Absent Parents Tied to Earlier Smoking, Drinking in Kids

Young children who had an absent parent by the time they were 7 years old were linked with increased risks of smoking and alcohol consumption prior to their teenage years, data from a large cohort study in the U.K. found. Overall, children who experienced parental absence by age 7 were associated with a more than two-fold increased risk of having smoked or consumed enough alcohol to feel drunk by age 11 compared with those who were living with both natural parents at that time, reported Rebecca E. Lacey, PhD, of University College in London and colleagues, writing in Archives of Disease in Childhood. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/GeneralPediatrics/60733?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-10-14&eun=g721819d0r&pos=8

SSRIs in Pregnancy Tied to Kids' Speech Disorders

Offspring of pregnant women who took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy showed increased risk for speech and language disorders, a large Finnish database study indicated. Overall, children whose mothers "purchased" two or more prescriptions for SSRIs had a 63% increased risk of speech or language disorders compared with those born to unexposed women (HR 1.63, 95% CI 1.37-2.01, P<0.001), reported Alan S. Brown, MD, of Columbia University in New York City, and colleagues. There was also a 39% increased risk of motor disorders that did not reach significance (HR 1.39, 95% CI 0.98-1.96, P=0.06), the authors wrote in JAMA Psychiatry. http://www.medpagetoday.com/OBGYN/Pregnancy/60770?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-10-14&eun=g721819d0r&pos=2

Many Americans Use Alternative Medicine To Treat Chronic Pain, Report Finds.

reports the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics released a report on how Americans treat pain finding that many “turn to complementary health approaches to help manage them.” Researchers found that in 2012, almost “42% of adults with a musculoskeletal pain disorder used at least one alternative health approach, and 50% of people with neck pain did.” The article outlines what medical research has found about the efficacy of several alternative pain management approaches. The researchers looked at use of natural products (like special diets and supplements), practitioner-based practices (like chiropractic or massage therapy), mind and body approaches (like hypnosis and meditation), and whole medical systems (like Ayurveda and acupuncture). The use of natural products was most common, followed by mind and body therapies. Critics of alternative therapies often contend that complementary health approaches don’t have a lot of evidence to back them up. Most of the methods haven’t undergone clinical trials in the United States. That said, some natural pain remedies are better studied than others. The National Institutes of Health recently analyzed 105 randomized controlled trials of complementary medicine for pain relief in the U.S. in order to help doctors determine what approaches to recommend to the people they see. Here are some natural, science-backed ways to treat pain: http://time.com/4527808/how-to-treat-your-pain-without-drugs/

Studies Emphasize Risks Of Maternal Obesity On Mothers And Babies.

reports, “A growing number of babies worldwide are at risk of brain damage or having a stroke, heart attack or asthma in adulthood because their mother was obese,” researchers warned. In fact, “four studies published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology make clear that the risks of maternal obesity include stillbirth, dangerously high blood pressure in pregnant women, diabetes in the mother or child, and complications during childbirth.” In fact, “the scale of obesity in women of childbearing age and the consequent dangers to health were so great that urgent action was needed to ensure women were a normal weight before they conceived,” the study “authors say.” An unborn child’s brain could be damaged because “obesity in pregnancy is associated with complex neuroendocrine, metabolic, immune and inflammatory changes, which probably affect foetal hormonal exposure and nutrient supply,” Godfrey’s paper explains. Junk food shortening lives of children worldwide, data shows Read more The key lies in “epigenetic processes by which aspects of parental (both mother’s and father’s) lifestyle can affect the way the baby’s genes operate during development. These can change the person’s responses to the challenges of, for example, living in an ‘obesogenic’ environment,” it adds. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/oct/12/more-babies-face-health-risks-due-to-obese-parents-experts-warn

Exercise May Improve Ability Of Fat Cells To Burn Calories.

Exercise may aid in weight control and help to fend off diabetes by improving the ability of fat cells to burn calories, a new study reports. It may do this in part by boosting levels of a hormone called irisin, which is produced during exercise and which may help to turn ordinary white fat into much more metabolically active brown fat, the findings suggest. Irisin (named for the Greek goddess Iris) entered the scientific literature in 2012 after researchers from Harvard and other universities published a study in Nature that showed the previously unknown hormone was created in working muscles in mice. From there, it would enter the bloodstream and migrate to other tissues, particularly to fat, where it would jump-start a series of biochemical processes that caused some of the fat cells, normally white, to turn brown. Brown fat, which is actually brown in color, burns calories. It also is known to contribute to improved insulin and blood sugar control, lessening the risk for Type 2 diabetes. Most babies, including human infants, are plump with brown fat, but we humans lose most of our brown fat as we grow up. By the time we are adults, we usually retain very little brown fat. In the 2012 study, the researchers reported that if they injected irisin into living mice, it not only turned some white fat into brown fat, it apparently also prevented the rodents from becoming obese, even on a high-fat, high-calorie diet. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/12/well/move/how-exercise-may-fight-obesity-by-turning-white-fat-into-brown.html?_r=0

Sarcopenia: Muscle Weakness Creeps Up With Age

Muscle strength wanes as a result of denervation in the muscles’ motor units and a transformation from rapid type II muscle fibers to slower type I muscle fibers. Muscle strength declines by 1.5% a year in individuals ages 50 to 60 and then 3% annually from age 60 onward.1 "Especially in diseases like diabetes, cardiac [congestive] heart failure, and COPD, if we can fix the muscles early, the chances of the person functioning better, being less likely to go to the hospital, less likely to die, and less likely to develop functional deterioration are becoming very apparent, Exercise—particularly resistance exercise—builds muscle strength, muscle mass, and physical performance. Particularly relevant for patients with sarcopenia is the strength section, which presents ways to use weights, resistance bands, and common objects at home to build muscle strength without needing to go to a gym.5 No exercise regimen is complete, however, without a good nutritional plan to complement it. recommends that those older than 65 consume at least 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day, evenly distributed during main meals. The researchers also found that dietary protein supplementation for at least 3 months may result in positive effects in older individuals who are malnourished and frailer.6 "For people who are already taking in enough protein, taking protein alone doesn’t really improve a person's muscle strength," Dr. Manini cautions. "You have to couple it with resistance exercise." Because the elderly also experience vitamin D deficiency, a daily dose of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is recommended to prevent diminished muscle strength and frailty. Data show that 800 IU/day or more of vitamin D3 appears to improve muscle strength and reduce the risk of falls.7 http://www.medpagetoday.com/resource-center/Nutrition-in-the-Elderly/Sarcopenia/a/58559?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-10-13&eun=g721819d0r&pos=7

Americans’ Use Of Supplements Remains Steady, But Types Of Supplements Taken In Flux, Study Finds.

reports that a study published in JAMA suggests that “the majority of American adults use dietary supplements,” a rate which has “remained steady for about the past decade...despite an increase in the number of studies” showing they produce little to no health benefits. According to CNN, the National Institutes of Health “has spent $250 million to $300 million to study the health effects of supplements, and ‘most of the larger NIH-supported clinical trials of DS (dietary supplements) failed to demonstrate a significant benefit compared to control groups.’” While the research has not deterred Americans from using supplements altogether, it may have caused some to stop “using some of the products and been drawn to others” instead. http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/11/health/dietary-supplement-trends-steady/index.html Americans take fewer multivitamins but more vitamin D, omega-3s studies suggesting health benefits of vitamin D and fish oil, and the resultant widespread media attention, drove the increases in use of those products.