Intake of folic acid supplements in late pregnancy could cause asthma in kidsNovember 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Folic acid supplements taken by mothers in late pregnancy could lead to allergic asthma in their children at the age of 3 to 5 years, according to a study. The study by University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute suggests that the timing of supplementation in pregnancy is important.
Immune system-suppressing drugs 'raise bladder cancer risk'October 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a recent study of possible triggers of cancer, scientists identified an increased risk to the bladders of patients taking drugs that suppress the immune system. The findings came from a population-based, case-control study in New Hampshire.
Right diet, not supplements, is the best way to keep good bacteria healthyOctober 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Eating right, not supplements, is the best way to keep the good bacteria in the gut healthy, according to an expert. Gail Cresci, Medical College of Georgia dietician and researcher, said that as with vitamins, it's best to get the bacteria you need from healthy food rather than taking often expensive and potentially ineffective supplements.
Vitamin pills can cause cancer, says expertOctober 19th, 2009 LONDON - Vitamin supplements do nothing to stave off illness and could even lead to cancer, a leading expert has warned. Professor Martin Wiseman, medical and scientific adviser for the World Cancer Research Fund, has pointed out that people who regularly take vitamin and mineral supplements instead of eating a balanced diet are at greater risk.
Impaired foetal growth ups asthma riskOctober 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Children born with low birth weight are at a higher risk of developing asthma later in life, says a new study. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, is based on data on the incidence of asthma in 10,918 twins from the Swedish Twin Registry.
No link between pets and childhood asthma: StudyOctober 14th, 2009 MELBOURNE - The traditional belief that childhood asthma is linked to pets or the modern obsession with hygiene has been established as untrue by a new study. The study 'Asthma in Australian Children', published by the Institute of Health and Welfare, revealed that kids with allergies to any kind of food, grass or bees were twice as prone to be an asthma patient as children with no allergies.
Majority hospitalised in US for swine flu had other conditionsOctober 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The most complete tracking yet of patients hospitalised for swine flu shows that more than half had underlying medical conditions, the US Centres for Disease Control said Tuesday. Still, 45 percent did not have apparent illnesses - such as asthma - that put them at higher risk for the H1N1 virus, said Dr Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunisation and Respiratory Diseases.
New H1N1 influenza vaccine trial to be launched for asthma patientsOctober 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists at the National Institutes of Health are set to launch the first government-sponsored clinical trial in people with asthma. The trial is aimed at determining what dose of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine is needed to induce a protective immune response in people with asthma, especially those with severe disease.
Vitamin B pills don't cut down risk of heart diseaseOctober 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Vitamin B pills don't cut down the risk of heart disease, says a new study. "There is no evidence to support the use of Vitamin B as supplements for reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke or death associated with cardiovascular disease," says lead researcher Arturo Mart-Carvajal of the Iberoamerican Cochrane Network in Valencia, Venezuela.
B-vitamin pills don't reduce risk of death from heart diseaseOctober 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A Cochrane Systematic Review suggests that B-vitamin supplements should not be recommended for prevention of heart disease because they do not reduce the risk of developing or dying from the disease. "There is no evidence to support the use of B-vitamins as supplements for reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke or death associated with cardiovascular disease," says Arturo Martí-Carvajal, of the Iberoamerican Cochrane Network in Valencia, Venezuela.
Expectant mums shouldn't give up asthma medication: StudyOctober 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Women who shun asthma medications during pregnancy face increased risk of transmitting the condition to their offspring, reveals a new study. The research team from the Universite de Montreal, the Hopital du Sacre-Cur de Montreal and Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Centre has revealed that 32.6 percent of children born to mothers who neglected to treat their asthma during pregnancy developed the respiratory illnessin later life.
Pregnant women who ignore asthma pass it on to kidsOctober 6th, 2009 TORONTO - Women who avoid treating asthma during pregnancy are likely to transmit the condition to their offspring, say results from a study that examined more than 8,000 families in Canada. A team from the University of Montral (U-M), Hpital du Sacr-Cur de Montral (HdSE) and Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Centre found that 32.6 percent of children born to mothers who ignored their asthma during pregnancy developed the respiratory illness themselves.
Asthmatic kids more vulnerable to H1N1 virusSeptember 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Children suffering from asthma are at an increased risk of contracting H1N1 virus, warns an expert. While talking to students and their parents at Thurgood Marshall Elementary, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius highlighted the work of the Philadelphia MCAN project as a model for childhood asthma management.
Daycare doesn't protect kids against asthma, allergySeptember 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Contrary to popular belief, taking children to day care might not make them immune to asthma and allergies, say researchers. Children in daycare definitely get more illnesses and experience more respiratory symptoms as a result, any perceived protection these exposures afford against asthma and allergy seem to disappear by the time the child hits the age of eight.
Screen tests to predict future asthma attacks not effective for certain patientsSeptember 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center say that certain clinical finding and lab tests, thought to have the potential to predict future asthma attacks, may be little successful when applied to people with persistent disease who are adhering to their health care regimens. While previous reports have suggested that such screen tests can prove very helpful in predicting future asthma attacks, the researchers point out that the earlier conclusions were based on observations of patients with poorly controlled asthma who had not received care based on current guidelines.
