ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011
HEALTH 36
Health
DeGeneres named envoy as US vows ‘fund’
Global AIDS focus
set on ‘treatment’
WASHINGTON, Nov 9, (Agencies): The United States set a new direction
for its global AIDS campaign on Tuesday, emphasizing HIV-fighting drugs
that can prevent new infections to bring the goal of “an AIDS-free generation”
within reach, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.
Clinton, outlining new priorities for the US global AIDS program started in
2003, said drug treatments, combined with new efforts to stop mother-to-child
transmission of HIV and the preventive effect of expanded voluntary male cir-
cumcision, had changed the AIDS
battle plan. Behavior issues
“Creating an AIDS-free genera-
tion has never been a policy priority
for the United States government — Depressed dads
until today,” Clinton said in a speech
at the US National Institutes of affect children
Health outside Washington.
“This goal would have been NEW YORK, Nov 9, (RTRS):
unimaginable just a few years ago,” Children whose fathers are
she said. “While the finish line is not depressed are more likely to
have emotional and behav-
yet in sight, we know we can get ioural problems than those
there because now we know the whose fathers aren’t, accord-
route we need to take.” ing to a US study of more than In this Aug 2, 2007 file photo, Michelle Duggar (left), is surrounded by her children and husband Jim Bob (second from left), after the birth of her 17th child in Rogers.
The United States, through its 20,000 families. Ark. (AP)
President’s Emergency Plan for The issue is especially
AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program, important at a time when many US mom pregnant with 20th child
has channeled billions of dollars into parents are out of work and
the fight against HIV/AIDS, which struggling to support their fam- Arkansas mom Michelle Duggar proud- latest. sells books written by the parents and tions.
ilies, while others are returning ly announced to the world Tuesday “I was not thinking that God would DVDs, and dispenses advice to par- Duggar said that despite the risks,
has infected more than 60 million from Afghanistan and Iraq with she’s expecting — but her 19 other chil- give us another one, and we are just so ents. she was not worried for her health. “I’m
people and killed nearly 30 million emotional wounds, said study dren got to hear the news first. grateful,” said Duggar, star of a reality The brood currently consists of ten really in better shape than I’ve been in
since it was first reported in 1981. author Michael Weitzman, at Duggar, 45, and her husband Jim show on TLC called “19 kids and count- boys and nine girls aged between 23 20 years,” she said.
The PEPFAR program has been a the New York University Bob, 46, have more experience than ing.” months and 23 years. The latest, Josie, Amid the joy, Bob had a practical
major factor in the global response School of Medicine. most in new arrivals, but they told NBC The family lives in Little Rock and was born prematurely in December view on the situation: “We didn’t want to
to HIV. In 2010, nearly $16 billion Though depression in moth- television they were surprised by the also runs its own Internet site, which 2009 and Duggar suffered complica- stop on an odd number.” (AFP)
was spent on HIV response in low- ers had long been associated
and middle-income countries, with an increase in problems
for children, this is one of the
according to the UN Program on
HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and it esti-
first times the connection with Firm promises healthier burgers, chips
depressed fathers has been
mates that at least $22 billion will be studied on such a large scale,
needed to combat the disease by
2015, helping avert 12 million new
infections and 7.4 million more
deaths in the next decade.
he added. “In the big picture of
caring about our children and
trying to do whatever is best to
help them achieve the highest
Fiber-loving teens at low risk
potential ... clearly fathers are NEW YORK, Nov 9, (RTRS): three percent of those who ate the most up to 40 percent healthier, using the
Preventing not regularly thought of,” Teenagers who eat a lot of fiber-rich (11 grams or more per 1,000 calories). humble okra vegetable and other natural
Strides have been made in pre- Weitzman said. foods, such as vegetables and whole Carlson told Reuters Health it’s ingredients.
venting mother-to-child transmis- The findings, published in
Pediatrics, also showed that grains, are less likely to have risk factors important to know that metabolic syn- Holista Colltech, based in Perth and
sion of HIV, integrating prevention children were most likely to for diabetes and heart disease, a new drome is not a disease, but a suite of Malaysia, and the operator of Australia’s
and treatment efforts with broader have problems when both par- study shows. measurements that put people at higher Red Rooster, Oporto and Chicken Treat
health programs to prevent HIV ents suffered from depression. But there was no link between those risk down the road. restaurants, will develop and use the pro-
infections, keep children healthy and Weitzman and his col- risk factors — known collectively as “It’s a warning,” said Carlson. Nearly prietary ingredients for an exclusive
help mothers give birth safely. leagues used data from a metabolic syndrome — and how much 26 million Americans have diabetes, and period of two years in Australia, said
Voluntary male circumcision also national study that included saturated fat or cholesterol kids ate. more than 600,000 die of heart disease Holista CEO Rajen Marnickavasagar.
has been shown to cut the risk of home interviews with 21,993 every year, according to the Centers for
families, all of which had a That doesn’t give teens the green light “We think we can significantly impact
female-to-male transmission by child between the age of five to chow down on fatty foods, however, Disease Control and Prevention. the global fast-food industry,” Rajen said
more than 60 percent, and since and 17, and both a mother and A Nippon Dental University Hospital said Joe Carlson, who heads the Division While the study can’t prove that fiber in a telephone interview from the com-
2007 more than 1 million men have father living at home. staff member demonstrates a of Sports and Cardiovascular Nutrition itself was responsible for that difference, pany headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
been voluntarily circumcized. At each interview, either the humanoid robot dental therapy simula- at Michigan State University in East the findings resonate with current dietary “We are the only company to have a
But drug treatment appears the mother or the father answered tor named ‘Simroid’ at the International Lansing. “We know if you eat a lot of guidelines. Carlson said a good goal is to full solution to the four Ss: salt, sugar,
most promising. A series of studies questions about depression Robot Exhibition in Tokyo on Nov 9. saturated fat, or trans fat, it tends to raise get three servings of fruit, three servings starch and saturated fats,” he said,
in the past year have shown that symptoms in both parents, as The robot was developed by Japanese of vegetables and two servings of whole
well as how much trouble chil- robot venture Kokoro, is made for den- (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol,” adding that when adopted on a commer-
drugs used to treat HIV also can dra- Carlson, who worked on the new study, grains a day. Dr Larry Deeb, past-presi- cial scale, the products could be a game-
matically reduce the risk of new dren had getting along with tists and students, and has sensors in
their parents or other children, its mouth that trigger the sound ‘Ouch’ told Reuters Health. Instead, he said, it’s dent of the American Diabetes changer in the multi-billion dollar sector.
infection among heterosexual cou- and behaviour at home and at when the dentist gives the wrong better to aim for diet rich in fruit, veg- Association, Medicine & Science, added “There is a 4S tsunami enveloping the
ples — fueling discussion on school. treatment. (AFP) etables and whole grains. that people should steer clear of highly global fast-food industry. These foods
whether AIDS money is best spent Carlson and his colleagues examined processed foods, which often have low are cheap, plentiful, scalable and highly
on drugs or traditional prevention the diets of over 2,000 US teens ages 12 fiber content. addictive. But it has led to an epidemic
programs, such as condoms, coun- transmission in sub-Saharan
Africa, and a new special envoy to to 19. They also tested whether the teens “If you ask me what you should eat, it of obesity across the globe,” he said.
seling, testing and education.
Clinton said the answer was clear. raise global awareness about the Health had three or more conditions that make should be something that was in the
ground or something that was running
Global obesity has doubled since
deadly disease: actress Ellen up metabolic syndrome: high blood 1980, the World Health Organisation
“If we take a comprehensive view pressure, elevated levels of sugar and around,” he told Reuters Health. “Not says, mainly because of increasing con-
of our approach to the pandemic, DeGeneres. Women alcoholics suffer: Women
Secretary of State Hillary fats in the blood, low levels of HDL or too much of the processed stuff.” sumption of foods high in fat, salt and
treatment doesn’t take away from alcoholics suffer damage to the part of their The study is based on government
prevention. It adds to it,” she said. Rodham Clinton says the actress brain that controls moods, impulses and “good” cholesterol and a large waistline. sugars. It is the fifth-leading cause of
will “bring her sharp wit and big “There has been quite a lot done on data collected between 1999 and 2002 death. According to its latest figures, 1.5
“So let’s end the old debate over sleep three times faster than their male coun- for the National Health and Nutrition
treatment versus prevention and heart, and her impressive TV audi- terparts, a Swedish study showed the link between exercise and metabolic billion adults and 43 million children
ence and 8 million followers on Wednesday. syndrome, but not nutrition,” said Examination Survey. under five were overweight in 2008.
embrace treatment as prevention.” Women suffer a 50-percent reduction in ❑ ❑ ❑
With some 34 million people liv- Twitter” to support US efforts to Carlson. Overall, about six percent of the Holista’s agreement is with Quick
save the lives of those suffering from the so-called serotonin function in their brain teens had metabolic syndrome. Of those An Australia-listed company said on Service Restaurant Holdings Pty Ltd,
ing with HIV around the world after four years of excessive drinking, while
today, the new US emphasis on HIV/AIDS. Clinton says the money men show the same amount of damage after who ate the least fiber (less than three Tuesday it plans to make burgers, chips which operates 620 Red Rooster, Oporto
treatment could prove costly — will help scale up and assess new 12 years of alcohol abuse, according to the grams per 1,000 calories), nine percent and other items sold by the country’s and Chicken Treat restaurants in
although Clinton noted that the per- prevention strategies. She said study by researchers at Gothenburg had the risk factors, compared to only leading locally owned fast food operator Australia.
patient cost had fallen dramatically Tuesday that more effective preven- University.
as AIDS drugs become available as tion methods were driving infections “The impairment is progressing much opment and treatment of depression and “We saw that the alcohol dependent indi- However, “we could see the damage to
down, making it possible to treat faster in women,” explained Kristina
generics in many poor countries. Berglund, who conducted the study with col- chronic anxiety. viduals had significantly lower serotonin the serotonin function was equal between
more people. She said that is allow- It also regulates impulse control and our functions,” Berglund told AFP. men and women,” Berglund said.
Also: ing health campaigners for the first leagues from the university’s Department of
Psychology, as well as two researchers at the ability to fall asleep and stay awake. The women tested said they on average The results, which are scheduled to be
WASHINGTON: The Obama admin- time to “get ahead of the pandemic,” faculty of Health Sciences, known as the The researchers studied several brain had been drinking the equivalent of about 12 published in the journal of Alcoholism:
istration has announced $60 million and make progress toward establish- Sahlgrenska Academy. functions of 42 people — a third of them bottles of wine a week for four years, while Clinical and Experimental Research in
in additional funding to fight AIDS ing an AIDS-free generation. Serotonin is a brain neurotransmitter that women — who admitted to alcohol depend- the men had been drinking the same amount, January, had come as a partial surprise to the
is. among other things. critical to the devel- ency, along with 28 control subjects. but for 12 years. researchers, she said. (AFP)