Obesity surgery can increase alcohol sensitivity
Patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery for obesity have higher breath-alcohol levels after drinking the same amount as other people—and it takes much longer for their levels to return to zero, the findings from a small study suggest.
“There are a few implications here. The overwhelming one being that patients need to be cautious using alcohol after they’ve had this surgery. One drink may be one too many,” senior author Dr. John Morton, from Stanford University in California, told Reuters Health. “In addition, by relaxing the intestine, alcohol can allow the patient to consume more food, which could wreak havoc on their weight maintenance.”
Pentagon says more funds needed for mental health
The U.S. military’s mental health system fails to meet the needs of troops and is too short of funds and staff to help service members sent to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon said on Friday.
Repeated and extended deployments to those war zones over the past five years have driven the need for mental health services higher, but resources have not climbed in response, members of a Defense Department task force said.
U.N. rules to contain health emergencies take hold
New rules to help the United Nations contain public health emergencies took effect on Friday, requiring countries to disclose potential threats from disease, chemical agents, radioactive materials and contaminated food.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said its revised International Health Regulations, approved by member states in 2005, would hasten the detection, investigation and control of potentially devastating outbreaks.
