Health Wrap: Reports on Aneurysms, Peanut Allergies, and Obesity

New research by British scientists shows that the biggest health threat to fat and obese people isn't the fat itself but the fact that the fat fuels a killer inflammation response in people. Doctors studied a large group of people, belonging to 3 different ethnic groups—white, Asian, and black. A variety of markers of inflammatory activation were measured and these were related to measures of obesity or fatness such as body mass index and waist-hip ratio.

The study clearly showed that markers of inflammation produced by artery vessel walls are strongly associated with measures of obesity, and in particular with the amount of fat around the waist. This inflammation can directly cause blood clots, heart disease, strokes and diabetes. -- There is now proof that surgery is not better than a less invasive procedure for patients with large abdominal aortic aneurysms.

The latest study out of the University of Pittsburgh shows a endovascular aneurysm repair has reduced the risk of death from attempting repair of these aneurysms more so than an operation to fix the repair directly. An aneurysm is a ballooning of the aorta, the largest artery in the body. This happens because of a weakening or stretching of the vessel wall, often due to long standing high blood pressure. If not repaired, it can burst and kill.

With endovascular repair, a catheter thread into the aorta from the groin and a stent is expanded and fixed in place to act as a strut and a replacement lining. The risk of death with endovascular repair was 2 percent, compared to over 5 percent with open surgery. Patients getting endovascular repair also required less hospital recovery time. -- And the peanut kiss story remains a bit of a controversy.

When a Quebec girl with peanut allergies died recently after kissing her boyfriend who had eaten a peanut butter snack many hours before, it was widely reported that she died from anaphylactic shock. A local coroner says that’s not true---that the girl died from lack of oxygen to the brain due to an asthma attack, and that the peanut had been long since washed away in her boyfriend’s mouth.

Still, new research out of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology suggests that peanut allergens can linger in saliva for hours, despite vigorous teeth brushing, mouth rinsing, or gum chewing. The authors say people who are peanut allergic should be extremely cautious when choosing to be in a deep kiss. The authors also say it may be prudent to wait to engage in deep or passionate kissing for at least 4.5 hours after their partner has eaten a meal that may harbor peanuts.