Health News

Advising Mothers On Healthy Kids' Body Weights Is Effective

Date: Jun-27-2012
More than 43 million children of preschool age worldwide are obese, and studies have shown that obesity could significantly impact children's health in later life. Now, researchers say that educating new mothers about healthy eating and active play can reduce the risk of their child being overweight or obese. The study is published in BMJ (British Medical Journal)...

Why Does Spinach Give Us Strength?

Date: Jun-27-2012
Spinach has long been associated with strength, but why the leafy vegetable makes us stronger has remained unknown until now. Researchers at the Karolinska Institute say that nitrate, found naturally in spinach and several other vegetables, significantly increases muscle strength. In the study, the team placed nitrate directly into the drinking water of a group of mice for seven days and then compared their muscle strength to a control group...

Swine Flu Deaths 15 Times Higher Than Thought

Date: Jun-27-2012
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the H1N1 ("swine flu") pandemic killed 18,500 people from April 2009 to August 2010. However, a new study reveals that this figure may actually be fifteen times higher. The study, published online in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, notes that the number of lab-confirmed flu deaths is known to be considerably lower than the actual number of flu deaths that occurred. The researchers estimate that 151,700 to 575,400 people died due to contracting H1N1 in 2009, and that 80% of the deaths occurred in people under 65 years of age...

Stem Cell Breakthrough Significant For Degenerative Diseases

Date: Jun-27-2012
Researchers in Israel have achieved a significant global milestone in stem cell technology: they have created the first human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines that are free of animal contamination and whose production complies with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). The achievement paves the way for developing clinical treatments that use hESCs to treat degenerative diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD), type 1 diabetes, heart failure and Parkinson's...

Metal On Metal Hip Implants Causing Big Problems Again

Date: Jun-27-2012
The FDA has announced that it is convening a two day meeting in regard to the problems associated with metal-on-metal hip implants. News has been hitting the media consistently over the last couple of years regarding the quality, reliability and safety of a variety of prosthetic devices, ranging from the PiP Breast Implant problems to Johnson and Johnson's ASR all-metal hip implants. The saga looks set to continue as issues have clearly not been fully resolved...

3rd Annual Executing Global Clinical Trials Conference, 13-14 September 2012, Boston, MA

Date: Jun-27-2012
The Conference Forum has announced that the 3rd Annual Executing Global Clinical Trial's event will take place on September 13-14 at the Fairmont Copley Square Hotel in Boston, MA. "The trend to globalization creates opportunities and challenges for clinical trial management. To be successful, we must focus on quality, ethics, fair market value, logistics and culture," says Dr Barbara Skinn, Director of Collaborative Science Center of Excellence at Bristol-Myers Squibb...

Prediabetic Men Can Boost Testosterone Levels With Weight Loss

Date: Jun-27-2012
A new study has found that weight loss can boost low testosterone levels in middle-aged men with prediabetes by more than fifty percent. Involved in this study were close to 900 middle-aged men with prediabetes who participated in the Diabetes Prevention Program. The program, which was completed in the U.S., concluded that people at a high risk for Type 2 diabetes could delay or deter developing the disease through weight loss...

Electronic Cigarettes - Can They Help People Quit Tobacco Cigarettes?

Date: Jun-27-2012
Despite all the alarming health problems associated with smoking tobacco cigarettes, many people today are addicted and cannot find a way to give up permanently. The E-cigarette, or electronic cigarette, is a healthier alternative that many heavily addicted smokers have switched over to, says the E-cigarette industry. However, the industry has yet to produce results of large-scale randomized human studies to back their claims...

Coffee In Moderation May Benefit Heart Slightly

Date: Jun-27-2012
New research from the US suggests drinking coffee in moderation, that is four European cups (equivalent to two 8-ounce American servings) per day, may protect slightly against heart failure, contradicting the guidelines of the American Heart Association that currently warn against regular coffee consumption. You can read a paper on the study, by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, in the 26 June issue of the journal Circulation Heart Failure...

Passive Smoking Tied To Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity

Date: Jun-27-2012
If you need another reason to steer clear of cigarette smoke, consider this: a new study presented at a conference this week suggests breathing in secondhand smoke is linked to higher risks of developing type 2 diabetes and obesity. Presented on Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston, the findings show that adults exposed to secondhand smoke have higher rates of these diseases than non-smokers who are not exposed to tobacco smoke...