Working long hours 'linked to depression'

?Working eleven hours a day can lead to severe depression,? Metro has today reported. According to the newspaper, staff who put in 11 or more hours a day at the office are twice as likely to suffer a severe bout of depression than those working just eight.

This news is based on a study that examined the working habits of over 2,000 UK civil servants and how their working related to major depressive symptoms in the six years that followed. After accounting for other factors linked to depression, the researchers found that working 11 or more hours a week was associated with a 2.5 times increase the odds of experiencing a major depressive episode compared with their colleagues working the Civil Service?s standard seven to eight hours a day.

This research has found a link between working overtime and the risk of subsequent major depressive episodes. However, the relationship is complicated and this research cannot concretely tell whether or not overtime actually causes depression. Verifying this potential link would probably require controlled studies looking at whether or not cutting back work hours proves effective at reducing people?s risk of depression.

Also, this study found strong links between financial status, seniority and a reduced risk of major depression, making the influence of working hours harder to judge. Overall, it is likely that several factors work together to cause depression and the role working hours play in this is unclear.

�

Where did the story come from?

The study was carried out by researchers from Queen Mary?s of the University of London, University College of London, the University of Bristol, McGill University in Canada, and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. The research was funded by the Medical Research Council, the British Heart Foundation, the Stroke Association and the US National Institutes of Health.

The study was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PLoS ONE.

The study was covered appropriately in the media, although headlines that suggested working overtime definitely causes depression are not supported by the research. The Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph and The Independent all reported, in both their headlines and main story, that the research found an association or link between overtime and the risk of depression.

�

What kind of research was this?

This was a prospective cohort study that examined the association between people?s number of hours worked�a day and their risk of going on to experience a major depressive episode (MDE).

This research analysed data from a large well-known cohort study, called the Whitehall II study, which examined how work related to health in over 10,000 London based civil servants. This particular analysis on depression included full-time workers who were free from any psychiatric disorders and still employed at the time of the study?s follow-up period.

Prospective cohort studies have the advantage of ensuring that the exposure of interest (in this case, working hours) precedes the outcome of interest (experiencing MDE). This is one of several criteria needed to show causality. It is not, however, sufficient on its own to prove that the number of hours worked leads to or causes depression.

�

What did the research involve?

At the start of the study (known as the baseline) participants completed a survey that included questions on:

• job characteristics: including hours worked, degree of work stress, strain and social support
• socio-demographic factors: including sex, age, marital states and socio-economic status
• health-related behaviours: including alcohol consumption and smoking status
• physical health: including the presence of a longstanding illness or coronary heart disease

Participants were divided into four groups based on their working hours:

• those who worked seven to eight hours a day (the standard civil service day)
• those who worked nine hours a day (classed as one hour of overtime a day)
• those who worked 10 hours a day (classed as two hours of overtime a day)
• those who worked 11 to 12 hours a day (classed as three to four hours of overtime a day)

Approximately six years later they completed another interview that included a clinical health examination. At this interview, researchers determined whether or not participants had experienced a MDE during the previous year.

Researchers then analysed the data to assess how the odds of experiencing MDE in the two groups working the fewest and most hours. This analysis adjusted for possible confounding factors, including the baseline job characteristics, socio-demographic, health-related and physical health factors outlined above, in several separate analyses.

�

What were the basic results?

In all, 2,123 participants were included in the study. Those included in this study tended to be younger than those participating in the general Whitehall II cohort, and more likely to be male, married and from higher occupational grades. Participants were also more likely to experience low work strain than the Whitehall II cohort, and less likely to have a chronic disease or be a smoker.

Of the included participants:

• 52% worked a standard seven to eight-hour day
• 21% worked a nine-hour day
• 16% worked a 10-hour day
• 11% worked an 11- to 12-hour day

Employees with the longest working days were more likely to be male, married, from higher occupational grades, have more active jobs and high social support at work compared to those who worked the standard seven to eight-hour day. In addition, they tended to drink more alcohol than the recommended daily limits and to be ex-smokers.

Of the 2,123 participants, 66 experienced a major depressive episode; this is equivalent to a 3.1% rate of depression. When assessing MDE risk, and adjusting for multiple potential confounding variables, the researchers found that employees who worked 11 to 12 hours a day had 2.52 time the odds of experiencing MDE compared to those who worked the standard seven to eight hours a day (Odds ratio [OR] 2.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12 to 5.65).

Other factors that were associated with increased odds of MDE were:

• sex: females were just over twice as likely to experience MDE compared to males (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.25 to 3.46)
• presence of a chronic physical disease (OR 2.30, 95% CI 1.41 to 3.78)
• moderate alcohol consumption, compared to teetotallers (OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.05 to 6.82)
• lower occupational grades (grades 4-5), compared to the highest grade, which is grade 1 (grade 5: OR 4.53, 95% CI 1.47 to 13.90; grade 4: OR 3.19, 95% CI 1.02 to 9.99)

Factors that were not associated with increased odds of MDE included:

• marital status
• smoking status
• high alcohol use
• job strain
• social support at work

�

How did the researchers interpret the results?

The researchers conclude that, ?working overtime predicted the onset of a major depressive episode in a middle-aged cohort of British civil servants?. They add that this association held after adjusting for ?a range of socio-demographic, lifestyle and work-related factors at baseline.?

�

Conclusion

This was a large cohort study that examined the association between the number of hours worked a day and the risk of subsequent major depressive disorder. It found that, after an adjusted analysis, those who worked three to four hours of overtime a day at the start of the study had a 2.5 fold increase in the chance they would go on to experience MDE.

The size and prospective nature of this cohort study mean that we can be quite confident in the results. There are, however, several limitations to the study that should be considered before insisting that our work hours are cut back. These include:

• The participants in this study were a specific subgroup of an already specific cohort group. Generalising these results to non-urban, non-civil service workers may not be appropriate. The researchers call for further research to determine whether this association can be found in non-civil service contexts.
• This study only included workers with no history of psychological disorders. It is unclear how work hours influence mental health in people with a history of psychological disorders.
• Working hours were assessed only at the start of the study. It is possible that these conditions changed in the six years between the first and second interviews. This could have distorted the results.
• There were a limited number of MDE cases in the cohort. This makes it impossible to determine the role specific factors play in this association.
• Despite news reports to the contrary, the researchers say that this study cannot offer plausible explanations of why long working hours are associated with the development of depression. The say that ?intervention studies are needed to examine whether interventions designed to reduce working hours would alter depression risk in working populations?.
• The rate of depression found in this study being 3.1%. While those with longer workdays were found to have 2.5 times greater odds of MDE, this is still a low rate overall. Additionally, this rate is lower than the general population rate of depression, which the authors estimate to be approximately 5%.
• This study confirmed a strong link between occupational grade and depression, with higher socioeconomic status associated with a reduced risk of major depression. This had to be carefully adjusted for in the analysis.
• Major depressive episodes involve a specific range of depressive symptoms, but people can also experience milder forms of depression that will not meet the criteria for this diagnosis.

Overall, this research indicates that a very specific subset of civil servants were at increased risk of experiencing a major depressive episode. It is likely that several factors work together as ?causes? of depression and so the researchers were correct to avoid saying that they had found a cause.

Links To The Headlines

Working 11 hours a day can lead to severe depression, says study. Metro, January 26 2012

Three hours' extra work a day doubles risk of depression. The Independent, January 26 2012

People who work 11 hours are twice as likely to suffer depression. The Daily Telegraph, January 26 2012

Long work day a shortcut to depression as those spending over 11 hours in the office 'face higher risk'. Daily Mail, January 26 2012

Links To Science

Virtanen M, Stansfeld SA, Fuhrer R, Ferrie JE, Kivima M. Overtime Work as a Predictor of Major Depressive Episode: A 5-Year Follow-Up of the Whitehall II Study. PLoS One 2012; 7(1):e30719.

Source: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/01January/Pages/overtime-work-hours-depression.aspx

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Doctor fights mental health stigma

Mental healthcare in Africa

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Top psychiatrist Frank Njenga has changed how many Kenyans think about mental health issues
• Njenga helped build the first private in-patient psychiatric hospital in Kenya
• He's also created a television talk show in an effort to build better understanding

Editor's note: Every week CNN International's African Voices highlights Africa's most engaging personalities, exploring the lives and passions of people who rarely open themselves up to the camera.

(CNN) -- As Kenya's leading psychiatrist, Frank Njenga has been championing the cause of better mental health care on the east African country and the continent for more than three decades.

He's been working tirelessly to bring quality mental health care in a country where mentally disabled people receive little help from the state and face massive stigma from society.

"It's a horrible indictment on what we've done but the truth and reality is that very little has been done systematically and deliberately by government or by ourselves to bring up the level of mental health in this part of the world," says Njenga.

In Kenya, an estimated three million, mostly poor, people live with intellectual and mental disabilities, according to NGO and United Nations figures. At the same time, the ratio of psychiatrists to the population is dismal -- just one psychiatrist to half a million people.

See also: Kenya's mentally ill locked up and forgotten

But Njenga, who is president of the African Association of Psychiatrists, says the problem is even worse in other countries on the continent.

"It is a major challenge but it is a challenge that is very sadly is spread across the whole of the Africa continent," he says Njenga.

"In fact, Kenya is ironically behind South Africa and perhaps Egypt in the ratios of psychiatrists that are available per population. There are countries in Africa where there is no single psychiatrist to five-six million people."

This has motivated Njenga to dedicate his life helping mental health patients and raising awareness in a continent where mental disorders are often neglected and described as "un-African" and belonging to "people in the West."

Njenga, however, discards such claims as "clear nonsense."

"For as long as you are a self-confessed human being you will continue to suffer human conditions of which mental disorders are an integral part," he says.

Read also: Namibia's 'miracle doctor' brings gift of sight

Njenga describes Africa as "truly the traumatized continent" that's been plagued by wars, human suffering and lethal dictatorships.

"Whether you are looking at Rwanda or southern Sudan or Sierra Leone or DRC, the number of women and children and adults who have suffered severe trauma is greater than any other continent that I can think of."

We are losing far too many men and women to mental illness and therefore to un-productivity by not treating them for mental illness.
Frank Njenga

He underlines the link between good mental health and productivity and calls policy makers to make mental health services a priority in order to help their countries escape poverty.

"There is no health without mental health and there is no economy," says Njenga. "We are losing far too many men and women to mental illness and therefore to un-productivity by not treating them for mental illness."

Born in Kenya, Njenga was inspired as a teenager by the work of psychiatrist Frantz Fanon, writer of "Wretched of the Earth," a seminal book that explores identity and the post-colonial experience.

From then on, Njenga was convinced he wanted to be a psychiatrist. He went on to study psychology throughout medical school in Kenya before moving to the UK for his post-graduate studies at the Maudsley Hospital -- the world's oldest psychiatric hospital.

At the end of this studies, however, Njenga chose not to pursue a career in the UK but to return to his home country, committed to promoting the cause of better mental health in the continent.

"I went to the UK to come back and to come back as a psychiatrist and to make a difference in my homeland and in my continent. That is the reason I left Kenya and that is the reason I came back," he says.

Read also:The Africans giving aid to the world

On his return to Kenya, Njenga embarked on a mission to reduce the social stigma that is attached to going to a psychiatrist or seeing a mental health professional.

In a ground-breaking weekly show called "Frankly Speaking," Njenga spoke with his patients on television, putting the spotlight on tough issues such as schizophrenia and substance abuse -- taboo topics that were usually kept out of public sight.

Today the discussion of mental health issues on this continent is focused and is positive -- about that I feel proud and privileged.
Frank Njenga

"I felt powerful and relaxed I felt at last here I was able to tell it exactly as it was," he says. "Of all the things I have done in this society and community it is the program on television -- Frankly Speaking -- because I spoke frankly as my name is and my patients spoke very frankly indeed."

In his commitment to providing top-notch mental health care, Njenga also helped build a private in-patient psychiatric hospital, the first of its kind in Kenya.

He's also authored several children's books in a bid to build better understanding of mental illness and advocated for an insurance cover for mental health patients as chairman of the largest insurance company in Kenya.

Through awareness and affordable treatment, Njenga has changed how many people in Kenya think about mental health.

"Today the discussion of mental health issues on this continent is focused and is positive -- about that I feel proud and privileged," he says.

CNN's Leposo Lillian, David McKenzie and Jessica Ellis contributed to this report.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_health/~3/NCVRlhOUYXc/index.html

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[CDC, Office of Women's Health, Health Matters for Women] Update: New Recommendations for Mefloquine Use in Pregnancy

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends the antimalarial drug mefloquine for pregnant women both as a malaria treatment option and as an option to prevent malaria infection for all trimesters. Previously mefloquine was not recommended for the treatment of malaria in pregnant women. The change in recommendations is based on the recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) re-categorization of mefloquine from a pregnancy category C drug to category B, based on their review of the published data on mefloquine use during pregnancy. These data showed that pregnant women who took mefloquine at various doses for both prevention and treatment of malaria did not have an increased risk of teratogenic effects (birth defects) or adverse pregnancy outcomes compared to the background rate in the general population. Based on studies, the FDA assigns risk categorizes for drugs used in pregnancy which include categories A, B, C, D, and X with categories A and B demonstrating the least risk to the pregnancy.

Malaria is a serious, sometimes fatal, mosquito-borne disease. Malaria infection in pregnant women can be more severe than in nonpregnant women and may also be transmitted from a mother to her unborn infant before or during delivery ("congenital" malaria). Malaria can increase the risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, including prematurity, spontaneous abortion, and stillbirth. Pregnant women should avoid travel to malaria-endemic areas if possible. If travel cannot be avoided, malaria infection is largely preventable with the appropriate antimalarial drugs along with other measures to prevent mosquito bites.

See drugs for the prevention of malaria to learn more about mefloquine and other antimalarial drugs.

See the table Guidelines for the Treatment of Malaria [PDF, 148 KB, 3 pages] for information about malaria treatment.

For general information about malaria see, www.cdc.gov/malaria

Source: http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/download.asp?af=h&f=8622300

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Colin Jackson on the best gadgets for runners

Puma pulse watch

You should always be aware of your pace when you?re running and to do that you need a good watch. This one is great because it keeps track of your pace for you. You can set it to a seven-minute mile, for example, and it will stop beeping if you drop below or rise above that pace. It also comes with a wireless ECG armband so you can keep checking your heart rate on your watch as you run. (�55, shop.puma.co.uk)

Nike+iPod Sports Kit

If you?re running to lose weight, then this is the gadget for you. It?s a little transmitter that slips inside your shoe, which tells a receiver you?re carrying how many calories you?re burning. Your receiver can be a Nike+ SportWatch or SportBand but the best is probably an iPod touch or iPhone because they automatically send your results to a website so you can keep track of your progress. (�20, store.apple.com/uk)

The Stick

This is a long stick that you roll over your legs after running. It helps to move the lactic acid that?s built up during your run, which then helps your muscles recover quicker. Use it as soon as you can after you finish your run and I guarantee you will feel so much better. (From �27, the-stick.co.uk)

Colin is an ambassador for Laureus, which promotes the use of sport as a tool for change and celebrates sporting excellence. See laureus.com for more details

He was talking to Lily Middlemass

Follow SEVEN on Twitter @TelegraphSeven

Source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/569020/s/1c16cb73/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Chealth0Cdietandfitness0C90A272880CColin0EJackson0Eon0Ethe0Ebest0Egadgets0Efor0Erunners0Bhtml/story01.htm

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The Guide to Your Vagina

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Content

VAGINA GUIDE

Instant explanations for what's going on down there

Channel

Feature type: 

Large Design

Remove from Listing: 

No

Ads

Ad Keywords: 

vagina

Show Sponsor: 

0

CM category: 

VaginaFeature

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0

Source: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/vagina-guide

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Margot Campbell: the pilates that made Pippa's rear admirable

But her classes in this affluent pocket of London were immediately popular with women (and some men) who could afford to pay �60 per hour for a private lesson or �35 to work out in a small group. Along the way Margot has notched up several celebrity clients, but she won?t reveal their identities or discuss them. ?I?d never do that, it?s just not fair on them,?? she says. Even a lucrative book deal couldn?t entice her to talk about her most famous client of all.

Indeed, it was Pippa herself who gave the game away. In a client testimony, still displayed on Campbell?s website, she describes how she noticed a huge difference in her ?core strength and posture? since taking up Pilates with a group of girlfriends in 2009.

But can we be absolutely sure that Pilates was responsible for her stunning silhouette in that body-skimming McQueen bridesmaid?s dress? Pippa is and always has been a sporty girl (remember, the paparazzi shot of the amazing backwards dive off a boat?). She runs, swims, plays tennis and goes to the gym. Personally, I?m doubtful that Pilates alone created her world-class bum.

Campbell agrees that a body like Pippa?s takes a lot of work and Pilates is just one form of exercise that can contribute. But she?s adamant that the 20-minute workouts in her book ? which, unlike standard Pilates classes, include aerobic exercises such as squats, lunges and skipping, as well as resistance work ? will produce results. And all you need is a sports bra, she says. ?You don?t have to have room filled with equipment; you can do a very effective workout at home using the book or DVD.?

It requires perseverance, she warns, as Pilates can feel slow and boring at first. ?But as soon as you learn that the more effort you put in to each movement, the harder it becomes, you will start to break sweat,? she says. ?The cardio exercises ensure it is an effective workout and you can see results quickly.?

All well and good. But don?t be fooled into believing that the exercises alone will deliver results. To maximise the effect of the Campbell regime, one must adopt a certain lifestyle, too. So far Campbell hasn?t mentioned the diet outlined in her book, a 14-day ?balanced? plan involving a largeish breakfast (porridge or a boiled egg and soldiers, for example), a main meal in the middle of the day and a smaller snack in the evening. She encourages the reader to ?always think in moderation? about food and alcohol, even when eating out. ?Order a spicy tomato juice, rather than diving in to the bread basket,? she suggests, adding that eating healthily doubles the results of exercising.

A super-skinny physique is not the goal, says Campbell: rather, a toned, athletic look. ?I?m not in favour of girls looking too thin. I?ve never dieted in my life. I just eat healthily and exercise a lot. I?m lucky that I?m the type who can keep a bar of Swiss chocolate in their fridge for days, just occasionally nibbling a couple of squares.?

The appeal of Campbell to young women with money and time on their hands to devote to their bodies is clear. I imagine they see her as a Miss Jean Brodie-type role model. She?s a single woman, very much in her prime, glossy-haired, fresh-faced and taut-bodied, with ne?er a hint of a bingo wing under her snug-fitting gym gear. She practises what she teaches; no caffeine in the evenings, regular body brushing to banish cellulite, and plenty of sleep.

She says she wants her clients to achieve the very best for themselves, and that is what gets her up and on her bike at dawn each morning. The first lesson is at 6am, and Campbell works out beside her clients, manhandling them into the correct positions.

?With Pilates, you need to understand how the positions should feel. I always encourage my clients to have a squeeze of me; often when they feel what I?m doing, they get it.? She encourages them to take up other exercise as well, such as bikram yoga and zumba, jogging and cycling.

Campbell insists that she occasionally breaks her own rules ? in moderation, of course. ?I like to go out for a couple of cocktails with friends, but never drink so much that I fall off my chair,? she says. Dressing up is another of her passions; she admits to being ?terrible? when it comes to buying clothes and shoes. ?I love shopping, particularly for handbags. Not that I get to use them. I spend most of my time in Lycras carrying around an ugly bicycle pannier. It?s so depressing!?

Campbell?s next goal is to design a range of glamorous Pilates wear. If the success of her classes, DVD and book is an indicator, Sweaty Betty had better watch out.

I leave Campbell?s studio feeling optimistic that with a few, simple lifestyle changes, I too could wiggle my behind with pride. But within days I?ve realised that achieving a rear like Pippa?s is almost impossible if you do a proper job, sitting on your bottom at a computer all day. The brutal truth is that keeping up the exercise routine, maintaining a balanced diet, and getting the right amount of sleep is a full-time occupation in itself; one can only marvel at the dedication of Ms Middleton.

• Pilates on the Go by Margot Campbell (Hodder & Stoughton, RRP �16.99) is available from Telegraph Books for �14.99 + �1.25 p&p. Call 0844 871 1515 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk; www.pilatesonthego.co.uk/

Source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/569020/s/1bdd6b9f/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Chealth0Cwellbeing0C90A180A630CMargot0ECampbell0Ethe0Epilates0Ethat0Emade0EPippas0Erear0Eadmirable0Bhtml/story01.htm

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Margot Campbell: the pilates that made Pippa's rear admirable

But her classes in this affluent pocket of London were immediately popular with women (and some men) who could afford to pay �60 per hour for a private lesson or �35 to work out in a small group. Along the way Margot has notched up several celebrity clients, but she won?t reveal their identities or discuss them. ?I?d never do that, it?s just not fair on them,?? she says. Even a lucrative book deal couldn?t entice her to talk about her most famous client of all.

Indeed, it was Pippa herself who gave the game away. In a client testimony, still displayed on Campbell?s website, she describes how she noticed a huge difference in her ?core strength and posture? since taking up Pilates with a group of girlfriends in 2009.

But can we be absolutely sure that Pilates was responsible for her stunning silhouette in that body-skimming McQueen bridesmaid?s dress? Pippa is and always has been a sporty girl (remember, the paparazzi shot of the amazing backwards dive off a boat?). She runs, swims, plays tennis and goes to the gym. Personally, I?m doubtful that Pilates alone created her world-class bum.

Campbell agrees that a body like Pippa?s takes a lot of work and Pilates is just one form of exercise that can contribute. But she?s adamant that the 20-minute workouts in her book ? which, unlike standard Pilates classes, include aerobic exercises such as squats, lunges and skipping, as well as resistance work ? will produce results. And all you need is a sports bra, she says. ?You don?t have to have room filled with equipment; you can do a very effective workout at home using the book or DVD.?

It requires perseverance, she warns, as Pilates can feel slow and boring at first. ?But as soon as you learn that the more effort you put in to each movement, the harder it becomes, you will start to break sweat,? she says. ?The cardio exercises ensure it is an effective workout and you can see results quickly.?

All well and good. But don?t be fooled into believing that the exercises alone will deliver results. To maximise the effect of the Campbell regime, one must adopt a certain lifestyle, too. So far Campbell hasn?t mentioned the diet outlined in her book, a 14-day ?balanced? plan involving a largeish breakfast (porridge or a boiled egg and soldiers, for example), a main meal in the middle of the day and a smaller snack in the evening. She encourages the reader to ?always think in moderation? about food and alcohol, even when eating out. ?Order a spicy tomato juice, rather than diving in to the bread basket,? she suggests, adding that eating healthily doubles the results of exercising.

A super-skinny physique is not the goal, says Campbell: rather, a toned, athletic look. ?I?m not in favour of girls looking too thin. I?ve never dieted in my life. I just eat healthily and exercise a lot. I?m lucky that I?m the type who can keep a bar of Swiss chocolate in their fridge for days, just occasionally nibbling a couple of squares.?

The appeal of Campbell to young women with money and time on their hands to devote to their bodies is clear. I imagine they see her as a Miss Jean Brodie-type role model. She?s a single woman, very much in her prime, glossy-haired, fresh-faced and taut-bodied, with ne?er a hint of a bingo wing under her snug-fitting gym gear. She practises what she teaches; no caffeine in the evenings, regular body brushing to banish cellulite, and plenty of sleep.

She says she wants her clients to achieve the very best for themselves, and that is what gets her up and on her bike at dawn each morning. The first lesson is at 6am, and Campbell works out beside her clients, manhandling them into the correct positions.

?With Pilates, you need to understand how the positions should feel. I always encourage my clients to have a squeeze of me; often when they feel what I?m doing, they get it.? She encourages them to take up other exercise as well, such as bikram yoga and zumba, jogging and cycling.

Campbell insists that she occasionally breaks her own rules ? in moderation, of course. ?I like to go out for a couple of cocktails with friends, but never drink so much that I fall off my chair,? she says. Dressing up is another of her passions; she admits to being ?terrible? when it comes to buying clothes and shoes. ?I love shopping, particularly for handbags. Not that I get to use them. I spend most of my time in Lycras carrying around an ugly bicycle pannier. It?s so depressing!?

Campbell?s next goal is to design a range of glamorous Pilates wear. If the success of her classes, DVD and book is an indicator, Sweaty Betty had better watch out.

I leave Campbell?s studio feeling optimistic that with a few, simple lifestyle changes, I too could wiggle my behind with pride. But within days I?ve realised that achieving a rear like Pippa?s is almost impossible if you do a proper job, sitting on your bottom at a computer all day. The brutal truth is that keeping up the exercise routine, maintaining a balanced diet, and getting the right amount of sleep is a full-time occupation in itself; one can only marvel at the dedication of Ms Middleton.

• Pilates on the Go by Margot Campbell (Hodder & Stoughton, RRP �16.99) is available from Telegraph Books for �14.99 + �1.25 p&p. Call 0844 871 1515 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk; www.pilatesonthego.co.uk/

Source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/569020/s/1bdd6b9f/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Chealth0Cwellbeing0C90A180A630CMargot0ECampbell0Ethe0Epilates0Ethat0Emade0EPippas0Erear0Eadmirable0Bhtml/story01.htm

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Family carers missing out on support

?More than a million cancer carers may be missing out on vital support,? the Daily Mirror and other newspapers have reported today. The news reports are based on a survey carried out for Macmillan Cancer Support, which identified that among 386 people who provided five or more hours of care a week to someone with cancer, around half had no support of any kind.
�
There are more than 1 million carers of people with cancer in the UK, and more than 6 million carers of all kinds. The report detailed the impact of the apparent lack of support on carers? mental health, relationships and finances, finding that just 5% say they have received a local authority carer?s assessment, which enables them to access practical, emotional and financial support.

�

What is the caring role for people supporting others who have cancer?�

The ?More than a Million? report published by Macmillan is based on the results of a survey carried out by Ipsos MORI. The charity said that around one in seven people had given some unpaid informal support to a person with cancer in the past 12 months and that around one in 50 could currently be described as carers of people with cancer. The survey was carried out between May and August 2011 and it asked questions to identify carers among 18,449 people interviewed face-to-face. They then polled 386 of these people who were identified as carers of people with cancer.

The survey found that, as with all carers, most carers of people with cancer were women (62%) mostly aged between 45 and 54. The carers most often supported a member of their family such as a parent (23%) or a spouse or partner (17%), but surprisingly 31% said they cared for a friend or neighbour. In this research, being a carer was defined as giving at least five hours of support a week, or giving one to four hours with it affecting their lives in some way. Despite meeting this definition, only 43% of the people surveyed actually considered themselves to be carers (51% said that they would not consider themselves carers). You can find out more who is considered a carer at Carers Direct: what is a carer?�

The type of care given is varied, and includes emotional support for someone with cancer and helping with errands such as shopping and collecting prescriptions and helping with transportation. On average, the carers surveyed gave almost 15 hours of support per week and 81% said that being a carer impacted on other aspects of their life. The impacts included effects on:

• emotional wellbeing and mental health
• social life
• relationships
• working life
• finances

�

Do carers receive adequate support?

Owing to the different ways being a carer can affect outside life, the survey considered many different types of support a carer of someone with cancer may need. The survey found that most of the support that carers receive is informal, coming from their family (44%) or friends (28%). Some carers (20%) received support from their GP or another person working within the NHS. However, half of carers polled said they received no support. The survey revealed that the type of support carers wanted was training on how to give care, and someone to provide emotional support. The carers also wanted more information on the general support available to them.

It is important to note that entitlement to a carer?s assessment is based on them being considered as giving ?regular and substantial care? to the person they look after. The report defined carers as those caring for more than five hours a week. While there is no legal definition for what this entails, it could explain why some carers have never had an assessment.

�

What is a local authority carer?s assessment?

A local authority carer?s assessment allows carers of all types to discuss with social services the help they need to maintain health and a balance between caring and other life commitments. The Macmillan Cancer Support report said that out of the people they surveyed, only 11% said they had received support from social services or local authorities and only five per cent have had a carer's assessment. If you are looking after someone, social services are obliged to consider the different issues that can affect your caring role to assess your needs.�

�

What other sources of help are available for carers?

The Carers Direct helpline (0808 802 0202) is a free and confidential helpline for carers (living in England) needing help or advice on their caring role or on the needs of the person they are caring for. Carers Direct can also be contacted by mail, email and live, online webchat. You can also use Carers Direct to find addresses, phone numbers and websites for carers? services near you.
�
Macmillan Cancer Support recognises the needs of people living with cancer and their carers. In the survey, 72% of carers named at least one service or activity that they thought Macmillan offers to carers and over a third said they had used at least one of these services. These included contact with Macmillan nurses and gaining information and advice through the Macmillan website.

Links To The Headlines

Millions of cancer carers missing out on benefits. The Daily Telegraph, January 27 2012

More than a million cancer carers may be missing out on vital support, charity reveals. Daily Mirror, January 27 2012

Carers 'missing out on support', says charity. BBC News, January 27 2012

Source: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2012/01January/Pages/millions-missing-carers-assessments.aspx

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HTH.Strokes.01.24.12.Slider

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Brain Storm

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Strokes are striking more younger women. Are you at risk, and do you know the warning signs of a stroke?

Carousel Dek: 

Know Your Stroke Risk

Link: 

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/warning-signals

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - 9:50am

Source: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health-28

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Women and AIDS

Did you know that 20 million women worldwide are living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)? According to the World Health Organization (WHO) fully half of those living with HIV/AIDS are these 20 million women.

The Truth About AIDS In Women

Source: http://womenshealth.about.com/b/2011/11/14/women_and_aids.htm

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[CDC, Office of Women's Health, Health Matters for Women] Update: New Recommendations for Mefloquine Use in Pregnancy

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends the antimalarial drug mefloquine for pregnant women both as a malaria treatment option and as an option to prevent malaria infection for all trimesters. Previously mefloquine was not recommended for the treatment of malaria in pregnant women. The change in recommendations is based on the recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) re-categorization of mefloquine from a pregnancy category C drug to category B, based on their review of the published data on mefloquine use during pregnancy. These data showed that pregnant women who took mefloquine at various doses for both prevention and treatment of malaria did not have an increased risk of teratogenic effects (birth defects) or adverse pregnancy outcomes compared to the background rate in the general population. Based on studies, the FDA assigns risk categorizes for drugs used in pregnancy which include categories A, B, C, D, and X with categories A and B demonstrating the least risk to the pregnancy.

Malaria is a serious, sometimes fatal, mosquito-borne disease. Malaria infection in pregnant women can be more severe than in nonpregnant women and may also be transmitted from a mother to her unborn infant before or during delivery ("congenital" malaria). Malaria can increase the risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, including prematurity, spontaneous abortion, and stillbirth. Pregnant women should avoid travel to malaria-endemic areas if possible. If travel cannot be avoided, malaria infection is largely preventable with the appropriate antimalarial drugs along with other measures to prevent mosquito bites.

See drugs for the prevention of malaria to learn more about mefloquine and other antimalarial drugs.

See the table Guidelines for the Treatment of Malaria [PDF, 148 KB, 3 pages] for information about malaria treatment.

For general information about malaria see, www.cdc.gov/malaria

Source: http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/download.asp?af=h&f=8622300

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Caffeine May Alter Women's Estrogen Levels

Latest Womens Health News

THURSDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Caffeine changes women's estrogen levels and has different effects in Asian and white women, a new study says.

More than 250 women, ages 18 to 44, took part in the study between 2005 and 2007. On average, they consumed 90 milligrams of caffeine a day, about the equivalent of one cup of caffeinated coffee.

Estrogen is the reproductive hormone produced by the ovaries.

Asian women who consumed an average of 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day (equivalent to about two cups of coffee) had elevated estrogen levels compared to women who consumed less. But white women who consumed the same amount of caffeine had slightly lower estrogen levels than women who consumed less.

Black women who consumed 200 or more milligrams of caffeine daily had elevated estrogen levels, but this finding was not statistically significant, said the U.S. National Institutes of Health researchers and their colleagues.

The caffeine consumed by the women in the study came from any of these sources: coffee, black tea, green tea and caffeinated soda. The findings differed slightly when the researchers considered the source of caffeine individually.

Consuming 200 milligrams of caffeine from coffee mirrored the overall findings. But consumption of more than one cup each day of caffeinated soda or green tea was associated with higher estrogen in all three groups of women, according to the study published online in the February issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The caffeine-related changes in estrogen levels did not appear to affect women's ovulation, said the researchers, who followed the women for up to two menstrual cycles.

About 89 percent of U.S. women ages 18 to 34 consume the caffeine equivalent of 1.5 to two cups of coffee a day, according to the authors.

"The results indicate that caffeine consumption among women of child-bearing age influences estrogen levels," Enrique Schisterman, of the Division of Epidemiology, Statistics and Prevention Research at the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said in an NIH news release.

"Short term, these variations in estrogen levels among different groups do not appear to have any pronounced effects. We know that variations in estrogen level are associated with such disorders as endometriosis, osteoporosis, and endometrial, breast and ovarian cancers. Because long-term caffeine consumption has the potential to influence estrogen levels over a long period of time, it makes sense to take caffeine consumption into account when designing studies to understand these disorders," Schisterman said.

-- Robert Preidt

Copyright � 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

SOURCE: U.S. National Institutes of Health, news release, Jan. 26, 2012

Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/guide.asp?s=rss&a=154049&k=Womens_Health_General

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Caffeine Alters Estrogen Levels

Editor's Choice
Academic Journal
Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;��Endocrinology
Article Date: 29 Jan 2012 - 0:00 PST

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Researchers at the National Institute of Health, along with other institutions, have released a study online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, stating that Asian women have higher estrogen levels when drinking 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day. This is about 2 cups of coffee. On the other hand, white women who drank the same amount tended to have lower estrogen levels than those who did not drink this amount of caffeine. The study goes on to say that African American women who drank equally as much as both the Asian women and the white women also had higher levels of estrogen, but the statistics could not confirm whether this was enough to go by.

Their research came from analyzing women who were drinking either caffeinated soda, coffee, green tea or black tea. Coffee seemed to make the most difference in the estrogen levels of all of the women. Asian women had higher levels of estrogen, white women had lower, and African American women's levels could not be determined. Soda and green tea, however, were shown to produce high estrogen women in Asians, whites, and African Americans.

None of the estrogen levels of the women who were observed changed any of their menstruation patterns, as the researches may have thought. Enrique Schisterman, Ph.D, of the Division of Epidemiology, Statistics and Prevention Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institue of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH Institute said:

The results indicate that caffeine consumption among women of child-bearing age influences estrogen levels. Short term, these variations in estrogen levels among different groups do not appear to have any pronounced effects.

We know that variations in estrogen levels are associated with such disorders as endometriosis, osteoporosis, and endometrial, breast, and ovarian cancers. Because long term caffeine consumption has the potential to influence estrogen levels over a long period of time, it makes sense to take caffeine consumption into account when designing studies to understand these disorders.

The authors revealed that 89% of adult females between 18 and 34 years of age drink, on average, 1.5 cups of coffee each day.

The researchers gathered data on over 250 women aged 18 to 44 years from 2005 through 2007. They drank an average of 90 milligrams of caffeine per day - a little more than the equivalent of a cup of coffee's worth.

The participants came into the clinic from once to three times a week during two of their menstrual cycles. The researchers gathered data on what they had eaten during the previous 24 hours, as well as details on their sleeping hours, smoking, exercise and other lifestyle patterns. Their estrogen levels were also measured.

In an Abstract in the journal, the authors concluded:

"Moderate consumption of caffeine was associated with reduced estradiol concentrations among white women, whereas caffeinated soda and green tea intakes were associated with increased estradiol concentrations among all races. Further research is warranted on the association between caffeine and caffeinated beverages and reproductive hormones and whether these relations differ by race."

Other known effects of caffeine

The illustration below shows some of the known positive and negative health and mental effects of caffeine consumption.

Written by Christine Kearney

Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Visit our nutrition / diet section for the latest news on this subject.

"Caffeinated beverage intake and reproductive hormones among premenopausal women in the BioCycle Study"
Karen C Schliep, Enrique F Schisterman, Sunni L Mumford, Anna Z Pollack, Cuilin Zhang, Aijun Ye, Joseph B Stanford, Ahmad O Hammoud, Christina A Porucznik, and Jean Wactawski-Wende
Am J Clin Nutr February 2012 vol. 95 no. 2 488-497.

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

Christine Kearney. "Caffeine Alters Estrogen Levels." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 29 Jan. 2012. Web.
30 Jan. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240894.php>

---

APA

---

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

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Added benefit of caffeine

posted by Barbara on 28 Jan 2012 at 8:38 pm

I have heard, and I believe from experience, that caffeine also reduces muscle pain after working out at gym as well as increasing energy to work out longer.

| post followup | alert a moderator |

old news

posted by John on 29 Jan 2012 at 8:37 pm

It is already documented that caffine increases testosterone levels in athletic men (NIH study). Given the close tie between estrogen and testosterone, I would suggest this is bordering on old news and it's lacking the exercise portion that was included in the NIH study.

This might suggest asian women are more active so the effect registered higher in them?

| post followup | alert a moderator |

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Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240894.php

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Healthy residents bonus for town halls

While the Coalition has set out where improvements must be made, councils will be left able to decide what practical steps need to be taken to achieve them.

Mr Lansley will set out the new Public Health Outcomes Framework in a speech in London today. His announcement comes days before his flagship NHS reforms are expected to be heavily criticised by MPs.

For the first time the public health budget will be ring-fenced, preventing it from being raided to shore up day-to-day spending, he will say.

Next year �5.2 billion will be spent on public health and the Government will increase the budget in real terms each year after that. By investing in good health from an early age, the NHS will save money in the long-run, Mr Lansley will say.

Speaking to the Faculty of Public Health Mr Lansley will say: ?We all want to be healthy. No one wants an unhealthy existence. And the job of the Government ? and my responsibility ? is to help people live healthier lives.

?A failure to recognise that meant 2000-2010 was a decade in which public health was seen as relatively unimportant, something to be sidelined.

?Obesity rates from 2000-2010 rose from 21.2 per cent to 26.1 per cent so now over a quarter of adults are obese. Sexually transmitted infections, after the steep declines in the 80s to 90s, doubled in the subsequent decade.

?And health inequalities persist, with gaps in life expectancy of over a decade between people born in the richest areas and people born in the poorest.?

Outlining some of the 60 new outcome measures, he will say: ?Inactivity costs the NHS �1 billion every year and is one of the top reasons for people dying young.

?There will be an outcome on tooth decay in five year-olds, encouraging action to cut what is an overwhelmingly preventable condition. And there will be an outcome on breastfeeding, highlighting how important it is for reducing illness and hospital admission in young children.?

Around �2.2 billion will be given to local authorities, �2.2 billion will be used by the NHS Commissioning Board for national measures such as breast and cervical cancer screening, �210 million will go to the new Public Health England body which will collect the data and manage Directors of Public Health and �620 million will be spent by the Department of Health on campaigns such as promoting flu vaccination.

The Coalition?s health reforms will cripple the NHS at a time when billions of pounds of savings must be found, MPs will warn this week.

A powerful group of MPs will warn that radically changing the structure of the NHS will make it more difficult to make the �20?billion of efficiency savings needed to cope with rising demand with less generous budget increases.

NHS managers warned the health service was ?sleepwalking into serious difficulties? and the reforms were a ?distraction?.

Last week the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Nursing changed their stance to oppose the new Health and Social Care Bill in its entirety. They join the British Medical Association and the Royal College of GPs which have already called for it to be scrapped.

Health officials will meet all the Royal Colleges next week to discuss their concerns over the reforms.

In a report due out on Tuesday, the Commons health select committee, chaired by Conservative former health secretary Stephen Dorrell, will say that the changes will obstruct efforts to make the NHS more efficient and fail to address the needs of an ageing population.

Source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/569020/s/1c0b6266/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Chealth0Chealthnews0C90A317920CHealthy0Eresidents0Ebonus0Efor0Etown0Ehalls0Bhtml/story01.htm

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Breast implant scandal: big clinics agree free removal

Mr Lansley called on private clinics to honour the "duty of care" he argued they had to their patients.

The implants were withdrawn from sale in March 2010 after French investigators found evidence they contained industrial-grade silicone. A wide ranging fraud appears to have gone on at PIP for years.

Transform, responsible for some 4,000 operations, updated its website on Wednesday to confirm free removal.

Thanking patients "who have been bearing with us during the last few weeks", the firm said: "For any patient who so wishes who had PIP implants at Transform since 1st January 2001, we will undertake free implant removal", as well as a free scan to gauge if they had ruptured "for immediate peace of mind".

It added: "Having reviewed costs with our partners, for patients who wish to have their implants replaced (whether ruptured or not), we will undertake this procedure at a cost of �2,500. There is not commercial gain for Transform in this price."

The Hospital Group, thought to have some 6,000 former clients who received PIPs from Surgicare, which it took over in 2010, said in an updated statement it would be offering removal free of charge to all PIP patients between 2001 and 2009. It is offering removal and replacement with Allergen implants to former clients for the "subsidised price" of �1,500.

The statement added: "The Hospital Group are not recommending routine removal of any PIP implants unless they have ruptured, however we do recognise that many of our patients who have these implants have become anxious.

"We have therefore combined a number of options for PIP patients which we think will go a long way to help and support you.

"The Group would like to take this opportunity to thank those Suppliers who have allowed us to make this happen based purely on willingness to offer their services and products in this way."

However, Harley Medical Group, which provided 13,900 women with them, has decided not to follow suit.

A spokesman said: "They are not making any further media comment as they continue to focus on their patients."

She added that their first priority was to look after patients with ruptured implants.

For others, it has so far only offered to pay for the cost of new implants, which amounts to about �150 a pair, and not the cost of surgery.

Some 42,000 women are thought to have received PIP implants after surgery in Britain, including 3,000 on the NHS for reconstructive surgery.

Source: http://telegraph.feedsportal.com/c/32726/f/568409/s/1c28e987/l/0L0Stelegraph0O0Chealth0Chealthnews0C90A417840CBreast0Eimplant0Escandal0Ebig0Eclinics0Eagree0Efree0Eremoval0Bhtml/story01.htm

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N.Y. school to review environmental tests in medical mystery

Environmental water specialist Robert Bowcock takes water samples Saturday to test for contaminants.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• School will review environmental tests in the area
• Activist Erin Brockovich is looking into a 1970 train derailment
• "Conversion disorder" causes twitching, stuttering, verbal outbursts
• Mayo Clinic says young females are much more likely to get conversion disorder

(CNN) -- A school system in upstate New York, where more than a dozen female high school students are suffering from uncontrolled verbal outbursts and twitching, said it has hired a company to review environmental testing within the school and community.

The development comes as famed activist Erin Brockovich and other environmentalists are looking into whether a chemical that spilled in a 1970 train derailment about four miles from the school has anything to do with the girls' mysterious behavior. One of Brockovich's associates walked the grounds of Le Roy Senior High School on Saturday and traveled to the derailment site.

The Le Roy Central School District said it wanted "sound advice" from professionals on the situation, "void of self-interest."

"Our community has suddenly found itself at the center of national attention due to the students who have been exhibiting neurological symptoms," Superintendent Kim M. Cox said in a statement released Friday. "This has led to much speculation, conjecture and misinformation in the national media and consequently within our community."

Cox said the school district is working with local, state and federal health and environmental agencies.

A statement posted earlier on the school's website said, in part, "The medical and environmental investigations have not uncovered any evidence that would link the neurological symptoms to anything in the environment or of an infectious nature."

The school district posted air quality and mold reports on its website. "Water was also ruled out because the school is serviced by public water," it said.

The mother of one affected girl said she doesn't think enough testing has been done.

Health officials say the girls' symptoms are consistent with "conversion disorder."

Brockovich told HLN's "Dr. Drew" on Friday night that she will try to corroborate a note she said one of the affected family members received about the derailment.

"The contaminated rock, fill and soil was used to build the new school," Brockovich said of the note.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, one ton of cyanide crystals spilled onto the ground in the December 6, 1970, derailment.

About 30,000 gallons of trichloroethene (TCE), a potentially harmful contaminant, also were released from two ruptured tank cars, the agency said.

"I have read and been involved in cases that we have had that TCE can be associated with neurological disorders," Brockovich told HLN.

The first significant cleanup and remediation did not start for 20 years, she said, adding she was worried about the chemical getting into bedrock and groundwater supplies. The TCE may have reached the school grounds, she said.

The EPA's Superfund website provides a progress report of the cleanup done in the area over the past 20 years.

"Drinking wells in the area were found to have TCE contamination," the EPA said. "Sampling of private wells between 1990 and 1994 detected TCE in approximately 50 wells located east or southeast of the site."

The EPA installed water-treatment systems at 37 locations where TCE levels were high. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation used soil vapor extraction and bedrock vapor extraction to address the source of the contamination.

"A water-line extension was selected to provide a safe, potable water supply to all affected residents and businesses," the EPA said.

Robert Bowcock, an environmental water specialist associated with Brockovich, went to the derailment site Saturday and took water samples to test for contaminants. He also took water samples from wells at private residences. An HLN producer saw several dozen drums in a fenced-off area at the derailment site, but it was not clear what they may contain. One was rusted and had dirt-like material inside.

Brockovich gained fame after the 2000 movie bearing her name and starring Julia Roberts in the title role. It told the story of how she, as a file clerk at a law firm, established that a toxic chemical from a compressor station leaked into the groundwater of a nearby California town, according to a biography posted on Brockovich's website.

Medical experts, meanwhile, continue to investigate the girls' symptoms, which in some cases, include stuttering.

Dr. Jennifer McVige, a pediatric neurologist at the DENT Neurologic Institute who is treating many of the students affected, said, "Conversion disorder is a physical manifestation of physiological symptoms where there is traditionally some kind of stress or multiple stressors that provoke a physical reaction within the body."

McVige said the symptoms are real. "This is unconscious. It is not done purposefully."

Thera Sanchez, a senior on the honor roll at the school, said she has been fighting this affliction since October. She said after waking up from a nap, "I got upset, I couldn't stop stuttering."

During an interview with CNN's Jason Carroll, Thera's symptoms were apparent: She was twitching uncontrollably, flailing her left arm and jerking her head to one side. Thera said she also faints and has seizures. The seizures are a result of her pre-existing epilepsy disorder, which had been under control for years.

"I don't think that all physical aspects of this have been exhausted; not enough testing has been done," Thera's mother, Melissa Phillips, said.

She also disagreed with McVige's assertion that the girls are improving, saying, "Nothing is getting better, you know, the girls are still getting worse. They have good days and bad days."

McVige is not sure why so many girls at the same school are suffering all at once. "I do know that traditionally when they've (doctors) looked back at different events that occurred in a similar nature, a majority of the time it is girls."

According to the Mayo Clinic, females are much more likely to get conversion disorder and it is more common in adolescents or young adults.

McVige said she used the "diagnosis of exclusion" to determine what happened to the girls, which means using the process of elimination. She ruled out a laundry list of factors to reach her diagnosis, including infections, drug use, food allergies and vaccine reactions, specifically Gardasil.

The New York State Health Department agreed with McVige's diagnosis after speaking with several doctors who evaluated the students.

"There are many causes of tic-like symptoms. Stress can often worsen them," said spokesman Jeffrey Hammond. "The doctors all agree that the symptoms these girls are experiencing are real."

HLN's Liz Flynn reported from Le Roy, New York. CNN's Danielle Dellorto, Laura Dolan, Maggie Schneider and Jason Carroll also contributed to this report.

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_health/~3/gxTuIqBC6k4/index.html

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Caffeine Alters Estrogen Levels

Editor's Choice
Academic Journal
Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;��Endocrinology
Article Date: 29 Jan 2012 - 0:00 PST

email to a friend � printer friendly � opinions �

Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:		3.43 (14 votes)
Healthcare Prof:		3.2 (10 votes)
Article Opinions:	�2 posts

Researchers at the National Institute of Health, along with other institutions, have released a study online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, stating that Asian women have higher estrogen levels when drinking 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day. This is about 2 cups of coffee. On the other hand, white women who drank the same amount tended to have lower estrogen levels than those who did not drink this amount of caffeine. The study goes on to say that African American women who drank equally as much as both the Asian women and the white women also had higher levels of estrogen, but the statistics could not confirm whether this was enough to go by.

Their research came from analyzing women who were drinking either caffeinated soda, coffee, green tea or black tea. Coffee seemed to make the most difference in the estrogen levels of all of the women. Asian women had higher levels of estrogen, white women had lower, and African American women's levels could not be determined. Soda and green tea, however, were shown to produce high estrogen women in Asians, whites, and African Americans.

None of the estrogen levels of the women who were observed changed any of their menstruation patterns, as the researches may have thought. Enrique Schisterman, Ph.D, of the Division of Epidemiology, Statistics and Prevention Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institue of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH Institute said:

The results indicate that caffeine consumption among women of child-bearing age influences estrogen levels. Short term, these variations in estrogen levels among different groups do not appear to have any pronounced effects.

We know that variations in estrogen levels are associated with such disorders as endometriosis, osteoporosis, and endometrial, breast, and ovarian cancers. Because long term caffeine consumption has the potential to influence estrogen levels over a long period of time, it makes sense to take caffeine consumption into account when designing studies to understand these disorders.

The authors revealed that 89% of adult females between 18 and 34 years of age drink, on average, 1.5 cups of coffee each day.

The researchers gathered data on over 250 women aged 18 to 44 years from 2005 through 2007. They drank an average of 90 milligrams of caffeine per day - a little more than the equivalent of a cup of coffee's worth.

The participants came into the clinic from once to three times a week during two of their menstrual cycles. The researchers gathered data on what they had eaten during the previous 24 hours, as well as details on their sleeping hours, smoking, exercise and other lifestyle patterns. Their estrogen levels were also measured.

In an Abstract in the journal, the authors concluded:

"Moderate consumption of caffeine was associated with reduced estradiol concentrations among white women, whereas caffeinated soda and green tea intakes were associated with increased estradiol concentrations among all races. Further research is warranted on the association between caffeine and caffeinated beverages and reproductive hormones and whether these relations differ by race."

Other known effects of caffeine

The illustration below shows some of the known positive and negative health and mental effects of caffeine consumption.

Written by Christine Kearney

Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Visit our nutrition / diet section for the latest news on this subject.

"Caffeinated beverage intake and reproductive hormones among premenopausal women in the BioCycle Study"
Karen C Schliep, Enrique F Schisterman, Sunni L Mumford, Anna Z Pollack, Cuilin Zhang, Aijun Ye, Joseph B Stanford, Ahmad O Hammoud, Christina A Porucznik, and Jean Wactawski-Wende
Am J Clin Nutr February 2012 vol. 95 no. 2 488-497.

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

Christine Kearney. "Caffeine Alters Estrogen Levels." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 29 Jan. 2012. Web.
30 Jan. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240894.php>

---

APA

---

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Rate this article: (Hover over the stars then click to rate)

Patient / Public:

or

Health Professional:

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Added benefit of caffeine

posted by Barbara on 28 Jan 2012 at 8:38 pm

I have heard, and I believe from experience, that caffeine also reduces muscle pain after working out at gym as well as increasing energy to work out longer.

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old news

posted by John on 29 Jan 2012 at 8:37 pm

It is already documented that caffine increases testosterone levels in athletic men (NIH study). Given the close tie between estrogen and testosterone, I would suggest this is bordering on old news and it's lacking the exercise portion that was included in the NIH study.

This might suggest asian women are more active so the effect registered higher in them?

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