Health Headlines - October 25

Parents Say Inactivity Is Main Cause of Childhood Obesity

Lack of exercise is a main cause of childhood obesity, according to many of the 961 parents who took part in a poll by the Associated Press and KOL, the children's service of America Online.

The poll found that inactivity was rated just ahead of easy access to junk food as the main concern of 21 percent of the parents who acknowledged that their children were overweight.

In terms of food, more than 50 percent of the parents said the cost of healthy food, along with food packaging and television commercials, were factors in terms of children's weight problems.

The survey found that children of parents who earned less than $50,000 a year were slightly more likely to be overweight than children from higher-income families, the AP reported. Parents with yearly incomes of less than $25,000 were more likely than parents with higher incomes to point to the cost of healthy food as a barrier to improving the eating habits of their children.

Rural parents were more likely than suburban parents to cite the cost of healthy food as an issue.

The survey also found that 49 percent of parents pointed to a lack of time for home-cooked meals as a problem, the AP reported.

Ginseng Effective Against Colds: Study

Taking ginseng appears to lower the risk of developing a cold, says a study by researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada.

Their study of 323 people found that 10 percent of those who took daily ginseng capsules for four months suffered two or more colds, compared to 25 percent of those who didn't take ginseng. The study also concluded that taking the herb seemed to reduce the severity of colds by about a third, BBC News reported.

The findings were published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

It's believed that ingredients in ginseng bolster the immune system by stimulating immunoglobin -- proteins that act as antibodies, BBC News reported.

Study lead researcher Dr. Tapun Basu said the results show that ginseng is effective in warding off colds.

However, not everyone is convinced.

"We cannot advise people to use ginseng," Dr. Jim Kennedy, prescribing spokesman of the Royal College of GPs in Great Britain, told BBC News. "While the supposed benefits of ginseng are widely known, there is still no proof it helps. The evidence is still anecdotal."

Air Pollution in China Kills 400,000 People a Year: Report

Air pollution causes the premature deaths of more than 400,000 people in China each year, says an unpublished government report, Agence France Press reported.

About 300,000 people die from outdoor air pollution and another 111,000 die from indoor air pollution each year, said the study conducted in 2003 by the Chinese Academy on Environmental Planning.

"It's a conservative figure. The real figure could be higher," Wang Jin'nan, chief engineer of the academy, told AFP.

Wang said the report hasn't been made public because different levels of governments in China, especially at the provincial level, don't want bad publicity.

The figures in this report match World Bank estimates that air pollution-related illnesses such as lung and heart diseases kill about 400,000 people in China each year. Coal-fired power plants are the main source of outdoor air pollution in that country, AFP reported.

FDA Warns Against Use of Discontinued ADHD Drug

The risk of life-threatening liver problems caused by the discontinued Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder drug Cylert (pemoline) outweigh the drug's therapeutic value, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Monday.

The agency said it is aware of 13 reports of liver failure among Cylert users, resulting in liver transplant or death.

"The agency has concluded that the overall risk of liver toxicity from Cylert and generic pemoline products outweighs the benefits of this drug," the FDA said in a statement posted on its Web site.

While the agency said pharmacies and wholesalers are allowed to continue selling the drug until current supplies are exhausted, it warned doctors to "transition their patients to an alternative therapy."

Maker Abbott Laboratories, citing declining sales, stopped producing the medication in March. The FDA said generic companies also have agreed to end production. Still, the consumer group Public Citizen issued a statement calling it "reckless and insensitive to the health and lives of children and adults using this drug ... to fail to institute an immediate recall of these dangerous products."

Public Citizen said despite Abbott's pronouncement that it would no longer produce or market Cylert, some 10,000 U.S. prescriptions for Cylert were written since the spring, and some 50,000 prescriptions were filled for generic versions.

Japanese Panel Delays Decision on U.S. Beef Ban

Japan has delayed a decision on whether to lift its two-year-old ban on U.S. beef imports.

The delay was announced Monday by a Japanese government panel on mad cow disease, even though the panel had prepared a draft report that concluded American beef posed a low risk, the Associated Press reported.

It was widely anticipated that the panel would send the report to the Japanese Food Commission, a move that would have started the process leading to the resumption of U.S. beef imports into Japan by the end of the year.

However, several panel members expressed worry about the reliability of U.S. mad cow disease safeguards and how they can be guaranteed.

The panel chairman said he hoped the panel would reach a final decision as early as their next meeting, scheduled for later this month or in early November, the AP reported.

Japan is the most lucrative overseas market for U.S. beef. Japan imposed the ban on U.S. beef imports in December 2004 after the first case of mad cow disease was reported in the United States.

Pillows Harbor Millions of Fungal Spores

You're sleeping with strangers -- millions of them.

A U.K. study says that your pillow plays host to millions of fungal spores from 16 species of fungi, including types that are normally found in bathrooms and bread, the Globe and Mail reported.

They also identified a fungi species called Aspergillus fumigatus, which is the leading cause of infection-related death in leukemia and bone marrow transplant patients.

"We really thought it was the kind of stuff you find on a bathroom wall in a damp house. To find it in the bed you sleep in is really a surprise," Ashley Woodcock of the University of Manchester told the Globe and Mail.

He and his team identified the fungi when they tested 10 pillows. While sleeping with these fungi shouldn't be dangerous for healthy people, it could proved fatal for people in ill health, especially those with weakened immune systems.

Food Fact:
Guac shock.

Think avocados are too lush and buttery to be good for you? Think again. Yes, avocados are high in fat, but it's the heart-healthy kind. Even "good" fat is highly caloric, so you have to keep portions under control, but in moderation as part of a diet low in saturated fat, avocados can help reduce bad cholesterol. To determine ripeness, press gently on the avocado's skin. If the flesh yields slightly, the avocado is ready to eat that day. Store avocados at room temperature, never in the refrigerator.

Fitness Tip of the day:
Buddy up!

Struggling to stick to your exercise program? Try working out with a partner. Adding a social aspect to your workout helps keep you both motivated and makes sessions more fun. Training with a friend provides mutual support for keeping a regular schedule and pushes you harder to meet your goals.

FAQ of the day:
What exactly is considered "red" meat?

Contrary to what some advertisements may dub "the other white meat," scientists define red meat as the meat from land mammals such as cattle, pigs and lamb. That means beef, lamb and, yes, pork.