Adequate levels of folate or folic acid (vitamin B) are important to prevent pregnancy complications like neural-tube birth defects – spina bifida, but in recent years folate levels have decreased among non-pregnant US women of childbearing age.
Weight loss pills are not working to reduce weight for obesity, and this is evident from that the Bayer AG and several smaller companies agreed to pay the U.S. government almost $26 million to settle allegations of false weight-loss advertising claims, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
The Food and Drug Administration has proposed an amended health claim that would communicate to consumers the value of foods high in calcium and vitamin D for reducing the risk of osteoporosis. The National Dairy Council (NDC) acknowledges and supports the body of scientific evidence that backs the proposed claim, which indicates that a lifestyle that includes a well-balanced diet with adequate calcium and vitamin D, and physical activity, helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Undernourished women who take a vitamin and mineral supplement while pregnant may be less likely than women taking only iron and folic acid supplements to have babies weighing less than 2,500 grams, and their newborns may be less likely to have morbidity in the first seven days of life, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
It appears that alcohol-induced bone loss resulting from excessive binge-alcohol drinking can be prevented by vitamin D or the anti-osteoporosis drug Boniva? (ibandronate), a Loyola University Health System study shows.
New studies on nutrition and HIV from researchers at Tufts University in Boston find that a high percentage of people with HIV have the same two characteristics of metabolic syndrome, and that people with HIV on HAART may be at risk for zinc deficiency.
The Australian Government has expanded eligibility for the osteoporosis medication alendronate under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
New research suggests that having higher circulating levels of vitamin D is associated with a reduced risk for multiple sclerosis, although this relationship was not seen for black and Hispanic individuals, according to a study in the Dec. 20 issue of JAMA.
HANNAH ASIEM, RN, MSN, nursing program director at BROWN MACKIE COLLEGE in South Bend, Ind., can discuss the causes of pneumonia, its health complications, and ways people can prevent developing this common yet serious winter ailment: “If a person does get pneumonia, which causes a frequent cough that yields thick sputum that could be greenish in color, they must see a doctor and they may be prescribed anti-infective agents, which will help kill the bacteria.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Cyanokit (containing the drug hydroxocobalamin, intravenous tubing and a sterile spike for reconstituting the drug product with saline) for the treatment of known or suspected cyanide poisoning. The approval, which is based on evidence of the drug’s effectiveness when tested in animals, improves the nation’s ability to respond to emergencies, including a potential attack by terrorists.