The Sun /Saturday, April 26, 2014 NATIONALMEALTH NEWS www.sunnewspapers.net WIRE Page 3
Active duty military suicides drop; Reserves go up
WASHINGTON exceeded the number however, show the same
(AP) Suicides among of active-duty soldiers trends: fewer active duty
Army National Guard who took their own lives, suicides across all four
and Reserve members according to the Army. Active Arrny Suicide Rate$ services and slightly
increased last year, even There were 151 active (Contingency Oper t1ons)
1980 -20063 more deaths among the
as the number of ac- duty soldier suicides last Army National Guard
tive-duty troops across year, compared with 185 and Reserve.
the military who took in 2012, Army officials The Pentagon also
their own lives dropped said. released detailed demo-
by more than 15 percent, The Pentagon released graphic data on the 2012
according to new data. a report Friday that suicides, showing that
The overall totals pro- provided final data for cALENDARYEARS more often they involve
vided by the Army, Navy, 2012 suicides and some young, white men using
Air Force and Marine preliminary numbers a non-military issued
Corps give some hope for 2013. But the de- gun. They also frequent
that prevention pro- apartment data differs ly had reported family or
grams and increased ef- a bit from the totals relationship stress.
forts to identify troops at provided by the services Military leaders say
risk may be taking hold because of complicated it's too soon to declare
after several years of accounting changes in success in the battle
escalating suicide rates. how the department against suicides, but
But the increase among counts suicides by they say that some
Army National Guard reservists. Some of the programs appear to be
and Reserve members Pentagon numbers were working.
raises questions about finalized a year ago, AP FILE PHOTO think we've
whether those programs while the services have changed the cultural
are getting to the citizen more recently updated Col. Ellspeth Ritchie, a doctor in the Office of the Army Surgeon General, discusses efforts to study mindset that it's OK
soldiers who may not totals that reflect the and understand suicide among American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, in this May 29, 2008, for a sailor or a soldier
have the same access to results of some death file photo, during a news conference at the Pentagon. or an airman or Marine
support networks and investigations. to come forward and
help that their active According to the four service. The Navy saw a changes and other cases, the services are ask for help," said Rear
duty comrades receive. military services, there 25 percent decline, from updates, the Pentagon counting Guard and Adm. Sean Buck, the
Not only did suicides were 289 suicides among 59 in 2012 to 44 in 2013. numbers are generally Reserve members who Navy's officer in charge
among Army National active duty troops in The Marines went from a bit lower and reflect a have been called to ac- of suicide prevention
Guard and Reserve 2013, down from 343 in 48 to 45, while the Air larger decline in overall tive duty as part of the and resilience pro-
members increase from 2012. The vast majority Force went from 51 to active-duty suicides of active duty total, while grams. "We're trying to
140 in 2012 to 152 last were in the Army, the 49. about 18 percent from the Pentagon did not. reduce the stigma that
year, but the 2013 total nation's largest military Due to the accounting 2012 to 2013. In some Both sets of numbers, used to exist."
Coffee lovers: Drink up to cut risk of Type 2 diabetes
LOS ANGELES To On the flip side, people "Coffee is pretty course of 20 years. If that is the case, increasing the amount of
reduce your risk of who dialed back their fascinating," said Shilpa Previous work has drinking more uncaffein- coffee you drink is just
developing Type 2 coffee habit by at least Bhupathiraju, a nutri- shown that chemical ated coffee should be just one part of keeping Type
diabetes, new research one cup a day were tional epidemiologist at compounds in coffee, as effective as drinking 2 diabetes at bay.
from Harvard University 17 percent more likely to the Harvard School of not the caffeine, are more caffeinated coffee "You can't get at
scientists offers an develop Type 2 diabetes. Public Health and the likely responsible for in lowering the risk of causality with these
eye-opening suggestion: The study was lead author of the paper. the association between Type 2 diabetes. In this studies," Bhupathiraju
Drink more coffee. published Thursday "It seems to be associat- coffee drinking and lower study, the researchers said. "You need a healthy
In a large epide- in Diabetologia, the ed with a lower risk for risk of Type 2 diabetes. found that changes in body weight, a good diet
miological study, the journal of the European many chronic diseases." "We know that phe- decaffeinated coffee and a healthy lifestyle.
researchers found that Association for the Study The findings in this nolic compounds in consumption had no Coffee consumption in
people who increased of Diabetes. Previous study are based on coffee improves glucose statistical effect on risk. the context of all this is
their coffee consumption studies have found a statistical analysis of metabolism in animal That maybe because associated with a lower
by at least one cup per correlation between three long-term and models," Bhupathiraju not enough participants risk."
day over a period of years coffee consumption and large-scale studies said. "Coffee is also a made a major change in However, she said that
were I I percent less like- a lowered risk of Type 2 that tracked the diet, really good source of their decaf coffee drink- as long as coffee doesn't
ly to get Type 2 diabetes diabetes, but this was the lifestyle and medical magnesium, which has ing, the authors note. make you jittery or keep
compared with people first study to look at how conditions of more been associated with But before you run out you from sleeping, there's
whose coffee-drinking changes in coffee con- than 120,000 medical a lower risk of Type 2 to refill your Starbucks no reason you shouldn't
habits didn't change. sumption affect that risk. professionals over the diabetes." card, keep in mind that drink up.
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Even the headlamps defy convention.
THE 2014 LINCOLN MKZ
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