US Pharm. 2007;32(3):123.
Black Tea More Beneficial Without Milk
Black tea has been cited in many research studies to have positive
cardiovascular qualities due to its antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and
vasodilatory effects. Now, a group of German researchers claim that adding
milk--even skim milk--may mitigate any cardiovascular benefit of black tea.The
study was published online in the European Heart Journal.
Researchers investigated the tea-drinking habits of 16 postmenopausal women.
They discovered that those who drank about two cups of black tea without milk
had a greater than four-fold increase in vasodilation from baseline in the
forearm brachial artery. However, those who drank a mix of 90% black tea with
10% skim milk had no more of an increase in vasodilation than if they had
consumed two cups of hot water.
"The most striking finding of our
study is that addition of milk to black tea completely prevents the biological
activity of tea in terms of improvement of endothelial function," reported
lead investigator Verena Stangl, MD, of the Charité-Universitätsmediz in
Berlin.
A Positive Side to Being Heavy?
Although overweight patients are
constantly being reminded by health care professionals of the adverse medical
effects of their obesity, a recent study published in the American Heart
Journal discussed a benefit of obesity as it relates to survival rates of
patients with heart failure (HF). Prior studies on chronic systolic heart
failure have talked about an "obesity paradox" that demonstrate an inverse
relationship between body mass index (BMI) and mortality. According to
researcher Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, and his colleagues from the University of
California, Los Angeles, every five-unit increase in BMI reduces the
likelihood of in-hospital death by 10% in patients with HF.
Dr. Fonarow said the reason for the unlikely
effect of extra pounds on HF is unclear. He cautioned that the results should
not be taken as an excuse by overweight patients not to lose weight.
"Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight are particularly important given
the epidemic of obesity and the strong epidemiologic evidence that obesity is
an independent predictor for developing HF, other cardiovascular diseases, and
diabetes in general," said Dr. Fonarow.
The investigators concluded that further
research was needed to clarify the mechanisms behind the "obesity paradox" and
to determine whether better nutrition might help leaner patients with acute HF.
Work Can Actually Give You a Headache
An online survey of
more than 1,400 working adults, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of
the Institute of Health Productivity Management and GlaxoSmithKline, uncovered
that more than one-third have at least one bad headache per month. And among
that group, about half reported their headaches impaired their productivity.
The survey also revealed that despite this, fewer than one in five frequent
sufferers sought medical attention for their condition.
Frequent bad headaches were
defined as a bad headache occurring at least once a month. Of those who fell
into this category, nearly 90% said they developed a bad headache. Of this
group, one-third had to leave work early or have rested in their office and
more than 25% called in sick because of their headache.
Living Near Busy Highways
Unhealthy for Children
Living near busy
highways may not only be a safety issue for young children but may also
stunt the growth of their lungs, according to results of the Children's Health
Study, which were recently published in the Lancet.
W. James Gauderman, PhD, of
the University of Southern California, and his colleagues reported that
children ages 10 to 18 who were exposed to freeway traffic pollution while
their lungs were still developing had eight-year lung growth that was
significantly stunted. In fact, the researchers discovered that lung growth
was slowed in children who lived about a third of a mile from a freeway,
compared to those who lived about a mile away. The study also revealed that
local exposure to freeway traffic had adverse effects on a child's lung
development independent of regional air quality.
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