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Health24.com | Everything you should know before trying a plant-based diet

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Plant-based diets have been around forever, but the term is gaining serious traction in 2019. Between #plantbased sweet potato nachos piled with colourful veggies taking over Instagram and Beyoncé offering up free concert tickets to fans who adopt more plant-focused habits, there’s never been a more popular time to move toward plant-based eating.

Plant-based isn’t the same as vegan

Obviously, a plant-based diet means prioritising plant foods. But there’s plenty of nuance (and individual flexibility) when it comes to plant-based eating.

“A plant-based diet means eating primarily whole plant foods rich in vitamins, minerals, fibre, antioxidants, and healthy fats,” says Alexis Joseph, a registered dietitian, who writes the popular Hummusapien blog. In other words, the majority of your diet comes from minimally processed fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

Veganism is one form of a plant-based diet, but it isn’t the only one. While a vegan diet cuts out all animal products, a plant-based diet isn’t so restrictive. (On the flipside, not all vegan foods are inherently plant-based: an egg-free brownie may be vegan, but if it’s packed with processed ingredients, it’s not quite a plant-based treat.)

“I consider myself plant-based because most of the foods I eat are plant-based,” says Joseph. “That said, I also eat yogurt, cheese, eggs, and fish when I feel like it, and that’s okay!”

“Think about plant-based eating as a template that encourages more plant foods, instead of as a restrictive diet that makes things off-limits,” says Dr David Levitsky, professor of nutrition and psychology at Cornell University.

For many people, this can be a healthier approach. “I used to feel like a fraud when I craved foods that weren’t vegan, and looking back, that was disordered behaviour,” says Joseph. “I now honour my cravings and fuel myself accordingly, and that looks different every day.”

Read more: “I decided to go vegan – This is what it’s really like”

People choose to eat plant-based foods for a number of reasons

First of all, there are plenty of health benefits. “A plant-based diet is centred around vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, seeds, and pulses,” says Amy Gorin, registered dietitian and owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in the New York City area. Basically, all foods filled with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fibre.

Joseph echoes this sentiment. “Plant foods are packed with fibre and phytonutrients that support immunity, combat inflammation, and feed the healthy bacteria in your gut,” she says.

Swapping plant protein for animal protein has benefits, too. “Regularly consuming foods high in plant protein versus animal protein can help prevent and reverse a slew of chronic conditions, including diabetes and heart disease,” says Joseph, who adds that the nutrients in plants help support healthy cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.

Another major reason people choose a plant-based eating style? Cutting back on animal products has significant environmental benefits. ”Eating more plant foods reduces your carbon footprint since livestock production is responsible for a good portion of global greenhouse gas emissions,” says Joseph. Plus, “twenty servings of vegetables have fewer greenhouse emissions than one serving of meat, with beef and lamb having the highest emissions,” she says.

Others opt for a plant-based diet to help with weight loss, which could work for you if you keep your calories in check. Plant foods are high in filling fibre and low in calorie-dense saturated fats. But as Levitsky points out, the only way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories than you burn, often referred to as a calorie deficit.

Read more: The 4 best vegan foods to eat if you’re trying to tone up

Yes, it’s possible to get enough nutrients from plants

One common criticism of primarily plant-based diets is that it’s tough to get adequate nutrients – especially protein and omega-3s. Well, it’s totally doable. “You may just need to think outside of the box at times,” says Gorin.

To maximise your protein, she recommends adding nutritional yeast to pasta in place of grated cheese, blending white beans or chickpeas into smoothies, and eating nuts and nut butters on their own or in various sweet and savoury recipes. A wide scope is important here since plants contain incomplete proteins (while animal products contain complete proteins). Eating plant-based protein from several different sources will help ensure you’re getting all the amino acids you need to support healthy body functions.

Joseph says not to stress too much about getting enough protein, though. “It’s important to note that protein isn’t just found in meat,” she says.

“A whole food, plant based-diet that’s well balanced with beans, legumes, whole grains, fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds can easily provide your recommended daily allowance of nutrients like calcium and protein.”

Just be sure you’re eating plenty of these whole foods, as opposed to relying on processed foods for your calories.

Eat a wide mix

Another thing to keep in mind if you’re eating a plant-based diet? Iron. “Your body absorbs haeme iron, the type of iron found in animal products, more easily than it does plant-based iron like the iron found in spinach and tomato,” says Gorin. To aid the absorption of plant-based iron, she suggests pairing it with a source of vitamin C. Example: “Squeeze some lemon juice onto a green spinach salad.”

Eating a wide mix of plant-based foods is another simple way to help make sure you’re getting the nutrients you need. “Deficiencies rarely occur when you eat a variety of plants,” says Levitsky.

Gorin adds that taking supplements can be helpful on a plant-based diet.

“You may want to consider a vitamin B12 supplement since many sources of this vitamin are animal-based. You may also want to consider an EPA/DHA omega-3 supplement. These omega-3s would typically come from fatty fish, but vegan algae-based supplements exist. I take these myself!”

But a plant-based diet isn’t always a healthy choice

Plant-based eating is a safe and healthy choice for the majority of people, but you should always talk with your doctor or registered dietitian before making big changes to your diet.

In Joseph’s experience, she notes that “anyone with a history of eating disorder or disordered eating shouldn’t follow a diet that eliminates food groups, as a plant-based diet in the wrong hands can be abused as another restriction diet”.

If you fall into this category, you can experiment with plant-based recipes, but should probably steer clear of any strict food rules, restrictions, or labels on your eating habits.

Read more: “I tried drinking plant-based protein shakes after every workout”

If you’re new to plant-based eating, take things one step at a time

“I always recommend starting small,” says Joseph. “Overturning your entire diet in a day is overwhelming and lessens the likelihood of you sticking with it. Instead of jumping to extremes, pick two small changes to implement each week.” She suggests swapping cow’s milk for an unsweetened dairy-free milk as a first step.

And, remember that a plant-based diet doesn’t mean you can never eat animal products. “Think about how you can enhance your diet without focusing so much on taking things away,” says Joseph. “Research suggests that following a flexitarian diet (increasing plant-based foods and reducing but not eliminating animal foods) yields similar health benefits like reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes.”

The Meatless Monday campaign is popular for a reason. Cutting out meat (and all animal products, if you choose) is relatively easy for one day of the week. According to Joseph, this alone can have a profound impact on the environment – and on your overall health.

Bottom line: Think of plant-based eating as a template that encourages more whole plant foods, instead of as a restrictive diet that makes things off limits.

This article was originally published on www.womenshealthmag,com

Image credit: iStock

Health24.com | A bruised cervix is a sex injury you definitely don’t want

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Everyone’s in agreement that we’d be better off without cramps… but you know what’s even worse than those nagging (or sometimes debilitating – get those checked out, please) monthly pains? A bruise on your cervix (cue the vaginal clenching).

I mean, you can’t exactly ice it or heat it because, you know, it’s way up in there. (Your cervix is the “bouncer” to your uterus, monitoring what goes in it from the vagina, btw). But sometimes, particularly, uh, animated penile guests shove their way through and the tiny, but mighty cervix isn’t pleased.

So um, what exactly is a bruised cervix?

Basically, it’s a cervix that has become sensitive and tender because of vigorous sex. If a penis, dildo, or other object makes it all the way up the vagina to the cervix and bumps into it repeatedly, it could definitely get injured.

It feels similar to cramping, says Rachel Peragallo Urrutia, M.D., an assistant professor of general obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of North Carolina – that’s because the cervix has different nerve endings than other body parts, she adds. Basically while hitting your knee on the edge of a table might feel like a sharp pain, a bruised cervix will feel more dull and achy.

7 photos of your cervix you need to see

But, TBH, having a bruised cervix is rare, says Urrutia. Plus, the term “bruising”, when it comes to the cervix, is more common in popular media than medicine – that means it’s really just referring to the pain, not the actual look of the cervix (doctors aren’t sure what a bruised cervix looks like – it could be black and blue or it could retain its pinkish colour).

In other words: It’s pretty unlikely you’re going to bruise your cervix during consensual sex. “It’s much more common that an injury like a labial bruise or a vaginal tear would happen,” says Urrutia. (All of those issues have very similar symptoms, btw – like abdominal pain, pain during sex, and sometimes light bleeding.)

Another mishap that might happen but doesn’t mean your cervix is bruised: an injured pelvic floor, says Urrutia. “The pelvic floor muscles are like a sling that keep in your internal organs,” she explains. “They’re muscles that we don’t use very well – we don’t exercise them,” so they’re more susceptible to stress and spasms caused by especially intense sex. 

Well, is there anything I can do about a bruised cervix?

A little ibuprofen and patience should do the trick. The pain should subside after a few days. If it doesn’t, reach out to your physician because it might be something more serious.

When it comes to preventing this sex injury, it’s important to be vocal with your partner if they’re doing something that is physically hurting you – even if the sex is consensual.

You can also take a more proactive approach and suggest positions that don’t go quite as, uh, deep. “There are certain positions in which a woman can have more control over the depth of penetration,” she says.

Doggy style, for example, is known to be a sex position that allows a man to go deeper, while any cowgirl position allows a woman to have more control. Regardless, having an open dialogue about what feels right for you will reduce your chances of injury and let you get on with the good stuff (safely).

This article was originally published on www.womenshealthmag.com

Image credit: iStock

Health24.com | Researchers shine light on incontinence issues — literally

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Incontinence is the umbrella term for people suffering from bladder control issues.

According to the Global Forum on Incontinence, 8.7% of the world’s population suffers from incontinence. Women are more likely to suffer from the disorder than men, and 12.4% of women are affected, compared to only 8% of men.

Researchers are now literally shining a light on issues of bladder control and dysfunction, as the science of optogenetics has made significant strides over the last couple of years.

Optogenetics or “light therapy” is the process of using light to influence or control genetically modified cells.

Hyperactive bladder signals

Hyperactivity of brain-to-bladder signals are most commonly the cause of urinary incontinence.

A new study shows how researchers made use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in order to stimulate the nerves in the bladders of rats suffering from bladder control issues. Researchers from Washington University developed a device that, when implanted in the bladder of the animal, is able to stimulate and influence the nerves of the bladder.

The device is made up of a small metal ring, green LED lights and a control centre. It also has a small battery that can be charged wirelessly.

According to the study, the device is able to detect when changes occur in the bladder. It also detects when the animal experiences frequent urination. Cells within the animal’s bladder were genetically modified to be sensitive to light. When the device detects changes in the bladder, the LED lights switch on. These lights then act upon the modified cells and prevent the urination signals from reaching the brain.

Current situation

This kind of technology can change the way incontinence is treated.

Currently many women are subjected to vaginal mesh surgery in an attempt to solve the issue of incontinence. This surgery has, however, left some women suffering from extreme abdominal and nerve pain. In some instances the lives of patients were jeopardised due to infection.

Other forms of treatment involve electric stimuli, where an electric current is targeted at the parts of the body involved with brain-to-bladder signalling. The downside of this approach is that these currents tend to also affect other parts of the body, potentially causing harm.

According to Robert Gereau, one of the researchers of the optogenetics study, “Bladder function is quite similar between rat and human… But before the device can be developed for possible human use, some modifications will be required. Because the human bladder is thicker, red lights which penetrate further into tissue may be needed instead.”

Image credit: iStock 

Lauren Mitchell

Health24.com | Vaping is erasing gains made against US teen smoking

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E-cigarettes have obliterated past progress in reducing tobacco product use among teenagers, US health officials said Monday.

About 4.9 million middle and high school students were current users of a tobacco product in 2018, up from 3.6 million in 2017, according to results from the annual National Youth Tobacco Survey.

All told, more than 1 in 4 high school students and about 1 in 14 middle school students used a tobacco product in 2018, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Researchers chalk this increase up entirely to e-cigarettes, noting that no significant change was found in the use in any other tobacco product – including traditional tobacco cigarettes.

“The skyrocketing growth of young people’s e-cigarette use over the past year threatens to erase progress made in reducing youth tobacco use. It’s putting a new generation at risk for nicotine addiction,” CDC Director Dr Robert Redfield said in a statement.

Kids who use e-cigarettes could be more likely to progress to smoking tobacco after becoming hooked on nicotine, according to previous research cited by the CDC.

Strong evidence

The nicotine in e-cigarettes also pose other health hazards, said Dr Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s principal deputy director.

“Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm brain development, including harmful effects on learning, memory and attention,” Schuchat said. Nicotine also primes the brain for addiction to other substances, she added.

Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, called the survey results “deeply troubling.”

“These results are strong evidence that e-cigarettes are not helping to drive down youth cigarette use,” Myers said. “Indeed, if anything, the evidence to date indicates that e-cigarettes could increase the number of kids who smoke cigarettes.”

There were 1.5 million more young e-cigarette users in 2018 than 2017, and those who vaped did so more often, the CDC found.

E-cigarette use increased to nearly 21% among high schoolers and 5% among middle schoolers in 2018, up from about 12% and 3% in 2017, respectively.

The proportion of high schoolers who vaped at least 20 of the past 30 days increased to 28% in 2018 from 20% the year before, the CDC added.

Appealing flavours

The agency specifically cited the e-cigarette JUUL in its report, noting that the increase in youth vaping mirrored increased sales of JUUL.

The JUUL is shaped like a USB flash drive and is easy to conceal, the CDC noted. It uses liquid nicotine refills called “pods” that contain at least as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes, and they are available in flavours that appeal to teens.

“JUUL entered the US market in 2015 and since December 2017 has held the greatest market share of any e-cigarette in the United States. We know JUUL devices are being used among kids in school, including inside bathrooms and classrooms,” said Brian King, deputy director at the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health.

“JUUL also has a high nicotine content, among the highest of any e-cigarette on the US market,” King continued. “The devices also use nicotine salts, which can allow high amounts of nicotine to be inhaled more easily and with less irritation than the free-based nicotine that’s used in most other e-cigarettes.”

For the fifth year in a row, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among high schoolers. Cigarettes (8%) were next most common, followed by cigars (7%), smokeless tobacco (6%), hookah (4%), and pipe tobacco (1%).

And many kids don’t limit themselves to one type of tobacco product, the CDC found.

Among current tobacco users, about 2 in 5 (1.7 million) high school students and 1 in 3 (270 000) middle school students used two or more tobacco products in 2018. The most commonly used tobacco product combination was e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes among both middle and high school students.

The findings were published February 11 in the CDC publication Vital Signs.

Rapid action needed

The US Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on e-cigarette marketing and sales aimed at teens, but more needs to be done, said Thomas Ylioja, clinical director of health initiatives at National Jewish Health in Denver.

“Vaping products successfully evaded the regulations that reduced youth tobacco initiation over the past 20-plus years, including age restrictions on purchases accompanied by retailer fines, advertising bans, taxes to increase the price, and the restriction on use of products indoors,” Ylioja said.

“Legislators and policy-makers are responding, but we need rapid action to ban advertising to youth including through social media outlets, restrict purchases including online, raise the age of purchasing nicotine products to 21, ban vaping in places where tobacco is prohibited, and ensure that nicotine vaping products are taxed like other tobacco products,” he continued.

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Health24.com | HPV vaccine even helps women who didn’t get it

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The vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) is highly effective in young women – and may even offer some protection to those who don’t get it, a new study suggests.

Researchers said the findings add to evidence that the vaccine – which ultimately cuts the risk of several cancers – is a boon to public health.

Rate of vaccination shot up

HPV is a sexually transmitted infection that can cause genital warts. In some people, HPV infection becomes persistent, and that can eventually lead to cervical cancer, or tumours of the vagina, penis, anus and throat.

HPV vaccines have been around for more than a decade, and experts now recommend that all girls and boys be immunised starting at age 11 or 12. It’s also advised for young adults who did not get it when they were kids.

For the new study, Dr Jessica Kahn and her colleagues at the University of Cincinnati followed nearly 1 600 teenage girls and young women who were patients at their centre’s clinics.

The researchers tracked changes in the rates of four types of cancer-linked HPV that the vaccine targets.

They found that between 2006 and 2017, the rate of HPV vaccination in the study group shot up from zero to more than 84%.

Among vaccinated women, the prevalence of HPV dropped by 81%: from 35% to 6.7%.

Living up to its promise

Clinical trials have already proven the HPV vaccine works. But it’s important to have studies like this that chart its benefits in the “real world”, experts said.

“This shows that the vaccine is living up to its promise,” said Dr Amanda Dempsey, an associate professor of paediatrics at the University of Colorado. She wrote an editorial published with the study in Pediatrics.

Dempsey pointed out that all of the patients in the study were considered high-risk for HPV infection: Most had had multiple sex partners in their lives, for example, and more than half had a history of other sexually transmitted infections.

“The overarching message is, this vaccine works great in the ‘real world’,” Dempsey said. “And that’s true even if you’re already sexually active and have had sexually transmitted infections.”

Dr Ina Park, an adviser to the American Sexual Health Association, agreed.

“It’s nice to see studies like this backing up what’s been shown in clinical trials,” said Park, who is also an associate professor of family and community medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

Not safe to go unvaccinated

In other findings, the study showed that the prevalence of the four HPV types also dipped among patients who remained unvaccinated: At the outset, about one-third tested positive for those viral strains, and that figure dropped to 19.4% over time.

According to Kahn’s team, it points to what’s called “herd protection” – where everyone benefits from having a large portion of the population vaccinated against a particular disease.

The finding is not surprising, Park pointed out: As the prevalence of an infection goes down, the overall risk of contracting it goes down.

However, she stressed, parents and young adults should not take that to mean it’s safe to go unvaccinated.

“Don’t rely on herd immunity,” Park said. “The best way to ensure protection is to get vaccinated.”

Dempsey made the same point: Herd protection only exists when a large portion of the population is vaccinated. And, she said, the more people who are vaccinated, the closer the population can get toward eradicating cancer-linked HPV types.

Nearly all of the patients in this study received the original HPV vaccine (Gardasil), which protected against four virus types. The current vaccine in the United States (Gardasil 9) protects against an additional five types, Park pointed out.

More research is needed to track the impact of that vaccine, Kahn’s team said.

A second study in the same issue of the journal found that parents wanted to discuss safety and side effects most with doctors when deciding whether to have their child get the HPV vaccine.

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Health24.com | Body image in the age of social media – what I’ve learnt

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I grew up in a time where social media didn’t exist and the use of cellphones was limited. Instead of endlessly browsing health tips and recipes on Pinterest, my vice was buying magazines – especially wellness and fashion magazines.

Print media often got (and still get) a bad rap for the way social standards are portrayed, especially when it comes to weight and wellness. My idea of a healthy weight was determined by the models who graced the front covers. As a young teen at the turn of the century, anything skinny and grungy was considered beautiful, and I wanted to follow suit.

In lieu of at-home YouTube workout videos, I had a collection of Tae Bo DVDs, torn out workout pages from magazines (does anyone remember those?), a CD-wallet with mixed CDs labelled “workout tunes” and an old stationary bike I inherited from my mom. Even though I despised school sport, I wanted to stay in shape. Exercise and wellness was my escape, my control, my relaxation. 

Body image on a screen

Imagine that mindset in the current age where we’re inundated with wellness and health influences (bloggers, YouTubers, Instagrammers), all spewing conflicting (and sometimes unattainable or false) information to someone young and impressionable.

Suddenly I am glad my visual inspiration was limited to the two or three glossy magazines my monthly allowance could provide.

As I move to a more balanced concept of what a “healthy” lifestyle entails, I find myself unfollowing more and more accounts as I go along. I now refuse to believe that I am less healthy simply because I don’t have activated almonds, bunches of kale and scoops of powdered collagen in my morning smoothies.

I am now an adult with a firm grasp of who I am and what is good for me. This took some time for me to achieve. Yet I sometimes still have nagging doubts and wonder if the fish and non-organic vegetables I lovingly prepare at home are “clean” and healthy enough, or if my HIIT workout was gruelling enough.

Too much of a good thing?

I do, however, worry about the teenage girl scrolling through her Instagram, believing she is too fat or that the meals she is served at home are bad for her simply because they’re not from some fancy vegan café or online organic store.

Or what about the teenage boy who admires his body-building heroes but simply can’t afford expensive supplements or access to an exclusive gym? 

While the health and wellness industry has exploded exponentially over the past decade in terms of superfood, fitness and calorie-tracking apps, and more accessible information via different social media platforms, one can’t help but wonder if this isn’t too much of a good thing. Are we being guilted by an overdose of kale smoothies and burpees?

I’m not the only one who’s concerned. Research has suggested that the mere act of scrolling through a fitspiration (a term coined to describe content aimed at inspiring others to be fit) post can trigger unhealthy eating and exercise behaviour.

In a study, 130 female undergraduate students were exposed to either fitspiration or neutral travel images. The scientists found that, unlike the more neutral images, the fitspiration pictures had a negative impact on the students’ overall mood, body-image and self-esteem. 

Pro-ana and other ugly triggers

I asked Dewald Louw, a counselling psychologist at Montrose Manor, an eating disorder treatment facility in Cape Town, how they deal with patients undergoing eating disorder recovery in terms of exposure to social media. As a part of their recovery process, a social media block-out is recommended in order to avoid negative triggers.

This includes the negative effects of the numerous pro-ana (anything that promotes or encourages anorexia) websites – where people with eating disorders give each other tips and advice on how to starve themselves, with pictures of extremely thin women serving as inspiration. (I was 19 when I stumbled across these, well before the arrival of Instagram.)

These websites are sometimes shut down and banned, but the type of imagery has found a loophole via Instagram. Unfortunately the lines are blurred, because while one hashtag (#proana) may be banned, others (#thinspiration, #fitspiration, etc.) slip through.

It has, however, been argued that an online community may provide valuable support for those recovering from eating disorders.

An unfollowing-spree

The presence of what is attractive and what not can indeed be problematic in an era of influencers and social media. We are led to believe that only expensive superfoods are healthy and only thigh gaps and collarbones are deemed attractive. Fortunately, however, there is a lot more body positivity and balanced eating material appearing on the internet these days.

My only tip? I unfollowed accounts that I couldn’t relate to and that failed to influence me in a positive way. I only kept influencers who have a realistic approach to health, who make recipes from ingredients I can afford and obtain, and who post workouts that I can do in the gym or on my bedroom floor in 30 minutes. Social media doesn’t have to dictate how I should eat and exercise, but it can surely have a positive effect if utilised correctly. Calorie-tracking apps have their place, as long as they’re used sensibly.

Protect your teenagers

How can you ensure that your teenager retains a healthy body image in a sea of influencers? Eating Disorder Hope has some tips:

  • Encourage your teenager to block or unfollow anyone that partakes in bullying and body-shaming. Tell them not to tolerate it if this is what they’re experiencing.
  • Make them aware of the fact that social media can often be unrealistic and that many influencers make use of filters and enhancers to produce an image that can sell a product or be visually enticing. Tell your teenager that they shouldn’t compare themselves to “perfect” Instagram images.
  • Enable mindful, balanced eating at home. Make eating about fuelling your body and enjoyment. Don’t ever use food to punish or reward. Encourage them to eat enough nutritious fruit and vegetables, but allow them to incorporate their own dietary choices.
  • Encourage them to limit their screen-time and engage in other activities.
  • Encourage the following of body-positive accounts they can relate to.
  • Don’t ignore warning signs that may signal an eating disorder, whether it’s limiting food or eating too much (binge eating).
  • Be available to listen to your teenager if they complain about their body while being supportive and uplifting.

*Disclaimer. The purpose of this article is not to bash a vegan diet, an organic lifestyle, or any wellness products, but to point out how social media can warp our understanding of what is truly healthy. Each individual has their own approach to what constitutes a balanced lifestyle.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, don’t hesitate to seek help. Visit Eating Disorders South Africa (EDSA) for information about treatment facilities, information and support groups. 

Image credit: iStock

Marelize Wilke

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Health24.com | Kids exposed to lead at higher odds for mental health issues later on in life

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Childhood lead exposure may trigger the development of long-term mental health problems, new research suggests.

The finding stems from a decades-long tracking of nearly 600 New Zealanders. All were born between 1972 and 1973. At that time, most gas products still contained high levels of lead. Lead exposure was assessed at age 11, followed by mental health screenings at ages 18, 21, 26, 32 and 38.

National prominence

The investigators found that nearly all of the study participants had high blood lead levels, and faced a “small” but significantly higher risk for becoming irritable, neurotic and less conscientious as they entered young adulthood and middle age.

High lead exposure was also linked to a modestly greater long-term risk for developing drug, tobacco and alcohol addiction, alongside depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, mania, and/or schizophrenia.

The issue of children’s exposure to lead gained national prominence again in the aftermath of the Flint, Michigan scandal, where over 100 000 people are thought to have been exposed to the toxin for years via lead pipes in the water supply.

“We have long known that lead disrupts child brain development,” said study author Aaron Reuben. He is a graduate student of clinical psychology in the department of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University. Reuben’s previous work has linked lower IQs and greater behavioural problems among children to paediatric lead exposure.

But the study authors now conclude “that early-life lead exposure in the era of leaded gasoline experienced by individuals who are currently adults may have contributed to subtle, lifelong differences in emotion and behaviour that are detectable at least up to 38 years of age”.

And that, Reuben said, “allows us to say that lead, at least in our tested population, likely has long-term consequences for mental health. That’s new.”

Some of the highest fuel lead levels on record

However, the study did not prove that high blood-lead levels caused mental health problems later in life; it only showed an association.

The study authors reported their findings online in JAMA Psychiatry.

The researchers pointed out that although lead-in-gas bans eventually came into wide effect in many parts of the world during the late 1980s and mid-1990s, in the 1970s New Zealand was home to some of the highest gas lead levels on record.

When study participants were tested at age 11, nearly all (94%) were found to have blood levels exceeding 5mcg per deciliter of blood (mcg/dL), a level that today would automatically trigger further clinical testing.

After repeated mental screenings, high paediatric lead exposure was linked to a higher risk for developing any of 11 different psychiatric disorders decades later.

These children went on to develop a variety of “difficult” personality traits family members and friends told interviewers.

Akin to childhood maltreatment

But are such children – now in their 40s and 50s – destined to have mental health issues?

Reuben said that, unfortunately, there is no intervention that can reverse the impact of decades’ old lead exposure.

“An individual’s history of exposure is thus akin to childhood maltreatment. [It’s] a risk factor for poor mental health that we can no longer modify, but which we can try to cope with or mitigate against the consequences for quality of life,” Reuben said.

“We would argue that this is a job for mental health services, to screen for dysfunction and provide treatment to improve quality of life,” he added.

Dr Jennifer Lowry is a paediatrician, toxicologist and pharmacologist who serves as chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health. She noted the positive changes that have occurred regarding lead exposure since the study participants were first tested.

‘Canaries in the coal mine’

“It is very important to point out that few children today have such high blood levels at age 11,” she said. Lead exposure among today’s youth “can’t really be compared” to what occurred back in the 1970s and 1980s, Lowry explained.

“[But] the broader public health message is that we need to stop using our children as ‘canaries in the coal mine’,” said Lowry.

“If we, as a society, invested in preventing the exposures in the first place, we wouldn’t have to have conversations about lead and the impact on mental health, school readiness, employment successes and how to make our children the best people that they can be,” she said. “The urgency has always been there, but few people have listened.”

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Health24.com | Top US health officials say Trump’s bold goal of no new HIV cases by 2030 is possible

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In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump announced his administration’s plan to rid the United States of new transmissions of HIV by 2030.

“Together, we will defeat Aids in America and beyond,” the president told the nation.

At a follow-up media briefing on Wednesday morning, leading federal health officials outlined just how that mission might be accomplished.

“We’re going to diagnose all people as early as possible, we’re going to treat the infection rapidly and effectively, we’re going to protect those at highest risk, we’re going to respond to any outbreaks with overwhelming force, and we’re going to create a public health work force throughout this country with the specific goal of reducing new diagnoses by 75% within five years and by 90% within 10 years,” said Admiral Brett Giroir.

He’s assistant secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Over 1 million Americans are currently living with HIV.

High-risk communities

Federal government scientists have been coordinating for months on the new plan, which combines broader efforts to stem transmission of HIV with better treatment for people who are already infected.

Getting more people tested for the virus is vital, Giroir told reporters Wednesday.

“We have tremendous strategies of how we can detect and bring people into treatment early,” he said, “and we know 90% of new infections are transmitted by people who are undiagnosed and not in effective care.”

But new infections often cluster in certain “high-risk” communities, added Dr Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2018, “there were a little over 38 500 new infections in the United States,” he said. To help pinpoint where the need for testing and treatment was greatest, “we actually lifted the number of infections in each county, and that allowed us to sort of rank the counties in terms of how they were contributing to the annual infections in America.”

Redfield said he was “shocked” to see that just 48 out of 3 000 counties in the United States accounted for half of all new HIV infections.

“It showed we had a very geographically focused outbreak, that if we could augment the capacity of those 48 counties to respond to new infections we could drastically reduce the number of new infections,” he said.

HIV researchers and patient advocates have long known that the virus hits certain groups hardest, most notably gay and bisexual men of colour. Communities with high levels of this subgroup may benefit the most from targeted interventions, experts say.

Then there’s the issue of treatment – both to prevent new infections and control existing infections.

One recent advance has been the emergence of drugs like Truvada, which are used for both treating active infection and as “pre-exposure prophylaxis” (PrEP) — a preventive strategy for people deemed at high risk for infection.

Dr Anthony Fauci directs the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and has long been on the forefront of the fight against HIV/Aids.

Speaking at the Wednesday briefing, he stressed that “if you treat an individual and bring their viral load to below detectable levels, they will not transmit their virus to another individual.”

“We know pre-exposure prophylaxis works in more than 97% of the cases,” Fauci said. So, “if you put those two together, you could theoretically end the epidemic as we know it. That’s our goal.”

Crucial step

The path to such hope has been an arduous one.

In the 1980s and 1990s, HIV/Aids became a seemingly unstoppable epidemic. The virus crippled the immune systems of otherwise healthy people, leaving them vulnerable to lethal “opportunistic” infections.

Millions of people worldwide have died from HIV, but the advent of potent antiretroviral drug cocktails in the mid-1990s revolutionized care, keeping viral levels down to undetectable levels and stopping the onset of Aids.

HIV transmission levels also fell sharply, although thousands of new infections still occur in the United States each year.

Brian Mustanski directs the Institute for Sexual and Minority Health and Wellbeing at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. He agreed that the elimination of new cases of HIV infection by 2030 is possible – given certain conditions.

“If we are going to end HIV transmissions in the US, we need research to help understand how to effectively deliver the right interventions to the right communities at the right time,” he said.

“Every 44 minutes, a 13- to 29-year-old gay or bisexual man in the US gets diagnosed with HIV,” Mustanski added. “These diagnoses are disproportionally among young men of colour — the only group in the US to show increases in the rate of annual diagnoses. Any plan to end HIV transmission in the US must centere on the needs of young gay and bisexual men of color in order to be successful.”

Mustanski believes that any plan aimed at eradicating HIV transmission within a decade must make PrEP available to these underserved communities.

“We have highly effective approaches to preventing HIV transmission today, but they are not effectively reaching the communities who need them most,” he said.

More must also be done to raise HIV testing rates, because undiagnosed carriers of HIV are more likely to infect others.

“Only a quarter of sexually active teen gay and bisexual boys have ever had an HIV test,” Mustanski noted. “As a result, only about half of young people in the US who are HIV-positive know their status, which is the entry point to lifesaving treatment that can also eliminate transmission.”

Community outreach aimed at encouraging safe sex behaviours is another crucial step in getting transmissions down to zero, he said.

Image credit: iStock

Health24.com | New implant to calm an overactive bladder

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An overactive bladder is a common urinary condition which causes a sudden urge to urinate. It may be difficult to control the urge, and this may lead to involuntary urination, called urge incontinence.

Urge incontinence may occur in anyone at any age, but is more common in women and the elderly.

Although incontinence is not detrimental to the physical well-being of the patient, it can have far-reaching effects on their social, sexual, recreational and working lives and cause a dip in self-confidence and body-image. It is therefore important that urge incontinence be managed. 

An implant may be the answer

New technology may offer a form of treatment. A new report by researchers, published online in the journal Nature, focuses on a soft, wireless implant that can help control the frequent urge to urinate.

This implant makes use of optogenetics, a method to control cells with light. The implant regulates the nerve cells which stop the bladder from overfilling by means of tiny light-emitting valves. The research was conducted on rats with medically induced overactive bladders.

Although optogenetics has previously been implemented to manipulate brain cells, research is increasingly focusing on investigating how it can be used to manipulate cells throughout the entire body.

More targeted than previous treatment

According to Bozhi Tian, a materials scientist at the University of Chicago, there is currently a treatment that uses electric currents to regulate the nerve cells in the bladder. However, this is not ideal, as the electric currents target a wide area of nerve cells and affect surrounding organs as well.

The new implant focuses on one specific area and does not affect surrounding nerves. It also only targets the specific area when necessary, according to Science News. The programme detects the urinary urge of the user, indicating to the implant when to turn on the tiny light frequencies. This then zaps the cells, preventing them from sending those messages to the brain.

This study is described as effective for short-term use, but more research is needed to see how the body responds to the implant over a longer period of time.

Other ways to manage an overactive bladder

While the implant is undergoing research and is not yet ready to be implemented, there are other methods to manage an overactive bladder you can use right now. These include:

  • Pelvic floor exercises
  • Bladder training
  • A treatment called “biofeedback”, where electrodes are placed on the abdomen and anal areas
  • Medication like imipramine or oxybutynin

Image credit: iStock 

Compiled by Marelize Wilke

Health24.com | Men: A monthly testicle self-examination is a must – here’s what you should be doing

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Testicular cancer is most common in young men aged 15–39 years. In South Africa, fortunately, the five-year relative survival rate is over 95%.

Early detection however, is very important – that starts with self-examination.

But what do men need to look out for while self-examining these oval-shaped glands?

You can get cancer in one or both testicles, two egg-shaped organs inside the scrotum, the loose sac of skin behind the penis. 

According to the NHS, men should self-examine their testicles once a month, starting at puberty. Experts see this as an effective way for men to get to know their bodies and recognise any abnormalities that may indicate testicular cancer. In women, self-examination has proven to be very helpful in detecting early breast cancer. prostate cancer,early detection

This is how to do testicular self-examination:

  • Stand in front of a mirror.
  • Check for any signs of abnormal swelling.
  • Examine each testicle with both hands.
  • Place the index and middle fingers under the testicle with the thumbs placed on top.
  • Roll the testicle gently between the thumbs and fingers (you shouldn’t feel any pain while doing this).

Abnormalities

If while examining your testes you discover a lump or any form of swelling, don’t be alarmed. The NHS reports that these symptoms are common among men and boys and can have many different causes. 

Some of the causes may be:

  • Varicoceles – swelling caused by swollen and enlarged veins within the scrotum
  • Hydroceles – swellings caused by a buildup of fluid around the testicle
  • Epididymal cysts – lumps caused by a collection of fluid in the epididymis (a coiled tube behind the testicles)
  • Epididymo-orchitis – inflammation of the epididymis and inguinal region
  • Hernias – where fatty tissue or a part of your bowel pokes through into your groin, which can cause the scrotum to become enlarged

In most cases these lumps are not cancerous, but in rare cases they can be a sign of testicular cancer — and should therefore be checked out by your GP. 

Other symptoms to alert your GP about:

  • Any enlargement of a testicle
  • A significant loss of size in one of the testicles
  • A feeling of heaviness in the scrotum
  • A dull ache in the lower abdomen or in the groin 
  • A sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum 
  • Pain or discomfort in a testicle or in the scrotum
  • Enlargement or tenderness of the breasts

Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is another cancer especially older men suffer from. It is a very slow-growing cancer and many men who die from other causes are found to have had prostate cancer without being aware of it. In the early stages of prostate cancer, there are usually no symptoms. However, in more advanced stages, the following symptoms may present: 

  • A frequent need to urinate
  • Painful or burning urination
  • A weak or interrupted flow of urine
  • Difficulty starting or stopping urination
  • Difficulty having an erection
  • Painful ejaculation
  • Blood in the urine or semen
  • Pain in the lower back, hips or upper thighs

Experts encourage men to get tested at least once a year as soon as they reach 40. 

Image credit: iStock

Diagram: NHS

Compiled by Tauhira Dean