Colonoscopy does have alternatives
A new generation of fecal blood tests can screen for colon cancer with unprecedented accuracy, researchers report. But the easily available tests are greatly underused, said study author Dr. James Allison, an investigator with the Kaiser Permanente division of research in Oakland, Calif.
“A lot of gastroenterologists think that colonoscopy is the only test for colon cancer,” Allison said.
But colonoscopy also is expensive, uncomfortable and carries the risk of damage such as internal bleeding, he said. A simple fecal occult blood test, costing less than $30 and done in minutes, can single out that small percentage of the general population that would benefit from colonoscopy, Allison said.
At least 10 fecal occult blood tests have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Allison said. The most widely used is Hemoccult, which has been shown in controlled trials to reduce mortality from colorectal cancer.
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Good diet could cure fatty liver
Diets high in quick-burning carbohydrates may cause fatty liver disease, which can lead to liver failure and death, according to a study in mice by researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston.
If these findings are confirmed in humans, it may mean that fatty liver disease can be prevented and possibly treated through dietary changes, the study authors said.
They fed mice either a high- or low-glycemic index diet. In humans, examples of high-glycemic foods, which raise blood sugar quickly, include white bread, white rice, most prepared breakfast cereals and concentrated sugar. Vegetables, fruits, beans and unprocessed grains are examples of low-glycemic foods, which raise blood sugar slowly.
“Our experiment creates a very strong argument that a high-glycemic index diet causes, and a low-glycemic diet prevents, fatty liver in humans,” said research leader Dr. David Ludwig, director of the Optimal Weight for Life program at Children’s Hospital Boston.
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Prescription alert sounded on birth defects
American women of childbearing age commonly take prescription drugs that can cause birth defects, but only about half are receiving contraceptive counseling from their doctors or other health-care providers, a new study finds.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine are calling for increased awareness of this issue among doctors and women who may become pregnant.
“We found that over the course of a year, one in six women of reproductive age filled a prescription for a medication labeled by the Food and Drug Administration as increasing risk of fetal abnormalities,” first study author Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, assistant professor in the departments of medicine and obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive medicine, said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, many women filling prescriptions that can increase the risk of birth defects remain at risk of pregnancy,” Schwarz said.
About half of pregnancies in the United States are unintended, according to the study.
