Our weekly roundup of the latest news in the world of health. This week we look at new recommendations on prostate cancer screening in older men, at the cost, in calories, of ordering from the childrens menu at restaurants, and at the effects of sleep apnea on longevity. We also look at the decline of talk therapy to treat psychiatric illnesses.
Stay well.
This Issue:
After 75, No PSA Screening Kids Menus and Calories Sleep and Lifespan Psychotherapy in Decline In the News:
After 75, No PSA Screening For most men over age 75, treatment based on prostate cancer screening causes more harm than benefit. Thats the position of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which issued new guidelines on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for older men, the Associated Press reports. There is not sufficient evidence that detecting and treating prostate cancer in men over 75 leads to fewer cancer deaths, the task force said in a statement. But treatment can lead to erectile dysfunction and bladder control and bowel problems. The new guidelines were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Kids Menus and Calories
The kids menu is not the place to go for healthy dietary choices, according to a new report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The report says that almost all of the possible combinations of childrens meals at the top chain restaurants in the United States contain too many calories. The report looked at data on the nutritional content of kids' meals at 13 major restaurant chains. Ninety-three percent of the nearly 1,500 possible meal combinations were over 430 calories; that is, they contained more than one-third of the recommended daily calorie intake for children ages 4 through 8, the Associated Press reports. Some of the meals were over 1,000 calories, the report found. In addition, 45 percent of children's meals exceeded the daily recommendations for saturated and trans fats. The report recommends that the restaurants change their menus to reduce calories, saturated and trans fats, and salt; and that they add more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It also suggests that the chain restaurants make fruit or vegetables and low-fat milk or water the main side dishes instead of French fries, and that they provide nutrition information.
Sleep Apnea Affects Longevity
People with severe sleep apnea have a higher risk of dying from any case than people without the condition. Two studies published in the journal Sleep finds that the disorder can erode patients health over time. An 18-year study from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort involved over 1,500 men and women, ages 30 to 60. For those without sleep apnea, the death rate was 2.85 per 1,000 people per year. For those with mild and moderate apnea, the death rates were 5.54 and 5.42 per 1,000 people per year, respectively. Among those with severe apnea, it was 14.6 per 1,000 people per year. Twenty-six percent of all deaths among people without sleep apnea were due to cardiovascular causes. Among people with severe apnea that figure was 42 percent. A second study involving 380 Australian adults ages 40 to 65 found that some 33 percent of participants with moderate to severe sleep apnea had died after 14 years, compared with 6.5 percent of people with mild apnea and 7.7 percent of people without apnea, the Associated Press reports.
Psychotherapy in Decline
U.S. psychiatrists are practicing psychotherapy less often - and for shorter periods of time -- than they were a decade ago, according to a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The study looked at data on more than 14,000 office visits to psychiatrists over a 10-year period. Researchers found that the percentage of patients' visits for psychotherapy dropped from 44 percent in 1996-97 to 29 percent in 2004-05. The percentage of psychiatrists using psychotherapy with all their patients dropped from about 19 percent to 11 percent, the study found. The researchers attribute the decline to the increased use of medications and insurance company policies that encourage short office visits, the Associated Press reports. In fact, psychiatrists who provided talk therapy to all their patients had more patients who paid out of pocket compared to those doctors who provided talk therapy less often. The study did not include visits to psychologists and counselors who also us "talk therapy."
Used with the permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. The above summaries are not intended to provide advice on personal medical matters, nor are they intended to be a substitute for consultation with a physician.
