Sleepy Pro Athletes May Have Shorter Careers

TUESDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- Excessive daytime sleepiness can affect the careers of professional football and baseball players, according to new research.

In one study, researchers looked at 55 randomly selected college football players who made it to the National Football League and found that only 38 percent of sleepy athletes stayed with the team that originally drafted them, compared with 56 percent of less sleepy players.

Another study of 40 baseball players found that those with higher levels of daytime sleepiness had rates of leaving their team between 57 percent and 86 percent, which is much higher than the Major League Baseball average of 30 percent to 35 percent.

The studies were presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, in Boston.

"A team's ability to accurately judge a prospect or a potential trade in terms of the value they will get for that player is what makes or breaks many professional sport teams," principal investigator Dr. W. Christopher Winter, of the Martha Jefferson Hospital Sleep Medicine Center and CNSM Consulting in Charlottesville, Va., said in an American Academy of Sleep Medicine news release.

"These studies demonstrate that a simple evaluation of sleepiness may be a powerful tool to add to the list of tests athletes already undergo, such as the Wonderlic Cognitive Abilities Test and the 40-yard dash," Winter added.

Measuring a player's daytime sleepiness could do more for team officials than help them decide whom to draft, the experts noted.

"Addressing sleepiness in players and correcting the underlying issues causing sleepiness may help to prolong a player's career," Winter said.

The data and conclusions of research presented at medical meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

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'Moderate' Drinking During Pregnancy Has No Effect on Young Children: Study

TUESDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- One of the cardinal rules for expectant moms: don't drink.

But a new study out of Denmark is throwing that maxim into doubt. It finds that 5-year-olds whose mothers drank low to moderate levels of alcohol (between one and eight drinks a week) during early pregnancy showed no ill effects.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy that exceeded the "moderate" threshold, however, was associated with a lower attention span among children in that age group.

Despite the findings, experts who reviewed the research said it shouldn't change standard recommendations.

"These findings can easily send a very dangerous message to pregnant women," said Bruce Goldman, director of Substance Abuse Services at the Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y. He noted that the U.S. surgeon general advises against drinking during pregnancy to avoid fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

"Women may underestimate and have difficulty acknowledging the frequency or quantity of alcohol consumed," Goldman said. "Those suffering from alcoholism may attempt to rationalize that it is safe to drink moderately, something they may ultimately be unable to do."

In the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 1,600 women in the Danish National Birth Cohort. The amount of alcohol consumed by the women during their pregnancy was classified as either none, low (one to four drinks per week), moderate (five to eight drinks per week) or high (nine or more drinks per week). Binge drinking was defined as having five or more drinks on a single occasion.

At age 5, the women's children underwent tests to assess their IQ, attention span and thinking skills needed for planning, organization and self-control.

Overall, low to moderate weekly drinking during pregnancy had no significant effect on the children's brain development, the team reported. Nor did binge drinking. There was, however, a link between high levels of drinking during pregnancy and lower attention spans in offspring at age 5.

The findings appear in five different studies published June 20 in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Although it's still best for pregnant women to avoid alcohol, these results suggest that small amounts may not be a serious concern, concluded researchers led by Ulrik Schioler Kesmodel, a consultant gynecologist and associate professor at Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital.

They called, however, for more large-scale studies to further investigate the possible effects of low to moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Another U.S. expert familiar with the findings said it's still too early to give women a pass to drink while pregnant.

"I would still caution women about drinking during their pregnancies," said Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "There may be subtle neurobehavioral changes that were not picked up in the study."

"Also, it can be hard to accurately test younger children," she said, and "tests at an older age may detect larger differences."

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Could Sunlight Lower Your Odds for Pancreatic Cancer?

TUESDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- Adding to already-conflicting data about sun exposure, vitamin D levels and cancer risk, new Australian research suggests that experiencing high levels of ultraviolet light and having sun-sensitive skin and a history of skin cancer each measurably lower the risk for developing deadly pancreatic cancer.

But U.S. cancer experts cautioned against making any lifestyle changes -- including tanning or altering vitamin D intake -- in response to the study, which is preliminary and does not prove these factors can prevent pancreatic cancer.

Comparing about 700 patients with pancreatic cancer from Queensland, Australia, to a roughly equal number of people from the general population, scientists led by Rachel Neale from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research found that participants born in areas with the highest levels of ultraviolet radiation had a 24 percent lower risk for pancreatic cancer than those born in areas of low UV radiation.

Those classified as having the most sun-sensitive skin had a 49 percent decreased risk of the malignancy compared to those with the least sun-sensitive skin, while participants with a history of skin cancer or other sun-related skin lesions had a 40 percent lower risk of pancreatic cancer than those with no reported skin lesions.

Dr. James D'Olimpio, director of palliative medicine/cancer pain and supportive oncology at Monter Cancer Center in Lake Success, N.Y., questions the findings. "This study is very innovative and I applaud the design, but translating it to what's really going on in pancreatic cancer is a stretch," he said. "The whole idea of UV exposure conferring protection . . . is counterintuitive. I looked at this study with interest but a high degree of skepticism."

The research is scheduled to be presented Tuesday at an American Association for Cancer Research conference at Lake Tahoe, Nev.

About 44,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, with more than 37,000 deaths expected. Originating in the pancreas, near many other gastrointestinal organs, the malignancy is often discovered after it has spread and is extremely difficult to control or cure.

The Australian researchers matched study participants by age and sex to others in the general population over four years, interviewing them about social, demographic and medical information along with details of their birth location, skin-cancer history and skin type. They categorized skin type by skin color, tanning ability and propensity to sunburn.

Study authors noted that contradictory data exist on so-called circulating vitamin D -- the amount of the vitamin present in the bloodstream as a result of sun exposure, not food or supplementation -- and its association with cancer risk.

D'Olimpio, who specializes in pancreatic cancer, said that vitamin D is thought to cut the body's inflammatory response and stimulate the immune system to work more efficiently, both of which could contribute to a lowered cancer risk. But "we have a big puzzle and this is a tiny piece," he said. "This is a little data point we can plug in . . . but it's still controversial how much vitamin D people should have."

Dr. Michael Choti, a professor of surgery and chief of the division of surgical oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, also cautioned that more research is needed to identify the risk factors linked with developing pancreatic cancer.

"Certainly this study is hypothesis-generating, but it's not definitive," Choti said. "The concern is that [people] could interpret this as needing to get out in the sun more, when we don't have a good feeling about its negative effects on melanoma or non-melanoma skin cancer. One needs to be careful about making blanket recommendations or even saying that taking vitamin D can reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer."

Studies presented at scientific conferences are not yet peer-reviewed and results are considered preliminary until published in a medical journal.

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Arthritis Treatment Linked to Liver Problems in Study

MONDAY, June 18 (HealthDay News) -- A "medical food" called Limbrel, which doctors prescribe to treat osteoarthritis of the knee, was linked to several cases of liver disease in a small study, but the effects so far seem to be rare and easily reversible.

Still, patients who take Limbrel, also known as flavocoxid, should be aware of the potential for liver problems, said study lead author Dr. Naga Chalasani, director of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at Indiana University School of Medicine, in Indianapolis.

Patients should not assume that "medical foods," such as Limbrel, are 100 percent safe, he added.

In the United States, medical foods are not subjected to the clinical trials required of prescription drugs before coming to market.

According to Primus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., maker of Limbrel, the main ingredients of the pills are plant elements known as bioflavonoids, specifically baicalin and catechins. The company says Limbrel helps improve mobility and relieve joint discomfort and stiffness related to arthritis.

For the new study, Chalasani and colleagues analyzed 877 cases of liver injury and found four linked with Limbrel. The researchers said it's "highly likely" that the product caused the liver problems in three of the patients and possible in the other one.

Symptoms included nausea, fatigue and yellow skin, Chalasani said. The four patients were women between 57 and 68 years old who showed signs of liver illness between one and three months after taking Limbrel.

They recovered within weeks of discontinuing the drug.

"Our report provides convincing evidence that flavocoxid is capable of causing clinically apparent, acute liver injury," the study authors wrote. They also noted that the pharmaceutical company has discovered 31 possible cases of liver problems among more than 284,000 users since the drug was brought to market in 2004.

It's not clear why Limbrel might cause liver problems, although the researchers suspect one of its chemicals may be at fault, Chalasani said.

According to Dr. Robert Levy, director of clinical development for Primus Pharmaceuticals, "Limbrel is, by far, the safest anti-inflammatory on the market."

Limbrel has an "extraordinary safety profile," he added. He said medical foods must be prescribed and used under the direction of a physician, adding that physicians should monitor the livers of patients who take the drugs.

"Because the liver is the site of metabolism of most drugs and foreign chemicals, a great many drugs, including all anti-inflammatory agents, are known to have some liver toxicity," Levy said.

Painkillers, another common treatment for osteoarthritis, only provide limited relief and are also associated with adverse events, the study authors said.

About 20 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis, which is the leading cause of disability in the United States, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Study lead author Chalasani said patients and physicians should be aware that medical food products haven't gone through the same kind of review as regular prescription drugs.

"I'll bet most people who prescribe Limbrel think it's gone through the typical review process," he said. "If a physician chooses to prescribe Limbrel, he or she should be aware that it can cause this toxicity." If patients develop symptoms of liver damage, they should stop taking Limbrel, he added.

The study appears in the June 19 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The authors of an accompanying journal editorial said that the current policy of allowing medical foods to come to market without rigorous testing may need to be reconsidered, given their popularity and potential for damage.

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Better-Educated Blacks, Lower Odds of Hypertension: Study

FRIDAY, June 15 (HealthDay News) -- African ancestry does not explain why black Americans are more likely than whites to have high blood pressure, a new study says.

But there is a significant association between low education levels and high blood pressure in blacks.

The findings dispel the long-held belief that West African ancestry is a major reason for high rates of hypertension among black Americans, according to lead author Amy Non, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar at Harvard University.

High blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, blindness and dementia, and blacks are more likely than whites to develop these complications in connection with high blood pressure.

Non and her colleagues examined data from nearly 3,700 American adults and found that four years of additional education would lead to a predicted decrease of 2 mmHg systolic (top number) blood pressure, a decrease that could lead to a large reduction in hypertension-related deaths in the United States.

Each year of education was associated with a 0.51 mmHg decrease in blood pressure.

"Improved access to education in African American communities may help to reduce racial inequalities of health," Non said in a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation news release. "We hope these findings will help African Americans and their physicians to better manage high blood pressure."

She explained that education can lead to higher levels of health knowledge and improved health behaviors, better job opportunities and a more positive attitude.

"While genetics undoubtedly plays a role in hypertension, our findings suggest that education level plays an even larger role in health disparities in hypertension," Non said. "This means that improved access to education among African Americans may reduce racial disparities in blood pressure."

The study will be published in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

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Graphic Cig Pack Labels Make Smokers Think, Study Finds

FRIDAY, June 15 (HealthDay News) -- Graphic warning labels on cigarette packages boost the likelihood that people will think about the health risks associated with smoking, a new study has found.

The study included 200 current smokers who were randomly selected to view either a text-only warning label such as those used in the United States since 1985, or a graphic warning label that included an image of a hospitalized patient on a ventilator and a written warning with larger text. The graphic label was similar to what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is proposing be adopted in the United States.

After viewing the warning labels, the participants were asked to rewrite the text from memory in order to see how well they recalled the information. There was a significant difference between the two groups in their levels of correct recall -- 83 percent for the graphic-label group and 50 percent for the text-only group.

The study also found that the quicker a smoker looked at the large text in the graphic warning, and the longer they viewed the graphic image, the more likely they were to recall the information correctly, said the researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

The study was released online June 15, in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The findings suggest that drawing attention to the warning label can improve the recall of information and increase the chances that smokers will think about the risks of smoking, the researchers said.

"In addition to showing the value of adding a graphic warning label, this research also provides valuable insight into how the warning labels may be effective, which may serve to create more-effective warning labels in the future," study lead author Andrew Strasser, an associate professor in the psychiatry department, said in a Penn Medicine news release.

"We're hopeful that once the graphic warning labels are implemented, we will be able to make great strides in helping people to be better informed about their risks, and to convince them to quit smoking," he added.

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'Sexting' Common Among Teens: Survey

FRIDAY, June 15 (HealthDay News) -- Many teens send and receive sexually explicit photos on their cellphones and have little to no awareness of the possible mental health, social or legal consequences of doing so, a new study warns.

Researchers asked 606 students, some as young as 14, at a private high school in the southwestern United States about their experiences with "sexting" and the potential risks associated with being caught sexting.

Nearly 20 percent of the students said they had sent a sexually explicit image of themselves via cellphone, and nearly twice as many said they had received a sexually explicit picture. More than 25 percent of those who received a sexually explicit picture forwarded it to others.

Of those who had sent a sexually explicit picture, more than one-third did so despite believing that they could face serious legal and other consequences if they were caught.

The study also found that students who sent a sexually explicit picture by cellphone were more likely than others to believe it was an acceptable activity.

The study was published online June 7 in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.

"These results argue for educational efforts such as cellphone safety assemblies, awareness days, integration into class curriculum and teacher training, designed to raise awareness about the potential consequences of sexting among young people," wrote Donald Strassberg, of the University of Utah, and colleagues.

In many states, those who send or receive nude pictures of people under age 18 could face charges as serious as possession or distribution of child pornography. Penalties include being listed on a sex offender registry. The researchers also noted that people in sexually explicit photos may suffer serious mental health consequences.

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