Flotsam and Jetsam

We’re Number One! … in illegal drug use

geckorlz — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:37:23 +0000

A 2008 survey by the World Health Organization found that the United States of America is the world’s leader in illegal drug use, in many cases by a long shot. Americans are four times more likely to report cocaine use (16% of respondents) than runner-up New Zealand, and the level of marijuana use reported in the US (42.4% of respondents) was more than two times higher than that in the Netherlands, where the drug has been essentially decriminalised. The level of cocaine abuse in the Netherlands was even more dramatically lower (under 2%). Tobacco use was also most common in the U.S., at 74%. The survey also revealed some other interesting global trends: men are more likely than women to have used legal and illegal drugs, and younger adults are more likely to have used drugs than older adults. People with higher incomes are more likely to use drugs, as are single adults vs married adults with the exception of alcohol. In general drug, use seems to be correlated with national wealth.

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20080630/us-leads-the-world-in-illegal-drug-use

A drink a day keeps the doctor away?

geckorlz — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:46:27 +0000

Plenty of research has found that moderate drinking of wine, beer, or spirits can raise HDL (good) cholesterol. This has been shown to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke. The jury is not exactly in on whether or not moderate drink should be recommended as a way to help fight heart disease and cholesterol. Excessive drinking (over a drink a day for women/ 2 a day for men) actually raises blood pressure and triglycerides, which can lead to heart disease, The health benefits of drinking also depends on your age. In younger adults, alchohol consumption yields little to no health benefits, and is associated with a higher risk of injury and death. Middle-aged and older adults stand to benefit to most from moderate alcohol consumption, and in these groups it is associated with the lowest rate-of-death from all causes. Moderate drinking has been shown to raise the levels of good cholesterol by as much as 20% when accompanied by good diet and regular exercise, an increase comprable to expensive prescription cholesterol medication. Recent research also show that moderate drinking may increase insulin sensitivity, reducing the risk of diabetes. Yet this is a bit of a catch-22, as the empty calories of most forms of alcohol are associated with obesity and type-2 diabetes But for moderate drinkers, there appears to be a reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes. The type of drink doesn’t matter, as it is the ethanol that is the important substance, but it is better to drink with a meal than on an empty stomach.

Developing an HIV Vaccine

geckorlz — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:43:38 +0000

More than 20 years after the discovery of the HIV virus, a vaccine has yet to be developed, despite the fact that more money has been spent on the project than on any vaccine developement project in history. Two main types of vaccines are currently being tested: Preventative and Therapeutic. Preventative vaccines are tested in people who are HIV negative, and are designed to make the immune system recognize the HIV virus thus preventing the virus from ever becoming established. Therapeutic vaccines on the other hand are tested on people who are already HIV positive but have not yet developed AIDS. They are designed to get the immune system to identify and kill HIV-infected cells, thus preventing the virus from replicating. The preventative vaccines are being tested on a much broader scale than the therapeutic vaccines. Vaccine developers have reason to hope; Certain people do not contract the virus after repeated exposure, and others who do become infected have immune systems that are able to fight off the virus for decades or more. If researches can identify the mechanisms that enable these effective immune system responses, then they may be able to develope vaccines that trigger the same responses.

http://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/hiv-vaccines-where-are-we-now?page=2

Malnutrition

geckorlz — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:42:28 +0000

It’s more widespread than you might think. The British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition conducted nutrition screenings on all admitted patients in 372 hospitals over 3 days, they found roughly 1/3 of patients at risk for malnutrition across all age groups, highest in the over 80 and under 30 age groups. The consequences of this are more frequent doctor visits, longer hosopital stays, higher rate of infection, all of which contribute to high healthcare costs. Cost estimates for the NHS (Britains national healthcare system) are around 7 billion pounds annually. Malnourished does not simply mean underweight, though they are related; overweight people can also be malnourished. It means that you don’t get enough of the essential nutrients you need to be healthy. The agency that conducted the study is pushing for routine nutrition screenings for every patient admitted to the hospital, and to provide specialist nutritional support when needed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7112742.stm

Food consumption patterns

geckorlz — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:44:01 +0000

Not surprisingly, income seems to have some strong correlations to the kinds of food we regularly consume, but perhaps not always in the ways you might expect. For example, several studies have apparently shown that socioeconomic standing is not strongly correlated to the price of foods that people choose. That is, poorer people do not necessarily choose to consume less expensive foods. This 2003 study of food consumption habits of people from various income brackets shows some interesting correlations. For example, low income men had less varied diets than low income women, especially in those aged over 50. The differences in income and the regularity and types of food consumption were more pronounced in those aged over 50 in general. The study found that there is little relationship between the food consumption and the price of foods, for some inexpensive foods (onion, broccoli) were consumed infrequently. However, the study disclaimed that marginalised groups were under-represented in the study. The data was taken from the 1995 Australian National Nutrition Survey, and the findings were published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2003.

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdf?vid=6&hid=101&sid=a6419e85-66cc-41bb-ab1c-b4728e920fec%40sessionmgr110

Caffeine and Cardiovascular Health

geckorlz — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:28:42 +0000

Just gotta have that cup of coffee in the morning? Well, you might want to cut some red meat out of your diet then, because according to this BBC news article on the effects of caffeine, coffee has been linked with several factors that are known to contribute to cardiovascular disease, such as increased blood pressure and cholesterol. Perhaps you should consider switching to tea. Healthy teas such as green and black teas contain antioxidants called flavonoids, which have been linked to preventing the chemical reactions that lead to coronary heart disease. The switch could give you that caffeine fix as well as decrease your chances of developing cardiovascular disease. No substitute for coffee, you say? Well, perhaps there is nothing to fear, for although coffee has been shown to increase blood pressure in the short term, there is no conclusive evidence that it has long-term detrimental effects on blood pressure, nor has there been any proven link between coffee and cardiovascular disease.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/healthy_living/nutrition/healthy_caff.shtml

Early to bed, Early to DIE!!!

geckorlz — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:16:45 +0000

Well, maybe not die, but according to a University of Westminster study, waking up early may lead to increased levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) throughout the day, as well as worse moods and cold-like physical symptoms.

The study took saliva samples from 42 individuals whose waking times varied between 5:22 am and 10:37 am. The researchers found that those who woke before 7:21 am had higher levels of cortisol than those who slept in later. You may be thinking, “of course, because they got less sleep”, but the study found that average hours of sleep alone is not to blame here. What is not entirely clear, however, is whether the higher cortisol levels were the cause or result of waking early. Cortisol is known to be able to influence moods and may be responsible for the fact that the early-risers reported being busier, angrier, and feeling depleted at the days end. Many other factors are responsible for cortisol levels, however, so more and broader research would be needed to isolate the exact effect time of waking has on stressing the body.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/503631.stm

Drifting out to sea

geckorlz — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:15:08 +0000