“It's a public health disaster - Houston Chronicle” plus 1 more

It's a public health disaster - Houston Chronicle

Posted: 11 Jan 2011 12:17 AM PST

The work of a British researcher purporting to link increased likelihood of autism with childhood vaccinations has been debunked.

Again.

Since Dr. Andrew Wakefield's study linking autism with vaccines was published 12 years ago in the leading British medical journal, The Lancet, it has caused little more than grief. In 2009, The Lancet retracted the Wakefield paper. Over the years, no less than 18 controlled epidemiological studies have been conducted to investigate the possible link between autism and vaccines.

And? "They have all come back showing the same thing," says Alison Singer, the founder and president of Autism Science Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates scientific rigor in evaluating the causes of autism. "There is no link between vaccines and autism," Singer told CNN.com.

The consequences have been ugly: The incidence of measles has surged as tens of thousands of parents in this country and Europe have decided to forgo the vaccinations.

The latest examination of Wakefield's work, conducted by a British journalist, found that the researchers had altered the facts about patients in their study.

The investigation by journalist Brian Deer, paid for and published by The Sunday Times newspaper of London and a British television network, found that contrary to documentation in Wakefield's paper, five of the children had developmental problems prior to their vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella with the MMR vaccine. The paper claimed all 12 children were normal until they had the shot.

In an editorial in the British medical journal BMJ, editor Fiona Godlee and her colleagues pulled no punches. The editors called it "an elaborate fraud."

We hope that all these pedigreed critiques will at last put this topic to rest.The effectiveness of vaccinations relies in large part on the willingness of most members of a potentially affected population group to be vaccinated.

Since Wakefield's study was released in 1998, vaccination rates have dropped noticeably, a phenomenon widely attributed to fears of exposure to autism from the MMR shots. As many as 25 percent of parents may be scared away from having their children vaccinated by the Wakefield study. That's too many.

Measles can kill. The best way to avoid catching them is for children to be vaccinated. Let's not be scared out of doing that any longer.

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Health Buzz: Autism Risk Increases With Close Pregnancies, Study Suggests - YAHOO!

Posted: 10 Jan 2011 03:20 PM PST

Study: Pregnancy Spacing Tied to Autism Risk

Closely spaced pregnancies may raise the risk of autism, suggests new research published in Pediatrics. Babies born within a year of a sibling were three times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than those born after three years or more; children born less than two years after an older sibling had nearly twice the risk. That's based on an analysis of more than 66,000 second-born children in California. Researchers calculated the amount of time between the birth of the first sibling and conception of the second, and combined that information with autism diagnosis records. "We've identified a really robust association," lead author Peter Bearman told ABC News. However, the study does not prove that short gaps between pregnancies cause autism in the second sibling, he warned. Although the reason for the association is unclear, one theory is that closely spaced pregnancies deplete mothers of important nutrients like iron and folate, which may affect the second child's development.

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2011 Fitness Trends: What's In, What's Out

Fitness is always in, but the hunt for a magic way to achieve a healthy heart or a taut butt or abs with the most gain and the least pain never ends. As it does annually, the American College of Sports Medicine has surveyed more than 2,000 fitness professionals in Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, and North and South America to identify health and fitness trends for the coming year.

Wellness coaching, for example, is in, U.S. News reports. One-on-one coaching is relatively new, but experts think it has staying power. A wellness coach typically charges $75 to $100 an hour to work with you not only on fitness but also on nutrition, weight management, and stress reduction. The goal is to guide clients towards a more healthful lifestyle, sometimes designing exercise programs or detailed meal plans. And they're advice-givers to clients who are trying to quit smoking or overcome a weight-loss obstacle. "A wellness coach might get a call from a client who's sitting at a restaurant, saying, 'I'm torn between the leg of lamb and the roast beef, which one should I get?'" says Walt Thompson, the survey's lead researcher and a professor of kinesiology and health at Georgia State University. "People are realizing they need someone to coach them through a more healthy way of life." [Read more: 2011 Fitness Trends: What's In, What's Out.]

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Think More Protein, Fewer Carbs to Maintain Weight Loss

It's a sad, well-worn fact that 90 percent of folks who lose weight fail to keep the pounds off. That abysmal success rate has left nutritionists scrambling to figure out how to help dieters maintain their weight loss without feeling like they have to stay on a "diet" in perpetuity, U.S. News reports. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine may provide a template for post-dieters to follow. It turns out, those who fill their plates with more protein and fewer processed carbohydrates--not all carbs are created equal--are better able to maintain their weight loss than those who eat a similar number of calories but shun protein for pasta, bagels, and bread. Processed carbs, often packed with sugar and white flour, fall into the category of high-glycemic index foods because they cause a rapid spike in blood sugar levels, which promotes the storage of body fat. "The results indicate that even a modest increase in dietary protein or a modest reduction in glycemic-index values was sufficient to minimize weight regain and promote further weight loss in obese patients after a successful weight-loss diet," write the Danish study authors.

The study included nearly 800 overweight volunteers who lost an average of 23 pounds by following a low-calorie diet and were then randomly assigned to one of several eating plans in an effort to prevent weight regain over six months. Weight regain was less in those assigned to eat higher amounts of protein and "low-glycemic index" carbohydrates like high-fiber fruits, vegetables, and whole grains compared to those who were told to eat less protein and more high-glycemic index foods like white rice, French fries, and sugary cereal. Those who ate more protein also were more likely to continue losing weight than those who ate mostly carbohydrates, even the unprocessed ones. [Read more: Think More Protein, Fewer Carbs to Maintain Weight Loss.]

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