Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Mon, May 18 1992 Date: Mon, 18 May 92 05:21:50 EDT Message-ID: 05-18 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update May 18, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network INDEX RANKS WORLD SUFFERING: Citizens of Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada suffer the least, while residents of Mozambique, Somalia, Afghanistan, Haiti and Sudan suffer the most, says the Population Crisis Committee's International Human Suffering Index, out Monday. The index, citing factors such as diet and access to clean water, shows 73% of the world endures "high" or "extreme" suffering. USA RANKS EIGHTH-BEST IN WORLD: Babies in wealthy nations are likely to live a generation beyond those in poor countries, says a report out Monday. In developing countries, 20% go hungry every day. The International Human Suffering index, which ranks 141 countries with more than 99% of the world's population, found that only 21% of the population has access to clean drinking water. The USA ranked eighth-best. CALCIUM INTAKE IS A MUST: The body can retain only a quarter of the calcium it takes in -even at its most efficient, reports Connie Weaver, head of Purdue University's department of foods and nutrition. In a study of 14 girls ages 12 to 14 years and 11 women ages 20 to 30 years, Weaver found that the average girl retained only about 326 milligrams, or 27%, while the average adult retained only 73 milligrams, or 6%. (For more, see special Calcium package.) FOOD LABELS MAY BE DELAYED: The Bush administration is considering a nine-month delay in requiring food labels that clarify such claims as "lite" and "low-fat," say published reports. Manufacturers say the Food and Drug Administration's rules, set to begin May 1993, don't allow time to print new labels. Critics of the delay charge the action is an election-year attempt by the White House to help big business. PANEL TO HEAR HALCION DEBATE: A panel of specialists will hear debate over the safety of Upjohn Co.'s top-selling sleeping pill Halcion Monday. Scientific critics link the sleeping pill to brain impairment, suicide and violence. After the hearing, the panel, consisting largely of psychiatric experts, will make recommendations to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which usually follows such advice. BORIC ACID ADVICE CORRECTED: Glamour magazine has retracted some advice in its June issue. Glamour suggested taking boric acid sitz baths to prevent yeast infections or boric acid tablets with meals. But boric acid tablets should not be ingested. Boric acid capsules should be inserted vaginally three times daily, says spokesman Howard Greene. A doctor or poison control center should be called if the acid is ingested. HEADSET MAY HELP VISION: A 16-ounce video headset may soon help many of the three million people with visual impairments caused by diseases, says Robert Massof of the Lions Vision Center at Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, Baltimore. The device uses a miniature camera that sends images to two three-inch monitors. Mirrors then reflect the images to the eye through lenses. Estimated cost: Nearly $3,000. MORE SINGLE MOTHERS: The number of births to unmarried women has increased about tenfold in the past 40 years, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Births to unmarried women reached 1.09 million in 1989 - the most recent figures available. The number has increased at every 10-year interval. In 1949 there were 133,200 births to unmarried women. BOOMERS BUYING MORE ALCOHOL: Older baby boomers are spending more on alcoholic beverages and less on entertainment and tobacco products, according to a recent Boomer Report. In the group ages 35 to 44, the 21 million households spent $370 on alcohol in 1990, up 8.5% from 1989. But they spend $1,837 on entertainment, a 16.3% drop, and $316 on tobacco products and smoking supplies, down 5.3%. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON CALCIUM: BONES OFTEN ROBBED OF CALCIUM: Nearly all bodily functions use calcium. So if a diet lacks calcium, it will be stolen from the bones, says nutrition researcher Connie Weaver. Insufficient calcium in the diet can lead to osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disease that afflicts nearly 20 million Americans. No treatment can yet reverse osteoporosis after symptoms appear so prevention is essential, says Weaver. CALCIUM FOUND IN MANY FOODS: The best source of calcium in the diet is dairy products, accounting for 70% to 75% of the calcium Americans get. Some vegetables such as broccoli, kale and turnip greens also are good sources of calcium. Other foods, such as orange juice and cereals often are enriched with calcium. The best way to prevent the disease is to exercise and eat a balanced diet, says Weaver. COSTS ARE STAGGERING: The USA spends $10 billion annually treating the victims of hip fractures alone, with nearly 20% of victims needing long-term care. For women, calcium intake is critical. After menopause, the female body produces less estrogen, a hormone linked to calcium levels in bones. Weaver also is studying calcium's link to exercise. Bones must undergo mechanical stress to retain their calcium, she says. (End of package.) Health Editor: Christopher Goldthwaite. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. 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