Parents' smoking tied to genetic changes in kids with cancer

New research finds the strongest associations in children whose parents smoked during their infancy

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/parents-smoking-tied-to-genetic-changes-in-kids-with-cancer/

Mayo Clinic - Pectus excavatum patient William Kranz tells his story.

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJPTEcDbWvc

Survey: Mammograms not happening at recommended ages

Four out of five doctors still recommend annual breast cancer screening for women in their early 40s, even though newer guidelines suggest waiting

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mammograms-not-recommended-by-doctors-at-guideline-age-time/

Thinking Differently: The CFI Series of Unexpected Conversations - Folkert Kuipers, Ph.D.

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_Py22Sr_IU

More Younger Americans Are Suffering Strokes

Researchers cite rise in blood pressure and diabetes, but one specialist questions the findings

From: http://www.webmd.com/stroke/news/20170410/more-younger-americans-are-suffering-strokes-study?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Peanut Desensitization Clinic open in Florida

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0S5y2kBhdw

Endodontists initiate new program to aid underserved in Jamaica

Every morning, Dr. Juheon Seung and his colleagues would move the pews out of the makeshift dental clinic housed inside a church and bring in dental chairs.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/endodontists-initiate-new-program-to-aid-underserved-in-jamaica

For nearly 4 decades, dental students come with 'T. Bob' on spring breaks to serve underserved

Dallas general dentist Dr. T. Bob Davis has a saying: “Do what you can while you still can.”

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/for-nearly-4-decades-dental-students-come-with-t-bob-on-spring-breaks-to-serve-underserved

ADA: Let CDC review vaccines for safety and effectiveness

Washington — The ADA has asked President Trump to delegate the task of reviewing the safety and effectiveness of vaccines to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/ada-let-cdc-review-vaccines-for-safety-and-effectiveness

Typically harmless virus may trigger celiac disease

New research suggests the virus may leave a “permanent mark” on the immune system that sets the body up for developing celiac disease

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/typically-harmless-virus-may-trigger-celiac-disease/

Infectious Diseases A-Z: Babies born with Zika-related birth defects

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVyU3NpqTPU

Mammogram Guidelines Have Changed, But Are Doctors Listening?

Study finds that most still recommend the breast cancer screen for women in their early 40s

From: http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20170410/mammogram-guidelines-have-changed-but-are-doctors-listening?src=RSS_PUBLIC

CDC Investigates Dead Bat Found in Recalled Salad

Though it is extremely uncommon, investigators want to rule out the possibility of rabies

From: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20170410/fresh-express-dead-bat-recall?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Obesity May Make Rheumatoid Arthritis Tough to Spot, Track

Inflammation from excess weight could lead doctors to think disease is worse in women than it is, study finds

From: http://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/news/20170410/obesity-may-make-rheumatoid-arthritis-tough-to-spot-track?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Xanax, Valium May Boost Pneumonia Risk in Alzheimer's Patients

Researchers suspect people may breathe saliva or food into their lungs due to fatigue from the drugs

From: http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20170410/xanax-valium-may-boost-pneumonia-risk-in-alzheimers-patients?src=RSS_PUBLIC

ADA, others support Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Act

The ADA has joined with more than 100 organizations in supporting the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/ada-others-support-small-business-regulatory-flexability-act

Meeting with policymakers

Sitting across from a legislative assistant of Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., dental student Margaree Lachowiez revealed how much debt she already has from dental school — $117,000 in two years.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/meeting-with-policymakers

"Slow-moving bullet": New cases of brain-infecting parasite reported

The parasite is carried by rats and transmitted by snails and slugs

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaii-brain-infecting-parasite-cases-up/

Complete Find-a-Dentist profile to enter $10,000 cash or Mercedes Benz sweepstakes

To encourage dentists to fill out their Find-a-Dentist profile, those with completed profiles by May 1, 11:59 p.m. Pacific time, are entered in a sweepstakes to receive a cash reward of $10,000. The winner can also choose to lease either a Mercedes Benz C class sedan or a Mercedes Benz GLC sport utility vehicle for a year.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/complete-find-a-dentist-profile-to-enter-10000-cash-or-mercedes-benz-sweepstakes

Nominate leaders for ADA Foundation award

The ADA Foundation is accepting nominations for two awards to help dentists or dental students enhance their leadership skills.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/april/nominate-leaders-for-ada-foundation-award

Are U.S. blood donations safe from Zika?

Every blood donation in the U.S. gets tested for the presence of the Zika virus

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/zika-blood-donations-safe/

Some salads recalled after dead mammal found inside, CDC says

Recalled salads were distributed to at least eight states and have production code of G089B19 and best-if-used-by date of April 14, 2017

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dead-bat-salad-recall-organic-marketside-spring-mix-cdc/

CRISPR: Is It Possible to Remove Disease From DNA?

A new gene-editing technique called CRISPR could one day help cure many diseases, but there are ethical and safety concerns.

From: http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20170406/crispr-is-it-possible-to-remove-disease-from-dna?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Mayo Clinic Minute: It's only temporary - smartphone blindness

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZiSOqVIicw

Cracking the coconut oil craze

If you Google “coconut oil,” you’ll see a slew of stories touting the alleged health benefits of this solid white fat, which is easy to find in supermarkets these days. But how can something that’s chock-full of saturated fat — a known culprit in raising heart disease risk — be good for you?

Coconut does have some unique qualities that enthusiasts cite to explain its alleged health benefits. But the evidence to support those claims is very thin, says Dr. Qi Sun, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

“If you want to lower your risk of heart disease, coconut oil is not a good choice,” he says. It’s true that coconut oil tends to raise beneficial HDL cholesterol more than other fats do, possibly because coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a fatty acid that the body processes slightly differently than it does other saturated fats.

Coconut oil’s effect on cholesterol

But there’s no evidence that consuming coconut oil can lower the risk of heart disease, according to an article in the April 2016 Nutrition Reviews. The study, titled “Coconut Oil Consumption and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Humans,” reviewed findings from 21 studies, most of which examined the effects of coconut oil or coconut products on cholesterol levels. Eight were clinical trials, in which volunteers consumed different types of fats, including coconut oil, butter, and unsaturated vegetable oils (such as olive, sunflower, safflower, and corn oil) for short periods of time. Compared with the unsaturated oils, coconut oil raised total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol levels, although not as much as butter did.

These findings jibe with results from a study by Dr. Sun and colleagues in the Nov. 23, 2016, issue of The BMJ, which examined the links between different types of saturated fatty acids and heart disease. Compared with other saturated fats (like palmitic acid, which is abundant in butter), lauric acid didn’t appear to raise heart risk quite as much. But that’s likely because American diets typically don’t include very much lauric acid, so it’s harder to detect any effect, Dr. Sun notes.

Tropical diets are different

Coconut oil proponents point to studies of indigenous populations in parts of India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Polynesia, whose diets include copious amounts of coconut. But their traditional diets also include more fish, fruits, and vegetables than typical American diets, so this comparison isn’t valid, says Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Bruce Bistrian, who is chief of clinical nutrition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Some of the coconut oil available in stores is labeled “virgin,” meaning that it’s made by pressing the liquid from coconut meat and then separating out the oil. It tastes and smells of coconut, unlike the refined, bleached, and deodorized coconut oil made from the dried coconut meat used in some processed foods and cosmetics. Virgin coconut oil contains small amounts of antioxidant compounds that may help curb inflammation, a harmful process thought to worsen heart disease. But to date, proof of any possible benefit is limited to small studies in rats and mice, says Dr. Bistrian.

Unsaturated fats

In contrast, there’s a wealth of data showing that diets rich in unsaturated fat, especially olive oil, may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, Dr. Sun points out. The evidence comes not only from many observational studies (like those in the aforementioned BMJ report) but also a landmark clinical trial from Spain, which found that people who ate a Mediterranean-style diet enhanced with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts had a lower risk of heart attack, stroke, and death from heart disease than people who followed a low-fat diet.

Of course, there’s no need to completely avoid coconut oil if you like the flavor. Some bakers use coconut oil instead of butter in baked goods, and coconut milk is a key ingredient in Thai cooking and some Indian curry dishes. Just be sure to consider these foods occasional treats, not everyday fare.

The post Cracking the coconut oil craze appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Julie Corliss http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cracking-the-coconut-oil-craze-2017041011513

#AsktheMayoMom about Inflammtory Bowel Disease

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paVXAUVyW7Y

Spring Food Fun with MyPlate

From: USDA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnP6vSCL88I