Cancer & Food, Autism, Weight Loss, Acne, Fertility

CANCER FROM YOUR CORNFLAKES?

An alarming report was released this week before it was even published in a scientific journal. It suggests that heating rice, cereals and other high carbohydrate foods such as potatoes produces a chemical called acrylamide which is known to cause cancer.

The research was done in Sweden, and the researchers were so alarmed by their findings they released them to the press before the academic research was published. This always rings alarm bells, as there is no room for scientific criticism of the methods or conclusions of the trial. It is also often the mark, unfortunately, of researchers who need their grants renewed and so produce dramatic headline grabbing results that need further investigation. Having said that, the head of Sweden’s National Food Administration's research department said, “I have never seen anything like this before.”

So which foods are affected and should we be worried as parents?

The study particularly mentions crisps, which were found to contain up to 500 times more acrylamide than considered safe by the World Health Organisation. Other affected foods include chips cooked in a fast food outlet. The British Food Agencies are keen to stress that the research is not sufficient to make recommendations about changing your diet but Cancer UK thinks that the research may have found the reason certain diets are linked to a higher risk of cancer.

As usual the old rules about food that we all know still apply. Give your family plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Avoid high fat and high salt processed foods and encourage them to eat a variety of foods. One bag of crisps will almost certainly not harm them but if they have a packed lunch with crisps every day maybe you should substitute it with other things.

As soon as the full report is published we will let you know. In the meantime – moderation in everything.

Read an article from the BBC.

AUTISM

There is an excellent article in the Daily Telegraph this week about autism. It discusses its features and the early signs that should alert a parent to their child being affected. Interestingly it also reviews the papers that look at the incidence of autism and concludes, quite correctly, that WE DO NOT KNOW whether autism is increasing. They point out that people with autism have been diagnosed with schizophrenia in the past, and that autism can co-exist with other disorders such as Down’s syndrome and dyslexia, so reports of levels of autism from years ago are inaccurate. A report in the British Medical Journal this year suggested that if we apply the diagnostic criteria from the 70s (which were much ‘stricter’ and excluded all milder cases) that the incidence today (with MMR vaccination) is the same.

Read Understanding autism: breaking out of the bubble and also our section on autism where we discuss all the latest research.

Also see Prevalence of autism in the 1970's.

WEIGHT LOSS PROJECT

A report in this week’s London Evening Standard reveals that an American-style ‘fat club’ has been set up at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital to help overweight children and their families. The family and child are seen weekly and given support and dietary advice. Apparently it is very successful with at least one child losing 18lbs. This leads to a reduction in the risk of heart disease and diabetes in later life.

Read Hospital launches 'fat club'.

ACNE DRUG – ROACCUTANE

Roaccutane is in the news again this week after Luke Hassett who developed schizophrenia after being prescribed it as a teenager plans to sue the health service for giving it to him. All parents should be aware of these possible side effects and if your teenager is prescribed Roaccutane discuss these with your doctor and watch your child carefully for mood changes. Luke also describes the dreadful effects the drug seems to have had on his skin. While any drug can cause side effects in some people but be otherwise safe there have been quite a few reports of problems with this drug.

Read Patient sues over acne drug linked to suicides and I went psychotic from the Independent.

MORE FERTILITY NEWS

Further depressing news on women’s fertility declining from their 20’s in the Times although this should be read in the context of the fact that lots of women have all their babies in their thirties. They also discuss a fertility testing kit but do talk to your GP first – they can probably do the tests for free and give you the support and advice that you need.

See Body clock starts ticking at 27 and Biological clock test for £250.