EU mulls new law on ‘legal highs’
The European Commission has proposed to efficiently withdraw from the market harmful psychoactive substances, known as “legal highs” as alternatives to illicit drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy. “Legal highs are a growing problem in Europe and it is young people who are most at risk. With a borderless internal market, we need common EU rules to tackle this problem,” reported Xinhua citing the Commission’s vice president and justice commissioner Viviane Reding here Tuesday while presenting the proposal. However, the drugs’ various legitimate industrial and commercial uses should not be jeopardised, according to the proposal, following warnings from the EU’s drug agency and Europol. The EU’s current legislation on detecting and banning new drugs was established in 2005, and is considered by the Commission as no longer fit for the purpose – now it takes two years to submit a single substance to restrictive measures. Meanwhile, the number of new psychoactive substances detected in the EU has tripled between 2009 and 2012. This year, more than one new substance has been reported every week. The substances are increasingly available on the Internet and spreading among countries, according to the Commission. (IANS)
Experts want action plans to curb tobacco use
Recognising the adverse impact of tobacco on health, experts from across the world Tuesday recommended adoption of national action plans to curb its use. Sustained government commitment, continuous goal-setting and amendments to legislation based on periodic nationwide data on magnitude and patterns of smoking and smokeless tobacco use were suggested, according to a release. They also favoured a steep hike in tobacco taxes. The recommendations were made at the “International Conference on Public Health Priorities in the 21st Century: The Endgame for Tobacco,” here last week. A declaration issued after the conference said there should be mandatory training in health promotion and tobacco control in graduate and post-graduate level courses, especially for health professionals, social workers and teachers. (IANS)
Why you gain weight post diet
Researchers have unveiled the mystery why people put on weight after a shedding some post a diet programme, says a study. The way in which our stomach detects and tells our brains how full we are becomes damaged in obese people. It does not return to normal once they lose weight, according to new research from the University of Adelaide. Researchers believe this could be a key reason why most people who lose weight on a diet eventually put weight back on, reports Science Daily. In laboratory studies, a Phd student from University of Adelaide, Stephen Kentish investigated the impact of a high-fat diet on the gut’s ability to signal fullness, and whether those changes revert back to normal by losing weight. The results that were published in International Journal of Obesity show the nerves in the stomach that signal fullness to the brain appear to be desensitised after long-term consumption of a high-fat diet. (IANS)
Fat near heart can predict kidney patients’ deaths
Fat deposits around the heart – which can be spotted through simple CT scans – can help predict the risk of death in patients with chronic kidney disease, research shows. The study, published in the journal Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, was conducted by scientists from Canada, Venezuela, Italy and the US, Xinhua reported. “We wanted to know if this type of heart fat is related to poor outcomes for patients with chronic kidney disease, and it was a very clear marker of risk,” said Paolo Raggi, a researcher from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. “The greater the amount of fat around the heart, the greater the mortality rates were in patients.” After examining CT scans of 109 American patients with chronic kidney disease from a randomised, clinical trial, the researchers found that for every 10 cubic cm increase in heart fat, the risk of death rose six percent. The findings also showed that high levels of calcium or plaque in the arteries and high cholesterol levels were strong predictors of large volumes of heart fat. Previous research showed a link between this heart fat and plaque buildup in the heart arteries, according to the researchers. (IANS)
Binge-drinking increases risk of underweight baby
Women who binge-drink during the second trimester of pregnancy are 68 per cent more likely to have an underweight baby, a new study has warned. Doctors studied the drinking habits of 11,000 mothers in Bradford, UK, between 2007 and 2011, as part of the Born in Bradford (BiB) project. They found more than 40 per cent drank alcohol while pregnant, and 333 women continued to binge drink. The researchers defined binge drinking as having at least five units of alcohol in a short space of time – about half a bottle of wine, or two pints of beer. The study found a link between binge drinking and the increased risk of small for gestational age weight babies among mothers. However, low or moderate levels of drinking did not increase the risk of having a small baby, ‘BBC News’ reported. Growth-restricted babies run a greater risk of having various neonatal complications, including breathing problems, respiratory infections and hypothermia and impaired neurodevelopment. “Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a contentious topic but this research demonstrates a clear link between binge drinking during pregnancy and having a small baby,” said Professor John Wright, head of the BiB project. (PTI)