Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:48:26 EST Welcome to HHS HealthBeat. Launched on July 11, 2005, this service provides health promotion and disease prevention tips 5 days a week in audio and text formats. http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/ News en-us Public Health Podcasts No Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov If there is good news in this, it’s that the tidal wave of obesity is not sweeping up a larger proportion of Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the big numbers of too-big people seem to have stabilized. But stability does not mean healthy. Even though the widening trend toward obesity has halted, the CDC survey data for 2007-2008 say about one-third of Americans are obese. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/02/20100209a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/02/20100209a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No If there is good news in this, it’s that the tidal wave of obesity is not sweeping up a larger proportion of Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the big numbers of too-big people seem to have stabilized. But stability does not mean healthy. Even though the widening trend toward obesity has halted, the CDC survey data for 2007-2008 say about one-third of Americans are obese. Eating right helps, but being physically active and losing weight do even more for people who need to lower their high blood pressure. James Blumenthal of Duke University Medical Center tested that over four months on 144 overweight or obese people with high blood pressure. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/02/20100208a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/02/20100208a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No Eating right helps, but being physically active and losing weight do even more for people who need to lower their high blood pressure. James Blumenthal of Duke University Medical Center tested that over four months on 144 overweight or obese people with high blood pressure. There are parents who refuse to get their kids vaccinated. What happens to those kids? Jason Glanz of Kaiser Permanente’s Institute for Health Research in Denver looked at 133 children who had to see a doctor because of chickenpox between 1998 and 2008. He compared them to similar children who did not get chickenpox. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/02/20100205a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/02/20100205a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No There are parents who refuse to get their kids vaccinated. What happens to those kids? Jason Glanz of Kaiser Permanente’s Institute for Health Research in Denver looked at 133 children who had to see a doctor because of chickenpox between 1998 and 2008. He compared them to similar children who did not get chickenpox. Yoga and other kinds of meditative physical activity may do some measurable good against stress. Researcher Janice Kiecolt-Glaser of Ohio State University found signs of this when she compared 50 women – experts and beginners in yoga. Kiecolt-Glaser was looking at blood chemicals such as interleukin-6 that are associated with stress – and with risks of conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/02/20100204a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/02/20100204a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No Yoga and other kinds of meditative physical activity may do some measurable good against stress. Researcher Janice Kiecolt-Glaser of Ohio State University found signs of this when she compared 50 women – experts and beginners in yoga. Kiecolt-Glaser was looking at blood chemicals such as interleukin-6 that are associated with stress – and with risks of conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Yonas Geda and his colleagues were looking for signs of mild cognitive impairment – when the mind is a bit less sharp than it should be. They found mild cognitive impairment was less likely in people who were moderately active in middle age and older. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/02/20100203a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/02/20100203a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No Yonas Geda and his colleagues were looking for signs of mild cognitive impairment – when the mind is a bit less sharp than it should be. They found mild cognitive impairment was less likely in people who were moderately active in middle age and older. A tidal wave of diabetes is building as kids gain too much weight. At the Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati, Charles Glueck has been looking at ways to predict which kids will develop diabetes. He says a child's blood pressure, degree of overweight, blood sugar levels and other easy tests in a doctor’s office can predict risk nine and 26 years later. Glueck says insulin levels are a key predictor. Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/02/20100202a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/02/20100202a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No A tidal wave of diabetes is building as kids gain too much weight. At the Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati, Charles Glueck has been looking at ways to predict which kids will develop diabetes. He says a child's blood pressure, degree of overweight, blood sugar levels and other easy tests in a doctor’s office can predict risk nine and 26 years later. Glueck says insulin levels are a key predictor. Everybody has feelings of depression sometimes. For others, though, it’s not the blues, but a continual black mood, which doctors might diagnose as major depression. At the University of Rochester Medical Center, Jeffrey Lyness studied more than 600 people ages 65 and older, to predict when feelings of depression might grow into major depression. Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/02/20100201a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/02/20100201a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No Everybody has feelings of depression sometimes. For others, though, it’s not the blues, but a continual black mood, which doctors might diagnose as major depression. At the University of Rochester Medical Center, Jeffrey Lyness studied more than 600 people ages 65 and older, to predict when feelings of depression might grow into major depression. McAuley says earlier studies on breast cancer survivors and on people with multiple sclerosis found people who were more physically active had less depression and fatigue. But they also had greater faith in their own ability to be active – called self-efficacy. McAuley says self-efficacy was associated with reduced depression, and in turn reduced fatigue. Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/01/20100129a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/01/20100129a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No McAuley says earlier studies on breast cancer survivors and on people with multiple sclerosis found people who were more physically active had less depression and fatigue. But they also had greater faith in their own ability to be active – called self-efficacy. McAuley says self-efficacy was associated with reduced depression, and in turn reduced fatigue. At the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Patrick Ryan has found two indications. They’re exposure to traffic fumes, and exposure to things in the home, such as possibly dog dander, that also could set off immune reactions. Ryan’s study of 3-year-olds found that, when traffic fumes and indoor allergens combine, the effect is even worse: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/01/20100128a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/01/20100128a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No At the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Patrick Ryan has found two indications. They’re exposure to traffic fumes, and exposure to things in the home, such as possibly dog dander, that also could set off immune reactions. Ryan’s study of 3-year-olds found that, when traffic fumes and indoor allergens combine, the effect is even worse: Frogs are not princes, and they can cause sickness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s hearing about more people becoming ill because of pet frogs, especial African dwarf frogs. People have been getting salmonella, which can lead to diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps up to 72 hours after infection. Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/01/20100127a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2010/01/20100127a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No Frogs are not princes, and they can cause sickness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s hearing about more people becoming ill because of pet frogs, especial African dwarf frogs. People have been getting salmonella, which can lead to diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps up to 72 hours after infection.