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Health and medicine in brief
Compiled from Times wires Cracks are appearing in the U.S. government's "food pyramid."Long a feature of doctor's offices and school cafeterias, the government recommendations for a balanced diet are coming under attack from nutritionists and activists who say the "one size fits all" chart doesn't reflect proper nutrition for the elderly, ethnic groups or vegetarians, and could be providing misleading information that is contributing to the obesity epidemic. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it is reviewing the pyramid as part of an update of the science behind the graphic, first issued in 1992. John Webster, director of the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, who is overseeing the review, says he's willing to consider alternatives if a better way of presenting the information can be found. But in spite of the criticism, he noted the pyramid is one of the most effective graphics the government has produced for its effect on public knowledge of nutrition. "Not a lot of people are aware it's backed up by a lot of science," Webster said. The Agriculture Department has been issuing nutrition guidelines since 1894, trying to provide an idea of what the government considers the components of a healthful and nutritious diet for every American older than 2. Earlier efforts involved telling Americans to pick foods from four major food groups, but in 1992 this was distilled into the food pyramid. Breastfeeding might not protect against allergiesBreastfeeding does not seem to protect children against allergies and asthma, says a study in Friday's issue of the British medical journal the Lancet that challenges one of many reasons why breast is better than bottle. The study, which followed about 1,000 New Zealand children from birth until they were 26, found that those who had been breast-fed were more likely to suffer years later from asthma and such common allergies as hayfever. "We're really turning the common wisdom on its head by saying that if you look long-term, it's not true" that breastfeeding guards against asthma and allergies, said Dr. Malcolm Sears of McMaster University in Ontario, the study's lead author. "The bottom line is: Don't stop breast-feeding; just understand there is something here we need to explore further," Sears said. Couples often share illnesses, study suggestsA British study of married couples gives new meaning to the pledge "in sickness and in health." After reviewing health records of more than 8,000 married couples, researchers found that those married to someone with asthma, depression or peptic ulcers were 70 percent more likely to have the illness than the partner of someone who did not have the illness. People with partners suffering from other conditions, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, also were more likely to suffer from the same condition, although the degree of risk wasn't quite as great. "These increased risks of disease within married couples supports the idea that shared environmental factors of the home, in addition to genetic and more distant exposures, contribute to development of diseases," said Dr. Julia Hippisley-Cox of the University of Nottingham and lead author of the report published Friday in the British Medical Journal. Also . . .LUNG CANCER STUDY PLANNED: The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is recruiting 1,000 smokers and former smokers for free lung cancer screenings as part of a nationwide study, the largest of its kind, to determine the best way to reduce deaths from the stealthlike and frequently fatal disease. Funded by the National Cancer Institute, the study of 50,000 smokers and former smokers in 30 cities aims to determine if chest X-rays or CT scans lead to reduced deaths from the disease, expected to kill more than 150,000 Americans this year.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
