Drug company knew of Prozac's risks since 1980's/Kids drinking 1-2 litres of soda a day/U. S. teenagers are under risk of heart diseases

[Guest guest]

Drug company knew of Prozac's risks since 1980's

http://newsfromrussia.com/science/2005/01/01/57669.html

 

02:04 2005-01-01

 

 

Documents from an anonymous source indicate Prozac's manufacturer, Eli Lilly

& Co., was aware of the drug's potential side-effects in the 1980s, the

British Medical Journal said in its Jan. 1 issue.

 

The lawsuit alleged the company knew for years that an increase in violence

can be one of the side-effects of Prozac.

 

Eli Lilly won the case, but later said it had settled with plaintiffs during

the trial.

 

The journal said the documents, dated November 1998, reported that

fluoxetine or Prozac had caused behavioural disturbances in clinical trials

..

 

Researchers said the company declined to be interviewed but issued a written

statement that said, " Prozac has helped to significantly improve millions of

lives. It is one of the most studied drugs in the history of medicine, and

has been prescribed for more than 50 million people worldwide. The safety

and efficacy of Prozac is well studied, well documented and well

established. "

 

 

 

Obesity epidemic is reaching down-

http://newsfromrussia.com/science/2005/01/01/57668.html

 

01:41 2005-01-01

 

The prevalence of obesity

among adults is widely known, with an increase of 75 percent since 1991.

 

So is the problem with school-age children

, reaffirmed by new statistics showing that nearly 4 million children ages 6

to 11 and 5.3 million young people ages 12 to 19 were overweight or obese in

2002.

 

But the findings among preschoolers are a strong indication that children's

weight problems are beginning even earlier.

 

Experts blame the prevalence of junk food marketed to children, too much TV

and the decline in the number of families who sit down together to eat.

 

Dr. Sarah Blumenschein, an assistant professor of pediatric cardiology at

the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, said doctors

and parents need to watch the weight of even very young children.

 

" We have a lot of people that think that their kids look cute plump: 'Look

at her -- she has all those bracelets of fat,' " she said.

 

Dr. William Cochran, a pediatric gastroenterologist and nutritionist for the

Geisinger Clinic in Danville, Pa., said he sees many youngsters in his

weight management clinic who weigh 300 to 400 pounds. He is also seeing more

and more children with diabetes, high blood pressure, and even liver

disease.

 

" Some kids are drinking a litre or two litres of soda a day, " said Cochran,

a member of the task force on obesity for the American Academy of

Pediatrics. " In 10 to 30 years, the incidence of heart disease and stroke

and diabetes are just going to be astronomical. "

 

 

U. S. teenagers are under risk of heart diseases

http://newsfromrussia.com/science/2004/12/31/57663.html

 

04:55 2004-12-31

About 1 million U.S. teenagers have high blood pressure, high blood-sugar

levels or other conditions that may put them at risk of heart disease later

in life, according to an American Heart Association report.

The number, which represents about 4.2 percent of the 12- to 19-year-olds in

the U.S., refers to adolescents who have metabolic syndrome, a combination

of three or more conditions such as abnormal blood lipids, high glucose,

high blood pressure and being overweight or obese. Almost two-third of the

adolescents with metabolic syndrome were overweight.

Childhood risk factors such as obesity can lead to heart disease and other

medical conditions, including diabetes, in adulthood, Robert Eckel, an

endocrinologist at the University of Colorado Health Science Center and

president-elect of the American Heart Association, said in an interview,

reports Bloomberg.

According to the Scotsman, THE United States- obesity epidemic has reached

the playpen, according to research, with more than 10 per cent of children

aged two to five reported to be overweight.

That is up from 7 per cent in 1994, according to the American Heart

Association-s annual statistical report on heart disease and stroke.

The 10 per cent figure comes from 2002, the most recent year for which

figures are available, and the situation is probably even worse now.

Experts blame the prevalence of junk food marketed at children, too much

television and a decline in the number of families who sit down together to

eat.