Losing Even 30 Minutes Of Sleep May Have Long-Term Consequences On Weight, Metabolism.

Those who had a weekday sleep debt at the start of the study were found to be 72 percent more likely to be obese, compared with those who lacked weekday sleep debt. Six months into the study, the link between weekday sleep debt and obesity and insulin resistance was deemed to be significant. During a one-year follow-up, researchers concluded that for every 30 minutes of weekday sleep debt, there was an associated 17 percent increased risk of obesity, and a 39 percent increased risk of insulin resistance.http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/apr/01/sleep-metabolism-weight-control/

“Night Owls” More Likely Than “Early Birds” To Develop Diabetes.

Study results support importance of circadian rhythms in metabolic regulation. Men who were night owls were more likely to have diabetes or sarcopenia than those who were early risers,” the study revealed. Meanwhile, compared to early risers, “women who were night owls tended to have more belly fat and a higher risk of metabolic syndrome.” HealthDay quotes study lead author Nan Hee Kim, MD, PhD, of the Korea University College of Medicine, who said in a news release from the Endocrine Society that “considering that many younger people are night owls, the risk associated with this type of sleep habit is ‘an important health issue that needs to be addressed.’” Evening types complained more often of insomnia, which could lead to poorer sleep quality, even though sleep duration wasn't different between the two groups. In addition, evening types got less exercise and smoked more than morning types in the study. "These unhealthy behavior patterns might lead to the metabolic dysregulation in evening types, although the association between night type and metabolic disorders was significant even after adjusting for these lifestyle factors," Kim said. It could also be that evening types are more likely to have circadian misalignment, he added.It is possible that bad metabolic profiles due to unhealthy behavioral habits could influence circadian rhythms or, inversely, that chronic circadian derangement could lead to metabolic dysregulation in evening chronotypes," the authors acknowledged. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/MetabolicSyndrome/50778

No Support for Iron Boost in Pregnancy, Infants

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has affirmed previous recommendations of insufficient evidence for iron supplements in non-anemic pregnant women and asymptomatic infants, ages 6 to 24 months. An update to their 2006 recommendations about iron supplementation, drafts of the newer recommendation statements have been posted to the USPSTF website for public comment. The comment period ends at midnight ET on April 28.http://www.medpagetoday.com/OBGYN/Pregnancy/50749?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-04-01&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&mu_id=5883165

Vaccine Slows Advanced Ovarian Cancer

Tumor-derived therapy reduces 3-year recurrence rate by a third. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/SGO/50739?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2015-04-01&eun=g721819d0r&userid=721819&mu_id=5883165

Indiana To Institute Needle Exchange Program In Response To HIV Outbreak.

“a drug-related HIV outbreak in rural Indiana has prompted Indiana Gov. Mike Pence to declare a public health emergency and take the unusual step of instituting a 30-day needle exchange program in the hardest-hit area.” Although Pence is generally against such programs, he said he was “prepared to make an exception.” Needle exchange programs “have been endorsed or supported by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Surgeon General, the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the White House Office on National Drug Control Policy, the National Institutes of Health,” and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/03/31/politicians-need-to-get-over-their-squeamishness-about-needle-exchange-programs/

Legislation Aims To Make Vaccine Exemptions Harder To Get In Several States.

reports “lawmakers in a dozen states are debating whether to make childhood vaccine exemptions harder to get, with some considering more paperwork and others proposing to eliminate personal belief and religious exemptions.” Debates about increased regulations “began after a measles outbreak at Disneyland in California over the 2014 holiday season.” Legislation has been introduced “in Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, Texas and West Virginia...that would add paperwork for parents seeking exemptions, such as explaining how vaccines violate their religious beliefs or verifying the denomination they’re affiliated with.” http://www.cq.com/login?jumpto=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cq.com%2Fdoc%2F4655988

Internet Searches May Help In Estimating Prevalence Of Non-Communicable Disease Risk.

a study published online March 24 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health suggests that search data may useful in estimating the prevalence of certain non-communicable diseases in populations. The researchers utilized Google Trends to pick search terms and compared them to CDC data on state-based prevalences of risk factors for predicting non-communicable disease, such as amount of exercise, smoking, hypertension, heart disease or diabetes. Over the course of a year, the search trends, broken down by state, were strongly correlated to the CDC’s measured estimates of disease risk from population data. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/01/us-searchers-disease-risk-idUSKBN0MS2Y420150401