EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, JULY 21, 2003
To contact Martha Clare Morris, Sc.D., call Mary Ann Schultz 312/942-7816. To contact editorialist Robert P. Friedland, M.D., call George Stamatis at 216/368-3635.

LIGHT TO EATING FISH WEEKLY MAY REDUCE THE RISK OF DEVELOPING ALZHEIMER DISEASE

CHICAGO—Eating foods that contain n-3 fatty acids (found in foods including fish, nuts and oil-based salad dressings) and weekly consumption of fish may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer disease (AD) later in life, according to an article in the July issue of The Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

According to the article, brain cell membranes contain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Previous studies show that lab animals fed diets enriched with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have better nerve function and enhanced learning and memory.

Martha Clare Morris, Sc.D., of Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, and colleagues examined whether consumption of fish and n-3 fatty acids was associated with reduced risk of AD.

The researchers studied 815 residents of a south side Chicago community who were aged 65 to 94 years old who did not have AD at the beginning of the study and who completed a dietary questionnaire an average of 2.3 years before they were evaluated for AD. The study was conducted between 1993 and 2000.

The researchers found that a total of 131 participants developed AD over an average follow up of 3.9 years. Participants who ate fish once a week or more had a 60 percent lower risk of AD compared with those who rarely or never ate fish. The overall consumption of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was associated with a reduced risk for AD. The researchers also found that the associations remained unchanged when they adjusted for consumption of other dietary fats and vitamin E consumption.

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, JULY 21, 2003
To contact Alexa B. Kimball, M.D., M.P.H., call Michelle Brandt 650/723-0272.

STUDY DOCUMENTS RISK OF DEVELOPING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS 10 YEARS AFTER HAVING OPTIC NEURITIS

CHICAGO—College students with acne may experience a worsening of their skin condition linked to stress during examination periods, according to a study published in July issue of The Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Acne vulgaris is the most common skin disease treated by dermatologists, affecting an estimated 85 percent of the population at some time in their life, according to information in the article. The idea that stress plays a role in acne is widespread among both patients and physicians. Previous studies have linked stress to the worsening of numerous diseases, slower wound healing, increased pain intensity and slow surgical recovery rates. Evidence that psychological stress can influence skin diseases is also growing, including in the areas of psoriasis, alopecia areata and atopic dermatitis.

Alexa B. Kimball, M.D., M.P.H., of Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif., and colleagues studied 22 university students (15 women and 7 men) with varying degrees of acne. The students' acne was rated for severity during a non-exam period (approximately 1 month before an examination) and again during an exam period (3 days before an exam to 7 days after an exam). The students also filled out questionnaires during the two acne assessments rating their stress levels.

The researchers found that the students had worse acne during times they rated their stress as higher (exam periods). When the researchers adjusted for confounding variables like changes in sleep hours, sleep quality, diet, and number of meals per day, they found that increased acne severity was significantly associated with increased stress levels, while self-assessed changes in diet quality was the only other significant association.

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 3 P.M. (CT), MONDAY, JULY 21, 2003
To contact Kari Hemminki, M.D., Ph.D., e-mail kari.hemminki{at}cnt.ki.se

SWEDISH STUDY REVEALS INCREASE IN SKIN CANCERS WITH LARGEST INCREASE ON AREAS OF THE BODY NORMALLY COVERED BY CLOTHING

CHICAGO—Researchers from Sweden have found an increased incidence of skin cancers, especially involving parts of the body normally covered by clothing, according to an article in the July issue of The Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin (SCC) was the fourth most common cancer in men and women in Sweden in 1998, and has been the most rapidly increasing type of cancer in Sweden in the last 20 years, according to the article.

Kari Hemminki, M.D., Ph.D., of Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden and colleagues obtained cancer data from the Swedish Cancer Registry from 1961 through 1998 and included 1,907 invasive SCCs in offspring and 12,702 and 7,167 in fathers and mothers respectively. The numbers of patients affected by in situ SCC were 2,666, 13,739, and 13,321, respectively.

The researchers found a large increase in reported cases of SCC, especially for in situ SCC. Among cases of invasive SCC, the larges increase was seen on areas of the body usually covered by clothing, suggesting that the increase may be attributable to intentional tanning.