Aluminum may increase Alzheimer’s

People who drink water with a lot of aluminum in it have a 2.6-fold higher risk of Alzheimer’s than people who get less aluminum daily, French researchers have found. But people in areas with a lot of silica in the water see an 11 percent reduction in the odds of developing dementia for every 10 milligram per day increase in silica consumption. Researchers say they aren’t sure why this might be the case, and more study is needed to confirm the link.

Obese people need more knee, hip replacements

In news that sounds really logical, Australian researchers report that people who are obese are more likely to need knee or hip replacements than people of lower weight. Not only does carrying around extra weight put more strain on the joints, chemicals produced by fat can attack cartilage, causing even more damage. Higher waist circumference and body mass index were linked in the study to three or four times increased risk of needing a knee or hip replacement.

Different races seem to have different insulin resistance

Whites and Hispanics seem to be more sensitive to high triglyceride levels, which can cause insulin resistance and eventually lead to diabetes, while blacks don’t seem to develop the high levels of triglycerides that people of other ethnicities do. Previous research had shown that blacks don’t seem to have as serious problems when they develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease as do people in other ethnic groups. Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center say they aren’t sure why blacks should show less sensitivity to triglycerides and insulin resistance. Regardless of ethnicity, the level of abdominal fat was linked to levels of fat in the liver, though insulin resistance was found in fewer blacks.

Sprouts recalled after salmonella reported

Alfalfa, onion and gourmet sprouts distributed by SunSprout Enterprises of Omaha, Nebraska, are being recalled after reports of several cases of salmonella in Nebraska and Iowa. The strain, Salmonella St. Paul, is the same strain that was found in peppers last summer. While the sprouts haven’t been definitively linked to the outbreak, they’re being recalled as a precaution. The sprouts were mostly found at food distributors who took them to restaurants and stores, and one retail store in Nebraska had received a direct shipment of the sprouts.

New Yorkers are healthier, except for obesity

A report card on the health of New York City residents was touted as showing a lot of progress, noting that fewer people smoke in the city than did in 2002 when Mayor Michael Bloomberg took office. Fewer people are dying from HIV or from using alcohol or drugs, and fewer kids are getting lead poisoning. But the report fails to mention obesity, which Bloomberg admitted is one public health problem that is getting worse in the city. He says the city has done a lot to encourage health and fitness among its citizens, but it really comes down to personal responsibility if people will take action and lose weight.

Probiotic yogurt can ease digestive distress

Finally, in research funded by the yogurt maker Danone, researchers found that consuming a yogurt-like probiotic product for two weeks eased digestive discomfort in otherwise healthy people who used it. The research involved Bifidobacterium lactis, found in Activia. Men and women who reported some digestive discomfort ate the product once or twice a day for two weeks, and 83 percent of men and 84 percent of women reported improvement in their digestive comfort, compared to just 3 percent of those who didn’t use the product.

(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)

Subscribe to our RSS feed | Weekly e-mail updates | Follow us on Twitter

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 5th, 2009 and is filed under Diabetes, Food miscellaneous, Food safety, Foreign stories (non-U.S.), Nibbles: diet news shorts, Obesity health dangers, Obesity research and studies. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. Permalink.