Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Health Headlines - March 22

When It Comes to Chocolate, Order Dark, Not White

Dark chocolate -- but not white chocolate - may help reduce blood pressure and boost the body's ability to metabolize sugar from food, according to the results of a small study.

Risk of Eye Disease Cut with Latest Contact Lenses

A new generation of contact lenses can significantly reduce the risk of severe eye infections, researchers said on Tuesday.

Limiting Carbs Results in Greater Weight Loss

Obese women who follow low-carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins diet, may lose more weight in a four-month period than those who go on low-fat diets, new study findings show. The reason for the greater weight loss, however, is not clear.

Pushy Parents May Be Harmful for Kids' Health

Pushy parents could be doing more harm than good to their children's health, researchers said in a study released on Tuesday.

Computer Test Accurately Detects Early Alzheimer's

Researchers have developed a more accurate version of a standard test to detect dementia and cognitive impairment that takes only about 10 minutes to administer, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Seizure Drug May Be Harmful During Pregnancy

Women who take the epilepsy drug valproate during pregnancy may be raising their baby's risk of severe birth defects, according to reports in the medical journal Neurology. In contrast, another drug, lamotrigine, appears to be safe.

Hysterectomy Linked to Higher Risk of Heart Disease

Women who have undergone hysterectomy appear to be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), new research shows.

Genes Predict Stroke Risk with Sickle Cell Anemia

Researchers have come up with a genetic test that is highly accurate in predicting strokes in patients with sickle cell anemia, a disorder in which blood cells assume a sickle shape causing circulatory problems.

Rubella Eliminated from United States, CDC Says

Rubella, a virus that once caused tens of thousands of birth defects and deaths in a single outbreak, has been eliminated from the United States, health officials said Monday.

Johnson's Natrecor Worsens Kidney Risk

Natrecor, a drug used to treat heart failure, can worsen kidney function and make patients more likely to die, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

Waistline Good Indicator of Diabetes Risk

A man's waist size seems to be a stronger indicator of diabetes risk than the body-mass index.

Clean Water Said Key to Disaster Response

Tsunami-hit nations were able to avoid major outbreaks of disease mainly because of the rapid deployment of clean water and sanitation teams, the international Red Cross said Tuesday.

Expert: Asia Flu Cases May Be Undercounted

The incidence of a particularly lethal variation of influenza in Southeast Asia is probably greater than has been reported so far, a flu expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.

Breath Test Could Spot Bioterror Bugs

A simple breath test currently under development could let doctors quickly identify who's been infected to any one of a number of bioterror agents.

Consumer Confusion Persists on Painkillers' Safety

Following months of public wrangling over the safety of cox-2 inhibitors and even with a federal advisory panel's endorsement to keep them on the market, consumers are still as confused as ever about these powerful drugs.

Most Migraines Won't Raise Women's Stroke Risk

Contrary to popular theory, the majority of migraines do not increase the risk of stroke in women, new research finds.

Adult Stem Cells Can Produce Brain Cells

Experiments involving chicken eggs may have hatched a major advance in stem cell research, as investigators watched adult human stem cells develop into functioning brain cells.

New Food Label Law Eagerly Awaited

New "plain language" food labeling requirements in the United States, which take effect less than a year from now, will reduce allergic reactions in people who have potentially life-threatening food allergies.

Disease-plagued Africa set to lose without cash for genome research

Scientists meeting in the Kenyan capital warned that Africa, a continent blighted by malaria and AIDS, is set to lose out on the benefits of genome research without adequate funding to facilitate further studies.

Japan's battle for hair loss solutions heats up

A corporate battle to provide hair loss solutions in Japan heated up with the nation's top cosmetics maker Shiseido launching a new tonic to rival the market leader.

Typhoid returns as Kinshasa residents still wait for drinking water

A typhoid epidemic has returned but the taps installed 15 years ago still can't provide drinking water to the residents of Kinshasa's crowded Kimbanseke area.

New cancer therapy reduces painful side-effects

Singaporean researchers have discovered a new way to combat cancer that delivers drugs with microscopic precision and minimises painful side-effects, a scientific institute revealed.

KFC contamination from cancer-causing red dye spreads to other products

The cancer-causing food coloring Sudan I has been found in other Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) products in China, as the vastly popular fast food giant suspended sales.

Traffic fumes linked to DNA damage

Traffic fumes can damage DNA, according to a study of toll-booth workers at a busy highway in Taiwan.

Portugal advises against travel to northern Angola due to deadly fever

Portugal advised its citizens not to travel to northern Angola because of an outbreak of an unidentified haemorrhagic fever which has killed more than 90 people since November.

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