Anxiety and heart disease

Chronic anxiety may be a sign of an increased risk for heart attack -- at least among men. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology looked at data on 735 men participating in a national aging study. The men had healthy hearts at the start of the study. They underwent extensive psychological testing and medical exams every three years. The men who scored in the top 15 percent on anxiety scales were 30 percent to 40 percent more likely to have had a heart attack than less anxious men. The connection remained even after other risk factors for heart disease were taken into consideration. The researchers say that anxiety -- like anger and hostility, also linked to higher rates of heart disease -- can cause higher blood pressure and heart rate and elevated stress hormones. However, The Associated Press quotes other experts who say it is not know whether treating anxiety would actually lower the risk of heart attack.

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No Thimerosal-Autism Link: The mercury-based preservative thimerosal does not appear to be linked to autism. A study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry looked at autism cases diagnosed in California between 1995 and 2007 and found that the number continued to grow even after thimerosal was removed from vaccine formulations in 2001. In the study, state public health officials used a database of state-funded centers for people with autism and other developmental disorders to calculate the rate of the neurological disease. They found that the prevalence of autism in children aged 3 to 12 grew throughout the study period. The study did not determine why autism cases increased. The researchers say the findings suggest that scientists should explore other possible causes of autism, such as genetic links, The Associated Press reports.

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Avoiding Foods Doesn't Prevent Allergies: Avoiding certain foods during pregnancy and early childhood does not seem to protect children from developing food allergies after all. That's the new recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics, published in the journal Pediatrics. The doctors group had previously issued recommendations to prevent food allergies in children, including having mothers avoid foods such as cow's milk, eggs, fish, peanuts and tree nuts while pregnant or breastfeeding and delaying the introduction of these risky foods into children's diets, The Associated Press reports. The new guidelines say there is little or no evidence to support many of the earlier recommendations. The only suggestion that is being kept is the recommendation to breastfeed.

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Social Status Affects Girls' Weight Gain: The way teenage girls view their social status may affect how much weight she gains. A study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine finds that girls who viewed themselves as unpopular gained more weight over a two-year period than girls who saw themselves as more popular. The study looked at more than 4,000 girls, whose average age was 15. The researchers had the girls report their own heights and weights throughout the study, which they acknowledge was a weakness of the study. They also asked the girls to rate their standing on the social ladder. The researchers found that those girls who rated themselves low in popularity were 69 percent more likely than other girls to increase their body mass index (BMI) by two units, or about 11 pounds, over the next two years. The link between perceived popularity and weight gain held even after taking into consideration factors such as weight and BMI at the start of the study, diet, household income, race/ethnicity and whether they'd reached puberty. The Associated Press quotes other experts who say the findings suggest that subjective social status can have broader health consequences.

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Many Abuse Cough Medicine: About as many young Americans are abusing over-the-counter cough medicine as are using LSD, according to federal health officials. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that some 3.1 million people ages 12 to 25 -- about 5 percent of teens and young adults -- have used cough and cold medicine containing DXM to get high. If taken in large doses, DXM can cause disorientation, blurred vision, slurred speech and vomiting, The Associated Press reports. The agency says the findings of its 2006 drug survey show that in addition to prescription drug abuse, more attention needs to be given to misuse of OTC medications.

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