Roaches and Asthma

According to the New York Times, one-third of children living in inner-city public housing have allergic asthma. Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease and also one that affects the poor at a much larger number.

Photo courtesy of babble.com

However, a team of scientists from Boston University’s School of Medicine discovered what the particular allergen that affects most of these inner city children is- roaches.

The finding is important because it was able to isolate exactly what the allergen is and that makes it easier to reach an appropriate treatment for the many children who suffer from allergic asthma.



To read the complete article visit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/health/07asth.html?ref=health

To learn more about allergic asthma go to:
http://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/allergic-asthma

Air pollution and fetal development

A new study suggests air pollution from car exhaust may lead to smaller birth weight. Although the findings are not conclusive they do suggest there is a link. The negative impact of air pollution could have a negative impact both early and late in a pregnancy.

Photo courtesy of breathepureair.com

Lead researcher David Q. Rich, of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, told WebMD that he and his colleagues examined birth certificates and hospital discharge records for nearly 336,000 babies born full-term in New Jersey between 1999 and 2003.

The results showed that air pollutants seem to play a role in the size of the babies delivered.

To read the whole story go to:
http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20090409/air-pollution-may-lead-smaller-babies

Study finds there is such a thing as "good" body fat

The Washington Post reports a new obesity theory, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests just as there is good and bad cholesterol there are good and bad types of body fat. Scientists thought the fat only played an important role in keeping infants warm but that by adulthood it was inactive or gone.

Photo courtesy of cornell.edu

Bad fat is typically white or yellowish but the good fat is brown. If scientists learn more about this particular fat and its role in adults then one possibility would be a pill. The pill, according to researchers, would stimulate a specific protein to release more energy from the fat cells.

To read the complete story go to:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040803231_2.html

Oral allergy syndrome

If you suffer from seasonal allergies and have ever experienced itchiness or hives in your mouth, lips or throat then you may have oral allergy syndrome.

According to CNN, oral allergy syndrome may help explain why some people are allergic to raw apples but not cooked ones. The reason would be because there are proteins in raw apples that are similar to protein in birch pollen.

Photo couretsy of apeda.com
However, it shouldn’t be confused with food sensitivities. If all year long you are sensitive to a particular food then chances are it is not oral allergy syndrome

To read the complete article go to:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/08/oral.allergy.syndrome/index.html

For more on oral allergy syndrome:
http://www.beyondallergy.com/food-allergies/oas.php

Does organic really mean safer?

Organic products and supermarkets have been popping up all around the country as an increasing amount of people try to find new ways to get fit and healthy. But is paying sometimes 50% more for a product that is certified organic really ensure it is safer? Not necessarily.

Photo courtesy of quackwatch.org

The New York Times that peanut butter plants in Texas and Georgia that were sending out products contaiminated with salmonella had something else (aside from rodents and mold) - an federal organic certification.

Part of the problem are the inspectors. Acccording to NYTimes.com "Organics has grown from an $11 billion business in the United States in 2001 to one that now generates more than $20 billion in sales, so the stakes for farmers, processors and certifiers can be high. But the agency overseeing the certifying process has long been considered underfunded and understaffed. Critics have called the system dysfunctional."


For the complete story go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/dining/04cert.html?pagewanted=1&ref=nutrition

Vitamin E and your lungs

Vitamin E is not only a beneficial antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body but it can also cut in half the risk of lung cancer in women, according to a study from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Photo courtesy of about.com

Health.com reports a type of viatamin E known as alpha-tocopherol that is found in foods like Swiss chard and almonds can help reduce the risk of lung cancer.

For more information of the study visit-

http://living.health.com/2009/03/23/vitamin-that-protects-your-lungs/

To learn more about the benefits of vitamin E visit-

http://www.lifeclinic.com/focus/nutrition/vitamin-e.asp