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Monday, July 27, 2009
The Birth Control Pill may be Less Effective in Obese Women
New research shows that oral contraceptives may behave differently in the bodies of women who are obese, than in normal-weight women, thus suggesting that birth control pills may not work well in preventing pregnancy. According to the study published in the journal, Contraception, researchers say that there has been some evidence to suggest that the birth control pills may be less effective in obese women, but finding have not been consistent.
Researchers assigned twenty 18 to 35- year- old women, none of whom were using oral contraceptives, to take birth control for two cycles. Half of the women were obese, with body mass indexes above 30, while the other half were normal weight and had body mass indexes below 25. The women took pills containing ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel, which is a synthetic hormone used to regulate ovulation.
For the obese women, it took about 10 days of taking the pill for their blood levels of levonorgestrel to reach the optimum steady-state concentration for suppressing ovulation compared to about 5 days for the normal-weight women.
“The longer time to reach steady-state levels of levonorgestrel may represent a window of opportunity for the ovary to prepare to release an egg”, said research overseer Dr. Allison B. Edelman of Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. She further added that for one of the obese women it took 20 days to reach the steady state level, suggesting that ovulation may never have been adequately suppressed.
In spite of these findings, according to Edelman, “Additional studies are needed before [researchers can] recommend a change in clinical practice regarding the use of oral contraceptives in obese women.
Researchers assigned twenty 18 to 35- year- old women, none of whom were using oral contraceptives, to take birth control for two cycles. Half of the women were obese, with body mass indexes above 30, while the other half were normal weight and had body mass indexes below 25. The women took pills containing ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel, which is a synthetic hormone used to regulate ovulation.
For the obese women, it took about 10 days of taking the pill for their blood levels of levonorgestrel to reach the optimum steady-state concentration for suppressing ovulation compared to about 5 days for the normal-weight women.
“The longer time to reach steady-state levels of levonorgestrel may represent a window of opportunity for the ovary to prepare to release an egg”, said research overseer Dr. Allison B. Edelman of Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. She further added that for one of the obese women it took 20 days to reach the steady state level, suggesting that ovulation may never have been adequately suppressed.
In spite of these findings, according to Edelman, “Additional studies are needed before [researchers can] recommend a change in clinical practice regarding the use of oral contraceptives in obese women.
Labels: birth control, body mass index, hormones, obesity, pregnancy, pregnant
posted by
Chavon Williams
at
11:41 AM
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Harvard Study Confirms Plastic Bottle Concerns
A Har
vard School of Public Health study is the first to confirm that drinking from plastic water bottles increase the amount of a chemical plasticizer that leaches into the body. The study definitively shows that drinking from a bottle containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used to make plastics clear and shatter-resistant, increases the level of the chemical in urine.
In the study published by Environmental Health Perspectives, 77 Harvard students drank cold water from stainless steel bottles without BPA for a week. The following week the students drank water from plastic bottles made with BPA. During the second week, the amount of BPA in their urine was found to have increased by 69 percent.
According to the Boston Globe, the health effects of BPA on adults are not well understood. However, a recent large human study linked BPA concentrations in people’s urine to an increased prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, and liver toxicity.
The Harvard study was sparked by Karin B. Michels, an associate professor at the School of Public Health, after she warned students who regularly drank from hard plastic bottles that they might want to limit their BPA. The students countered her warning by asking how much BPA they were getting from bottles, and soon this study was born.
Just last year, Canada banned the use of BPA in baby bottles, and Massachusetts is considering warning pregnant women and young children to avoid food, drinks, and other items containing the chemical.
BPA is used in hundreds of everyday products including: plastic baby bottles, the lining of canned goods such as soap, infant formulas, microwavable plastic dishes, dental sealants, PVC pipe and carbonless paper.
vard School of Public Health study is the first to confirm that drinking from plastic water bottles increase the amount of a chemical plasticizer that leaches into the body. The study definitively shows that drinking from a bottle containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used to make plastics clear and shatter-resistant, increases the level of the chemical in urine.In the study published by Environmental Health Perspectives, 77 Harvard students drank cold water from stainless steel bottles without BPA for a week. The following week the students drank water from plastic bottles made with BPA. During the second week, the amount of BPA in their urine was found to have increased by 69 percent.
According to the Boston Globe, the health effects of BPA on adults are not well understood. However, a recent large human study linked BPA concentrations in people’s urine to an increased prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, and liver toxicity.
The Harvard study was sparked by Karin B. Michels, an associate professor at the School of Public Health, after she warned students who regularly drank from hard plastic bottles that they might want to limit their BPA. The students countered her warning by asking how much BPA they were getting from bottles, and soon this study was born.
Just last year, Canada banned the use of BPA in baby bottles, and Massachusetts is considering warning pregnant women and young children to avoid food, drinks, and other items containing the chemical.
BPA is used in hundreds of everyday products including: plastic baby bottles, the lining of canned goods such as soap, infant formulas, microwavable plastic dishes, dental sealants, PVC pipe and carbonless paper.
Labels: bottle, drinks, food, heart disease, plastic, pregnant
posted by
Chavon Williams
at
6:39 AM
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Lead- Contaminated Lollipops Recalled
King Midas, Inc, a California-based food distribution company, has recalled candy imported from Mexico because it contains high levels of lead. Pregnant women and children who have eaten Hola pop! Original Lollipop candy should immediately consult their doctors.
King Midas has warning stores to stop selling its caramel lollipop with a salted apricot in the center. The lollipops come in multiple fruit flavors.
Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health, recently warned consumers on May 2, 2009 not to eat Hola Pop! La Original Lollipop Candy imported from Mexico after tests found unacceptable high levels of lead. The testing of the candy found that Hola Pop La Original Lollipop Candy contained as much as 0.25 parts per million of lead. California considers candies with lead levels above 0.10 parts per million to be unacceptable and contaminated.
The candy should be discarded immediately.
Consumers who find Hola Pop La Original Lollipop Candy for sale are encouraged to call the California Department of Public Health Complaint Hotline at 1-800-495-3232.
For more information about lead poisoning, please see the CDC website listed below or contact your local county childhood lead poisoning prevention program or public health department.
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/artificialturf.htm.
For more information about the recall please also see:
http://ww2.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/news/Pages/NR2009-38-HolaPopLaOriginalLollipopCandy.aspx
King Midas has warning stores to stop selling its caramel lollipop with a salted apricot in the center. The lollipops come in multiple fruit flavors.
Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health, recently warned consumers on May 2, 2009 not to eat Hola Pop! La Original Lollipop Candy imported from Mexico after tests found unacceptable high levels of lead. The testing of the candy found that Hola Pop La Original Lollipop Candy contained as much as 0.25 parts per million of lead. California considers candies with lead levels above 0.10 parts per million to be unacceptable and contaminated.
The candy should be discarded immediately.
Consumers who find Hola Pop La Original Lollipop Candy for sale are encouraged to call the California Department of Public Health Complaint Hotline at 1-800-495-3232.
For more information about lead poisoning, please see the CDC website listed below or contact your local county childhood lead poisoning prevention program or public health department.
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/artificialturf.htm.
For more information about the recall please also see:
http://ww2.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/news/Pages/NR2009-38-HolaPopLaOriginalLollipopCandy.aspx
Labels: california, children, hola pop, lead, lollipops, Mexico, poisoning, pregnant
posted by
Jessica
at
8:25 AM