Study: Fast-Food Ad Ban Could Curb Childhood Obesity

 

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 26, 2008 (Health.com) — Ronald McDonald first appeared in a television ad in 1963—played by none other than the Todayshow’s Willard Scott—and 45 years later the burger-slinging clown has reached near-universal recognition. The book Fast Food Nation notes that 96% of American schoolchildren surveyed recognized Ronald McDonald, second only to Santa Claus.

That’s good for corporate branding, but not for childhood obesity, according to a new study published this month in the Journal of Law and Economics.

The authors, from the National Bureau of Economic Research, concluded that a ban on fast-food advertisements (for all such restaurants, not just McDonald’s) would significantly reduce the number of overweight children in the United States.

Continuous Blood Pressure Monitoring Predicts Risks

 

Round-the-clock blood pressure measurements, especially those during the night, are better predictors of major cardiovascular problems than readings taken in a doctor’s office for people whose high blood pressure is hardest to treat, a Brazilian study shows.

“Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring should be performed during the whole 24 hours, with separate analyses of the daytime and nighttime periods, because it seems that nighttime blood pressures are better cardiovascular risk factors than are daytime blood pressure,” said the report in the Nov. 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine by physicians at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

U.S. Cancer Rate-Death Rate Combo Drops for 1st Time

 

 For the first time since such statistics were released in 1998, the number of men and women in the United States getting and dying from cancer has dropped.

The drop in cancer rates is mostly due to fewer cases of lung, prostate and colorectal cancer among men, and fewer cases of breast and colorectal cancer among women. Also, death rates from lung cancer have leveled off among women since 2003, a new report found

Weight Boosts Older Women’s Breast Cancer Risk

     

 

Being overweight boosts the risk of getting advancedbreast cancer for older women, according to a new study that looked at more than 287,000 women and took into account theirmammogram habits.

The weight itself is to blame for the added risk, the researchers concluded.

“Women who are above their healthy weight have higher levels of circulating estrogens,” noted study lead author Dr. Karla Kerlikowske, director of the Women Veterans’ Comprehensive Health Center at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. “The estrogen is promoting tumor growth,” she said

Steroid Inhalers Raise Pneumonia Risk for Lung Disease Patients

 

A new review of existing data confirms that some common inhalers don’t boost the life spans of people with the lung disease known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

In fact, these medicines may even raise the risk of pneumonia in patients with COPD, the fourth biggest killer in the United States.

But patients shouldn’t stop using the inhalerswithout consulting their doctors first, because the devices still provide benefit in some cases, said review lead author Dr. M. Bradley Drummond.

Chromosome Linked to Diabetics’ Heart Risks

 

Adding to earlier research, a new study has identified a genetic variation that increases the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in type 2 diabetes patients with poor sugar glucose (glycemic) control.

Previous research has found that genetic variations on a genetic chromosome known as chromosome 9p21 are associated with increased risk of CAD in the general population.

Hair Beads Spurring Head Trauma in Kids..

 

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 26 (HealthDay News) — Although head trauma is a common injury seen in young children, U.S. doctors report on two recent cases of skull fracture with a surprising cause — hair beads.

What’s worse, because the beads were translucent, they weren’t readily apparent on diagnostic CT scans, the physicians say.

Study senior author Dr. Richard Anderson, a neurosurgeon at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, said these injuries aren’t common by any means.

Keeping a Healthy Holiday Balance…

 

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 26 (HealthDay News) — Ready, set, eat.

On Thanksgiving Day, the average American will consume 3,000 calories and 229 grams of fat at the average holiday feast, according to a tally provided by the American Council on Exercise.

That’s the caloric equivalent of 5.5 Big Macs from McDonald’s, or 15 Supreme Tacos from Taco Bell, according to ACE.

Five ways to avoid germs while traveling..

 

This week while you’re traveling, if you happen to spot a man applying hand sanitizer as he gets off an escalator, there’s a good chance it’s Dr. Mark Gendreau, a senior staff physician at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts.

 

Gendreau studies germiness while traveling, and he knows just how infectious travel can be.

Getting a handle on your meal portions

Many of you want to lose weight and you’re feeling overwhelmed. You don’t want to hear “eat less — exercise more.”

You know you have issues with eating, exercise and coping. You know that you need to narrow it down so that when you meet with your health expert you will get meaningful help. Drawing upon last week's blog, let's say you want to focus on portion control.