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When E-Cig Makers Offer Promotional Items, More Teens Likely to Vape

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Coupons, samples, branded hats and T-shirts: When teens use or wear promotional items from companies that make alternative tobacco products like electronic cigarettes, they are more likely to try those products, new research shows. The study included 757 California teens, aged 13 to 19, who were followed for a year. At the beginning of the year, none of them had ever used alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, cigarillos, pipes and hookahs. However, 81 owned items that promoted tobacco products, including 52 who owned promotional items for e-cigarettes. During the next year, 129 participants (17%) started using alternative tobacco products but not traditional cigarettes, and 12 began using traditional cigarettes alone or in combination with alternative tobacco products, the findings showed. Before adjusting for other factors, the researchers found that teens who owned promotional items were 2.3 times more likely to try alternative tobacco products than those who did not. After adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, maternal education level and baseline alcohol and cigarette use, teens who owned promotional materials were 2.1 times more likely to begin using alternative tobacco products. Among teens who tried both alternative tobacco products and cigarettes, the influence of owning promotional materials was not statistically significant, the researchers said. The findings were published online May 17 in JAMA Network Open. “The increase in use of alternative tobacco…  read on >

Suicides Increase Among U.S. Kids, But More in Girls Than Boys

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Suicide rates are on the rise among American children, but the increase is greatest among girls, a new study finds. “Overall, we found a disproportionate increase in female youth suicide rates compared to males, resulting in a narrowing of the gap between male and female suicide rates,” said study author Donna Ruch. She is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among Americans aged 10 to 19, with rates historically higher in boys than girls. However, recent reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show a greater increase in suicide rates among girls than boys. In this study, the researchers examined data on youth suicides from 1975 through 2016. The findings showed that youth suicide rates for both sexes fell in the early 1990s. But they have increased for both sexes since 2007, with larger increases among girls than boys, particularly among girls aged 10 to 14. Rates of female suicides by hanging or suffocation are approaching those of males, which is troubling considering the “gender paradox” in suicidal behavior, according to study co-author Jeff Bridge, director of the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research. Females have higher rates of nonfatal suicidal behavior, such as thinking about and attempting suicide, but more males die by…  read on >

Sugary Drinks and Fruit Juice May Increase Risk of Early Death

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Most folks know that sugary drinks aren’t healthy, but a new study finds fruit juices are not much better. In fact, consuming them regularly may help shorten your life, researchers say. “Older adults who drink more sugary beverages, which include fruit juice as well as sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages, may be at risk of dying earlier,” said study author Jean Welsh. She is an associate professor at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. “Efforts to decrease consumption of sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages should also include fruit juices, and these efforts need to include adults as well as children,” Welsh said. For the study, Welsh and her colleagues collected data on 13,440 men and women, average age 64, who were part of a large stroke study from 2003 to 2007. Among these participants, 71% were obese or overweight. The participants were asked how many sugar-sweetened drinks they consumed. Over an average of six years, 1,168 of the participants died. The researchers found that those who drank the most sugar-sweetened beverages — including 100% fruit juice — had higher odds of dying during the study, compared with those who drank the least of these. Moreover, each additional 12-ounce drink increased the risk even more. The report was published online May 17 in JAMA Network Open. In the United States, about half of the population…  read on >

Love the Smell of a Cup o’ Joe? Here’s What That Reveals About You

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Java junkies can sniff out even tiny amounts of coffee, and the more they drink, the better they can smell it, British researchers say. It’s a discovery with powerful implications for treating people addicted to substances with a distinct smell. “The higher the caffeine use, the quicker a person recognized the odor of coffee,” said study leader Lorenzo Stafford. He is an olfactory expert at the University of Portsmouth, in England. Not only could the regular coffee drinkers among the more than 90 volunteers quickly detect the aroma of a heavily diluted coffee chemical, their ability to do so increased with their level of craving, the findings showed. “The more they desired caffeine, the better their sense of smell for coffee,” Stafford said in a university news release. It’s the first evidence that java junkies are more sensitive to the smell of coffee, according to the study published recently in the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. Researchers had wondered if coffee drinkers and non-drinkers responded differently to the smell, and whether cravings might be related to an increased ability to detect it. Describing caffeine as the “most widely consumed psychoactive drug,” Stafford said the findings suggest that changes in the ability to detect smells could be a useful index of drug dependency. The study authors said their work could lead to new methods of aversion…  read on >

Essentials for Growing Tasty Herbs on Your Windowsill

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Whether you have a dedicated space in an outdoor garden or just a few buckets on a small patio, there’s nothing quite like having your own herb garden for giving your cooking fresh flavor boosts. But what if you live in an apartment or in a cold climate that can’t sustain outdoor herbs in the winter? The answer is to create an indoor herb garden, even if it’s a small selection grown on a windowsill. Here’s how to get started. First, decide on your herbs. Pick the ones you’ll use most often, and buy from a reputable nursery or garden center. Because growing from seeds can be hit or miss, use started plants. Check growing instructions on the label or insert that comes with each plant to see how much water it needs. This will help you group your herbs appropriately. Rosemary, for one, likes drier conditions, so it won’t mix well in the same planter with basil, which likes more water and fertilizer. Now, select your planters. Window boxes should be about double the size of the containers the herbs came in. A hanging window box is great for a tight space. Whatever the style, make sure there’s a drainage hole in the bottom and a pan to catch any excess water. Replant. To repot your herbs, fill your planters halfway with potting soil.…  read on >

Many Elite Athletes Ashamed to Seek Help for Mental Illness

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Athletes are supposed to be strong and self-assured, so many don’t seek help for mental health issues, a new study finds. It’s not just the stigma of mental illness that prompts many to tough it out alone, but also busy schedules, gender stereotyping and lack of understanding about mental health issues. That’s the consensus of researchers from Brazil, the Netherlands and the United States, who looked at 52 studies covering more than 13,000 elite athletes in 71 sports. The findings were published May 16 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. “Athletes fear, possibly rightly so, that disclosing mental health symptoms or disorders would reduce their chances of maintaining or signing a professional team contract or an advertising campaign,” the researchers said in a journal news release. It’s up to coaches and sport-governing bodies to help remove the stigma of mental illness and encourage mental well-being, the study authors added. As many as one in three elite athletes suffers from mental illness. The demands of training to improve performance heighten the risk, the researchers noted. Stigma was the most common factor in not seeking help, the investigators found. Mental illness was seen as a sign of weakness rather than the “hallmark of a winner,” according to the report. “Coaches could be important agents for supporting positive mental health attitudes within the elite athlete environment, including…  read on >

Colon Cancer Increasingly Striking the Young Worldwide

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The rise in colon cases among younger adults that’s been seen in the United States is also occurring in wealthier nations worldwide, new research shows. In the decade leading up to 2014, the number of cases of colon cancer among people under 50 increased by 3% a year in Denmark, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, and by 1% per year in Britain. The increase was most pronounced among those aged 20 to 29, noted a team led by Dr. Marzieh Araghi, from International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France. Among twenty-somethings, colon cancer cases rose by 18% a year in Denmark and 11% in Norway, according to the study published May 16 in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hematology. “Although the incidence of colorectal cancer in adults younger than 50 years remains much lower compared with that in older age groups, our findings are of concern and highlight the need for action to counteract the rising burden of the disease in younger people,” Araghi said in a journal news release. The increase in cases among the young runs counter to declines in colon cancer among people over 50, the researchers pointed out. For example, between 2004 and 2014 cases of colon cancer fell each year among people over 50 — by 2% in Australia and Canada, 3% in New Zealand, and 1% annually in…  read on >

Health Tip: Helmet Safety

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(HealthDay News) — A helmet can prevent someone from a serious head injury, says the New York State Department of Health. Some states even require people, especially children, to wear helmets while biking or skateboarding. The Department of Health encourages parents to: Select a helmet that meets Consumer Product Safety Commission standards. Make sure your child wears a helmet appropriate for his or her sport. Buy a helmet that fits your child. Replace a helmet that has been involved in an accident.

Health Tip: Helmet Safety

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(HealthDay News) — A helmet can prevent someone from a serious head injury, says the New York State Department of Health. Some states even require people, especially children, to wear helmets while biking or skateboarding. The Department of Health encourages parents to: Select a helmet that meets Consumer Product Safety Commission standards. Make sure your child wears a helmet appropriate for his or her sport. Buy a helmet that fits your child. Replace a helmet that has been involved in an accident.

Health Tip: Preventing Ringworm

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(HealthDay News) — Ringworm is a fungal infection that gets its name from the red circular rash that develops. The inside of the ring typically is clear or scaly. People who use public lockers and showers, athletes and people with weak immune systems are especially at risk. To prevent the infection, Mayo Clinic suggests: Wash your hands often. Don’t wear thick clothing in warm, humid weather. Avoid infected animals. Don’t share personal items.