21 states answered the questions. The results show that it’s important to look for early signs of dementia, experts told HealthDay News. Signs may include asking the same questions over and over, getting lost in familiar places or not being able to follow directions. People also may become more confused about time, people and places.

If your friends don’t follow standard vaccine schedules, chances are you won’t either. That’s the conclusion of a study that surveyed 196 parents. All of them had children 18 months old or younger. They took online surveys that asked their opinions on vaccines and what schedules they followed for their kids’ shots. They also were asked about their sources of vaccine information and what the sources recommended. In all, 70 people skipped some recommended shots for their children, or delayed some of them. Researchers called this group “nonconformers.” They tended to ask more people for advice than conformers (those who followed standard schedules) did. About 72% of the nonconformers’ advice networks recommended skipping or delaying vaccines. Only 13% of the conformers’ networks gave this advice.