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Order of the day – massive calorie cuts for Britons

Andrew Lansley made an announcement that Britain needs to cut 5 billion calories a day from its diet to curb obesity. Lansley urged individuals to eat less and eat more wisely, and promised to talk to the food industry about voluntary cuts in the calorie content of processed food and drinks. The health secretary and the chief medical officer, Sally Davies also issued a “call to action” on diet, pointing out that alcohol contributed 10% to our calorie intake.

16 Oct 2011

Functional MRI examines brain activation in individuals with low and high LRs to alcohol

A low level of response (LR) to alcohol reflects at least in part a low brain response to alcohol and carries significant risk for the later development of alcoholism. This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine brain activation in individuals with low and high LRs to alcohol while they performed a cognitive task.

15 Oct 2011

Researchers use online survey to examine drinking patterns and personality traits

Researchers used an anonymous online survey to examine drinking patterns and personality traits. Results identified three groups, two of which drank at fairly high levels. The group with higher levels of impulsivity and aggression appears most at-risk for future alcohol problems.

15 Oct 2011

Study investigates link between alcohol consumption and hospitalized injury

A new study has investigated the linkages between alcohol consumption and hospitalized injury. Heavy drinkers face higher injury risks than most people when sober; conversely, their injury risk rises less when alcohol positive.

15 Oct 2011

Study examines link between alcohol and harm in European countries

A new study examines the impact that the cultural context of drinking may have on the relationship between drinking and harm in several European countries. Results suggest a significant relationship between volume of consumption and risk of experiencing alcohol-related problems in all five countries examined.

15 Oct 2011

Three-step strategy for healthy bones and strong muscles

For this year's World Osteoporosis Day, the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is releasing a 24-page report promoting a three-step strategy for healthy bones and strong muscles.

14 Oct 2011

SAMHSA, BJA announce 10 new grant awards to enhance adult drug court services

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) at the U.S. Department of Justice today announced 10 new grant awards to enhance adult drug court services, coordination and treatment. Drug courts provide an alternative to incarceration for people involved with the criminal justice system and in need of substance abuse treatment services.

13 Oct 2011

Health situation grim as Greece weathers economic crisis

Researchers warn that the health of people in Greece could be in danger in the wake of the financial crisis. Writing in The Lancet, they said cuts to hospitals' budgets meant they were being overstretched.

11 Oct 2011

Rare and severe hypoglycemia could be genetic

The life-threatening condition depicts the fact that the body does not have enough energy to function. Scientists at the University of Cambridge say mutations in the AKT2 gene are to blame. Writing in the journal Science, they say there are already cancer drugs which target a similar process.

10 Oct 2011

Cannabis use leads to increased risk of depression in young people with specific genotype

Young people who are genetically vulnerable to depression should be extra careful about using cannabis: smoking cannabis leads to an increased risk of developing depressive symptoms.

10 Oct 2011

Scientists identify 16M SNPs that associate with risk of gout, serum uric acid levels

Scientists at deCODE Genetics and academic collaborators from Iceland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and the USA report the discovery of low frequency variants in the human genome that associate with risk of gout, a common inflammatory arthritis, and serum uric acid levels.

10 Oct 2011

Caffeine may predict risk of drug abuse

Parents of young caffeine consumers take heed: that high-calorie energy drink or soda might present more than just obesity risk. In fact, according to a double-blind, placebo-controlled study that examined responses to stimulants, an individual's subjective response to caffeine may predict how he or she will respond to other stimulant drugs, possibly reflecting differences in risk for abuse of other more serious drugs of abuse, such as amphetamine and cocaine.

10 Oct 2011

Link between marijuana use and crash risk among drivers

Over 10 million people age 12 or older are estimated to have driven under the influence of illicit drugs in the prior year, according to a 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

7 Oct 2011

Drink driving reduced by 30% but more needs to be done: CDC report

A new survey brings welcome news – drink driving in the U.S. is down by nearly 30% from its peak in 2006. This is in spite of the fact that an estimated 4 million Americans still admit to at least once having operated a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, resulting in about 112 million “alcohol impaired driving episodes” and thousands of fatalities, wrote researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a paper published Tuesday in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

5 Oct 2011

Teenage problem drinking could be detected on Facebook

A new study suggests that college students’ Facebook pages might hold clues to which of them are at risk for alcohol dependence and abuse.

4 Oct 2011

Dramatic rise in U.S. incidence of oropharyngeal cancer can be attributed to HPV infection

A new study of oropharyngeal cancer suggests that dramatic increases in U.S. incidence of the cancer and survival since 1984 can be attributed to infection with the human papillomavirus.

4 Oct 2011

Communities That Care system decreases alcohol use, smoking and violence in teens

Delaying the age when kids try alcohol or smoking decreases the likelihood that they will become dependent later in life. Effective interventions exist, but community disagreements about which programs to try can stymie decisions.

4 Oct 2011

Higher maternal diet quality may reduce risk of birth defects

Healthier dietary choices by pregnant women are associated with reduced risks of birth defects, including neural tube defects and orofacial clefts, according to a study published Online First by the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Oct 2011

USDTL releases CordStat EtOH assay screens for newborn alcohol exposure in utero

United States Drug Testing Laboratories (USDTL), a reference laboratory specializing in alcohol and drugs of abuse testing, released a new assay testing umbilical cord for newborn alcohol exposure in utero on Monday, October 3, 2011.

3 Oct 2011

Residential treatment may motivate young adults with addiction for recovery

Young adults undergoing addiction treatment arrive ready and willing to make the personal changes that bring about recovery, but it's the help and guidance received during treatment that build and sustain those changes, according to a longitudinal study published electronically and in press within the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

1 Oct 2011