Study: Sex Fights Heart Disease in Men
January 11, 2010
FoodConsumer.org
By David Liu
Making love twice a week or more often helps reduce risk of heart disease in men, a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology suggests.
The study led by researchers at the New England Research Institute in Massachusetts found an association between frequent intercourse and reduced risk of heart disease.
The researchers followed up 1,000 men aged 40 to 70 who participated in the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, which began in 1987, for 16 years to examine the correlation between sexual activity and heart health.
They found men engaged in regular lovemaking were up to 45 percent less likely to develop life-threatening heart disease compared to those had sex once a month or less.
The association was significant even after other risk factors like age, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels were considered.
This is an association, not necessarily a cause and effect relationship even though there is such a possibility, a health observer cautioned. Healthier men tend to have stronger desire and manhood to make love more frequently in the first place.
However, lovemaking is a type of physical activity which can nurture a couple’s supportive relationship which in turn would improve health through stress reduction and social support.
Sexual activity is also related to the diet men use. To reduce sexual temptation and avoid unquenchable sexual desire, monks do not use meat-based foods, which would otherwise provide them with more nutrients than plant-based foods that their reproductive systems need.
The findings do not mean that men should jump start making love more frequently than they are able to to prevent heart disease. Instead, they suggest that physicians may assess a man’s heart health based on his sexual activity.
Those who want to have more fun from making love may consider using a good diet to support their nutrition need. Eating plenty of lean meat and fish is the basic requirement. Men may experience shooting blanks if they do not have intake of protein and other micro-nutrients.
Foods like vitamin C rich foods, peanut, garlic, fatty fish, strawberries, seafood like crab and shrimps among others help men to boost their performance in bed, according to previous reports.
Click here for the full report.
Retired U.S. General Promises An Airline Will Be Downed Within 100 Days
January 5, 2010 by Andrew
Filed under Government
January 5, 2010
Prisonplanet.com
By Steve Watson
A retired U.S. General has called for strip searches of all muslim men at airports and “threat-based” profiling, declaring that “in the next 30-100 days,” there is “very high probability a US airliner will come down.”
Retired Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney made the comments on a Fox News broadcast over the weekend.
“We’ve got to go to more than just the normal process that they’re talking about now,” he said on Saturday.
“We have got to go to very, very strict screening and we’ve got to use profiling. And I mean, be very, very serious about the profiling. If you are an 18-28-year-old Muslim man, then you should be strip searched. If we don’t do that, there’s a very high probability that we’re gonna lose an airliner.”
As the Fox host pointed out that racial profiling would likely not be well received in the United States, McInerney replied, “I agree, that’s the problem.”
“It is not racial profiling,” he added. “It is profiling just like the Israelis do. Let’s use the same procedures that the Israelis do.”
“If you lose 300 Americans, and then people are gonna say ‘Why didn’t we do this?’” the General turned military analyst stated.
McInerney is currently chairman of the Iran Policy Committee’s advisory council and co-author of the interestingly titled book “Endgame: The Blueprint for Victory in the War on Terror”.
In the book,the general calls for invasions of North Korea and Saudi Arabia, as well as Syria, where he claims Saddam Hussein hid weapons of mass destruction.
The General’s comments proceeded the Transportation Security Administration announcement of “enhanced screening” procedures at U.S. airports, with foreign travelers from “terror prone” countries.
Click here for the full report
BPA Tied to Impotence in Men
November 11, 2009
ABCNews
By Joseph Brownstein
While environmental groups have sounded the alarm about the presence of bisphenol-A, or BPA, in products such as infant formula, baby bottles and other plastics, a new study provides some of the first evidence that the chemical can be harmful to humans, linking it to sexual dysfunction in men in high doses.
Researchers looked at 550 factory workers in China, some of whom were exposed to BPA as part of their job, and found that men who worked with BPA were four times more likely than their counterparts who did not work with the chemical to report some level of sexual dysfunction.
“The study certainly provides the human evidence to confirm animal studies, but one study is not going to answer any questions,” said Dr. De-kun Li, the study’s lead author and a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research in Oakland, Calif.
Li noted that while BPA’s presence has been confirmed in a number of consumer products, all studies before now had only shown harm in nonhuman populations.
“Up to this point, it’s largely, basically animal studies,” said Li, explaining that little has been done about BPA because of a lack of studies in people.
“There has been no human studies, at least in the context of the male reproductive system, so this has been dismissed by some critics,” he said of the potential harms BPA may pose.
But Li acknowledged that the current study will likely do little to change policy, since the levels of BPA were much higher than those encountered by the average person in his or her daily life. The average worker exposed to BPA had levels roughly 50 times higher than the average person.
“At this point … we don’t know the safety of the lower level,” he said, but noted that people do not need to worry too much. “We don’t have to be alarmed and go crazy.”
In the study, 15.5 percent of men exposed to BPA complained of erectile dysfunction more than half of the time, while only 4.4 percent of men not exposed to BPA had the same complaint. Meanwhile, 13.9 percent of men with BPA exposure on the job complained of difficulty ejaculating, while only 2.5 percent of men without the on-the-job BPA exposure had the same complaint.
While previous reports on BPA have relied heavily on animal studies, none have promoted a ban on the substance.
The National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, considers BPA to be a substance of “some concern” — the third level of a five-part scale ranging from “serious concern” to “negligible concern.”
“There are insufficient data from studies in humans to reach a conclusion on reproductive or developmental hazards presented by current exposures to BPA, but there is limited evidence of developmental changes occurring in some animal studies at doses that are experienced by humans. It is uncertain if similar changes would occur in humans, but the possibility of adverse health effects cannot be dismissed,” the agency writes about BPA in its factsheet.
It is unclear exactly how BPA would cause sexual dysfunction, according to Dr. Michele Marcus, a professor and interim chair in the department of epidemiology and environmental health at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. One possible explanation, she said, is that BPA, a known endocrine disruptor, can mimic estrogen and block some effects of testosterone.
Avoiding BPA ‘Would Be My Advice,’ Doctor Says
Because his study does not provide answers for the average person looking to know if BPA will do him or her harm, Li said any steps would be strictly precautionary.
“It’s certainly based on everybody’s risk tolerance level,” he said, adding that avoiding BPA “would be my advice. It’s unlikely the regulatory agencies will do anything yet, because they would like to see the evidence from human studies.”
“If there’s credible evidence of the potential of harm, why not look for a safer alternative?” said Kathy Gerwig, vice president for workplace safety and environmental stewardship officer at Kaiser Permanente.
Gerwig said that while BPA has not been proven harmful, there were steps consumers could take if they wanted to reduce their BPA exposure.
“If you’re going to buy a rigid plastic bottle, look for one that is BPA-free,” she said.
Second, Gerwig recommended avoiding canned foods, which contain BPA in the linings, something she said would be advantageous because it promoted eating fresh foods.
Third, she said, “It’s a smart decision to stay away from heating foods in the microwave in plastics.”
Industrial Scale
Given the high levels of BPA industrial workers were exposed to in the study, many may be tempted to dismiss the much lower levels of exposure the average person experiences.
But paradoxically, lower levels may be more harmful, explained Dr. David Ozonoff, a professor of environmental health at the Boston University School of Public Health.
“These are hormone-like chemicals, and your body is used to responding to hormones at really low levels,” he said.
He compared it to two friends in a crowded bar trying to speak, who cannot do so because of the noise. In those circumstances, the noise may be cancelled out, while in a quieter room, that message may be heard and listened to.
For a signal that has the potential to be disruptive, said Ozonoff, a signal that can be “heard” can be more dangerous than a large number of signals that can be dismissed as static.
“That’s one of those things that we worry about,” he said.
Ozonoff said the study is still open to interpretation, and further studies will need to be done for any conclusions to be drawn about the potential harmfulness of BPA.
However, he concluded, “There’s nothing about this that should give any comfort to someone that thinks BPA is OK.”
Click here for the full report.
FDA Wants More Testing Before Release of GTx Drug
November 2, 2009
Reuters
By Esha Dey
GTx Inc (GTXI.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said U.S. health regulators did not approve its experimental drug to reduce fractures in men with prostate cancer, citing clinical deficiencies, and asked the company to conduct a second late-stage study.
The company’s shares were down 40 percent at $5.42 in morning trade. They touched a lifetime low of $5.37 earlier in the day.
Analysts expressed little surprise at the regulatory decision, saying the data from the late-stage trial of the drug were not good enough to convince the regulators, and added that the company might ultimately decide to drop development of the drug.
In a complete response letter to the company, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked GTx to provide data from a second late-stage trial showing the safety and efficacy of the drug, toremifene citrate, at 80 milligrams dosage.
“I think this is as close to a rejection as you can get,” Rodman & Renshaw’s senior biotechnology analyst Simos Simeonidis said.
“They have to start all over again. They have to do a whole new trial and that will take many years,” Simeonidis said, adding that he does not expect the drug to reach the market.
The drug’s safety concerns related to forming blood clots in the veins and potential cardiac arrhythmia signals — or irregularities in heart beats — outweighed its benefits, Simeonidis said.
The 80 mg dose of the drug is being developed to cut the risk of fractures in men with prostate cancer on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).
ADT is the primary treatment for advanced prostate cancer, with about 100,000 men in the United States beginning ADT each year and about 700,000 being currently treated with ADT, the company said in its website.
The FDA also asked the company to show that the treatment does not have a detrimental effect on either time-to-disease progression or overall survival.
In a conference call with analysts, the company said it believes it already has enough information to show that the drug is not detrimental to overall survival.
However, the company added that it was surprised by the FDA’s decision to ask for a second trial since the FDA had already approved of the drug’s study plans under a special protocol assessment (SPA).
“The problem is that they moved the goalpost on this, because the SPA clearly says a single trial,” the company said in the conference call.
The special protocol assessment provides a company with a written agreement that the design and analysis of the trial are adequate to support a marketing application submission.
Analysts also said that the company would need to raise cash to support the additional trials requested by the FDA.
“They have technically enough money but they do not have enough money to do everything else they are doing,” Rodman’s Simeonidis said.
The company will have to go to the capital markets or look for partners, he added.
GTx currently has five more drugs in early to late-stage clinical trials, for indications including muscle loss in patients with a lung disease and the prevention of prostate cancer in high-risk men.
As of June 30, the company had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $68.9 million.
GTx is requesting a meeting with the FDA to determine the next steps regarding the new drug application, the company said in a statement.
Click here for the full report.
Prostate Cancer Screening Has Risks
October 15, 2009
Natural News
By S. L. Baker
Regular readers of NaturalNews know that recent studies have found little if any benefit to prostate cancer screening tests. What’s more, although about one in six men will be diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime, only one in 35 will actually die from prostate cancer — and the latest research shows that a diagnosis of the disease does not automatically mean any treatment is needed at all. Unfortunately, most men don’t know these facts and are not being told about the risks of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening. The result? Many are being pushed into having PSA tests, leading to unnecessary and side effect laden treatments.
A report just published in the September 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine concludes the majority of men just don’t know the basic facts about PSA testing. They are making decisions about prostate cancer screening based on conversations with their doctors — and these talks usually don’t include information about risks versus benefits of the test. Although most American men 50 or older have been screened with a PSA test, the new report reiterates the fact there’s no convincing scientific evidence that screening prevents deaths from prostate cancer. And if men are found through PSA screenings to have early-stage cancers, they are often told treatment is necessary when, in fact, it may not be and may lead to a host of health problems and complications.
“Given the uncertain benefit for screening and known treatment risks, prostate cancer screening decisions should be guided by patient preferences,” the authors wrote. “Indeed, most professional organizations recommend that the first step in screening should be a discussion between health care providers and patients about the risks and benefits of early detection and treatment so that patients can make informed decisions about whether to be screened.”
No real benefit to PSA screening
Richard M. Hoffman, M.D., of the New Mexico VA Health Care System and the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque, and his research team surveyed 3,010 randomly selected English-speaking adults age 40 and older in 2006 and 2007 by phone. Out of these, the scientists found 375 men who had either undergone or discussed PSA testing with their physicians in the previous two years. The researchers asked the men what their knowledge was concerning prostate cancer, what their talks with their doctors covered, and what factors and information helped them decide to be screened for a prostate malignancy.
The results showed that almost 70 percent of the men had discussed screening with their doctors before making a decision to have the PSA test. Out of these, only 14.4 percent turned down the screening. In the vast majority of cases, almost 65 percent of the time, it was the doctors who brought up the supposed need for PSA tests. In fact, 73.4 percent of physicians recommended the test and this recommendation from a doctor was the only part of the discussion about prostate cancer that was linked to testing.
What Would You Choose? Viagra or Implant Surgery?
October 15, 2009
Abc News
By Joseph Brownstein
People may be used to getting spam e-mails offering discounts on Cialis, Levitra or Viagra, but if a new clinical trial is successful, men with erectile dysfunction may someday be flooded with e-mails for another option: a stent.
Medtronic has begun testing on a new pelvic stent for men who have not been helped by drugs. Investigators will begin with 50 patients at 10 different medical centers.
“This is a common problem. Men many times do not have satisfactory results from first-line medical therapies,” said Dr. Krishna Rocha-Singh, director of the Prairie Vascular Institute in Springfield, Ill., who installed the first of the stents in a patient last week.
Singh said erectile dysfunction can also be a sign of larger problems, with potential blockages of major blood vessels.
“Erectile dysfunction could be a symptom of a vascular source,” he said, noting that it could be an early sign of what could lead to heart attacks or strokes. “The patients we’re treating in our practice [with erectile dysfunction] had the same problem elsewhere in other parts of the body.”
By opening up blood flow, Singh explained, stenting might solve some of those problems. However, he pointed out, it remains to be seen which patients would be helped by the stent, a question he hopes the clinical trial will answer.
Other doctors in the field said the device may prove beneficial, but only to a small subset of men.
Best for Younger Men?
Dr. Jerome Richie, the chief of urology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said, “I would foresee this stent as an application for younger individuals who have had traumatic injuries that decrease arterial inflow. Other than that selected group, I do not foresee widespread applicability.”
Dr. Ajay Nehra, a professor of urology at the Mayo Clinic, agreed that young men whose erectile dysfunction stemmed from traumatic injury would be the most likely to be helped, and said they may prefer a stenting operation to a pill, since an erection would not feel as medically induced later on.
“Men would ideally like to have natural, spontaneous erection, and that’s why the medical device is trying to look at alternative options than pills, per se,” said Nehra.
Will There Be Demand?
For many men with erectile dysfunction, the available pills do not help. For that reason, a number of doctors thought the stent could become a commercial success.
