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Rising Obesity Will Cost U.S. Health Care $344 Billion A Year

November 17, 2009 By

rising obesity_If Americans continue to pack on pounds, obesity will cost the USA about $344 billion in medical-related expenses by 2018, eating up about 21% of health-care spending, says the first analysis to estimate the future medical costs of excess weight.

These calculations are based on the projection that in 10 years 43% of Americans adults may be obese, which is roughly 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight, if obesity continues to rise at the current rate. Extra weight increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and many types of cancer.

This report comes as the country struggles to find ways to curb medical costs and Congress debates health care legislation.

“Obesity is going to be a leading driver in rising health-care costs,” says Kenneth Thorpe, chairman of the department of health policy and management at Emory University in Atlanta. Thorpe did this special analysis on obesity for America’s Health Rankings, the 20th annual assessment of the nation’s health on a state-by-state basis.

“There is a tsunami of chronic preventable disease about to be unleashed into our medical-care system which is increasingly unaffordable,” says Reed Tuckson of United Health Foundation, sponsor of the report with the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention.

Using weight data, Census statistics and medical expenditure information, Thorpe found:

•An obese person will have an average of $8,315 in medical bills a year in 2018 compared with $5,855 for an adult at a healthy weight. That’s a difference of $2,460.

•If the percentage of obese adults doesn’t change but stays at the current rate of 34%, then excess weight will cost the nation about $198 billion by 2018.

•If the obesity rate continues to rise until 2018, then Colorado may be the only state with less than 30% of residents who are obese.

•More than 50% of the population in several states could be obese by 2018: Oklahoma, Mississippi, Maryland, Kentucky, Ohio and South Dakota.

The report adds to the growing body of evidence of obesity’s impact on medical costs. A study released in July showed that obese Americans cost the country about $147 billion in weight-related medical bills in 2008, double what it was a decade ago. It now accounts for about 9.1% of medical spending.

Overall, the United States spends about $1.8 trillion a year in medical costs associated with chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and all three are linked to smoking and obesity, the nation’s two largest risk factors, according to the America’s Health Rankings report.

Smoking is still the No. 1 preventable cause of death in the country, accounting for about 440,000 deaths annually, the report says.

About one in five Americans smoke. More than 3 million people quit smoking this past year. The percentage of people who smoke varies by state, from 9.3% in Utah to more than 25% in Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia, the study says.

“This report is an urgent call to take much more aggressive action to deal with key disease risk factors such as obesity and smoking,” Tuckson says.

Health economist Eric Finkelstein, co-author of The Fattening of America, says medical costs won’t go down unless Americans make a serious effort “to slim down by improving their diet and exercise patterns.”  By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

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Hussain Sagar Lake Threatens Environment

November 16, 2009 By

hussain sagar lake_Rising pollution in the Hussain Sagar Lake is threatening the environmental in Hyderabad, Deccan.

Hussain Sagar Lake is the city’s main water body and a major tourist attraction. People are expressing serious concern over the worsening condition of the lake, which has become a health hazard for the people living in close proximity to the lake.

The immersion of idols made of toxic materials and usage of the lake by the nearby slums, the inter-connection of the sewage line and dumping of industrial and domestic wastes, are some of the reasons that are causing the lake to get polluted.

Those who pass by complain of the foul smell that comes from the lake and feel that the government should take steps to clean up the lake.

“It is very difficult to sit here for even five minutes, as the foul smell coming from the contaminated lake is very strong. This is a park where a common man comes for walking and jogging, but if there is no fresh oxygen then what is the use? The government should take action to clean the lake,” said Sunil a resident.

The environmentalists are also concerned over the health hazards caused by the pollution. They say appropriate methodology has to be opted for preventing the water contamination in the lake.

“The water from drains should be treated properly before it reaches the lake. Further, solid wastes should be taken care of and only clean and purified water should be injected into the lake. A treatment plant should be introduced to make the lake pollution free,” said Ved Kumar, an environmentalist.

He added that due to the pollution, the ground water will also get contaminated and the aquatic life will be severely affected.

Hussain sagar Lake is an artificial lake made in 1562 by the erstwhile Hyderabad Nizam for irrigation and drinking water purposes. The Siasat Daily

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Health Checks Lead To Diagnose 17% cancer: Study

November 15, 2009 By

health checks_Health checkups lead to diagnose 17 percent of cancer patients who visited key hospitals designated for its treatment across Japan for the first time in 2007, a recent study has shown.

The figure ranges from 7 percent to 24 percent by prefecture, according to the study released yesterday by the state-run medical facility’s Center for Cancer Control and Information Services.

A detailed analysis is necessary to look into regional differences, the center said, noting that there may be gaps between areas in consultation rate and the hospitals’ examination capabilities.

The center analyzed data on about 327,800 cancer patients who visited 305 out of all the 351 hospitals designated for cancer treatment in the country’s 47 prefectures during 2007 for the first time.

The number is almost half the actual figure of newly diagnosed cancer patients as separate data show that an estimated 650,000 people were found to have cancer in 2004, the center said.

By age, those in their late 60s to 70s were the most out of those found to have cancer. Cancer of stomach was most prevalent in men at 17 per cent, followed by large intestine, throat and lung, prostate gland, and liver.

For women, cancer of the mammary gland was the most at 22 percent, followed by large intestine, womb, stomach, and throat and lung. Zeenews

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Pak Forces Close To Uprooting Taliban In Waziristan: Petraeus

November 14, 2009 By

pak forces close to uprooting taliban_Pakistani forces are close to uprooting Taliban and al-Qaeda sanctuaries in the country’s lawless area of south Waziristan, a top US General said on Saturday, but advised that the military needed to hold onto these captured territories.

Pakistan should put the cleared territories under a senior Corps Commander for post-conflict vigilance and rebuilding to ensure that these areas don’t slide back to become terrorist havens, General David Petraeus, Commander of the US Central Command, said.

Attributing the sudden rise in Taliban suicide attacks across Pakistan to the army striking decisive blows to their strongholds, the US commander said the military needed to continue their focus on the campaign.

“When you go into the enemy’s safe havens and sanctuaries, they come after you; and they try to open up new areas. It’s always been the case,” Patreaus said in an interview.

I think we have said that as Pakistan remains serious, and continues to build on the progress it achieved in Swat in NWFP. They have launched the operations into South Waziristan, as they have now, and are almost getting close to their final objectives, the enemy is going to fight back, he said.

While commending the strong military action taken by the Pakistani forces against terrorist groups inside the country, Petraeus said the situation there is still tough.

The US General, whose command stretches to US forces in Afghanistan, said the Pakistani military campaign in Waziristan, Swat and other rescue areas close to the Afghan frontier indicated that Islamabad had now come to realise that the existential threat to the country that is most pressing, at the very least, is the internal extremists, not necessarily India.

Not saying that that threat has gone away in their assessments, but the fact is, the threat that is most immediate — “the wolf closest to the sled,” as they say, indeed, was the internal extremists, Petraeus said.

“They have acted on that,” the US commander said.

Saying that the situation in Pakistan was “heartening” as compared to the critical situation there 10 months ago, Petraeus said.

The politicians including opposition leaders like Nawaz Sharif, the clergy and citizenry had now come to recognize that it was the internal militants that were threatening the very existence of Pakistan, he said.

But, he said, the need in the situation was “to hold and rebuild.”

“They have acted on that. Now, not only have they acted, they have done so with considerable skill. Pakistani military cleared and left Swat twice since 9/11. This time they cleared, and they have stayed. And they are holding and they are rebuilding.,” he noted. Indian Express

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Filipino Boxer Pacquiao Sets Sights On Record Seventh Title

November 12, 2009 By

pacquiao_Manny Pacquiao will be looking to make history Saturday night when he takes on Miguel Cotto in a welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The 29-year-old Filipino superstar, who made a grand entrance along with his opponent at the scene of the fight Tuesday afternoon to begin final preparations, hopes to become the first boxer to win titles in seven weight divisions. He has held title belts from 112 pounds to 140 pounds.

Saturday’s bout (HBO pay-per-view, 9:30 p.m. ET) is considered a welterweight fight, even though it will be fought at a catch weight of 145 pounds, 2 pounds below the welterweight limit.

Cotto, however, has no intention of allowing himself to become Pacquiao’s seventh victim. It is Cotto’s WBO belt they’re fighting for, and the three-time champion, known for his powerful body punching, has held a title every year since 2004.

“If he thinks he is going to win seven titles in seven weight divisions now, he has picked the wrong moment, the wrong fighter and the wrong opponent,” Cotto said in a recent conference call. “If he thinks he is going to win the seventh title against Miguel Cotto, he is very wrong.”

Yet despite the fact that Cotto, also 29, from Puerto Rico, is a natural welterweight, and Pacquiao started his career in 1995 at 108 pounds, Pacquiao comes in as a heavy favorite. He’s listed at -350, meaning you need to place $350 to win $100.

Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) is coming off a spectacular second-round knockout of Briton Ricky Hatton last May, while Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) fought through a bad cut over his eye to win a split decision against African Joshua Clottey a month later.

The only loss of Cotto’s career came in a brutal beating at the hands of Antonio Margarito in July 2008. But there’s a cloud over Margarito’s victory since he was discovered before his next fight to have hardened plaster in his gloves, was subsequently KO’d by Shane Mosley, and then suspended from fighting in the USA for at least a year.

Cotto is undeterred by the odds against him.

“I don’t know anything about the betting business,” he said. “I am just here to try and bring my best every day … and I am working to beat Manny. If the people bet for Manny, it’s all right with me. All the people that are betting for Manny Pacquiao are not going to change the result of this fight.”

Pacquiao’s success against Mexican fighters has been well-documented. He was tagged as “The Mexican Assassin” after beating the best Mexican fighters of his era, including legends Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Cotto, however, says all that success means nothing against a fighter from Puerto Rico, which has its own proud boxing history, from world champions Wilfredo Benitez, Esteban DeJesus and Wilfredo Gomez to Carlos Ortiz and Felix “Tito” Trinidad.

“Different fighters and different styles, they had their moments with him,” Cotto said of Pacquiao’s Mexican opponents.

“It is going to be totally different with me. I have prepared myself for anything and everything that he brings. No matter who talks, or whoever says he is going to win, I know I am very confident that I am going to come out with a victory that night.” By Bob Velin, USA Today

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Bredesen: Biofuels Investment Back In ‘Good Shape’

November 11, 2009 By

biofuels investment back in 'good shape'_Gov. Phil Bredesen said Tuesday that a private investment deal is back on track following discussions between the company and the head of a legislative panel that questioned a state-backed biofuels initiative in East Tennessee.

The Legislature’s Fiscal Review Committee last week delayed approval for an $11 million contract to operate the University of Tennessee plant to turn switchgrass into ethanol. The Democratic governor responded that the move was “outrageous,” and could have scuttled a previously unannounced investment related to the project.

But subsequent conversations between the head of the legislative panel, Republican Sen. Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro, and the company have soothed fears over the future of the project and returned the deal into “good shape,” Bredesen told reporters Tuesday.

“When you’re a sophisticated company I think you sometimes understand how politics works,” Bredesen said. “Once we convinced them this was not some rump effort to turn Tennessee away from a commitment to solar power, but really something that was much more of a political transaction, I think it made them comfortable.”

Bredesen said he considers the switchgrass project among the state’s solar power efforts because it is made from a renewable resource grown by the sun.

“I think we’ve got this all straightened out,” said Ketron. “We see the opportunity for the citizens of Tennessee and we’ll move forward in this.”

As originally envisioned, the facility was to produce 5 million gallons of ethanol per year that could be sold to pay the operating costs of the research refinery. Under subsequent changes, the facility will now produce only about 250,000 gallons annually.

Officials say that’s enough to determine whether the process of turning switchgrass to fuel will work for a full-size refinery, but the legislative review staff said it’s not enough to pay for ongoing costs.

After a presentation from Jim White, the panel’s executive director, several lawmakers raised questions about the project and Ketron suggested future investment could fall victim to the state’s budget crunch.

Ketron on Tuesday chalked up those concerns to a lack of communication between the administration, lawmakers and White. Had they known about the potential third-party investment, “it would have changed the whole perspective,” he said.

“We just all need to be focused on working together and communicating,” Ketron said. By Erik Schelzig, Houston Chronicle

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Yoga Boosts Heart Health

November 10, 2009 By

yoga boosts heart health_Heart rate variability, a sign of a healthy heart, has been shown to be higher in yoga practitioners than in non-practitioners, according to research to be published in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics. The autonomic nervous system regulates the heart rate through two routes – the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The former causes the heart rate to rise, while, the parasympathetic slows it. When working well together, the two ensure that the heart rate is steady but ready to respond to changes caused by eating, the fight or flight response, or arousal.

The ongoing variation of heart rate is known as heart rate variability (HRV), which refers to the beat-to-beat changes in heart rate. In healthy individuals HRV is high whereas cardiac abnormalities lead to a low HRV.

Now, Ramesh Kumar Sunkaria, Vinod Kumar, and Suresh Chandra Saxena of the Electrical Engineering Department, at the Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee, in Uttrakhand, India, have evaluated two small groups of men in order to see whether yoga practitioners can improve heart health. Anecdotal evidence would suggest that yoga practice may improve health through breathing exercises, stretching, postures, relaxation, and meditation.

The team analyzed the HRV “spectra” of the electrocardiograms (ECG) of forty two healthy male volunteers who are non-yogic practitioners, and forty two who are experienced practitioners, all volunteers were aged between 18 and 48 years.

The spectral analysis of HRV is, the team says, an important tool in exploring heart health and the mechanisms of heart rate regulation. The power represented by various spectral bands in short-term HRV are indicative of how well the heart responds to changes in the body controlled by the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems.

The team explains that very low frequency (VLF) variations in the spectra are linked to the body’s internal temperature control. Low frequency peaks are associated with the sympathetic control and high frequency with parasympathetic control.

The team concludes that in their preliminary study of 84 volunteers, there is strengthening of parasympathetic (vagal) control in subjects who regularly practice yoga, which is indicative of better autonomic control over heart rate and so a healthier heart. redOrbit

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