Washington, D.C. – When it comes to sodium levels in food, consumers are asking the food industry for just a pinch. Nearly 7,000 consumers joined Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy division of Consumer Reports, in a recent petition supporting regulatory efforts to set national, industry-wide targets to reduce sodium in processed and restaurant foods.

In comments filed today with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the consumer group commended the agency’s joint initiative with the Food Safety and Inspection Service to reduce sodium consumption in the United States. Highlighting the myriad of health risks linked to high sodium, Consumers Union urged the FDA to work towards a goal of limiting intake to 2,300 mg per day, while also encouraging children and those at risk for hypertension to consume no more than 1500 mg.

“Many American consumers are seeking a sensible solution to the growing levels of sodium in processed and restaurant foods” said Ioana Rusu, regulatory counsel for Consumers Union. “Unfortunately, the answer is not simply to put down the salt shaker, since an overwhelming majority of sodium intake comes from processed, pre-packaged foods.”

Americans’ excessive consumption of sodium has been linked to increased health risks. The Institute of Medicine estimates that as many as 32 percent of adult Americans have hypertension, and roughly another third have pre-hypertension. Research has also shown that an excess intake of sodium plays a major role in the development of hypertension-related diseases, such as stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and kidney disease.

But it’s not as simple as picking healthier options over junk food. Sometimes lower-fat products can be higher in sodium than their full-fat counterparts to compensate for taste, making healthy grocery store choices even more difficult. Consumer Reports found that a serving of Ruffles Original Potato Chips had 10 grams of fat and 160 mg of sodium, while the baked version, with 7 fewer grams of fat, had 40 mg more sodium.

“Even consumers committed to a low-fat, healthier diet could inadvertently be consuming an excessive amount of salt. The health risks are too serious to continue the status quo of ever-increasing sodium. We look forward to working with the FDA to develop effective ways to reduce sodium levels and increase consumer choices,” said Rusu.

Cardiovascular disease is still the No. 1 killer of men and women, killing about 800,000 Americans each year, and nearly 20,000 right here in Tennessee. That’s more than the next four causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer.But up to 80% of cardiovascular disease may actually be PREVENTABLE through healthy lifestyle choices.

The American Heart Association recommends

• Healthy eating: Low salt (1500 mg/day), low fat, 3-5 cups vegetables a day
• Exercise 30 minutes a day
• Healthy body mass index
• Control blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose
• Go smoke-free
• Listen to your body! If you feel something is not right, get it checked out.

For tons of great information on how to beat heart disease, visit the American Heart Association website at www.heart.org.

And remember this Friday is National Wear Red Day: everyone wear red to support the fight against heart disease in women.

“Caretakers, healthcare providers, and the bereaved themselves need to recognize they are in a period of heightened risk in the days and weeks after hearing of someone close dying,” said Murray Mittleman, M.D., Dr.P.H., a preventive cardiologist and epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and School of Public Health’s epidemiology department in Boston, MA.

A study of 1,985 adult heart attack survivors showed that after a significant person’s death, heart attack risks:

• Increased to 21 times higher than normal within the first day
• Were almost six times higher than normal within the first week
• Continued to decline steadily over the first month.

Researchers also found that the increased risk of heart attack within the first week after the loss of a significant person ranges from one per 320 people with a high heart attack risk to one per 1,394 people with a low heart attack risk.

The study is first to focus on heart attack risk during the first few days and weeks after someone close died.

Grieving spouses have higher long-term risks of dying, with heart disease and strokes accounting for up to 53 percent of deaths, according to previous research.

As part of the multicenter Determinants of MI Onset Study, researchers reviewed charts and interviewed patients while in the hospital after a confirmed heart attack between 1989 and 1994. Patients answered questions about circumstances surrounding their heart attack, as well as whether they recently lost someone significant in their lives over the past year, when the death happened and the importance of their relationship.

Researchers used a case crossover design to compare patients over the past six months. The approach eliminated the possible confounding factors of comparing different people.

The researchers estimated the relative risk of a heart attack by comparing the number of patients who had someone close to them die in the week before their heart attack to the number of deaths of significant people in their lives from one to six months before their heart attack. Psychological stress such as that caused by intense grief can increase heart rate, blood pressure and blood clotting, which can raise chances of a heart attack.

At the beginning of the grieving process, people are more likely to experience less sleep, low appetite and higher cortisol levels, which can also increase heart attack risks.

Grieving people also sometimes neglect regular medications, possibly leading to adverse heart events, said Elizabeth Mostofsky, lead author of the research. “Friends and family of bereaved people should provide close support to help prevent such incidents, especially near the beginning of the grieving process.”

Similarly, medical professionals should be aware that the bereaved are at much higher risk for heart attacks than usual.

“During situations of extreme grief and psychological distress, you still need to take care of yourself and seek medical attention for symptoms associated with a heart attack,” Mittleman said.

Heart attack signs include chest discomfort, upper body or stomach pain, shortness of breath, breaking into a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

Future studies are needed to make more specific recommendations based on the study, Mittleman said.

Co-authors are: Elizabeth Mostofsky, M.P.H, Sc.D.; Malcolm Maclure, Sc.D.; Jane Sherwood, R.N.; Geoffrey Tofler, M.D.; and James Muller, M.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

The National Institutes of Health funded the research.

Nashville, TN – January is National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, and the Tennessee Department of Health is urging all women to get screened for cervical cancer in 2012. Cervical cancer is a silent killer that strikes without symptoms or pain until the disease is in the most advanced stage.

“The survival rate is almost 100 percent for women whose cervical cancer is found at an early stage. Deaths from cervical cancer could be decreased dramatically through the combination of vaccination and regular Pap testing,” Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, said. “We urge all women to get screened for cervical cancer and talk to their health care providers about ways to prevent and reduce the risk of developing cervical cancer.”

Almost all cervical cancer is caused by infection with certain dangerous strains of Human Papillomavirus, a virus so common that about half of all sexually active people will be infected by one or more different strains in their lifetime. HPV vaccines can prevent infection with the kinds of HPV that cause most cervical cancer. These vaccines are available from many healthcare providers and through the Vaccines for Children program in Tennessee’s public health department clinics for anyone under age 19 with TennCare or without insurance coverage. Even though the vaccine works very well, it cannot prevent every case of cervical cancer, so vaccinated women also need regular Pap smears.

”The HPV vaccine is quite safe and very effective at preventing infections that can lead to cervical cancer and other kinds of cancer in both men and women. For this reason, it is now recommended for both young women and men,” according to Kelly Moore, MD, MPH, medical director of the Tennessee Immunization Program. “Because the vaccines prevent infections but cannot treat pre-existing infections, they work best when given well before sexual activity begins. They are typically given at age 11 or 12, along with other routine pre-teen vaccinations, but they are recommended for every woman under age 27 who has not yet been vaccinated.”

All women are at risk for developing cervical cancer, especially as they age. Screening and early diagnosis are the best ways to ensure a cervical cancer diagnosis is not fatal. The American Cancer Society reports that in the United States, about 12,701 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed this year and about 4,290 women will die from cervical cancer. Among American women diagnosed with cervical cancer, 60 to 80 percent had not had a Pap test in the past five years.

Women can contact their local community health center or county health department for information on screening services and locations. The Tennessee Breast and Cervical Screening Program is available in most county health departments and some community health centers across the state to assist uninsured women with limited income in getting clinical breast exams, Pap tests and mammograms at no charge.

For more information, call the toll-free number 1.877.96.WOMEN (1.877.969.6636) or visit the TDOH website at http://health.state.tn.us/BCC/index.htm.

In the 2010 resuscitation guidelines, the association advised 9-1-1 dispatchers to help bystanders assess anyone who may have had a cardiac arrest and then direct them to begin CPR.

The new scientific statement provides more specific information about how emergency dispatchers should provide such help and highlights the importance of assessing the dispatcher’s actions and other performance measures.

A key goal of the new statement is to increase how often bystanders perform CPR, one of the weaker links in the “Chain of Survival.”

“I think it’s a call to arms,” said E. Brooke Lerner, Ph.D., lead author of the statement and associate professor of emergency medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. “It isn’t as common as you think, that you call 9-1-1 and they tell you what to do.”

The association makes four recommendations for emergency medical services (EMS) systems and 9-1-1 dispatchers:

Dispatchers should assess whether someone has had a cardiac arrest and if so, tell callers how to administer CPR immediately.

Dispatchers should confidently give Hands-Only CPR instructions for adults who have had a cardiac arrest not caused by asphyxia (as in drowning).

Communities should measure performance of dispatchers and local EMS agencies, including how long it takes until CPR is begun.

Performance measurements should be part of a quality assurance program involving the entire emergency response system including EMS and hospitals.

More than 380,000 Americans each year are assessed by EMS for sudden cardiac arrest, which occurs when electrical impulses in the heart go awry and cause it to stop beating normally. Only 11 percent of people who experience sudden cardiac arrest outside the hospital setting survive.

Strengthening the links in the “Chain of Survival” — the processes that can improve the chance of surviving sudden cardiac arrest — could improve those odds further. These links include recognizing cardiac arrest quickly and calling 9-1-1; early CPR; rapid defibrillation; effective advanced life support; and integrated post-cardiac arrest care.

In communities where awareness is high and the Chain of Survival is strong, the usual survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest can be doubled, Lerner said.

People who lack CPR training but encounter someone who needs it are often afraid to act. Even if the patient is suffering from something other than cardiac arrest, “the chances that you’re going to hurt somebody are very, very small,” she said. “And if you do nothing, they’re not getting the help that’s going to save their life.”

Since 2008, the American Heart Association has urged that untrained bystanders quickly begin Hands-Only CPR for adults who are unresponsive and not breathing or only gasping. Research has shown that skipping mouth-to-mouth breaths during conventional CPR doesn’t reduce survival rates in the first few minutes of CPR, and enables chest compressions to begin about a minute sooner.

“We know that early chest compressions can improve outcomes,” Lerner said.

Conventional CPR with compressions and breaths is recommended for all infants and children and for adults whose cardiac arrest is likely to have been caused by asphyxia.

Training dispatchers and implementing the statement’s recommendations requires commitment from an entire community, Lerner said. “It takes a lot of people believing in it to make it happen.”

Co-authors are Thomas D. Rea, M.D., M.P.H.; Bentley J. Bobrow, M.D.; Joe E. Acker III, E.M.T.-P., M.P.H.; Robert A. Berg, M.D.; Steven C. Brooks, M.D., M.H.Sc.; David C. Cone, M.D.; Marc Gay, B.A., E.M.T.-P.; Lana M. Gent, Ph.D.; Greg Mears, M.D.; Vinay M. Nadkarni, M.D.; Robert E. O’Connor, M.D., M.P.H.; Jerald Potts, Ph.D.; Michael R. Sayre, M.D.; Robert A. Swor, D.O.; and Andrew H. Travers, M.D., M.Sc.

The authors produced the statement on behalf of the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee and the Council on Cardiopulmonary, Critical Care, Perioperative, and Resuscitation (3-CPR).

Nashville, TN – Start the new year by making healthy lifestyle changes such as eating better, getting more physical activity and quitting smoking. While quitting can be difficult, it can be done, especially with the help of professional support. Tennesseans have a greater chance of quitting for good and keeping their New Year’s resolution with help from the Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine, a free coaching service available to all adult Tennesseans who wish to stop using tobacco.

“Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do to improve your health and the health of your family, and we’re eager to support any Tennessean who wants to take up this challenge,” Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, said. “Research shows smokers who use counseling as part of their quit program have a better chance of quitting. We encourage all Tennesseans ready to start a tobacco-free life to take full advantage of the free resources the QuitLine provides.”

The Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine, available at 1.800.QUIT.NOW and online at www.tnquitline.com, offers personalized support for Tennessee residents who want to quit smoking by connecting them with trained quit coaches to guide them through the quitting process. Callers will receive ongoing professional coaching via individually scheduled calls with a quit coach personally assigned to them. This convenient and confidential service is free and available in both English and Spanish. The service is also available for the deaf and hard-of-hearing at TTY: 1.877.559.3816.

QuitLine callers have complimentary access to relapse prevention techniques, printed resource materials, information on nicotine replacement therapies and other services to aid in the quitting process.

Give yourself a raise: Besides being a killer, tobacco use is expensive! Most smokers directly spend more than $1,000 each year just on cigarettes and not counting the added costs of transportation, higher life and health insurance premiums and other indirect costs.

Give your body a break: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, quitting smoking has the following health benefits:

• Lowers risk of lung and other types of cancer
• Reduces risk for heart disease and stroke
• Improves respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath
• Reduces risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, a leading cause of death in the United States
• Reduces risk for infertility among women
• Reduces risk of low birth-weight babies for women who stop smoking while pregnant

The Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine (1.800.QUIT.NOW or 1.800.784.8669) is a statewide toll-free telephone tobacco cessation treatment program made possible through the Tennessee Department of Health. Call or visit www.tnquitline.com today. There is no charge for services and clients have unlimited access to a quit coach through the QuitLine. Hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00am to 10:00pm; Saturday 9:00am to 6:00pm and Sunday 10:00am to 4:00pm Central Time.

One of the scams consumers should be aware of this month are diet scams. During the New Year’s holiday, you probably saw ads that claimed you could lose 30 pounds in 30 days, block the absorption of fat and carbs by taking a pill or melt away pounds by wearing a patch. If those ads sound too good to be true, they just might be.

“I urge consumers to use caution and to do their research before responding to any of these ads,” Consumer Affairs Director Gary Cordell said. “When it comes to weight loss, there are no shortcuts or quick fixes. Don’t fall for any ad that promises results that are too good to be true.”

These types of ads seem tempting because one of the most common New Year’s resolutions remains to lose weight, the quicker the better. However, scores of consumers have found many miracle weight loss products’ promises to be empty. Weight loss is a result of exercising regularly, cutting calories and eating nutritional foods, not a result of just taking a pill or wearing a patch. Even when miracle diet scams don’t prove to be dangerous, choosing to rely on pills, patches, creams and other gadgets to lose weight prevents millions of people from seeking weight loss programs that could really help them lose weight.

Some of the top miracle diet scams include:

• Metabolism-boosting pills based on herbal ingredients,
• Fat- and carb-blocking pills,
• Herbal weight loss teas,
• Diet patches, jewelry or other products worn on the body,
• And body wraps or “slim suits.”

The new year and credit

The start of the new year is a good time for you to request your free credit report. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. To request a free copy of your report, visit https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp.

Consumer Affairs (www.tn.gov/consumer/) is a division of the Department of Commerce and Insurance (www.tn.gov/commerce/), which works to protect consumers while ensuring fair competition for industries and professionals who do business in Tennessee. www.tn.gov/commerce/, @TNCommerceInsur (Twitter), http://on.fb.me/uFQwUZ (Facebook), http://bit.ly/ry1GyX (YouTube)

www.Flu.gov provides a variety of resources about the different types of flu strains, where you can get shots, and prevention and treatment options.

Different areas across the United States can be more prone to flu outbreaks than others. Check the CDC’s “FluView” to see the current flu activity level in your area. The map is updated weekly and can help you decide whether or not you and your family need to hurry up to the doctors for your flu shots.

Even though common colds are more prevalent this time of year, the flu can sneak up on you with no warning. Read up on how to tell the flu from a cold, the types of flu vaccines available to you, and find out who is most at risk for complications from the flu. Having a pamphlet on hand at the house can never hurt, and it’s a great go-to guide in case something comes up unexpectedly.

If you’re traveling over then next few weeks or months, make sure to check the areas you’re visiting, especially if you’re going outside the country. Flu.gov offers tips for travelers, including items you should include in a travel health kit and why you should look into what your insurance covers while you travel.

Whether you’re a homebody, or always running around, common colds and the flu can get to anyone; make sure you’re staying up-to-date with these tips from USA.gov.

While the most popular names for both girls and boys born in Tennessee remain largely unchanged from the previous year, new names have made their way into the top 10 on both lists this year.

The top 10 names Tennessee parents chose for their new babies born in 2011* are as follows:

*provisional data

William has been the top choice for boys’ names in Tennessee since 2007. Emma has reclaimed the top spot on the 2011 list, after ranking number two in 2010. Emily broke into Tennessee’s top 10 name list this year, moving up from the 11th spot on the list last year. The 2011 top ten list for boys includes three new entries: Mason, making a giant leap from number 14 in 2010 all the way to number 2 this year; and John and Joshua, which both just missed the top 10 list last year.

“As we celebrate the births of these children, we want to remind all Tennesseans that the best way to ensure a healthy baby is to start with healthy parents,” said Michael D. Warren, MD, MPH, director of Maternal and Child Health. “Preconception health is vital to positive pregnancy outcomes.”

Provisional birth data show the average age of Tennessee women giving birth in 2011 as 26.7 years. Nearly 60 percent of women who had babies in Tennessee in 2011 had previously had a child, and just over 41 percent were first-time mothers. Only 3.2 percent of the births were multiple deliveries such as twins or triplets. The vast majority of Tennessee births in 2011, 98.9 percent, took place in a hospital.

“All women of childbearing age should take a multivitamin that includes 400 micrograms of folic acid daily, even if they are not planning to become pregnant. Folic acid helps reduce the risk certain birth defects, including spina bifida and anencephaly, if taken in adequate amounts before becoming pregnant and during the very early weeks of pregnancy,” Warren said.

Although all enriched cereals and grain products in the United States are fortified with folic acid, only one third of American women of childbearing age consume the recommended daily amount. Taking a multivitamin with folic acid every day is a simple way for women to get the optimum dosage.

Stopping tobacco use is another important part of improving overall health for prospective parents. The Department of Health offers smoking cessation support at all Tennessee county health departments, and places a special emphasis on assisting pregnant women who smoke. For more information, contact your local health department. County health department locations and contact information can be found online at http://health.state.tn.us/localdepartments.htm.

The Tennessee Tobacco QuitLine also offers free counseling and support to all Tennessee residents who want to quit smoking or using other tobacco products. Learn more about this service by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visiting www.tnquitline.com.

Researchers found people who maintained or reduced their blood pressure to normal levels by age 55 had the lowest lifetime risk for CVD (between 22 percent to 41 percent risk). In contrast, those who had already developed high blood pressure by age 55 had a higher lifetime risk (between 42 percent to 69 percent risk).

Using data from 61,585 participants in the Cardiovascular Lifetime Risk Pooling Project, researchers examined how changes in blood pressure during middle age affected lifetime CVD risk. Previous studies had considered a single measurement at a given age. In this study, age 55 was considered a mid-point for middle age.

Starting with baseline blood pressure readings from an average of 14 years prior, researchers tracked blood pressure changes until age 55, then continued to follow the patients until the occurrence of a first cardiovascular event (including heart attack or stroke), death or age 95.

“Taking blood pressure changes into account can provide more accurate estimates for lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease, and it can help us predict individualized risk, and thus, individualized prevention strategies,” said Norrina Allen, Ph.D., lead author of the study and assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “Both avoiding hypertension during middle age or delaying the onset of the development of hypertension appear to have a significant impact on an individual’s remaining lifetime risk for CVD.”

Study Highlights

• Changes in blood pressure during middle age can affect lifetime risk for heart disease and stroke.
• People who maintain or reduce their blood pressure to normal levels during middle age have the lowest lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease, while those with an increase in blood pressure have the highest risk.
• Age and duration of blood pressure changes can help determine individualized lifetime risk for ― and prevention of ― cardiovascular disease.

Researchers also found

• Almost 70 percent of all men who develop high blood pressure in middle age will experience a CVD event by 85.
• Women who develop high blood pressure by early middle-age (average age 41) have a higher lifetime risk for CVD (49.4 percent) than those who have maintained normal blood pressure up to age 55.
• Women, in general, had higher increases in blood pressure during middle age.
• At an average age 55, 25.7 percent of men and 40.8 percent of women had normal blood pressure levels; 49.4 percent of men and 47.5 of women had prehypertension.
• The overall lifetime CVD risk for people 55 years or older was 52.5 percent for men and 39.9 percent for women, when factoring in all blood pressure levels.
• The lifetime risk for CVD was higher among Blacks compared with Whites of the same sex, and increased with rising blood pressure at middle age.

“Since the data suggests that both early elevations and changes over time in blood pressure measurements impact the future risk of CVD, people can take preventive steps early on to reduce their chances of heart attack or stroke,” said Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, M.D., Sc.M., co-author of the study and chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

“Maintaining a healthy diet, combined with exercise and weight control, can help reduce blood pressure levels and, consequently, your risk for CVD later in life.”

Co-authors are Jarett D. Berry, M.D., M.S.; Hongyan Ning, M.D., M.S.; Linda Van Horn, Ph.D., R.D.; and Alan Dyer, Ph.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.