Archive for March, 2013

Howard LeWine, M.D.

Distracted eating may add to weight gain

Howard LeWine, M.D., Chief Medical Editor
Internet Publishing, Harvard Health Publications
Dinner-setting-with-remote-control

If you are worried about your weight, paying more attention to what you eat, not less, could help keep you from overeating. Multitasking—like eating while watching television or working—and distracted or hurried eating can prompt you to eat more. Slowing down and savoring your food can help you control your intake. That’s the bottom line from a report published in the April issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It offers two key conclusions: 1) Being distracted or not paying attention to a meal tended to make people eat more at that meal. 2) Paying attention to a meal was linked to eating less later on. Mindful eating is a good solution. It can reduce daily calorie intake, help make healthier food choices, and add to the enjoyment of eating.

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Stephanie Watson

Chelation therapy offers small, if any, benefit for heart disease

Stephanie Watson, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
Human heart

Chelation therapy removes metals that have built up in the body. It is an FDA-approved way to treat mercury, lead, and other types of heavy-metal poisoning, as well as for iron overload (hemochromatosis) and some types of anemia. It has also been touted as an alternative therapy that can cure heart disease. Results from the 10-year, $31 million Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) show that it slightly reduced the risk of heart problems in heart attack survivors. Proponents of chelation therapy will say this proves what they’ve been preaching. But the editors of JAMA, which published the trial results say that the findings “should serve to dissuade responsible practitioners from providing or recommending chelation therapy for patients with coronary disease and should discourage patients with previous MI [heart attack] from seeking this therapy with the hope of preventing subsequent cardiovascular events.”

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Anthony Komaroff, M.D.

Many miss prediabetes wake-up call

Anthony Komaroff, M.D., Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Publications
Diabetes-sign

Type 2 diabetes doesn’t usually appear all of a sudden. Many people have a long, slow, invisible lead-in to it called prediabetes. During this period, blood sugar levels are higher than normal. However, they’re not high enough to cause symptoms or to be classified as diabetes. It’s still possible at this stage to prevent the slide into full-blown diabetes. Think of prediabetes as a wake-up call. Unfortunately, few people ever hear the alarm. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that among Americans age 20 and older, only 10% of those with prediabetes know they have it. Given that as many as 73 million Americans have prediabetes, that’s a lot of missed opportunities to prevent the ravages of diabetes. One reason many people don’t know that they may be headed toward diabetes is they’ve never had their blood sugar tested. This simple test isn’t part of routine preventive care, but perhaps it should be.

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Patrick J. Skerrett

Survival skills for all-you-can-eat buffets

Patrick J. Skerrett, Executive Editor, Harvard Health
Chinese restaurant buffet

All-you-can-eat buffets are a boon for hungry, thrift diners and a nightmare for dieters or those trying to maintain a healthy weight. If you are in the latter camp, here are two tips from Brian Wansink, the master of mindful eating: 1) Take a walk around the entire buffet to scope out your options before serving yourself. 2) Put your food on a small plate instead of a big one. Those come from observations of more than 300 men and women dining in two dozen all-you-can-eat Chinese restaurants. Understanding the many factors that influence what and how you eat can help you take more control of your eating habits. Who you eat with, how you are feeling, and activities like parties or shopping can influence when and how much you eat.

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Patrick J. Skerrett

Physical therapy works as well as surgery for some with torn knee cartilage

Patrick J. Skerrett, Executive Editor, Harvard Health
Knee physical therapy

Tiny shock absorbers in the knee (each one is called a meniscus) provide a key cushion between the thighbone and the shinbone. They are prone to tearing, and sometimes just wear out. A torn meniscus can cause pain or other symptoms, like a knee that locks. But sometimes they don’t cause any symptoms. In a youngish person, when a knee-wrenching activity like skiing, ultimate Frisbee, or slipping on the ice tears a meniscus, the damage is often repaired surgically. But a torn meniscus is often seen in the 9 million Americans with knee osteoarthritis, and for them the best course of action hasn’t been crystal clear. Results of the Meniscal Tear in Osteoarthritis Research (MeTeOR) trial published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine indicate that physical therapy may be just as good as surgery. Both therapies led to similar improvements in knee function and pain at six and 12 months.

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Patrick J. Skerrett

New concussion guidelines say “When in doubt, sit it out”

Patrick J. Skerrett, Executive Editor, Harvard Health
Bandaged brain

New guidelines for recognizing and managing sports-related concussions could help protect the brains of millions of athletes at all levels of play, from professional football to youth soccer. The guidelines, released today by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), replace a now-outdated set published in 1997. The guidelines step away from trying to “grade” concussions or diagnose them on the field or sidelines. Instead, they focus on immediately removing from play athletes who are suspected of having a concussion until they can be evaluated. “When in doubt, sit it out.” The AAN estimates that concussions cause between 1.6 million and 3.8 million mild brain injuries each year. Many athletes don’t get medical attention for these injuries, often because they or their coaches don’t recognize the warning signs or take them seriously. The new guidelines should help better identify athletes who have suffered concussions and improve how concussions are managed and treated.

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Patrick J. Skerrett

Distracted driving: We’re Number 1

Patrick J. Skerrett, Executive Editor, Harvard Health
Girl texting while driving

Americans drive while talking on a cellphone or texting more than their counterparts in seven European countries. A report published yesterday showed that 69% of American drivers surveyed said they had talked on a cellphone while driving at least once in the previous month (31% said they did it “regularly or fairly often”), and 31% said they had read or sent text messages while driving. The least distracted drivers were in the United Kingdom. Not surprisingly, younger drivers were more likely to have reported talking on a cellphone or texting while driving. The statistics on distracted driving are chilling: In 2011 (the last year with complete statistics), 3,331 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver, and nearly 400,000 were injured. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that distracted driving accounts for about one in five crashes in which someone was injured.

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Daniel Pendick

Can’t touch this: “Latex-free” labels are misleading

Daniel Pendick, Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch
Hands-in-latex-gloves

If you or a loved one has a latex allergy or sensitivity, think twice before reaching for a product that says “latex free” or “does not contain latex.” That’s the latest advice from the FDA, which says no existing tests can show that a product is completely free from latex. Labeling that suggests a product doesn’t contain the substance could cause trouble for individuals with a latex allergy or sensitivity. Natural latex is used to make a host of stretchy products, including adhesive bandages, condoms, gloves used in health care and dishwashing, balloons, rubber band, elastic used in waistbands and socks, baby bottle nipples, pillows, and more. This kind of latex contains proteins that set off some people’s immune systems, leading to an allergic reaction. The FDA’s warning highlights that products advertised as “latex-free” may not always live up to the claim. That’s because products that are made without latex can be contaminated with latex proteins during the manufacturing or packaging process.

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Patrick J. Skerrett

Take a nap to adjust to Daylight Saving Time

Patrick J. Skerrett, Executive Editor, Harvard Health
Woman napping on her laptop

It always takes me a few days to get used to Daylight Saving Time. While I love the extra hour of light at the end of the day, I’m not so wild about the extra hour of darkness in the morning or waking up an hour earlier than I need to. And I sure miss the hour of sleep I lost yesterday. That lost hour seems to be a big deal. A report in this month’s American Journal of Cardiology details the jump in heart attacks seen in a large Michigan hospital the first week after the start of Daylight Saving Time, and the small decline after it ends in the fall. A few years back, researchers showed a similar pattern in Sweden. The number of traffic accidents are similarly affected. In a Canadian study, there were more accidents on the Monday after the start of Daylight Saving Time than there were on the Monday the week before the change. If ever there was a perfect day for a nap, today would be it. A single nap won’t fully reset your body clock or make up for a lost hour of sleep, but it can help. It’s also a good way to stay sharp, especially in the afternoon.

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Heidi Godman

Your well-being: more than just a state of mind

Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Hawaiian waterfall

Americans are a diverse lot, so it’s no surprise they give different answers when asked about their well-being. But it seems that well-being differs from state to state, too. In the latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which gauges the physical and emotional health of people in all 50 states, residents of Hawaii reported the best sense of overall well-being while West Virginia residents reported the worst. The index calculates overall well-being based on six quality of life categories, each of which is made up of several components. Poll respondents in Hawaii had the highest scores in the emotional health and work environment indexes, and were most likely to say they were thriving. People in West Virginia were most likely to say they were not thriving, and had the worst emotional health, the worst health habits, the most diagnoses of depression, and high rates of obesity. People in the other 50 states fell in between. It’s possible to change both emotional and physical well-being, and improve happiness.

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