Interpreting Heath Advice

NHS Choices: Behind the headlines

(Expert comment on Health News in the press from the UK National Health Service)

Wine and women’s weight

8 Mar 2010 at 10:39am

“Women who like a glass of wine after work are less likely to gain weight than those who stick to mineral water,” according to The Times, which claims that moderate female drinkers have a lower risk of obesity than teetotallers.

The research behind these claims asked a group of middle-aged American women of a healthy weight about their alcohol consumption. The women were sent follow-up questionnaires over the next 13 years to track how their weight changed. Over the course of the study most of the women gained weight but on average those who originally consumed at least four units per day gained around 2kg less than their non-drinking counterparts.

While this study has found that higher alcohol consumption was associated with slightly lower weight gain over time, there are a number of limitations to the research  Equally, the study did not look at potential mechanisms by which alcohol could have an effect on weight, although it suggests that drinkers may have replaced dietary calories with calories from alcohol. However, the negative health effects of regular alcohol consumption are well-known, and women are advised to limit alcohol consumption to two to three units per day.

 

Where did the story come from?

This research was conducted by Dr Lu Wang and colleagues from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard University. The study was funded by the US National Institute of Health and published in the peer Click the title to read more …

Vitamin D immune system boost?

8 Mar 2010 at 6:29am

The Daily Telegraph has reported that “vitamin D ‘triggers and arms’ the immune system”. It said that researchers believe that vitamin D plays a key role in boosting the immune system.

The study looked at human T cells in the laboratory, and found that vitamin D was part of a complex process in which T cells become ‘primed’ and help to fight infection. While these findings suggest that people with vitamin D deficiency are more susceptible to infection or that vitamin D supplements might boost immunity, such theories need to be tested further before drawing any firm conclusions.

It is important to have enough vitamin D to maintain a healthy body. Vitamin D forms in our skin in response to sunlight. However, care should be taken to avoid burning or over-exposure. Vitamin D is also found in foods such as oily fish, eggs, fortified margarines, some breakfast cereals and vitamin supplements.

 

Where did the story come from?

Dr Marina Rode von Essen and colleagues from the University of Copenhagen and Bispebjerg Hospital in Denmark carried out this research. The study was funded by the Danish Medical Research Council, the Lundbeck Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the King Christian the 10th Foundation and the A.P. Møller Foundation for the Advancement of Medical Sciences. Some of the chemicals used in the study were provided by the manufacturer Bayer Schering Pharma AG. The paper was published in the peer Click the title to read more …

Toddler eyes ‘burnt by detergent’

5 Mar 2010 at 5:29am

Children’s eyes could be seriously damaged by capsules of laundry detergent, doctors have warned.

Capsules of concentrated detergent first went on sale in 2001, designed to be less messy and inconvenient than washing powders and liquids. However, hospital records suggest that curious children can be injured if they burst the brightly coloured sacks and release the cleaning agents inside.

In a letter to the British Medical Journal, ophthalmologists from the Western Eye Hospital, London, say that the corrosive substances in the cleaning capsules can cause severe burns if they get into the eyes of toddlers. The doctors reported that the capsules contribute to 40% of the chemical eye burns they treat infants for.

 

What did the report say?

The doctors say that detergent capsules were linked to 40% of the chemical eye injuries they treated in children under the age of five. The average age of those treated was two. The doctors also consulted Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital Poisons’ Unit in London, finding that it had received 192 enquiries in 2007-8 and 225 during 2006-7 relating to the capsules. One-fifth of these enquiries were related to children who had the detergent in their eyes.

Of the 13 children the doctors treated for detergent in their eyes, 12 experienced chemical burns to their cornea, the clear layer covering the iris and pupil. For these children, the lining of the cornea took up to three days to Click the title to read more …

Regular painkillers and hearing loss

5 Mar 2010 at 5:10am

“Common painkillers ‘increase the risk of hearing loss’”, reported The Daily Telegraph.

This story is based on research on whether frequent use of aspirin, ibuprofen, and paracetamol increase the risk of hearing loss in men. It found that men who took any of these drugs more than twice a week had a small increased risk of hearing loss. This type of study can only find associations, and it does not prove that the painkillers caused the hearing loss in these men. It also did not assess why the men were taking painkillers, and it is possible that the cause of their underlying pain may have had an effect on their hearing.

Hearing loss is already an established, potential side effect of these drugs, but only regular, high doses were thought to increase risk. This study indicates there may be increased risk, albeit a small one, with lower doses as well. Further work is needed to see if this is the case and to accurately quantify the dosage and duration of use that most poses a risk to hearing. In any case, anyone who is regularly taking painkillers for any unexplained long-term pain should consult with their GP.

 

Where did the story come from?

This research was carried out by Dr Sharon G Curhan and colleagues from Harvard University Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Foundation. The Click the title to read more …

Machine ‘zaps migraines away’

4 Mar 2010 at 10:48am

A handheld device could ‘zap away’ headaches according to several newspapers. They say that the device, which delivers a magnetic pulse to the back of the head, could be an alternative to drug treatments for sufferers.

The news is based on a well-conducted randomised controlled trial and has found promising results when using a ‘single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation’ device to treat people who frequently suffer from migraine with visual distortions (aura). Within two hours of the onset of symptoms more people were pain-free when using the handheld device than those who had used an identical dummy device.

Although the study has reliable results, there are some points to consider when putting these findings into context. Importantly, the results will need to be verified in larger trials that directly compare the technology to other active treatments for migraine, principally medication. Therefore, the news reports are premature in announcing this treatment as an ‘alternative’ to pain medications. Further issues of optimal use, effectiveness and safety also need to be explored when further researching this promising technology.

 

Where did the story come from?

This research was conducted by Dr Richard Lipton and colleagues from Einstein College of Medicine, New York and other institutions across the US. The study was funded by Neuralieve, the medical technology company that makes the prototype d Click the title to read more …

Do vitamin pills ‘go off’?

4 Mar 2010 at 4:48am

"Vitamin pills are useless within a week of opening," the Daily Mail reported. It said that the high levels of humidity in kitchens and bathrooms make them simply dissolve even if the bottle’s lid is screwed on.

This research studied the breakdown of two common forms of vitamin C under different temperatures and humidities in the laboratory, and found that high humidity seemed to have the greatest effect.

Though the effect seen in this lab study may also occur in supplements used at home, it is not clear if the different forms of vitamin C will degrade at the same rate. Supplements usually contain other nutrients, minerals and ingredients, some of which are preservatives. For example, silica, which absorbs water, is often included.

Further research into the best storage conditions for vitamins is likely. The most useful would be testing the rate of vitamin C degradation in different formulations, and under conditions found in the home. For now, the best way to store vitamins is in their original container in a cool, dry place. Kitchens and bathrooms may not be the best storage places.

 

Where did the story come from?

The research was carried out by Ashley Hiatt and colleagues from Purdue University, Indiana, US. The research was supported by grants from the US Department of Agriculture and from Lilly Endowment, Inc. – a private philanthropic foundation set up through gifts of stock in Eli Lilly, a pharmac Click the title to read more …

Bone drug may cut cancer risk

3 Mar 2010 at 11:18am

Osteoporosis pills may cut the risk of breast cancer, the Daily Express has reported. A study suggests that women who take the drugs, called bisphosphonates, to treat brittle bones may reduce their risk of breast cancer.

The research compared almost 3,000 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer to a similar number of women without the disease. The researchers looked for characteristics in the two groups that might explain an increased cancer risk, including whether they had taken bisphosphonates. The women who had used the drugs for the longest time (two years) were found to be 40% less likely to develop breast cancer than women who had never used the pills.

These results will need to be confirmed with randomised trials that assess whether the drug really can prevent breast cancer. These trials are needed to ensure that the reduced cancer risk was not due to any other unmeasured or unknown factors that differed between the groups. Overall, there appears to be a plausible biological explanation for the effect seen, which justifies further research in this area.

 

Where did the story come from?

This study was conducted by Dr Polly Newcomb and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin in the US. The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the US National Institutes of Health and published in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Cancer.

Other newspapers also reported the findings, including the Click the title to read more …

Daily aspirin ‘not for the healthy’

3 Mar 2010 at 9:45am

“Healthy people who take aspirin in the hope of preventing a heart attack or stroke are doing themselves more harm than good,” The Daily Telegraph reported. It said that healthy people who take a low dose of daily aspirin to reduce their risk of a heart attack are also increasing their likelihood of major internal bleeding.

The news is based on a study in almost 30,000 men and women aged between 50 and 75 without known heart disease. It found that taking 100mg aspirin daily almost doubled the risk of dangerous internal bleeding compared to dummy pills (placebo), while having no effect on heart attacks or strokes.

The Telegraph report is accurate. This well-conducted study suggests that the risks and benefits of aspirin are both small in this group of patients at low risk of vascular disease. Though it is possible that the risks outweigh the benefits neither outcome reached statistical significance. There are other groups of patients who are at higher vascular risk, for example, those with high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes, who may benefit from aspirin. People taking aspirin following a heart attack or stroke should continue to do so as instructed.

 

Where did the story come from?

This research was carried out by F. Gerald R. Fowkes and colleagues for the Aspirin for Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis Trialists. The study was funded by the British Heart Foundation and the Chief Scientist’s Office in Scot Click the title to read more …

Alzheimer’s risk linked to outlook

2 Mar 2010 at 11:46am

“Elderly people with a strong sense of purpose in life face a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” The Daily Telegraph reports. The finding comes from research that assessed the outlook on life in 900 elderly people, following them for several years to see which of them developed cognitive problems.

This study had a number of strengths including good data collection methods and thorough assessments of its participants’ mental functions. It also adjusted for the influence of factors that might affect results.

The research does seem to show a link between a perceived greater purpose in life and reduced risk of Alzheimer’s. However, it is difficult to say whether purpose in life directly affects Alzheimer’s risk, if outlook is altered during the early onset of cognition problems or if another related factor is behind the link.

In addition, a person’s ‘purpose in life’ is likely to change at various points in their life depending on their circumstances, and a single assessment at the age of 80 may not fully capture this. Future studies need to confirm and further investigate any potential link between purpose in life and risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Where did the story come from?

Dr Patricia Boyle and colleagues from the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Centre in Chicago, Illinois carried out this research. The study was funded by the US National Institute on Aging, the Illinois Department Click the title to read more …

Baby DVDs effects questioned

2 Mar 2010 at 10:28am

Parents who buy educational DVDs to give their toddlers a head start may be doing more harm than good,” the Daily Mail reported. It said a study on a DVD from Disney’s Baby Einstein series found it did nothing to boost vocabulary and children who started on the DVDs at a younger age actually had a worse vocabulary.

The main aim of this study was to look at the effects of the learning DVD Baby Wordsworth on children’s learning of 30 specific words. The DVD was found to have no effect on the children’s learning of the words, or on general language ability.

A separate analysis examined how DVD viewing before the study affected children’s general language ability. This found that those who first watched Baby Einstein DVDs at earlier ages had poorer language. However, some caution should be applied here, as only 37 children were assessed, other factors may have influenced the results, and multiple tests were carried out, thereby increasing the likelihood the results are due to chance.

Parents should not be concerned that they are harming their children by encouraging them to watch educational DVDs as part of a variety of interactive learning activities. At the same time, these findings suggest that some word learning DVDs may have limited effect on toddlers’ vocabulary development, at least in the short term.

 

Where did the story come from?

This research was carried out by Dr Rebekah A Richert and colleagues fr Click the title to read more …

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