Super TB 'now endemic' in KZN

Johannesburg, South Africa
11 September 2006 11:42
Extreme drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) has become endemic in KwaZulu-Natal, the Mercury reported on Monday.

Dr Tony Moll, principal medical officer at the Church of Scotland hospital in Tugela Ferry, said doctors in his area had been identifying new XDR-TB patients every month since January last year.

"Since March we have identified 10 new patients. The situation seems to be simmering, it's a bad sign," he said.

"What's more worrying is that this has spread across the province and has become endemic to the province."

The outbreak in Tugela Ferry had killed 60 people since January 2005, including eight admitted to hospital with XDR-TB between March and August this year.

XDR-TB is a virulent form of TB which is resistant to the two drugs used to treat multi-drug resistant TB, and to which people with HIV/Aids are particularly susceptible.

Moll said 44 people out of the 53 who had died between January 2005 and March had been HIV-positive.

"It [the 60 people killed thus far] is a very big number, even one is a big number," he said.

"Between 2002 and 2004, 347 patients throughout the world were identified with XDR-TB, and for us in a small rural area to have 60 die is very significant." - Sapa

Source

Fresh Fruits, Veggies Can Trigger Allergy

SUNDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Does your mouth get itchy after you eat fresh fruits or vegetables at this time of year? You may have oral allergy syndrome, say experts at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).

OAS, also called pollen-food syndrome, is caused by allergens such as ragweed, which begins to bloom in mid-August.

"The pollen released from ragweed is the airborne allergen most responsible for the onslaught of allergy symptoms at this time of year. In addition to sneezing and itchy, water eyes, and symptoms of OAS, ragweed allergies can take a heavy toll on the allergy sufferer's quality of life," Dr. Suzanne S. Teuber, chair of the AAAAI's Adverse Reactions to Foods Committee, said in a prepared statement.

OAS symptoms are the result of a "cross-reactivity reaction" between allergy antibodies directed toward target pollen proteins with similar proteins found in other parts of plants. Common symptoms of OAS included an itchy mouth and throat with mild swelling immediately after eating fresh fruits or vegetables.

People with ragweed allergies can experience OAS symptoms when they consume bananas, cucumbers, melon, zucchini, sunflower seeds, chamomile tea or echinacea.

OAS can also occur in people with birch tree allergy symptoms when they eat peaches, apples, pears, cherries, carrots, hazelnuts, kiwis, and almonds, the AAAAI said.

Generally, cooking foods will eliminate an OAS reaction, according to the AAAAI.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about allergies.

Two and a Half Pounds This Week

Went to TOPS last night and I lost 2.5 pounds this week. I put it down, partly, to my hour plus long house cleaning session to Dirty Dancing. :) Continuing to pare down the girth . . a total of six inches off my waist since July.

Are sugar substitutes bad for you?

Busting the health myths surrounding artificial sweeteners

By Herb Weisbaum

MSNBC contributor

Millions of Americans are trying to cut back on sugar by using artificial sweeteners. Sales of these sugar substitutes are soaring, and yet, some people worry about using them.

I’ve heard a lot of talk about how the sweeteners aspartame and sucralose are really bad for you. Is this true?
-Amber W., Cincinnati, Ohio

No, it’s not true. Some people remain suspicious of all artificial sweeteners, even though extensive research has not found any significant health concerns.

Aspartame, sold under the brand names Equal and NutraSweet, is one of the most tested substances ever allowed in our food supply. It’s also approved for use in more than 100 other countries.

There’s no reason to believe any of the “warnings” flying around the Internet that claim aspartame causes Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, brain damage, or any other serious disease. And the latest research shows there’s no need to be concerned about cancer.

Last April, the National Cancer Institute released the results of a huge federal study involving more than a half million adults 50 to 69 years old. Based on that research, the Institute concluded there is “no evidence” any artificial sweetener on the market in the U.S. today is “related to cancer risk in humans.”

OK, so you don’t trust the government. Then consider this: The Center for Science in the Public Interest, the consumer group that has questioned the safety of aspartame for almost 30 years, praised this study, saying it “significantly allays concerns” about cancer.

“The bottom line is that aspartame is probably safe,” the center says on its Web site.

Products containing aspartame can be harmful to people with phenylketonuria or PKU, a rare genetic disease, so products with aspartame carry a PKU warning. For everyone else, there’s nothing to worry about.

Sucralose, sold under the brand name Splenda, is made from sugar that has been chemically engineered to pass through your body without being digested. That’s why it tastes like sugar but is calorie free.

Splenda is now the number one sugar substitute on the market, found in salad dressing, cereal and beverages, as well as those little yellow packets.
“Sucralose has been studied for a long time,” says Dr. John Swartzberg, head of the editorial board at the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, “and there is no evidence of any harm to human beings.”

Does sucralose (Splenda) show up on a diabetic’s blood test?
-Patrick B., Mason, Mich.

According to the American Diabetes Association, artificial sweeteners such as Saccharin (Sweet ‘N Low, Sugar Twin), Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal), Acesulfame K (Sweet One, Sunett), and Sucralose (Splenda) are “free foods” because they do not have any calories and do not raise blood glucose levels. “They do not count as a carbohydrate, a fat, or any other exchange,” the ADA says, so they can be “added to your meal plan instead of substituted.”

Why don’t you see more xylitol used as a sugar substitute? What makes it any different than sucralose? It’s supposed to be good for your teeth. Is it?
-K.N., Seattle.

Xylitol is a natural sweetener made from corn stalks in the U.S. and birch chips in Europe. Xylitol is used in sugarless gums, candies, ice cream, and many diabetic foods.

It’s low-calorie, not no-calorie. While sucralose is calorie-free, xylitol has about 2.4 calories per gram.

Here’s why you don’t find it in more foods. Eating too much xylitol in one day can cause intestinal problems, such as gas, bloating and diarrhea. Sucralose does not cause this GI distress.

You’re right; xylitol is good for your teeth. Studies have shown it can prevent new cavities and help slow or reverse the decay taking place in existing cavities.

How much xylitol do you need to get this beneficial effect? The American Dental Association says more testing needs to be done before a “daily dose” can be set. A study done by the University of Michigan in 1993 found that xylitol-sweetened gum had to be chewed “for at least five minutes, three to five times a day” to be effective.

I always wondered how much less caffeine there is in decaffeinated coffee than regular. -Joe Hoffman, Minneapolis, Minn.

An 8 ounce cup of brewed coffee has about 135 milligrams of caffeine. The same amount of brewed decaf has about 5 mg. There are ways to have real coffee and cut your caffeine intake. You’ll get about 95 mg of caffeine in 8 ounces of instant coffee. A 1 ounce shot of espresso only has 30 to 50 mg. So a single-shot latte has significantly less caffeine than a cup of regular drip coffee. For comparison, a 12 ounce Diet Coke has 47 mg of caffeine.

Health experts at the Mayo Clinic say moderate doses of caffeine (200 to 300 mg a day) are not harmful for most people. But more than 500 mg a day, they say, “can cause irritability, nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, headaches and diarrhea.”

We need you to settle an argument between spouses. How long can raw meat or poultry be stored in the freezer before deteriorating and possibly causing food poisoning vs. cooked meat or poultry stored in the freezer?
-Laura H., Berkeley, Calif.

Meat and poultry, whether raw or cooked, are safe in the freezer “indefinitely,” according to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline. The problem with keeping any food frozen too long is quality – it may develop freezer burn. It’s still safe to eat; it just might not look or taste as good. It can also develop an odor.

When it comes to safe storage in the refrigerator the clock is ticking, because refrigeration does not stop bacteria growth; it only slows it.
USDA food safety guidelines say to cook raw chicken within 1 to 2 days of purchase. Raw meat will keep fresh for 3 to 4 days. Cooked chicken or meat will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

© 2006 MSNBC Interactive

Body acceptance tied to healthy eating

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who accept their bodies, flaws and all, are more likely to eat healthily or intuitively, new research shows. This suggests that women's typical reasons for dieting -- dissatisfaction with their bodies -- may backfire.

"There is a lot of negative body talk among women; women think that they can best lose weight and feel better if they are first dissatisfied with their bodies," Dr. Tracy Tylka told Reuters Health. "Rather, this research shows that adopting a positive body image is more likely to be associated with intuitive eating."

Intuitive eaters don't diet -- they recognize and respond to internal hunger and fullness cues to regulate what and how much they eat, Tylka explained. Intuitive eating has three components: "unconditional permission to eat when hungry and whatever food is desired; eating for physical rather than emotional reasons; and reliance on internal hunger/fullness cues."

Tylka, an assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University's Marion campus has conducted several studies on the concept of intuitive eating. In one study published in April involving 199 college-aged women, Tylka found that women who followed intuitive eating principles had a slightly lower body weight than women who did not.

"Intuitive eating was negatively associated with body mass, such that people who ate intuitively weighed less than people who dieted," she said.

In her latest studies presented this month at the American Psychological Association meeting, Tylka and her colleagues examined who was most likely to follow intuitive eating principles.

They found, among nearly 600 college women, that those with higher levels of appreciation and acceptance for their body were more likely to be intuitive eaters.

Intuitive eaters spend less time thinking about how their body appears to others and more time considering how their body feels and functions, Tylka observed. They "perceive the body as an agent of action rather than an object of attraction...focusing on how the body functions rather than its appearance," Tylka told Reuters Health.

Intuitive eating, Tylka's found, is "positively associated with psychological well-being, such as self-esteem, positive emotions, adaptive coping, self-acceptance, optimism, and resilience in the face of stress."

Intuitive eaters also reported receiving more positive messages from parents and others regarding their bodies.

Original Article

Update

Still waiting to get some pics. But I have lost 6 inches off my waist over the last two months.

Study: Surroundings play key role in diet

By MALCOLM RITTER

NEW YORK - How many M&MS are enough? It depends on how big the candy scoop is. At least that's a key factor, says a study that offers new evidence that people take cues from their surroundings in deciding how much to eat.

It explains why, for example, people who used to be satisfied by a 12-ounce can of soda may now feel that a 20-ounce bottle is just right.

It's "unit bias," the tendency to think that a single unit of food — a bottle, a can, a plateful, or some more subtle measure — is the right amount to eat or drink, researchers propose.

"Whatever size a banana is, that's what you eat, a small banana or a big banana," says Andrew Geier of the University of Pennsylvania. And "whatever's served on your plate, it just seems locked in our heads: that's a meal."

The overall idea is hardly new to diet experts. They point to the supersizing of fast food and restaurant portions as one reason for the surge of obesity in recent decades. They sometimes suggest that dieters use smaller plates to reduce the amount of food that looks like a meal.

But in the June issue of the journal Psychological Science, Geier and colleagues dig into why people are so swayed by this unit idea when they decide how much to eat.

Geier, a Ph.D. candidate who works with people who are overweight or who have eating disorders, figures people learn how big an appropriate food unit is from their cultures. For example, yogurt containers in French supermarkets are a bit more than half the size of their American counterparts. Yet French shoppers don't make up the difference by eating more containers of the stuff, he noted.

He and the other researchers tried a series of experiments using environmental cues to manipulate people's ideas of how big a food unit is.

In one, they put a large bowl with a pound of M&Ms in the lobby of an upscale apartment building with a sign: "Eat Your Fill ... please use the spoon to serve yourself." The candy was left out through the day for 10 days, sometimes with a spoon that held a quarter-cup, and other times with a tablespoon.

Sure enough, people consistently took more M&Ms on days when the bigger scoop was provided, about two-thirds more on average than when the spoon was present.

In another experiment, a snacking area in an apartment building contained a bowl with either 80 small Tootsie Rolls or 20 big ones, four times as large. Over 10 working days, the bowl was filled with the same overall weight of candy each day. But people consistently removed more, by weight, when it was offered in the larger packages.

In those experiments, as well as a similar one with pretzels, "unit bias" wasn't the only thing that produced the differences in consumption levels, but it had an influence, Geier and colleagues concluded.

Brian Wansink, director of Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab and author of the forthcoming book "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think," called the new paper an impressive demonstration of the effect in a real-world setting. He has done similar work but didn't participate in Geier's research.

So can all this help dieters?

Some food companies are introducing products in 100-calorie packages, and Geier thinks that could help hold down a person's consumption. He also suspects companies could help by displaying the number of servings per container more prominently on their packaging.

As for what dieters can do on their own, Geier said one of his overweight patients offered a suggestion for restaurant visits: Request that the meal be split in two in the kitchen, with half on the plate and the other half packaged to take home.

In any case, an earlier experiment of Geier's shows that the unit bias effect has its limits.

He had one dining hall at his university provide 10-ounce glasses for soda, and a second provide 16-ounce glasses. He predicted that students at the first hall would drink less soda. In fact, they drank more.

Only later did he find out what went wrong.

"They were taking two glasses at a time," he said. "I guess I went below what is culturally construed as a unit of soda."

Still Getting Organized

Need to get some pictures taken and measurements, so I can get rolling on this. In the meantime, I have an article.

My Weight Loss Journal

Pictures coming soon. But I've lost 12 pounds without really trying, so now I'm going to try.