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As electronic cigarettes took off, some worried they would lead teens back to traditional cigarettes. But new research suggests that’s not the case. Vaping has done little to slow or reverse a two-decade decline in the popularity of regular cigarettes among youth, a British study suggests. “Given the important contribution to public health which has been achieved by the ‘denormalization’ of smoking among young people, we need to keep a close eye on anything which might reverse that,” stressed study author Graham Moore. So, could vaping somehow make smoking “cool” again among youth? To find out, Moore’s team analyzed surveys conducted between 1998 and 2015 of roughly 248,000 English, Scottish and Welsh students, aged 13 to 15. The polls revealed that the percentage of teens who had ever tried a cigarette plummeted from 60% in 1998 to just 19% by 2015. The percentage of regular smokers also dropped, from 19% to 5%. That trend continued despite the advent of vaping earlier this decade, the investigators found. “From our conversations with young people, the fact that the rise in experimentation with e-cigarettes was not accompanied by a rise in smoking does make some sense,” added Moore, a reader in the school of social sciences at Cardiff University in Wales. Moore noted that today’s youth “tend to distinguish quite strongly” between smoking cigarettes and using e-cigarettes. For… read on >

Rates of prostate cancer cases and deaths have declined or stabilized in many countries. And the United States had the largest recent decrease in disease incidence, a new study says. “Previous studies have indicated significant variation in prostate cancer rates, due to factors including detection practices, availability of treatment, and genetic factors,” said study author MaryBeth Freeman. She’s a senior associate scientist for surveillance research at the American Cancer Society. “By comparing rates from different countries, we can assess differences in detection practices and improvements in treatment,” Freeman said in a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Researchers examined long-term and short-term data from 44 countries with incidence data and 71 countries with prostate cancer death data. Of the 44 countries assessed for incidence, prostate cancer rates rose in four countries and fell in seven, with the United States with the biggest decrease. Rates remained stable in the other 33 countries. Of the 71 countries assessed for prostate cancer death rates, there were decreases in 14, increases in three, and no change in 54. As of 2012, prostate cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in 96 countries and the leading cause of death in 51 countries, according to the study. Freeman said the findings confirm the benefits of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening. She noted that in the United… read on >

(HealthDay News) — If you or someone you know has a mental illness, help is out there. To find treatment services in your area, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). You can also call your doctor to see what services are near. For immediate help, call 1-800-273-8255 or go to the National Suicide Prevention Life’s website. Trained crisis workers are available at all hours. For life-threatening situations, call 911 or go to a hospital.

Need another reason to stay slim? People who are overweight have a greater risk of dying from pancreatic cancer, especially those who are carrying extra pounds before age 50, a new study suggests. “No matter what the age, there was some increase in pancreatic cancer deaths associated with excess weight. But the association was stronger for excess weight measured in people’s 30s and 40s,” said the study’s lead author, Eric Jacobs, senior scientific director of epidemiology research at the American Cancer Society (ACS). “We’re not completely sure why this is. Weight gain later in life may simply have less time to cause cancer,” he said. Between 2000 and 2015, the rate of pancreatic cancer rose about 15 percent, he said. It’s now the third-leading cause of cancer death in the United States. One reason pancreatic cancer is so deadly is that it often isn’t discovered until it has reached an advanced stage. The disease rarely causes noticeable symptoms, and there are no effective screening tests, according to the cancer society. But a few risk factors for pancreatic cancer can be changed. Smoking, weight and exposure to workplace chemicals are the three known risk factors that can be modified. In the new study, researchers looked at data for almost 1 million U.S. adults with no history of cancer. The participants were enrolled in a nationwide study… read on >

Men often have a hard time acknowledging erectile dysfunction, or ED. But it can leave their partner feeling confused or even blaming themselves for something not within their control. First, know that while the odds of ED rise after age 50, many men experience normal physical changes that are not ED. Erections may not be as firm as they once were, and it may take more foreplay to get one. It may help to have sex in the morning, when both partners are full of energy. True ED is not being able to get or maintain an erection, though this may not happen every time. It can be related to lifestyle habits such as smoking, heavy drinking or being overweight. Stopping harmful habits, losing weight and getting into a regular exercise program can be helpful. In middle age, ED can often be connected to a medical condition — such as diabetes, heart disease or Parkinson’s — and new or worsening ED may signal that the condition is getting worse. Erectile dysfunction can also be a side effect of some medications and cancer treatments. It’s also important to know that up to 25 percent men under 40 experience ED, often from a psychological issue, like performance anxiety or depression. But for some, it’s an early warning sign of heart disease. For all of these reasons, encourage… read on >

It’s not always possible to lower cholesterol through diet alone — sometimes there’s no way to override your DNA, and medication becomes a must. But certain foods can be part of the plan to improve your numbers, to both lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the bad one, and raise your high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the good one. First, choose foods with soluble fiber. Think of this type of fiber as a magnet, drawing cholesterol out of your body. Good sources are oats, oat bran and barley, along with beans, eggplant and okra. When used in recipes, these foods tend to take on the flavors of other ingredients, so be adventurous with recipe planning — and generous with herbs and spices. Apples, grapes, strawberries and citrus fruits are good choices because of their pectin, a type of soluble fiber. Next, go for foods with polyunsaturated fats. These include vegetable oils like canola, sunflower and safflower, as well as fatty fish like salmon, rich with omega-3 fatty acids, and most types of seeds and nuts. Plant-based foods also contain substances called plant sterols and stanols, which help keep the body from absorbing cholesterol. Particularly good sources are Brussel sprouts, wheat germ and wheat bran, peanuts and almonds, and olive, sesame and canola oils. In terms of foods to limit, talk to your doctor about your unique needs. High-cholesterol… read on >

Scientists are looking to an unexpected source in the battle against drug-resistant bacteria: fish slime. The researchers said that microbes in the protective mucus that coats young fish holds promise in fighting multidrug-resistant bacteria. These include the so-called “superbug” microbes that cause methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. The slime protects fish from bacteria, fungi and viruses, trapping them before they can cause infections. It is also rich in compounds known to have antibacterial activity, the study authors said. The study was presented Sunday at the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) meeting, in Orlando, Fla. Research presented at meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. “For us, any microbe in the marine environment that could provide a new compound is worth exploring,” principal investigator Sandra Loesgen said in an ACS news release. Loesgen is an assistant professor of chemistry at Oregon State University, in Corvallis. Molly Austin, an undergraduate chemistry student in Loesgen’s laboratory, said that the mucus is fascinating because the environment in which fish live is complex. “They are in contact with their environment all the time with many pathogenic viruses,” Austin explained. The researchers are trying to determine if anything in the fish mucus could help protect people. The slime the investigators are studying is from juvenile deep-sea and surface-dwelling fish caught off the Southern California coast. Young fish… read on >

Less than 10 minutes a day of brisk walking can help prevent disability in people with arthritis pain in their knee, hip, ankle or foot, researchers report. Just one hour a week of brisk physical activity “is less than 10 minutes a day for people to maintain their independence. It’s very doable,” said lead study author Dorothy Dunlop. She’s a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “This minimum threshold may motivate inactive older adults to begin their path toward a physically active lifestyle with the wide range of health benefits promoted by physical activity,” Dunlop added in a university news release. She and her team analyzed four years of data from more than 1,500 older adults in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Ohio, and Pawtucket, R.I., who had pain, aching or stiffness in their lower joints from osteoarthritis but were initially free of disability. The participants’ levels of physical activity were monitored using a wearable device. An hour a week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity reduced their risk of disability, the study found. Specifically, the activity reduced the risk of walking too slowly to safely cross a street by 85 percent, and their risk of not being able to do daily living activities — for example, morning routine tasks such as walking across a room, bathing and dressing — by nearly… read on >

With concern over concussion dangers rising, most U.S. parents now say that they would support bans on tackling in youth football, a new survey shows. Researchers found that of more than 1,000 parents in a national sample, 60 percent were in favor of age restrictions on tackling. Another quarter were in the “maybe” camp. The study, published online April 1 in the journal Pediatrics, dovetails with growing fears about sports-related concussions in children and teenagers. The rate of concussion in youth sports remains fairly low; but research suggests that because so many U.S. kids play sports, it translates to as many as 1.9 million concussions a year among 5- to 18-year-olds. So, various sports organizations have laid out new rules to protect young athletes from head injuries. For example, youth soccer leagues recommend that kids younger than 11 avoid “heading” the ball, while USA Hockey advises against “body checking” for players younger than 13. The issue of tackling in youth football remains debated, though. The new study tried to gauge where parents stand, since their views are crucial, said lead author Dr. Sara Chrisman, of Seattle Children’s Research Institute. Her team found that few parents — 15 percent — were against age restrictions on tackling. And moms and dads were generally on the same page: 58 percent of men and 63 percent of women supported… read on >

Spring break may mean sun and fun for lots of college kids, but it doesn’t mean they can forget about contact lens care, experts say. Your risk of eye infections increases if you wear contacts and do things such as sleep in them, shower or swim with them in, and not wash your hands before handling them — all of which are more likely to happen when you’re busy enjoying your spring break. The American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Academy of Optometry and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer the following contact lens safety tips for travelers: Pack a spare pair of glasses. Take out your contact lenses before jumping into the water at a beach or pool. Take your contact lenses out before bed, even if you’re up late. Bring enough contact lens supplies with you on your trip. Don’t top off by adding new solution to old. Never wear contact lenses that were not prescribed to you, especially decorative lenses sold at souvenir shops. Always wash your hands with soap and water before touching your contact lenses. Remove your contact lenses and call an eye doctor immediately if you experience redness, pain, tearing, discharge or swelling of your eyes, as well as increased light sensitivity or blurred vision. “Most people don’t think of contact lenses as a medical device, but… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Teens’ E-Cig Surge Hasn’t Hurt Move Away From Smoking: Study

U.S. Leads World in Reducing Prostate Cancer Cases

Health Tip: Finding Mental Health Care Providers

Pancreatic Cancer Survival Odds Linked to Weight Before Age 50

When Your Partner Has Erectile Dysfunction

Foods to Lower Your Cholesterol Count

Fish Slime Could Hold Key to Beating ‘Superbug’ Infections

One Short, Brisk Walk a Day May Keep Arthritis at Bay

Most Parents Want Age Limits on Football Tackling

Spring Break Is No Vacation From Contact Lens Care