Health: Pot Dependence in Adolescence Is Linked to a Long-Term Drop in IQ

With the Dunedin study data, researchers could compare subjects' IQ scores from age 13, before they began using any drugs, with their scores at age 38, and they could also eliminate confounding factors like education level and other drug and alcohol use. They found that those who used pot heavily showed a significant decline in IQ, particularly if they began during adolescence. The most frequent users experienced the most damage. And cutting down on marijuana after adolescence did nothing to alleviate the decline.

While these results suggest that developing adolescent brains are particularly vulnerable to the effects of marijuana and can suffer permanent harm from smoking pot, the drop occurred only in users diagnosed with cannabis dependence, which indicates more than just a fondness for marijuana, points out epidemiology blogger Suzi Gage. Such frequent users are not only more rare than casual consumers, they also tend to have other problems that getting high may help them face, such as depression.

For more, see Pot Dependence in Adolescence Is Linked to a Long-Term Drop in IQ by Sophie Bushwick, August 29, 2012 at 80beats.

Health: Software Emulates Lifespan of Entire Organism

Wow.

Scientists at Stanford University and the J. Craig Venter Institute have developed the first software simulation of an entire organism, a humble single-cell bacterium that lives in the human genital and respiratory tracts.

The scientists and other experts said the work was a giant step toward developing computerized laboratories that could carry out many thousands of experiments much faster than is possible now, helping scientists penetrate the mysteries of diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's.

For more, see In First, Software Emulates Lifespan of Entire Organism by John Markoff, July 20, 2012 at NYTimes.com.

Health: The Laziest Countries in the World

Countries in darker colors had greater recorded inactivity, defined as failing to reach 30 minutes of moderate activity a day.

For more, see A Graph of the Laziest Countries in the World (Hooray! We're Not #1) by Derek Thompson, July 18, 2012 at The Atlantic.

Health: Want to Live Longer? Move to NYC

While life expectancy in many parts of the United States is dropping, it has increased by 10 years in Manhattan since 1987. Researchers largely attribute that rise —- the fastest in the nation —- to a crackdown by the New York City health department on unhealthy behaviors.

The health department has, for example, banned trans fats, prohibited smoking in public spaces and hiked taxes on cigarettes. It has also rolled out hundreds of miles of new bicycle lanes, mandated the use of calorie labels on menus in chain restaurants and plastered posters up in subways with information about the risks of obesity and the benefits of preventive health services.

At the moment the city is considering a partial ban on large servings of sugar-sweetened drinks, which would go into effect next year.

For more, see Want to Live Longer? Move to NYC by Natalie Wolchover, June 14, 2012 at LiveScience.

Health: Ewww ... 100 Trillion Bacteria

"The gut is not jam-packed with food; it is jam-packed with microbes," Dr. Proctor said. "Half of your stool is not leftover food. It is microbial biomass." But bacteria multiply so quickly that they replenish their numbers as fast as they are excreted.

For more, see In Good Health? Thank Your 100 Trillion Bacteria by Gina Kolata, June 13, 2012 at NYTimes.com.

Health: New Data on Harms of Prostate Cancer Screening

The recommendations, from the United States Preventive Services Task Force, offer the most detailed breakdown to date of the potential risks and benefits of the prostate specific antigen blood test, commonly known as the P.S.A. test. Most important, the task force found that, at best, one man in every 1,000 given the P.S.A. test may avoid death as a result of the screening, while another man for every 3,000 tested will die prematurely as a result of complications from prostate cancer treatment and dozens more will be seriously harmed.

Prostate biopsies can cause pain, infection and emotional distress, while a cancer diagnosis typically leads to surgery or radiation treatment that can render a man impotent or incontinent, or both. In rare cases, a man can die from complications of treatment. Although "watchful waiting" is an option for men with prostate cancer, the vast majority of patients who learn they have prostate cancer choose more aggressive treatment.

The task force found that up to 43 men per 1,000 tested will face serious harms. Thirty to 40 men will develop incontinence or erectile dysfunction, or both, as a result of treatment. Two more men will have a serious cardiovascular event, like a heart attack, due to treatment, and one man will develop a life-threatening blood clot in his legs or lungs.

Even so, the American Urological Association issued a statement saying the group was "outraged" by the task force decision to finalize the recommendations. The group said the findings did not adequately reflect the benefits of P.S.A. testing and that it was "inappropriate and irresponsible" to issue a blanket statement against the testing.

For more, see New Data on Harms of Prostate Cancer Screening by Tara Parker-Pope, May 21, 2012 at NYTimes.com.

Health: Heart Attacks: If You're Stricken, Minutes Matter

A reminder ...

The advice sounds very simple. The best way to survive a heart attack is:

1. Recognize the symptoms.

2. Call 911.

3. Chew an aspirin while waiting for emergency personnel to arrive.

But every year, 133,000 Americans die of heart attacks, and another 300,000 die of sudden cardiac arrest—largely because they didn't get help in time.

With most heart attacks, victims do have some warning—but the symptoms can be confusing. The stereotypical "Hollywood heart attack," clutching the chest in agony, is only one scenario. The feeling in the chest may be more squeezing, tightening or heavy pressure. It may radiate down the left arm or up to the jaw or around the back between the shoulder blades, particularly in women. One study found that 71% of women experience flulike symptoms with no chest pain at all.

Both men and women may have indigestion, nausea, lightheadedness, profuse sweating, shortness of breath with little exertion and overwhelming fatigue.

"People whose heart muscle is shutting down often feel really tired, so they lie down and take a nap," says Dr. Alonzo. "That's not a good idea. They may not wake up."

... a study in the New England Journal of Medicine [shows] that women are seven times more likely than men to be misdiagnosed in mid-heart attack and sent home from the hospital, and a 2005 poll from the American Heart Association that found that only 8% of family-care physicians and 17% of cardiologists were aware that more women have died from heart disease than men every year since 1984.

For much more, see If You're Stricken, Minutes Matter, Yet Many Ignore Signs, Delay Treatment by Melinda Beck, April 16, 2012 at WSJ.com.

Health: Can Chocolate Make You Thin?

In recent years, a growing body of research has pointed to the benefits of chocolate — it's loaded with antioxidants and improves everything from blood pressure to cholesterol levels — and now, according to a new study, it might also make you thinner.

Adults who consume chocolate more frequently had a lower BMI than those who consumed chocolate less often, note the authors, who were led by Dr. Beatrice A. Golomb at the University of California, San Diego. This is true for men and women of all ages, regardless of the amount of chocolate eaten, and wasn't linked to higher rates of exercise by the subjects.

Causation and correlation are two very different things, and the study's authors hedge their findings, saying that, causality in the observed association cannot be presumed.

But, in studies on mice, epicatechin, a compound in cacao, has been shown to increase lean muscle mass and to reduce weight without changing calories. Parallel processes in humans, if present, could underlie our findings, the researchers note.

From Can Chocolate Make You Thin? by Matt Skenazy, March 26, 2012 at Miller-McCune.

Health: Doctor Panels Recommend Fewer Tests for Patients

In a move likely to alter treatment standards in hospitals and doctors' offices nationwide, a group of nine medical specialty boards plans to recommend on Wednesday that doctors perform 45 common tests and procedures less often, and to urge patients to question these services if they are offered. Eight other specialty boards are preparing to follow suit with additional lists of procedures their members should perform far less often.

The specialty groups are announcing the educational initiative called Choosing Wisely, directed at both patients and physicians, under the auspices of the American Board of Internal Medicine and in partnership with Consumer Reports.

Some experts estimate that up to one-third of the $2 trillion of annual health care costs in the United States each year is spent on unnecessary hospitalizations and tests, unproven treatments, ineffective new drugs and medical devices, and futile care at the end of life.

Some of the tests being discouraged — like CT scans for someone who fainted but has no other neurological problems — are largely motivated by concerns over a malpractice lawsuits, experts said. Clear, evidence-based guidelines like the ones to be issued Wednesday will go far both to reassure physicians and to shield them from litigation.

For more, see Doctor Panels Recommend Fewer Tests for Patients by Roni Caryn Rabin, April 4, 2012 at NYTimes.com.

Health: Sit at Your Peril

Yet another study illuminating this surprisingly significant health problem ...

In people 45 years and older, sitting for 11 or more hours a day led to an increased risk of death (from all causes) by about 40% over four years, compared to the risk of death in people who sat just four to eight hours a day, the study found.

People plopped on their behinds for eight to 11 hours daily had about a 15% increase in risk of death.

And no matter how much exercise the participants reported, sitting for long periods still raised the risk of death.

For more, see Sit at Your Peril by Brian Vastag, March 28, 2012 at The Checkup.

Health: Knee Replacement May Be a Lifesaver for Some

In a sweeping study of Medicare records, researchers from Philadelphia and Menlo Park, Calif., examined the effects of joint replacement among nearly 135,000 patients with new diagnoses of osteoarthritis of the knee from 1997 to 2009. About 54,000 opted for knee replacement; 81,000 did not.

Three years after diagnosis, the knee replacement patients had an 11% lower risk of heart failure. And after seven years, their risk of dying for any reason was 50% lower.

For the motivated patient, it allows them to walk through that portal and become better conditioned and lose weight, he said. It's not a weight-reduction program. It's a potential avenue to improve your level of fitness, weight, cardiovascular health and mental health.

For more, see Knee Replacement May Be a Lifesaver for Some by Tara Parker-Pope, February 27, 2012 at NYTimes.com.

Health: Trans-Fat Blood Levels Plummet After FDA Regulation

More regulations ...

The amount of trans fat in the American bloodstream fell by more than half after the Food and Drug Administration required food manufacturers to label how much of the unhealthful ingredient is in their products, according to a new study.

Blood levels of trans fat declined 58% from 2000 to 2008. FDA began requiring trans-fat labeling in 2003. During the same period several parts of the country — New York most famously — passed laws limiting trans fats in restaurant food and cooking. The makers of processed food also voluntarily replaced trans fats with less harmful oils.

For more, see Trans-Fat Blood Levels Plummet After FDA Food-Labeling Regulation by David Brown, February 8, 2012 at The Washington Post.

Health: Over Time, Even a Little Too Much Tylenol Can Kill

When it comes to acetaminophen (aka Tylenol or paracetamol), taking slightly too much for a few days may be more deadly than taking way too much all at once.

A staggered overdose was defined as an average of 4 grams per day (8 extra strength pills). Although such an overdose can even occur after one day, the average staggered overdose patient consumed a total of 24 grams.

The chemical used to treated acetaminophen poisoning, N-acetyl cysteine, is meant to protect the liver from the damage of a single overdose, and is unlikely to help patients with staggered overdoses, the researchers write. By the time these patients reach the hospital, much of the damage may already be done.

For more, see Study: Over Time, Even a Little Too Much Tylenol Can Kill by Douglas Main, November 24, 2011 at 80beats.

Health: Childhood Obesity

In 2009, a 555-pound, 14-year-old South Carolina boy was removed to foster care after his mother was arrested and charged with criminal neglect. The state's Department of Social Services had determined that without state intervention, the boy was at risk of serious harm.

For more, see Obesity Fuels Custody Fights by Ashby Jones and Shirley S. Wang, October 29, 2011 at WSJ.com.

Health: Alcohol Linked to Better Survival After Heart Attack

Women who drank anywhere from a few alcoholic drinks a month to more than three a week in the year leading up to a heart attack ended up living longer than women who never drank alcohol, according to a study.

"One thing that was interesting was that we didn't see differences among different beverage types," said Joshua Rosenbloom, a student at Harvard Medical School who led the study.

After at least 10 years of follow up, the team found that 44 out of every 100 women who had abstained from alcohol had died, while 25 out of every 100 light drinkers and 18 out of every 100 heavy drinkers had died.

In an earlier study including men and women, O'Keefe found that people who continued to drink moderately after having a heart attack had better health than those who abstained.

"You don't need to assume that people need to stop drinking once they develop heart disease," he said. "The problem is that alcohol is a slippery slope, and while we know that a little bit is good for us, a lot of it is really bad."

For more, see Alcohol Linked to Better Survival After Heart Attack October 28, 2011 at Fox News.

Health: Study Shows Why It's Hard to Keep Weight off

For years, studies of obesity have found that soon after fat people lost weight, their metabolism slowed and they experienced hormonal changes that increased their appetites. Scientists hypothesized that these biological changes could explain why most obese dieters quickly gained back much of what they had so painfully lost.

But now a group of Australian researchers have taken those investigations a step further to see if the changes persist over a longer time frame. They recruited healthy people who were either overweight or obese and put them on a highly restricted diet that led them to lose at least 10% of their body weight. They then kept them on a diet to maintain that weight loss. A year later, the researchers found that the participants' metabolism and hormone levels had not returned to the levels before the study started.

Dr. Stephen Bloom, an obesity researcher at Hammersmith Hospital in London, said the study needed to be repeated under more rigorous conditions, but added, It is showing something I believe in deeply — it is very hard to lose weight. And the reason, he said, is that your hormones work against you.

For more, see Study Shows Why It's Hard to Keep Weight off by Gina Kolata, October 26, 2011 at NYTimes.com.

Health: Vitamin E Is Linked to Prostate Cancer

Researchers studying vitamin E supplements as a way to reduce men's risk of prostate cancer found they actually had the opposite effect, increasing the risk slightly, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, are based on long-term follow-up of participants in a large cancer-prevention trial known as Select. That trial, meant to study whether supplements of vitamin E, selenium or a combination of the two nutrients could prevent prostate cancer, was stopped three years ago because a review of the data showed no benefit, compared with a dummy pill.

For more, see Vitamin E Is Linked to Prostate Cancer by Katherine Hobson, October 12, 2011 at WSJ.com.

Health: The First Genetically Modified Animal for Consumption

The FDA has completed its analysis of the first genetically modified animal likely to hit supermarket shelves: the AquAdvantage salmon, made by Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies, Inc. Thanks to some added genes, the salmon grows 2-6 times the size of a normal Atlantic salmon in half the time, promising some respite for the planet's heavily taxed natural fish stocks, a third of which are near extinction or exhaustion.

For more, see FDA Completes Review of First Genetically Modified Animal for Consumption by Veronique Greenwood, October 11, 2011 at 80beats.

Drugs: The Dutch Can Handle Their Pot

Since the 1970s, the Dutch have been famous among backpacking tourists, public health officials and drug-use researchers for their unusual national stance toward marijuana. Technically, the drug is illegal in the Netherlands. But the country has an official policy of non-enforcement, and you can buy the stuff — no more than 5 grams at a time — in hundreds of cannabis coffee shops.

This approach — somewhere in between all-out prohibition and free-market legalization — is like no other policy in Western Europe, or in the United States for that matter. But research reveals a surprising fact about Dutch tokers: The country's drug policy may be remarkable, but very little about its users is.

If you looked at all the data points in this paper, you wouldn't be able to tell which ones were the Dutch, said Robert MacCoun, a professor of public policy and law at the University of California, Berkeley, who has reported new findings in the journal Addiction. The Dutch data are right in the middle of the distribution. There's just nothing particularly distinctive about drug use in the Netherlands, which is interesting simply because many people assume that Dutch drug use must be out of control. And it's not.

Not only is it not out of control, but people who smoke pot in the Netherlands are less likely to escalate their use — into a heavier habit or harder drugs — than they are in the U.S., and they tend to mature out of marijuana faster than American users do.

Since 1997, officials have been stricter in shutting down shops that violate basic requirements. They can't allow in children under 18, they can't sell any other drugs, and they can't advertise marijuana.

For more, see The Dutch Can Handle Their Pot by Emily Badger, September 16, 2011 at Miller-McCune.

Health: Among Antibiotics, Resistance Knows No Bounds

Antibiotics are less profitable than treatments for chronic conditions ...

Antibiotic treatments for infection are usually inexpensive and quick, completed in most cases within seven to 10 days. By contrast, Handelsman says, when drug companies develop a drug to lower blood pressure or cholesterol, for example, patients usually take it for the rest of their lives. Such repeat use — requiring repeat purchases — is much more attractive in determining what gets research and development funding within the pharmaceutical industry, especially since bringing a new antibiotic to market can cost from $100 million to $1 billion.

Meanwhile, say industry analysts, a drug approval process that mandates exhaustive testing and can span a decade has left some manufacturers disillusioned about antibiotic research.

Handelsman cites a recent pullback at Pfizer from antibiotic research and development, leaving just four major companies worldwide, carrying the entire antibiotic industry, and in most cases they don't have a massive effort going on either.

Because of this lack of profitability we've lost this vast amount of research that used to go on in the private sector.

It's a very frightening time because we have all the resistance developing to the antibiotics we're using. The probability that an infection can be treated with one of the known antibiotics is going down daily, and we don't have the replacements coming down the pipeline.

For much more, see Among Antibiotics, Resistance Knows No Bounds by David Richardson, September 15, 2011 at Miller-McCune.