Chemicals and Cancer Risk

Updated government carcinogens report links two common chemicals with cancer risk.
On its website, ABC News (6/10, Murray) reported that HHS added "eight more substances to its 'known human carcinogen' or 'reasonably anticipated to be carcinogen' lists today, one week after a World Health Organization study concluded that cell phones may cause cancer."
The Los Angeles Times (6/10, Dennis) "Booster Shots" blog reported that formaldehyde "now officially falls into the 'known to be a human carcinogen' category," and styrene can now "officially be described as 'reasonably anticipated' to be cancer-causing," according to the Department of Health and Human Services' updated " Report on Carcinogens."
In a front-page story, the New York Times (6/13, A1, Harris, Subscription Publication) reports that the federal government on Friday issued warnings about the "two materials used daily by millions of Americans." The report by NIH's National Toxicology Program found evidence that styrene, which is used in "boats, bathtubs, and in disposable foam plastic cups and plates," may increase the risks of "cancer of the pancreas and esophagus," the report found. Consumers can be exposed to styrene from the "fumes of building materials, photocopiers and tobacco smoke." According to the AP (6/11), NIH says the greatest exposure to styrene is "through cigarette smoking."
The Time (6/10, Walsh) "Healthland" explained that the report found that "concerning amounts of formaldehyde could be encountered in plywood and particle boards, as well as in hair salons and in mortuaries," and the exposure is "most intense" among workers in "some manufacturing plants." With formaldehyde and styrene, the government also added captafol, cobalt-tungsten carbide, "certain inhalable glass wool fibers, o-nitrotoluene," and riddelliine to its twelfth report, bringing the total to 240 carcinogens. Notably, studies of mortuary workers "exposed to high levels of formaldehyde have shown increased incidences of certain kinds of rare nasal cancers."
The New York Daily News (6/10) noted that the report also linked formaldehyde to leukemia. The American Cancer Society "said consumers should not worry about cups or food containers, but should shelve personal products with formaldehyde."
The Washington Post (6/11, Stein) noted that most of the cancer risk evidence "came from people exposed to relatively high levels in industrial settings. 'A listing...does not by itself mean that a substance will cause cancer,'" said Dr. John Bucher, associate director of the National Toxicology Program. Moreover, Dr. Bucher said the updated listings "do not trigger any immediate new restrictions on the substances, but other government agencies may use the information in the future as part of their regulatory decisions." He said individuals can use the list to "make personal choices," noting that most people's "routine exposure to the newly listed substances was probably low."

Breast Cancer Advice

Oncologist: Advice for daughters of women with breast cancer is for all women.
The Wall Street Journal (6/13, Hobson, Subscription Publication) "Health Blog" reported that iCarly co-star Jennette McCurdy has been posting on the Journal's Speakeasy blog about her mother's struggle with advanced breast cancer. Thus, the "Health Blog" asked Dr. Marisa Weiss, a breast cancer oncologist, who survived breast cancer and founded breastcancer.org, how she would advise young women who may be concerned their mother's breast cancer increases their risk of developing the disease. The Journal quotes Weiss, who co-wrote "Taking Care of Your 'Girls': A Breast Health Guide for Girls, Teens and In-Betweens," with her own daughter, as saying that because most breast cancer cases are not hereditary, "all women and girls need to be mindful of how to reduce" breast cancer risk. Weiss' recommendations include maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, minimizing alcoholic drinks, and avoiding smoking.

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Alzheimers Risk Diet

Low-fat, low-glycemic diet may lower risk for Alzheimer's.
HealthDay (6/13, Gardner) reported, "The low-fat, low-glycemic diet often promoted for general health and well-being may lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease if adopted early in life," according to a study published online June 13 in the Archives of Neurology. For the study, "twenty healthy adults and 29 with mild memory problems that could be predictive of Alzheimer's followed either a high-fat, high simple-carbohydrate diet ('HIGH' diet) or a diet lower in fat and simple carbohydrates ('LOW' diet)."
"Healthy people who ate high-fat, high-glycemic-index diets for one month saw increases in spinal fluid levels of beta-amyloid, a fibrous protein that clogs the brains of people who have Alzheimer's disease," WebMD (6/13, Goodman) reported. "Eating a low-fat, low-glycemic-index diet, on the other hand, lowered levels of beta-amyloid in healthy adults and improved other markers of inflammation and damage in both groups." And, "for both groups, the low-fat, low-glycemic-index diet also improved delayed visual memory, which is the ability to remember and recognize complex patterns."

Weight Loss Surgery Risk Factors

Researchers provide top six weight-loss surgery risk factors.
The Los Angeles Times (6/15, Roan) "Booster Shots" blog reported that although weight-loss surgery is "safe and effective for most people," complications do occur. Researchers reported Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery that they had "devised a list of the top six risk factors." The factors include age, type of operation (gastric bypass or gastric band), surgical technique (open or minimally invasive surgery), patient gender, insurance type, and presence of type 2 diabetes.
Rush to discharge weight-loss surgery patients may raise risks. HealthDay (6/15, Preidt) reported that weight loss surgery "patients who are discharged from the hospital too soon after undergoing gastric bypass have an increased risk of complications and death," according to findings presented at the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery meeting. After analyzing data from "nearly 52,000 gastric bypass" patients, researchers found that those released from the hospital the "day of surgery were 12 times more likely to have serious complications (1.9 percent versus 0.16 percent) and 13 times more likely to die than patients who left the hospital after the US average of a two-day stay."

Abuse Proof Oxycodone

FDA approves abuse-resistant form of oxycodone.
The AP (6/20) reported, "Pfizer Inc. and Acura Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Monday the Food and Drug Administration approved a powerful painkiller that is designed to be harder to abuse." The agency "cleared marketing of Oxecta [oxycodone HCl tablets] as an immediate-release treatment for moderate to severe pain. The drug is designed to discourage common methods of abuse like crushing or dissolving, and it contains a compound that irritates the nose if it is snorted."

Foods and Weight Gain

Certain foods may lead to more weight gain than others.
ABC World News (6/22, story 7, 2:35, Sawyer) reported that "there's some specific food targets that may be the biggest culprits" behind weight gain, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The AP (6/23, Chang) reports that for the study, which received funding from the National Institutes of Health, physicians "analyzed changes in diet and lifestyle habits of 120,877 people from three long-running medical studies. All were health professionals and not obese at the start." Participants' "weight was measured every four years for up to two decades, and they detailed their diet on questionnaires."
USA Today (6/23, Hellmich) reports that participants "gained an average of 3.35 pounds over four-year periods and almost 17 pounds over the two decades."
The Washington Post (6/23, Stein) reports, "Among all the foods studied, potatoes stood out." The researchers "found that even mashed, baked or boiled potatoes were unexpectedly plumping, perhaps because of their effect on the hormone insulin."
CNN /Health.com (6/23, Harding) reports that "eating one serving of potato chips per day was associated with an extra 1.7 pounds every four years, while a daily serving of french fries was associated with an extra 3.4 pounds."
The Los Angeles Times (6/23, Hernandez) reports that the researchers also found that "for each additional sugary soft drink consumed per day, participants in the study gained an average of 1 pound over four years. Extra servings of red meats and processed meats did only slightly less damage." Meanwhile, "consuming an extra alcoholic drink translated into close to half a pound more on the scale every four years."
Bloomberg News (6/23, Ostrow) reports, however, that "yogurt helped people lose about 0.82 pounds, the study found." Meanwhile, "eating nuts...lowered weight by 0.57 pounds." The Wall Street Journal (6/23, Hobson, Subscription Publication) also covers the story.