Breast milk no better than bottled milk and may increase asthma risk, says new study

Almost from the moment they have given birth it seems new mothers are under heavy pressure to breastfeed their baby, with health experts long championing the health benefits of breastfeeding.

In fact, breast-fed babies have been said to be at a lower risk of suffering with sudden infant death syndrome, have less infections in their early years. Moreover, there are said to be health benefits in the long-term, with breast-fed babies growing up to be less likely to develop asthma, be obese, have high blood pressure or high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.

However, all this could be thrown onto its head with the findings of a new study published in the Social Science & Medicine, which may finally help to shed the stigma of bottle-feeding a new-born baby and raises questions about previous studies that have supported and pushed for mother mothers to breastfeed, sometimes putting unfair pressure on mums to do this.

Lead author of the study Dr Cynthia Colen, from Ohio State University, and fellow researchers analysed 665 families in which there were siblings fed differently during their early years.  In total, there was 8,237 children made up of 7,319 siblings and 1,773 ‘discordant’ sibling pairs; one was breastfed with the other was fed with bottled milk.

In all of the families looked at, breastfeeding showed better outcomes for BMI, hyperactivity, maths, reading recognition, vocabulary word identification, digit recollection, scholastic competence and obesity.

However, when the analysis was focused purely on siblings fed differently within the same families, researchers discovered that the scores demonstrating breast-feeding’s positive benefits on 10 of the indicators were close to zero and therefore not deemed statistically significant. This means any health variances in those families may have happened by chance.

The only health condition that was found to have a significant difference in regards to breast-fed and bottle-fed siblings was asthma. Dr Colen actually claims that breast-fed babies were actually at a higher risk for developing asthma later in their life.

She said: “Many previous studies suffer from selection bias. They either do not or cannot statistically control for factors such as race, age, family income, mother’s employment – things we know that can affect both breast-feeding and health outcomes. Mums with more resources – with higher levels of education and higher levels of income – and more flexibility in their daily schedules are more likely to breastfeed their children and do so for longer periods of time.”

NHS guidance recommends new mothers to breastfeed for the initial six months (26 weeks) of a new-born’s life. Following this, breast milk alongside other food will “help them continue to grow and develop”, according to the NHS.

Dr Colen added: “I’m not saying breastfeeding is not beneficial, especially for boosting nutrition and immunity in new-borns. But if we really want to improve maternal and child health, let’s also focus on things that can really do that in the long term – like subsidised day care, better maternity leave policies and more employment opportunities for low-income mothers that pay a living wage, for example.”

For all you dieters out there still trying to shift those last few lbs from the festive period, it might be worth considering the calorie intake of all the alcoholic drinks you are consuming as opposed to what is often deemed to be a dieter’s worst nightmare – chocolate.

Bridget Jones, the much loved heroine played by Renee Zellweger in the films, was known to binge on chocolate and ice cream during times of stress in her chaotic love life, but British researchers wanted to find out more information about any potential obstacles to people trying to slim down so that efforts can be made in the future to avoid dieting pitfalls.

The researchers from Birmingham University monitored eighty men and women, all of whom were either attempting to lose weight or keep off weight they had previously lost. Each person was provided with a mobile phone to record an electronic diary of a temptation or craving they encountered.

Their emotions were also assessed, for example how exactly they were feeling at the time of the craving and whether they actually succumbed and consumed that particular craving.

On average, each person was faced with 11 occasions where they had the temptation to abandon their healthy eating over the duration of one week, giving in over half the time. ‘Bad’ foods were unsurprisingly most appealing during times of stress or severe hunger.

Interestingly, those in the study were found more likely to give in to alcohol than binge on sugary treats or have giant servings of meals, indicating that it is booze which could be the main villain in regards to losing weight and keeping it off.

Birmingham University researcher Dr Heather McKee led the study, published in the Annals of Behavioural Medicine, and she suggests a reason for this; that dieters often grossly underestimate the number of calories in alcoholic drinks.

Not many people may be aware but just a single glass of wine is equivalent to the calories contained within 4 cookies and a pint of lager is about as calorie-laden as a slice of pizza. In addition, the NHS warn that merely 5 pints of lager per week totals an estimated 44,200kcal over the course of a year – similar to a person eating 221 doughnuts.

Also, did you know that only 2 large glasses of white wine will gobble up around of a fifth of the recommended daily calorie intake for a woman? If you didn’t, you might have to be careful before opening that second bottle of wine in the future.

Dr McKee discovered evening time is when people are more likely to give in to temptations because of willpower decreasing during the course of the day. This could be due to the relaxing environment of a pub or your own home.

Dr McKee believes it will make be easier for dieters to succeed in their goals if more work was conducted into what makes people give in to cravings and temptations and thus abandon their healthy lifestyle.

She said: “Just like a muscle, willpower can become fatigued.  But, with regular practice, it can grow stronger over time.”

Her tips include making sure treats are hidden out of view and not giving up every ‘luxury’ all at the same time, as this can prove difficult.

She says: “You can engineer your environment to make it less tempting. For instance, put the office biscuits out of sight so you don’t have a constant reminder of a temptation that you have to resist multiple times throughout the day which eventually wears down one’s self-control and makes you more likely to give in. Secondly, it’s best that when trying to avoid temptation to try not to give up everything at once. For example, often in January or at lent people give up sweets, chocolate, alcohol etc. all at once. This is too much strain on your self-control and makes you much more likely to lapse than if you focus on training one aspect, such as cutting down alcohol.  When feel confident at that, starting to work on other temptations.”

Stanford University halts tobacco sales on campus – will UK Universities follow?

One of the world’s leading Universities is leading by example and clamping down on smoking by banning sale of cigarettes in addition to smoking on campus.

Stanford University in California’s Bay Area will force its campus shops to cease the sale of all tobacco products from 1 March, arguing that the sale of tobacco does not sit well with its work on the promotion of healthy living.

The high-profile university boasts almost 700 buildings and spans more than 8,000 acres. It often makes an appearance in the top 5 global university league tables and now joins other universities in the US to come down heavy on smoking.

Stanford’s smoking rules were given an overhaul three years ago forbidding smoking inside any building and not within a 9m distance of a building, in addition to being banned at outdoor athletic events.

Currently there is already a complete ban on outdoor smoking at the university’s school of medicine but the new rules mean next week that students cannot obtain any kind of tobacco product from vendors at convenience stores at the Valero gas station and Tresidder Union on campus.

Susan Weinstein, assistant vice president for business development and responsible for overseeing the vendors, says the new tougher rules have been in the pipeline for many months.

”The university is an advocate for the health and well-being of its entire community, and tobacco sales are inconsistent with our many programs that support healthy habits and behaviours,” Ms. Weinstein commented to the school’s daily email newsletter, the Stanford Report.

According to recent report made available by the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, there are an estimated 1,182 college campuses in the US that now operate with a 100% smoke-free policy. This is almost double the number in 2011 and it is believe that of the 1,182 smoke-free campuses, 811 are even completely tobacco-free.

In recent times electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have surged in popularity across the US and here in the UK, creating a concern as to whether e-cigarettes are merely used as a smoking cessation method, or are being used as a gateway into smoking much more dangerous tobacco cigarettes.

However, Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ group Forest, criticised Stanford for “taking the war on tobacco to such extreme lengths”.

He said: “It sends the message that American colleges are increasingly illiberal, preferring prohibition to education, which is bizarre. If they won’t defend people’s right to buy a legal product it also calls into question their commitment to defend other rights like freedom of speech or assembly. Banning the sale of tobacco won’t stop students smoking. It could make it cooler because the university is effectively driving it underground.”

Sources claim Bradley Cooper is taking Propecia to fight hair loss

Movie goers saw his hair altered into a comical perm style for the critically acclaimed film American Hustle, but in real life Bradley Cooper’s hair is no laughing matter, with reports that the handsome actor has been taking hair loss medication Propecia (Finasteride) in a bid to avert his familial trait of baldness.

The 39-year-old actor came to prominence in TV show Alias before featuring in a supporting role in the 2005 Wedding Crashers. However, in the subsequent 9 years his career has skyrocketed and Cooper has had leading roles in numerous successful films such as The Hangover series, Limitless (2011) and Silver Linings Playbook (2012), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.

Cooper, dating 21-year-old model Suki Waterhouse, clearly wants to retain his leading man status and is worried about a receding hairline. According to a source who spoke to US website RadarOnline, the actor “is so anxious about his receding hairline that he’s turned to [balding remedy] Propecia. He has a lot of bald guys in his family, so he’s been on Propecia for a couple of years. And to his delight, it seems to be working.”

During filming of last years The Hangover 3, Cooper and the other two male leads, Zack Galifianakis and Ed Helms apparently “had their own dedicated hairstylists, a first for the franchise and something that was demanded by Bradley” due to his hair loss concerns. The source added: “Bradley is determined not to go bald and lose his leading man looks.”

Hair loss medication Propecia has made news in recent years on a few occasions after Manchester  United striker Wayne Rooney was rumoured to be taking it to prevent further hair loss and Canadian popstar Justin Bieber even commenting on Prince William’s diminishing mane, saying the Prince should be taking Propecia.

Rooney and other celebrities such as Calum Best and James Nesbitt have since opted for incredibly expensive hair transplants, but there has inexplicably been a mass silence in regards to any admittance to celebrities taking Propecia.

Spencer Stevenson, the hair loss expert who fronts the specialist talk show The Bald Truth, advises balding men to consider taking Propecia prior to any costly hair transplant procedure.

He says: “Before you even consider a hair transplant, look into going on Propecia or applying Minoxidil (a topical hair-loss treatment contained in Regaine Foam) for at least six months first, to strengthen existing hair and prevent further hair loss.”

Penile cancer is on the rise – but what are the symptoms?

Cases of penile cancer have risen by 20% in the last three decades and there are huge concerns that men’s symptoms are being misdiagnosed as a sexually transmitted infection.

The fears come as 58-year-old Nigel Smith, from Wolverhampton, almost lost his life from a misdiagnosis. Mr Smith was told he merely had a genital wart that would eventually go away. He managed to hide the symptoms from his wife for a whole year by sleeping in another room and blaming his snoring.

In 2011 Mr Smith was eventually told he had penile cancer and last year underwent a partial penectomy (a removal of part of the penis), now left with the daunting possibility of having to go through reconstructive surgery.

He said: “If my GP had sent me to a urologist rather than a sex clinic, the cancer could have been diagnosed at stage 1 and treated. By the time I saw a urologist, the cancer was stage 3 – one stage away from terminal. I’m now in temporary remission but there’s a 50/50 chance that the disease will return as a secondary cancer – maybe in my lungs or liver.”

Mr Smith is clearly distressed he was not diagnosed early enough, and speaks of the impact it has had on his marriage, adding: “Every time I go to the toilet I have a painful reminder of what’s happened, so it’s hard to put things behind me. The sexual side of my marriage has ended. I’m 60 but I’m a young 60! It shouldn’t be the end yet. The psychological impact of it all is massive. It’s more traumatic than anyone who hasn’t been through this can know. I didn’t talk about my symptoms for so long and hid them from my wife. It’s a man thing; we ignore things and hope they’ll go away. If you find something, you need to get it looked at.”

Despite the number of cases going up in the last 30 years, penile cancer is usually incredibly rare, with only around 550 new cases diagnosed each year in the UK – most commonly in men over the age of 50.

The new research, supported by the male cancer charity Orchid, has been published in the journal Cancer Causes Control and provides an interesting insight into a rare disease that is still not well known amongst men.

Orchid chief executive, Rebecca Porta says: “The research shows that the incidence of this devastating cancer, which currently receives little recognition, is on the increase. Unlike other more common cancers, penile cancer is rare and many men feel embarrassed and unable to talk openly about it. This can lead to feelings of isolation at a time when support is vital. It is very important that men are aware of the warning signs and symptoms of the disease and that those with worrying symptoms seek medical advice as soon as possible.”

Symptoms of the cancer include:

.  A painless lump or ulcer on the penis that doesn’t heal.

. A red rash underneath the foreskin.

. Bleeding.

. Change in colour of the skin.

. Difficulty in drawing back the foreskin (phimosis).

. Discharge from under the foreskin with an odour.

. Flat growths that are brown in colour.

. Swollen lymph nodes in your groin area.

The causes of penile cancer have not yet been fully established, but certain factors are believed to increase your risk of developing the disease. For instance, men who smoke are at a heightened risk of cancer of the penis, whilst men with Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection could be as much as a six-fold risk of penile cancer. In addition, conditions like phimosis, where the foreskin sometimes cannot retract, can mean there is a chance of infections developing such as balanitis.

For more information about the often misunderstood penile cancer, visit http://www.orchid-cancer.org.uk/Penile-Cancer

How losing weight helped one woman’s asthma symptoms

Sally, 45, a hairdresser from Aldington in Kent, was horrified when the nurse at her asthma clinic requested that she step onto the scales.

Like many other women, Sally had decided to avoid all scales out of fear, but stepping onto them gave her a startling shock – she could be officially classed as ‘obese’ weighing 11st at only 5 ft 2in tall.

“They saw on my notes that I suffered from asthma, but this was the first time anyone in the medical profession had weighed me”, she says.

“The problem was that I didn’t feel fat because the weight had crept on so gradually during and after my pregnancies. Then when the children left things on their plates, I’d pick at the leftovers.”

As her weight increased, Sally was finding it more difficult to control her asthma symptoms, meaning even doing basic things such as walking  up the stairs and looking after  her children, Maizie, now 12, and Merrin, nine, left her breathless.

What Sally didn’t realise is that weight loss is the key for an overall improvement in health for those overweight or obese, but especially so for asthmatics. Studies have shown that people with asthma who are also overweight or obese could see an improvement in their symptoms if they lose weight and this should be included in any asthma management program.

The asthma clinic nurse that Sally spoke to then recommended she should lose weight and would no doubt see an improvement to her asthma symptoms.

Sally says: “It was a real wake-up call. I knew that I had to do something about it or my asthma would just get worse because I would become more immobile and reluctant to exercise.”

Deborah Waddell, clinical lead nurse at the charity Asthma UK, explains: “Obese people find their asthma much harder to control.”

Asthma began for Sally following a severe episode of flu at the age of 19 – Upper respiratory infections are typically caused by cold and flu viruses and are a one of a number of triggers for asthma.

Her asthma gradually got worse. “Getting up the stairs was very scary because the wheezing was so loud.  And it stayed at the same level in my 30s and into my 40s. I couldn’t run after the children at the park.”

Sally now uses a brown preventer inhaler every morning for protection and a quick-acting blue reliever Ventolin inhaler when symptoms start to arise. Sally’s symptoms worsen during the winter, when feeling stressed, or when coming into contact with pet hair.

Despite the fact many people with asthma tend to avoid all exercise on fear of it triggering an attack, Sally began an exercise regime, which has actually been a huge benefit as asthma can boost the lung capacity in asthmatics.

She now goes running three times a week for four miles, attends a weekly spinning class and cycles for journeys where the car is not a necessity.

“I lost a stone-and-a-half in eight months and it made a huge difference,” says Sally. “It really brought the asthma under control and made the attacks less frequent and less severe – I have just one a month instead of three a week. When I was 11st, my body was struggling to  cope with the weight, especially climbing stairs, but the fitter you are, the stronger your  lungs become.”

New fathers also lose their sex drive

Sleepless nights, regular feeds, endless crying…Taking care of a new-born baby can be a stressfully challenging time for any new mother.

Therefore, any woman could be forgiven for losing her sex drive in the short-term whilst trying to battle a constant feeling tiredness on top of feeling worried about still being appealing in the eyes of their partner following post-pregnancy weight gain.

However and perhaps surprisingly, it is not just mothers who have their libido impacted during the initial stages of parenthood, with a new study suggesting that fathers are also quite prone to losing their sex drive.

Researchers at Notre Dame University conducted the largest study of its kind, analysing how the biology of 400 new fathers in the Philippines altered following the arrival of their children.

Lead researcher Dr Lee Gettler, found that the men participating in the study experienced a decrease of testosterone by about a third within the first year after the birth of their child. In addition, hands-on dads who spend at least three hours each day with their child typically see a further decline of an estimated 20%.

Those behind the study claim “the sensitising effect” is created by both the psychological and cultural impulse to protect a new-born baby and would have a similar result on adoptive fathers; making them more caring and less of an aggressive nature.

Past studies have demonstrated evidence that suggests men with high levels of testosterone tend to have less sympathy in general and less urgency to react when a baby is crying.

What the findings mean for new mums is perhaps a lesser risk of their partner straying after the birth of their child, and women should have less concern about upsetting him if she does not want to have sex often in the initial first year. Women are simply programmed to prioritise taking care of their children, with sex drive put on the backburner so to speak.

“If you think about fathers in other mammalian species, they don’t really help taking care of the children,” commented Dr Gettler.

“So it seems that natural selection has stepped up men’s hormone system to respond to the needs of their offspring.”