Surprising food gave U.S. a 10-year boost to IQs

According to a new study, the United States suddenly got a bit smarter starting in the mid-1920s, and it was due, ironically, to something that we probably don't think about too much about.
When you buy salt at the supermarket, or get those little packets with your take-out food, have you paid much attention to what it says on the packaging? The word 'iodized' on there probably doesn't register to us too often, but it's actually very important. Iodized salt is normal table salt mixed with a small amount of either sodium iodide salt or potassium iodide salt, and it was first introduced in the U.S. in 1924. By adding in these iodide salts, it addressed a serious iodine deficiency in the American diet, which not only reduced the number of deaths due to hyperthyroidism, but also apparently raised IQ test scores in iodine-deficient areas of the country over the next 10 years.

The areas of the U.S. that suffered from iodine deficiency at the time were around the Great Lakes, in the Appalachian region and in the U.S. Northwest, caused simply by not eating enough foods that are high in iodine (such as cheese and cow's milk, eggs, saltwater fish, shellfish). Since salt was and is so widely used, introducing iodized salt filled this deficiency, and the study found that the iodine-deficient regions of the United States saw a 15-point rise in IQ test scores (which translated into a 3.5 point rise nationwide).
This rise in IQ scores has been seen in other nations that introduced iodized salt too. It's called the Flynn Effect, named after Jim Flynn, who documented it and promoted awareness of the problem.
The reason why iodine deficiency affects intelligence is because iodine is used by the thyroid to produce important hormones that affect the development of the brain during childhood, and help the brain and body to function for our entire lives. Iodized salt definitely helps when our normal diet is low in iodine, but you can get more by eating things like bread, soda crackers, eggs, cheese and milk, yogurt, fish (cod or haddock), turkey, beef, soynuts and beans.

According to the World Health Organization, iodine deficiency is still a big problem in the developing world, causing hyperthyroidism, goiter and mental impairment. Their latest stats show that the number of countries that are considered iodine deficient have dropped by half, but some 54 countries around the world still suffer from this problem, and an estimated 33% of households world-wide still don't have access to iodized salt.

There's several other vitamins and minerals that are (or should be) in our diet that affect our brain development and cognitive ability, such as the B vitamins, vitamins C, D, and E, as well as calcium, iron, magnesium, selenium and zinc. You can try taking a multivitamin to address any deficiencies you might have, but it's probably better to go for foods rich in these nutrients.
The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation has a good guide. They recommend fish, such as salmon, rainbow trout, sardines and mackerel. Green vegetables such as kale, collards, chard, spinach and broccoli have magnesium. Whole grains. Nuts like pecans, walnuts and almonds for vitamin E. Fruits that are brightly-coloured red, blue or purple, due to them containing an antioxidant called anthocyanin.

HPV virus 'linked to third of throat cancer cases'

One third of people diagnosed with throat cancer are infected with a form of the HPV virus, a study suggests.

HPV (human papillomavirus) is the major cause of cervical cancer, and the virus is known to spread through genital or oral contact.
Actor Michael Douglas is reported to have spoken about the link after his own diagnosis with throat cancer.

 
There are more than 100 types of HPV


Experts said this study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, which quantifies the link, showed "striking" results.
There are more than 100 types of HPV. Most people will be infected with HPV at some point, but in most the immune system will offer protection.
There are two HPV strains which are most likely to cause cancer - HPV-16 and HPV-18.
HPV-16 is thought to be responsible for around 60% of cervical cancers, 80% of cancers in the anus and 60% of oral cancers.
Around 1,500 people are diagnosed with throat cancers each year in the UK, with around 470 people dying from the disease.
Survival benefit This study looked at HPV's link with cancer of the back of the throat - oropharyngeal cancer.
It looked at blood test results collected from people who took part in a huge prospective study into lifestyle and cancer, who were all healthy at the start.
Everyone gives a blood sample when they join the study, and in this case the researchers were able to check for the presence of antibodies to one of HPV's key proteins - E6.

E6 knocks out part of cells' protection system, which should prevent cancer developing.

Having the antibodies means HPV has already overcome that defence and caused cancerous changes in cells.
The researchers compared blood test results - some more than 10 years old - for 135 people who went on to develop throat cancer and for 1,599 cancer-free people.
The University of Oxford team found 35% of those with throat cancer had the antibodies, compared with fewer than 1% of those who were cancer-free.
However, these patients were more likely to survive throat cancer than people whose disease had other causes, such as alcohol or tobacco use.
The study found 84% of people with the antibodies were still alive five years after diagnosis, compared with 58% of those without.
Broader effect? Dr Ruth Travis, a Cancer Research UK scientist at Oxford who worked on the study, said: "These striking results provide some evidence that HPV-16 infection may be a significant cause of oropharyngeal cancer."
Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK's director of health information, said: "HPV is an extremely common virus.
"Practising safer sex may reduce the risk of getting or passing on HPV, but condoms won't stop infections completely."
She added: "If the HPV vaccine can also protect against oral HPV infections and cancers, then it could have a broader potential protective effect, but we don't have enough research yet to tell us. "

Breakfast linked to 'healthy heart'

People should eat breakfast to keep their hearts in good condition, according to researchers in the US.
Their study of 27,000 men, in the journal Circulation, showed those skipping breakfast were at a greater risk of heart problems.
The team at the Harvard School of Public Health said missing the meal put an "extra strain" on the body.
The British Heart Foundation said breakfast helped people resist sugary snacks before lunch.
The men, aged 45-82, were studied for 16 years. During that time there were more than 1,500 heart attacks or cases of fatal heart failure.
However, people who skipped breakfast were 27% more likely to have heart problems than those who started the day with a meal. The researchers adjusted for other lifestyle risk factors such as smoking and exercise.
Researcher, Dr Leah Cahill told the BBC: "The take-home message is eat in the morning when you wake up, preferably within an hour.
"The results show that something is better than nothing, but it's always better to have something healthy and balanced."
She said the timing of the meal seemed to be key and waiting until lunch rather than "breaking fast" may be straining the body over time.
She said this could be increasing the risk of high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes which could in turn damage the heart.
"Don't skip breakfast," Dr Cahill concluded.
Victoria Taylor, a dietitian with the British Heart Foundation, said: "These researchers only looked at men aged over 45, so we would need to see further research to confirm that breakfast has the same impact on the heart health of other groups of people.
"What we do know is that a healthy and filling breakfast can make that mid-morning biscuit less tempting, as well as giving you another opportunity to widen the variety of foods in your diet.
"Wholegrain toast, or cereals like porridge with low fat milk are a good way to start the day. Try a sliced banana or dried fruit on top and you'll be on your way to five-a-day before you've even left the house."

Adults with diabetes have a higher risk of physical disability

Older people with diabetes are 50% to 80% more likely to develop a physical disability than those without, according to a review of 26 studies.



Untreated diabetes can lead to complications such as heart disease and stroke


No distinction was made between type-1 and type-2 diabetes, but most of the data involved people over the age of 65, who are more likely to have type-2.
Ensuring all people with diabetes have access to the right care is hugely important, said a diabetes charity.
The study, published in the journal the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, reviewed data from thousands of patients around the world.
Disability was defined as impaired mobility and the inability to perform normal activities such as bathing, eating, shopping or using transport.
The Australian researchers say the reasons behind the link are unclear, but high blood sugar levels may lead to muscle damage over time.
"The complications associated with diabetes, such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease, can all result in disability," said study leader Dr Anna Peeters and Dr Evelyn Wong, of the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne.
"As the world's population ages, and diabetes becomes more common, it seems clear that we will see an increased need for disability-related health resources, which health systems around the world need to be prepared for."

Right care
Previous studies have given a confusing picture of the scale of the link between diabetes and disability, with estimates ranging from zero risk to double.
Dr Edward Gregg, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta, US, said the new analysis was the first to quantify the extent of disability diabetes causes.
"We are going to need to think about preventing disability as one of our priorities in managing and dealing with diabetes," he said.
The charity Diabetes UK said the research showed yet again that diabetes complications could result in serious life-limiting disability.
Head of research, Dr Matthew Hobbs, said: "It emphasises why preventing type-2 diabetes and ensuring that all people with diabetes have access to the right care is so hugely important. "
The link may be explained by the fact that complications caused by consistently high blood glucose levels, such as amputation, blindness, heart disease and stroke were, themselves, major causes of disability, he said.
Another possible explanation is that risk factors for type-2 diabetes, such as being overweight, also increase the likelihood of disability.
"Eating a healthy, balanced diet and being more physically active in your daily life can help to reduce your risk of developing type-2 diabetes," said Dr Hobbs.

Drug Thalidomide is still causing birth defects

A new scientific study seen exclusively by the BBC indicates that the drug Thalidomide is still causing birth defects in Brazil today. It's been given to people suffering from leprosy to ease some of their symptoms, and some women have taken it unaware of the risks they run when pregnant.

Thalidomide was first marketed in the late 1950s as a sedative. It was given to pregnant women to help them overcome morning sickness - but it damaged babies in the womb, restricting the growth of arms and legs.

About 10,000 Thalidomide babies were born worldwide until the drug was withdrawn in the early 1960s. In most countries the Thalidomide children became Thalidomide adults, now in their 50s, and there were no more Thalidomide babies.

But in Brazil the drug was re-licensed in 1965 as a treatment for skin lesions, one of the complications of leprosy.

Leprosy is more prevalent in Brazil than in any other country except India. More than 30,000 new cases are diagnosed each year - and millions of Thalidomide pills are distributed.

Researchers now say 100 Brazilian children have injuries exactly like those caused by Thalidomide.

"A tragedy is occurring in Brazil... it is a syndrome which is completely avoidable," says Dr Lavinia Schuler-Faccini, a professor at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.

But campaigners, doctors and leprosy sufferers say the drug is vital. They believe the benefits outweigh the risks.

Schuler-Faccini and other researchers from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre looked at the birth records of 17.5 million babies born between 2005 and 2010.

"We looked at all children with limb defects and those with the characteristic defects of Thalidomide," Schuler-Faccini says.

"We compared the distribution of Thalidomide tablets… with the number of limb defects and there was a direct correlation.

"The bigger the amount of pills in each state the higher the number of limb defects."

In the same 2005-2010 period, 5.8 million Thalidomide pills were distributed across Brazil.

"We had about 100 cases in these six years similar to Thalidomide syndrome," says another of the research team, Dr Fernanda Vianna.

"We couldn't evaluate each case, we cannot say that all are cases of Thalidomide syndrome, but this type of defect is very rare."

Poor health education and widespread sharing of medicines may be to blame, she says.

This is what seems to have happened to Alan, who we meet in a small town in central Brazil.

Such is the taboo about his injuries, his family asks not to be identified.

He was born in 2005. He has no arms or legs. His hands begin just below is shoulder blades, his feet close to his hips.

He laughs a lot and loves to play computer games with his brothers.

He rolls his body to get around the house, and when going further afield is strapped into a wheel chair.

He is well looked after and has one-to-one tuition at school, but he must travel two hours by bus to the nearest town each week for physiotherapy.

His mother Gilvane took Thalidomide by accident. Her husband was given it for his leprosy and kept the pills mixed up with others.

"I took it when I was feeling sick, not feeling well, so I got the medicine and took it. I had already taken others like Paracetamol, to make myself feel better, without knowing I was pregnant.

"His father said that the doctor didn't tell him that women couldn't take it. He said they didn't tell him anything about it."

There are strict regulations around the drug. It can only be prescribed to a woman who is taking two forms of birth control and agrees to regular pregnancy tests.

There are clear warnings on the packets and there is a picture of a child damaged by Thalidomide.

But leprosy is a disease of the poor, in areas where healthcare is patchy and education is inadequate.

And plenty of people in Brazil argue that Thalidomide should continue to be used.

"Nowadays there is a myth about Thalidomide," says Mariana Jankunas, production co-ordinator at FUNED, a state-owned manufacturer of the drug.

"I think with information and publicity about the benefits that Thalidomide brings to patients this myth can be overcome, because the benefits outweigh the risks."

Doctors who prescribe the drug agree.

"It is the best drug," says Dr Francisco Reis, from the Leprosy Clinic at Curupaiti Hospital near Rio de Janiero.

When I tell him that many people may be shocked to hear Thalidomide is still being used he responds: "You have the ghosts of Thalidomide in the 50s, but you should forget those ghosts."

He introduces us to one of his patients, Tainah, who shows us how the medicine has reduced the debilitating lesions on her arms.

"I know that I need the medicine," she tells us.

She says she understands that if she doesn't take contraceptive pills she could get pregnant and give birth to a disabled child.

Brazil is a country of enormous inequalities where 20% of the population live below the poverty line.

Overcrowded housing and poor health systems are common to both rural areas and the slums of the cities - places where leprosy thrives.

Where the disease is most common Thalidomide will continue to be prescribed and the risk of babies being born terribly injured will remain.

Artur Custodio from Morhan, the national leprosy campaign group, recognises that the medicine is dangerous, but says it's cars that cause most injuries and disabilities in Brazil.

"We don't talk about banning cars, we say we should teach people how to drive responsibly," he says.

"It's the same thing for Thalidomide."



Brazil has the second highest number of cases of leprosy worldwide after India. The Amazon region, where access to the health system can be difficult, is particularly hard hit.