Rabies scare on recent Delta flight, less sleep linked to obesity, those who smoke menthol cigarettes are more likely to experience higher number of strokes than non-menthol smokers. Those stories and more topping public health headlines today, Friday, April 13, 2012.
BBC – Shift workers ‘risking’ Type 2 diabetes and obesity
Shift workers getting too little sleep at the wrong time of day may be increasing their risk of diabetes and obesity, according to researchers. The team is calling for more measures to reduce the impact of shift working following the results of its study. Researchers controlled the lives of 21 people, including meal and bedtimes. The results, published in Science Translational Medicine, showed changes to normal sleep meant the body struggled to control sugar levels. Some participants even developed early symptoms of diabetes within weeks.
Hernando Today – Shaking the salt habit
Salt is cheap, easily available and very essential for the function of every single cell in the body. However, this sparkling white crystal sparked a lot of controversy in the medical field for many years. The final consensus, after a lot of medical and epidemiological studies, boils down to what my grandmother used to say – too much of a good thing may not be good.
USAToday – Birthrate for U.S. teens is lowest in history
Teen births are at their lowest level in almost 70 years, federal data report today. Birthrates for ages 15-19 in all racial and ethnic groups are lower than ever reported. “Young people are being more careful,” says Sarah Brown, CEO of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. She attributes the declines to less sex and increased use of contraception.
LATimes – Bat on a plane! What are the health risks to passengers?
Paging Samuel L. Jackson! No snakes this time, but authorities are grappling with the best way to handle bats on a plane. OK, just one bat. But still, it’s not the type of thing one expects to read about in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a bulletin produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CNN – The healthy flip side of being a sports fan
Brad Hampson, a 41-year-old pharmacist who lives in Chicago, is not the kind of sports fan who loses his temper when his team gets beaten. But the outcome of a game definitely can affect his mood. Watching the Nationals beat the Cubs on opening day at Wrigley Field was “heartbreaking” for Hampson, a lifelong Cubs fan. “I’m upset when they lose and happy when they win,” said Hampson, who has traveled to almost every current major ballpark in the United States. Hampson loves all sports, but says baseball is his favorite.
Baltimore Sun – Menthol smokers have more strokes: study
Among smokers, people who prefer mentholated cigarettes tend to have more strokes than non-menthol smokers – and this seems to be especially true for women and non-African Americans, according to a North American study. The author of the study said that while no cigarettes are good for the health, the findings – published in the Archives of Internal Medicine – suggest people should especially stay away from mentholated varieties.
