Vitamin E and the mineral selenium do not prevent prostate cancer, according to a large study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) was halted early after a preliminary analysis of the data showed that these supplements, taken alone or together, did not reduce prostate cancer risk among more than 35,000 men age 50 and older who were studied.

Of more concern, the study suggested that the two supplements may carry an increased risk to men’s health: men who were taking only vitamin E showed a small increase in the number of prostate cancer cases, and those taking only selenium had a slight increase in the incidence of diabetes. However, these findings are still preliminary and they were not statistically significant, meaning that they could have been caused by chance.

Study participants are being notified by a letter that they should stop taking the supplements but will continue to have their health monitored for about three more years.

The findings are a major disappointment after previous studies suggested that Vitamin E might lower prostate cancer risk by more than 30 percent and selenium by over 50 percent. A drug called finasteride that is currently used to treat an enlarged prostate and male pattern baldness was recently shown to reduce the incidence of prostate cancer by 25 percent, but is not currently approved by the FDA as a preventative agent.

The doses involved in the study were higher than what is found in a typical multivitamin: 400mg/day vitamin E (the recommended daily intake is 15mg) and 200mcg/day selenium (U.S. RDI is 50-75mcg).

If you are currently taking daily vitamin E or selenium supplements, talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of continuing their use. Or ask the health experts on Healia Health Communities.

_{Photo: Twenty Questions, Flickr, Creative Commons}

The number of American children with food allergies has increased by 18% in the past decade according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report shows that about 3 million kids and teens in the U.S. suffered from at least one type of food allergy in 2007, up from 2.3 million in 1997. Overall, nearly 4% of American children under the age of 18 (3.8 percent of boys and 4.1 percent of girls) had food allergies.

According to the CDC, eight types of foods account for 90% of these allergies: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. Allergic reactions to foods can cause a mild tingling sensation in the lips, hives and may even cause death in severe cases.

Children who have food allergies are also more likely to suffer from asthma and other types of allergies. According to the CDC report, in 2007, 29 percent of children with a food allergy also had asthma and 30 percent also had some type of respiratory allergy; comparatively, only 12 percent of children without food allergies have asthma and 9 percent have a respiratory allergy.

Researchers do not really understand how or why someone develops a food allergy. On the positive side, the majority of children tend to “outgrow” food allergies as the number of adults who suffer from them is far lower.

If you are concerned that your child may have a food allergy, contact your doctor right away. It is not a good idea to eliminate certain foods from your child’s diet without the supervision of a doctor.

Find out more about allergies from the Healia Health Guide: Allergies.

_{Photo: Gaetan Lee, Flickr, Creative Commons}

This week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dramatically strengthened the national standards for airborne lead particles by slashing the maximum allowable concentration to a tenth of the previous standard set in 1978. On the advice of government science advisers, the new standard was set at 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter of air, which is ten times lower than the previous standard.

For the last few decades, government agencies have been trying to reduce lead exposure in people by removing lead from gasoline, reducing factory emissions, removing lead-based paint from older homes, and other public health interventions.

Lead exposure is a particular problem among children. Those exposed to lead at an early age may develop brain and nervous system damage, have behavior and learning problems, and experience other health problems. Typically, children become exposed to lead by breathing or swallowing lead dust or particles, or by eating contaminated soil or paint chips. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that around 310,000 American children between 1 and 5 years old have blood lead levels that exceed the public health action standard.

Parents should survey their children’s environment and identify and remove any sources of lead. Methods for minimizing childhood lead exposure include regularly washing of children's hands and toys, reducing indoor dust accumulation, and minimizing their exposure to soil.

For more ideas for lead prevention, join Healia’s Health Community for Lead Poisoning.

_{Photo: Library of Congress, public domain}

This week, the Dow Jones and Standard&Poor's 500 Indexes had their worst week of declines in history. The global credit crisis has dramatically increased people’s anxiety about the economy, jobs, and personal wealth around the world.

From a health perspective, more and more people are losing sleep and suffering emotional distress. On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the global economic downturn could lead to a rise in mental health problems. This week, the WHO launched the annual World Mental Health Day, which is intended to increase funding and services for the mentally ill.

In these challenging economic times, it is natural that people will become anxious and emotionally distressed. However, it is important that people do not feel that they need to handle this stress by themselves. Rather, they should seek help from trusted friends and family or a mental health professional before the stress becomes too overwhelming.

Do you have suggestions for how to deal with the stress associated with the current economic crisis? If so, please share them with the members of Healia Communities.

_{Photo: Preciouskhyatt, Flickr, Creative Commons}