Beans Lower Cholesterol

Source: Women's Health March 2008

New Drug Prevents Addiction to Smoking/Alchohol

Can exercise help prevent addiction to drugs or alcohol?

Sure, exercise is good for your waistline, your heart, your bones - but might it also help prevent addiction to drugs or alcohol?

There are some tantalizing clues that physical activity might spur changes in the brain to do just that. Now the U.S. government is beginning a push for hard research to prove it.

This is not about getting average people to achieve the so-called runner's high, a feat of pretty intense athletics.

Instead, the question is just how regular physical activity of varying intensity - dancing, bicycling, swimming, tae kwan do - might affect mood, academic performance, even the very reward systems in the brain that can get hijacked by substance abuse.

What first caught the attention of National Institute on Drug Abuse chief Dr. Nora Volkow: A study found tweens and teens who reported exercising daily were half as likely to smoke as their sedentary counterparts, and 40 per cent less likely to experiment with marijuana.

Volkow knows - from her own almost 10-kilometre daily runs and from her scientific experiments - that the brain literally likes physical activity. Exercise seems to invigorate neurochemicals that sense and reinforce pleasure

"In children, it's innate," she notes. "Children want to move."

But the nation's children are becoming more sedentary, as illustrated by the obesity epidemic, "screen time" replacing outdoor play and a drop in school phys-ed. And as youngsters approach adolescence, the run around the yard that used to be fun too often becomes a chore - the dreaded jog around the school track or the nagging to get off the couch. The sedentary teen turns into the sedentary adult.

"Why do we lose the ability to experience pleasure from physical activity?" asks Volkow.

Last week she brought more than 100 specialists in exercise and neurobiology to a two-day conference to explore physical activity's potential in fighting substance abuse, and announced $4 million in new research grants to help.

Drug treatment programs often include exercise, partly to keep people distracted from their cravings, but there's been little formal research on the effects.

The best evidence: Brown University took smokers to the gym three times a week and found adding the exercise to a smoking-cessation program doubled women's chances of successfully kicking the habit. The quitters who worked out got an extra benefit: They gained half as much weight as women who managed to quit without exercising, says lead researcher Dr. Bess Marcus.

She now is working with the YMCA on a larger, NIDA-funded study to prove the benefit.

Marcus cautions that people trying to kick an addiction have a powerful incentive to exercise. Could that possibly translate into prevention? Among the clues:

-Rats were less likely to ingest amphetamines if their cages had running wheels, suggesting exercise stimulated a reward pathway in the brain to leave them less vulnerable to the drug's rush.

-In people, exercise acts as a mild antidepressant and relieves stress. Depression, anxiety and stress increase risk of alcoholism, smoking or drug abuse.

-Volkow is intrigued that attention deficit disorder and obesity both involve problems with the brain chemical dopamine, one system that drugs hijack to create addiction.

-Baby monkeys who don't play enough in childhood have problems controlling aggression when they're older. The most aggressive tend to have defects involving the feel-good brain chemical serotonin - and binge-drink when researchers offer them alcohol.

-Back to rats, physical activity increases production of growth factors and stem cells in key brain regions important for learning and mood; increases formation of blood vessels; and strengthens communication networks between brain cells.

Together, that's far too little research to know if exercise really matters for substance abuse, scientists at the National Institutes of Health meeting cautioned.

But, a few studies of school-age children suggest physical activity predicts better performance on math, verbal and other tests - and better school performance in turn is linked to lower risk for substance abuse.

And getting sedentary seniors moving improves brain function - research aimed at preventing dementia, not drug abuse, although the improvement is in an area that in younger people is linked to risky decision-making.

A caveat: If your own youth includes memories of parties with beer-guzzling athletes, well, the research concurs. A major study that tracks adolescent risk behaviours found that by 12th grade, exercise offers no protection against binge-drinking.

"Now the kids who exercise the most actually drink the most," says Dr. Lloyd Johnston of the University of Michigan. It may have to do with the celebratory nature of team sports, or getting revved for college - or, other researchers suggested, even that competition is to blame.

Source: CBC.ca

Fast Food Weight Gain

Source: Women's Health March 2008

Dental Fillings Pose Risk - FDA

Mercury fillings pose health risks, FDA warns

Mercury in dental amalgams may pose health risks to children, fetuses and pregnant women, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning.

The FDA issued a statement, on its website Wednesday, about the potential dangers of dental amalgams.

As part of a legal settlement reached Monday, the federal agency has agreed to release a new ruling on the safety of dental amalgams in July 2009, and alert consumers about potential related hazards. Consumer advocacy groups, including Moms Against Mercury, called for a ban on the fillings in the U.S.

"Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses," the FDA said.

"When amalgam fillings are placed in teeth or removed from teeth, they release mercury vapour. Mercury vapour is also released during chewing."

The FDA says consumers should not have amalgam fillings removed.

Health Canada says that while amalgam has been shown to release mercury in the body, the levels are not serious enough to cause adverse health effects.

The federal agency says current data does not support hypotheses linking mercury exposure with Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

But the federal agency notes patients with kidney disease and pregnant women should avoid dental amalgams given that mercury has been shown to cross the placental barrier and weaken kidney function at sub-clinical levels of exposure.

Sweden and Norway have banned the use of dental amalgams, citing health concerns.

Source: CBC.ca

Ontario KingFisher Cantaloupe Recall - Potential Salmonella

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning the public not to consume some KingFisher brand cantaloupes because they may be contaminated with salmonella.

The affected produce was distributed in cartons of six or nine cantaloupes and bears stickers with the following information:

KingFisher Brand

Produce of U.S.A.

UPC 0 33383 11600 6

4050

Fisher Ranch Corp., Blythe, CA, 92225

These cantaloupes were distributed in Ontario and sold between May 16 and June 2.
Consumers who have purchased whole cantaloupes or in-store products containing pieces of fresh cantaloupes and are not sure of the brand should inquire at the place of purchase to verify if the stores have received the affected product.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of the affected cantaloupes.

Consumption of food contaminated with this bacteria may cause salmonellosis.

In young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, salmonellosis may cause serious and sometimes deadly infections.

In otherwise healthy people, salmonellosis may cause short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

The importer, Gambles Ontario Produce Inc. of Toronto, is voluntarily recalling the affected cantaloupes from the marketplace.

The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

Source: Canadian Press

Ban Demand: 8 Dyes Linked Problematic Child Behaviour

Consumer group calls on FDA to outlaw food dyes

A consumer advocacy group called on the Food and Drug Administration Tuesday to ban the use of eight artificial colourings in food because the additives may cause hyperactivity and behaviour problems in some children.

Controlled studies conducted over three decades have shown that children's behaviour can be worsened by some artificial dyes, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The group noted the British government is successfully pressuring food manufacturers to switch to safer colourings.

Over the years, the FDA has consistently disputed the centre's assertion. The agency's website contains a 2004 brochure that asks the question: "Do additives cause childhood hyperactivity?"

"No. Although this hypothesis was popularized in the 1970s, well-controlled studies conducted since then have produced no evidence that food additives cause hyperactivity or learning disabilities in children," the agency said.

Julie Zawisza, an FDA spokeswoman, said Tuesday that color additives undergo safety reviews before approval for marketing and that samples of each artificial colouring are tested. She said the agency reviewed one of the studies the centre cites in calling for a ban.

"[We] didn't find a reason to change our conclusions that the ingredients are safe for the general population," Zawisza said. "Also note that the European Food Safety Agency has a similar view as FDA's."

Dyes are used in countless foods and sometimes used to simulate the colour of fruits or vegetables. The additives are particularly prevalent in the cereals, candies, sodas and snack foods pitched to kids.

"The purpose of these chemicals is often to mask the absence of real food, to increase the appeal of a low-nutrition product to children, or both," said Michael F. Jacobson, the centre's executive director.

"Who can tell the parents of kids with behavioural problems that this is truly worth the risk?"

The centre's petition asks the FDA to require a warning label on foods with artificial dyes while it mulls the group's request to ban the dyes outright.

The colourings the centre seeks to ban are:

• Yellow 5
• Red 40
• Blue 1
• Blue 2
• Green 3
• Orange B
• Red 3
• Yellow 6
  

Source: CBC.ca

Nalgene Water Bottles Pulled Off Shelves

Mountain Equipment pulls water bottles off shelves

Country's largest specialty outdoor-goods retailer cites concern over possible health risks

Mountain Equipment Co-op, the country's largest specialty outdoor-goods retailer, says it has pulled most food and beverage containers made of polycarbonate plastic from its shelves, citing concern over possible health risks.

The Vancouver-based firm been one of the largest sellers of such products as polycarbonate Nalgene water bottles, and probably has done more than any retailer to make the distinctive, brightly coloured containers an iconic product everywhere from backcountry campsites to urban offices and university campuses.

The retailer didn't issue a public announcement that it removed the containers, but made a decision to take action Monday and instructed staff to cart polycarbonate products out of stores Wednesday.

The plastic in question is made mostly from bisphenol A, which mimics estrogen and is derived from petrochemicals.

It has been linked in dozens of independent research studies to illnesses that could be caused by hormone disruption. However, manufacturers of bisphenol A say their research shows the material to be harmless.

Health Canada is conducting an assessment of bisphenol A and trying to sort out the conflicting evidence. It expects to issue preliminary results of its review next spring, and a final report on the safety of the chemical in 2009. The Ontario government is also looking at the chemical.

Mountain Equipment said it will keep polycarbonate products out of stores, pending results of the federal review.

“The products have been pulled from the shelves and we're no longer selling them,” said Tim Southam, a spokesman for the retailer, which has 11 stores, annual sales of about $222-million and requires customers to pay a membership fee.

“We've been following this issue quite closely and it's one we've seen an increasing concern [about] among some members,” Mr. Southam said of the health controversy.

A spokesman for Nalgene's manufacturer, Nalge Nunc International Corp. of Rochester, N.Y., said it believes Mountain Equipment is the first major retailer in North America to pull its polycarbonate bottles based on health worries.

“From our perspective, it's certainly unfortunate because we feel there is a body of evidence” supporting the safety of the product, Eric Hanson said. He added that the retailer's action won't affect all of its products because the company also markets containers that do not contain bisphenol A.

Mr. Southam said Mountain Equipment, which is a big marketer of camping gear and outdoor clothing, doesn't expect to take a financial hit from the action because it is selling alternative products, such as stainless-steel water bottles. He wasn't immediately able to give the sales value of the affected items.

Environmental Defence, a Toronto group that has been lobbying Health Canada to ban bisphenol A from food and beverage uses, praised the retailer and said other companies should follow its lead.

“The fact that a retailer of this size, dealing in this volume of polycarbonate products, would make this decision should be a real wake-up call to other retailers,” Richard Smith, executive director of the group, said.

Source: The Globe and Mail.com