Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 1-9-19
Local news, local politics and community events for St. Charles County Missouri.
Local news, local politics and community events for St. Charles County Missouri.
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20 I HEALTH I<br />
January 9, 20<strong>19</strong><br />
MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE<br />
@MIDRIVERSNEWS<br />
MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />
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Weldon Spring, MO 63304<br />
Hwy 94 at Wolfrum Road<br />
3-3741<br />
Soy baby formula may cause reproductive health problems for girls later in<br />
life, new research suggests.<br />
Health<br />
capsules<br />
By LISA RUSSELL<br />
Soy baby formula may create<br />
adult health issues for girls<br />
New research suggests that girls who are<br />
fed soy formula as infants are more likely<br />
to develop severe menstrual pain as young<br />
adults. Soy formula feeding has also been<br />
previously linked to endometriosis, a painful<br />
condition where tissue that normally<br />
lines the inside of the uterus grows on other<br />
organs inside the body.<br />
Scientists examined data from more than<br />
1,500 women between the ages of 23 and<br />
35 who participated in the National Institute<br />
of Environmental Health Sciences<br />
[NIEHS] study of environment and reproductive<br />
health. They found that those who<br />
had been fed soy formula as babies were<br />
50 percent more likely to have experienced<br />
moderate to severe menstrual pain between<br />
the ages of 18 and 22, and 40 percent more<br />
likely to use hormonal contraceptives to<br />
reduce that pain.<br />
NIEHS postdoctoral researcher and lead<br />
author Kristen Upson, Ph.D., presented a<br />
possible theory explaining the link. She<br />
said previous animal studies show that<br />
early exposure to genistein, a naturally<br />
occurring component in soy formula, interferes<br />
with the development of the reproductive<br />
system, including factors involved<br />
in menstrual pain. She said these studies<br />
have also shown that these developmental<br />
changes can continue later into adulthood.<br />
The study appeared online in the journal<br />
Human Reproduction.<br />
New Year’s touch-ups<br />
Resolutions are great as long as they last<br />
past January. However, according to Dr.<br />
Graham Colditz, of Siteman Cancer Center,<br />
“those goals often focus on big, sweeping<br />
changes, such as losing 40 pounds or training<br />
for a marathon.”<br />
Colditz suggests heading in the opposite<br />
direction by focusing on smaller, easier-toaccomplish<br />
“New Year’s touch-ups.”<br />
Stand more. Most of us spend too much<br />
time sitting, and it’s increasing our risk of<br />
weight gain, diabetes, heart disease and<br />
maybe even some cancers. If you have to<br />
sit for work or school, try to stand up once<br />
or twice an hour for a few minutes. Standing<br />
desks are even better. At home, try<br />
standing when watching TV or spending<br />
time on your computer or phone.<br />
Step on your bathroom scale. “Easy<br />
but not fun” but stepping on your scale<br />
regularly [once a day or once a week] is a<br />
great way to keep weight in check. If you<br />
notice your weight creeping up, you can<br />
make small changes to how much you eat<br />
and how active you are.<br />
Sneak in some vegetables. Adding<br />
more vegetables to your diet is always a<br />
good idea. And one easy, and somewhat<br />
sneaky, way to do it is to grate vegetables<br />
into some of your usual dishes. Carrots,<br />
squash and cauliflower practically disappear<br />
when grated into soups, casseroles<br />
and pasta sauce, but they provide a good<br />
nutrition boost.<br />
Pick low- or zero-sodium canned<br />
foods. Most people eat too much sodium,<br />
which can increase the risk of high blood<br />
pressure, stroke, heart disease, even stomach<br />
cancer.<br />
Slow down. We tend to rush through<br />
our days, and this often includes our meals<br />
and snacks. Try to slow down the next few<br />
times you eat. Take a minute to sit quietly<br />
before you start, then eat much more<br />
slowly than you normally would. You may<br />
find you’re satisfied with less food than<br />
you would be usually.<br />
Keep sunscreen within arm’s reach.<br />
Broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher sunscreen<br />
provides good protection against<br />
the sun’s damaging rays. But it can’t do its<br />
job if you forgot it at home. So, keep some<br />
backup sunscreen in your car, backpack,<br />
desk, purse or other easy-access spots.<br />
This way, when you’re ready to go outside,<br />
you’ll have it ready to put on.<br />
Inflammatory bowel disease<br />
linked to prostate cancer<br />
Men with inflammatory bowel diseases<br />
such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis<br />
are four to five times more likely to also<br />
be diagnosed with prostate cancer, according<br />
to a 20-year study from Northwestern<br />
University. About 1 million American<br />
men currently suffer from these chronic<br />
conditions, and they should undergo more<br />
detailed screenings for prostate cancer, the<br />
Northwestern physicians said.<br />
In this long-term study, researchers followed<br />
more than 1,000 men with inflammatory<br />
bowel disease, comparing them<br />
with a control group of more than 9,300<br />
men without these chronic conditions.<br />
Over 18 years of follow-up, they found<br />
that men with inflammatory bowel disease<br />
were far more likely to have elevated PSA<br />
levels, and to be diagnosed with prostate<br />
cancer as well.<br />
Their results show that physicians<br />
shouldn’t assume that an elevated PSA is a<br />
false or unimportant result, said urologist Dr.<br />
Shilajit Kundu of Northwestern Medicine.<br />
“Many doctors think [a patient’s] PSA<br />
is elevated just because they have an<br />
inflammatory condition, [but] if a man<br />
with inflammatory bowel disease has an<br />
elevated PSA, it may be an indicator of<br />
prostate cancer.” In his own practice, he<br />
sees many men with inflammatory bowel<br />
disease who also have elevated PSA tests,<br />
Kundu said. However, there is currently<br />
no standardized protocol for treating these<br />
patients.<br />
He and other Northwestern scientists are<br />
now working to understand how and why<br />
gut inflammation often leads to prostate<br />
cancer.<br />
Protect your pooch from<br />
winter health problems<br />
Winter weather can cause all sorts of<br />
health problems, from itchy skin to frostbite<br />
– and that doesn’t just hold true for<br />
humans. Pets also need extra care during<br />
the cold, wet winter months. Following are<br />
some tips from the ASPCA to help protect<br />
pets from the discomforts and dangers<br />
unique to winter.<br />
• Make sure your pet has a warm place to<br />
sleep, such as a cozy dog or cat bed located<br />
off the floor and away from cold drafts.<br />
• Repeatedly going out into the cold and<br />
snow and back into the dry heat of your<br />
home can cause itchy, cracked or flaking<br />
skin. Dry your pet with a towel as soon as<br />
it comes inside, paying special attention<br />
to the stomach, feet and between the toes.<br />
Also, bathe pets as little as possible during<br />
the winter. Washing them too often can<br />
strip essential oils and increase the chance<br />
of developing dry skin problems. If your<br />
dog must have frequent baths, ask your vet<br />
to recommend a moisturizing shampoo.
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