Health News for Late January 2008

Diabetes

Caffeine & Diabetes

In a small study published in the February issue of Diabetes Care, 10 men and women with type 2 diabetes received tablets amounting to 500mg of caffeine per day, and were tracked for 72 hours. Researchers found that intake of caffeine raises blood sugar levels by an average of 8% over the day.

Breast Size & Diabetes

An article published in the January 29 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal reports that a large bra cup size at age 20 may be a predictor of type 2 diabetes in middle-aged women. Women with a D-cup bra at age 20 are almost 60% more likely to develop diabetes than those who are less buxom.

Women's Health

Caffeine & Pregnancy Controversy

Two articles this month have given somewhat different views of the risks of caffeine in pregnancy. One, published in the January issue of Epidemiology, looked at 2,407 pregnancies, in which women reported their caffeine consumption before their pregnancy, four weeks after their last menstrual period, and at the time of the interview. Most women consumed approximately 350mg of caffeine daily before pregnancy and about 200mg at the time of the interview. The authors concluded, "There is little indication of possible harmful effects of caffeine on miscarriage risk within the range of coffee and caffeine consumption reported …."

However, while the above article received little press, another item, published online on January 28 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, reported that women who drink 200mg or more of caffeine per day (defined as two or more cups of regular coffee or five 12-ounce cans of caffeinated soda) had twice the risk of miscarriage as women who did not consume caffeine. This study looked at 1,063 women. A January 21 news release explained, "The study controlled, for the first time, pregnancy-related symptoms of nausea, vomiting and caffeine aversion that tended to interfere with the determination of caffeine's true effect on miscarriage risk."

Genes & Lupus

A letter published in the January issue of Nature Genetics reports finding three genes with strong links to the autoimmune disease lupus (ITGAM, PXK, and one mutation within a gene KIAA1542), as well as others (LYN and BLK) with weaker links. The findings were based on 720 women with lupus and 2,337 women who are disease-free. About 90% of lupus sufferers are women.

Copays & Mammograms

An article published in the January 24 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine has found that even relatively small copayments (as low as $12) were associated with significantly lower rates of mammography among women who should undergo screenings according to accepted clinical guidelines.

Shift Work & Women's Health

A short report published online on January 15 in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, which looked at 2,980 female employees and 4,025 male employees in Denmark, has found that women who work shifts are more than one-third more likely to claim an early pension for poor health than men who work shifts, or men or women who only work days.

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Preventive Medicine

Diet & Heart Disease

Research published online on January 22 in Circulation has concluded that a Western dietary pattern (i.e., one heavy on red meat, processed meat, and fried foods) and diet soda consumption promote the incidence of metabolic syndrome, but that dairy consumption provided some protection. The study involved 9,514 participants aged 45 to 64 years, who were enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Men – Keep Exercising!

A study of 15,660 male US veterans aged between 50 and 70 has found that exercise capacity is a strong predictor of all-cause mortality in both blacks and whites. Men who were rated "highly fit" died at half the rate of those with low fitness scores, while those who were "very highly fit" had a 70% lower risk of death than those with low fitness scores. The paper was published online on January 22 in Circulation.

Exercise & Youth

An investigation published in the January 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, which looked at 2,401 twins, has shown that a sedentary lifestyle appears to play a key role in the ageing process. Researchers found that subjects who participated in three hours of vigorous exercise each week were biologically nine years younger than people who exercised for less than 15 minutes per week, while those who participated in moderate exercise for one to 1.5 hours per week had a four-year age advantage.

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Minds, Personality, & Mental Health

Risk Factors for Schizophrenia

A study published in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry has found five characteristics that increase the likelihood that a teen at high risk for developing schizophrenia would develop the condition. The characteristics are: genetic risk for schizophrenia with recent deterioration in functioning; higher levels of unusual thought content; higher levels of suspicion/paranoia; greater social impairment; and a history of substance abuse. Among participants with two or three of the characteristics, 68% to 80% went on to develop schizophrenia during the 2.5 years of the study.

Personality & Weight

A paper published in the January issue of the Journal of Psychosomatic Research has found that extroversion and psychoticism had positive associations with being overweight, whereas neuroticism had positive associations with being underweight. The research was based on 30,722 Japanese adults aged 40 to 64.

Concussions & PTSD

An article published in the January 31 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine has found that concussions occurring among soldiers deployed in Iraq are strongly associated with PTSD and physical health problems three to four months after the soldiers return home. PTSD and depression are important mediators of the relationship between mild traumatic brain injury and physical health problems. The findings were based on 2,525 returning Army infantry soldiers.

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Miscellaneous

Transplants Without Immunosuppression?

Two reports in the January 24 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine discuss techniques which have found some kidney transplant patients able to stop using immunosuppressants. In one, five patients received kidneys from HLA single-haplotype mismatched living related donors, and also received injections of blood or bone marrow cells. Of these, four have been able to be weaned off immunosuppressants. In the second, a man who received one of his brother's kidneys also received donated blood cells from his brother, has also been able to live without immunosuppressants.

Recertifying Doctors

Research published online on January 22 in Circulation reports that, in a study of 8,127 hypertensive patients with diabetes treated by internists at two large academic hospitals, the time passed since their primary care physician's last board certification correlates with a decline in the quality of care provided to them!

Snoring & Bronchitis

A paper published in the January 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, which looked at 4,270 male and female Koreans aged 40 to 69 years, and followed them for four years, has found that people who snore are more likely to develop chronic bronchitis. Those who snored five or fewer nights per week were 25% more likely to develop bronchitis than those who never snored, while those who snored six to seven nights a week were 68% more likely to develop bronchitis than those who never snored.

Cannabis & Lung Cancer

Research published in the February issue of the European Respiratory Journal warns that smoking one joint provides the same lung cancer risk as smoking 20 cigarettes. The findings were based on a study of 79 lung cancer patients in New Zealand.

World Cup Soccer & Heart Attacks

Research published in the January 31 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine looked at cardiovascular events occurring in Munich around the time of the 2006 FIFA World Cup soccer matches and during control periods, and concluded that viewing a stressful soccer match more than doubles the risk of an acute cardiovascular event. And the risk wasn't just among men – it was also present, but lower, in women.

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