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Senator asks drugmakers to explain prices

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:06:50 +0000

(Reuters) – A Senate Democrat asked top drugmakers on Wednesday to explain why Americans pay higher prices for prescription drugs than patients do in other developed nations.

BARACK OBAMA | HEALTH

Senator Herb Kohl, who chairs the Special Committee on Aging, sent letters to AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, and Sanofi-Aventis.

Kohl said Americans on average pay twice as much as people in other industrialized countries.

“While I firmly believe that drug quality should not be sacrificed for cost, the large discrepancies in the cost of identical drugs cannot be explained by differences in production or manufacturing,” Kohl wrote to the companies.

Some Democrats have attacked drugmakers as the U.S. Congress works on an overhaul of U.S. healthcare system.

The pharmaceutical industry has pledged to pay $80 billion over 10 years in price cuts and other concessions to help fund wider insurance coverage as part of a healthcare overhaul under consideration in Congress.

Some lawmakers have criticized that amount as a small price to pay for a $315 billion-a-year industry that stands to gain tens of millions of new customers if insurance coverage expands. Democrats are trying to pass a final bill for President Barack Obama to sign into law in the coming weeks.

Eli Lilly, responding to Kohl’s letter, said drug prices were lower in other countries for various reasons including currency value, market dynamics or government price controls.

The United States “relies on competition rather than government-imposed price controls that contain costs” and U.S. patients “have the greatest access to the newest medicines,” Lilly spokesman Ed Sagebiel said.

Pfizer spokeswoman Kristen Neese said the company “stands behind the value our innovative medicines bring to patients.” The company provides free or discounted medicines to uninsured other needy patients, she said.

Novartis is reviewing the senator’s request and will respond to the committee, a company spokeswoman said.

GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman Mary Anne Rhyne said the company had no comment.

Officials at other companies had no immediate comment or could not immediately be reached.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Steve Orlofsky)

Antioxidants aren’t always good for you and can impair muscle function, study shows

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:30:40 +0000

Take this study along with another large, long term study that could not associate antioxidants with mortality rates and you begin to understand that we simply don’t understand all of this just yet. Save your money and buy more fruits, vegetables and a gym membership. Those are the only proven methods of enhancing health and fitness.

The Study…

Antioxidants increasingly have been praised for their benefits against disease and aging, but recent studies at Kansas State University show that they also can cause harm.

Researchers in K-State’s Cardiorespiratory Exercise Laboratory have been studying how to improve oxygen delivery to the skeletal muscle during physical activity by using antioxidants, which are nutrients in foods that can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to the body. Their findings show that sometimes antioxidants can impair muscle function.

“Antioxidant is one of those buzz words right now,” said Steven Copp, a doctoral student in anatomy and physiology from Manhattan and a researcher in the lab. “Walking around grocery stores you see things advertised that are loaded with antioxidants. I think what a lot of people don’t realize is that the antioxidant and pro-oxidant balance is really delicate. One of the things we’ve seen in our research is that you can’t just give a larger dose of antioxidants and presume that there will be some sort of beneficial effect. In fact, you can actually make a problem worse.”

David C. Poole and Timothy I. Musch, K-State professors from both the departments of kinesiology and anatomy and physiology, direct the Cardiorespiratory Exercise Laboratory, located in the College of Veterinary Medicine complex. Researchers in the lab study the physiology of physical activity in health and disease through animal models. Copp and Daniel Hirai, an anatomy and physiology doctoral student from Manhattan working in the lab, have conducted various studies associated with how muscles control blood flow and the effects of different doses and types of antioxidants.

Abnormalities in the circulatory system, such as those that result from aging or a disease like chronic heart failure, can impair oxygen delivery to the skeletal muscle and increase fatigability during physical activity, Copp said. The researchers are studying the effects antioxidants could have in the process.

“If you have a person trying to recover from a heart attack and you put them in cardiac rehab, when they walk on a treadmill they might say it’s difficult,” Poole said. “Their muscles get sore and stiff. We try to understand why the blood cells aren’t flowing properly and why they can’t get oxygen to the muscles, as happens in healthy individuals.”

Copp said there is a potential for antioxidants to reverse or partially reverse some of those changes that result from aging or disease. However, K-State’s studies have shown that some of the oxidants in our body, such as hydrogen peroxide, are helpful to increase blood flow.

“We’re now learning that if antioxidant therapy takes away hydrogen peroxide – or other naturally occurring vasodilators, which are compounds that help open blood vessels – you impair the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to the muscle so that it doesn’t work properly,” Poole said.

Poole said antioxidants are largely thought to produce better health, but their studies have shown that antioxidants can actually suppress key signaling mechanisms that are necessary for muscle to function effectively.

“It’s really a cautionary note that before we start recommending people get more antioxidants, we need to understand more about how they function in physiological systems and circumstances like exercise,” Poole said.

Hirai said the researchers will continue to explore antioxidants and the effects of exercise training. Their studies are looking at how these can help individuals combat the decreased mobility and muscle function that comes with advancing age and diseases like heart failure.

“The research we do here is very mechanistic in nature, and down the road our aim is to take our findings and make recommendations for diseased and aging populations,” Copp said.

Consumers over age 50 should consider steps to cut copper and iron intake

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:51:55 +0000

With scientific evidence linking high levels of copper and iron to Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and other age-related disorders, a new report in ACS’ Chemical Research in Toxicology suggests specific steps that older consumers can take to avoid build up of unhealthy amounts of these metals in their bodies. “This story of copper and iron toxicity, which I think is reaching the level of public health significance, is virtually unknown to the general medical community, to say nothing of complete unawareness of the public,” George Brewer states in the report.

Click here for the rest of the story http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-01/acs-coa012010.php

Study Examines Calorie Information from Restaurants, Packaged Foods

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:48:48 +0000

“If people use published calorie contents for weight control, discrepancies of this magnitude could result in weight gain of many pounds a year,” Roberts says.

Read the article….click>>> http://news.tufts.edu/releases/release.php?id=146

Stress Raises Belly Fat, Heart Risks

admin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:51:16 +0000

Study Shows Monkeys Under Long-Term Stress Put on Belly Fat, Get Heart Disease

By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News

Aug. 6, 2009 – Monkeys fed an American diet get fat — but those under chronic stress put on much more belly fat.

That extra belly fat is why the stressed monkeys are much more likely to suffer blocked arteries and metabolic syndrome, a constellation of risk factors for heart disease, suggest Carol A. Shively, PhD, and colleagues at Wake Forest University.

In previous studies, Shively’s team showed that socially stressed monkeys — those at the bottom of the pecking order in a monkey colony — get blocked arteries far faster than other monkeys fed the same high-fat diet.

But why do stressed monkeys get more belly fat?

“We wanted to know more about how the stress outside of you gets turned into plaque inside of your arteries,” Shively tells WebMD. “So we looked at why stress caused atherosclerosis in our monkeys.”

Over a two-year period, Shively and colleagues collected a vast array of data on stressed and unstressed female cynomolgus monkeys. The studies included a CT scan to detect visceral fat — abdominal fat that often (but not always) protrudes as a “beer belly” on the outside. On the inside, it wraps around the organs.

Even compared to other monkeys with the same body mass index and weight, CT scans showed that the stressed monkeys had a great deal more belly fat. And when the researchers looked at the animals’ arteries, they found plaque clogging the arteries of the stressed monkeys.

“So it’s not how much fat you have, but where it is located,” Shively says.

During the years of the study, the low-status monkeys had high levels of a stress hormone called cortisol. Over time, high cortisol levels cause belly fat to accumulate. It also makes individual fat cells get larger.

This is “sick fat,” says Harold Bays, MD, medical director of the Louisville Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research Center. Bays reviewed the Shively study for WebMD.

“Your body fat can become diseased like any other body tissue,” Bays says. “Your fat cells are getting bigger and your fat tissue is getting bigger and neither the cells nor the tissues work as well as they should. The fat is sick.”

“The monkeys that have a lot of abdominal fat have the metabolic syndrome, just like people with a lot of abdominal fat,” Shively says. “When you have lots more fat in visceral fat cells and all the characteristics of the metabolic syndrome, each of these things promotes atherosclerosis.”

Stress Strips Females of Heart Protection

All of the monkeys in the Shively study were female. One way monkeys are like humans is that females are less likely to get heart disease than males. Yet stressed female monkeys that put on belly fat are at least as likely to get heart disease as are male monkeys.

“So this is a good model for women with heart disease. When women get visceral fat and the metabolic syndrome, that completely abolishes the female protection,” Shively says. “Any edge they get for being female is totally gone. And in fact it may even be a worse disease for women than men, because they get complications and die faster when they have heart disease.”

Shively and colleagues found that the stressed monkeys had abnormal menstrual cycles. Compared to the unstressed monkeys, they were much less likely to ovulate. This was linked to abdominal fat — but not to body mass index or other kinds of fat.

“We don’t know about ovarian function in women with metabolic syndrome, but probably this is something we should look into,” Shively says. “Because the menstrual system protects against osteoporosis and loss of cognitive function. Depressed ovarian function in women is not a good thing.”

Bays says he’s not surprised by this finding.

“All these things are interconnected,” he says. “The central theme is it just shouldn’t be a mystery why, if you gain weight, you get metabolic disease.”

The Shively study appears in the current issue of the journal Obesity.

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20090806/stress-ups-belly-fat-heart-risks?page=2

TV bombards children with commercials for high-fat and high-sugar foods

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:32:58 +0000

As a father of 3 young boys this article really gets me thinking. One point the article didn’t mention is that Nickelodeon, one of the children’s networks that is mentioned is owned by Viacom who also owns several unhealthy foods that are advertised to our children. As they grow older and start watching MTV they are marketed unhealthy food choices again and again Viacom owns MTV!

TV bombards children with commercials for high-fat and high-sugar foods

Children’s networks exposed young viewers to 76 percent more food commercials per hour than other networks

St. Louis, MO, November 4, 2009 – Childhood obesity in the United States is reaching epidemic proportions. With more than one fourth of advertising on daytime and prime time television devoted to foods and beverages and continuing questions about the role television plays in obesity, a study in the November/December issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior examines how food advertising aimed at children might be a large contributor to the problem.

Researchers at the University of California-Davis examined the types of food advertisements seen by children watching English- and Spanish-language American television programs on Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons, which are high viewing times for children. Recordings were made of programs on twelve networks including highly rated children’s cable channels Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Kids’ WB, networks that appeal to older youths (MTV, BET), mainstream English-language channels ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and UPN, and Univision and Telemundo, the two highest rated Spanish language channels.

Out of 5,724 commercials recorded, 1,162 were food-related, with 91.2% of food promotions in English, and 8.7% in Spanish. Only 1 commercial was bilingual. Overall, nearly 1 in 5 advertisements was for a food or nutrition-related product, with 5.2 food advertisements presented every hour. Fast-food restaurants, sugary food, chips/crackers, and sugar-added beverages collectively accounted for more than 70% of food commercials; 34% were for ”food on the run,” fast-food restaurants and convenience food.

Children’s networks had the highest percentage of food-related commercials. Food advertisements were predominately for sugary cereals and sweets, high fat food, convenience or fast-food restaurant food, and chips/crackers. When compared to television for a general audience, children’s networks in this study exposed young viewers to 76% more food commercials per hour than did the other networks, with the Saturday morning 7-10 AM time slot being more saturated with food commercials. Approximately 7.7 food commercials per hour appeared in programming on the children’s networks, which is approximately 1 food commercial every 8 minutes

As children move into adolescence and begin to watch more youth programming, such as the music video programming offered by BET and MTV, they continue to be exposed to advertisements for food in less-healthful categories. Eighty percent of MTV food commercials were for fast food restaurants, sugar-added beverages, and sweets.

This is the first study of food advertising in Spanish-language American programming. Although the likelihood of an advertisement being for a food product did not differ between English- and Spanish- language networks, commercials on Spanish-language programming were more likely to be for alcohol and fast-food restaurants, which together account for a majority of the food commercials on these networks. These messages are being presented at a time when Hispanics in America are becoming increasingly obese.

In contrast, fruits, vegetables, and juices were advertised in only 1.7% of the commercials. Only one nutrition-related public service announcement was found for every 63 food ads.

Writing in the article, the authors state, “Study after study has documented the adverse health effects of food advertising targeting children and adolescents. Health educators need to develop and evaluate comprehensive nutrition programs that augment nutritional education with media use reduction strategies to lessen exposure to ads. School- and family-based programs that have attempted to reduce children’s media use have shown promise.

Reduced media use is insufficient by itself, for food advertising has increased in other types of media children use, such as the Internet. Thus efforts should also be made to introduce media literacy training into nutrition programs. Evaluations of nutrition-focused media literacy interventions have been rare. Such literacy training can help children and adolescents understand both the economic motivations behind food advertising and the strategies used by industry to increase desire for their products. Greater awareness of the potential influence of industry may immunize young people from food advertising’s deleterious effects.”

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The article is “Frequency and Types of Foods Advertised on Saturday Morning and Weekday Afternoon English- and Spanish-Language American Television Programs” by Robert A. Bell, PhD; Diana Cassady, DrPH; Jennifer Culp, MPH, RD; and Rina Alcalay, PhD. It appears in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Volume 41, Issue 6, (November/December 2009) published by Elsevier.

Low Vitamin D Tied to Heart, Stroke Deaths

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:14:02 +0000

It seems that Vitamin D is getting a lot of press lately. The study quoted below has some compelling data considering the size and length of the study. Of course like everything we read about heath and nutrition the article ends with ‘more research is needed’.

By Joene Hendry

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Low vitamin D levels in the body may be deadly, according to a new study hinting that adults with lower, versus higher, blood levels of vitamin D may be more likely to die from heart disease or stroke.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59S4JB20091029

The Best Diet for You

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:11:45 +0000

by Krisha McCoy, MS

What is the best diet to help you lose weight and improve heart health in the short-term?

a) a low-carbohydrate (carb), high-protein diet

b) a moderate-carb, high-protein diet

c) a moderate-fat diet

If you chose a, b, or c, you’re right—sort of. The best answer isn’t there. It’s “d”—the reduced-calorie diet that you’ll stick with. Why? Because according to a study presented at the American Heart Association (AMA) Scientific Session that compared four different diets, ranging from low-fat to high-protein, all the diets resulted in the same amount of weight loss after one year. A 2009 study by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health found similar results. The important factor is not the nutrients (like a low-fat or low-carb diet), but the caloric intake.According to these studies, if you reduce the number of calories that you consume, then you will lose weight, irrespective of what form those calories take.

Returning to the multiple-choice question, it says “short-term” because the AMA study also found that heart risk scores—which are based on findings from the Framingham Heart study and include total and LDL cholesterol levels—improved with all the diets. For long-term health, in addition to an eating plan that you can realistically follow on a daily basis, there are several factors that will to help keep your weight within your ideal range and keep all your body systems healthy. These factors include regular exercise, relaxation techniques, not drinking to excess, and above all, not smoking.

The truth is, most diet plans are built on the premise that reducing calorie intake leads to weight loss. That means that the diet that’s right for you is the one that limits the foods you are most likely to overeat, but still allows you to eat foods you enjoy.

To help you choose the eating plan that’s right for you, here is a brief explanation of four popular diet plans.

Click here for the rest http://www.anytimehealth.com/en-us/library/wellness-centers/articles/item/1770/The-Best-Diet-for-You

Making health care about health

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:20:03 +0000

“As a young cardiologist, Steve Devries noticed a disturbing pattern: His patched-up heart patients kept returning for repairs. It happened so often that Devries decided there must be another way to advance patients’ health.

Today, his thriving Chicago practice focuses exclusively on preventing disease, and Devries is far more likely to counsel patients about diet, sleep habits and exercise than to prescribe high-tech scans or cholesterol-lowering drugs.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-preventive-health-bd25-oct25-,0,7578247.story

Least Healthy Cereals Are The Ones Most Aggressively Marketed To Children, US Study

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:26:28 +0000

New research being presented at an obesity conference this week found that the cereals that are most frequently and aggressively marketed directly to American children as young as 2 were also the least healthy.

Click here for the rest of this story>>> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168783.php