Health News

I read the health news. Not sure why most of the time, but every once in a while there are some interesting things that pop up. England is starting a major smoking ban starting July 1. They are the last of the United Kingdom to do so. Perhaps the most interesting part of the ban is that smokers will be banned from being foster parent for young children. Now that seems like a major impact that isn't being talked about.

Are you taking prescription medications? According to new research (again out of Britain), prescription medications may be contributing to the "obesity epidemic".

The research was done by Glasgow University and the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. They found:

Olanzapine and clozapine, drugs used for psychiatric conditions, resulted in the most weight gain - up to 22lbs in 52 weeks. Insulin for type 2 diabetes was found to increase weight by up to 13.2lbs, while some drugs for depression added up to 8lbs, and some for high blood pressure led to gains of up to 3lbs. A heart drug added 5lbs, while some treatments for epilepsy added more than 12lbs, and some bipolar drugs led to weight gains of around 8lbs.

It is not clear exactly how the drugs contribute to weight gain. Also on the list are beta-blockers. Researchers say that weight gain should be discussed with patients before prescribing medication.

On another front, fructose may be worse than glucose for your arteries. Apparently, fructose was associated with fatty deposits in the arteries of "overweight adults." It also seemed to elevate "bad" cholesterol.

Multinationals are aggressively pursuing a campaign to get nursing mothers to use infant formula rather than breast feed. The campaign is proving successful - even as doctors world wide are promoting breast feeding. According to a Christian Science Monitor article:

While the East Asian average for exclusive nursing is 35 percent for the first six months, that figure falls to 5 percent in Thailand, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In Vietnam, the breast-feeding rate almost halved in four years, falling from 29 percent in 1998 to 15 percent in 2002.

U.S. companies are among the biggest players, and they are apparently targeting the most populous markets. Oh the hell with the immune system and developmental benefits (not to mention cost) of breast feeding.

There are indications that the companies are violating existing advertising rules> There is also the chronic issues of parents who are strapped for cash are thinning out formula with the also chronic results - infant ill health and death:

Struggling parents who opt for formula often dilute the product or substitute rice flour and other powders that lack essential nutrients, say health experts. In the Philippines, where bottle-feeding costs a minimum $43 a month, an estimated 16,000 infants under 5 die annually because of such practices, according to UNICEF. Campaigners point to Cambodia as a sign of what can go right. A national campaign there has raised breast-feeding rates at six months to 60 percent, up from 10 percent in 2000. Over the same period, child mortality fell by one-third, a huge gain that can only be explained by the switch to breast milk, says Karen Codling, a nutritionist for UNICEF.

What's a few (million) dead infants in the ever-present search for "profitable" markets?

Posted by rowan at June 24, 2007 6:05 PM | [eMail this article!] |