Insight Into Metabolic Evolution Offered By Study Of Protein Folds
MedNews Today - Fri May 25
Researchers at the University of Illinois have constructed the first global family tree of metabolic protein architecture. Their approach offers a new window on the evolutionary history of metabolism. ... of phylogenetic analysis that systematicists used to build the tree of life, and we are applying it to a biochemical problem, a systems biology problem.

Study: Limiting Screen Time Lowers Risk Of Childhood Obesity
MedNews Today - Fri May 25
The National Institute on Media and the Family announced today that its community and family-focused pilot program showed that a substantial number of kids turned off their televisions, engaged in more physical activity and ate more fruits and vegetables.

Report Seeks F.D.A. Regulation of Tobacco
NY Times/AP - Fri May 25
A report from the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, urged Congress and the president to give the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco. The report also asked that the agency be authorized to enforce standards for nicotine reduction and to regulate claims by companies that their products reduce risk.

TV Linked With Poor Diabetes Control
Washington Post/AP - Fri May 25
Diabetic children who spent the most time glued to the TV had a tougher time controlling their blood sugar, according to a Norwegian study that illustrates yet another downside of too much television.

Clock Gene Plays Role In Weight Gain, Study Finds
MedNews Today - Thu May 24
Scientists at the University of Virginia and the Medical College of Wisconsin have discovered that a gene that participates in the regulation of the body's biological rhythms may also be a major control in regulating metabolism.

Study Calls on FDA to Regulate Tobacco
Washington Post/AP - Thu May 24
The Food and Drug Administration should regulate tobacco and develop a plan to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes, a new Institute of Medicine report urged Thursday.

Hospital says 'no' to sugary soft drinks
UPI - Thu May 24
A hospital system in Scotland has banned sugar-laden soft drinks such as Coca-Cola from vending machines and cafeterias.

Jet lag: It's all about chemical reactions in cells
Biology News Net - Wed May 23
Circadian clocks regulate the timing of biological functions in almost all higher organisms. Anyone who has flown through several time zones knows the jet lag that can result when this timing is disrupted.

Exercise Reverses Signs Of Ageing
MedNews Today - Wed May 23
Scientists in Canada suggest that twice weekly sessions of resistance exercise training using standard gym equipment can reverse the signs of ageing in the skeletal muscles of the over 65s.

Exercise Can Reverse the Aging Process
Ivanhoe - Wed May 23
Hitting the gym may help seniors find the fountain of youth. A new study from Ontario, Canada finds exercise, specifically resistance training, rejuvenates muscle tissue in healthy senior citizens.

Viagra could aid jetlag recovery
BBC - Wed May 23
Viagra could be used to help people flying eastwards recover from jetlag, animal research suggests. A team of Argentine scientists found the drug helped hamsters recover up to 50% faster from forward shifts in their daily time cycles.

Sleep Apnea Increases Risk Of Heart Attack Or Death By 30 Percent
MedNews Today - Tue May 22
The nighttime breathing disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea increases a person's risk of having a heart attack or dying by 30% over a period of four to five years, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference.

Cleveland to Cairo, in Coach? Ways to Outwit the Body Clock
NY Times - Tue May 22
Anyone who has flown across several time zones for business or pleasure has no doubt experienced jet lag — that days-long feeling that all body functions are out of sync with the new environment. And as soon as you become adjusted, you return home and have to go through it again.

Keeping Weight Off in Youth Pays Off in Old Age
Washington Post/HDN - Tue May 22
Staying trim and healthy in younger years can lead to a healthier, more mobile old age, U.S. researchers say. Researchers analyzed data on more than 2,800 people, ages 70 to 79, in the Pittsburgh and Memphis metropolitan areas.

Obesity makes asthma worse: study
Reuters - Tue May 22
Obese adults with asthma are more likely than their leaner counterparts to have severe, persistent disease, according to a new large study.kum Fulda, a 924-bed hospital in the town of Fulda in central Germany.

Ray: Help kids eat well, eat more
Chicago Tribune - Mon May 21
Celebrity chef Rachael Ray says helping the hungry can be easy as pie. Ray is promoting the Great American Bake Sale, a national campaign in which participants hold bake sales this summer to raise money to feed children.

New Working Hours, Medical Residents Still Sleepy
Ivanhoe - Mon May 21
New research shows medical residents who work within the mandated maximum of 80 hours per week are still severely sleepy -- something that could affect patient care as well as their own safety.

Sleepy Teens Want School to Start Later in the Morning
Ivanhoe - Mon May 21
A new survey of 280 sleep-deprived teens finds they think they would get better grades if school started later in the morning and tests were given later in the day. The teenagers were all students at a Philadelphia high school where the day runs from 7:30 a.m. until 2:25 p.m.

Sleep Apnea Increases Risk of Heart Attack or Death
Ivanhoe - Mon May 21
If you have sleep apnea, getting it treated could save your life. A new study from Yale University finds the condition increases the risk of having a heart attack or dying by 30 percent over a period of four to five years.

How to get kids to eat more vegetables
LA Times - Mon May 21
To many children, broccoli, beans and their ilk are just nasty. But a few clever strategies can turn that 'yuck' into 'yes. Studies suggest that with repeated exposure, dislikes can be transformed into desire.

Excessive vitamin use increases men's prostate cancer risk
LA Times - Mon May 21
Men who pop too many vitamins in the hope of improving their health may in fact be raising their risk of the deadliest forms of prostate cancer, especially men with a family history of the disease.

Sleep Apnea May Increase Risk Of Diabetes
MedNews Today - Mon May 21
Researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine have found that patients with obstructive sleep apnea are at increased risk for developing of type II diabetes, independent of other risk factors. The findings are being presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference.

Lungs affected in healthy kids of smoking parents
Reuters - Mon May 21
"Healthy" children of smokers may not show any signs of breathing difficulties, but they may still be experiencing reduced lung function -- which could progressively worsen with continued exposure -- according to a study reported Sunday at the American Thoracic Society's meeting in San Francisco.

Pre-birth apples 'benefit babies'
BBC - Sun May 20
Children of mothers who eat plenty of apples during pregnancy are less likely to develop asthma, research suggests. The University of Aberdeen project quizzed 2,000 mothers-to-be on their eating habits, then looked at their child's health over five years.

Two Piece Mouth Device Can Help Stifle Out Snoring,
Reduce Sleep Apnea Events
MedNews Today - Sun May 20
Wearing a mouth appliance designed to move the lower jaw forward can be an effective way to reduce snoring and improve sleep apnea symptoms, according to a May 2007 study in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.

The Prospects For Controlling Regeneration and Growth
Methuselah Foundation - Sun May 20
A broad swathe of modern medical research is aimed at greater and more precise control over regeneration and growth. If life extension of 10 to 20 years is plausible from a simple extrapolation of systems biology, then a far better control over regeneration should add to that.

Vice Is Bad for a Reason
NY Times - Sun May 20
We are living at a time when we just can’t leave bad enough alone. Diet Coke is being supplemented with vitamins and minerals. What will be next, Absolut-Plus? In this age of body-as-temple Puritanism, Diet Coke flies in the face of all nutritional accountability. Its ingredients, although as safe as those in any sodas, are discussed as if they were Chernobyl runoff.

Sleep Apnea Boosts Car Crash Risk
Washington Post/HDN - Sun May 20
People with sleep apnea -- a nighttime breathing disorder that disrupts sleep -- are at double the risk of being in a serious car crash, according to a Canadian study of 800 people with sleep apnea and 800 people without the condition.

German salmonella outbreak kills two
Reuters - Sun May 20
An outbreak of salmonella in Germany has infected more than 250 people and killed two, authorities said on Sunday. It was reported by Klinikum Fulda, a 924-bed hospital in the town of Fulda in central Germany.

Flies Show Link Between Sleep And Immune System
MedNews Today - Fri May 18
Go a few nights without enough sleep and you're more likely to get sick, but scientists have no real explanation for how sleep is related to the immune system. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine are finding that fruit flies can point to the answers.

Safety Sleep Systems, Inc. Moves Closer Toward Fielding
New System For Diagnosis And Treatment Of Sleep Disorders
MedNews Today - Fri May 18
SSSI) announced today that on May 2, 2007 it successfully tested a new communications technology that integrates advanced equipment for the recording and monitoring of people suffering from Sleep Disorder Breathing (SDB) such as sleep apnea.

Genaera Corporation Begins Dosing In Obesity Compound Testing
MedNews Today - Fri May 18
This randomized, vehicle-controlled study, being conducted at a leading obesity clinical research center in Kansas City, is enrolling healthy overweight and obese volunteers to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of ascending single doses of intravenously administered MSI- 1436... Trodusquemine.

U.S. Spends Most On Health Care, Has Poorer Results
Compared With Other Nations, Report Finds
MedNews Today - Fri May 18
The U.S. health care system is the most expensive in the world, and it yields worse results than the systems in Britain, Canada, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, according to a report issued this week by the Commonwealth Fund, Bloomberg/Detroit Free Press reports. The report found that the U.S. differs from better-performing nations by not having universal health insurance.

Study Of Protein Folds Offers Insight Into Metabolic Evolution
Science Daily - Fri May 18
Researchers at the University of Illinois have constructed the first global family tree of metabolic protein architecture. Their approach offers a new window on the evolutionary history of metabolism.... of phylogenetic analysis that systematicists used to build the tree of life, and we are applying it to a biochemical problem, a systems biology problem.

Governor signs broad smoking ban
Chicago Tribune - Thu May 17
Minnesota will join the ranks of smoke-free states in October after Gov. Tim Pawlenty's signing Wednesday of a bill to prohibit smoking in all indoor workplaces, restaurants and bars.

Applebee's Nixes Trans Fat Frying Oil
LA TImes/AP - Thu May 17
The restaurant-chain operator says it is no longer using trans fat frying oil at its more than 1,800 domestic restaurants. Trans fat is made when hydrogen is added to liquid cooking oils to harden them for baking or a longer shelf-life.

A Walk A Day Might Help Keep The Doctor Away For Post-menopausal Women
MedNews Today - Thu May 17
New research reported today in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows daily, mild exercise - walking or bike riding - improves the fitness of post-menopausal women who are currently sedentary, overweight or obese.

Sleep disorder linked to form of dementia
UPI - Thur May 17
A U.S.-led international research team has discovered a correlation between an extreme form of sleep disorder and eventual onset of dementia.

Experts: Kids Avoid Weight Gain on Diet
LA TImes/AP - Wed May 16
More fruits and vegetables were added to school lunches. Restaurants offered smaller portions. Crosswalks even got a fresh coat of paint to encourage walking and biking. The whole city of Somerville went on a diet to curb childhood obesity, and researchers say it worked.

Get slim on the office treadmill
BBC - Tue May 15
Obesity experts have developed a vertical workstation which helps employees take exercise and shed weight as they work. The designers, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, said it could help obese people to lose up to 30kg a year.

Exorcise aerobics!
Chicago Tribune - Tue May 15
If Chicago personal trainer Jim Karas had his way, treadmills would carry warning signs that say: "Cardio kills. Your joints, time, motivation and weight-loss goals."

For good nutrition, know your fruit
Chicago Tribune - Tue May 15
You know you should eat a variety of fruit, but do you know why or which ones are a better choice? Here's a quiz.

Too much of a bad thing
LA Times - Tue May 15
This just in: According to a new national survey, "most Americans believe some restaurants serve portions that are too large."

Scientists Evaluate Walking Workstation For Obese Office Workers
MedNews Today - Tue May 15
US scientists who observed obese office workers working at a walking workstation, a combination of a stand up desk and a treadmill, suggest that a few hours a day of walking whilst working could help them lose 20 to 30 kilos (44 to 66 pounds) a year assuming they did not overeat at the same time.

Mega Multivitamin Use Risks Prostate Cancer
MedPage Today - Tue May 15
Men who take multi-vitamin supplements more than once a day are twice as likely to die of prostate cancer as men who never take supplements, researchers confirmed.

Making work even more of a slog takes weight off
Reuters - Tue May 15
Think work feels like a treadmill now? Try a new desk designed at the Mayo Clinic. They built what they called a "vertical workstation" -- a desk fitted over a standard treadmill. They persuaded 15 obese people to work at this treadmill-desk and measured how many calories they burned.

U.S. Health Care Deemed 'Dysfunctional'
Washington Post/AP - Tue May 15
The U.S. health care system is "a dysfunctional mess" and politicians who insist otherwise look ignorant, according to a medical journal essay by a prominent ethicist at the National Institutes of Health.

Soy's new competition: hemp
LA Times - Wed May 14
In the last two years, sales of hemp food products in markets and grocery stores rose by more than 50%, propelling the unassuming seed to an $8.6-million industry, according to SPINS, a market research and consulting firm for the natural products industry.

Mars experiment might help Earthling insomniacs
Reuters - Mon May 14
An experiment aimed at finding ways to help astronauts adapt to life on Mars could end up helping insomniacs on Earth, researchers said on Monday. They found that two 45-minute exposures to bright light in the evening could help people adjust to a longer, Martian-style day.

Watch tracks how well you sleep
Chicago Tribune - Sun May 13
The Sleeptracker watch can be quite an eye-opener. Using motion-detector technology to sense the wearer's naturally occurring periods of near-wakefulness during a night's sleep, the watch keeps track of those moments and provides a readout in the morning, including the average time between wakeful periods.

Camps teach kids to lose weight, gain self-esteem
Chicago Tribune - Sun May 13
As children's waist sizes continue to grow, so do the number of weight-loss camps designed to combat obesity. This summer, children from throughout the nation are expected to flock to camps in the hope that, when they return home, they will be a little lighter and a little faster on their feet.

So you are a "Nightowl"? The After-Hours gene might be the reason why
MedNews Today - Sat May 12
In a paper just published in "Science magazine" scientists report a genetic mutation, appropriately called "after-hours" (Afh), which affects our internal body clock and might help explain why some of us are "evening people", only falling asleep in the early hours of the morning. The research has important implications for human health in an increasingly 24/7 culture, where shift work and continental travel (and the associated jet lag problems) are already linked to several diseases.

U.S. govt calls for end to dairy weight loss ads
Reuters - Sat May 12
U.S. dairy producers will have to stop pitching the idea that drinking more milk spurs weight loss, the Federal Trade Commission told a physician's advocacy group in a letter made public on Friday.

FDA probe reaches feed supplier
Chicago Tribune - Fri May 11
A Chicago-area feed supply company is the latest U.S. business to find itself implicated in the distribution of tainted rice protein from China, the Food and Drug Administration confirmed Thursday, raising the specter that customers of the firm may have unwittingly spread the contaminant melamine in pet food.

Dosing Completed for Obesity Drug Trials
MedNews Today - Fri May 11
Manhattan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced it has successfully completed patient dosing in two separate, ongoing Phase 2a clinical trials of oral Oleoyl-estrone (OE). The first trial is evaluating OE for the treatment of common obesity and the second trial is evaluating OE for treatment of morbid obesity.

For Most People, Gluten Isn't a Diet Enemy
NPR - Fri May 11
Wheat has been cultivated for thousands of years, and it's a staple of the American diet. But evolving ideas about nutrition mean more people are experimenting with wheat-free diets. Excellent sidebar: How to Read a Food Allergy Label.

Dairy Council to End Ad Campaign That Linked Drinking Milk With Weight Loss
NY Times - Fri May 11
A national advertising campaign that associates dairy products with weight loss will be curtailed because research does not support the claim, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The advertisements, conceived by the promotional arm of the dairy industry and overseen by the Agriculture Department, feature slogans like “Milk your diet. Lose weight!” and suggest that three servings of dairy products a day can help people be slim.

Passage of Drug Safety Bill Was Common Goal for Two Very Different Senators
NY Times - Fri May 11
Legislation to beef up drug safety, passed by the Senate this week with only one dissenting vote, grew out of an extraordinary pact between two senators and a frantic effort by the pharmaceutical industry to avoid any disruption in the approval of new drugs. The bill would increase the fees paid by drug makers to help finance the work of the Food and Drug Administration and would give the agency new power to police company conduct.

Thin People May Be Fat Inside
NY Times/AP - Fri May 11
If it really is what's on the inside that counts, then a lot of thin people might be in trouble. Some doctors now think that the internal fat surrounding vital organs like the heart, liver or pancreas -- invisible to the naked eye -- could be as dangerous as the more obvious external fat that bulges underneath the skin.

Healthy eating program helps slim school kids
Reuters - Fri May 11
The kids voted for their favorite vegetables, school cafeteria staff more accustomed to warming up frozen dishes learned how to slice fresh fruit and restaurants changed their menus. And the experiment worked.

Food czar: Inspections flawed, lack resources
Chicago Tribune - Thu May 10
The federal government's new "food czar" conceded during a hearing Wednesday that the government lacks the resources to do comprehensive investigations and must repair its flawed food safety inspection. The recent contamination of pet food that led to the deaths of cats and dogs was seen by some skeptical members of Congress as sounding a broader alarm for food consumed by humans.

Planned weight loss won't weaken older women
Reuters - Thu May 10
Obese, postmenopausal age women who decide to trim down don't need to worry that they will put themselves in danger of disability by doing so, even if they don't exercise as recommended, a new study shows.

Pfizer markets pill cheaper than smokes
UPI - Thu May 10
New York-based drug giant Pfizer says its anti-smoking pill Chantix is cheaper than a pack of smokes despite the fact that many insurers won't cover it.

Study: Omega-3 good for muscle protein
UPI - Thu May 10
A Canadian-led study suggests omega-3 fatty acids obtained from fish oil have a positive effect on the metabolism of muscle proteins.

Congressman: Poor Science Education Could Unravel U.S. Economy
Wired - Thu May 10
Science education in the United States is broken. So says Congressman Bart Gordon, chair of the House Committee on Science and Technology in a scathing criticism that he wrote for the Spring issue of Issues in Science and Technology. Rather than offering training in stagnant fields of science and engineering, Gordon believes that students should be urged to study frontier areas of science like systems biology, tissue engineering, and nanoscience.

Firm tied to deaths not OKd to sell drugs
Chicago Tribune - Wed May 9
China's drug regulation agency has confirmed that the company linked to counterfeit medicine that caused at least 100 deaths in Panama was not licensed to be engaged in the pharmaceutical business, the Foreign Ministry said.

Farmed fish may have melamine traces
Chicago Tribune - Wed May 9
Farmed fish have been fed meal spiked with the same chemical that has been linked to the pet food recall, but the contamination was probably too low to harm anyone, U.S. officials said. The Canadian-made meal was spiked with melamine and related, nitrogen-rich compounds, officials said.

Farmed Fish Ate Melamine: FDA
HealthDay News - Wed May 9
After finding its way to America's dinner tables via pork and chicken, the melamine contaminant in recalled pet food may have also been fed to farmed fish, federal health officials announced Tuesday. It's not clear how much, if any, contaminated stock made it to stores.

It's What You Eat, Not How, That Counts
HealthDay News - Wed May 9
Eating slowly in smaller portions may not curb overeating. Curbing overeating may have more to do with food choices than with how it's portioned out and eaten, a new study finds.

Study Reveals Little-Known Cell Networks Vital To Circadian Rhythm
MedNews Today - Wed May 9
Circadian rhythm is the basic 24-hour cycle that involves various behaviors, including sleeping and eating, in all living organisms. In mammals, the circadian clock is organized hierarchically in a series of multiple oscillators. At the top of this hierarchy, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a region of the brain that is the body"s main rhythmic regulator, integrates light information from the eyes and coordinates peripheral oscillators throughout the body.

Farmed Fish Fed Contaminated Material
NY Times/AP - Wed May 9
Farmed fish have been fed meal spiked with the same chemical that has been linked to the pet food recall, but the contamination was probably too low to harm anyone who ate the fish, federal officials said Tuesday.

China acts on food safety after pet poisonings
Reuters - Wed May 9
China announced a food industry clean-up on Wednesday after exports of a contaminated ingredient in pet food drew global attention to insufficient product controls. It will prioritize the inspection of fertilizer and pesticide use in vegetable planting as well as animal medicines and additives in livestock feed, according to a notice from the State Council, China's cabinet.

Consumer Reports Weighs In on New Diets
ABC News - Tue May 8
The June issue of Consumer Reports features an in-depth report on dieting, identifying "The Volumetrics Eating Plan" as the top-rated clinically tested diet plan and "The Best Life Diet" as the top rated diet book. Consumer Reports also outlines eight winning strategies for losing weight and three tactics that are unlikely to help.

Hospital Markups on Care Toughest on Poor: Study
HealthDay News - Tue May 8
In 2004, U.S. hospitals charged patients without health insurance and those who paid for care out of their own pockets an average of 2.5 times more for services than fees paid by health insurers, and 3 times more than Medicare-allowable costs, a new study finds.

Health Tip: Drink Lots of Water
HealthDay News - Tue May 8
It's important to drink plenty of water when you're playing sports, exercising, or performing virtually any activity that causes you to sweat and lose bodily fluids.

Hope for fast-food junkies?
LA Times - Tue May 8
Every day, findings pour in from the land of genetics research that offer hope for a better, brighter future. Up this month: a finding that might one day let us eat gobs of lard or trans-fat-laden frosting with impunity. This so far has been achieved only in mice.

A Third of Americans Take a Pass on Daily Dose of Fruit, Too
The Ledger - Tue May 8
The federal government has set goals of increasing the percentages of Americans who consume at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit every day. But a survey of 305,000 adults conducted in 2005 and reported in March revealed that only 33 percent eat fruit twice a day and only 27 percent eat vegetables three times a day.

Genaera Corporation Initiates Human Study Of Obesity Compound Trodusquemine
MedNews Today - Tue May 8
Genaera Corporation (Nasdaq: GENR) today announced that it has begun enrolling subjects in the first human clinical study of trodusquemine (MSI-1436) under the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the obesity compound submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2007.

Jury Is Still Out on Gluten, the Latest Dietary Villain
NY Times - Tue May 8
A growing number of Americans believe that gluten — a protein found in wheat, barley and rye — is responsible for a variety of ills, from skin eruptions to infertility to anxiety to gas. Gluten-free foods are becoming more widespread, but gluten’s role in health problems remains unclear.

Genes Take Charge, and Diets Fall by the Wayside
NY Times - Tue May 8
Research into the genetics of obesity indicates that each person has a comfortable weight range to which the body gravitate.

Shrek on a diet in McDonald's Happy Meal gig
Reuters - Tue May 8
McDonald's Corp. is putting the pot-bellied green star of "Shrek" movies on a diet in a new campaign that features the restaurant chain's apple slices and salads rather than its burgers and fries.

Wal-Mart delis switch to trans-fat-free oil
Reuters - Tue May 8
America's largest retailer says it switched to using trans-fat-free oil for frying foods, including chicken, corn dogs and country steak at its in-store delis. In the past week, KFC and Starbucks made similar announcements.

U.S. Kids Have Watched Stars Smoking Billions of Times
HealthDay News - Mon May 7
In another strike at Hollywood's addiction to cigarettes, a leading tobacco foe has calculated that U.S. adolescents have watched actors puff away a total of 13.9 billion times in 534 movies released between 1998 and 2003. Brad Pitt, Lord of the Rings lead offenders, study finds.

Multitasking is hardest in early morning
HuliQ.com - Mon May 7
Multitasking seems to come easier for some and is virtually impossible for others, however new research shows that it is difficult for all in the late night and early morning. There is evidence that the circadian variations in reaction time are at least partly due to changes in two of the processing stages...

Docs not Helping Obesity Fight
Ivanhoe - Mon May 7
Many children may be missing out on an important screening for obesity. Researchers from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center say less than 6 percent of physicians seem to be calculating a child's body mass index (BMI), even though it's recommended they do so at least once a year to screen for overweight and obese children.

Height, weight, BMI
LA Times - Mon May 7
Pediatricians are failing in large numbers to calculate children's body mass index. With a bit of early intervention, a pediatrician can nip a lifetime of fat-related health problems in the bud.

Beverage Patterns May 'Make Or Break' Your Diet
MedNews Today - Mon May 7
Americans are filling their glasses with too many sugary drinks and not enough nutrient-rich beverage choices like lowfat milk, which may be affecting their weight and diet quality, suggests a new study presented at the Experimental Biology meeting.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Impairs A Person's Slow Wave Activity During Sleep
MedNews Today - Mon May 7
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has been associated with altered amounts of slow wave sleep, which could reflect reduced electroencephalograph (EEG) activity and impaired sleep regulation. A study published in the journal SLEEP finds that CFS is also associated with a blunted slow wave activity (SWA) response to sleep challenge, suggesting an impairment of the basic sleep drive and homeostatic response.

Kids Don't Notice "Stealth Vegetables"
MedNews Today - Mon May 7
Parents who want their kids to consume fewer calories and eat more vegetables might find a healthy solution with "stealth vegetables." A Penn State study shows that decreasing the calorie density of foods by adding vegetables and other lower-calorie ingredients leads to a reduction in children's calorie intake and an increase in vegetable consumption.

Hurricanes And Public Health
MedNews Today - Mon May 7
In the first study ever to evaluate urban sediment after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, scientists from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science have published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, pointing to the need for rapid environmental assessments.

Scientist Finds Another Clue To Why Soy Promotes Weight Loss
MedNews Today - Mon May 7
Research shows that when soy consumption goes up, weight goes down. A new University of Illinois study may help scientists understand exactly how that weight loss happens.

The Skinny on Getting Thin
MSNBC - Mon May 7
Americans are famously losing the battle of the bulge—two thirds of the adults in the United States are overweight or obese. In "Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss—and the Myths and Realities of Dieting" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, May 2007), The New York Times science and medicine writer Gina Kolata explores why it's so hard to lose weight and keep it off.

Starbucks to end artificial trans fats in stores by end-2007
Reuters - Mon May 7
Starbucks, the world's largest coffee shop chain, said it will eliminate the use of artificial trans fats in all food and beverages in stores in the continental U.S., Alaska and Canada by the end of 2007.

WHO Criticized for Neglecting Evidence
Washington Post/AP - Mon May 7
When developing "evidence-based" guidelines, the World Health Organization routinely forgets one key ingredient: evidence. The Lancet medical journal's criticism of WHO could shock many in the global health community, as one of WHO's main jobs is to produce guidelines on everything from fighting the spread of bird flu and malaria control to enacting anti-tobacco legislation.

Forever Off-Menu: A Diet All Your Own
Wired Science Blog - Mon May 7
For a few hundred dollars, you can send away for a genetic test from companies that offer personalized nutrition information -- and usually vitamin supplements -- based on the results.

Lung disease linked to flavoring chemical
UPI - Mon May 7
Politicians and health workers in the United States are pushing for a bill to ban the use of a food flavoring chemical that has been linked to lung disease.

Color-code your diet for health
ChiTrib/Sac Bee - Sun May 6
White produce is the color for heart disease. Eat white, such as bananas, cauliflower and garlic, and you'll lower heart disease risk, according to www.menshealth.com. Each of the five produce color categories targets different ailments.

Children From Low Income Families More Likely
To Have Sleep Problems
MedNews Today - Sun May 6
Children from low income families have more sleep problems than children from middle class families, potentially impacting their health and performance at school, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting.

A Longer, Better Life
NY Times - Sun May 6
Reporter Sara Davidson talks to two medical scientists about how the body ages and the research on trying to extend our healthy life span.

Fat Chance
NY Times - Sun May 6
If you had to choose, would you rather be fat or blind? When a researcher asked that question of a group of formerly obese people, 89 percent said they would prefer to lose their sight than their hard-won slimness.

Dads' Parenting Style Influences Childhood Obesity
HealthDay News- Sat May 5
Clear limits, parental follow-through can help curb overweight epidemic. Fathers' parenting styles have a major influence on children's weight, says an Australian study that looked at almost 5,000 children, ages 4-5, and their parents.

After Hours' Gene Stretches Body Clock To 27-hour-day
MedNews Today - Sat May 5
Wheel-running mice have helped scientists to identify an altered body clock gene that can make a normal day up to three hours longer. The altered gene, named 'after hours' or Afh, is a variant of a gene called Fbxl3 which was previously unknown to play a role in keeping mammals internal body clocks running on time.

Changes in lifestyle can slow warming, scientists say
SF Chronicle - Sat May 5
The worst effects of global warming can be blunted if average people make lifestyle changes that conserve energy and if the world's nations show the political will to address the problem, a panel of international scientists said Friday.

Dads have bigger influence on child's BMI
UPI - Sat May 5
Australian researchers say fathers may have more influence than mothers in determining whether a child becomes overweight.

Dieting Usually Healthy for Older Adults: Study
HealthDay News - Fri May 4
Physical function is unaffected by typical weight loss, researchers say.. Older, overweight women who diet do not experience reduced physical function and should feel free to try to lose weight by reducing their calorie intake, U.S. research shows.

Eating Disorders Often Overlooked in Boys
HealthDay News - Fri May 4
They don't share the warning signs of young girls, studies find. Because they're accustomed to diagnosing eating disorders in white teenage girls, doctors may overlook the condition in boys and certain ethnic groups, U.S. researchers warn.

Understanding The Function Of Sleep Comes One Step Closer
MedNews Today - Fri May 4
Sleep remains one of the big mysteries in biology. All animals sleep, and people who are deprived of sleep suffer physically, emotionally and intellectually. But nobody knows how sleep restores the brain. Now...

Blood pressure climbs along with weight
Reuters - Fri May 4
In a study of more than 13,000 male doctors, researchers found that the higher a man's body mass index (BMI) was at the outset, the higher his risk of developing high blood pressure over the next 15 years. This was true even among men who were normal-weight or only mildly overweight.

A Healthy Mix of Rest and Motion
NY Times - Thu May 3
New findings suggest that for at least one workout a week it pays to be both tortoise and hare — alternating short bursts of high-intensity exercise with easy-does-it recovery. Weight watchers, prediabetics and those who simply want to increase their fitness all stand to gain.

Gene Links Longevity and Diet, Scientists Say
NY Times - Thu May 3
Scientists have identified a gene that makes roundworms live longer when they eat less, a finding they hope could lead to drugs that promote human longevity, but without the pain of strict dieting.

Walkable neighborhood tied to depression risk
Reuters - Thu May 3
Living in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood may help shield older men from depression, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among 740 older adults living in the Seattle area, men who lived in more walkable neighborhoods tended to show fewer depression symptoms than men fom less walker-friendly areas.

WHO: Green Polices Yield Quick Rewards
Washington Post/AP - Thu May 3
Countries that start battling global warming now won't have to wait generations to see the rewards: Burning cleaner fuels can yield immediate health benefits that save lives and money, world health experts say.

Why Calorie Restriction Might Prolong Life
HealthDay News - Wed May 2
Researchers report that they think they know why this phenomenon of "dietary restriction" increases longevity: It all revolves around a gene known as pha-4, which is involved in the embryonic development of the intestine in the C. elegans roundworm.

Poorer Kids Have Poorer Sleep: Study
HealthDay News - Wed May 2
It could undermine their health, school performance, researchers say. Compared to middle-class children, youngsters in low-income families are more likely to have sleep problems, which can affect their health and performance at school, a U.S. study finds.

Genome-Wide Search Unearths Surprising Clues For
Diabetes And Triglycerides
MedNews Today - Wed May 2
Scientists from the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Lund University and Novartis have announced the discovery of three unsuspected regions of human DNA that contain clear genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes, and another that is associated with elevated blood triglycerides.

PHA-4/Foxa mediates diet-restriction-induced longevity of C. elegans
Nature - Wed May 2
Reduced food intake as a result of dietary restriction increases the lifespan of a wide variety of metazoans and delays the onset of multiple age-related pathologies. Dietary restriction elicits a genetically programmed response to nutrient availability that cannot be explained by a simple reduction in metabolism or slower growth of the organism.

Study identifies gene linked to longer lifespan
Reuters - Wed May 2
Scientists have known for seven decades that mice, dogs, fruit flies and other animals given diets bordering on starvation tended to live up to 40 percent longer than their better-fed cousins. Now they think they know why.

'Rubber band' obesity surgery cuts diabetes risk
Reuters - Wed May 2
After having "lap band" surgery for weight loss, men and women show large increases in sensitivity to the blood-sugar-regulating hormone insulin -- even if they remain obese -- a new study shows.

Guide Touts Latin American Diet Pyramid
Washington Post/AP - Tue May 1
A new food pyramid, designed to encourage Latinos to eat healthier, touts the staples of traditional Latin-American cooking as the path to better nutrition.

Mom Was Right: Eating Soup Cuts Calorie Intake
HealthDay News - Tue May 1
Study finds a bit of broth can spell bliss for weight-watchers - 20 percent fewer total calories. Penn State researchers gave low-calorie soup made of chicken broth, broccoli, potato, cauliflower, carrots and butter to volunteers before they ate a lunch entree.

Exercise Pill Burns Fat
Ivanhoe - Tue May 1
An experimental drug may simulate the fat-burning effects of exercise. Researchers from The Salk Institute's Gene Expression Laboratory in San Diego gave ordinary adult mice a synthetic drug designed to mimic fat and were able to chemically switch on PPAR-d -- the main regulator that controls the ability of cells to burn fat.

300,000 Machines For Sleep Apnea Recalled
MedNews Today - Tue May 1
ResMed, the second largest manufacturer of CPAP machines in the U.S., has issued a voluntary recall of approximately 300,000 specific CPAP machines known as the S8 series.

Obesity And Food Cue-Related Brain Activity Linked
MedNews Today - Tue May 1
A unique pattern of gene expression observed in rats may be linked to a conditioned desire for food and excessive food intake, an article published in BMC Biology suggests.

Bariatric Surgery Risk Accurately Prediced By Simple Scoring System
MedNews Today - Tue May 1
A simple scoring system based on five medical factors accurately predicts which patients being considered for gastric bypass surgery would be at highest risk of dying.

Smoke-Free Cities Policy To Protect Citizens From Dangers Of Secondhand Smoke
MedNews Today - Tue May 1
The American Heart Association today announced that it will no longer hold conferences in cities without smoke-free workplace laws as part of an ongoing campaign to reduce cardiovascular diseases related to tobacco use. The Board of Directors approved the policy which represents a significant change in the association's meeting and conference site selection process.

When determining who’s fat, is BMI bunk?
MSNBC - Tue May 1
Are you fat? The answer may depend on which test you take. If you’re going by your body mass index, or BMI, a measure that factors in your weight and height...

How Does Your Waistline Matter? Let Us Count the Ways.
NY Times - Tue May 1
Obesity specialists differ on what measurements are best. B.M.I. has limitations. Muscular men might have high B.M.I.’s, which make them seem fatter than they are. Old people often have deceptively low B.M.I.’s because they have lost so much muscle in the aging process.

Free Drug Samples? Bad Idea, Some Say
NY Times - Tue May 1
Some leading academic medical centers are restricting the use of drug samples, and a smattering of physician practices are shutting down the sample cabinet.

FDA creates new food protection post
UPI - Tue May 1
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has created the position of assistant commissioner for food protection, which will be assumed by Dr. David Acheson.

Scientists develop 'exercise pill'
UPI - Tue May 1
A U.S. scientist has created an "exercise pill" that activates a gene that tells cells to burn fat, making mice resistant to high-fat diet weight gains.

KFC, Taco Bell quit cooking with trans fat
Chicago Tribune - Mon Apr 30
KFC's fried chicken buckets soon will be stamped with a health message along with the likeness of its founder, Colonel Harland Sanders. The Louisville-based chain announced Monday that all 5,500 of its U.S. restaurants have stopped cooking chicken in artery-clogging trans fat.

New Scoring System Predicts Weight-Loss Surgery Risk
Ivanhoe - Mon Apr 30
Your risk of dying from weight loss surgery may depend on how you score in a new system. Duke University proposed the simple scoring system last year. Now, a new study of more than 4,400 patients shows it accurately predicts who stands the greatest chance of dying from gastric bypass surgery.

The snack shake-up
LA Times - Mon Apr 30
NO longer satisfied by three meals a day, Americans have become accustomed to noshing whenever hunger hits. Americans are reaching for nutritious snacks, but are retooled old favorites really better? Food manufacturers are rolling out versions of popular treats, but deciphering claims on labels can be tricky.

Alzheimer's Memory Loss May One Day Be Reversible
MedNewsToday - Mon Apr 30
A new US study suggests it may one day be possible to reverse the memory loss associated with Alzheimer's and similar degenerative brain diseases. The study is published in Nature.

The Way We Age Now
The New Yorker - Mon Apr 30
Medicine has increased the ranks of the elderly. Can it make old age any easier? Why we age is the subject of vigorous debate. The classical view is that aging happens because of random wear and tear. A newer view holds that aging is more orderly and genetically driven.

Exercising harder keeps weight off longer
Reuters - Mon Apr 30
People who consistently engage in high levels of exercise over the long haul are the most successful at losing weight and keeping it off, a new study shows.

New Drug Counteracts Overeating
HealthDay News - Sun Apr 29
A pill might one day achieve the same calorie-burning effects of vigorous exercise. It revs up metabolism much like exercise, researchers say.

Calorie Restriction And Increased Longevity Linked To Metabolic Changes
MedNews Today - Sat Apr 28
In a study of Labrador retriever dogs, those fed a calorie-restricted diet showed different lifelong patterns relating to energy metabolism and the activities of their gut microbes and lived almost two years longer than similar dogs given a slightly higher-calorie diet.

Is Shrek Really A 'Good Model' For Exercise?
Common Voice - Fri Apr 27
Let me just say that I can appreciate the good intentions of this government-endorsed Shrek promotion of exercise. But you can't help but think about how confusing this must be to little Johnny or Jane who sees their favorite movie characters eating foods like Happy Meals, Fruit Loops, or M&M's and then those same character encouraging exercise.

Sleep Strengthens Your Memory
MedNews Today - Fri Apr 27
Sleep not only protects memories from outside interferences, but also helps strengthen them, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 59th Annual Meeting in Boston. The study looked at memory recall with and without interference (competing information). Forty-eight people between the ages of 18 and 30 took part in the study.

Scientists Identify 7 New Diabetes Genes
NY Times - Fri Apr 27
Researchers said they had identified genes connected to the most common form of diabetes — the latest result of an intensifying race between university researchers and private companies to find genes linked to a range of diseases. The findings, presented in three reports by university scientists and one by a private company, offer novel insights into the biology of a disease that affects 170 million people worldwide.

Weighing Obesity Surgery Risks for Teens
NY Times/AP - Fri Apr 27
200 teenagers will be enrolled in a five-year, federally funded study on the benefits and risks of bariatric surgery on adolescents.

New Diabetes Genetic Risk Factors Found
Washington Post/AP - Fri Apr 27
Scientists have found clusters of new gene variants that raise the risk of Type 2 diabetes _ and how the researchers did it is as important as what they found. In one of the largest studies yet of human genetic variability, the scientists tested the DNA of more than 32,000 people in five countries to pin down spots that harbor genetic risk factors for this complicated killer.

Evidence-Based Obesity Guidelines Supported By Dietitians Of Canada
HealthDay News - Thu Apr 26
Dietitians of Canada welcomes the release today of comprehensive, evidence-based guidance on obesity prevention and treatment. Obesity Canada, who led the development of the practice guidelines, engaged many experts, including dietitians.

Lesbians More Likely To Be Overweight And Obese
Compared To Heterosexual Women
HealthDay News - Thu Apr 26
Researchers compared population estimates of overweight and obesity across sexual orientation groups using data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. The study sample of almost 6,000 women found that lesbians were more likely to be overweight and obese, putting themselves at higher risk for conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

Report: Tainted Hogs Enter Food Supply
LA Times/AP - Thu Apr 26
Several hundred of the 6,000 hogs that may have eaten contaminated pet food are believed to have entered the food supply for humans, the government said Thursday. The potential risk to human health was said to be very low.

6,000 hogs may have eaten tainted feed: USDA
Reuters - Thu Apr 26
An estimated 6,000 hogs from New York to California were likely given feed containing melamine, a chemical used in plastics and fertilizer, the U.S. Agriculture Department said Thursday.

Scientists identify new genes linked to diabetes
Reuters - Thu Apr 26
The most thorough probe to date of the genetic underpinnings of the most common form of diabetes has identified a new batch of genes that increases risk for a disease affecting 200 million people globally.

Lawmakers upbraid FDA for food safety failings
Reuters - Thu Apr 26
U.S. congressional leaders on Wednesday threatened to make sweeping changes to the Bush administration's food safety system in light of fresh concerns over contaminated pet food. A key U.S. House leader said she might "zero out" the salaries of some Food and Drug Administration officials on because of recent food safety failings that have included bagged spinach and peanut butter.

A well-equipped kitchen for eating more healthfully
Chicago Trib - Wed Apr 25
Despite the growing evidence that fruit and vegetable consumption is linked to lower rates of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and obesity, most of us need to double the amounts we eat. Our diets are woefully low in fruits and vegetables. Fewer than a third of American adults eat the amount the government recommends, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More Mauritanian women telling fat: I can quit you
Chicago/AP - Wed Apr 25
A land where great poundage has long been revered is slowly learning that svelte can be healthier. Mey Mint struggles to carry her weight up the flight of stairs, her thighs shaking with each step. It will take several minutes for the 50-year-old to catch her breath, air hissing painfully in and out of her chest.

Good Sleep Wakes Up Memory
HealthDay News - Wed Apr 25
Besides helping you feel well-rested, getting your zzz's may also sharpen your memory, a new study shows. Researchers found that sleep not only protects memories from outside interferences, it also helps strengthen them.

Nation's Obesity Problem Tackled By Renowned Nutrition
Experts In New Book On Primary Care Nutrition
HealthDay News - Wed Apr 25
Two of the country's most respected nutrition experts, Drs. Lisa Hark and Darwin Deen, have responded to the problem of inadequate nutrition training among primary care physicians by developing a comprehensive guide that educates doctors about the important role that nutrition plays in the promotion of their patients' health.

New U.S. Standards Look to Limit Junk Foods in Schools
HealthDay News - Wed Apr 25
In an effort to curb skyrocketing childhood obesity rates, U.S. health officials unveiled nutrition standards Wednesday for foods and beverages that compete with federal school meal programs.

Sleep Does a Brain Good
Ivanhoe - Wed Apr 25
Ever feel like you think more clearly after a good night’s sleep? Chances are, you aren’t just imagining it, report Harvard Medical School researchers. In a new study, people were tested to see how well they remembered word pairs after being awake all day and after a good night’s sleep. Those who get a good night's sleep had significantly higher scores than those who were awake all day.

Expert panel urges junk food ban in schools
Reuters - Wed Apr 25
Sugary drinks, fatty chips and gooey snack cakes should be banned from U.S. schools in the face of rising childhood obesity fueled by these junk foods, an expert panel said on Wednesday in a report requested by Congress.

Firms urged to help smokers quit habit
Reuters - Wed Apr 25
Employers should give staff members who smoke time off to attend clinics to help them quit the deadly habit, the government's public health adviser said on Wednesday. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said employers should provide staff with information on local stop-smoking services.

Standards Urged for School Snacks
Washington Post/AP - Wed Apr 25
Whole-grain crackers, low-fat yogurt, fruit and water could become the school snacks of the future, driving out fattening fancies such as cola and fried chips. The Institute of Medicine on Wednesday recommended new standards for school snacks and foods that sharply would limit calories, fat and sugar while encouraging more nutritious eating.

Obese Children's Appetites Increased By 134 Percent
After Watching TV Food Adverts
MedNews Today - Wed Apr 25
Obese and overweight children increase their food intake by more than 100% after watching food advertisements on television; a study by the University of Liverpool psychologists has shown.

Food Prep May Be as Important as Ingredients Themselves
Health Day - Tue Apr 24
Frying, grilling can boost hazardous inflammatory toxins, scientists say. The methods used to produce or cook food may have as much impact on your health as the actual food, U.S. researchers report.

Medicine and the Drug Industry, a Morality Tale
NY Times - Tue Apr 24
Review: A new book provides an analysis of the often invisible ties that bind drug makers and doctors.

To Grow Your Kids' Desire For Vegetables And Fruit, Plant A Garden
MedNews Today - Tue Apr 24
If you are looking for a way to encourage your children eat their fruits and vegetables, search no further than your backyard, suggests new Saint Louis University research. Preschool children in rural areas eat more fruits and vegetables when the produce is homegrown.

U.S. has huge appetite for organic food: industry
Reuters - Tue Apr 24
U.S. farmers are having a hard time keeping up with Americans' voracious appetite for organic foods, say industry leaders, who want federal officials to boost spending on crop research and market development. Organic food sales grow by as much as 20 percent a year and were forecast for $16 billion during 2006, or nearly 3 percent of all U.S. food spending, the Organic Trade Association said at a pair of congressional hearings.

America's kids are fatter than ever
Boston Globe - Mon Apr 23
What's to blame? Increasingly, researchers and regulators are pointing a finger at the barrage of TV and Internet ads pitching processed foods.

Study: Dieting falls under own weight
Chicago Tribune/AP - Mon Apr 23
Researchers at UCLA examining 31 weight-loss studies found that long-term dieting doesn't keep the pounds off. While people can lose weight initially, many relapse and regain the pounds. Lifestyle changes are required for success over the long term.

Study says obese workers costing employers
CNN/AP - Mon Apr 23
Overweight workers cost their bosses more in injury claims than their lean colleagues, suggests a study that found the heaviest employees had twice the rate of workers' compensation claims as their fit co-workers.

Obese File Twice as Many Workers' Comp Claims
HealthDay News - Mon Apr 23
A new study of almost 12,000 Duke University employees found that obese workers filed twice the number of workers' compensation claims, had seven times higher medical costs from those claims, and had 13 times more lost work days due to work injury/illness than non-obese employees.

Lowest Life Expectancy Linked With High CVD Mortality
MedNews Today - Mon Apr 23
Hungary has one of the lowest life expectancy rates at birth among the member states of the European Union: 77 years for females and only 68 years for males as compared to the 76 and 82 years for males and females in the EU, respectively. The low life expectancy is mainly due to high mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases.

Study: Fat Workers Cost Employers More
Washington Post - Mon Apr 23
Overweight workers cost their bosses more in injury claims than their lean colleagues, suggests a study that found the heaviest employees had twice the rate of workers' compensation claims as their fit co-workers.

FDA Was Aware of Dangers To Food
Washington Post - Mon Apr 23
The Food and Drug Administration has known for years about contamination problems at a Georgia peanut butter plant and on California spinach farms that led to disease outbreaks that killed three people, sickened hundreds, and forced one of the biggest product recalls in U.S. history, documents and interviews show.

Success for child obesity scheme
BBC - Sun Apr 22
A community programme which aims to encourage obese children to be more healthy has proved highly successful, a study has found. A year after the nine-week programme, the eight to 12-year-olds were fitter healthier, and more confident.

Exercisers slow it down with mindful qigong
Chicago Trib - Sun Apr 22
The face of exercise is changing in America. People are chasing longevity, stress reduction and improved health through mind-body practices like qigong.

Harnessing Tai Chi's Quiet Strength for Health
HealthDay News - Sun Apr 22
Whether or not you subscribe to the theory that the mind and body contain this mysterious, potentially healing force, the ancient martial art known as Tai Chi can still help bring health and fitness into line, experts say.

Winning the Nutrition Game, With Help From a Coach
NY Times - Sun Apr 22
Nutrition coaches often rely on tests they conduct themselves, or those conducted by a physician, to determine problems related to blood sugar, hormone imbalances, cholesterol level, food allergies and even brain chemistry.

Obesity rising in Europe, especially in children
Reuters - Sun Apr 22
Europe is facing major health and social burdens and the rise in obesity is reaching "epidemic" proportions. Estimates show there are around 1.1 billion overweight people in the world, of whom 312 million are obese, and that in Europe 10-20 percent of men are obese and almost half the population is overweight.

Merged Sciences May Aid Cancer Treatment
Washington Post - Sun Apr 22
Western science and traditional Eastern medicine could be combined to enhance treatment of cancer and other diseases, an oncology professor told a medical forum Sunday.

Men Who Drink Face Higher Risk of Sleep Disorders
HealthDay News - Fri Apr 20
The more alcohol men habitually consume, the more likely they are to have a sleep-related breathing disorder (SRBD), a new study says. Habitual alcohol users 25% more likely to have mild or severe breathing difficulties.

FDA, Congress Fail To Ensure Prescription Drug Safety, Survey Finds
MedNews Today - Fri Apr 20
More than 60% of U.S. adults believe FDA and Congress have failed to ensure prescription drug safety, according to a survey released on Monday by Consumer Reports, CQ HealthBeat reports. The telephone survey, conducted from March 15 through March 18, included responses from 1,026 randomly selected adults. According to the survey, nine in 10 respondents want all clinical trials results made public and want FDA to have the authority to require warning labels and post-market trials of prescription drugs with safety issues.

More Insomnia-Related Symptoms Reported By 'Night Owls'
MedNews Today - Thu Apr 19
Those persons who are labeled "night owls" report more pathological symptoms related to insomnia, despite many having the opportunity to compensate for their nocturnal sleeplessness by extending their time in bed and being able to gain more total sleep time, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM).

Calorie reduction may lead to longer life
UPI -Thu Apr 19
An Imperial College London canine study suggests a calorie-restricted diet might result in extended longevity. In the study led by Jeremy Nicholson, Labrador retriever dogs fed a calorie-restricted diet showed different lifelong patterns relating to energy metabolism and the activities of their gut microbes. The dogs lived nearly two years longer than similar dogs given a slightly higher-calorie diet.

Ireland's Smoking Ban Cut Pub Toxins Dramatically
HealthDay News - Wed Apr 18
Ireland's workplace smoking ban led to 83 percent less air pollution and 80 percent less airborne carcinogens in pubs and improved respiratory health among pub workers, a new study shows, secondhand smoke exposure by 99 percent.

Senate Bars Medicare Talks for Lower Drug Prices
NY Times - Wed Apr 18
A pillar of the Democrats’ program tumbled on Wednesday when the Senate blocked a proposal to let Medicare negotiate lower drug prices for millions of older Americans, a practice now forbidden by law.

American Academy Of Sleep Medicine Applauds NTSB's Effort
MedNews Today - Tue Apr 17
Agency communicating the importance of sleep to Air Traffic Controllers. According to the letter sent by NTSB, air traffic controllers report sleeping for an average of 6.5 hours prior to a day shift and 2.3 hours before a midnight shift. While sleep need is individual, these statistics are far below the average sleep time of 7 to 8 hours required by most adults to feel alert and well rested.

White House threatens veto of drug price bill
Reuters - Tue Apr 17
The Senate was expected to cast a test vote on Wednesday, when Democrats try to end debate and go forward with consideration of the bill. Republican Charles Grassley of Iowa, who opposes the bill, has vowed to filibuster or talk the bill to death.

Sleep apnea frequent with heart failure
Reuters - Mon Apr 16
About one quarter of heart failure patients have moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea and they also have significantly higher death rates than those without sleep apnea, Canadian researchers report.

Bill Clinton calls U.S. health care 'uneconomical'
SF Chronicle - Sun Apr 15
The dire state of the nation's health care system is threatening the country's well-being, former President Bill Clinton told a receptive crowd. "Our health care system is immoral because it doesn't provide health care to everybody," said Clinton, the keynote speaker at a daylong symposium. "It's wildly uneconomical. We pay more than everybody else in the world for less."

Blood pressure 'is in the brain'
BBC - Sun Apr 15
The cause may lie within the brain, rather than with problems relating to the heart, kidneys or blood vessels, research suggests. Scientists at Bristol University say the findings could lead to new ways of treating the condition, which affects about one in five Britons. They isolated a protein, JAM-1, in the brain which appeared to trap white blood cells, obstructing blood flow.

Dinosaur Collagen Points to Chicken Connection
HealthDay News - Thu Apr 12
Analysis of amino acids in T. rex femur shows molecular link to birds. The findings will probably change the way paleontologists view and treat future fossils, said Lewis Cantley, professor of systems biology at Harvard School.. as well as ways to treat diseases such as cancers.

Stem Cell Bill Approved by Senate
LA Times/AP - Thu Apr 12
A stubborn Senate voted Wednesday to ease restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research, ignoring President Bush's threat of a second veto on legislation designed to lead to new medical treatments.

Exercise Linked To Less Depression And Anxiety
Med News Today - Thu Apr 12
A UK study suggests that regular intense physical exercise is linked with lower rates of depression and anxiety in men up to five years later.

The Proportion Of Americans Who Are Severely Obese Increased
Twice As Fast As The Growth Seen In Moderate Obesity, RAND Study
Med News Today - Thu Apr 12
The proportion of Americans who are severely obese -- about 100 pounds or more overweight -- increased by 50 percent from 2000 to 2005, twice as fast as the growth seen in moderate obesity, according to a RAND Corporation study issued recently.

F.D.A. Panel Rejects Merck Pain Pill in 20-1 Vote
NY Times - Thu Apr 12
A panel of federal drug advisers voted 20-to-1 today to reject an application by Merck to sell its pain pill Arcoxia because of concerns that the drug could cause as many as 30,000 heart attacks a year if widely used.

People With Gene Variant May Weigh More
NY Times/AP - Thu Apr 12
Researchers have found another gene that may keep you from fitting in your jeans. You can't blame this gene, named FTO, for all the extra inches. But British scientists discovered that people who carry two copies of a variation of the FTO gene weighed, on average, 7 pounds more than people who lack it.

E. coli making a comeback in U.S., CDC says
Reuters - Thu Apr 12
E. coli and Salmonella infections are on the rise in the United States, but other foodborne illnesses appear to have leveled off, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Data from 10 states show that infections caused by Campylobacter, Listeria, Shigella, and Yersinia have all fallen since the 1990s -- a success story.

Senate votes to ease Bush stem cell limits
Reuters - Thu Apr 12
The Democratic-led U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to lift a key restriction by President George W. Bush on the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

Smoking affects heart of even the young and fit
Reuters - Thu Apr 12
Young adult smokers may seem healthy, but smoking is taking its toll on their heart, a research team in Poland reports. Chronic smoking appears to impair the ability of the heart to relax between beats, resulting in decreased pumping capacity.

States Cracking Down on Drug Marketing
Washington Post/AP - Thu Apr 12
Pharmaceutical-company sales reps who visit doctors' offices to promote their products know a surprising amount about the physicians before they even walk through the door.

The Eye of the Beholder
(Massachusetts) Daily Collegian - Wed Apr 11
It has been recommended that any model with a Body Mass Index (BMI) that is less than 18 be banned from runway modeling. A healthy BMI ranges anywhere from 18.5 to 24.9, and is calculated by using both height and weight as factors.

Teens forgo fruit for fast-food
(Australia) Herald Sun - Wed Apr 11
One in four adolescents eats unhealthy food every day and one in three does not eat fruit, new research shows. "Our study found that most teenagers are far from having diets that will provide their growing bodies with the nutrients they need to ensure their long term health and wellbeing," said Professor David Crawford, who headed the Deakin University study of of 3800 youths.

Heart Failure & Sleep Apnea: a Deadly Combo
Ivanhoe - Wed Apr 11
Heart failure and sleep apnea could be a deadly combination, according to the results of a recent study. Researchers from Toronto General Hospital and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute in Canada followed 164 patients with heart failure for seven years and found those suffering from obstructive sleep apnea were two-times more likely to die from the condition than their apnea-free counterparts.

Rival: Splenda confuses consumers by claiming to be 'from sugar'
(FW In) Journal Gazette/AP - Wed Apr 11
Splenda, on its Web site, touts "important health and lifestyle benefits" and discusses health issues such as child obesity and diabetes. The marketers of Splenda have made millions by confusing consumers into thinking the yellow packets contain a natural product and not an artificial sweetener, its chief rival told a jury Tuesday.

Brandeis Research Shows That Circadian
Neuronal Network Is A Seasonal Timing Device
Med News Today - Wed Apr 11
A university study published in Cell recently shows for the first time experimentally that the circadian cells in fruit flies function as a network that enables the insects to adapt their behavior according to seasonal changes. This discovery leads the way to understanding how mammals, and presumably humans, adjust physiology and behavior to environmental changes such as short winter days and long summer ones.

Prescription For Exercise: A Physician's Role In Getting Patients Active
Med News Today - Wed Apr 11
A new paper by two family physicians from the University of Michigan Health System provides a practical guide for primary care clinicians to help their sedentary patients become more active. One tip is to write prescriptions for the type and duration of exercise the patient should try.

RAND Panel Identifies Key Components Of
Public Health Emergency Preparedness
Med News Today - Wed Apr 11
A panel of experts convened by the RAND Corporation has recommended actions that communities around the United States should take to be better prepared to deal with bioterrorist attacks, pandemic flu outbreak and other large-scale public health emergencies.

Exercise linked to less anxiety, depression
Reuters - Wed Apr 11