Metabolites differ across national, ethnic boundaries, could offer insight into disease
Times (UK) Apr 21, 08 10:07 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Urine does indeed hold metabolic clues, researchers have found, and could shed light on blood pressure and heart problems, the Times of London reports. "Metabolic profiling can tell us how specific aspects of a person’s diet and how much they drink are contributing to their risks for certain diseases"—something DNA research can't do, says one of the scientists involved.
More »
Company will yank bottles containing bisphenol A
Associated Press Apr 18, 08 1:31 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
The maker of Nalgene bottles will pull the products from stores over concerns about the health effects of the chemical bisphenol A, Reuters reports. The plastic water bottles, long a favorite of hikers, will be made with BPA-free materials going forward. The move comes despite the chemical industry's assurances that BPA does not harm humans.
More »
Rising UV levels will hit developing countries hardest
AFP Apr 7, 08 4:03 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
As climate change drives ozone depletion and increases the level of ultraviolet rays reaching Earth's surface, humans' eyesight will be suffering more and more, AFP reports. UV rays are one of the leading causes of cataracts, which in turn cause 50% of avoidable blindness worldwide. The trend is likely to have the biggest impact in developing nations.
More »
Older adolescents who watch in their bedrooms pick up bad habits with the remote
Reuters Apr 7, 08 12:55 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Older teens feeling too fit, well nourished, and smart can turn all that around with one simple move: install a TV in the bedroom. Kids 15 to 18 with a boob tube in the boudoir were twice as likely to watch 5 or more hours a day than those who had to get their MTV in the family room, Reuters reports—no surprise there, but their diet and exercise habits were also suspect.
More »
Chest compressions key in heart attack CPR, says health group
Reuters Apr 1, 08 5:21 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Reluctant bystanders can skip mouth-to-mouth resuscitation if they witness someone collapse from a heart attack, but should attempt "hands-only" CPR to save a life, the American Heart Association has recommended. With less than a third of cardiac arrest victims receiving any form of CPR before it's too late, anything remotely resembling a chest compression could help, reports Reuters.
More »
Alzheimer's will afflict
1 in 8 baby boomers, report projects
Washington Post Mar 18, 08 12:53 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Cognitive problems ranging from forgetting what day it is to full-blown dementia are affecting one-third of the nation's seniors, reports a new study by the National Institute on Aging. The report says 22% of those over 71 have mild impairment, added to 16% suffering dementia, the Washington Post reports. An Alzheimer's Association report out today estimates that 1 in 8 baby boomers will have the disease in their lifetime, Bloomberg reports.
More »
Cases are on the rise, doctors not spotting the symptoms
Reuters Mar 18, 08 4:14 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Health researchers have warned that syphilis is making a comeback, and doctors may not be recognizing the symptoms. Developed countries came closing to wiping out the disease in the '90s, Reuters reports, but infection rates in the US went up last year for the seventh year in a row. A study published in the journal Lancet urges authorities to move fast to educate the public—and doctors—about the disease.
More »
CDC panel proposes vaccinations for additional 30M kids
Associated Press Feb 27, 08 7:17 PM CST
(Newser)
-
All schoolchildren in the US should get flu shots, a CDC panel advises. Current guidelines call for shots for those ages 6 months to 5 years, but the new recommendation raises the age to 18, an expansion of 30 million youngsters, the AP reports. The CDC is expected to adopt the advice, but it may not have a practical effect until next year's round of shots.
More »
Well-funded prevention effort brings down infection rates
Washington Post Feb 19, 08 9:45 AM CST
(Newser)
-
A new anti-malaria effort will provide a mosquito net to every Tanzanian child under age 5, reports the Washington Post. President Bush visited northern Tanzania yesterday to announce the program, spotlighting Africa's hugely successful fight against malaria, with committed African and Western governments collaborating on the well-funded strategy. In Zanzibar, the children's infection rate has dropped from 20% to 1% in just 3 years.
More »
Study predicts 1 million will die annually from tobacco-related illnesses
BBC Feb 14, 08 11:05 AM CST
(Newser)
-
Tobacco use is the smoking gun in 900,000 deaths annually in India, and the numbers are on the rise as the nation grapples with its epidemic-scale cigarette addiction, reports the BBC. At least 1 million Indians will die annually from smoking-related illnesses in the next decade unless the nation takes action soon, warns a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
More »
Developing countries most at risk, can least afford measures
Wall Street Journal Feb 7, 08 4:40 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Aiming to slash the 5.4 million tobacco-related deaths worldwide per year, the World Health Organization today called on governments everywhere to discourage smoking, the Wall Street Journal reports. As it stands, only 5% of countries have programs working to curb the habit, such as advertising bans and warning labels. A WHO report offers a six-point strategy to battle the tobacco beast.
More »
Strength training provides health benefits
that aerobic workouts can't
Boston Globe Jan 21, 08 7:45 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Pumping iron has long been known to improve strength and prevent injury, but evidence increasingly points to a wide range of other benefits, writes Judy Foreman in the Boston Globe . The findings—decreased heart disease and neck pain, improved metabolism and balance—are driving groups such as the American Heart Association to bump weight training to the forefront.
More »