Pre-pregnancy genetic testing: what women and doctors need to know

Pre-pregnancy genetic testing: what women and doctors need to know

Healty

When planning a family, there are many factors that play into when and if a couple is ready to have a baby. One issue that is often overlooked is genetic disease risk and what a couple's chances are of passing down a genetic disease to their child.

Is the child at risk of inheriting a genetic disease?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), birth defects caused by genetic disorders affect 1 in every 33 births in the US (3%) each year and are the leading cause of infant death.

Global Genes reports that 24 million people in the US are living with rare diseases of genetic origin, and about 30% of children with a rare disease will not live to see their fifth birthdays.

With today's advanced gene testing technology, women and their partners can find out if they are carriers for any one of hundreds of genetic disorders. Most inherited diseases are considered autosomal recessive fashion, which means that the child can only be affected if both parents have a gene mutation. If both carry a gene mutation, there's a 1 in 4 chance their child will have that disease.

A recent news release from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) notes that "carrier screening for inherited genetic disorders is an important part of preconception and prenatal care for the nearly 4 million women who give birth in the US annually," and that "new technology in genotyping and genetic sequencing allows for more efficient carrier screening of a greater number of conditions simultaneously."

Doctor's alert: people want to know more about their genes
In a new study of American adults' knowledge of and attitudes toward genetic testing, 53% of the respondents wanted to know what's in their DNA, and 70% wanted to find out if they could pass on a genetic disease.

Their doctors, however, do not seem to be on the same page, as only 7% of respondents said their physicians had discussed genetic screening with them.

Consumers are demanding more information and control over their health care, and new technology can now assess hundreds of mutations associated with genetic disease.

As Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, wrote in 2010:

"It is likely that within a few decades people will be puzzled and dismayed, as I am now, that our health care system put so many couples in an unnecessarily difficult position, by not identifying their carrier status until a pregnancy was already underway."

The basics: how genetic testing works
Genetic tests use a sample of blood or saliva, which is usually collected at a physician's office or a lab. The conditions the sample is screened for can depend on a person's ethnic background, family history, previous pregnancies and the physician's recommendations.

Everyone carries at least six changed genes, which could potentially cause a genetic disorder for a couple's children, particularly if a partner is a carrier for the same genetic condition. Some diseases, such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Fragile X, are called X-linked conditions and are associated with mutation on the X chromosome.


Mothers who are carriers for an X-linked disorder have a 50% chance of passing the changed gene to each of their children. Because boys only have one copy of the X chromosome, which is inherited from their mother, they are usually severely affected.

Rarely, girls will have symptoms if they inherit the changed gene from their mothers, but usually they have no symptoms. Most people are carriers of at least one recessive or X-linked genetic condition.

Who should have carrier testing for genetic conditions?
Carrier testing for genetic conditions is available to all reproductive age women and their partners. Persons are at higher risk of being a carrier if anyone in their family has had a genetic disease or if they belong to certain ethnic groups. For example, the following groups face increased risks for these diseases:

European Caucasians (cystic fibrosis)
Eastern European Jews (cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs, Canavan and familial dysautonomia)
Black people and people of Mediterranean descent (sickle cell anemia and thalassemia)
People of Southeast Asian (thalassemia)
French Canadians (Tay-Sachs and cystic fibrosis).
Updated guidelines from The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Genetics state that "it is reasonable to offer cystic fibrosis carrier screening to all patients." The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics also issued practice guidelines recommending that testing for spinal muscular atrophy be offered to all couples, regardless of race or ethnicity.

Newer tests, called expanded genetic carrier screenings, can detect gene mutations for Fragile X syndrome and many other rare disorders. For example, Horizon from Natera screens for up to 274 autosomal recessive and X-linked genetic conditions and generally provides the results in 10-14 business days.

Benefits of pre-pregnancy testing
Genetic carrier screening gives women and their partners valuable information to make the reproductive choices that are right for them and their families. If the results are negative, they can be reassured that the chance that their children will be born with the disorders they were screened for is extremely small.

And if a couple is at risk of having a baby with a recessive disease, they can consider various options, such as:

Natural pregnancy with or without prenatal diagnosis, such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS) or amniocentesis
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) with in vitro fertilization (IVF) to test and then transfer embryos free of the disease that both partners carry
Adoption
Use of a sperm or egg donor.
In addition, having this knowledge before a pregnancy gives a couple enough time to learn about and prepare for having a baby that may have a specific genetic condition. The test information could also help other prospective parents in their families know that they, too, could be carriers and might benefit from a screening test.

www. medicalnewstoday .com

Avoid Misdiagnosis: 7 Ways to Run Your Doctor's Visit Like a Boss

Avoid Misdiagnosis: 7 Ways to Run Your Doctor's Visit Like a Boss

Healty

You walk into the doctor’s office expecting to leave with definitive answers, or at least an accurate diagnosis. But this isn’t always the case.

According to a 2014 study, at least 12 million people in the United States are misdiagnosed in doctors’ offices each year. That’s alarming, to say the least.

The good news is that there is a lot that we, as patients, can do to improve healthcare outcomes and ensure accurate diagnoses. Decades of research have shown us that better communication between patient and doctor can work to our advantage as doctors face shorter appointment times, more paperwork, and a heavier patient load.

The seven steps below can ensure that both you and your physician get what you need so that you have the best healthcare possible.

1. Set Expectations
When you make your appointment, be clear with the office staff about the purpose of the visit. Doctors make appointments of varied lengths, depending on the patient’s needs. If you want a 45-minute conversation, as opposed to a 15-minute check in, make sure that’s what you are scheduled for.

2. Bring a Partner
This may be the single most important thing you can do to ensure that you and your doctor communicate as effectively as possible. A trusted friend or family member can encourage you to tell your whole story and ask all your questions, as well as help you remember the answers. If you are hesitant because, like many people, you don’t like to ask for help, you can explain why it’s useful and offer to do the same for them.

3. Organize Your Data
We’ve all shown up to a doctor’s appointment expecting them to have received test results or other medical data from other providers, only to find that it never arrived. Don’t let that be you (again).

Your healthcare providers will be able to serve you better when you have all of your medical information at your fingertips. Here is a checklist of items to bring to every significant appointment. You can organize them in a notebook, file box, or flash drive:

A list of questions to ask, with an extra copy for your partner.
A copy of all relevant lab and blood work (including reports ordered by other providers).
A short, written description of your medical history and current health condition.
A list of all your medications and supplements, with dosages and length of time you have been on them.
Progress charts of your symptoms, if you keep them.


4. Prepare an Agenda
Set aside time before any major appointment to develop a list of topics and specific questions. For example:

Why is this my diagnosis?
Is there any way that my case does not fit this diagnosis?
What are other possible explanations for my symptoms?
What are the risks of any recommended treatments?
What is your success rate?
What does success look like?
What are my other options and what are their pros and cons?
Can I speak to others who have gone through this treatment about their experience?
Remember: For big decisions, it’s always a good idea to get more than one opinion.

5. Take Notes
Statistics show that we forget as much as 80 percent of what we hear in conversations. If it’s important, write it down. Your appointment partner can take notes for you while you focus on listening and asking questions. If you don’t have an appointment partner, make sure that you jot down key points.

6. Confirm Your Next Steps
Before the appointment ends, clarify what you and your provider are going to do next.

You could say something like, “So, I am going to make an appointment with the physical therapist for this week and also with you for two months from now. Your office is going to send my MRIs to the orthopedist. Is there anything else?”

Covering your bases will help to avoid misunderstandings and ensure that the follow-up actually happens.

7. Follow Up
Immediately after the appointment, review the conversation and make a list of all the things you need to do: follow-up appointments, research, changes to your diet or exercise regime, etc. And schedule time to do them. Making copies and filing any new lab or imaging results will ensure that they will be at your fingertips for your next appointment.

The Takeaway
If you feel overwhelmed at the thought of managing all of this information and taking charge, you are not alone. Between lab results, medication directions, physical therapy instructions, surgery prep instructions, diet recommendations, and your own research on treatments, the list of information to manage is daunting.

While you’d be forgiven for throwing your hands up and deciding to leave it all to the professionals, it’s not in your interest to do so. Your doctor has to track medications, symptoms, and lab results for dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of patients at a time. Taking the time to get organized can make a world of difference and ensure that you get an accurate diagnosis and the necessary care.

www. healthline .com

What Are Allergies?

What Are Allergies?

While more common in children, allergies can affect people of any age.

Allergies happen when your immune system overreacts to substances called allergens.

Common allergens include pollen, pet dander, and bee venom.

If you have allergies, your body mistakenly identifies an allergen as harmful and tries to destroy it, resulting in unpleasant allergy symptoms.

Allergies can be mild, severe, or — in some cases — life-threatening.

What Is IgE?

When your immune system reacts to an allergen, it produces an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE).

The production of IgE is part of your body's attempt to destroy the allergen and protect itself.

But this process allows the IgE antibodies to signal other cells to release certain chemicals, such as histamine.

Too much histamine in the body can cause an unwanted response that leads to skin, nose, throat, and lung irritation.

Who Gets Allergies?

As many as one in five Americans — a total of about 50 million — have some type of allergy, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

Allergies are the sixth most common cause of chronic illness in the United States, with an annual cost of more than $18 billion.

While they can affect anyone, allergies are more common in children than in adults.

The prevalence of food and skin allergies in children has increased in recent years, but experts aren't sure why.

Food allergies affect about 1 in every 13 American kids, according to FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education).

Each year, allergic reactions account for about two million missed school days.

Types of Allergies

There are several different types of allergies. Some are seasonal, and others occur year-round.

The most common allergens that trigger flare-ups include:

Pollen
Dust mites
Pet dander or fur
Cockroaches
Mold spores
Foods (eggs, fish, milk, nuts, wheat, soy, shellfish, and others)
Insect stings or bites (from wasps, bees, mosquitoes, fire ants, fleas, horseflies, black flies, and others)
Medicines (penicillin, aspirin, and others)
Latex
Household chemicals
Metals (especially nickel, cobalt, chromium, and zinc)


Risk Factors

Your risk of developing allergies is higher if you:

Have asthma
Have a family history of asthma or allergies
Are a child under age 18
Sometimes, children outgrow allergies as they get older.

It's also common for allergies to go away and then come back years later.

Allergy Complications

If you have severe allergies, you may experience a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.

This condition is most commonly associated with allergies involving food, penicillin, and insect venom.

Symptoms of anaphylaxis may include:

A drop in blood pressure
Loss of consciousness
Severe shortness of breath
Skin rash
Rapid or weak pulse
Nausea or vomiting
Lightheadedness
Severe wheezing
If this happens to you or someone around you, call 911 or seek emergency medical help right away.

People with allergies are also at risk of developing complications including:

Asthma (a respiratory illness that causes narrowing and inflammation of the airways leading to chest tightness, wheezing, and difficulty breathing)
Eczema (a skin condition characterized by inflammation)
Ear or lung infections
Sinusitis or sinus infection
Nasal polyps (growths on the lining of the nose or sinuses)
Migraine headaches
Preventing Allergic Reactions

Some measures you can take to prevent or limit allergic reactions include:

Avoiding triggers This may be difficult, depending on the allergen you're trying to dodge.

For example, if you're allergic to pet dander, stay away from animals. If you're allergic to pollen, try remaining indoors when pollen counts are high.

Keeping a diary If you're trying to figure out which allergens might cause or worsen your symptoms, write down what you eat and all of your activities to help pinpoint triggers.

Wearing a medical alert bracelet or necklace These can let others know that you have a serious allergy if you aren't able to communicate during a severe allergic reaction.

For some people with severe allergies, however, it's necessary to have epinephrine immediately available in case anaphylaxis occurs.

Ask your doctor if this is necessary for you.

www. everydayhealth .com

10 Essential Facts About Ovarian Cancer

10 Essential Facts About Ovarian Cancer

Healty

Early signs of ovarian cancer are often vague, but there are a cluster of symptoms that should prompt you to see your doctor.

Statistically speaking, ovarian cancer is relatively rare: It represents just 1.3 percent of all new cancer cases in the United States each year, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). But although its numbers are small, the fear factor for many women may be disproportionately large.

We spoke to two leading ovarian cancer experts: Robert J. Morgan, Jr., MD, professor, and Mihaela C. Cristea, MD, associate clinical professor, of the medical oncology and therapeutics research department at City of Hope, an NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California.

Here are 10 essential facts about ovarian cancer that you should know:

1. About 20,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. As a comparison, nearly 250,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Of the women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, 90 percent will be older than 40; most ovarian cancers occur in women 60 or older, according to the CDC.

2. You should see your doctor if you experience any of these ovarian cancer symptoms:

Vaginal bleeding (especially if you’re past menopause)
Abnormal vaginal discharge
Pain or pressure in the area below your stomach and between your hip bones
Back pain
A change in bathroom habits, such as urgently needing to urinate, urinating frequently, or having constipation or diarrhea
It’s important to pay attention to your body and know what’s normal for you. If you have abnormal vaginal bleeding or have any of the other symptoms for two weeks or longer, see your doctor right away.

These symptoms can be caused by many different problems, but it’s best to have them evaluated, suggests the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

3. It’s tricky to pinpoint early, milder symptoms of ovarian cancer. However, the findings of a study published in Cancer in 2007 point to a cluster of vague symptoms that may suggest the need for ovarian cancer testing, says Dr. Morgan. In the study, researchers linked these symptoms to the possibility of ovarian cancer:

Pelvic or abdominal pain
Strong urge to urinate or frequent urination
Bloating or increased abdominal size
Difficulty eating or feeling full early
If a woman experiences these symptoms on more than 12 days a month for less than one year, she should insist that her doctor perform a thorough ovarian evaluation, says Morgan. This might include the CA-125 blood test or a transvaginal ultrasound exam.

4. Early detection can mean a better prognosis. When detected early enough, ovarian cancer can be cured. “Stage 1 and stage 2 ovarian cancer is curable about 75 to 95 percent of the time, depending on the tumor grade and cell type,” says Morgan. But because this cancer occurs deep inside the body’s pelvic region, it is often diagnosed in later stages, he says. The cure rate for stage 3 ovarian cancer is about 25 to 30 percent, and for stage 4 it's less than 5 percent, he adds.


5. Ovarian cancer has several key risk factors. These include:

Women with a family history of ovarian cancer may be at higher risk.
Women who have never been pregnant and women who have uninterrupted ovulation due to infertility treatments seem to be at higher risk.
Early onset of your period, or having a late menopause, seems to increase risk.
Using talcum powder in the genital area may increase risk.
Smoking is a risk factor for a type of ovarian cancer known as mucinous ovarian cancer. Quitting smoking seems to reverse the risk back to normal, says Morgan.
6. Ovarian cancer is not a single disease. In reality, it’s a diverse group of cancers that respond to different treatments based on their molecular characteristics, says Dr. Cristea. Treatment will also depend on other health conditions, such as diabetes or heart problems, that a woman might have.

7. Ovarian cancer treatments are evolving and improving all the time. “Immunotherapy is emerging as a new treatment option for many malignancies, including ovarian cancer,” says Cristea. In another recent development, the first PARP inhibitor, a DNA-repair drug, has been approved for women with BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer when chemotherapy hasn’t worked. “Women should also ask their doctors about clinical trials that are evaluating immunotherapy as well as other new treatments,” she adds.

8. Surgery may prevent ovarian cancer in women at very high risk. For women who carry the BRCA or other genes that predispose them to ovarian cancer, doctors often recommend surgery to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Angelina Jolie, the actor and human rights activist, decided to have this surgery in March 2015. “Removing the ovaries can decrease the risk of developing the disease by 98 percent, and can substantially decrease the risk of developing breast cancer,” notes Morgan. Women in this very high-risk group should opt for this surgery after they’ve completed childbearing at around age 35, he notes.

9. Even after remission, ovarian cancer can still respond to treatment. “About 80 to 90 percent of ovarian cancer patients will achieve remission after chemotherapy treatment,” says Morgan. However, many of those women will later experience a recurrence of the cancer. The longer the remission, notes Morgan, the better the chances are for achieving a second remission.

10. It’s best to see an ovarian cancer specialist. When you’ve been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, getting a referral to an ovarian cancer specialist is a wise move, says Cristea. If you’re having surgery, it’s best to have a gynecologic oncologist perform the operation instead of a gynecologist, she adds. And to make sure you’re getting state-of-the-art treatment, consider seeking a second opinion at a NCI-Designated Cancer Center.

www. everydayhealth .com

10 Varicose Veins Myths

10 Varicose Veins Myths

Healty

If your varicose veins could talk, here’s what they’d say about your health.

If you have ropy, blue blood vessels in your legs, you may think that they’re unsightly but don't cause any overt symptoms. Yet for some people, varicose veins can cause skin damage and, even worse, lead to dangerous blood clots.

They’re incredibly common: Varicose veins affect about one in four U.S. adults, or about 22 million women and 11 million men between ages 40 and 80.

Your leg veins face an uphill battle as they carry blood from your toes to your heart. Small flaps, or valves, within these vessels prevent blood from getting backed up on this journey, and the pumping action of your leg muscles helps push the blood along.

But if these valves weaken, blood can pool — primarily in the veins of your legs — increasing pressure in the veins. As a result of this increased pressure, your body tries to widen the veins to compensate, causing them to bulge and thicken, and leading to the characteristic twisted appearance of varicose veins.

To help you learn the facts about these enlarged veins, we've set the record straight on 10 sometimes confusing pieces of information, including who gets varicose veins and why, health problems they can cause, and treatment options.

Myth 1: Varicose Veins Are Only a Cosmetic Issue
“A lot of people are told by primary care doctors or others that varicose veins are a cosmetic issue only, when oftentimes they can be much more than that,” says Kathleen D. Gibson, MD, a vascular surgeon practicing in Bellevue, Washington.

“A significant percentage of patients with varicose veins will eventually develop symptoms,” says Pablo Sung Yup Kim, MD, assistant professor of surgery at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine in New York City. “The most common include dull achiness, heaviness, throbbing, cramping, and swelling of the legs.” Other symptoms include severe dryness and itchiness of the skin near varicose veins. People with varicose veins are also at an increased risk for a dangerous type of blood clot known as deep vein thrombosis.

Other not-so-common signs and symptoms, found in less than 10 percent of patients, include bleeding, skin discoloration, skin thickening, and ulcer formation — all due to varicose veins, says Kim. Unfortunately, once you have skin damage, it’s usually permanent.

“It’s very important to seek medical advice if you have varicose veins and experience symptoms — before changes in the skin are irreversible,” he says.

Myth 2: Varicose Veins Are an Inevitable Sign of Aging
Aging definitely worsens varicose veins, though not everyone gets them. “It's a degenerative process that gets worse and more prominent as we age,” says Dr. Gibson. But young people can get varicose veins, too. While the average age of patients treated in Gibson’s practice is 52, she and her colleagues have treated patients as young as 13.

If you've got varicose veins, it may run in your family. “The cause of varicose veins is primarily genetic,” Gibson explains.

Changes in hormone levels also come into play as a risk factor for varicose veins. “Your risk can be made worse, especially by pregnancy,” she adds.

Myth 3: Varicose Veins Are Strictly a Women’s Issue
While varicose veins are more common in women, men get them, too. About one-quarter of adult women have some visible varicose veins, compared to 10 to 15 percent of men.

Steve Hahn, 51, of Kirkland, Washington, first noticed in his twenties that he had varicose veins in his left leg after he sprained his ankle playing basketball. When he injured his knee about 10 years ago, he noticed that the varicose veins had become more extensive.

“After about five years of thinking about it, I finally had them treated,” he says. “Both of my legs felt very heavy all of the time at this point, as opposed to just after walking a golf course or playing tennis or basketball.”

After treatment, Hahn says, “I feel like I have new legs.” The heaviness is gone, as is the ankle swelling, which he didn't know was related to the varicose veins. And as a side benefit, he adds, he looks better in shorts.

Myth 4: Running Can Cause Varicose Veins
Exercise — including running — is usually a good thing for your veins. “Exercise is always good for the circulation,” Kim says. “Walking or running can lead to more calf-muscle pumping and more blood returning to the heart.”

“Being a runner doesn’t cause varicose veins,” adds Gibson, though there's controversy about whether exercise makes them worse or not.” Compression stockings can help prevent blood from pooling in your lower legs during exercise. “For patients who haven't had their varicose veins treated and are running, I recommend compression. When you’re done running and are cooling off, elevate your legs,” she says.


Myth 5: Varicose Veins Are Always Visible
While the varicose veins you notice are right at the surface of the skin, they occur deeper in the body, too, where you can't see them. “It really depends on the makeup of the leg,” Gibson says. “If you've got a lot of fatty tissue between the muscle and the skin, you may not see them. Sometimes surface veins are the tip of the iceberg and there's a lot going on underneath.”

Myth 6: Standing on the Job Causes Varicose Veins
If you have a job that requires you to be on your feet a lot — as a teacher or flight attendant, for example — you may be more bothered by varicose veins. But the jury's still out on whether prolonged standing actually causes varicose veins. “People tend to notice their varicose vein symptoms more when they’re standing or sitting,” Gibson explains.

RELATED: Steer Clear of These 9 Artery and Vein Diseases

Myth 7: Making Lifestyle Changes Won't Help
Your lifestyle does matter, because obesity can worsen varicose veins, and getting down to a healthy weight can help ease symptoms. Becoming more physically active is also helpful. “Wearing compression stockings, doing calf-strengthening exercises, and elevating your legs can all improve or prevent varicose veins,” says Andrew F. Alexis, MD, MPH, chairman of the dermatology department at Mount Sinai St. Luke's and Mount Sinai Roosevelt in New York City.

Myth 8: Surgery Is Your Only Treatment Option
The only treatment available for varicose veins used to be a type of surgery called stripping, in which the vein is surgically removed from the body. That’s no longer the case. While this procedure is still the most commonly used varicose vein treatment worldwide, according to Gibson, minimally invasive procedures that don't leave scars have become much more popular in the United States.

Endothermal ablation, for example, involves using a needle to deliver heat to your vein, causing it to close and no longer function. While the procedure doesn't leave a scar, it can be painful, and you may have to undergo sedation before being treated. “You have to have a series of injections along the vein to numb it up; otherwise, you wouldn't be able to tolerate the heat,” Gibson explains. You may need to take a day off from work to recover, as well as a few days off from the gym.

Some medications, called sclerosing agents, close a vein by causing irritation. Others are adhesives that seal a vein shut and don’t require the area to be numbed. Gibson and her colleagues have helped develop some of the new technologies and products used in treating varicose veins, including adhesives.

Milder varicose veins can be treated by dermatologists with non-invasive approaches, such as laser therapy and sclerotherapy, says Dr. Alexis. “For more severe cases where symptoms may be involved, seeing a vascular surgeon for surgical treatment options is advised.”

Although treatment for varicose veins means losing some veins, you have plenty of others in your body that can take up the slack, explains Gibson. “The majority of the blood flow in veins in the leg is not on the surface at all; it's in the deep veins within the muscle,” she says. “Those deep veins … are easily able to take over for any veins that we remove on the surface.”

Myth 9: Recovery After Varicose Vein Treatments Is Difficult

Newer treatments have quicker recovery times. “These procedures can be performed in an office within 20 to 30 minutes with no recovery time. Patients can usually return to work or daily activities on the same day,” Kim says.

Myth 10: Varicose Veins Can Be Cured
Treatments are effective, but they aren't a cure, Gibson says. Sometimes, varicose veins can make a repeat appearance after treatment. “What I tell my patients is it's kind of like weeding a garden,” she says. “We clear them all out, but that doesn't mean there's never going to be another dandelion popping out.”

www. everydayhealth .com

Mediterranean Diet May Help Lower Hip Fracture Risk in Older Women

Mediterranean Diet May Help Lower Hip Fracture Risk in Older Women

Healty

MONDAY, March 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Eating a Mediterranean diet may at least slightly lower an older woman's risk for hip fracture, a new study suggests.

Women who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet -- one high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains -- had a 20 percent lower risk for hip fractures compared to women who didn't follow this regimen, the researchers found.

The study couldn't prove cause-and-effect, however. And the researchers stressed that the absolute reduction in risk of a hip fracture for any one woman was still pretty slight -- only about a third of one percent.

Nevertheless, "these results support the notion that following a healthy dietary pattern may play a role in the maintenance of bone health in postmenopausal women," concluded a research team led by Dr. Bernhard Haring of the University of Wurzburg in Germany.

The study was published online March 28 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

One expert in the United States believes that diet can be very important to bone health as people age. However, which diet might be best remains unclear, according to Dr. Michael Hepinstall.

Research "generally supports the idea that adequate nutrition has health benefits that may extend to a lower risk of hip fractures," said Hepinstall, an orthopedic surgeon at the Lenox Hill Hospital Center for Joint Preservation & Reconstruction, in New York City.

"Nevertheless, the results of this study are not convincing enough to confirm that the Mediterranean diet is best, nor do they suggest that an individual adopting a Mediterranean diet can be confident that they have taken adequate measures to reduce fracture risk," he said.


In the study, the German team examined the link between diet and bone health in more than 90,000 healthy American women, whose average age was 64. They were tracked for nearly 16 years.

While the team found a slight trend in favor of the Mediterranean diet and a lower risk of hip fracture in particular, the diet did not seem to lower the odds for fractures overall.

There was a bit of good news for people already on the diet, Hepinstall noted. While the Mediterranean diet typically has lower amounts of dairy products than other regimens, that did not seem to harm bone health, he said.

What does help to strengthen women's bones as they age? According to Hepinstall, low-impact, weight-bearing exercise is encouraged, including tai chi.

"Physicians also typically recommend adequate dietary calcium intake, with supplemental calcium and vitamin D for those who are deficient," he added. Medications are also prescribed when osteoporosis is diagnosed.

Simple safety measures can also cut the odds of fractures linked to falls, Hepinstall said. Regular vision checks are key, and "within the home, we advise patients to keep an uncluttered path to the bathroom, use a night light, remove throw rugs and other potential sources of falls," he said.

www. medicinenet .com

Injuries More Common in Teens Who Focus on Single Sport

Injuries More Common in Teens Who Focus on Single Sport

Healty

SATURDAY, March 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- High school athletes who focus on a single sport may be at increased risk for knee and hip injuries, a new study suggests.

"Make sure your children are getting breaks in competition," said study author David Bell, assistant professor in the Departments of Kinesiology and Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"There are so many great aspects to sports participation and we don't want this information to scare athletes or parents -- we just want them to be wise consumers and to participate as safely as possible," he said in a university news release.

The study included more than 300 athletes at two high schools, one large and one small. About 36 percent of the athletes had high levels of sports specialization. Nearly 29 percent had moderate specialization, and about 35 percent had low specialization, the researchers said.

The one-year study found that athletes from the smaller school were less likely to specialize than students from the larger school. Those in the high specialization group were more likely to report a history of overuse knee injuries than those in the other two groups. Athletes who trained in one sport for more than eight months during the study were more likely to have a history of knee and hip injuries, the researchers reported.

The study was published recently in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.

"Recommendations already exist to try and limit athletes' year-round exposure to sports," Bell noted. "Yet we don't know how well these recommendations are known to the average person.

"Our next step is to survey parents and athletes regarding their knowledge of sport participation recommendations, and also their attitudes toward sport specialization," he said.

www. medicinenet .com