Blindness Prevention

[Ms. Kathy]

Country to rid blindness by 2020 thru' Nat'l Eye Care Plan

FE Report
6/19/2005

Health and Family Welfare Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the country will be able to eliminate blindness by 2020 with the proper implementation of National Eye Care Plan.
He said this while addressing the formal launching ceremony of the National Eye Care Plan at the Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons (BCPS) auditorium Saturday as the chief guest.

Article continued at this source:
www.financialexpress-bd.com/index3.asp?cnd=6/19/2005§ion_id=3&newsid=1982&spcl=no

[Ms. Kathy]

Fidel urges integration for solving serious visual disabilities in Latin America

IN Cuba, a National Ophthalmology Network is being consolidated, provided with high-technology equipment and staffed by trained experts with great revolutionary spirit, in order to cover growing eye care needs.

Cuban President Fidel Castro, who spoke at the closing of the 5th International Congress of Ophthalmology this past weekend, called for a true integration of the Latin American peoples, with a view to solving their serious health problems, Prensa Latina reported.

(Article continued at source: www.granma.cu/ingles/2005/junio/lun20/26salud.html)

[Ms. Kathy]

New Drug Fights Blindness and Cancer
Source: Macleans - Toronto,ON,Canada

A pair of new drugs can halt and in some cases partially reverse age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in older adults. ...
(Article continued at above link)

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FDA approval sought for blindness drug
Genentech's Macugen targets macular degeneration
Source: www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/123005dnbusgenentech.2b496353.html


12:40 PM CST on Friday, December 30, 2005
Bloomberg News



Genentech Inc. filed for U.S. approval of the vision treatment Lucentis, which may topple OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Macugen as the leading drug for macular degeneration, the No. 1 cause of blindness in the elderly.

Genentech asked the Food and Drug Administration for priority review, which would give the agency six months to act. Lucentis improved vision in two key studies, helping restore sight in some patients with the most devastating form of the disease, the South San Francisco, California-based company said today in a statement. Macugen slows worsening of the disease.

Both drugs target vision-damaging blood vessel growth in the eye. The disease affects 1.6 million Americans. Lucentis, developed with Novartis AG, may generate $1.2 billion in annual sales by 2010, while sales of Macugen, which OSI sells with Pfizer Inc., may reach $250 million, said Michael King, a Rodman & Renshaw analyst in New York.

“This obviously puts a lot of pressure on Macugen,” King said today in a telephone interview. “We've already seen weakness in Macugen sales.”

Degeneration of the light-sensing macula blurs the sharp, central vision needed to see straight ahead, read or drive. About 90 percent of patients have the “dry” form of the disease, which progresses slowly and rarely leads to complete vision loss.

Lucentis treats the “wet” form of the disease, which destroys vision as tiny vessels leak blood into the cells of the macula, the most sensitive part of the eye. Most people who become legally blind from it have the “wet” version.

[Ms. Kathy]

Vision Drives Camera OperatorV
Vision drives camera creator
By MICHELLE PAINE
06jul05
Source: The Mercury State News www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,15837352%255E3462,00.html

A TASMANIAN invention could revolutionise eye examinations in Aboriginal communities and developing countries, saving many from blindness.

Mechanical engineer Greg Koennecke has designed a portable retinal camera that can detect major eye diseases.

It is rugged, easily operated and has been praised as "small enough to fit in the nosecone of a Cessna" by an eye specialist who flies to remote communities.

The creation last week won the weekly award on the ABC's New Inventors program.

Inspired by attending a meeting on blindness prevention, Mr Koennecke applied his experience working in optics to the cause.

He has worked on his camera for about four years, the past year in a tiny workshop at his Lenah Valley home.

"I called Professor Hugh Taylor from Eye Research Australia and said `Remember you said you needed a retinal camera for the developing world'," Mr Koennecke said.

"It had to be small enough to fit in a carry-on bag and had to go through what we call rugged-isation", meaning it would be able to withstand shock and dust.

Mr Koennecke, who began his project in Adelaide, said he needed about $160,000 to finish off the invention.

"What I've got here is to prove the optics and electronic work -- it's like the billycart compared with the final racing car."

Public health expert Jill Keeffe, from the Centre for Eye Research Australia, connected to the University of Melbourne, said the camera would be a boon in preventing blindness in remote and poor communities.

"It can be used without having to put drops in the patient's eyes, which means it doesn't need to be operated by a doctor or optometrist," Professor Keeffe said.

"The beauty of it is that the little disc can be downloaded and you can immediately look at the image.

"We're hoping we can get funding from the Tasmanian Government for this.

"Greg's done this on a shoestring."

Diabetic eye disease, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration can all be detected on the retina.

Early prevention can delay and sometimes prevent blindness.

[Ms. Kathy]

Gene therapy may cure boys' eye disease:-
GAINESVILLE, Fla. | August 04, 2005 3:11:36 AM IST

[Article found on WebIndia123.com: news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=103485&cat=Science]

University of Florida scientists say they used a healthy human gene to prevent blindness in mice with a form of an incurable eye disease that strikes boys.

Writing in the August issue of Molecular Therapy, scientists from the university's Genetics Institute describe how they successfully used gene therapy in mice to treat retinoschisis, a rare genetic disorder that is passed from mothers, who retain their sight, to their sons.

. Retinoschisis is usually detected in boys between 5 and 10 years of age when vision problems cause reading difficulties.

Currently there is no treatment, said William Hauswirth, a professor of ophthalmic molecular genetics. "These children lose their sight gradually, often with devastating results.

What happens is the retina actually begins to split in the middle, causing loss of central vision -- that's the vision that you need to be able to read or walk around.

Researchers say the gene transfer method eventually help many eye diseases caused by single gene defects, including retinitis pigmentosa, which affects about 200,000 people in the United States. It is one of the most common inherited causes of blindness in people between the ages of 20 and 60.

(UPI)

[Ms. Kathy]

Health News



Scientists urge control of river blindness
Oct 11, 2005, 16:40 GMT
printer friendly email this article


LONDON, England (UPI) -- Imperial College London scientists are urging better public health efforts to control river blindness -- a disease transmitted by biting flies.

The disease affects tropical areas such as West Africa, Nigeria, Congo, the Central African Republic and Central and South America, causing significant health problems for at least 18 million people annually.

Scientists say the flies carry a parasite that lays microscopic worms in the human host. The body`s immune response to the worms can lead to eye opacities, eventually causing blindness, and in some cases, skin disease.

The team developed a mathematical model that measures exposure by calculating how often people were bitten by the flies carrying the parasite The new model uses data from three regions, Cameroon, central Guatemala, and southern Venezuela.

Dr. María-Gloria Basáñez, senior author of the paper, said river blindness is a major cause of ill health around the world, but it is often overlooked since it only affects the poorest tropical areas. 'Greater investment needs to be made in public awareness campaigns to reduce exposure to it in the affected countries,' she said.

The research is published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International

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PREVENT BLINDNESS AMERICA This site has good info:
www.preventblindness.org/

[Ms. Kathy]

HOME EYE TESTS FOR CHILDREN
Prevent lindness.org has simple vision screening parents can do at home. They do not replce regular vision screening or prevention by a professional.
www.preventblindness.org/children/children_eye_tests.html

The link to the hOTV test for distance vision for toddlers is a pdf file that parents can print and use: www.preventblindness.org/eye_tests/webHOTVtest.qxd.pdf

There is also a test for adults and some ways to help with adult vison:
www.preventblindness.org/eye_tests/index.html

Below is a link to the HOTV test for older children:
www.preventblindness.org/children/distance_older.html

[Ms. Kathy]

Signs of Eye Problems in Adults
from Prvent Blindness.org
www.preventblindness.org/eye_problems/signsadults.html

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Any changes in the appearance of your eyes or vision should be investigated further. Some examples include:

• Unusual trouble adjusting to dark rooms;
  
• Difficulty focusing on near or distant objects;
  
• Squinting or blinking due to unusual sensitivity to light or glare;
  
• Change in color of iris;
  
• Red-rimmed, encrusted or swollen lids;
  
• Recurrent pain in or around eyes;
  
• Double vision;
  
• Dark spot at the center of viewing;
  
• Lines and edges appear distorted or wavy;
  
• Excess tearing or "watery eyes";
  
• Dry eyes with itching or burning; and
  
• Seeing spots, ghost-like ../images.
  
  

The following may be indications of potentially serious problems that might require emergency medical attention:

• Sudden loss of vision in one eye;
  
• Sudden hazy or blurred vision;
  
• Flashes of light or black spots;
  
• Halos or rainbows around light;
  
• Curtain-like blotting out of vision; and
  
• Loss of peripheral (side) vision.
  

If you notice any signs of potential eye problems, see an eye doctor for a complete eye exam. Even if you have no signs, regular eye exams are recommended—especially for those with some chronic health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Early detection and treatment can be the key to preventing sight loss.

[Ms. Kathy]

Blindness: Fifth Reported Hospital Case
from All Africa.com allafrica.com/stories/200510280023.html

The Chronicle Newspaper (Lilongwe)
NEWS
October 28, 2005
Posted to the web October 28, 2005

By CHIKONDI CHIYEMBEKEZA
Lilongwe

The country representative of Sight Savers International, Abigail Suka has revealed that blindness is the fifth reported case in all the hospitals in the country, with one percent of the population, translating to 113,000 people being blind.

She made the remarks when she addressed a joint media conference with the Minister of Health, Dr. Hetherwick Ntaba and other officials in Lilongwe last week ahead of the World Sight Day, which falls on 13 October.

The Sight Savers official noted that a lot of blindness is unnecessary and avoidable, adding that there is need to put all efforts together to beat the year 2020 deadline of "eliminating all avoidable blindness in the country." Suka said most of the infrastructure for the problem of blindness is there and people are able to receive eye services.

Ntaba said who said that "there can be no more precious gift given to us by the creator than that of sight" said blindness is big problem. "Therefore it grieves me to say that blindness and diseases causing blindness remain both a challenge to our scientific and technical ingenuity as well as a very painful reminder of our limitations," he said.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the world has 50 million people who are blind.

The world health body adds that one person goes blind every 5 seconds, which means that 12 people go blind every minute and 720 per hour totaling to 17,280 per day.

Ntaba said though the figures are tragic, what makes them even more tragic is the fact that WHO says 80 percent of all the cases are avoidable because they can either be prevented or cured.

The Director for Eyes for Africa, Professor Moses Chirambo advised that some fruits such as mangoes, carrots, paw paw improve the sight and said that there is a myth that local brewed spirit, locally known as Kachasu is also another cause of blindness.

He said continued consumption of the stuff damages the optical nerve and eventually leading to blindness. However, figures were not given as to the extent of blindness as a result of Kachasu.

On this, the Health Minister said people have to be sensitized on the dangers of drinking it.

Information sourced indicate that the major causes of blindness are Cataract (Ng'ala), Trachoma, Glaucoma, Onchocerciasis (River Blindness) and Childhood Blindness, with Cataract accounting for about 50,000 cases of blindness.

And every year another 10,000 cases are added to the annual backlog.

As part of the initiative to the curb the disease (blindness), the Malawi National Prevention of Blindness Committee (NPBC) formulated a five-year Eye Care Plan which is set to be launched soon.

Ntaba said the five-year Eye Care Plan is "truly comprehensive both in terms of the diseases to be treated as well as the human, financial and physical infrastructure support required to implement it both at community as well as facility levels."




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Copyright © 2005 The Chronicle Newspaper. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
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[Ms. Kathy]

Danger lurks in costume accessory
www.wfaa.com/cgi-bin/bi/gold_print.cgi

04:43 PM CDT on Tuesday, October 25, 2005

By JEFF BRADY / WFAA-TV

Halloween costumes get more elaborate every year, but clothes, makeup and accessories only go so far.

With the holiday fast approaching, eye care professionals in North Texas and nationwide are issuing a strong warning about a certain type of spooky disguise.


WFAA-TV
The FDA has issued a warning about risks associated with decorative contact lenses. They are meant to heighten the fun and fright of Halloween, but instead can lead to visual impairment - and even blindness.

Colored and patterned contacts have become a major merchandising business at Halloween, particularly online.

"You blink a couple of times, and they're in," said Ginger, a makeup artist.

Many Web sites offer multicolored inexpensive contacts, without a doctor's prescription, and that's where the problems start.

"I've seen so many eye infections around Halloween," said optometrist Dr. Michael Gambino. "People are sharing these lenses with each other, and spreading bacteria or a virus, and causing very serious pink eye."

It has become so serious that the FDA has issued warnings about the risks of blindness and permanent eye injury from decorative contact lenses.

"Lenses are not just toys," Gambino said. "They are medical devices, and medical devices need the supervision of an eye care professional."

Also Online
FDA warning: Novelty lenses

Halloween safety tips (cpsc.gov)
Specific risks can include corneal ulcers, abrasions and swelling. Most professional Halloweeners know the decorative contacts are to be handled with care.

"Never share your contacts, absolutely," said Shawna Blakely, manager of the Boneyard haunted house. "Cross-contamination is something you should be concerned about, and vision is just something you can't mess around with."

"Every time I take them out, I use a daily cleaner, clean them, and then store them in fresh contact solution," Ginger said.

And it's more than just poor hygiene. The improper distribution of contacts is against the law.

"If you don't have a prescription, it's against the law for them to sell them to you," Gambino said.

Still, the popularity of colorful contacts often often makes people disregard the warning.

The threat of a serious eye infection is just as scary as the costumes and contacts themselves.


E-mail: [e-mail]


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Online at: www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/healthsciencetv/stories/wfaa051025_am_halloweencontacts.481f343.html

[Ms. Kathy]

The Importance of Good Vision

According to Prevent Blindness America, one out of every four preschoolers has some kind of vision problem. Nearsightedness (myopia) is the ability to see near objects more clearly than far objects. It occurs because the shape of the eye is elongated, causing images to fall in front of the retina. In farsightedness (hyperopia), distant objects are seen more clearly than near objects. In children with farsightedness, the eyeball is shorter than normal, causing images to land somewhere behind the retina. Strabismus (crossed eyes) is a condition in which the two eyes aren't properly aligned. The eye muscles don't work together, causing one or both eyes to turn in, out, up or down. Amblyopia (lazy eye) is a loss of vision in one eye. The eye is capable of seeing, but the visual pathway has been "turned off." The condition is most often caused by either strabismus or unequal focusing power between the eyes. When the eyes are misaligned or when one eye sees more clearly than the other, the brain receives two image signals. To compensate for the discrepancy, the image coming from one eye is eventually ignored.

The Importance of Good Vision Good vision is important to perform well in school and be able to perform many day-to-day tasks. Yet, only about 20 percent of preschool children have their vision checked through screening programs. Missed opportunities to correct vision problems can lead to learning problems and permanent reduction of vision.

Recently, researchers completed Phase II of the National Eye Institute's "Vision in Preschoolers Study." The goal of the study was to determine if lay screeners could screen preschoolers for vision problems as effectively as trained nurses. Study participants were 3- to 5-year old children from the Head Start program. Investigators used four of the best screening tools based on evidence from an earlier screening study. The Retinomax Autorefractor and the SureSight Vision Screener detects signs of refractive error (nearsightedness/farsightedness) in each eye. The Lea Symbols VA Test measures contrast sensitivity using pictures (a heart, house, circle and square). The Stereo Smile II Stereoacuity Test checks for how well a child uses both eyes together.

The study compared the ability of nurses and trained lay screeners to detect children who needed a complete eye examination for potential vision problems. Investigators found the trained lay screeners were about as successful as the nurses in using the tests and finding children who needed a more thorough examination - correctly identifying up to 68 percent of preschoolers with at least one common vision problem.

Experts say the study shows trained lay personnel can effectively be used to provide vision screening for preschool children. Even parents could be trained to use some of the screening tools. Increasing the number of trained screeners would enable more children to be screened for vision problems before they go to school. Lay screeners could also be used in rural areas where ophthalmology services are even more limited.

For information about the study: National Eye Institute, www.nei.nih.gov/neitrials/static/study85.asp

For information about vision problems in children: Lighthouse International, www.visionconnection.org Prevent Blindness America®, www.preventblindness.org

[source: www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1=5&cat2=38&newsid=186882&RF=DefaultMain]

[Ms. Kathy]

City NGO makes an effort to curb child blindness

Sharmi Adhikary
Kolkata Newsline: cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=153570

Kolkata, October 18: “Many people living below the poverty line do not have proper access to health clinics. Adequate medical facilities are not available in most of the government hospitals. Its commendable that private organisations and NGOs are coming forward with their philanthropic endeavours,” admitted Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal.

Bhattacharjee voiced this fact in an eye-camp inaugurated in the city today. Around 450 school children from 5-9 years were screened and given free glasses. The children were either from government-sponsored or corporation schools in the city. This eye-camp was the official launch of the Sight For Kids Programme undertaken by the Kolkata chapter of Lions Club International.

Acknowledging the truth that hospitals in the state are not well equipped to cater to the health needs of the underpriviledged, Bhattacharjee congratulated Lions International on their initiative.

However, the officials of the club failed to give a concrete reason as to why this kind of a mammoth project is not available in the rural areas. International Director, AP Singh said, “We have started regular screenings in the different government schools and are aiming to test and diagnose 1.5 lakh children by the end of the programme. Right now our hands are tied. Only when the programme achieves success in the city, will we think of the same in the villages.”

The Eastern region club has received a grant exceeding $1.3 million. The club is looking forward to raising $200 million throughout the world with the aim of eradicating preventable and reversible blindness.

Dr Sushil Kumar Shaw, one of the doctors doing the screening in the camp, said, “The maximum cases are those of refractive errors and blindness caused through vitamin deficiency. We are prescribing a vitamin syrup. Anyone needing surgical correction will be referred by us to the hospital where he or she will be operated free of cost. However, the medicines will be charged for.”

[Ms. Kathy]

India lagging behind in Vitamin A coverage
From New Kerala.com: www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=37774

New Delhi: An early starter in providing Vitamin A supplementation, India now lags behind African and neighbouring countries in ensuring effective programme implementation, states a new report.

"India has the largest percentage as well as the largest absolute number of Vitamin A deficient children in the world. Vitamin A deficiency precipitates the death of 330,000 children every year in the country," states the report entitled, "Controlling Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies in India - Meeting The Goal".

Vitamin A deficiency is not only the leading cause of preventable blindness in children, but it also raises the risk of diseases and death from severe infections. In pregnant women, it causes night blindness and may increase the risk of maternal mortality.

"India has a lot of catching up to do even with other South Asian countries - Pakistan has achieved 100 percent coverage (piggybacked with polio national immunisation days), with Nepal and Bangladesh not too far behind at 98 percent and 90 percent respectively," the report states.

Brought out by the Indian wing of Canada's Micronutrients Initiative, the report is to be presented to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday.

Around 57 percent of children under six years in India are estimated to be in potential danger of sub-clinical Vitamin A deficiency.

The report estimates that India needs to set aside Rs.4.05 billion to Rs.5.85 billion annually, which is less than Rs.5 per person to effectively tackle the problem of micronutrient deficiencies in the country.

For tackling Vitamin A deficiency, the international body has recommended better management of existing programmes to ensure that every child under five years should receive at least two doses in a year.

Currently, only Bihar, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu have over 75 percent coverage under the national programme. A majority of the other states, including Delhi, have less than 50 percent coverage.

[Ms. Kathy]

Blindness
Submitted by Moffat Mamu on 8 December, 2005 - 9:57am. Letters
BLINDNESS can be best defined as low vision of sighting or not seeing properly. By looking at the global blindness statistics, there are 37 million blind people and 124 million with low vision comprising of a total 161 million people with significant poor vision in the world today. This situation caused lots of serious problems and effects on the community and a nation as a whole. Considering this situation, these are the following effects that is has on the community. Low process or development, difficulty in life, poverty can occur.
By looking at the first point, the development of the country will be in a low process or development. This is because development includes working together, sharing, putting hands together, interns of money, etc. When looking at this situation, development will be in a low process. This is because only few people can be engaged in the development while others will not able to help in the development. In addition, the standard of living of the community will also low. This is because there is no high development carried out. In this case, the development of the country as whole will never improved and its standard of living will low.
On the other hand, blindness caused difficulties in life for families and community. Example, when a member of a family get blind, the family members have to look after him/her and provide everything that he needs. Example interns of leading him to church or showing him/her where the toilet is. In this case it causes difficulty in life for the family members and the community.
Further more blindness affect (caused) poverty for families and community. As a democratic country, each family has to live by themselves and earn their own living. In this case when there is any blindness in the family, it will cause poverty for the family and the community. Example, if the parent of a family got blind when he was at work, he will never be able to attend work and in this case, the company or the government will stop paying his/her salaries and as a result, the family will never be able to earn a better living. In this case, it causes poverty for the family.
In a meanwhile blindness caused can also affected the uprising individuals within our community, like students who are striving for better education and living, being blind when you are get young can affect your education because it is like you lost one of the most important part of your education. Eyes play important role in you students, because without good eyes, you cannot be seeing what is being written on the board and you can’t also read books. So for being a young blind person, your changes of having good living condition, better education and help have good jobs is like it is being closed.
To conclude blindness affected too many of our people today and therefore, in order this problem can be solved, is our responsibility to care for our selves and keep our selves from all the disease and chemical that can caused blindness to our eyes. So if this thought are taken into consideration, I totally believes that will be able to prevent this disease from affecting our eyes.

Markson Lifigao
King George Sixth
Source: www.solomonstarnews.com/drupal-4.4.1/?q=node/view/6279

[Ms. Kathy]

Three Studies Find Obesity Linked to Blindness, Poor Colon Cancer Survival, and Diabetes
Date Published: December 29, 2005
Source: Newsinferno News Staff
www.newsinferno.com/storypages/12-29-2005~002.html

In a series of studies released this week by different researchers, the central theme is exactly the same; obesity continues to be linked to extremely serious health risks.

In the first study, by Dr. Michael Belkin and Dr. Zohar Habot-Wilner, from the Goldschleger Eye Institute at the Sheba Medical Centre in Israel, an analysis of over 20 previous studies involving thousands of patients around the world found that obesity is linked to serious eye problems that can lead to blindness.

The researchers suggest that the specter of sight-threatening eye diseases should be viewed as a strong incentive to lose weight. According to the two ophthalmologists, there was a consistently strong link between obesity and the incidence of four extremely serious eye diseases that cause blindness.

Dr. Belkin, a professor of ophthalmology at Tel Aviv University, stated that the “purpose behind this review was to acquaint physicians and laypeople with the dangers of being fat as related to ophthalmology. All of this existing research had never been pulled together in a comprehensive way."

The team found age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy to have direct links to obesity and the underlying neurological and physiological problems it causes. These diseases are all associated with progressive deterioration of sight over time.

While the four diseases highlighted by Drs. Belkin and Habot-Wilner, are well-known, the public is generally poorly informed of the link between them and obesity.

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage the eye's optic nerve, resulting in vision loss and blindness.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes the sharp, central vision to blur, making some activities such as reading difficult. AMD affects the macula, which is the part of the eye that allows you to see fine detail.

Cataracts are a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Diabetic retinopathy (a complication of diabetes), which is a leading cause of blindness, occurs when diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels inside the retina.

Dr Habot-Wilner stressed that, while the exact reasons for the links are not clear (especially in the case of cataracts); they wanted to raise awareness of the risks of sight problems linked to obesity.

"The message we want to send is that obesity can cause not just cancer and hypertension but also ocular disease. While this is something that most ophthalmologists know, it's not common knowledge and it should be. It's the risk factor that no one talks about."

In a second study, researchers from Monash Medical School in Melbourne found that p eople who are obese around the middle and are physically inactive are less likely to survive after a diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

The researchers led by Dr. Andrew M. M. Haydon used data from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study to examinee whether physical activity and obesity influenced the survival of more than 40,000 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer between 1990 and 1994.

The findings published in the upcoming issue of Gut, show that patients who engaged in regular exercise before their colorectal cancer were 31% less likely to die from the cancer than were non-exercisers. Moreover, 73% of those who exercised survived at least five years, compared with 61% who did not.

According to Dr. Haydon: "We have now shown that modifiable lifestyle factors that were known to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer can also reduce the mortality in cases diagnosed with the disease. This strengthens the argument supporting the public health message of 'healthy living.'"

The third study, by scientists at the University of California at San Diego, found that high-fat diets can disrupt blood sugar levels and trigger diabetes a factor that helps shed light on the link between obesity and a disease usually linked to sugar.

The researchers concluded that fatty foods can suppress an enzyme crucial to the production of insulin, which regulates blood sugar.

The study, published in the journal Cell, clarifies the link between the two conditions. According to one expert, this research could suggest new approaches to the prevention and treatment of diabetes.

Clearly, the central theme of these studies is undeniable; obesity is dangerous and can lead to several debilitating or fatal medical conditions. Another point is also clear, and that is lifestyle changes and modifiable behavior can help reduce the risks of these devastating diseases.

More Headlines from December 29, 2005