Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/491866
ByMikeStobbe TheAssociatedPress NEWYORK Doctorstraced an Arkansas man's kidney failure to an unusual cause — his habit of drinking a gallon of iced tea each day. They ruled out several potential causes before stumbling on a reason for the 56-year-old man's kid- ney problems. He said he drank about 16 8-ounce cups of iced tea every day. Black tea has a chemical known to cause kidney stones or even kidney fail- ure in excessive amounts. "It was the only rea- sonable explanation," said Dr. Umbar Ghaffar of the University of Ar- kansas for Medical Sci- ences in Little Rock. She and two other doctors de- scribe the case in Thurs- day's New England Jour- nal of Medicine. The unidentified man went to the hospital last May with nausea, weak- ness, fatigue and body aches. Doctors determined his kidneys were badly clogged and inflamed by the food chemical called oxalate. The man is on di- alysis, perhaps for the rest of his life, Ghaffar said. Besides black tea, oxa- late is found in spinach, rhubarb, nuts, wheat bran and chocolate. In rare cases, too much oxalate can lead to kidney trou- ble, but often there's also a contributing intestinal problem. That didn't seem to be the case for the Ar- kansas man, and he had no family or personal history of kidney disease. At 16 cups of iced black tea each day, he was taking in three to 10 times more oxalate than the average American, Ghaffar and her colleagues reported. Federal studies sug- gest that, on average, U.S. adults drink a total of 10 or 11 cups of beverages per day — that's water, coffee and all other liquids combined. Ghaffar didn't know if themandranksugar-sweet- ened iced tea — the way it is usually served in the South. While he'd had diabetes, that didn't cause his kidney problems, she said. The Arkansas case ap- pears to be very unusual, said Dr. Randy Luciano, a Yale School of Medicine kidney specialist who has treated people with kidney damage from too much ox- alate. FOOD TOXINS By Lindsey Tanner The Associated Press CHICAGO Trying to slim down? Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig scored the best marks for effec- tiveness in a review of re- search on commercial diet programs, but many other plans just haven't been studied enough to evalu- ate long-term results. The two plans are among the most popular and had the best evidence that di- eters could lose meaning- ful amounts of weight and keep it off for at least a year, the review authors said. Pooling results from sev- eral studies, the research- ers found that Weight Watchers dieters lost an av- erage of at least 8 pounds and kept it off for at least 12 months versus about 15 pounds for those using the Jenny Craig plan. Most participants re- mained overweight, with weight loss of between 3 percent and 5 percent of their initial weight — but that's a range that doctors typically recommend to achieve healthful benefits including lower blood pres- sure and cholesterol levels. "It's a really important first step to reach," even if it doesn't meet patients' ex- pectations, said study au- thor Dr. Kimberly Gudzune, an internist and researcher at Johns Hopkins Universi- ty's medical school. The study was published Monday in Annals of Inter- nal Medicine. The research review in- cluded 39 rigorous stud- ies involving 11 popular diet programs that in- clude support or coun- seling services and in- volve fees for products or services. Most studies compared the programs with standard diet in- formation or behavioral counseling patients get from health care pro- viders; long-term results for Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig were mostly better than the compar- isons. The researchers didn't attempt to make head-to- head comparisons of dif- ferent diet plans. They note that the Affordable Care Act makes obesity screen- ing and counseling more accessible to many Amer- icans, and that with two- thirds of U.S. adults over- weight or obese, it's impor- tant for doctors to know which diet plans work. Diet companies had no role in the research, Gud- zune said. Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig include behav- ioral counseling, coaching or social support — impor- tant for long-term weight- loss success, according to an Annals editorial. Weight Watchers costs about $43 monthly, which includes costs for attending online or in-person support groups or coaching ses- sions. Participants can buy the company's low-calorie products or buy their own food, but each item is as- signed points and dieters aim not to exceed a daily point limit. Jenny Craig provides pre-made meals and costs about almost $600 monthly. Michele Rouse, an ad- ministrative coordinator at Johns Hopkins' medical school who used to work for Gudzune, says she has lost 7 pounds since start- ing on Weight Watchers a month ago and has al- ready seen a drop in her elevated blood pressure. Rouse said she didn't know much about the new study and picked Weight Watchers because she'd had success with it years ago. It's too soon to tell if the program will help her reach her 70-pound weight loss goal, but Rouse says it's a sensible plan that's more like a lifestyle change than a harsh diet. "You're not starving yourself," said Rouse, 49. DIETING We ig ht W at ch er s, J en ny C ra ig get best marks in diet review LARRYCROWE—ASSOCIATEDPRESS Doctors have traced an Arkansas man's kidney failure to an unusual cause: his habit of drinking a gallon of iced tea each day. He said he drank about 168-ounce cups of iced tea every day. Black tea has the chemical oxalate which known to cause kidney stones or even kidney failure in excessive amounts. The man is on dialysis, perhaps for the rest of his life. The case report is in the April 2, 2015 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. PATRICK SEMANSKY — ASSOCIATED PRESS Michele Rouse says she has lost 7pounds since she started on Weight Watchers a month ago and has already seen a drop in her elevated blood pressure. Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig scored the best marks for effectiveness in a review of research on commercial diet programs, but many other plans just haven't been studied enough to evaluate long-term results. By Mike Stobbe The Associated Press NEW YORK A drug-resis- tant strain of a nasty stom- ach bug made its way into the U.S. and spread, caus- ing more than 200 illnesses since last May, health offi- cials said Thursday. Many cases were traced to people who had recently traveled to the Dominican Republic, India or other countries. Outbreaks of the shigella (shih-GEHL'- uh) bacteria are not un- usual, but this strain is re- sistant to the antibiotic most commonly prescribed for adults. "This is the first time we've documented this large an outbreak of an- tibiotic-resistant (shi- gella) linked to interna- tional travel," said Dr. Anna Bowen of the Cen- ters for Disease Control and Prevention. Since last May, the im- ported superbug has sick- ened at least 243 people, with large recent outbreaks in Massachusetts, Pennsyl- vania and California. Shigella is a common cause of diarrhea. The bacteria spread very eas- ily through contaminated food or pools and ponds. Outbreaks also are com- mon at daycare centers when staff members don't wash their hands well enough after changing di- apers. For most people, it's an unpleasant but temporary illness that ends within a week and can be helped with over-the-counter med- icines like Pepto-Bismol or Imodium. Sometimes an- tibiotics are used: usually azithromycin for children and ciprofloxacin, sold as Cipro, for adults. VIRAL INFECTIONS Imported drug-resistant stomach bug spreading in US CDC The CDC said a drug-resistant strain of a stomach bug made its way into the U.S. and spread, causing more than 200illnesses since last May. Too much tea likely ca us e of A rk an sa s man's kidney problems Tues,April7 th Judging begins at 8 am, April 7th Celebrating94yearsof"Legends& Legacy" of the Red Bluff Round-Up Weinviteyoutovisitourlocalstoresand businesses to see the displays we have created around Round-Up spirit. Enjoy our hometown hospitality and unique merchandise. Thank you for shopping locally. Red Bluff Round-Up BUSINESS DECORATING CONTEST TH 94 2015 804 Main Street • Red Bluff CA LIC #0455992 (530) 527-1616 Spring Coupon Special 750DavidAvenue,RedBluff•527-9193• www.tehamaestatesretirement.com findusonFacebook *lease required - new residents only Tehama Estates The areas #1 Senior Housing Provider SeniorRetirementApartments TehamaEstatesProvides: • 3 Delicious Healthy Meals Each Day • Daily Housekeeping • 24 Hour Staffing, 365 Days of the Year • Utilities Included (except phone & cable) • Transportation • Fun Activities and Events $400 off Your Monthly Rental Rate For 6 Months * Serving Red Bluff for 30 years Look to us for Expert Eye Care. Board Certified by American Board of Ophthalmology Clinical Professor at UC Davis Medical Center Daniel M. King, M.D. Physician & Eye Surgeon 411 Cedar Street, Red Bluff (530) 527-6123 Endsnoring An estimated 80 million people in North America snore. Taking into account the snorer's spouse and children, as many as 160 million people are negatively affected by snoring. Snoring not only interrupts your sleep cycle, it can also be a symptom of a condition called sleep apnea. Fortunately, there are cost-effective oral appliances for snoring and sleep apnea that dentists can prescribe to their patients. Traditional mandibular advancement appliances, such as Silent Night Slide-Link, TAP, EMA, help reduce or eliminate snoring by moving the lower jaw forward, opening the airway to allow air to flow more freely. CALL DR. RANDAL ELLOWAY IF YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM SNORING OR SLEEP APNEA. HE WILL BE GLAD TO DISCUSS YOUR SYMPTOMS. PROVIDE YOU WITH THE OPTIMUM APPLIANCE TO HELP YOU SLEEP PEACEFULLY AND WITH SECURITY. CALL (530) 527-6777 OFFICE HOURS MON-THURS 8-5 • FRI 8-12. EVERY OTHER WED 10-7 2426 South Main St., Red Bluff CA 40 Chestnut Avenue Red Bluff 530-330-1096 BRING BALANCE TO YOUR BODY Bring balance to your LIFE Pilates and Yoga Studio Formoreinfo www.healthybalanceredbluff.com (530) 529-1220 100 Jackson St.,Red Bluff 2 FREE Tanning Sessions withanynew membership in the month of April Valid:4-1-2015to4-30-2015 HEALTH » redbluffdailynews.com Tuesday, April 7, 2015 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4