Children's Exposure to Lead and More Health Topics

[Guest guest]

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC000/20722/20722.html'>http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC000/20722/20722.html

Home Page

========================

THIS WEEK IN HEALTH NEWS

========================

This Week In Health - May 19, 2000

----------------------------------------------------------------

Our weekly roundup of the latest developments in the world of

health. The links between lead and juvenile delinquency, eating

fish and depression, and salt and blood pressure are in the news

this week. The week also brings good news for people who want to

free themselves of two common addictions: cigarettes and alcohol.

Stay well.

This Issue:

Lead Exposure And Kids' Behavior

Fish And Depression

Pass On Salt

Laughing Gas For Smokers

A Drug For Alcoholics

In The News:

Lead Exposure And Kids' Behavior

Could lead be the culprit in some kids' behavior problems? Studies

presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics/Pediatric Academic Societies

meeting this week found that many more children may be exposed to dangerous

levels of lead than previously believed, and that high blood lead levels may

be linked to 11 to 37 percent of delinquent behavior. Researchers from the

University of Pittsburgh looked at 417 youths and found significantly higher

levels of lead among those convicted of delinquency compared with those with

no convictions. The researchers found that boys who were convicted

juveniles were almost twice as likely to have high bone lead levels as the

other

boys studied. Among girls, the risk of delinquency in those with high lead

levels was even higher, partly because the statistical sample of female

juvenile offenders was small. High levels of lead can interfere with

development of the central nervous system. The U.S. government considers 10

micrograms per deciliter to be an acceptable blood lead level, The

Associated Press reports. However, a second study presented at the

conference looked at national data on 4,853 children ages 6 to 16 from 1988

through 1994. The researchers compared the children's blood lead levels and

their scores on reading and math tests. They found cognitive impairment in

kids whose blood lead levels were as low as 2.5 micrograms per deciliter.

For every increase of 1 microgram of lead per deciliter, the children showed

an estimated drop of 1 point in reading scores and a drop of slightly less

than a point on math tests, the researchers say. They say their findings

suggest that the federal standards for acceptable lead levels are too high.

Researchers involved in both of the studies say more needs to be done to

prevent lead

exposure.

For more on children's health, go to:

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC000/20722/20722.html'>http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC000/20722/20722.html

Fish And Depression

Eating fish may banish the blues. A Finnish study finds that people who eat

at least one serving of

fish per week have a lower risk of depression than people who eat it less

often. The researchers looked at 3,204 people from four parts of Finland.

The participants completed a standard questionnaire to measure symptoms of

depression. They also were asked how often they ate fish. Some 30 percent

of the participants said they ate fish less than once a week. Of this

group, 28 percent reported symptoms indicating mild to severe depression.

When the researchers broke down the results by sex

of the participants, they found that 34 percent of the women who were

infrequent fish eaters showed signs of depression, compared with 27 percent

of the women who ate fish more often. Among men, those figures were 30

percent versus 28.5 percent. After other factors such as age and smoking

were taken into account, the researchers found an overall difference of 31

percent in

depression rates between the frequent and infrequent fish-eating groups, The

Associated Press reports. The fish/depression link may be because of the

presence of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in fish, the

researchers say, although they add that there is not yet enough evidence to

recommend either fish or PUFA supplements as a way of preventing depression.

The study,

presented at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting, was

statistically significant only for women, but the researchers say the

findings suggest the results hold true for men, too.

For more on depression, go to:

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC000/8271/8596.html

Pass On Salt

A low-sodium diet may not just be for heart patients anymore. A study by

the National Institutes of Health finds that

even healthy people can benefit from cutting back on salt. NIH researchers

looked at 412 people, 41 percent of whom had high

blood pressure, at five leading medical institutions throughout the United

States. The participants were divided into two

groups, both of which went on a low-salt diet for 14 weeks, The Associated

Press reports. Although both diets contained the same

amount of salt, one group's diet was high in fruits and vegetables while the

other's included meats and high-fat sweets.

At the end of the 14-week period, people in both groups saw a reduction in

both their systolic and diastolic pressures (the top

and bottom numbers, respectively, in a blood pressure reading). Those who

followed the high fruit and vegetable low-salt diet had

a reduction of 8.9 points in systolic pressure and 4.5 points in diastolic

pressure, while those who followed the fattier low-salt

diet saw an average drop of 6.7 points in systolic pressure and 3.5 points

in diastolic pressure. The NIH says the study shows

that cutting salt intake by half can benefit everyone, particularly those at

risk for hypertension. The results were

presented at the American Society of Hypertension annual meeting in New York

this week.

For more on hypertension, go to:

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC000/9105/8315.html

For more on a heart-healthy diet, go to:

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC000/8059/8053.html

Laughing Gas For Smokers

A puff of laughing gas may help smokers quit puffing on cigarettes. That's

the finding of a study presented at this week's annual meeting of the

American Psychiatric Association. Researchers from the Weill

Cornell Medical College of New York Presbyterian Hospital looked at seven

smokers. The smokers were given one session of

treatment that involved breathing nitrous oxide. On the day of the session,

the participants were asked not to smoke beforehand

so that they could feel their nicotine craving, The Associated Press

reports. They inhaled nitrous oxide and oxygen for up to

20 minutes or until their nicotine craving was gone. The participants kept

a diary of their smoking for the next three

days, and at the end of the three days they provided a urine sample that was

tested to see if they had smoked during that

time. The researchers found that overall, the smokers showed an 81 percent

decrease in the number of cigarettes they smoked.

Five of the smokers were able to quit altogether during the three days, and

four were still tobacco free a month later, the AP

says. The researchers hope to do a larger-scale study comparing the nitrous

gas and a placebo as a means of reducing nicotine

dependence. They say nitrous oxide should only be a first step in treatment

and that a longer-term strategy would have to

follow.

For more on how to quit smoking, go to:

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH?t=22017

A Drug For Alcoholics

There's new hope for alcoholics who want to quit drinking. A report

presented at the American

Psychiatric Association annual meeting this week says acamprosate, a drug

already sold in Europe, South America and

Asia, has shown promise in a new U.S. study. The drug works best for

alcoholics whose goal is to abstain from drinking altogether,

The Associated Press reports. The six-month study involved 601 alcoholics

at 21 medical centers throughout the United States.

Of these, 241 people (41 percent) had the goal of complete abstinence from

alcohol. The subjects took either acamprosate

(in either a 2- or 3-gram dose) or a placebo twice a day, beginning two to

10 days after their last round of heavy

drinking, the AP says. They also got nonpharmaceutical help for their

addiction in the form of psychological treatment and

education. Overall, the subjects taking either dose of acamprosate had cut

their weekly drinking by 40 percent by the

end of the study, while subjects taking the placebo cut their weekly

drinking by 36 percent. However, when researchers looked

just at the subjects whose goal was abstinence, those who were taking 2

grams of acamprosate avoided alcohol on 70 percent of

the days they were taking it and those taking 3 grams avoided drinking on 73

percent of the days they were studied. Those

taking the placebo abstained on 58 percent of the days they were studied.

The researchers emphasize that acamprosate is not a

" magic bullet " to cure alcoholism; it requires an effort toward abstinence

by those who take it. The drug is manufactured by the

French company Lipha S.A.

For more on alcoholism, go to: http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH?t=9422