Saturday, June 21, 2008

Health Headlines - June 21

VA Says It Will Improve Care For Female Veterans

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is working to eliminate disparities in care offered to female and male veterans, VA Secretary James Peake said Friday.

He was responding to last week's disclosure of a VA internal review, which found that about one-third of 139 VA facilities that offer outpatient care don't provide female veterans with the same quality of care as males.

"We are making a full-court press to ensure that women veterans receive the highest quality of care," Peake said at the National Summit on Women Veteran's Issues, the Associated Press reported.

In his speech, he said the VA recognizes that 86 percent of female veterans from recent conflicts are younger than age 40 and have health needs related to having children. The agency is spending about $32 million for equipment specific to women's health needs, Peake said.

He noted women make up about 14 percent of the U.S. Armed Forces, the AP reported.

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Blueberries May Lower Cholesterol

Blueberries may significantly lower cholesterol and protect the heart, according to Canadian researchers who conducted tests on pigs fed different kinds of blueberry-supplemented diets.

All of the diets reduced overall cholesterol levels, but some were more effective than others, United Press International reported.

"In feeding trials, we found that blueberry supplementation reduced plasma cholesterol levels more effectively when the animals received a mostly plant-based diet than when they received a less heart-healthy diet," lead scientist Wilhelmina Kalt said in a prepared statement. "The soy, oats and barley contained in these diets may have functioned synergistically with the blueberries to beneficially affect plasma lipids."

The greatest reduction in cholesterol levels was seen in pigs fed a two percent blueberry diet. In people, that would be equivalent to about two one-cup servings per day.

The study appears in the British Journal of Nutrition.

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U.S. Motorcycle Deaths More Than Doubled Since 1997

Between 1997 and 2006, motorcycle deaths in the United States increased from 2,110 to 4,810, a Governors Highway Safety Association study found.

From 2005 to 2006, motorcycle deaths increased in 27 states and Puerto Rico. The study also said that 15 states accounted for 67 percent of all U.S. motorcycle deaths in 2006 and that in 2004, 2005, and 2006, nearly one-third of all fatalities occurred in California, Texas and Florida, United Press International reported.

Despite clear evidence that proper helmet use saves lives, there is a patchwork of helmet laws in the country, poor enforcement, and a lack of helmet promotion, the study found. In states with partial or no helmet laws, most riders who died weren't wearing helmets.

In 2006, 25 percent of riders killed in motorcycle crashes didn't have a valid license, compared with 13 percent of drivers of passenger vehicles, UPI reported.

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Some Artificial Turf Fields Should Be Tested For Lead: CDC

Some artificial turf athletic fields should be tested for the lead, says a health advisory posted on the Web site of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency said any field containing worn or faded turf blades that are made of nylon or nylon-blend fibers should be tested, as well as nylon fields with visible dust, the Associated Press reported.

Testing doesn't need to be done on artificial fields made from polyethylene or nylon fields that aren't visibly worn, the CDC said.

The advisory was issued two months after health officials in New Jersey found high lead levels in artificial turf fibers from three athletic fields. They also determined that lead in the turf can be absorbed by people.

While the lead levels weren't high enough to cause poisoning in people who play on the fields, these levels could cause additional health damage to children already exposed to lead, said New Jersey epidemiologist Dr. Eddy Bresnitz, the AP reported.

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VA Denying Most Claims From Secret Tests

Only a small percentage of health claims filed by American veterans stemming from once-secret chemical and germ warfare tests conducted in the 1960s and 1970s have been approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Associated Press reported.

During the tests, conducted from 1962 to 1973, more than 6,000 of members of the military were exposed to real and simulated chemical and biological agents. In many cases, the tests were conducted without the participants' knowledge.

Of the 6,440 service members involved in the experiments, 4,438 have been notified of their participation, while the remainder couldn't be located or have died, the AP reported.

As of May 2008, 39 of the claims received by the VA were granted, 546 were denied, and 56 were pending. Many of the veterans have cancer, respiratory conditions or other health problems.

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Earth's Population To Reach 7 Billion in 2012

Earth's population will reach seven billion in 2012, putting increased pressure on dwindling natural resources, according to projections released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

There is no agreement on how many people the planet can sustain, said William Frey, a demographer at the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution. It depends on how will the world's resources are managed, he told the Associated Press.

Currently, there are 6.7 billion people in the world. China, India and the United States have the largest populations.

In 1999, there were six billion people on the planet, which means it should take about 13 years to add another billion. By comparison, the world's population reached one billion in 1800 and two billion 130 years later, Carl Haub, a demographer at the Population Reference Bureau, told the AP.

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