Beware of the Potato Salad: Preventing Foodborne Illness in Summer

HealthDay – 2 hrs 3 mins ago SATURDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- Ever eye a bowl of potato salad or plate of chicken that's been sitting in the sun for hours and wonder if it's still OK to eat?

Warm weather means that bacteria in food can multiply faster and potentially pose a health threat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns.

The FDA offers the following safety advice to help prevent foodborne illnesses during barbecue and picnic season:

Wash your hands well and often with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom and before cooking or eating. If there are no water taps available, use a water jug, some soap and paper towels or moist disposable towelettes.Keep raw food separate from cooked food. Do not place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, seafood or anything else and hasn't been cleaned in hot, soapy water.Marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Don't reuse marinade that contained raw meat.Cook food thoroughly in order to kill any harmful bacteria that may be present. Use a food thermometer to make sure food has reached the recommended minimum temperature, which is 160 degrees F for hamburger and 165 degrees F for chicken. If you use the microwave, stove or oven to partially cook food to reduce grilling time, do so immediately before you place the food on the barbeque.Try to refrigerate or freeze leftovers immediately. Never leave food out for more than an hour when the temperature is above 90 degrees F.Keep hot foods at or above 140 degrees F and keep cold foods at or below 40 degrees F.

More information

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service has more about summer and foodborne illness.

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Fewer iron supplements during pregnancy work just as well for preventing anemia, study suggests

ScienceDaily (July 11, 2012) — Taking iron supplements one to three times a week instead of every day is just as effective at preventing anemia in pregnant women, according to the findings of a new Cochrane systematic review. The authors of the review also showed that women experienced fewer side effects when taking iron supplements intermittently rather than daily.

See Also:Health & MedicineAnemiaPregnancy and ChildbirthFolic AcidSickle Cell AnemiaNutritionDiet and Weight LossReferenceNutrition and pregnancyB vitaminsMicronutrientGynecologic hemorrhage

Lack of iron can cause anemia in pregnant women, potentially increasing the risk of complications at delivery. It may also be harmful to their babies, through increased risk of low birth weight and even delayed growth and development later in life. anemia is diagnosed as a low level of hemoglobin in the blood. However, hemoglobin levels should be carefully controlled during pregnancy, as high concentrations have also been associated with an increased risk of babies being born early or with low birthweight. Traditionally, anemia during pregnancy is prevented by daily supplements containing iron and folic acid, started as early in the pregnancy as possible. However, some countries, such as the UK, do not recommend routine preventive iron supplementation to all women.

The researchers analysed data from 18 trials involving a total of 4,072 pregnant women who took iron supplements alone, with folic acid or with multi-vitamin and mineral supplements. According to the results, women who took iron supplements once, twice or three times a week on non-consecutive days were no more likely to suffer from anemia by the end of their pregnancies than those who took them daily, and their babies were no more likely to be born early or have a low birth weight. Furthermore, those taking the supplements intermittently rather than daily were less likely to experience side effects including nausea, constipation and high hemoglobin levels during pregnancy.

"Intermittent iron supplementation could be considered as a feasible alternative to daily supplementation for preventing anemia during pregnancy, particularly in developed countries where anemia in pregnancy is not a public health problem and there is good antenatal care for monitoring anemia status," said lead author Juan Pablo Peña-Rosas, Coordinator of Evidence and Programme Guidance of the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. "At the moment evidence is limited and the quality of the trials included in our review was generally low."

The review authors say further research is needed to clarify safe maternal iron doses and their effects on infants. "It is important to evaluate new regimens to be able to respond to the need of the different countries that face different challenges in anemia prevention during pregnancy. We would advise that trials make an effort to evaluate the health of newborns and infants from birth to six months of life or more," said Peña-Rosas.

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U.S. High Schools Lax in Preventing Dating Abuse: Study

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Health Tip: Preventing Headaches

HealthDay – 7 mins ago (HealthDay News) -- The intense, throbbing pain of a migraine isn't always avoidable, but there are things you can do to help minimize your risk.

The Womenshealth.gov website says these practices may help reduce your chances of getting a migraine:

Eat a balanced diet with plenty of healthy foods.Lead a physically active lifestyle, making sure to get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day.Practice relaxation exercises to help reduce stress.Get plenty of sleep.Minimize things that cause stress in your life.

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Role of omega-3 in preventing cognitive decline in older people questioned

ScienceDaily (June 13, 2012) — Older people who take omega-3 fish oil supplements are probably not reducing their chances of losing cognitive function, according to a new Cochrane systematic review. Based on the available data from studies lasting up to 3.5 years, the researchers concluded that the supplements offered no benefits for cognitive health over placebo capsules or margarines, but that longer term effects are worth investigating.

See Also:Health & MedicineCholesterolDietary SupplementMind & BrainIntelligenceDementiaPlants & AnimalsFoodFishLiving WellReferenceOily fishSaturated fatUnsaturated fatOmega-3 fatty acid

Omega-3 fatty acids are fats responsible for many important jobs in the body. We get these fats through our daily diets and the three major omega-3 fats are: alpha linolenic acid (ALA) from sources such as nuts and seeds and eicosapentoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from sources including oily fish such as salmon and mackerel. A number of studies have hinted that omega-3 fatty acids and DHA in particular may be involved in keeping nerve cells in the brain healthy into old age. However, there is limited evidence for the role of these fats in preventing cognitive decline and dementia.

The researchers, led by Emma Sydenham at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), London, UK, gathered together evidence from three high quality trials comparing the effects of omega-3 fatty acids taken in capsules or margarine spread to those of sunflower oil, olive oil or regular margarine. A total of 3,536 people over the age of 60 took part in the trials, which lasted between six and 40 months. None of the participants had any signs of poor cognitive health or dementia at the start of the trials.

The researchers found no benefit of taking the omega-3 capsules or spread over placebo capsules or spread. Participants given omega-3 did not score better in standard mental state examinations or in memory and verbal fluency tests than those given placebo.

"From these studies, there doesn't appear to be any benefit for cognitive health for older people of taking omega-3 supplements," said Alan Dangour, a nutritionist at LSHTM and co-author of the report. "However, these were relatively short-term studies, so we saw very little deterioration in cognitive function in either the intervention groups or the control groups. It may take much longer to see any effect of these supplements."

The researchers conclude that the longer term effects of omega-3 fatty acids on cognitive decline and dementia need to be explored in further studies, particularly in people with low intakes of omega-3 fatty acids in their diet. In the meantime, they stress other potential health benefits. "Fish is an important part of a healthy diet and we would still support the recommendation to eat two portions a week, including one portion of oily fish," said Dangour.

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