July 17, 2002 - The federal government on Wednesday officially unveiled its new TV, radio, and Internet ad campaign designed to get America's children moving so that they won't become overweight and more prone to chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. [Story deleted at Yahoo! source]

July 24, 2002 - The Institute of Medicine has picked six controversial dietary supplements for a new evaluation program it developed for the Food and Drug Administration. The supplements chosen for the first safety evaluations cover a variety of types and uses, the institute noted. The selected supplements and the reason they were chosen, are:
•  Chaparral, because of concerns about liver toxicity. Used in an herbal tea.
•  Chromium picolinate, because of reports of kidney toxicity and effects on insulin regulation in diabetics. Promoted to reduce body fat.
•  Glucosamine, because of concerns about its use by diabetics. Sold as an arthritis treatment.
•  Melatonin, because of reports of complications. Used to treat sleep disorders and jet lag.
•  Saw palmetto, because of reports of heart problems. Sold as a prostate treatment.
•  Shark cartilage, because of a report of hepatitis following ingestion. Promoted as a treatment for cancer and other health conditions. [Story deleted at Yahoo! source]

July 25, 2002 - What's the best way to keep you and your family safe from E. Coli and other nasty bugs? The Ohio Department of Health says the most important preventive measure you can take is to watch your hands before eating and after using the bathroom. It's important to use warm water, lather with soap for at least 15 seconds and rinse. In a public restroom, it's also a good idea to turn the faucet off with a paper towel. When exiting, use the automatic door button, if there is one. [Story deleted at Yahoo! source]

Residents of urban areas living in houses that were built before 1974 are more likely than inhabitants of newer dwellings to walk often and for relatively long periods of time, according to new research. Findings were based on the results of national surveys. The study included the responses of 14,827 adults aged 20 and older. The investigators found that people who said they lived in houses built during or before 1973 were more likely than those living in newer houses to walk more than 1 mile at least 20 times a month. Previous research has demonstrated that older homes tend to be found in relatively dense neighborhoods in urban areas. If destinations are clustered together, it makes sense to walk from place to place, rather than to drive. Furthermore, neighborhoods with old homes tend to include a greater mix of residential and business uses, which enables residents to walk from their houses to the places where they need to shop. [Story deleted at Yahoo! source]

July 16, 2002 - A small survey of 74 college students suggests that young men may choose meat as a mainstay of their diet, while women are more likely to eat well-balanced meals. It is important to take note of gender preferences for food, according to Dr. Laurence J. Nolan of Wagner College in Staten Island, New York. Dietary patterns established at a young age may persist throughout a lifetime, and long-term imbalances in nutritional intake can lead to health problems down the road, he said. For example, if men are not getting enough dietary fiber from not eating enough vegetables, or if they are consuming too much fat, "it could reflect potential obesity, or other problems as they get older, if that continues," Nolan said. "For the men, it's clear that meat was the main component of every meal--no matter what situation they're in," Nolan told Reuters Health.

July 12, 2002 - African-American women remain four times as likely as white women to die during or near childbirth labor, while Hispanics, Native Americans and blacks all suffer from higher rates of diabetes. Blacks currently comprise 38% of all HIV/AIDS cases in the US despite making up 13% of the population. [Story deleted at Yahoo! source]

July 1, 2002 - Preterm babies who experience "kangaroo care," or prolonged skin-to-skin contact with their mothers after birth, have better mental and physical development during the first months of life than preemies who spend their first days of life only in an incubator, according to researchers. But babies were not the only ones who benefited from kangaroo care, the study shows: parents of these babies tended to provide a more supportive and interactive home environment than did parents of incubated preemies. Kangaroo care helps infants by allowing them to use their mothers to regulate their body systems, lead author Dr. Ruth Feldman of Bar-Ilan University in Israel told Reuters Health. For example, infants use their mother's body heat to regulate their own, she explained. Furthermore, the mother's body has prepared itself biologically to care for the child the moment he is born, Feldman added. If the baby is born prematurely and whisked away to an incubator, that momentum of nurturing is lost, she said. [Story deleted at Yahoo! source]

June 26, 2002 - There's now scientific evidence that men really are afraid of commitment. Providing support for what some women may already believe, an American study released on Wednesday shows men are dragging their feet on getting married. These men are very, very concerned about divorce. They are not as concerned over emotional damage as they are about someone getting their money. Researchers say both men and women are putting off getting married. The average age for men's first marriage is now 27, the oldest in history, the study shows. That compares to the average age of 23 in 1960. [Story deleted at Yahoo! source]

June 24, 2002 - Some behaviors invite health problems and can reduce one's ability to recover. The interplay is the focus of a new report. Angry people are more likely to develop heart disease. Depression may weaken the immune system. Stress aggravates asthma. A host of behaviors - including smoking, overeating and lack of exercise - make people more prone to serious diseases and less likely to recover from them. Disease itself leads to psychological problems, which can affect how people perceive and cope with their illness. The link between mind and body is increasingly apparent, according to a new report that examines behavioral connections to a variety of diseases and treatments. The growing science of that interplay between psychology and biology - known as behavioral medicine - is the focus of a special issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, published yesterday by the American Psychological Association. "With steadily increasing sophistication, the evidence continues to mount that behavioral factors play a key role in the development and course of nearly all major diseases and disorders, as does the evidence that a wide variety of behavioral interventions produce useful changes in the risk, impact and course of disease," the editors wrote in an introduction to the issue. Story

July 22, 2002 - Researchers have been monitoring how much iodine Americans consume because the amount has fallen in the last 25 years, although it generally remains within the level needed for good health. Health officials monitor iodine consumption because lack of this micronutrient has serious health consequences. A swollen neck, or goiter, brought on by enlargement of the thyroid gland has historically been the most visible sign of low iodine-intake. The thyroid gland is essential for maintaining regular body metabolism, growth, and development. [Story deleted at The Boston Globe source]

June 24, 2002 - Eating even a small amount of nuts per week could help the heart, researchers say. Their findings suggest that the fats contained in nuts could somehow lower the risk of sudden death from heart-related causes. "The findings suggest that increasing nut intake--of course while keeping calories in check--may be a safe and low-cost means of reducing this risk (of death)," said study co-author Dr. JoAnn E. Manson of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. Over a 17-year period beginning in 1982, Manson and her colleagues administered questionnaires on diet, health and exercise to more than 21,000 male physicians across the US. In the June 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine ( news - web sites), Manson and her team report that men who ate two or more one-ounce servings of nuts each week had a 47% lower risk of sudden death due to cardiac arrest compared with those who ate nuts less often. Sudden cardiac death was defined as a death that occurred within one hour after symptoms began. The researchers suggest that the nutritional content of nuts--which include high amounts of vitamin E, magnesium, potassium and so-called "healthy" unsaturated fats--may be responsible for their apparent benefit. In particular, they noted that some nuts--such as walnuts--are relatively high in alpha-linolenic acid, a class of fatty acid that may help prevent abnormal heart rhythms and has been shown to cut the risk of sudden cardiac death among people who have already suffered a heart attack. [Story deleted at Yahoo! source]