Heart Health:Mediterranean diet cuts heart disease risk ♦ anger can trigger a heart attack! ♦ Eating Peanuts associated with decreased cardiovascular diseases ♦ Plus more

Mediterranean diet cuts heart disease risk by nearly half Adults who closely followed the Mediterranean diet were 47 percent less likely to develop heart disease over a 10-year period Continue Reading

Keep calm, anger can trigger a heart attack!  The risk of a heart attack is 8.5 times higher in the two hours following a burst of intense anger, researchers have found after investigating the link between acute emotional triggers and high risk of severe cardiac episodes Continue Reading

Homeless people with mental illness have higher 30-year risk of serious cardiovascular disease, research finds  Homeless people with mental disease have a greater than double risk of developing serious or fatal cardiovascular disease over 30 years than people of the same age and gender with no risk factors for the disease, Continue Reading

Peanut consumption associated with decreased total mortality from cardiovascular diseases  Researchers have examined the association of nut and peanut consumption with mortality among low-income and racially diverse populations and found that intake of peanuts was associated with fewer deaths from heart disease.Continue Reading

Excess sitting linked to coronary artery calcification, an early indicator of heart problems Sitting for many hours per day is associated with increased coronary artery calcification, a marker of subclinical heart disease that can increase the risk of a heart attack, according to research. Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.Continue Reading

Childrens Health News:Concussion prevention in youth sports ♦ Teen girls from rural areas have undiagnosed asthma and be depressed ♦ Do genes play a role in peanut allergies?

Better concussion prevention in youth sports needed With mandated provisions in youth sports concussion laws high among Rhode Island Interscholastic League high schools, compliance with recommended concussion protocols was very limited, researchers have found. The study suggests that more concussion related standards should be written into law in order to raise compliance Continue Reading

Teen girls from rural areas have more undiagnosed asthma and be depressed  Teen girls who live in rural areas are more likely than their male counterparts to have undiagnosed asthma, and they often are at a higher risk of depression, "There's a lot of speculation about why females are more likely to be undiagnosed," says the lead researcher. "Maybe it's because boys are more likely to get a sports physical for athletics and they catch it then. Or maybe it's because girls attribute asthma symptoms to something else, like anxiety "Continue Reading

Unique emotion recognition treatment leads to improvement in children with high-functioning autism  A unique emotion recognition treatment has been found highly effective for children with high-functioning autism. Children in the treatment group demonstrated significantly improved emotion-recognition skills and lower parent ratings of autism symptoms.Continue Reading

Do genes play a role in peanut allergies? Researchers have pinpointed a region in the human genome associated with peanut allergy in U.S. children, offering strong evidence that genes can play a role in the development of food allergies.Continue Reading

When it comes to the digital playground we need to stop crying wolf  Kids are leading the transition to digital media today. But, while too much time online could cause developmental problems, media consumption habits may not be making our children less bright or sociable, after all. Continue Reading

Can Peanut Consumption in Infancy Prevent Peanut Allergy?

A new NIAID-funded study suggests that early consumption of peanut may prevent peanut allergy in children at high risk of developing the allergy. Under careful medical supervision, infants were assigned to either avoid or include peanut products in their diets until 5 years of age.

The researchers found an 81 percent reduction of peanut allergy in children who consumed peanut compared to those who avoided peanut. The study is the first to show that early introduction of peanut is beneficial, but the researchers caution that parents of children at risk for developing food allergy should discuss dietary questions with an allergist or pediatrician.

More than 600 high-risk infants between 4 and 11 months of age were assigned randomly either to avoid peanut entirely or to regularly include at least 6 grams of peanut protein per week in their diets. The avoidance and consumption regimens were continued until 5 years of age. Participants were monitored throughout this period with recurring visits with health care professionals, in addition to completing dietary surveys by telephone.

The researchers assessed peanut allergy at 5 years of age with a supervised, oral food challenge with peanut. They found an overall 81 percent reduction of peanut allergy in children who began early, continuous consumption of peanut compared to those who avoided peanut.

“Prior to 2008, clinical practice guidelines recommended avoidance of potentially allergenic foods in the diets of young children at heightened risk for development of food allergies,” said Daniel Rotrosen, M.D., director of NIAID’s Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation. “While recent studies showed no benefit from allergen avoidance, the LEAP study is the first to show that early introduction of dietary peanut is actually beneficial and identifies an effective approach to manage a serious public health problem.”

A follow-up study called LEAP-On will ask all LEAP study participants to avoid peanut consumption for one year. These results will determine whether continuous peanut consumption is required to maintain a child’s tolerance to peanut.

Canada: Rice Noodles & Sauce Due to Improper Processing

La Cie McCormick Canada is voluntarily recalling Thai Kitchen brand Thai Peanut Microwave Rice Noodles & Sauce as the product may contain a packaging defect or may have been processed in a manner that allows the presence of spoilage microorganisms. They were packed in 168 g size and had a code of BB/MA 2015SE04 VL03  the UPC number was 7376281 17512

Check to see if you have the product in your home. If the product is in your home do not consume it.

Spoiled packages may not necessarily be dangerous and may or may not be identifiable. However, if spoiled food is inadvertently consumed, it is advisable to watch for symptoms that may include upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea.

2/3/14 Health News: New Treatment For Peanut Allergy - TB Exposure During Dental Care - Live Subjects infected With Influenza

New treatment may offer hope for peanut allergy

When you live in fear of you or your child accidentally ingesting peanut crumbs, any hope of undoing severe food allergy is welcome.

A large clinical trial published this week in the Lancet confirms what smaller studies have shown in the past: Oral immunotherapy -- swallowing tiny, increasing amounts of peanut over time -- has the ability to desensitize allergic individuals to peanuts. Continue Reading

NIH Researchers Infect Live Subjects With Influenza in Study Intended to Improve Vaccine

As seasonal influenza sweeps much of the country, scores of study volunteers are allowing government scientists — in a rare live study — to infect them with influenza, in hopes of soon improving vaccine capability. Study leader Matthew Memoli, of the National Institutes for Health (NIH), told the Associated Press in an interview, “Vaccines are working, but we could do better.” A few thousand Americans die every year of seasonal influenza,Continue Reading