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Thursday, November 5, 2015
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Sleep Patterns May Affect a Woman’s Diabetes Risk
Study says adding 2 or more hours of shuteye each night might be a warning sign.
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Women who experience a big increase in hours of sleep each night may face an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, new research suggests.
The study found that women who added more than two hours of shuteye a night showed a 15 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The researchers also suggested that women who regularly slept six hours or less a night might have higher odds of developing type 2 diabetes. But after adjusting the data for other factors such as obesity, this link was not considered statistically significant, the researchers said.
Women who were chronically short on sleep who then tried to catch up were the ones who fared the worst in the study. In fact, the researchers found that short sleepers who added two hours of sleep a night actually increased their odds of diabetes by 21 percent.
“Increasing sleep duration after previous years of short sleep may not be a panacea,” said study author Elizabeth Cespedes, a research postdoctoral fellow at Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in California.
It’s important to note, however, that this research doesn’t confirm a cause-and-effect connection between type 2 diabetes and the amount of sleep women get a night. Although the study found an association between these factors, it isn’t clear whether changes in sleep patterns contribute to diabetes or vice versa, the researchers said.
Cespedes said previous research has shown that people who sleep too little — or too much — and eat poorly and exercise less are more likely to develop obesity and type 2 diabetes. But there’s been little research into the role of long-term changes in sleep patterns. What happens when people begin to sleep more or less over time, the researchers wondered.
To see if they could answer that question, the researchers tracked almost 60,000 American women. The women were nurses between the ages of 55 and 83. The researchers looked for changes in sleep patterns from 1986 to 2000. Then they looked for any connections between sleep changes and cases of type 2 diabetes diagnosed between 2000 and 2012. Just over 3,500 women were diagnosed with diabetes in that time period.
After the researchers adjusted their statistics to account for changes in factors such as obesity, they found the only statistically significant relationship was in those who added 2 or more hours of sleep each night. Women whose sleep time grew by 2 or more hours had 15 percent greater odds of developing type 2 diabetes, the study concluded.
It’s possible that simply having diabetes disrupts sleep, though Cespedes said that’s probably not a major factor for this group of women because there wasn’t a lot of undiagnosed diabetes in this group.
“Some scientists argue that long sleep is a symptom of underlying sleep disorders, depression or ill health,” Cespedes said, “and that it is these factors, and not long sleep, that increase the risk of diabetes.” But, the researchers tried to account for those factors and still saw “a relationship between large increases in sleep duration and increased risk of diabetes,” she said.
For now, it’s not clear whether changing sleep patterns — sleeping more or less — could prevent diabetes, she said. However, she added, several studies in children and adults are seeking to answer this question.
What about men? Some research has suggested that extremes in sleep affect men and women differently, Cespedes said. But research similar to this study included men and found similar results, she said.
Jane Ferrie, a senior research fellow at the University of Bristol in England, who’s worked on similar research, praised the study and said it’s “the best evidence we have to date” on this topic. She speculated that short sleep may disrupt the way the body processes blood sugar. It’s also possible that people who sleep longer may have undiagnosed sleep apnea. (The study only included sleep apnea diagnosed by a doctor.)
For now, Ferrie said, “women whose sleep duration changes by two or more hours per night should mention this to their doctor.”
The study appeared Nov. 2 in the journal Diabetologia.
More information
For more about diabetes and sleep, try the Joslin Diabetes Center 
SOURCES: Elizabeth Cespedes, Sc.D., research postdoctoral fellow, Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, Calif., and former graduate student, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston; Jane Ferrie, Ph.D., MSc, senior research fellow, University of Bristol, U.K.; Nov. 2, 2015, Diabetologia
Copyright © 2015 HealthDay
If you are looking generl physician in The Woodland, TX, contact Fadi Ghanem MD
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Weight Gain a Challenge for Children With Autism: Study
Preschoolers, teens on the spectrum are more likely than peers to be overweight, obese.
TUESDAY, Nov. 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Children with autism may have a greater risk of obesity, with weight differences seen as early as preschool, a new study reveals.
“A lot of things are happening for these families when their children are under 5, including going through the process of getting a diagnosis and just managing day-to-day behaviors and juggling their child’s education and treatment needs,” said study author Alison Presmanes Hill.
“It is possible that the early signs and symptoms of autism are so salient for parents that they could overshadow concerns about weight problems,” explained Hill, who is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Institute on Development and Disability at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.
Hill’s team found that preschoolers and teens with autism were a little more likely than their peers without the developmental disorder to be overweight or obese.
The findings were published in the Nov. 2 online edition of the journal Pediatrics.
For the study, the researchers weighed and measured more than 5,000 children, aged 2 to 17, who had an autism spectrum disorder. Each child’s body mass index (BMI) was compared to the expected range for their age and sex. BMI is a ratio of weight to height.
Kids with a BMI at or above the 95th percentile were considered obese, while those at or above the 85th percentile were deemed overweight. Overall, 34 percent of the kids with autism were overweight compared to 32 percent in the general population, and 18 percent of the kids with autism were obese versus 17 percent in the general population.
Differences were more striking in the preschool and teen years. Compared to others their age, 2- to 5-year-olds who had autism were more likely to be obese — 16 percent versus 10 percent. And teens with autism also had a higher risk of obesity than their peers — 26 percent versus 20 percent, the study found.
The researchers also collected information on the children’s behavior, mental abilities, medications and other medical conditions. As scores on scales of sleep problems and behavioral difficulties went up, the study authors found the risk of obesity went up, too.
“The most striking feature of this study is that differences in unhealthy weight status between typically developing children and children with autism spectrum disorder are apparent as early as preschool age,” said Dr. Sonia Monteiro, a developmental pediatrician at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. Contributing risk factors may include selective eating, decreased engagement in physical activity and use of medications that can lead to weight gain, she said.
Hill pointed out that one possible reason for lower levels of physical activity in younger children is that preschoolers with autism may participate less often in social activities, which at that age often involve energetic play.
The findings didn’t surprise Dr. Glen Elliott, chief psychiatrist and medical director of Children’s Health Council in Palo Alto, Calif.
“I believe the observation that children and adolescents with (and without) autism have an alarming rate of obesity is well established,” Elliott said. “What remains less clear is what, exactly, one can do about weight problems.”
It is already difficult to address obesity in children without developmental disabilities, so suggesting calorie restrictions for children with autism will often be unhelpful, he said.
“Some parents find that it is easier to introduce regular exercise into the lives of their autistic children because routines such as daily walks or bike rides tend to be self-sustaining once established,” Elliott said. But that may not be enough when some medications, such as atypical antipsychotics, increase weight and promote fat cell growth in the abdominal area.
“If the culprit is medication, how does one balance benefits with risk?” Elliott said.
Parents can also try to reduce the amount of time children with autism spend with media, such as TV, said Jack Dempsey, a pediatric psychologist at Texas Children’s Hospital’s Autism Center in Houston.
“To reduce their child’s risk for obesity, parents should try to set limits regarding consumption of calorie-dense foods and the amount of screen time from an early age,” Dempsey said. He also recommended incorporating physical activity into children’s daily routine as a family.
“Parents should keep in mind that these strategies are challenging to implement in children with autism spectrum disorders and not be discouraged by setbacks,” Dempsey added.
Also important, Hill added, is that parents do not ignore a child’s weight even while they are working to address a child’s other challenges.
“We hope that our findings encourage health care providers to start thinking about and proactively addressing weight issues early, so that they don’t end up on the back burner,” Hill said.
More information
For more about autism, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SOURCES: Alison Presmanes Hill, Ph.D., assistant professor, pediatrics, Center for Spoken Language Understanding, Institute on Development and Disability, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Ore.; Sonia Monteiro, M.D., Meyer Center for Developmental Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston; Glen Elliott, Ph.D., M.D., chief psychiatrist and medical director, Children’s Health Council, Palo Alto, Calif.; Jack Dempsey, Ph.D., Autism Center, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston; December 2015, Pediatrics
Copyright © 2015 HealthDay
Contact Fadi Ghanem MD family doctor in the Woodlands, TX, delivering primary care services.
Prepare Yourself for Cold, Flu Season
Doctor offers tips on avoiding infection, battling illness if it strikes
THURSDAY, Oct. 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Cold and flu season has arrived, but there are a number of things you can do to protect yourself from infection, an expert says.
“People over the age of 65 should get a high-dose flu shot. People under the age of 65 should get a regular flu shot. People who are under 65 and allergic to eggs should get nasal flu spray,” Dr. Howard Selinger, chair of family medicine in the School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, said in a university news release. “Flu shots are safe, last for a year and are covered by insurance.”
People with chronic illnesses require even more protection, Selinger said.
“People over 65 with any type of chronic illness, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease, should get two pneumonia vaccines: Pneumovax and Prevnar. These vaccinations are given separately and protect from 36 strains of pneumococcal pneumonia. After getting vaccinated, patients should be sure to continue treating underlying conditions,” Selinger said.
Other ways to protect yourself from cold and flu viruses include regular hand washing and getting enough sleep.
If you do get a cold or the flu, don’t go to work or school until your symptoms improve, Selinger said. Stay hydrated by drinking lots of liquids; take fever medicines such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen and decongestants; use cool mist vaporizers; and keep your head elevated.
Antibiotics are not effective against cold and flu viruses, Selinger explained.
“Treating these conditions with antibiotics can be tempting, but antibiotics are for bacterial infections and their overuse for viruses can lead to antibiotic resistance for individuals and society,” Selinger said.
“People who are otherwise healthy should wait five to seven days before visiting their physician to investigate the possibility that they are suffering from a bacterial infection that will respond to antibiotics rather than a virus that will not respond. If you go to your doctor and are offered antibiotics, ask why,” he advised.
This content was originally posted on healthfinder.gov. Click Here
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