Healthwise 90    September 2007

Healthwise is a regular column written especially for laterlife.com members and visitors by Helen Franks, journalist and author. Welcome to healthwise 90.  

For previous articles in the healthwise series visit 'more healthwise'  

Age-related Macular Disorder

The leading cause of blindness and sight loss in the UK, Age-Related Macular Disorder affects over 25 million sufferers worldwide. The announcement that the NICE review will take another six months, serves to anger sufferers and associations such as the RNIB, who warned of the dangers of rationing new anti-VEGF drugs Macugen and Lucentis.

However, there are simple, preventative steps the public can take – predominantly in their day to day diet:

• Increasing Lutein consumption is key: 115 clinical studies nationwide reveal this natural pigment, unable to be produced in the body but found in native leafy greens such as spinach and broccoli, help prevent AMD and cataracts.

With over 50 year olds, and particularly women, there’s a need to educate on the benefits of a healthy diet, combined.

Tailored multivitamins, such as Centrum and Centrum Select 50+ which contain FloraGLO Lutein – a marigold flower extract identical to the Lutein found in dark green vegetables – are a positive step, as once absorbed by the body help the eye to absorb potentially harmful blue light, so reducing the risk of developing AMD.
Go to website: www.centrum.co.uk

Urine and blood samples reveal cancer-related link

Researchers from the Medical Research Council and University of Cambridge looking into the links between diet and cancer have developed a new way of objectively measuring sugar consumption. This is important in establishing the cause of the UK’s epidemic of obesity: lack of exercise or over-eating.

The team developed a new way of objectively measuring sugar consumption. Their findings about how much sugar overweight people consume are published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

Until now it had been very difficult to assess food intake, particularly sugar consumption, in large populations. Data from surveys seemed to show that as weight and body mass index increased, people underestimated their total food intake, including the amount of sugar they ate.

The team has developed a new urine test which allows them to work out how much sugar large numbers of people are eating for the first time. They measure the levels of urinary sucrose and fructose (two types of sugar) in spot urine samples.

Using data from hundreds of volunteers from the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC) study, researchers have combined information from diet self-reporting with data from the urine and blood samples. They found that obese people underestimated the amount of sugar they consumed, while overestimating the amount of vitamin C they took in each day.

The 20% of people tested who consumed the least sugar ate about 76g per day but the 20% who ate the most took in an average 207g, nearly three times as much.
 

Latest survival rates for heart surgery

Heart units in England and Wales have signed up to the most rigorous and
transparent regime ever for testing their performance. And their performance, in terms of survival rates, is within the range expected.

Last year, heart surgeons joined forces with the healthcare watchdog, the
Healthcare Commission, to make survival rates from surgery available
through a public website.

In the past 12 months the site has become increasingly well-regarded,
receiving thousands of visitors each month and allowing patients to make
more informed decisions about their treatment.

Survival rates for heart surgery in 2005/06 have now been collated and the
site updated. Some of the data have also been adjusted according to a new
UK model for calculating expected survival rates.

Last year, the EuroSCORE model was used. This is an internationally
recognised system that calculates expected survival rates for heart
surgery, taking into account factors such as a patient's age and the
severity of his or her illness. This process is called 'risk-adjustment'.

Further information on the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons is
available at: www.scts.org

Older drinkers

The Government is targeting older drinkers at home, who may not know what’s good for them.

Among this group are those who do not realize that they are drinking over the limit and may well end up with cirrhosis of the liver.

The strategy comes following the British Medical Association’s warning that alcoholic disorders are prominent among pregnant women.
 

Of mice and men and women too

Mice may bring hope to Alzheimer sufferers and promote new nerves, enhancing memory, says the City University in New York.

Experiments on mice were used to discover whether transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a standard tool for stimulating the brain, would be productive. Rapidly changing magnetic fields induce weak electric signals in brain neurons.

The technique is used for depression, Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia.
 

If in any doubt about any of the information covered in healthwise articles and it's relevance for you, consult your GP.

IN THE PREVIOUS EDITION

Omega-3 for heart attack victims

omega-3 fatty acids are an effective method for lowering triglycerides in patients with statins, without increasing the risk of adverse side-effects.

Music lovers face hearing loss timebomb

Many clubbers, gig-goers and people who go to bars experience the symptoms of hearing damage after their night out.

How much exercise do you need?

It’s far less than we’ve been told by government health agencies..

Fly for four hours or more and you double your risk

People who fly long-haul on flights that last more than four hours double their risk of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) or pulmonary embolism, a World Health Organization study has revealed. 

Dark chocolate can ward off hypertension

Even just one square a day can reduce blood pressure, researchers have discovered.

New drug for diabetes

A malaria drug could be effective as a drug for diabetes..

The complete family health guide

Essential medical reference that's a must for every home. Published in association with the BMA, it includes comprehensive coverage of every important aspect of health and medicine, as well as user-friendly charts for at-a-glance information and easy reference. Also lists the best medical websites...

Maximise your memory

This work provides detailed instructions, illustrations and sample exercises that show the reader how to build a system of personalized frameworks for storing and recalling information on demand.