Multiple Risks associated with Another Sexual Performance Aid

Health Canada warns Canadians not to use the sexual enhancer Vigorect Oral Gel Shooter due to potential health risks.

Health Canada is warning consumers not to use the unauthorized product Vigorect Oral Gel Shooter, because it contains an undeclared drug substance tadalafil, which should only be available by prescription. The use of Vigorect Oral Gel Shooter could pose serious health risks, especially for patients with existing medical conditions such as heart problems, those taking heart medication, or those at risk of stroke.

New Fish Consumption Guidelines

Health Canada tightens fish consumption guidelines

Health Canada has updated its advice on fish consumption, urging Canadians to further limit the amount of six types of fish they eat because of the amount of mercury they can contain.

The new guidelines suggest Canadians should limit to 150 grams a week the amount of fresh and frozen tuna, shark, swordfish, escolar, marlin and orange roughly that they eat.

Pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and women who might become pregnant should limit their consumption of these fish to 150 grams per month.

Health Canada says children aged five to 11 can safely eat 125 grams of fish from this category per month and children aged one through four should not eat more than 75 grams of these fish per month.

Health Canada says this type of predator fish can have higher levels of mercury than other types of fish, because they can live longer, grow to a bigger size and because they prey on smaller fish which may contain mercury.

The department says fish and seafood can be an important part of a healthy balanced diet if eaten in appropriate amounts.

Source: The Globe and Mail

Sexual Enhancer Heart Problems Warning

Health Canada warns Canadians not to use the sexual enhancer XOX For Men, due to potential health risks

Health Canada is warning consumers not to use the unauthorized natural health product XOX For Men, because it contains an undeclared pharmaceutical ingredient, tadalafil, an ingredient found in the prescription drug Cialis. The use of XOX For Men could pose serious health risks, especially for patients with existing medical conditions such as heart problems, those taking heart medication, or those at risk of stroke.

Smoke Free Apartments

Support grows for smoke-free apartments

Poll shoes 57 per cent of residents would support ban

First came smoke-free restaurants and bars. Then came workplace bans. Now, support for kicking smokers out of apartment buildings is hitting home, quite literally.

An Ontario anti-smoking group says polling it commissioned has found majority support for banning smoking within individual residences in apartment buildings or any other multiunit household in the province.

The Ontario Tobacco-Free Network, which had the poll conducted and will release it today, says 57 per cent of those living in multiunit dwellings would support such a ban.

Smoking is currently prohibited in elevators, hallways and other common areas in Ontario, but not in apartment residences. The poll detected widespread annoyance over second-hand smoke seeping into the residences of non-smokers, with half of those surveyed saying they've had tobacco smoke odour enter their units from elsewhere in their buildings, and 70 per cent of those saying they're bothered by it.

The finding is believed to be the first public opinion survey in Canada showing attitudes are hardening against smokers in home settings. Until now, smokers have thought of their homes as sanctuaries where they could light up in peace, but the poll suggests smoking is starting to be viewed in the same light as other off-putting behaviour in communal settings, such as noise, poor hygiene and late-night parties.

The pollster who conducted the survey predicted the next big move against smoking will be in multiunit dwellings, with increasing pressure for buildings to be designated as smoke free.

"What the research clearly shows is that you've got six out of 10 people out there that, if you hang out a shingle that says smoke-free apartment or condominium complex, you're going to have people decide to move into that," said John Wright, a senior vice-president of Ipsos Reid, which conducted the survey.

The poll surveyed 1,800 people across the province who live in multiunit residences, and is considered to be accurate within 2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. It was conducted in November and March of 2006, with the second round of questioning done to confirm the findings.

If the finding that nearly half of those living in multiunit dwellings have had tobacco smoke enter their units was applied across Ontario, it suggests about two million of the four million total residents are being exposed to unwanted second-hand smoke, a known carcinogen, from neighbours.

The poll also found that 64 per cent of those living in multiunit dwellings would choose, when looking for a place to live, a smoke-free building over one where smoking was permitted.

The Ontario Tobacco-Free Network is a coalition of three prominent public health organizations: the Canadian Cancer Society, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, and the Lung Association.

Network spokeswoman Irene Gallagher said the health organizations found they were starting to deal with a large number of unsolicited complaints from members of the public about second-hand smoke drifting among residences in multiunit dwellings. The health groups wanted to check how widespread these concerns were.

According to Ms. Gallagher, the large number of respondents preferring not to come into contact with smokers in home settings suggests an unfilled need in the housing market. "There is a big demand in the market for smoke-free buildings," she said.

Currently, there is nothing to stop landlords from offering smoke-free buildings or having non-smoking clauses in leases, and some building owners in both Canada and the U.S. have begun seeking this status for their residences, as have some new condominium developments.

The poll found that about one-third of respondents were bothered by smoke from their neighbours and 6 per cent found the problem so annoying they either moved or considered moving to get away from smokers.

A number of complaints have also been made to Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board, where some residents have sought to have landlords evict smokers using legal provisions normally applied against those who create nuisances.

The finding of widespread health concern over smoking in multiunit homes doesn't come as a surprise to Adrianne Schutt, a Peterborough resident who lives in a small apartment building and has recently been bothered by smoke from neighbours.

If there were a ban in Ontario on smoking in apartments, "I would be overjoyed, absolutely overjoyed. It's incredibly unpleasant" to be exposed to second-hand smoke, she said.

She lives in an apartment where the landlord failed to enforce an existing lease provision banning smoking, something that irked her after two heavy smokers moved next door and began smoking on a shared balcony, causing cigarette smoke to drift into her unit.

"You shouldn't be subjected to something hazardous in your own home," she said. "It's not 1930 any more. We know this [tobacco] is going to kill us."

Source: Martin Mittelstaedt, The Globe and Mail

Soft Drinks and Pancreatic Cancer Link

Source: Men's Health March 2007

Added Sugar Consumption

Source: Men's Health March 2007

5 minutes to Butt Out

5 minutes of exercise seems to curb smoking desire, at least in the short run

As little as five minutes of exercise seems to help smokers curb their craving for a cigarette, a review of a dozen studies found.

The research showed that moderate exercise, such as walking, significantly reduced the intensity of smokers' nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

"If we found the same effects in a drug, it would immediately be sold as an aid to help people quit smoking," said Dr. Adrian Taylor, the study's lead author and professor of exercise and health psychology at the University of Exeter.

Taylor and colleagues reviewed 12 papers looking at the connection between exercise and nicotine deprivation. They focused on exercises that could be done outside a gym, such as walking and isometrics, or the flexing and tensing of muscles. According to their analysis, just five minutes of exercise was often enough to help smokers overcome their immediate need for a nicotine fix.

After various types of moderate physical exertion, researchers asked people to rate their need for a cigarette. Those who had exercised reported a reduced desire to smoke.

"What's surprising is the strength of the effect," said Dr. Robert West, professor of health psychology at University College London, who was not involved in the study. "They found that the acute effects of exercise were as effective as a nicotine patch."

West cautioned that it was unknown how long the effects of exercise would last. "You could in theory use exercise to deal with short bouts of nicotine cravings, but we don't know if it would help in the longer term," he said. It is likely that exercise would have to be combined with a larger strategy of other anti-smoking techniques to be successful in helping people quit.

Nearly anything that distracts people from smoking is thought to help, but scientists have long suspected that exercise might have a more potent effect. Taylor theorized that exercise could produce the mood-enhancing hormone dopamine, which could, in turn, reduce smokers' nicotine dependence.

Still, experts were not convinced about the study's practical applications. "Doctors can tell patients to do things until they're blue in the face, but the limiting factor may be getting people to actually take up exercise," said Dr. Peter Hajek, professor of clinical psychology at Queen Mary University Hospital in London. Hajek was not involved in the study.

He said that if people were taught simple exercises, including isometrics they could do at their desk, they could potentially stave off their need for a cigarette break. "When you are dying for a cigarette, you can try to exercise instead," he said.

Source: CBC.ca

15 Minute Obesity Respite

Exercise key to avoiding childhood obesity, study shows

A brisk, 15-minute walk daily may be enough to help prevent childhood obesity, British researchers say.

The study in this week's issue of PloS Medicine looked at 5,500 children who wore a motion-sensing device and had their body fat measured with an X-ray scanner, which offers more precise measurement than the body mass index.

Among children who increased their physical activity levels by 15 minutes a day of moderate exercise, the chances of being obese were lowered by almost 50 per cent, the researchers found.

"This study provides some of the first robust evidence on the link between physical activity and obesity in children," said study author Prof. Chris Riddoch of Britain's Bath University.

"We know that diet is important, but what this research tells us is that we mustn't forget about activity. It's been really surprising to us how even small amounts of exercise appear to have dramatic results."

Without accurate measurements of activity levels and body fat, it has been difficult for researchers to determine the relative importance of activity in preventing obesity in children, compared to dietary changes.

Easy to find 15 minutes

Most families would be able to add 15 minutes of moderate exercise a day as a starting point, said Prof. Andy Ness of the University of Bristol, who co-directed the research with Riddoch.

The average age of the children in the study was 12. Those in the 10 per cent levels of fat mass were classified as obese.

"Our findings, if confirmed, suggest that public health policies that increase physical activity levels and in particular [moderate and vigorous physical activity] in children may help to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity," the researchers concluded.

One limitation of the cross-sectional study is that it is possible that instead of becoming obese because of lack activity, obesity may restrict children from being more active, the study said.

Rates of overweight and obese children nearly tripled among Canadians over the past two decades, the Canadian Institutes of Health Information reported in 2004. Obesity rates are also on the rise in other developed countries.

Source: CBC.ca

Spinning Green Wheels

Rebate seals the deal for some hybrid buyers

RACHEL DE LAZZER

For Zulfiqar Hyden, the federal budget's promise of an extra $2,000 tax rebate on the purchase of a Honda Civic Hybrid seals the deal.

The 45-year-old consultant with Deloitte Canada has been car-shopping for a few weeks and the hybrid was already high on his list, he said.

Then came yesterday's news that the new federal budget provides for varying rebates for consumers who buy fuel-efficient vehicles (and levies that penalize purchases of gas-guzzlers). The highest rebate available, $2,000, will go to hybrid vehicles including the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid -- and that's on top of the $2,000 rebate already offered by the Ontario government on similar vehicles. (Highly fuel-efficient conventional autos can claim smaller amounts.)

"Initially I went in to buy an ordinary car, but when we looked at the difference in emissions and the extra mileage that's available on a hybrid, that definitely makes the case," Mr. Hyden said.

"But the additional money from the government sort of seals it," the Mississauga resident said.

Vanessa Nobrega, 26, and Mark Ellingson, 28, were shopping yesterday at a downtown Toyota dealership. They are looking into buying a Toyota Yaris, a fuel-efficient small car that would earn a $1,000 rebate.

For them, even $4,000 in combined federal and provincial rebates for a hybrid can't quite change their minds, although they think it would for a customer with more to spend.

"The price difference is still $15,000," Mr. Ellingson said.

Prices for the Honda Civic Hybrid start at about $26,250, while the Prius starts at about $31,000.

"If the Prius was the same price, we'd definitely go for the Prius -- or even if it was close," Ms. Nobrega said.

At Mississauga Honda, about one or two Civic Hybrids have been moving off the lot every month -- at least until last month, when sales picked up, said Errol Walker, the dealership's manager of new cars. Last month, the dealership sold 23 of the vehicles, a jump Mr. Walker attributes partly to the recent rise in gas prices after a gas shortage.

The formula presented in yesterday's budget for calculating rebates and penalty levies uses a vehicle's fuel efficiency based on a combined rating: 55 per cent of the city fuel consumption rating and 45 per cent of the highway rating.

The budget imposes a special levy to be paid by manufacturers and importers of vehicles that can't travel 100 combined city-highway kilometres on less than 13 litres of fuel -- excluding pickup trucks and autos that use alternative fuels.

A Ford Grand Marquis will be dinged for $1,000, while dealers will see a $4,000 surcharge on each Hummer or BMW M5.

Source: The Globe and Mail

Red Dull

Source: Women's Health March 2007

Bread Wonder and Cancer Link

Source: Women's Health March 2007

The Nuttiest Antioxidant

Source: Men's Health March 2007

Office Workers & Blood Clots

Office workers prone to blood clots

Staying chained to your desk might place you at greater risk of potentially fatal blood clots in the legs, researchers in New Zealand say.

Deep-vein thrombosis, or DVT, is thought to be caused by sitting rigidly for too long.

Also called travellers' thrombosis, the condition is caused when a blood clot forms in leg veins and travels to the lungs, heart or brain days or weeks later, where it can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Prof. Richard Beasley of the Medical Research Institute in Wellington looked at 62 people under 65 who were admitted to hospital with blood clots.

About 34 per cent were admitted after sitting at work for long periods, compared with 1.4 per cent among people who recently took a long-distance flight.

"There are considerably more people who are seated for long periods at work as part of their normal day than there are traveling," Beasley told National Radio Monday.

The researchers were surprised to find how long some workers, such as those in the information technology industry and call centres, were seated.

Walk for prevention

"We had people not uncommonly working up to 12 to 14 hours a day and being seated for that time."

Clots formed in 10 per cent of air passengers at high risk for the condition and in one per cent of passengers generally.

"The study suggested that people develop clots in their legs from sitting three to four hours at a time," Toronto cardiologist Dr. Beth Abramson, a spokesperson for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, told CBC Newsworld.

"It wasn't common, but it was more common than we thought."

Certain segments of the population are at higher risk for clots because their clotting systems are more active, Abramson said. These include women on estrogen from the birth control pill, pregnant women and people being treated for cancer.

To avoid DVT, Abramson recommended office workers get up and walk around and stay hydrated.

Avoidance tips

For passengers, doctors suggest:

• Wearing compression stockings to improve circulation during flights.
• Stretching their legs occasionally.
• Taking ASA.
• Avoiding alcohol.

People should seek medical attention if they sit for a prolonged period and feel a severe cramp in the calf or pain higher up in their leg that doesn't go away, Abramson advised.

The clots are treated with blood thinning drugs, and the treatment can take months.

The research will be presented this month at the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand. It will be published next month in the New Zealand Medical Journal.

Source:CBC.ca

Rating Doctors

Doctor rating website stirs up physicians

The Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Protective Association have asked a U.S.-based website that allows patients to post anonymous comments about physicians to remove ones they believe are defamatory.

Canadian users of RateMDs.com could potentially be sued for libel, the associations warned, and they have asked for names of people and IP addresses that identify computer users making comments.

San Jose, Calif., native John Swapceinski, who founded the website and runs it, has refused, saying he won't give user information without a court order.

Conditions in Canada's sometimes struggling health-care system may be contributing to the popularity of the website. About one-third of the doctors listed on RateMDs.com are Canadian, as are about two-thirds of the visitors to the site.

Swapceinski acknowledged at least one doctor's office made multiple, glowing postings in an effort to boost ratings.

The site tries to screen offensive comments and prevent more than one posting from a computer

Outlet for frustrated patients

Comments on the website range from deserved criticism of poor people skills, to unfair, unfounded gossip.

Dr. Lynne Harrigan is a specialist in internal medicine and chief of staff at the Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville, N.S.

Of the 19 postings about Harrigan on the website, eight are negative, complaining she made them feel rushed or she lacks compassion.

Although the other postings are full of praise, Harrigan said the resulting overall rating of "average" is devastating.

"The terrible insecurity I feel with having that out there when it's not true, and I have no way to defend myself," said Harrigan. "So to me it's an example of how terrible the internet can be, and how damaging."

Strained system

Stressed doctors can sometimes be brusque, and the site has tapped into patients' feelings of helplessness and frustration at trying to navigate an overburdened health-care system, where there is pressure and waiting lists to see doctors, said writer Brad Mackay of Ottawa.

Mackay examined the website and its impact in Tuesday's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

"Poor bedside manner is just part and parcel of a strained health-care system," said Mackay. "Right or wrong, this just shows it."

There is no way to tell if the information is reliable or valid, said Dr. Ajantha Jayabarathan, a family physician in Halifax, who received mostly positive ratings on the site.

If a patient posts a concern, there is no way to bring it to the attention of a physician.

"There is no opportunity for remedy," said Rhonda Church of Doctors Nova Scotia.

Source: CBC.ca

Disintegrating Wonders

Source:
Wired March 2007

Weight Loss Losing Claims

Poor evidence to support diet supplement's claims, professor says

Popular health products like Hydroxycut claim they will help you lose weight quickly, but there is little proof that it works, a Winnipeg supplement expert says.

The main stimulant in Hydroxycut is caffeine. Each pill contains the equivalent of three cups of coffee. People are supposed to take up to six pills a day.

The research used to back up Hydroxycut is not convincing to Prof. Dean Kriellaars, an expert in the field of supplements at the University of Manitoba's School of Medical Rehabilitation.

"The literature on their website I would argue to you is of a very low credibility level," said Kriellaars.

However, a spokesman for the maker of Hydroxycut backed the product.

"We genuinely have products of the highest possible quality, built on the most reliable scientific research," Vincent Scalese of Iovate Health Sciences said in a statement Thursday.

The product's website cites two eight-week studies.

On average, subjects using the main ingredients of Hydroxycut lost more weight than those using a placebo (14.99 pounds compared to 3.06 pounds in one study, and 12.54 pounds compared to 3.53 pounds in the second study).

Both groups also did 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity at a moderate rate for five days per week and followed a diet of 2,000 calories per day.

Two of the studies Kriellaars reviewed from the website were funded by the health supplement industry, which casts doubt on their trustworthiness, he said. Other studies looked at caffeine rather than the actual product or its ingredients.

The caffeine studies suggest the stimulant may raise a person's metabolic rate and help burn off more calories in a day, but there would be the same effect from drinking coffee, Kriellaars said.

Registered dietician Gina Sunderland said she gets questions about Hydroxycut all the time.

"The best thing that consumers can do is look for products that contain an NPN, which is a Natural Product Number," said Sunderland. "That means that product has been scrutinized for safety, and purity and efficacy by Health Canada."

Ads promote weight loss

Health Canada introduced regulations in 2004 that require products that make health claims to be tested and licensed. With more than 40,000 natural health products on the market and more popping up all the time, the department is experiencing a backlog.

Hydroxycut is one of the products waiting for a licence.

In the meantime, Hydroxycut is advertised on TV and websites, and in health magazines. One ad shows a man who lost 30 pounds in a month, said Kyle Bazylo of Cuts Fitness for Men in Winnipeg.

Given that Hydroxycut can cause side-effects such as jitters and a racing heart, the fitness trainer said people should start slowly and build up the dosage.

Source: CBC.ca

Drug Regulation Transparency??

Health Canada proposes progressive drug licensing

Health Canada is considering changing its system of licensing prescription drugs, moving to one in which the safety and effectiveness of medicines would be more closely monitored after products are approved for sale.

A discussion paper proposes progressive licensing for drugs to allow follow-up once they are being taken by large numbers of people.

'Drug companies do have to report to Health Canada around spontaneously reported events, but those are under-reported.'— Dr. Andreas Laupacis comments on current system

Clinical trials done before drugs are brought to market are typically small; rare side-effects generally only come to light when medications are taken by many thousands of people.

The aim is to improve the ability of the regulatory system to monitor the safety of medication during the entire life cycle of a drug.

The importance of this has been underscored in recent years by the revelation that popular painkillers from the COX-2 inhibitor family raised risks of heart attack and stroke.

Ongoing surveillance

"A progressive, life-cycle approach to the regulation of drugs is meant to recognize that valuable information continues to grow over time, and that this information should be captured and incorporated into decision-making in a well-planned and transparent manner," said the discussion paper, dated Feb. 21 and posted on the department's website.

"For example, a new use may be discovered for a drug, and this is a potential benefit. Conversely, an interaction with another drug may be uncovered that could be a potential risk in some situations."

The former head of the Canadian Expert Drug Advisory Committee said he believes the proposal is probably "a step in the right direction.

"What I think they are proposing … is a more systematic approach to pharmaco-surveillance or post-marketing studies," said Dr. Andreas Laupacis of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

"Drug companies do have to report to Health Canada around spontaneously reported events, but those are under-reported. It's not the drug companies' fault, but they just are, and there's no systematic look at this."

Success depends on regulatory powers

The discussion document said that a modern regulatory regime should "allow for the initial and ongoing collection, evaluation, and communication about drug information throughout the product life cycle," based on the latest knowledge on the risks and benefits of a drug.

While Laupacis thinks there is a need to follow drug safety in a more organized way, how effective the proposal will be depends on the powers given the regulatory agency, he said.

"What if, when you do one of these post-marketing surveillance, you find that a drug does has unexpected side-effects … Is Health Canada going to respond to that?"

Source: CBC.ca

Sweat Stats

Source: Men's Health March 2007

Canned Food Chemical Unhealthy Lab Results

Controversial chemical found in canned foods, U.S. tests show

High levels of bisphenol A, a compound that mimics the hormone estrogen and is used to make many types of plastic products, have been found to be leaching out of tin cans and baby bottles in separate tests conducted by two U.S. environmental groups.

The largest amounts were found by the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group in brand-name canned goods purchased at U.S. supermarkets, with the most elevated readings detected in chicken noodle soup and mixed vegetables. The highest U.S. level found was about four times above top readings detected in canned food in Europe.

The findings are likely to add to the current controversy over bisphenol A, a chemical that its manufacturers insist is safe, but that has been linked in independent laboratory testing on animals to a raft of hormonally related health effects, including declining sperm counts, earlier onset of puberty, birth defects, breast cancer and prostate cancer.

Currently, there are no regulatory limits on the amount of bisphenol A residues allowed in Canadian food. But bisphenol A is one of the first chemicals slated for review under a policy the Harper government announced late last year to consider thousands of compounds in widespread use that were never given thorough safety assessments.

The Canadian safety review is expected to begin in April or May and to be conducted jointly by federal health and environment officials.

Canadian environmentalists say that bisphenol A is likely to be present in food here in similar quantities to those in the United States, given the close links between the two countries.

"The same canned goods that are eaten in the United States are eaten in Canada, so there is every reason to believe that Canadians are exposed to the same levels of bisphenol A as our American neighbours," said Rick Smith, head of Environmental Defence, a Toronto-based group that is tracking chemical residues in the body tissues of Canadians.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency doesn't monitor bisphenol A residues in food, a spokesperson said yesterday.

Bisphenol A is used to make polycarbonate plastic, which is a sturdy, glass-like compound used in many water bottles. It is commonly identified by the plastic industry's triangle symbol containing the number 7. Bisphenol A is also added to the resins used to line the inside of tin cans to prevent foods from picking up a metallic taste.

The chemical bonds that hold bisphenol A together in products are unstable, allowing some of it to dissolve off containers into foods and beverages.

But a spokesman for bisphenol A manufacturers says the amounts inadvertently being eaten in food are nothing to worry about. "Human exposures to BPA from these kinds of products is well below a level that would cause concern," said Steven Hentges, executive director of the polycarbonate business unit of the American Plastics Council.

The other U.S. environmental group that conducted tests, the Los Angeles-based Environment California Research and Policy Centre, says it considers the potential human health threats from bisphenol A to be so large that it called on governments to remove the chemical from baby bottles.

It found that baby bottles it tested commonly leached four to 10 parts per billion of bisphenol A into water, and it expressed concern that young children would routinely be exposed to the chemical.

In January, the European Food Safety Authority stated that it viewed as safe the levels of the bisphenol A found in European canned food and beverage containers, although much of the research finding harmful effects has been conducted using animals given doses similar to those consumed by people through the food supply.

The highest level of bisphenol A detected in canned food in Europe was 91 parts per billion, according to the authority. However, that level was exceeded in testing conducted for the Environmental Working Group, which said it found levels as high as 385 ppb in a can of soup.

Source: Martin Mittelstaedt, The Globe and Mail

BMI Inaccurate Indicator According to 'New' Research

Research shows BMI often not an accurate indicator of body fat

Body mass index, or BMI, long considered the standard for measuring the amount of fat in a person’s body, may not be as accurate as originally thought, according to new research.

A research team from Michigan State University and Saginaw Valley State University measured the BMI of more than 400 college students – some of whom were athletes and some not – and found that in most cases the student’s BMI did not accurately reflect his or her percentage of body fat.

The research is published in the March issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

BMI is determined by this equation: A person’s weight divided by his or her height squared. Generally a BMI of 25 or above indicates a person is overweight; 30 or above indicates obesity. A person with a higher BMI is thought to be at a greater risk of heart disease, diabetes and other weight-related problems.

“The overlying issue is the same criteria for BMI are used across the board,” said Joshua Ode, a Ph.D. student in the MSU Department of Kinesiology and an assistant professor of kinesiology at Saginaw Valley. “Whether you’re an athlete or a 75-year-old man, all the same cut points are used.”

“BMI should be used cautiously when classifying fatness, especially among college-age people,” said Jim Pivarnik, an MSU professor of kinesiology and epidemiology. “It really doesn’t do a good job of saying how fat a person really is.”

The problem, especially among younger people and athletes, is that BMI does not distinguish between body fat and muscle mass, said Ode.

“A previous study of NFL football players found that a large percentage of them – around 60 percent – were considered obese,” he said. “But when you look at an athlete like that, you see that in many cases he is not obese. Many athletes have huge BMIs because of muscle mass, but in many cases are not fat.”

The answer, said Pivarnik, is instead of having one cutoff point for everyone, perhaps have different classifications for different people.

“Is a BMI of 25 for overweight and 30 for obese the right ones to use with 20- to 29-year-olds in terms of disease risk?” he asked. “Maybe it could be as simple as this: If you’re a regular exerciser or an athlete, maybe 28 is overweight for you and 33 is considered obese.”

BMI, said Pivarnik, is used as a “surrogate” for percent fat, even though body fat doesn’t really fit into the equation.

“What if you take fat out of the equation?” he said. “Is there something unique about BMI that may increase a person’s risk of chronic disease, unrelated to fatness? Are people with high BMIs but low fatness as much at risk of heart disease as other people? The answer is no one knows.”

In their research, Ode and Pivarnik used carefully measured height and weight to calculate BMI in more than 400 college-age people. They then used a standard method of measuring body fatness and found that BMI was not providing an accurate portrayal of the amount of fat a student had.

Other members of the research team included Mathew Reeves, an associate professor of epidemiology at MSU, and Jeremy Knous, a Ph.D. student in the MSU Department of Kinesiology.

Source: newsroom.msu.edu/site/indexer/3009/content.htm

Bulb Benefits

Source: Men's Health March 2007

Children's Cold Medicine Investigation

U.S. investigating children's cold medicines: report

Common children's cold and cough medicines are coming under scrutiny from U.S. federal drug regulators, who say the remedies and their recommended doses have not been studied enough in children, the New York Times reported Friday.

Dr. Charles J. Ganley, a top Food and Drug Administration official, said the agency was "revisiting the risks and benefits of the use of these drugs in children," especially those younger than two years old, the paper reported.

Most over-the-counter cold and cough medicines have been insufficiently tested in children, said Ganley, the director of the FDA's office of non-prescription drug products.

"We have no data on these agents of what's a safe and effective dose in children," he told the Times in an interview.

The FDA said it could not yet determine whether new regulations would result from the safety review, according to the newspaper.

A group of pediatricians and public health officials asked the agency Thursday to bar drug manufacturers from marketing remedies such as Toddler's Dimetapp, Infant Triaminic and Little Colds to children under six.

Cold medicines killed 3 children: study

A recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that in 2004 and 2005, more than 1,500 children under two had experienced serious health problems — and three died — after taking common cold medicines.

The American College of Chest Physicians last year recommended avoiding giving cough and cold medicines to children, especially young ones.

In above-normal doses, cold medicines can lead to heart arrhythmias, and some have been linked to hypertension and stroke when taken in high doses, the Times reported.

In rare cases, children have had medical problems after taking recommended doses, the article said.

The president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which represents companies that sell over-the-counter cold drugs, noted that the medicines had FDA approval and had been used for decades. They should be taken only in recommended doses, association president Linda A. Suydam said.

The pediatricians who petitioned the FDA Thursday acknowledged that children's cold medicines were generally safe in recommended doses, but they said overdoses were common because many children were given more than one medicine, among other reasons.

They also questioned the drugs' effectiveness in children.

Many cold and cough drugs won FDA approval decades ago, when the agency's standards were less strict, the Times reported.

Source: CBC.ca

Fitness Coach and Best Friend on Four Legs

Source: Men's Health March 2007

Potato Power

Source: Business2.0 March 2007