But adding whole grains to the diet improves the odds
Reuters Nov 27, 07 3:05 AM CST
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African-American and Chinese women whose diets are high in starchy foods like white rice are at bigger risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, researchers have discovered. The good news is that eating whole-grain foods can help reduce the risk, according to two studies in the Archives of Internal Medicine . As an added bonus, those foods contain magnesium, which can help reduce blood pressure.
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Restaurants that submit to testing will get decal to display
Los Angeles Times Nov 16, 07 11:10 AM CST
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Los Angeles County will begin certifying trans-fat-free restaurants and rewarding those that pass muster with a decal in a voluntary campaign rolled out yesterday, the Los Angeles Times reports. Restaurants that pay a $204 application fee will get a surprise visit from inspectors to confirm that their kitchens are free of the heart-damaging fats. A green decal will announce the result.
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Bug has killed 10, hospitalized dozens
in last 18 months
Reuters Nov 15, 07 6:59 PM CST
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A virulent strain of adenovirus, a prevalent cause of the common cold and other respiratory infections, has been identified in parts of the US, including New York, Oregon, Washington state, and Texas, Reuters reports. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the new strain—adenovirus 14—has killed 10 people, including two infants, and left dozens hospitalized since May 2006.
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Human-transmissible H5N1 strain detected; 6,000 birds killed as precaution
Daily Telegraph (UK) Nov 13, 07 4:57 PM CST
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The avian flu that decimated a British turkey farm is the dangerous H5N1 strain, which can spread to humans. Authorities are taking extreme precautions, reports the Telegraph, slaughtering about 6,000 birds and forbidding the transportation of poultry within a 6-mile "surveillance zone.” The H5N1 strain has killed more than 150 people worldwide.
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Flaw in tests allowed disease to go undetected
Chicago Tribune Nov 13, 07 1:07 PM CST
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A flaw in HIV testing procedures led to the infection of four organ-transplant recipients in Chicago, the Tribune reports, the first such cases in more than 20 years. Follow-up tests were never performed, so the four are only now discovering their infections from the January transplants. The donor was flagged as high risk, but doctors decided the patients' need for organs outweighed HIV fears.
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23 schools disinfected after single case of drug-resistant staph
CNN Oct 28, 07 6:31 AM CDT
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A single confirmed infection of antibiotic-resistant staph has convinced officials to shut down all 23 schools of an eastern Kentucky district so cleaners can scour classrooms, cafeterias, locker rooms, buses and playgrounds. The district superintendent called the massive disinfection a "preventive measure" to ward off a large-scale outbreak of the dangerous bacteria among the district's 10,000 students, CNN reports.
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Europe's fattest nation could rack up millions in health care
Christian Science Monitor Oct 25, 07 3:49 AM CDT
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Two sobering reports have frantic Brits casting about for ways to combat their obesity epidemic, reports the Christian Science Monitor . England is the fattest country in Europe and half of its population could be obese by 2050, the reports warn. Now the country is looking into everything from regulating junk food to requiring workplaces to provide daily exercise hours.
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Faith often used to cover other objections
Associated Press Oct 18, 07 12:51 PM CDT
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Parents are turning to state laws allowing religious exemptions to keep their children from being vaccinated, the Associated Press reports. Such shots are often required for children to attend preschool; though sects such as the Christian Scientists have real religious objections to medicine, some parents distrustful of the science behind vaccines are using the laws to avoid inoculations.
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New York rated most vulnerable to boom in rodent population
Reuters Oct 4, 07 1:15 PM CDT
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Rodent experts labeled New York the US city most open to large-scale rat infestation today, after conducting a nationwide survey that took into account climate, waste management, population density, and age of infrastructure, Reuters reports. New York's appearance atop comes months after a KFC/Taco Bell restaurant was overrun by rats and closed. Houston and Boston round out the top three.
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Ban on smoking in Santa Cruz parks lifted for medical-marijuana fest
San Jose Mercury News Sep 20, 07 7:09 PM CDT
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Two kinds of "green laws" collided in Santa Cruz, Calif., when a local group that distributes free medical marijuana came up against a smoking ban in the park where the group holds its annual festival. The city council reached a healthy compromise, providing attendees in need of self-medication with a pot-smoking tent, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
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Groundbreaking plan targets city's 82K uninsured adults
New York Times Sep 14, 07 11:50 AM CDT
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San Francisco will provide health care for every uninsured adult in the city, pioneering an approach that works around the limits of the federal system. The program goes citywide on Monday and will serve adults under the poverty line through November; after that, it will be open to everyone regardless of income. The Times takes a look.
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Pregnant women in the UK will be given $240 to support a healthy diet
Guardian (UK) Sep 9, 07 10:23 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Starting 2009, all expecting moms in the UK will receive a lump sum of $240, intended to be spent on a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables to help prevent low-birth-weight complications in newborn children. The "pregnancy grants" are part of Britain's new health secretary's plan to close the gap between rich and poor, the Guardian reports.
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Docs tie better mental health treatment to better overall health
BBC Sep 7, 07 4:19 PM CDT
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Depression is more debilitating than diabetes, asthma, arthritis, or angina—and people suffering from chronic illness and depression are in worse health than those diagnosed with any other combination of diseases, the BBC reports. "These results indicate the urgency of addressing depression as a public health priority," says the author of a new study.
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Women take more sexual risks with men they've 'met' online
Houston Chronicle Aug 30, 07 6:37 PM CDT
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A third of women have sex on the first date with men they've previously met online, and 77% of those don't use condoms, a new study reports. "They may not think of it as being risky sex," the survey's author tells the Houston Chronicle, citing "virtual intimacy" as a factor in unsafe behavior.
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