Idea #283 for November 28th, 2009: Cloudy Future or The Ballooning Rates of Diabetes

If we think the rate of diabetes is bad now in the US, just wait 25 years and it will be unbelievably bad. By 2034 it’s predicted that twice as many people will have diabetes in America, making a total of 44 million people with the condition. And if you think that’s an exaggeration or inflated, then consider that past predictions have actually underestimated the number. For instance, in 1991 a study estimated that there would be 11 million people with diabetes by 2030. By 2009, we already doubled that number. So there is the potential that even more than 44 million will have diabetes in 25 years.

We can expect massive increases in costs associated with diabetes care to rise as well. The cost is predicted to triple to over $300 billion in 25 years. An aging and obese population is likely to lead to these levels of diabetes in the future. When we consider all the ways to fix our healthcare system in the US, a large part of the reform has to be changing our own lifestyles that are contributing to rising costs. A major contributor is obesity, so for any effort to reduce health spending to be successful, we’re going to have to tackle the obesity problem — and fast — because time is running out.

Read more about the diabetes predictions here.

Idea #225 for October 1st, 2009: Fresh Approach or WIC Program To Offer Wider Variety of Food Options

The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, which provides vouchers to low-income families for food, is taking steps to improve the health of its recipients. Traditionally, WIC has allowed use of their vouchers for the purchase of things like dairy, proteins, and fruit juices. But with the rise of obesity, changes have been implemented to allow their use on more things like fresh produce and non-dairy alternatives like soy milk.

Encouraging the consumption of fewer simple carbohydrates, sugary drinks, and processed foods makes sense for everybody, so government-subsidized programs should certainly steer people away from those choices as well. In addition to vouchers, WIC also provides education to people on the program about smart nutritional choices. Together, there’s a good chance that some of the factors that contribute to obesity and diabetes will be lessened as WIC users are given more healthful options.

Read more about this news in the LA Times and Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Idea #217 for September 23rd, 2009: Up And About or Physical Therapy In ICUs

Of all places to exercise, the ICU may seem like the unlikeliest. But researchers from Johns Hopkins have found that certain physical exercises can help hospitalized patients avoid muscle wasting and other problems associated with inactivity. Patients often experience fatigue and face long recoveries following bed rest in ICUs.

Mild physical activities like walking, using a stationary pedaling device, and electrical muscle stimulation can be done by even critically ill patients, the researchers say. At this point, the research is in its early stages, but results are showing that patients who engage in these activities are feeling stronger and leaving the hospital sooner than other patients. When the final results are in, it may lead to more hospitals giving ICU patients access to some type of mild exercise. And the quicker they can get out the hospital door, the happier ICU patients will certainly be.

Read more about the study in this news story.

Idea #182 for August 19th, 2009: Cutting the Fat or Cost of Obesity Still Climbing

We all know that obesity and its related health ailments pose a threat to our nation’s health, but a new report highlights just how expensive the obesity crisis in this country is becoming. In 2006, the total health expenditures on obese adults was $303 billion — representing an 82% increase over the 2001 figure of $167 billion. To give some perspective on that enormous number, $300 billion represents a $1,000 contribution from every American citizen.

Obese Americans accounted for 35% of healthcare spending in 2006, up from 28% in 2001. The percentage of adults who are obese also grew in that time period, from 23% to 27%. Reeling in out-of-control healthcare spending must to some extent involve us lowering the rate of obesity in this country. Right now, the rate is climbing, which makes a gloomy healthcare future look even worse. The battle against obesity will have to be fought on several fronts, including changing the way we eat, exercise, and even changing the way our food system works in this country. Certain policies have led to the easy availability of cheap, unhealthy food. Reversing the obesity trend will be a neccessary fight in the next few decades, if we want to avoid a looming healthcare nightmare.

Read about the report from Reuters.

Idea #168 for August 5th, 2009: New Curriculum or STD Testing In Schools

In past posts, I’ve mentioned the growing problem of certain STDs among teenage populations. The rise of gonorrhea and chlamydia is particularly worrisome. In Washington DC, where there are high rates of STDs and teenage sexual activity, there are plans underway to offer STD testing to high school students. In a pilot testing program involving 3,000 DC students, 13% tested positive for a STD, underscoring the need for some kind of intervention.

Officials are planning on rolling out testing programs in high schools city-wide, but they will be not be mandatory. However, there is a mandatory STD education facet of the program. Two years ago in a smaller-scale testing program, 68% of the students agreed to providing a urine specimen for STD testing. Results were given by telephone and treatment was provided at the school or a clinic, at no cost to the student.

A number of other major cities are planning programs along the same lines, and Philadelphia has had a similar program for several years. Catching and treating STDs before they spread is important enough that testing in schools makes sense, especially in cities where STDs are rampant among teens.

For more, see the story about this in the Washington Post.

Idea #153 for July 21st, 2009: The Veggie Way or Meatless Diets and Cancer Rates

If you want to help your chances of avoiding cancer, changing your diet to eliminate most meat may be an effective strategy. A study out of England shows that vegetarians are 12% less likely to get cancer overall than their meat-eating counterparts. In certain cancers, including stomach, bladder, and leukemia, the risk was decreased by up to 45% for vegetarians. And specifically in multiple myeloma, the risk was dropped by 75%.

The study included about 61,000 British subjects over 12 years and took into account other variables like weight, lifestyle, alcohol consumption, etc. Still, more research has to be done on the matter to uncover what aspects of vegetarianism seem to be lowering the risk of cancer. Considering the large amounts of previous data that have shown the effects diets high in red and processed meats have on cancer rates, it shouldn’t come as a total surprise that avoiding meat may decrease cancer risks.

You can find out more about the study here and here.

Idea #148 for July 16th, 2009: Greening the Desert or Making Healthier Foods Available in Chicago

In Chicago, more than 600,000 people live in neighborhoods without major grocery store chains, the majority of whom are considered poor and have no cars. What does this have to do with health? Well, research has shown that people in those areas (called “food deserts”) are more likely to buy food from gas stations or convenience stores. And that may be part of the reason for higher levels of diabetes and other chronic conditions in those populations.

To help bring more healthful food alternatives into those areas, some Chicago churches are organizing farmers markets that occur on a regular basis on their premises. One church is even demonstrating how to integrate the healthier ingredients into diets. Simply making healthful choices available could change people’s eating habits. As this experiment progresses, it will be interesting to see if a) it remains popular and b) if rates of diabetes and obesity are at all affected.

Read more about this in the Chicago Tribune.

Idea #147 for July 15th, 2009: Casualties at Home or Mental Health Among Veterans

Over the first two months of this year, an unfathomable 41 active duty Army soldiers committed suicide. Since then, the rate has diminished slightly with 51 suicides in the last 4.5 months, but it is still an eye-popping number. Overall, about 37% of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have mental health problems, according to data from the VA. The demographic group most plagued by the problem is 18-27 year old men in combat-arms specialties.

There’s obviously a need for more mental health screening and intervention for veteran returning from tours of duty. Fortunately, action is being taken to combat the trend. A team of four research institutions, as part of a $50 million study, will begin trying to uncover the reasons behind the mental health issues. Additionally, the Army has taken a number of steps to prevent suicides including employing tactics like training and educating soldiers and their families about mental health and suicide prevention. The fact that the suicide rate has decreased since the first two months of this year may be related to the Army’s efforts to stop the crisis, and is a positive sign. Hopefully this trend has turned around for good.

Read more from the AP and CNN.

Idea #140 for July 8th, 2009: Widening Problem or Childhood Obesity Continues to Rise

Over the last year, not a single state recorded a decrease in its obesity rate. In 31 states, the adult obesity rate exceeds 25% (if you broaden the metric to include individuals who are considered just “overweight,” the national average is more like 66%). It’s a disturbing trend, but even more frightening is the prevalence of obesity among children. For kids ages ten to seventeen, the rate of obesity exceeds 30% in 30 states. In Mississippi, the childhood obesity rate is a shocking 44% — the highest in the nation.

Evidence shows that obese children usually carry that status into adulthood, so we can expect another big leap in adult obesity rates as this generation matures. The chronic illnesses associated with obesity like hypertension and diabetes will balloon in coming years if this epidemic is not addressed, and the costs of treating them will undoubtedly blow-up too. Whether it’s encouraging more physical fitness, steering them away from fast food, or even changing the lunchroom menu, something has to be done to make these trends go in the other direction, or we will be paying the price in a few decades.

Read more about the news here and here.

Idea #90 for May 19th, 2009: Don’t Believe The Hype or The Deceptiveness of Low-Tar Cigarettes

Smoking is bad. We are all very aware of that by now. Steps taken by cigarette manufacturers in the last several decades have attempted to mitigate some of the health hazards associated with their products. One such step involved producing lower-tar cigarettes, which were marketed as a less harmful product. New research claims that the exact opposite is true, and that smoking low-tar cigarettes actually results in higher rates of a certain cancer than other cigarettes.

Researchers at UC San Diego have tied the increase in the cancer type known as “adenocarcinoma” in recent years to nitrosamines found in low-tar tobacco. In the past, the predominant type of lung cancer among smokers was squamous cell carcinoma. The nitrosamines responsible for the adenocarcinoma are thought to arise during the tobacco curing process, which apparently is different for the production of low-tar cigarettes.

The point here is that even seemingly “healthier” versions of cigarettes can still be at least as dangerous as any other type. No matter how tobacco manufacturers dress up their product, consumers should expect cigarettes to have disastrous effects on their health. Obviously, quitting is the only real way to avoid the many health risks associated with smoking.

See this Washington Post story on the study.