Heatlhtlines: April 9, 2007

Look, it's a World Health Organization report telling us there's too much salt in world diets, but guess what's missing? It's the reason why too much salt is bad. Without this kind of info, these recommendations go in one ear and out the other…
World's Food Still Far Too Salty (ScienceDaily)

Ugh… I'm tired of hearing about how terrible whole-wheat pasta tastes. Seriously. Put some salt and olive oil on it, drench it in red sauce and get over it…
A Healthier Bowl of Pasta (WebMD)

Guess where the most germs are in your car? Steering wheel? Nope. Try the dashboard. Next, it's areas stained by spilled food or drinks…
How Germy Is Your Car? (Forbes)

Healthlines: March 1 2007

Japanese women can expect 82 years while men can expect 78. However, experts worry that "hamburgers and instant noodles may soon change this"…
Life Expectancy Rates Rise in Japan (ABC News)

"Easily bored people are at higher risk for depression, anxiety, drug addiction, alcoholism, compulsive gambling, eating disorders, hostility, anger"...
Bored to Death: Chronically Bored People Exhibit Higher Risk-Taking Behavior (Scientific American)

"Experts are looking at these factors in trying to prepare for a pandemic of influenza."
Want to stop disease from spreading? Open a window (Reuters)

Healthlines: February 28, 2007

"Hotel maids who believe they are getting exercise are healthier than maids who don't think of their toil as a workout"…
Placebo Power (Newsweek)

I've noticed lately that, as more studies like this come out, more and more of the articles reporting on them spend more and more time saying things like, "Since alcohol consumption can be addictive, starting to drink alcohol because of its positive health benefits is not advised"…
Wine Drinkers May Live Longer (WebMD)

Okay, so are kids in school districts with year-round classes in better shape? Hm… sounds like a study that economists would do…
Kids gain more weight on summer break (Reuters)

Healthlines: February 27, 2007

"Ben & Jerry might help you get pregnant…" (I'll spare you the obvious cheap shot here)…
Ice cream as fertility aid? Experts skeptical (CNN)

As surprising as this headline is, it gets crazier. Almost half of women age 20 to 24 carry the virus…
HPV infections seen in over quarter of U.S. women (Reuters)

Thank God… "Long hours surfing the Internet or typing won't wreck your wrists, a new study shows"…
Carpal Tunnel? Blame Genes Not Overuse (WebMD)

Healthlines: February 26, 2007

Hm… not disputing this stuff is a heart attack in a can (an 8-ouncer packs 300mg of caffeine, the equivalent of three cups of coffee), but banning it (Spike Shooter) is just going to make kids want it more…
Energy drink banned at Colorado school (CNN)

As we learned at Pound360 a couple days back, the healthy stuff in garlic is very unstable… combine that with the following Healthline and I'd say it's best not to rely on Garlic to keep your cardiovascular system healthy… Garlic does not lower cholesterol, says study (Reuters)

Still not exercising? Another reason you should… note, ladies, this is "strenuous" exercise, not yoga, that they're talking about…
Exercise Helps Prevent Breast Cancer (WebMD)

Healthlines: February 21, 2007

I wonder if the same goes for kids that play video games?
Kids shovel down more calories watching TV (Reuters)

Aging: "it's not all doom and gloom"…
New research finds some brain functions improve with age (Wall Street Journal)

I don't even know what watercress is, and it turns out that you must eat it raw to get the benefits, but if the protective properties of this stuff is "particularly strong in smokers"…
Watercress May Cut Cancer Risk (WebMD)

Healthlines: February 21, 2007

In previous coverage on the link between testosterone and health, Pound360 couldn't figure out how men can control testosterone levels, but this SciAm piece suggests obesity is a factor in lowering testosterone levels…
Low testosterone in men may be diabetes risk factor (Scientific American)

This headline was just to irresistible to pass up… but it's a bit of a letdown, they're saying that diet is just as effective as dieting-and-exercise at controlling weight… but we've heard this before…
No need to diet and exercise to lose weight (Reuters)

Aren't all honeys created equally? Nope. "The composition of honey depends greatly on where honeybees collect their raw materials"…
Honeydew honeys are better antioxidants than nectar honeys (EurekAlert)

Healthlines: February 20, 2007

Trouble falling asleep? Skip the Ambien and grab a bagel…
Carbs May Help You Fall Asleep Faster (WebMD)

Speaking of sleep, CNN serves up some sleep tips. Among them, don't exercise too close to bed time and keep a regular schedule (including naps)…
Moms' 6 biggest sleep mistakes, and how to fix them (CNN)

"High levels of estrogen and other hormones can relax the sphincter at the bottom of the esophagus, causing heartburn. The same hormones… can influence fetal hair growth."
Really? The Claim: Mother’s Heartburn Means a Hairy Newborn (NY Times)

Healthlines: February 19, 2007

Want your kids to grow up and be GREAT surgeons? Buy them an Xbox. Surgeons who play at least 3 hours of video games per week, "made 37 percent fewer errors, performed 27 percent faster, and scored 42 percent better in the test of surgical skills"…
Surgeons who play video games more skilled: study (Reuters)

"Garlic contains compounds shown to help prevent blood clots. But most garlic studies have tested raw garlic, and cooking can damage those anticlotting compounds."
Cooking Garlic? Crush It First (WebMD)

More good news on Cocoa: "Among the women given drinks of cocoa high in flavanols, there was a significant increase in blood flow to the brain"...
Cocoa may improve brain blood flow (CNN)

For more details on the potential of chocolate, check out an earlier post of mine:
God's Latest Prank: Healthy Chocolate

Healthlines: February 14, 2007

I'll admit I didn't know smoking and blindness were linked either… another interesting stat in this piece is that more young women (21%) smoke than young men (15%)…
Blindness From Smoking Terrifies Teens, But Few Realize The Two Are Linked (Science Daily)

It's history in the making: "[this] is believed to be the first salmonella outbreak associated with peanut butter in U.S. history"…
Salmonella Outbreak Due to Peanut Butter (Washington Post)

The key is to find chocolates high in flavonoids (read: dark chocolate), but it's more complicated than that…
Good-For-You Chocolate (Forbes)

Healthlines: February 14, 2007

I'll let you come up with your own smart ass quote for this surprising Healthline…
Study: Men's perspiration boosts sexual arousal in women (SF Gate)

If you thought some of the latest research let you off the hook, think again…
Less-intense workouts may be less effective (Reuters)

"Caring about this sort of thing doesn't make you gay, or stupid, or emasculated. It actually makes you sort of hot"…
How To Shave The Modern Male (SF Gate)

Healthlines: February 12, 2007

To-good-to-be-true/Don't-be-a-sucker alert: Canadian firm promises four minutes on their "H.I.T" machine gives your body the benefit of a 90-minute workout. However, "fitness experts warned that nothing is that easy"…
Canada firm touts fitness gain from 4-minute pain (Reuters)

Staying trim wasn't enough incentive to get more shut-eye? Fine, how about a better memory?
Sleep Deprivation May Impair Memory (WebMD)

Sleeping on the job? Good. "A little midday snooze seems to reduce risks for fatal heart problems, especially among men"…
On-the-job naps might cut heart risk (CNN)

Healthlines: February 1, 2007

But they don't exactly say why…
Less Television, More Gathering Around Dinner Table Prevents Kids From Becoming Overweight (ScienceDaily)

Of course, if you don't want to pry your kids from the TV, just make sure the right thing is on…
Dancing video game helps kids avoid weight gain (Reuters)

"If you have ever picked your nose or punched someone, you can get in on the fun"…
Wii is guest of honor at new genre of parties (Reuters)

Healthlines: January 31, 2007

"She used to rub it on his chest and body every night" because lavender, in alternative medicine circles, is supposed to have healing properties.."
Scented oils linked to breast growth in boys (Reuters)

I've heard of alcoholics drinking hair spray -- and of course, mouthwash -- to get drunk, but hand sanitizer? Believe me, it's stupider than it sounds…
U.S. doctors warn of poisoning from hand gels (CNN)

More bad news for people living close to busy freeways… especially women… and once again, I realize this seems obvious, but if you tell people this kind of thing without pointing to a specific study, they call you a paranoid maniac, or a liar, or whatever…
Air Pollution Linked to Heart Deaths (WebMD)

Healthlines: January 30, 2007

Not much of a gambler myself, but my grandfather is. A new study suggests this may have to do with how he and I process negative information…
Older people take bad news in their stride: study (Reuters)

Uh-oh, another study showing reducing calories is just as effective as exercise in taking off pounds… and what kind of message does this send to the lazy masses? More bad news: "Research adds to evidence that adding muscle mass does not boost metabolism"…
Diet, exercise take off equal pounds, study finds (CNN)

I've heard from women that the (birth control) pill can cause acne to flare out of control, reduce sex drive and put on pounds. The NY Times looked at the latter, and "the claim" doesn't seem to have any scientific basis…
The Claim: The Pill Can Make You Put On Weight (NY Times)

Healthlines: January 25, 2007

Okay, the better idea here would be: go to the parents of an obese child, ask them if they realize their kid is fat, and then if they answer "no", well, I wonder if they're fit to be parents…
UK schools "must tell parents" if children are obese (Scientific American)

It's official now, trans fats have officially joined the same category as MSG, DDT and Agent Orange…
Crisco drops trans fats from shortening formula (MSNBC via HealthBolt)

This is one of those things that seems like a no brainer. But if you were to say it before reading this study, some people would say you were paranoid…
Traffic pollution can stunt lung development-study (Reuters)

Healthlines: January 24, 2007

"When I put my sponge/scrubber into the microwave, it caught fire, smoked up the house, ruined my microwave, and pissed me off…"
Microwave experiments cause sponge disasters (CNN)

Why? The article does not say, but 30g of fiber compared to 20g per day will cut breast cancer risk in half…
Fibre 'lowers breast cancer risk' (BBC)

A diet of both tomatoes and broccoli fought tumors better than a lycopene supplement (that's the stuff in tomatoes that's supposed to slow tumor growth), HOWEVER, castration worked best…
Tomatoes and broccoli slow prostate tumors in rats (Reuters)

Healthlines: January 22, 2007

Two minutes in the microwave kills 99 percent of bacteria, viruses, parasites and spores… 10 minutes kills all of 'em…
Microwave zaps germs on sponges, study finds (Scientific American)

Still looking for new ways to live longer? Try committing a felony…
State inmates outlive people on outside (Seattle P-I)

Haven't decided why this is interesting, but it is… one thing is that scientists aren't sure why this is the case… but there has to be a reason this wasn't selected out over the eons of evolutionary history, right?
Daydreaming is brain's default setting, study finds (CNN)

Healthlines: November 15, 2006

It doesn't look like the vaccine itself helps. Instead, it appears that flu triggers heart troubles, so if you can stay healthy, your heart is happy…
Flu vaccine helps cut heart attacks, deaths: study (Reuters)

Another loose connection… the migraine doesn't trigger heart disease, but it's a "marker" for risk…
Migraines Linked to Heart Risk in Men (Washington Post)

It turns out that obese patients with clogged arteries have lower death rates than lean patients with clogged arteries. Unbelievable? Well, obese patients tend to get more immediate attention and they're younger…
Study explains "obesity paradox" in heart treatment (Reuters)

Healthlines: November 7, 2006

It's not? I didn't know it was? I missed this in my book of 1001 Home Remedies…
Duct tape no magical cure for warts, study finds (CNN)

Who'd have thunk it, people speaking in tongues are legitimately out-of-their minds…
A Neuroscientific Look at Speaking in Tongues (NY Times)

When I was a kid, I used to wonder why there were no seatbelts on school buses. And when I asked, adults always told me that bus drivers were the safest drivers and they never got into accidents, well…
17,000 Kids Hurt on School Bus Each Year (WA Post)