A weekly round-up of news affecting your health.
THYROID FUNCTION LINKED TO POOR LEARNING
Abnormal thyroid function in newborns has been linked to poor reading and numeracy skills later in life, research suggests.
A University of Sydney study has found babies born with moderately high concentrations of thyroid stimulating hormone have a higher risk of poor educational and development outcomes at school age.
Published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, this is the first population-based study demonstrating the association between moderately high thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH)concentrations in infants and their later school age neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Congenital hypothyroidism refers to abnormal thyroid function in newborn infants and affects about one in every 2000 children born around the world.
Compared to those with normal TSH levels, children with the condition had a 75 per cent higher risk of poor numeracy performance and a 42 per cent higher risk of poor reading performance.
While the study can't prove a cause and effect relationship between thyroid stimulating hormone levels and educational development outcomes, it does suggest an urgent need for further studies, said Dr Bridget Wilcken from the Children's Hospital at Westmead.
EATING VEGETABLES REDUCES INSULIN RESISTANCE
A study has uncovered another health benefit from eating vegetables.
Research, published in journal Nutrition & Dietetics, has discovered the natural plant chemicals found in vegies, called carotenoids, reduces the risk of insulin resistance in adults.
Those who consumed the most B-carotene and B-cryptoxanthin cut their chances of insulin resistance by half, 58 per cent and 49 per cent respectively.
Vegetables high in carotenoids include spinach, carrots, red capsicum and pumpkin.
The protective effect of these foods is more than likely caused by the antioxidant properties of these natural plant chemicals, according to the researchers.
Dr Duane Mellore from the Dieticians Association of Australia says the research backs up the current dietary guidelines, which recommend Aussies eat a minimum of five serves of vegetables each day.
TOO MUCH TV MAY CAUSE BLOOD CLOT IN LUNG
Watching a lot of television every day may increase a person's risk of dying from a blood clot in the lung, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.
A Japanese study of more than 86,000 people found people who watched between 2.5 and 4.9 hours of TV per day had a 70 per cent higher risk of suffering a pulmonary embolism, compared to those who watched less than 2.5 hours of TV.
Blood clots in the lung usually begin in the leg or pelvis as a result of inactivity and slowed blood flow. If they break free, they can travel to the lungs and become lodged in a small blood vessel, where it is especially dangerous.
WARNING: DON'T SHARE PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS
People who share their leftover opioid pain medication with friends and family members are putting them at risk, a specialist warns.
Professor Schug from the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists says some people are more vulnerable to the drugs' side-effects than others, and sharing your pain medication with a loved one is too risky.
"They might give oxycodone to their grandmother who is 85 and has a pain in her back, and she goes into respiratory arrest," he said.
People at particular risk from unprescribed opioids include those with obesity and/or chronic sleep apnoea, as the drugs can suppress their breathing.
