The Telangana Science Journal, October 2004, Issue 82, Vepachedu Educational Foundation

Contents

Diet and Exercise	Women's Health	Men's Health	Miscellaneous	Recipes
Betel Nut and Leaf Cranberries Onions Chinese Herbs Chronic Dizziness in Old Supplements Omega-3 Fat and Flax Unsaturated Vegetable Fat Caffeine	Mother's Diet Abdominal Fat Breast Cancer Depressed Spouse Sexual Chemosignals	Father's Age Drinking in Men	Diabetes Yoga to Fight Childhood Obesity Antidepressant Warning Just One Puff Only 20000 Human Genes Religion for Peace	Vegetarian French Soup Armenian stuffed grape leaves Fruit Compote

Diet and Exercise

Betel Nut and Betel Leaf
In Taiwan and China, the incidence of oral cancer in men has tripled since the early 1980s. That coincides with a large increase since the early 1970s in betel quid chewing.

Used as a mild narcotic throughout south-east Asia and the western Pacific region, Areca catechu referred to as betel nut or areca nut (supari in Hindi/Urdu, vakka or poaka in Telugu, poogi or kramuka in Sanskrit) has a strong religious significance especially in the southern and eastern parts of the Indian Union and Nepal, the only Hindu country in the world. No Hindu rituals can be performed without the betel nut and betel leaf (leaves of the vine, Piper betel, called tamala in Telugu, taambooli or nagavalli in Sanskrit and paan in Hindi/Urdu). In Nepal, the betel nut is used to personify the image of Laksmi, the Goddess of wealth and Ganesha, the God of wisdom. It is especially important in the nuptial ceremonies of the Newars, an ethnic group confined to Nepal. Before the marriage several gifts of fruits, sweets and betel nuts are sent to the parents of the bride by the groom's parents. During the actual marriage betel nut is used extensively and then after the marriage when the bride first reaches the groom's house, she distributes betel nuts to all the family members including the groom. In Sunwar and Jirals (other Nepalese ethnic groups) betel nuts are distributed by the groom as an invitation after the marriage for the males to attend a feast. Betel leaf has been playing an important part in social life and customs for hundreds of years in the Indian continent and betel-leaf can be bought in nearly every street corner. Offering betel morsel to guests and visitors is a common courtesy in the continent.

The betel nut tree is cultivated in eastern Nepal, Assam and coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra. The usage of betel leaf is cited as far back as two thousand years. It was found a place in the most ancient Srilankan historic book 'Mahawamsa' written in Pali. Betel is originated from central and eastern parts of Malaysia. At a very early date, betel spread throughout Asia's tropical region and to Madagascar and east Africa. Betel is grown widely in many parts of India. Betel morsel or quid (betel nut and other ingredients folded in betel leaf) or paan supari is extensively taken in the Indian continent (south Asia).

When paan supari is chewed, a red food dye inside it makes our mouth red. Many people do not swallow much of paan supari, thus resulting in pool of red liquid (due to red dye and saliva) which they spited out rather than swallowing it making the streets and walls in cities like Hyderabad painted ugly paan-red.

A simple paan is prepared in Islamic tradition using spices such as khaer, zarda, choon (lime paste) and different kinds of betel nuts and paan masala in the betel leaf then folding it into a triangular shape and secure it by piercing a clove into it. In Ayurveda and Hindu traditions, taamboolamu (paan) is prepared with five betel leaves, one-half betel nut, lime, camphor, three seeds of takkolamu (Hibiscus abelmoschus), two cloves, one cardamom, and a little bit of jaajikaaya (Myristica fragrance).

The pious betel nut is also used by the Asians and Indians as an aphrodisiac, a medicament for urinary disorders, a tonic for nervous complaints and an astringent. Betel nut has been used in the treatment of tapeworms and roundworms, diarrhea, fever, indigestion, lumbago, urinary and menstrual problems. It suppresses bad breath and reduces kapha and pitta. Ayurveda warns that betel nut may cause anemia, heart disease and impotence due to loss of semen.

Excessive use of sweet chalia, paan masala, gutka and manpuri is causing mouth cancer among youth, one-fourth of whom are below 18 years of age, a survey in Pakistan revealed in 2001. In 2003, under the aegis of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Karachi, experts warned people and the concerned authorities not to consider betel nut (Chhalia or Supari) chewing a benign habit as it had countless hazards and demanded an immediate ban on processing and sale of branded paan masala and sweetened betel nuts in Pakistan.

Some people allege that the zarda that is supplied along with the supari is not merely raw tobacco but sprayed with synthetic chemicals primarily serving as nicotine enhancers. The oncologists do not recommend the use of paan masala. Eating paan continuously and with tobacco can cause cancer.

Betel leaf and nut are popular legal stimulants in Asia also. Chewing betel quid is a common practice in Asia and among Asian immigrants around the world. It's used by Asians for its stimulant effects, to sweeten the breath, to satisfy hunger, and as a cultural and social activity. In Taiwan and China, the incidence of oral cancer in men has tripled since the early 1980s. That coincides with a large increase since the early 1970s in betel quid chewing. World Health Organization statistics show that oral cancers are more common in parts of the world where betel quid is chewed.

There's a link between increased betel nut quid nut production and consumption and a substantial rise in the incidence of head and neck cancers among Taiwanese men, according to a National Taiwan University Hospital study reported at American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Seattle in October 2004.

For more information visit: http://annals.edu.sg/pdf200409/V33N4p31S.pdf.

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Cranberries
Cranberries are already known to prevent urinary tract infections by reducing the power of certain E. Coli bacteria to stick to the urinary tract walls. This action is sufficiently well documented to support a health claim for the fruit in France. Alpine cranberries may help to fight infection by the herpes virus, one of the most common viral infections in humans, according to new findings by a Taiwan team in Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

Onions
Scientists at Cornell, who looked at 10 kinds of onions as well as shallots, found broad differences in the concentrations of phenolics and flavonoids, compounds that can help reduce the risk of medical problems like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. The stronger an onion tastes, the more likely it is to help fight cancer and other diseases, the researchers have found in The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The more powerful the concentration of the compounds in onions, the more powerful the flavor and the smell. Over all, the study said, shallots had the highest antioxidant value. Other winners were the western yellow, New York bold and northern red. It is also unclear whether cooking onions affects their nutritional value.
However, cooking tomatoes actually increased their effectiveness.
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Chinese Herbs
According to a report, published in the journal Allergy, September 2004, the number of people with hay fever is growing in industrialized countries, affecting between 10 and 20 percent of the population. Many of these patients are now opting for alternative medicine, including Chinese remedies, but few studies have rigorously examined their effects. A group of German investigators found that hay fever sufferers who received weekly acupuncture treatments and took three doses of a Chinese herbal formula per day showed fewer symptoms.

Just like an Ayurvedic medicine, a traditional Chinese medicine is not a purified substance but contains many ingredients, and the interaction of these ingredients is important. Ba wei di huang wan (BDW), an herbal medicine used in Asia for 2,000 years, can reduce the impact of dementia. After 16 people took the Chinese herbal preparation BDW for 8 weeks, they showed a boost in mental functioning, and had less trouble doing their day-to-day activities. In contrast, people who took an inactive (placebo) pill experienced no improvements over the same time period. According to the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society report, BDW has been used for centuries by older adults throughout China, Japan and Korea. Evidence also suggests the herbal treatment may ease fatigue, cold sensation, and muscle weakness.

The National Institute of Aging recommends that elderly people use caution when taking herbal treatments, since many can interfere with other medicines.

Chronic Dizziness in Old
Chronic dizziness is common, especially among older people. No medications are truly effective in treating it. Vestibular rehabilitation exercises are designed to retrain the body's system for maintaining balance, and are currently rarely prescribed. Performing a series of head movements for a few minutes every day can improve symptoms of chronic dizziness for many patients, British researchers report in Annals of Internal Medicine, October 19, 2004. Back to the Top

Antioxidant Supplements
Antioxidants are molecules that work to reduce the damage done to cells and DNA by free radicals, charged chemical particles found in the environment and produced by processes in the body. Vitamins A, E, C and beta-carotene, a pre-cursor to vitamin A, and the trace mineral selenium are antioxidants. Fruits and vegetables are good sources of antioxidants. The highest concentrations are found in spinach, carrots, red bell peppers and tomatoes. Antioxidant supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry.

Some observational studies have suggested that antioxidant supplements could protect against some cancers, heart disease, stroke and aging. But randomized control trials comparing the supplements to a placebo have not backed them up.

Some researchers believe antioxidants might work only when they are in food, and/or that people who eat vitamin-rich food are healthier simply because they take better care of themselves.

In a study, which looked at cancers of the colon, pancreas, stomach and gullet, and concluded that there was no evidence the vitamin supplements ward off common digestive cancers, comes on the heels of a similar review last year by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. That group concluded there was not enough evidence to either recommend or reject the use of vitamin supplements to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

However, a new study, which reviewed the results of 14 major trials with more than 170,000 participants, found a small but statistically significant increase in gastrointestinal cancer deaths associated with supplements containing beta carotene and vitamins A, C and E. Four of the trials showed a possible reduction of risk associated with selenium supplements, the report said in The Lancet. In half the trials, there was a 6 percent increased risk of death from cancers of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, colon and rectum in persons who took supplements, compared to those who took a placebo, the researchers found. But certain combinations of supplements seemed to be more dangerous, the researchers said. A 30 percent higher risk was found for combination supplements containing beta-carotene and vitamin A, and a 10 percent risk for supplements combining beta-carotene and vitamin E.

It appears that antioxidants might work only when they are in food, and people who eat vitamin-rich food and take better care of themselves are healthier. Back to the Top

Omega-3 Fat and Flax
Consumption of five or ten grams of flax significantly decreased blood levels of certain types of estrogen that are characteristic of postmenopausal women. Since previous studies have shown that increased levels of these estrogens (estrone sulfate and estradiol) may increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, reducing levels of these hormones is thought to be protective against breast cancer. The exact mechanism by which flaxseed exerts its effect is not known. Flaxseed is considered the most concentrated food source of lignan, a type of plant hormone that is structurally similar to estrogen. Lignan may lower estrogen in humans by inhibiting enzymes that are involved in estrogen synthesis. Other components of flax are also thought to lower the cancer risk, including omega-3 fatty acids and soluble fiber, according to a study by researchers at the University of Minnesota, reports the American Chemical Society.

Unsaturated Vegetable Fat
Men who eat a diet relatively high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats have a reduced risk of developing gallstones, according to a report in the October 5th issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. The researchers found that the risk of gallstone disease among men who had the highest levels unsaturated fat in their diets was 18 percent lower than men with the lowest levels. The risk reductions seen with the highest levels of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats were 16 percent and 17 percent, respectively. Back to the Top

Caffeine
Caffeine is the world's most commonly used stimulant, and it's cheap and readily available so people can maintain their use of caffeine quite easily. In North America, 80 percent to 90 percent of adults drink caffeine regularly. Average daily intake in the United States is about 280 milligrams, found in one to two mugs of coffee or three to five cans of soft drink.

As little as one cup of coffee a day can produce caffeine addiction, researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore said in the October issue of the journal Psychopharmacology. The latest research demonstrates, however, that when people don't get their usual dose they can suffer a range of withdrawal symptoms, including headache, fatigue and difficulty concentrating. They may even feel like they have the flu with nausea and muscle pain.

Low-level inflammation is thought to be an underlying factor in the development of heart disease. Consuming moderate-to-high amounts of coffee is associated with increased levels of several inflammatory markers, a finding that could help explain previous reports linking the beverage to heart disease. The latest findings appear in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Compared with subjects, who did not drink coffee, those who consumed more than about 1 cup of the beverage per day had significantly higher levels of all the inflammatory markers tested. Cutting down on coffee is likely to help people protect their heart health only when followed by other measures, such as regular exercise and eating a healthy, balanced diet.

A research team investigated the properties of coffee, green and black tea in a series of scientific experiments and found that both green and black tea inhibit the activity of enzymes associated with the development of Alzheimer's Disease, but coffee had no significant effect. The results of the laboratory tests conducted in this regard by a team from Newcastle University's Medicinal Plant Research Center were published in the academic journal Phytotherapy Research.

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Women's Health
Mother's Diet
Women who eat a diet rich in vegetables and protein during pregnancy may lower the risk of leukemia in their child, new research findings suggest in Cancer Causes and Control, August 2004. Specifically, carrots, string beans, peas, cantaloupe, and beans were foods associated with reduced risk. The specific dietary nutrients included provitamin A carotenoids and alpha and beta-carotene.

Abdominal Fat in Women
The distribution of body fat appears to be important in terms of women's risk for developing the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of disorders that raise the likelihood of heart disease and diabetes, new study findings suggest. Abdominal fat is probably the most important factor associated with the syndrome, according to findings being published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.Back to the Top

Breast Cancer
Breast cancer will kill about 40,600 American women this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, after skin cancer.

Most studies of women have found that tall ones have an increased risk of breast cancer, that heavy ones have a higher risk of the disease after menopause, and that lean ones have a higher risk before menopause and a reduced risk after. The way a girl grows during adolescence and even in the womb may play an important role in her risk of breast cancer later in life, a study reported in New England Journal of Medicine suggests. The study of 117,000 women in Denmark found that those who were chubby at birth but tall and lean at 14 were more likely to develop the disease. Factors that influence initial development of breast tissue in the womb and how early a girl's breasts develop, as well as what a pregnant woman eats and drinks and her daughter's diet during childhood, appear to affect the risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer rates have been rising at the same time the world population has become taller over the past century.

Depressed Spouse
People who were depressed or anxious were less likely to be happy in marriage. Furthermore, a depressed spouse was more likely to have a spouse who was also unhappy in marriage. A spouse's anxiety did not appear to affect the other's marital satisfaction, according a report in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. A spouse's depression may affect the relationship more than anxiety because of the disruptive nature of depression, which can cause loss of appetite, insomnia and withdrawal. Back to the Top

Sexual Chemosignals
Breastfeeding women and their infants produce a substance that increases sexual desire among other women, according to research at the University of Chicago. The researchers found that after being exposed to the breastfeeding compounds for two months, women with regular partners experienced a 24 percent increase in sexual desire as reported on a standard psychological survey. Women without partners experienced a 17 percent increase in sexual fantasies after exposure for the period. The work on sexual desire is reported in the paper “Social Chemosignals from Breastfeeding Women Increase Sexual Motivation,” being published in the latest issue of Hormones and Behavior.

Mens Health
Father's Age
A team of British and Swedish researchers have shown that for each extra decade in a father’s age at the time of his child’s birth, the child is almost 50% more likely to suffer from schizophrenia later in life. The study of 700,000 people in Sweden suggests that over 15% of the schizophrenia cases in this group could be attributed to the patient having a father aged over 30 at birth. Having an older father is believed to increase a child’s schizophrenia risk, where there is no family history of the disease, because spontaneous mutations in the father’s DNA are more likely to occur in his sperm as he ages. These mutations can contribute to the overall risk of schizophrenia, as well as other diseases, in his children reports BMJ Online First (22 October, 2004).Back to the Top

Miscarriage Due to Drinking in Men
In a Danish study in American Journal of Epidemiology, October 1, 2004, alcohol drinking by men or women during the conception period increased the likelihood of a miscarriage. Studies in animals have suggested that high doses of alcohol given to males and females around the time of conception or early in the pregnancy increase fetal death, but the association has been less clear in humans. The reason for the association between drinking among males and spontaneous abortion is not fully understood. However, studies have shown that alcohol consumption is associated with chromosomal abnormalities in sperm cells, and many aborted fetuses are known to have chromosomal abnormalities. The concentration of alcohol in semen -- where its presence can be detected relatively quickly after it is ingested -- is similar to its concentration in the blood, the researchers note.

A group of investigators from Argentina found in Fertility and Sterility, August 2004 that men who both drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes were more likely to have a smaller amount of semen, a lower concentration of sperm, and a lower percentage of active sperm than abstainers.

Alcohol consumption may increase the risk for developing a certain type of irregular heart beat in men, known as atrial fibrillation, or atrial flutter, according to an article in the October 11 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine.

Beer bellies may take a toll on men below the belt, not just around it. Men who weigh too much are more likely to have poor sperm quality, research on nearly 1,600 young Danish men has found. Being too thin is a problem, too. The sperm study was done by doctors at various hospitals and universities in Denmark and published in the October issue of the reproductive society's journal, Fertility & Sterility.

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Miscellaneous
Diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes experience a decline in mental function and mood during episodes of hyperglycemia. During acute hyperglycemia, speed of information processing, working memory, and some areas of attention were impaired. Acute hyperglycemia also adversely affected mood, with reduced feelings of happiness and increased agitation, anxiety, lethargy, and tiredness. The deleterious effects of hyperglycemia on cognitive function and mood states may significantly interfere with many activities of daily living. These effects may in turn affect patients' ability to comply with strategies aimed at treating spikes in blood glucose that occur after meals, according to a report in Diabetes Care, October 2004.

Vascular dementia is a step-wise deterioration in intellectual powers that becomes apparent as different areas of the brain are damaged by a loss of blood supply. Elderly people with diabetes have an increased risk of dementia and vascular dementia. Diabetes increased the risk of dementia 1.5-fold, and vascular dementia by 2.6 times. However, diabetes mellitus in combination with severely increased systolic blood pressure (i.e., the top reading) significantly increased the risk of dementia (3.0-fold), Alzheimer's disease (2.6-fold), and vascular dementia (11.3-fold). Also, diabetes coupled with heart disease had a synergistic effect on vascular dementia risk, according to a report in Neurology, October 12, 2004.

People with diabetes mellitus have three to four times the risk of developing liver cancer, and more than twice the risk of developing pancreatic cancer than non-diabetic individuals, according to research presented at the Third Annual Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Meeting in Seattle.

Type 2 diabetes is a condition where the body responds poorly to the insulin that it produces, and has to make an excessive amount of insulin to overcome the poor response in order to maintain blood sugar control. At advanced stages, the body produces less and less insulin, until eventually insulin treatment is needed. Approximately 18 million Americans have diabetes -- 90 to 95 percent of these cases are type 2 diabetes. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is at epidemic proportions and many patients will eventually require insulin therapy to manage their disease. Previous studies have suggested that type 2 diabetes mellitus may be independently associated with increased colorectal cancer risk.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. A study published in the American Gastroenterological Association's journal Gastroenterology concludes that patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who require long-term insulin therapy are at a significantly increased risk for colorectal cancer. The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) and multiple government agencies and professional societies underscore the importance of colorectal cancer screening for all individuals 50 years of age and older.

Type 1 diabetics who have a sibling with diabetic kidney disease have twice the risk of also developing this complication, according to a new report, which appears in the journal Diabetes, is based on an analysis of data from 537 Finnish families in which two or more siblings had type 1 diabetes.

Insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cholesterol disorders, hypertension and inflammation are among the heart disease risk factors linked with obesity. In addition, severe obesity is associated with abnormal heart function and structure. Recognizing that obesity is a major risk factor for heart disease and diabetes, the American Heart Association has given cardiologists a recipe for helping obese patients lose weight, in a new scientific statement, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. The statement recommends diet, physical activity and behavior therapy for some people with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29.9. Behavioral strategies include: self-monitoring, goal setting, stress management and social support. Making life-long dietary and physical activity changes is key for successful weight management, so it's important that people select a healthy diet that they can follow for the rest of their lives.Back to the Top

Yoga to Fight Childhood Obesity
Estimates are that more than 15 percent of American children are very overweight or obese. Average 10-year-olds weighed about 11 pounds more in 1999-2002 than they did 40 years ago. So expect the next generation of adults to be even heavier than they are today.

The average man weighed 166.3 pounds in 1960-62. The average had reached 191 pounds by 1999-2002, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which issued a report on October 27. This is the first report to quantify America's expanding waistline based on how many extra pounds the average person is carrying.

Men's average height increased from 5 feet 8 inches in the early 1960s to 5 feet 9 1/2 inches in 1999-2002. The average height of a woman, meanwhile, went from just over 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 4 inches. The increases in height and weight are both fueled by the availability of more food, researchers say. To reach genetic potential for height, the human body needs a certain level of nourishment, and the report shows that Americans have overachieved it as opposed to the tiny people that lived together in caves and made stone tools to hunt primitive dwarf elephants and the large lizards called Komodo dragons in a remote Indonesian island, a lost world of steamy rain forests divided by mountains and an island backbone of volcanoes. There wasn't much to eat when the little hobbits were alive, and there isn't now. Experts said the discovery is the first evidence that human species stranded on a remote island with limited resources would get small in order to survive, a phenomenon common in other mammals but previously unknown in any primate. The shrinkage goes against the grain of human evolution, which has been characterized by ever larger and more complex brains. The tiny people existed at the same time as modern humans, though it is unclear if the two species had any contact. The researchers named the species Homo floresiensis for its only known residence, the isolated island of Flores between Bali and Timor. (See for more on little hobbits at http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0410280264oct28,1,6049965.story?coll=chi-news-hed).

Better nutrition or junk food has helped Americans grow taller and fatter. America is a whole lot fatter, while in Africa people are starving and dying. Although fat cannot be preserved in fossils, future archeaologists might find two distinct species of humans - one taller Homo americaiensis in America and the other shorter Homo africaiensis in Africa, then wonder if they ever had any contact and if they were different from Homo indiensis and Homo asiensis!

The average weight for a 10-year-old boy in America went from 74.2 pounds in 1963 to nearly 85 pounds by 2002. The average girl's weight went from 77.4 pounds to nearly 88 pounds. An average 15-year-old boy weighed 135.5 pounds in 1966, which rose to 150.3 pounds by 2002. The average teen girl's weight went from 124.2 pounds to 134.4 pounds. (Full report: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad347.pdf )

The Chicago Children's Museum recently held dance and yoga workshops designed to get families more active, and its work with the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) has inspired plans for a permanent fitness-oriented exhibit expected to open by 2006. Housed at Children's Memorial Hospital, CLOCC funds a variety of obesity-fighting projects and research throughout the city. It's also an information-sharing network that has amassed nearly 700 partners citywide, including doctors, schools, museums, industry and charity groups that reach tens of thousands of children. Under the consortium's influence, these groups have added an obesity-fighting focus to their programs.

Lifestyle factors that increase the risk of heart disease in adults begin to take hold in childhood, and possibly even before birth, according to two studies reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. The children of women who smoked during pregnancy had higher blood pressure compared to children of nonsmokers, and parents' weight also influenced blood pressure. Breast-feeding was associated with a lower blood pressure. Collectively, the findings suggest a need to start heart disease prevention efforts early in life, rather than after risk factors have become well established.

Schools should be more aggressive in teaching children about heart disease and the risks of bad diet and little exercise, the American Heart Association said. The call for bolder action in schools follows the Institute of Medicine's recommendations last month calling for a wide-ranging attack on childhood obesity by involving parents, schools, communities and the government.

Children, who have the most sedentary lifestyles appear to be at greatest risk of developing chronic fatigue syndrome, or myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), in later life, a British study shows. Children who were sedentary at the age of 10 were about twice as likely to develop CFS/ME, the authors report in the online edition of the British Medical Journal, and those who played more sport in their spare time had a lower risk.

Overweight women were twice as likely and obese women were more than three times as likely as women of normal weight to have large infants, the researchers note in the medical journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. This study indicates yet another reason why physicians should encourage women of childbearing age to maintain a normal weight.Back to the Top

Antidepressant Warning
Analyses of short-term (four to 16 weeks) placebo-controlled trials of nine antidepressant drugs (SSRIs and others) in children and adolescents with MDD, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), or other psychiatric disorders (a total of 24 trials involving over 4,400 patients) have revealed a greater risk of adverse events representing suicidal thinking or behavior (suicidality) during the first few months of treatment in those receiving antidepressants. The average risk of such events on drug was 4 percent, twice the placebo risk of 2 percent. Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration ordered included on all antidepressants: Antidepressants increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders.

Just One Puff
Cigarette smoking is known to cause lung cancer and is also linked to bladder, larynx and esophageal cancers, as well as heart disease. Just one puff of a cigarette could damage a smoker's DNA, the first step to cancer and heart disease, researchers said. It obviously takes more than that to cause disease, but the team at the University of Pittsburgh were surprised at how little smoke it took to do the initial damage.

Only 20000 Human Genes
Instead of the initial estimate of 100,000 genes, the number of human genes is only 20,000-25,000. Scientists working on the Human Genome Project, a publicly funded collaboration of scientists from 20 institutions in the United States, Europe and Asia, have reduced the number in Nature, October 21, 2004.

Religion for Peace
One in five students has sought personal counseling since entering college. About 77% of college juniors report feeling depressed frequently or occasionally during the past year. Only 61% of the students were depressed frequently or occasionally when they first started college. Those who participate in religious activities are less likely to feel overwhelmed during college. Religious involvement includes such activities as reading sacred texts, attending religious services and joining religious organizations on campus. A high degree of spirituality correlates with high self-esteem and feeling good about the way life is headed, according to a study. The study defines spirituality as desiring to integrate spirituality (integrate spirituality into one's life O) into one's life, believing that we are all spiritual beings, believing in the sacredness of life and having spiritual experiences. Being religious also could play a role in whether someone starts to drink alcohol while in college. Three-fourths of students who don't drink beer before attending college won't start in college if involved in religious activity, the study says, but only 46% of students will continue to abstain if not involved religiously. The research also finds that 77% of college students pray, 78% discuss religion with friends, and 76% are "searching for meaning and purpose in life." Strongly religious students tend to describe themselves as politically conservative, but they hold more liberal views on issues such as gun control and the death penalty, the research finds. But the study also finds that highly spiritual students are more prone to experiencing spiritual distress, or feeling unsettled about spiritual or religious matters, than students who aren't as spiritual. The project is paid for by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation and was released last week of October by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California-Los Angeles.

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Health and Nutrition

Issue 82