You could be getting more than you bargained for in your daily vitamin. According to a story in Consumer Reports, many of America's dietary supplements are also packing carcinogens and kidney- and heart-damaging contaminants.

This information comes from an article in the September issue of Consumer Reports. The article lists 12 different supplemental ingredients associated with negative health consequences. These include bitter orange (an ephedra-like supplement associated with heart attack and stroke), germanium, coltsfoot and colloidal silver, which has been marketed as an immune system booster but is known to cause argyria and kidney damage.

Wonder how these vitamins managed to slip past the FDA? Guidelines for vitamins and supplements differ greatly from those for food and traditional drugs. Supplement manufacturers are responsible for clearing the safety of their products and providing information, but many companies aren’t even required to register products or gain approval. The FDA can’t take action until the product goes to market.

“Supplements are marketed with very seductive and sometimes overblown sales pitches,” Nancy Metcalf, senior program editor for Consumer Reports, said in a news release. “Consumers are easily lulled into believing that supplements can do no harm because they’re ‘natural’.”

Metcalf also noted that not all natural ingredients are safe. “The FDA has repeatedly found hazardous ingredients, including synthetic prescription drugs,” she added.

The guidelines for supplements are flawed, but legislators have been moving slowly to boost the FDA’s oversight. Until then, Consumer Reports urges consumers to take responsibility in educating themselves on the health effects of their vitamins.

Get the full scoop at ConsumerReports.org or get vitamin information from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Smoking, heavy drinking, a poor diet, and too much time spent on the couch are bad for your health, but they may also be taking years off your life. These four bad habits could actually be causing your body to age up to 12 years, research suggests.

Nearly 4,900 men and women age 18 or older were randomly chosen to participate in a University of Oslo study examining the effects of certain habits—smoking, excessive alcohol consumption (3 or more drinks for men, and two or more for women), getting less than 2 hours of exercise per week, and not eating well (specifically, not enough fruits and vegetables).

The study began in 1985, and followed participants for 20 years, checking death certificates and doing follow-ups. Of the 314 participants who had all four habits, almost one-third died over the duration of the study, while less than 10 percent of the 387 people who had none passed away.

Heart disease and cancer topped the list for cause-of-death for people who had a combination of these habits, while the health of those still living was “equivalent to being 12 years older” than their healthier counterparts.

Lead researcher Elizabeth Kvaavik thinks these findings may be the extra incentive some people need to improve their lifestyles.

"You don't need to be extreme to be in the healthy category,” Kvaavik said in a news piece by MSNBC. "These (healthy) behaviors add up, so together it's quite good…It should be possible for most people to manage."

Kvaavik and her colleagues acknowledge that changing these habits may not be easy, but that they pay off.

“The combined effect of poor health behaviors on mortality was substantial, indicating that modest, but sustained, improvements to diet and lifestyle could have significant public health benefits,” authors of the study concluded.

Visit the Archives of Internal Medicine to read more on the study.

Women have long been claiming chocolate as a comfort food, but research shows that chocolate is something that both men and women reach for. According to a new study, people of both genders with mild or major depression eat more chocolate. Researchers believe depression could trigger this craving.

Researchers from the University of California monitored the diets of 931 men and women, focusing on chocolate consumption. None of the participants were taking antidepressants, and they had their moods assessed routinely.

Those with depression consumed 8.4 servings of chocolate (1 ounce is one serving) per month, while those with major depression ate an average of 11.4 servings per month. Their counterparts who showed no signs of depression ate an average of 5.4 servings per month.

Chocolate sends signals to the brain to release serotonin and endorphins, two “feel happy” opioids. Endorphins are responsible for that satisfied buzz you get after exercise, while serotonin is believed to produce feelings of love and happiness.

This study is the first to examine the chocolate-mood link for both men and women, and, based off their findings, Doctors Natalie Rose (U.C., Davis) and Beatrice Golomb (U.C., San Diego) believe there may be a direct link between depression and chocolate cravings.

"The findings did not appear to be explained by a general increase in caffeine, fat, carbohydrate or energy intake, suggesting that our findings are specific to chocolate," Golomb said in a press release. “Our study confirms long-held suspicions that eating chocolate is something that people (including men) do when they are feeling down."

One speculation is that when a person is down in the dumps, he or she will reach for this “comfort food” to boost his/her mood. Another possibility, however, is that eating chocolate (which is often high in fat and sugar) causes a person’s moods to spike for a short period of time only to crash later.

"Because it was a cross sectional study, meaning a slice in time,” Golomb explained, “it did not tell us whether the chocolate decreased or intensified the depression."

The research team plans to conduct further research investigating the effects of chocolate on mood to gain more insight into this relationship. “Whether there is a causal connection, and if so in which direction, is a matter for future prospective study,” they concluded in their report.

­Read the study’s abstract at the Archives of Internal Medicine, or check out the University of California’s press release for more information.

Despite the economic state of our nation, more Americans than ever are bringing home the bacon—to eat with eggs, on cheeseburgers, or sandwiched between two slabs of fried chicken. The new Double Down by KFC  has plenty of mouths watering, and plenty of nutritionists and cardiologists cringing and wondering what to do about the U.S. bacon infatuation.

One pound of bacon (16-20 medium slices) can contain as much as 81 grams of fat, most of which (68 grams) is heart-clogging saturated fat. The Double Down is loaded with 540 calories and 32 grams of fat (10 g saturated). The recommended daily limit for saturated fat is 16 grams.

Bacon’s saturated fat is different from the mono- and poly-unsaturated fats found in fish, nuts and olive or soybean oils. While these fats can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease, too much saturated fat can clog arteries and increase the risk of heart attack. The high sodium levels (up to 10,487 mg per pound) can also cause a cholesterol spike.

The good news is you don’t have to choose between saving your heart and nurturing your soul. As with caffeine and sweets, the key to this affair of the heart (or the stomach) is moderation.

“As a flavoring and ingredient, [bacon is] wonderful,” dietitian Susan Moores of the American Dietetic Association told MSNBC. “As a diet mainstay, not so much.”

A few strips now and then won’t hurt you, and there are plenty of other options to help tide you over. Turkey bacon, for example, has about half the fat and sodium. Canadian bacon and reduced-sodium bacon are also healthier options. Traditional bacon isn’t completely off limits, either.

“It all boils down to: How much?,” Moores says.

For the full story on America’s most delicious love affair, visit MSNBC.

Ten years ago, soy products were recommended to postmenopausal women to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. New research indicates that soy may not help as much as previously thought, and a re-evaluation by the FDA may challenge soy producers’ claims about their products as heart healthy.

Many women experience sharp increases in LDL levels during menopause when their bodies no longer produce estrogen. More women also see a hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and an increased risk of heart disease.

Soy products contain isoflavens, natural compounds that mimic estrogen.  These are supposed to increase estrogen levels, and thus improve cholesterol. Keeping cholesterol in check can help coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death in American women.

For the study, 62 women under age 65 with moderate-high cholesterol were asked to increase either soy or casein (milk protein), intake for one year. While HDL (good) cholesterol levels increased slightly for women consuming soy, they experienced little or no change in LDL levels.

“The aim of this study was to examine the effects of soy protein consumption on heart disease risk in postmenopausal women,” authors of the study wrote. “These findings, as well as those from other studies, lend credence to the decision of the Food and Drug Administration to reevaluate the soy protein health claim issued a decade ago.”

Learn more about heart health, or read the study's abstract in Menopause.

Good news for gamers and parents—playing certain video games could actually count as exercise. New research shows that playing Wii Sports, if used correctly, could be the equivalent of a mild workout.

Sixteen volunteers, ages 20 to 24, took a fitness test to determine a baseline rating of perceived exertion (RPE).  Participants were instructed on proper usage of the game and played various Wii games while researchers monitored oxygen intake, heart rate and RPE.

The study, led by John Porcari, Ph. D., and Alexa Carroll, M.S., focused on six different activities—Free Run, Island Run, Free and Advanced Steps, Super Hula Hoop, and Rhythm Boxing.

Volunteers participated in each of the six activities randomly for 6 minutes. The Free and Island Run exercises required more energy, but neither used enough to meet the American College of Sports Medicine’s standard to affect cardio endurance.  The other activities fell below these health guidelines as well.

All of the activities did, however, burn calories. In 30 minutes, each activity burned the following number of calories:

• Free Step, 99 calories
  
• Advanced Step, 108 calories
• Super Hula Hoop, 111 calories
• Boxing, 114 calories
• Free Run, 165 calories
• Island Run, 165 calories

Although these exertion levels are significantly lower than doing similar exercise without the game, Wii Fit still used twice the calories of other video games. This is enough exertion to be considered a very mild workout.

“I guess anything is better than nothing,” Porcari says, “ but we were a little bit underwhelmed by the intensity of some of the exercises.”

An earlier study showed that certain Wii Sports activities burned more calories.

“You’re better off doing Wii Sports than Wii Fit,” Porcari explains. “In Wii Sports there’s more jumping around, and you’re not constrained by having to stand on the balance pad. I think there’s much more freedom of movement and you get a better workout.”

Thirty minutes each of Wii Sports activities burned the following number of calories:

• Wii Baseball, 84 calories
• Wii Golf, 93 calories
• Bowling, 117 calories
• Tennis, 159 calories
• Boxing, 306 calories

These findings could cut pounds for gamers in the long run, Carroll says, but it’s best not to rely on Wii alone. “Since using the Wii Fit alone may not produce results that meet recommended physical activity guidelines it is important that individuals participate in additional exercises to effectively reach these guidelines,” she says.

Read more about the Wii Fit and Wii Sports studies.

Like chocolate milk and hot cocoa? You could be just two glasses a day away from a healthier heart. New information indicates that drinking chocolate milk containing cocoa could help improve abnormal blood lipid and cholesterol levels, which puts people at risk for  atherosclerosis and heart disease.

Dr. Ramón Estruch of the University of Barcelona’s Department of Internal Medicine was the study’s senior author. Estruch and his team asked 42 high-risk men and women age 55 or older to take part in an experiment examining the effects of cocoa on heart disease.

“Cocoa and its derived products, such as chocolate, represent a very rich source of dietary flavonoids, which contain a higher content per serving than tea or red wine,” authors write. “The health benefits associated with cocoa consumption have been related to their capacity to improve the lipid profile and insulin sensitivity, diminish blood pressure, reduce platelet activity and function, and ameliorate endothelial dysfunction.”

Participants were given two sachets of non-fat, sugar-free Cola Cao, a popular Spanish cocoa powder mix similar to Nesquik. They were to mix 20 g (about 1 ½ Tbs.) with 250 ml (~8.5 oz) of skim milk and drink twice daily—once with breakfast, and again with dinner or an afternoon snack. All participants followed a Mediterranean-style diet, but were asked to exclude foods with cocoa, olive oil, red wine, tea, or fruits and vegetables with high polyphenol levels.

Participants did have a slight weight gain of about 1 pound. Total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were slightly (although not significantly) lower.  Cocoa did, however, show anti-inflammatory effects. These were modest compared to those of red wine, but significant nonetheless.

HDL (good cholesterol) levels were also significantly higher after drinking chocolate milk.

“Our results suggest that regular consumption of nutritional doses of cocoa may have an effect on all initial phases of the atherosclerotic process in subjects at high risk of coronary heart disease,” authors wrote. “These anti-inflammatory effects, together with other previously reported effects, including those of antioxidant, anti-platelelet, and positive vascular effects, may contribute to the overall benefits of cocoa consumption against atherosclerosis.”

The study appears in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Seven in ten children in the United States are not getting enough vitamin D, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2001-2004).

Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, is a fat-soluble vitamin that promotes calcium absorption, fortifying bones and teeth, and maintaining the level of calcium and phosphorus in the blood.

Vitamin D deficiency can result in conditions such as rickets in children (usually <11 ng/mL), and osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults (typically levels <25 ng/mL). Low levels of vitamin D also increase the risk of bone and heart disease, and are also associated with higher blood pressure and lower calcium and HDL cholesterol levels in later life.

Based on the information obtained from the survey, researchers found that, of more than 6,000 of children followed, nine percent (equal about 7.6 million) were vitamin D deficient, and a greater number were found to be getting an insufficient amount—61%, representing 50.8 million U.S. children. Only 4% received the recommended daily amount of vitamin D.

Children classified as “insufficient” had 15-29 ng/mL, while those who were classified as “deficient” had levels of 15 ng/mLor less. Normal range, according to the National Institute of Health, is 30-74 ng/mL.

The study is the largest of its kind to date, gaining nationwide rather than just regional data. "We expected the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency would be high,” says lead author Juhi Kumar, M.D., M.P.H., of the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center, “but the magnitude of the problem nationwide was shocking."

Vitamin D deficiency is more common for female children, those that are older, obese, drink less than one glass of milk week, and those who spend four hours or greater on the computer or watching television per day. African-American and Mexican-American children also had a greater risk.“It’s very hard to get enough vitamin D from dietary sources alone,” says Dr. Michal Melamed of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York.

Melamed, co-leader of the study, attributes part of this problem to lifestyle, recommending parents send their children outdoors. One source of vitamin D is UV-B sunlight, which converts cholesterol in the skin into vitamin D. She also recommends ditching the sunscreen for a while: “Just 15 to 20 minutes a day should be enough…don't put sunscreen on them until they've been out in the sun for 10 minutes, so they get the good stuff but not sun damage.” Individuals with darker skin and those who live in northern regions with less sun exposure should spend more time outdoors.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children and teens get at least 400 IU per day, double the previous recommendation of 200IU per day. Good sources of vitamin D include fish, milk, eggs, cod liver oil, and fortified foods. Vitamin D levels can also be increased with the use of supplements.

The study's abstract is available online, and will be published in September's issue of Pediatrics.

Economy class syndrome also known as deep venous thrombosis made news a couple of years ago when a British woman died after a long flight from a blood clot. At the time one question left unanswered was how often this occurs.

In a new study, European researchers calculated the risk to be 1 in 4,656. According to Dr. Samuel Z. Goldhaber, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Venous Thromboembolism Research Group at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston:

This risk is a tiny risk compared with the risk of venous thromboembolism from obesity, severe medical illness, cancer, or surgery.

Deep venous thrombosis is a condition in which a blood clot forms in a vein that is deep inside the body. This can occur if a person stays in the same position for prolonged periods; be it on an airplane, in a car, or on a train.

Signs and symptoms to watch out for while traveling include: leg pain, tenderness or swelling in your leg, and changes in skin color in your leg.

While there are no consistently effective preventive measures, you might try:

• Wearing loose and comfortable clothing
• Walking around as much as possible before your flight
• Moving during the flight– rotate your ankles, flex and point your toes, stand up in your row, or walk the aisles at least every hour

Search Healia for more information on economy class syndrome.

economy class syndrome blood clots deep venous thrombosis