FDA warns of cough drug effects on young children

The Food and Drug Administration warned consumers on Tuesday that the accidental ingestion of Tessalon liquid cough capsules pose a serious risk of side effects or death to children under 10 years old.

Tessalon is approved by the agency to treat cough symptoms in patients older than 10. But, the agency said, the capsules may attract children because of their candy-like appearance. Brand name Tessalon is sold by Forest Pharmaceuticals Inc., though the product has been on the market for decades and several generic companies make versions of the product, also known as Benzonatate.

"Benzonatate (Tessalon) should be kept in a child-resistant container and stored out of reach of children," said Carol Holquist, director of the FDA's division of medication error prevention and analysis, in a statement. "The FDA encourages health care professionals to talk with their patients and those caring for children about the risk of accidental ingestion or overdose."

The agency has identified seven cases of accidental ingestion between 1982 and 2010. Five of those cases resulted in death in children 2 years of age and younger.

Common side effects include heart attack, coma, and convulsion. Signs and symptoms can occur within 15 minutes of ingestion and some of the deaths reported in children occurred within hours of accidental ingestion.

Organic food not healthier, says British study

LONDON (AFP) - - Organic food supporters defended the benefits of naturally-grown produce on Friday, after a report suggested there are no significant health advantages from it.

In a study published in a US journal this week, researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) found there were no major differences between organic and conventionally-produced food.

"A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally-produced crops and livestock, said Dr. Alan Dangour, principal author of the study.

"But these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance."

And he added: "Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally-produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority."

Organic food, devoid of additives and produced without chemicals such as fertilisers and pesticides, has become an increasingly popular choice on supermarket shelves in recent years.

But it is typically more expensive than regular foodstuffs, and as such has already been hit by the global recession, making shoppers think twice about paying more for organically-grown vegetables and such like.

The study, commissioned by Britain's Food Standards Agency (FSA) and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, threatens to deal a new blow to the organic food lobby.

But its supporters underlined other benefits of organic produce, notably for the environment.

"Organic farming is a holistic, integrated approach which conserves soils, encourages biodiversity, eliminates greenhouse gas-intensive nitrogen inputs, conserves genetic diversity, and brings more income to the grower," said Andrew Lee of the Sustainable Development Commission.

"And is very probably healthier to boot," he wrote in a letter to the Guardian newspaper.

Molly Connisbee of the Soil Association said that organic farms have on average 30 percent more species and 50 percent more wildlife like birds, butterflies and bees.

"Other environmental benefits are self-evident -- there's less dangerous waste on organic farms and almost no pesticide use. Artificial nitrogen fertiliser is banned in organic farming, so there's less runoff of nutrients that cause algae blooms in coastal waters," she said.

The British study was based on a review of all studies published over the last 50 years relating to nutritional content and health differences between the two kinds of produce.

Vitamin D boosts brain power in middle-aged men

WASHINGTON (AFP) - - Higher levels of vitamin D, synthesized in the skin after being exposed to the sun and found in oily fish, are associated with increased brain power among middle-aged men, according to a new British study.

The link between increased vitamin D and faster information processing "was more significant in men aged over 60 years old, although the biological reasons for this remain unclear," read the report, to appear in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Manchester, in collaboration with other European specialists, compared the cognitive performance of more than 3,000 men between the ages of 40 and 79 years.

Men with higher levels of vitamin D "performed consistently better in a simple and sensitive neuropsychological test that assesses an individual's attention and speed of information processing," the study showed.

Resarchers "observed a significant, independent association between a slower information processing speed and lower levels of vitamin D," said lead author David Lee at Manchesters School of Translational Medicine.

The study is based on a large population sample and took into account other possible factors, such as depression, season and levels of physical activity.

The main source of vitamin D is 10 to 15 minutes daily exposure to sunlight. Oily fish are also an excellent source of vitamin D.

A separate 2008 study by researchers in Amsterdam showed that a lack of vitamin D could increase the risk of depression or other psychiatric problems among older people.