Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) fed two groups of rats a solution containing high-fructose corn syrup – a common ingredient in processed foods – as drinking water for six weeks.

One group of rats was supplemented with brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), while the other group was not.

Before the sugar drinks began, the rats were enrolled in a five-day training session in a complicated maze. The rats were placed back in the maze six weeks later on the sweet solution to see how they fared.

“The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity,” said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

“Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats’ ability to think clearly and recall the route they’d learned six weeks earlier.”

A closer look at the rat brains revealed that those who were not fed DHA supplements had also developed signs of resistance to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar and regulates brain function.

“Because insulin can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, the hormone may signal neurons to trigger reactions that disrupt learning and cause memory loss,” Gomez-Pinilla said.

In other words, eating too much fructose could interfere with insulin’s ability to regulate how cells use and store sugar, which is necessary for processing thoughts and emotions.

“Insulin is important in the body for controlling blood sugar, but it may play a different role in the brain, where insulin appears to disturb memory and learning,” Gomez-Pinilla said.

“Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body. This is something new.”

High-fructose corn syrup is commonly found in soda, condiments, applesauce, baby food and other processed snacks.

The average American consumes more than 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of high-fructose corn syrup per year, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

“Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think,” said Gomez-Pinilla.

“Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain’s ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimise the damage.” Independent Online

The trials, funded by grants of $16 million and $7.9 million respectively, are part of a national Alzheimer’s plan, a sweeping effort to find an effective way to prevent or treat Alzheimer’s by 2025 and improve the care of those already afflicted with the brain-wasting disease.

Experts predict that without more effective drugs, the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s will double by 2050 and annual related healthcare costs could soar to more than $1 trillion.

The fatal form of dementia affects about 5.1 million Americans today and current treatments address symptoms, but cannot prevent the disease or stop its progression.

Details of the two clinical trials are due to be announced by the National Institutes of Health at a national meeting on Alzheimer’s research in Bethesda, Maryland, later on Tuesday.

One of the studies will involve the use of a drug that attacks amyloid — a protein thought to be a cause of Alzheimer’s — in an international study of people who are genetically predisposed to develop the disease early.

The second will test the use of an insulin nasal spray to restore memory in patients with Alzheimer’s.

An earlier small study of the latter approach by the University of Washington published last year showed memory improvements in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s or a pre-Alzheimer’s condition called amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Funding

Funding for the new initiatives will come from $50 million the Obama administration has set aside for the national Alzheimer’s plan for fiscal 2012.

Another $100 million has been earmarked for fiscal 2013, including $80 million for research, $4.2 million for public awareness, $4 million for provider education, $10.5 million in caregiver support, and $1.3 million to improve data collection.

The national plan, called for in the National Alzheimer’s Project Act signed by President Barack Obama last year, and drafted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), reflects the input of 3,600 people or organizations.

It includes development of new training for doctors, a public education campaign, including TV advertisements and a website — www.alzheimers.gov — to help families and carers find services and support.

“These actions are the cornerstones of an historic effort to fight Alzheimer’s disease,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.

“This is a national plan — not a federal one, because reducing the burden of Alzheimer’s will require the active engagement of both the public and private sectors.”

The 2025 goal has been the subject of lengthy debate in the advisory council tasked with helping to write the national plan.

“We had people saying it was overly ambitious and we had people who said it wasn’t ambitious enough,” said Don Moulds, principal deputy assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at HHS, in a telephone interview.

Moulds said there was concern that an earlier goal might skew research funding into treatments that might be easy hits, but not game-changing treatments. In the end, the 2025 target was the earliest date a significant treatment could be found.

Although work was already going on to find a treatment for Alzheimer’s, Moulds said the national plan and its specific targets and timelines would help focus the government’s efforts.

“It’s a huge initiative and a very ambitious step in the right direction,” he said. By Julie Steenhuysen, msnbc

In a single-center study, almost a quarter of willing donors were initially excluded because they were too heavy, Dr. Mala Sachdeva of North Shore-LIJ Health System Transplant Center on Long Island, N.Y., and colleagues reported at the National Kidney Foundation meeting here.

And only a small percentage of those patients were ultimately able to lose enough weight to donate a kidney, despite their initial motivation, Sachdeva said at the group’s poster presentation.

Although there are no established national criteria, most centers exclude living donors who have a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or above, because previous work has shown poorer outcomes for both donor and recipient.

Thus, America’s expanding waistlines may be playing a role in the national organ shortage by shrinking the donor pool, the researchers said. Currently, about 92,000 patients are waiting for a

She and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of 104 potential living kidney donors seen at their institution between 2008 and 2011. Only 18 percent had a BMI considered to be within the normal range (25 or below), while the majority fell into the overweight-to-obese category: 37 percent had a BMI between 25 and 30, the rest had a BMI of 30 or above.

Almost a quarter (22 percent) of potential donors were excluded from giving up their organs because they had a BMI of 35 or above, the researchers reported. These patients were then referred to a counselor from the institution who creates an individual diet and lifestyle modification plan and follows up with these patients on a monthly basis.

Only three donors (13 percent), however, were able to lose enough weight to donate: “That’s not a lot of success, even though the motivation was there,” Sachdeva said.

About a third of these patients (30 percent) were unsuccessful at losing weight. The rest declined for medical reasons (9 percent), decided not to donate (26 percent), were lost to follow-up (13 percent), or didn’t end up donating for other reasons (9 percent).

Sachdeva said interventions should target the patients who had the motivation to lose weight but couldn’t. Clinicians can refer them to an outside weight loss program, or to a gastric banding procedure if they’re eligible, she said.

Transplant centers also can implement more rigorous weight reduction programs, with greater follow-up and peer support, she said, adding that more research is needed to figure out which weight loss approaches are most successful.

NKF president Dr. Lynda Szczech said in a statement that the study points out “the impact of obesity as a barrier to donation.”

“As the kidney transplant waiting list grows, there is a great need for living donors,” Szczech said in the statement. “As a community, we need to identify ways to overcome this barrier so that we can increase our donor pool and end the wait for transplant.” By Kristina Fiore, ABC News

His story has compelled donations from community organizations concerned about his well-being. But it will be up to the boy and his family to make sure he doesn’t regain the weight and end up in court again after a judge in Cleveland released him from protective supervision on Thursday.

The boy, who was placed in foster care last fall and then spent three months living with an uncle, lost about 50 pounds through exercise and healthy eating. He was returned to his mother under protective supervision in March.

Social-service workers still plan on checking on the boy and his mother in Cleveland Heights and have offered them nutritional and health counseling.

“We will remain involved as long as the mother allows us to remain involved,” said Mary Louise Madigan, spokeswoman for Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services.

The boy was removed from his family over health concerns and placed in foster care in October after Cuyahoga County case workers said his mother wasn’t doing enough to control his weight. Children and Family Services said it had worked with the family for more than a year before he was removed.

The boy was considered at risk for developing diabetes or high blood pressure. Government growth charts say most boys his age weigh about 60 pounds. He had weighed as much as 218 pounds but dropped to 166 pounds when he was with his uncle.

He was placed in his uncle’s custody in December on the day he celebrated his ninth birthday.

The goal all along was to get him back with his family, said John Lawson, a lawyer who was appointed by a judge to act as a guardian during court proceedings.

The uncle took him to the gym three nights a week, Lawson said. The boy also began swimming and playing basketball and is doing well despite changing schools and homes several times in recent months, Lawson said.

The boy is continuing to exercise, and his mother recently found a job, which should help with the family’s financial stability, Lawson said.

The YMCA donated a membership, and the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People gave the family some exercise equipment and a scale.

“That’s the tremendous thing,” Lawson said. “Let’s hope we never have to go back to court with this child.” By  John Seewer, The Columbus Dispatch

But there is insufficient evidence on the association for other cancer types.

Improvements in cancer treatment and screening have allowed cancer survivors to live longer and as a result, cancer survivors frequently look at information about how lifestyle factors like exercise can affect their prognosis.

Multiple observational studies and randomized control trials (RCTs) have looked at the effects that physical activity can have on cancer survivors.

To examine the association between physical activity and cancer survival, Rachel Ballard-Barbash, M.D., of the Applied Research Program in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute and colleagues reviewed 45 articles reporting both observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that looked at the relationship between physical activity and mortality and/or cancer biomarkers among cancer survivors.

The researchers found that the RCTs with biomarker endpoints suggest that exercise may provide benefits to survivors’ insulin levels, reduce inflammation, and, possibly, improve immunity.

The strongest evidence is for breast cancer survivors: most studies showed a statistically significant reduced risk of breast cancer and all-cause mortality associated with exercise. The next strongest evidence was for colorectal cancer survivors.

The researchers pointed out that because of the diversity of the studies, it would be impossible to extrapolate specific recommendations on type and timing of physical activity.

However, they can attest to the overall safety, physical and mental benefits of exercise for cancer survivors.

They added that future RCTs should look at different types of exercise, as well as how obesity, weight loss, and cancer treatments may influence the effects of exercise on biomarkers. Also, how exercise may influence comorbidities in cancer survivors should be studied, they wrote.

Edward L. Giovannucci, M.D., ScD, of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, stated that physical activity might extend the life span of the cancer survivor, as well as their quality of life.

“Even though direct effects of physical activity on cancer are not definitely proven, given that physical activity is generally safe, improves quality of life for cancer patients, and has numerous other health benefits, adequate physical activity should be a standard part of cancer care,” he added. The Siasat Daily

They say that if current trends continue, cases of heart disease, strokes, cancer and diabetes related to obesity will soar, costing the NHS £320billion in the next 20 years.

Researcher Tim Marsh, of the National Heart Forum, said: ‘Whilst there are going to be inevitable healthcare costs as the consequences of an ageing population – wear and tear that we can’t do much to prevent – this is entirely preventable.’

He revealed details of England’s obesity timebomb at the European Congress on Obesity in graphs showing the relentless rise of the problem since 1993.

His projections for the future show the march towards an early grave for many will continue if nothing is done to halt it.

The conference in Lyon heard that in 1993, around 10 per cent of English men aged between 18 and 40 were classed as obese. Today, the figure stands at 20 per cent.

By 2030, 40 per cent of young men in England are predicted to be obese, and by 2040 the figure will hit 45 per cent.

With more than four in every ten classified obese, it will represent a 350 per cent rise in just under 50 years.

Young women are also forecast to keep getting fatter, although not as quickly.

In 1993, 12 per cent of English women aged between 18 and 40 were obese, and today the figure stands at 21 per cent.

By 2030, it is predicted to rise to 33 per cent, and by 2040, to 40 per cent.

If the projections hold true, obesity will become a bigger problem among men than women.

Almost 60 per cent of men between 40 and 100 are projected to be obese by 2040, compared with more than 50 per cent of women in the same range.

If rates rise as predicted, around two thirds of men and women will suffer from type 2 diabetes, the form that usually develops in middle age and is linked to an unhealthy lifestyle.

Mr Marsh predicts that the ‘extremely scary’ bill for treating obesity-related illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and breast cancer, between now and 2030 will reach £320billion.

Treatment of diabetes alone will make up a quarter of the tab. Mr Marsh said it was important to view obesity as a long-term problem and take a range of actions against it.

‘You need to change the environment so healthy food is more available, also better food labelling and healthier food in schools,’ he added.

‘Jamie Oliver is absolutely right – habits created in schools not only have an impact in the future, but they can impact on the family as well. If children are prepared to eat healthier food, that tends to affect shopping habits.

‘Investing in school food is costly, undoubtedly, but it can be shown to be a good investment.

‘Often people are just looking for quick returns on their investment but we are not going to get that. We have to look at the longer term, over the life course, particularly with politicians.

‘It is not even going to be in their lifetime because 40 or 50 years away they are going to be dead, or beyond caring.’

Dr David Haslam, of the National Obesity Forum, said: ‘The important thing is not the obesity, it is the disease and serious long-term conditions that go along with it.’

He added that Primary Care Trusts and others paying for obesity care should act now. ‘It is cheaper to intervene and manage the condition than not to,’ he said.

Measured by calculating Body Mass Index – a formula relating height to weight – people are classified as obese if they have a BMI of more than 30 or are more than a fifth above their ideal weight.

Obesity is caused by an addiction to food and anonymous treatment, as used by groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, could be the solution, a child obesity expert told the conference.

Paediatrician Dr Robert Pretlow, of the US charity eHealth International, said that like alcoholics, food addicts needed help getting through a withdrawal phase. By Fiona Macrae, The Daily Mail

In a study, hormone-deficient men were given testosterone supplements in a similar way to HRT for older women.

Men lost an average of 16kg over five years when testosterone levels were increased back to normal.

But experts warn that supplements may not be the answer due to possible risks of prostate cancer and heart disease, the BBC reported.

“The notion that this is a quick fix for obese older men is, as always, simplistic. It is far more sensible and safer for men to reduce their food intake, reduce their obesity, which will then elevate their own testosterone,” said Prof Richard Sharpe from the University of Edinburgh Centre for Reproductive Health.

The findings announced at the European Congress on Obesity also suggest that raising testosterone levels could reduce waist circumference and blood pressure.

Dr Farid Saad, lead author of the study said: “We came across this by accident. These men were being given testosterone for a hormone deficiency – they had a range of problems – erectile dysfunction, fatigue and lack of energy.

“When we analysed the data we found that every year, for five years, they had lost weight. It may be that the increased testosterone restored their energy levels and led to a behavioural change of being more physically active,” Dr Saad stated.

However, experts remain dubious. While some experts have linked low testosterone levels to a male “menopause”, with symptoms including changes in sleeping patterns, poor concentration, feeling worthless and anxiety, others have found to have no such link.

“This is interesting, but not absolutely convincing. We cannot say for sure that this is the effect of the drug rather than being involved in such a trial,” said Prof Ashley Grossman, an endocrinologist from the University of Oxford.

“I will remain sceptical until I see a large scale study in a more robust fashion. The gold standard test would be to pitch the testosterone injections against a dummy drug in a controlled trial,” he added.

The study looked at 115 obese men aged between 38-83 years with low testosterone levels. They were injected with the hormone every 12 weeks to increase levels.

The research, paid for by Bayer Pharma, a manufacturer of testosterone replacement therapy, found no increased risk of prostate cancer, a side-effect found in other studies.

The relationship between obesity and testosterone appears to be a vicious cycle. There are numerous studies showing that obesity, in particular abdominal obesity, is associated with reduced testosterone levels in men and a reduction in muscle.

With ageing, especially beyond 40-50 years, testosterone levels tend to decline slowly, which may predispose to abdominal obesity which will then further lower testosterone levels. Newstrack India

Today, just over a third of U.S. adults are obese. By 2030, 42 percent will be, says a forecast released Monday.

That’s not nearly as many as experts had predicted before the once-rapid rises in obesity rates began levelling off. But the new forecast suggests even small continuing increases will add up.

“We still have a very serious problem,” said obesity specialist Dr. William Dietz of the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Worse, the already obese are getting fatter. Severe obesity will double by 2030, when 11 percent of adults will be nearly 100 pounds (45 kilograms) overweight, or more, concluded the research led by Duke University.

That could be an ominous consequence of childhood obesity. Half of severely obese adults were obese as children, and they put on more pounds as they grew up, said CDC’s Dietz.

While being overweight increases anyone’s risk of diabetes, heart disease and a host of other ailments, the severely obese are most at risk and the most expensive to treat. Already, conservative estimates suggest obesity-related problems account for at least 9 percent of the nation’s yearly health spending, or $150 billion a year.

Data presented Monday at a major CDC meeting paint something of a mixed picture of the obesity battle. There’s some progress- Clearly, the skyrocketing rises in obesity rates of the 1980s and ‘90s have ended. But Americans aren’t getting thinner.

Over the past decade, obesity rates stayed about the same in women, while men experienced a small rise, said CDC’s Cynthia Ogden. That increase occurred mostly in higher-income men, for reasons researchers couldn’t explain.

About 17 percent of the nation’s children and teens were obese in 2009 and 2010, the latest available data. That’s about the same as at the beginning of the decade, although a closer look by Ogden shows continued small increases in boys, especially African-American boys.

Does that mean obesity has plateaued? Well, some larger CDC databases show continued upticks, said Duke University health economist Eric Finkelstein, who led the new CDC-funded forecast. His study used that information along with other factors that influence obesity rates including food prices, prevalence of fast-food restaurants, unemployment to come up with what he called “very reasonable estimates” for the next two decades.

Part of the reason for the continuing rise is that the population is growing and aging. People ages 45 to 64 are most likely to be obese, Finkelstein said.

Today, more than 78 million U.S. adults are obese, defined as having a body-mass index of 30 or more. BMI is a measure of weight for height. Someone who’s 5-feet-5 (1.65 meters) would be termed obese at 180 pounds (82 kilograms), and severely obese with a BMI of 40 240 pounds (109 kilograms).

The new forecast suggests 32 million more people could be obese in 2030 adding $550 billion in health spending over that time span, Finkelstein said.

“If nothing is done, this is going to really hinder efforts to control health care costs,” added study co—author Justin Trogdon of RTI International. The Hindu

The primary goal for diabetics is to regulate their blood glucose (sugar) levels because they can’t rely on their bodies to naturally produce enough insulin, the hormone that shuttles glucose from the bloodstream into cells. With Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops making insulin, while with Type 2, the pancreas progressively makes less and less insulin or the body has difficulty using it (known as insulin resistance).

Left uncontrolled, diabetes can lead to long-term organ damage, resulting sometimes in heart disease, stroke, vision loss, kidney failure, foot amputation or death, studies show.

Anyone with diabetes should meet with a dietitian to formulate a meal plan tailored to their particular needs, experts say. But there are some general best practices.

Carbohydrate-rich foods, which break down into glucose during digestion, are of principal concern in a diabetic’s diet. Those who use mealtime insulin injections – usually Type 1 diabetics and some Type 2 diabetics – typically have to count the grams of carbohydrates they eat at each meal so that they can give themselves the appropriate insulin dose.

But carbs are not the enemy or the only factor.

“What matters most is how much people eat,” said certified diabetes educator Marion Franz, a Minneapolis-based nutrition and health consultant. If people cut back on total daily calories, regardless of the food source, generally their blood glucose levels decrease, and some people lose weight, which also helps significantly, Franz said. Eating anything in excess, even healthy foods, can be harmful, she said.

It’s generally recommended for people to eat less than 2,000 calories daily, though that depends on body size and level of physical activity, Franz said.

Diabetics shouldn’t eliminate carbs completely, though they should limit them and choose nutritionally rich carbs (veggies, whole grains) over empty ones (sugars, refined grains), said Amy Campbell, manager of the clinical education programs at Joslin Diabetes Center, a research organization affiliated with Harvard Medical School.

Typically diabetics should aim to eat 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per meal, and 15 to 30 grams per snack, so that they spread their carb intake throughout the day, she said. Sometimes men and avid exercisers can handle more.

Counting carbs can be tricky, so Campbell recommends following the American Diabetes Association’s plate method for devising a meal: Fill half your plate with nonstarchy vegetables (carrots, broccoli, spinach), a quarter with lean protein (fish, chicken) and a quarter with high-fiber starches (brown rice, quinoa, beans). Add a piece of whole fruit (not fruit juice, which isn’t as filling and sometimes contains added sugar) and an 8-ounce glass of nonfat or low-fat milk. Foods like cheese can be eaten in small amounts.

Avoiding saturated fats, such as fried foods and high-fat meats, is as important as watching carbs, as people with diabetes are more than two times more likely to suffer heart disease than people without, Campbell said.

Diabetics can eat sweets on occasion – no need to deny yourself a slice of cake on your birthday – as long as they swap out another carb and stay under their total carb goal, said Catherine Brown, senior diabetes education coordinator at the University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology. So, nix the rice during dinner if you plan to eat pie for dessert.

There is controversy about whether to take into account a food’s glycemic index, which is a measure of how fast a food causes a person’s blood glucose levels to rise within two hours. Research has been mixed on whether it makes a difference, and multiple variables can affect a food’s impact on glucose levels, including how it’s prepared and what it’s eaten with.

Once overall carb intake is under control, Brown said, it could be worth it to pick foods with a lower glycemic index.

While eating healthfully is important, diabetics can still fit favorite foods – including sugar – into their meal plans as long as they eat them in serving sizes that don’t significantly affect blood glucose levels, said Janis Roszler, a Miami-based registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator who has written several books on the topic, including “Diabetes on Your Own Terms.”

To determine a safe serving size, she suggests people check their blood glucose level two hours after their first bite of a meal. If it’s less than 180 milligrams per deciliter – or, for tighter control, less than 140 – the amount consumed was OK, Roszler said. If not, they should cut back.

The only food Roszler suggests diabetics avoid at all costs are nondiet soft drinks, which contain “way too much” sugar, she said.

Exercise is another way to make room for more favorite foods, Roszler said, as it can bring down blood sugar levels for up to 24 hours.

She said she’s also excited about preliminary research showing the potential of a Mediterranean diet to help prevent sexual complications for people with Type 2 diabetes. By Alexia, Elejalde-Ruiz, Sacramento Bee

Thanks to improved dental care, fluoride in water, and more healthful lifestyles, dental cavities are less common and many more Americans are able to keep their natural teeth throughout their lives.

Sadly, 108 million Americans do not have dental insurance, and those covered by public programs rarely get the care they need. Federal law requires that every person eligible for Medicaid receive adequate dental care.

Because of a shortage of funds, states deliver dental care to fewer than half of the children who are eligible for Medicaid, and statistics for public health programs for adults are even worse. In Minnesota (the state with the best record), 56 percent of children on Medicaid receive no dental care.

It is not surprising that the Pew Research Center reported a 16 percent increase in emergency room visits for dental problems between 2006 and 2009. In Florida in 2010, there were 115,000 visits to the ER for dental problems at a cost of $88 million.

And dental care given in the ER usually is inadequate. A dentist does not see patients and treatment is limited to antibiotics and pain medication.

Failure to pay attention to your teeth and not understanding the importance of flossing and brushing appropriately sets the stage for lifelong tooth problems. Poor dental hygiene leads to the proliferation of bacteria and the production of acids that eat away at tooth enamel, leading to cavities.

Simultaneously, a clear, sticky substance called plaque forms that is not only harmful to teeth but also leads to irritation and infection of the gum and severe periodontal disease. Cavities can be huge abscesses where severe pain can occur, and because of gum disease, teeth get loose and are easily lost.

Needless to say, bad breath is a common feature.

And with advancing aging, increasing tooth decay leads to dental abscesses, loss of teeth, the need for dentures, and eventually, difficulties with chewing and swallowing adequate amounts of food.

This, in turn, can contribute to weight loss, malnutrition and the increased risk of infections.

Of course, with bad teeth comes bad gums. Infection of the gums leads to periodontal disease that we used to believe caused problems that were limited to the mouth — including pain, discomfort and a high risk of tooth loss.

Now we know that periodontal disease has far more serious effects. Inflammation causes an increased production of white blood cells and proteins that help fight infection.

Unfortunately, this inflammatory response has negative side effects. Molecules called cytokines enter the bloodstream, causing inflammation in arteries that can lead to the deposition of fats and cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

All of these problems can be avoided by paying attention to your teeth. Visiting a dentist usually involves initial treatment by a skilled dental hygienist who evaluates your teeth, diligently removes plaque, and cleans your teeth so that they sparkle.

A careful evaluation to identify cavities and education about how to maintain healthy teeth and gums is a key part of the visit. Until recently, many dentists recommended or performed annual bitewing X-rays to identify and treat cavities that are otherwise undetectable.

However, a recent study published in the journal Cancer showed that dental X-rays increased the risk of a benign tumor of the brain called a meningioma by 40 percent to 90 percent. And the risk was particularly high for children under the age of 10 who received panoramic dental X-rays.

A meningioma can cause headaches and an array of neurological problems. Based on this report, the American Dental Association issued a statement recommending that dentists should order X-rays only when needed.

While dental X-rays increase the risk of meningioma, this should never deter anyone from regular dental examinations. Discuss the need for an X-ray with your dentist and agree only if the test will make a difference in your care. By Dr. David Lipschitz, The Oklahoman