Community Magazine January 2012

To • • Health HEARINGPROBLEMS AFFECT 1 IN 5 About 20% of Americans now suffer from hearing loss, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University. Besides causing social isolation, hearing loss has been linked to dementia and lower mental and physical wellbeing. Significant hearing loss, which is defined as the inability to hear sounds under 25 decibels, can cause speech to sound mumbled. Nearly 13 percent of Americans, or about 30 million people, suffer from hearing loss in both ears, and over 20 percent have hearing loss in one ear. The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, notes that as damaged hearing is only noticed gradually and is not reversible, young people are advised to prevent hearing loss by avoiding exposure to loud noises like concerts, and limiting the use of ear buds. Only about 20 percent of those with hearing loss seek treatment, as many people may not recognize or acknowledge their impairment. FITNESS LEVEL LINKED TO LIFE ANDDEATH Becoming fit, even without losing weight, can help reduce the risk of premature death. A study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, found that regardless of weight or body fat percentage, those who maintain or improve their fitness level had a lower risk of death from heart disease and stroke. Conversely, those who were less fit had a higher death risk, regardless of changes in weight. Researchers at the University of South Carolina measured subjects’ weight and physical fitness, and then tracked them over 11 years. They concluded that people can worry less about their weight as long as they concentrate on maintaining or improving their fitness. DIABETES RATES GROWING Ten percent of adults, or 552 million people, could have diabetes by 2030, according to the International Diabetes Federation. Currently, about one adult in 13 has diabetes, including those not yet diagnosed. The projections also don’t factor in the effects of increasing obesity rates, and researchers expect diabetes to grow even in Africa. The World Health Organization reports that about 346 million people currently have diabetes, and they project deaths from diabetes to double by 2030. The majority of diabetes cases are Type 2, caused by preventable factors like weight gain and a sedentary lifestyle in middle age. CANNED FOOD SAFETY UNDER SCRUTINY Volunteers who ate canned vegetable soup have been found to have high levels of BPA (bisphenol A), a chemical which has been linked to health problems. BPA is used in the lining of many food and beverage cans, and the results suggest that the chemical leeches out of the can, into the food, and then into the bodies of people who eat the food. Researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston found a one thousand percent increase in BPA concentrations in urine after eating canned soup, but they did not measure how quickly the levels decreased. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. BPA resembles the hormone estrogen, and may interfere with reproductive development. The chemical also has ties to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. BPA is also used to make some hard, clear plastics, dentistry composites, and some cash register receipts. TOOMUCHOR TOO LITTLE SALT UNHEALTHY The link between high salt intake and heart attacks, stroke and heart failure have been well- known for quite some time, but scientists are now warning that insufficient salt consumption can also pose health risks. New research from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, found that a diet with inadequate salt is unhealthy for people at risk of heart disease. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that those with low salt intake had high rates of hospitalization or death from heart disease, suggesting that extreme dietary salt reduction is unhealthy. The lowest rates of heart problems were found for those with moderate daily sodium consumption. The average North American consumes about 3,400 mg of salt daily, far exceeding the 1,000-1,200 mg daily intake recommended by some doctors. Researchers and lobby groups are pushing for a reduction in salt consumption. Some previous research has found that lower salt intake is good for heart health in otherwise healthy people, whereas the recent study mainly focused on those already at risk for heart problems. 74 Community magazine