Genome Mapped for Type 2 Diabetes
FRIDAY, Feb. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have completed a map of areas of the human genome that control which genes are switched on or off in type 2 diabetes, a finding that may advance understanding of the genetic basis of this and other common diseases.
"Most of the human genome i...
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Kidney Function May Be Tied to Bone Loss
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Even a slight loss of kidney function is associated with increased loss of bone mineral density and greater risk of disabling fractures that can lead to premature death, researchers say.
"Our findings highlight the importanc...
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Health Tip: Benefitting From Cross-Training Exercises
(HealthDay News) -- A well-designed cross-training program includes a variety of alternating exercises that stress different methods of workout and affect different parts of the body.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers this list of cross-training benefits:
I...
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Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Raises Suicide Risk
TUESDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- A diagnosis of prostate cancer can be unnerving enough to up a man's odds for either suicide or fatal heart attack, new research indicates.
"Unfortunately, the study results didn't surprise us," said study co-author Dr. Lorelei A. Mucci, an assistant pr...
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Protein Levels in Urine Help Predict Kidney Function
TUESDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- High protein levels in urine can signal trouble for people who are at risk for kidney failure and associated problems, a new study suggests.
The researchers reporting the findings in the Feb. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association...
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Smoker's Own Secondhand Smoke Adds to Health Risks
TUESDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- In addition to the risks associated with directly inhaling cigarette smoke, smokers also face significant risk from their own secondhand smoke, researchers say.
The finding, published online Jan. 29 in Environmental Health, challenges the widely...
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Using Nicotine Patch Longer Boosts Efforts to Quit
TUESDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Extended use of nicotine patches improves the likelihood that smokers will be able to kick the habit and reduces the risk that they'll start smoking again, a new study has found.
The study included 568 adults who smoked 10 or more cigarettes a day for a...
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Experts Issue Warning on Prostate Hormone Therapy
MONDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Men with prostate cancer and the physicians who treat them are being warned that the androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) commonly used against the malignancy might increase the risk of heart attack and cardiac death.
"There is a substantial amount of data...
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Over 70 and Overweight May Add Years to Life
THURSDAY, Jan. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the warnings that being overweight will kill you, a new Australian study finds that overweight adults over the age of 70 are less likely to die over a 10-year period than their normal-weight peers.
The study, published Jan. 28 in the Journa...
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New Scan May Help Find Aggressive Prostate Tumors
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) -- A new imaging technology promises to achieve the long-sought goal of singling out prostate cancers that are life-threatening and require the most aggressive treatment, researchers report.
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which provides information ab...
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Flame-Retardant Chemical Linked to Conception Problems
TUESDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Women who are exposed to a common chemical that's used as a flame retardant may take longer to become pregnant, a new study finds.
The chemicals, called PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), are found in a variety of products including foam furniture...
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New Drug Slows Advanced Kidney Cancer
TUESDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Treating advanced kidney cancer patients with the drug pazopanib (Votrient) slowed their disease progression by 54 percent, a new study has found.
The phase 3 study included 233 patients with previously untreated kidney cancer (also known as renal cell...
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Tight Blood Sugar Control May Raise Risk of Death
TUESDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Very tight blood sugar control may raise the risk of premature death in people with type 2 diabetes, with the risk even higher among patients taking insulin, a new study reveals.
The study authors, from Cardiff University School of Medicine in Wales,...
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For Lower Blood Pressure, Low-Carb Diet May Be Best
MONDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) -- A low-carbohydrate diet helps people shed as many pounds as a low-fat diet plus the weight-loss drug orlistat does, and the low-carb plan may be better at helping lower blood pressure, researchers report.
Their study, published in the Jan. 25 issue of t...
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More Proof Exercise Leads to Healthier Aging
MONDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Just in case the world needed more evidence on the matter, along come four new studies verifying that exercise is indeed good for you, even critical if you plan to survive to a vigorous, hardy and tough-boned old age.
All four studies appear in the Jan...
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Prostate Cancer Care Varies By Hospital Type
MONDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) -- The type of treatment received by prostate cancer patients is influenced by the kind of health care facility where they receive care, a new U.S. study has found.
Surgery was more common among patients treated in county hospitals, while patients in priv...
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Discrimination May Lead to Smoking in Boys
FRIDAY, Jan. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Minority teen boys smoke more when they suffer discrimination, but that's not the case for minority teen girls, a U.S. study finds.
Perceived discrimination had no effect on smoking rates among minority girls aged 12 to 15 and was associated with lower...
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Health Tip: Controlling Diabetic Nephropathy
(HealthDay News) -- Diabetic nephropathy is damage to the kidneys that occurs from uncontrolled diabetes.
The American Academy of Family Physicians suggests what you can do to help slow the damage:
Keep blood pressure below 130 over 80.
Keep blood glucose under con...
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Obesity Tied to Common Kidney Cancer
FRIDAY, Jan. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity increases the risk of developing a common and virulent form of kidney cancer, a new study finds.
Researchers looked at 1,640 patients, average age 62, with kidney tumors and found that obese patients were 48 percent more likely to develop a clea...
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1 in 5 U.S. Kids Has High Cholesterol
THURSDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Twenty percent of U.S. children and teens have abnormal lipid levels, an indication of too much bad cholesterol, too little good cholesterol or high triglycerides, federal health officials report.
These abnormal levels can raise the risk for heart dis...
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As Obesity Increases, So Does Stroke Risk
THURSDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) -- The more overweight you are, the more likely you are to have a stroke, a new study reports.
The study, which followed 13,549 middle-aged Americans for 19 years, looked at stroke risk associated with several measures of obesity, emphasizing body mass i...
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FDA Warns of Heart Risks With Diet Drug
THURSDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) -- The weight-loss pill Meridia should not be used by people with a history of heart problems because the drug can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke in such people, U.S. drug regulators said Thursday.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sai...
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Rocking Embryos Might Boost IVF Success
THURSDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists say they boosted the success of in vitro fertilization in mice by gently rocking embryos before implanting them into the womb.
No evidence yet proves that the same technique would work with human embryos, but authors of a new study hope it...
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Senate Upset Foils Democrats' Health Reform Agenda
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- House and Senate Democrats' ambitious plans to revamp the nation's health-care system were torpedoed Tuesday night in the wake of a Massachusetts special election that delivered the seat long held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy to a Republican.
Stat...
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Erectile Dysfunction Predicts Heart Disease
MONDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Erectile dysfunction is a strong warning sign that a man might be at increased risk for heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems, a long-running study indicates.
"We saw that adjusting for age and Framingham [Hea...
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For Very Obese, Gastric Bypass May Extend Life
MONDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Gastric bypass surgery could have life-extending benefits for most of the five percent of Americans who are very obese, a new study suggests.
The study, led by researchers at the University of Cincinnati, concluded that the benefits of this form of weig...
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Most Fast-Food French Fries Cooked in Unhealthiest Oil
MONDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Most French fries served in U.S. restaurants are immersed in corn-based oil -- usually considered the worst oil for human health -- before they're fried, according to the authors of a new study.
Corn oil contains copious amounts of saturated fat, known...
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Newly Identified Gene Variants Linked to Diabetes
MONDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified 10 new gene variants associated with blood sugar or insulin levels, which they believe could lead to new treatments for type 2 diabetes.
"Only four gene variants had previously been associated with glucose metabolism, and jus...
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Blacks With Diabetes Urged to Cut Calories, Salt
FRIDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Blacks with diabetes who consume too many calories and too much sodium increase their risk for eye disease, a new study finds.
The research involved 469 black participants who had type 1 diabetes. Six years later, they underwent blood testing, had a com...
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Diabetes Drug Looks Safe for Heart Failure Patients
FRIDAY, Jan. 15 (HealthDay News) -- The diabetes drug metformin is safe for diabetes patients with advanced heart failure, say U.S. researchers.
The study included 401 patients, average age 56, with type 2 diabetes and advanced systolic heart failure who were followed for 14 years in a he...
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From Risky Health Status to a Better Life
FRIDAY, Jan. 15 (HealthDay News) -- It's easy to roll your eyes when a doctor prescribes diet and exercise as a cure for what ails you.
But it works. It worked for me.
In the past year, I used diet and exercise to lose more than 60 pounds, beat back pre-diabetes and lower my chol...
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Race, Weight May Influence Success of Prostate Surgery
FRIDAY, Jan. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Race and obesity may affect the outcome of men with diabetes who have prostate cancer surgery, a new U.S. study reveals.
"We found that diabetes was significantly associated with more aggressive disease in obese white men and less aggressive disease for...
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CT Scans Spot Many Kidney Abnormalities
THURSDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- About 25 percent of healthy people have abnormalities in the kidneys and their blood vessels, but most of these abnormalities aren't serious enough to prevent a person from donating a kidney, a new study shows.
More research is needed to determine how...
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Lawmakers Getting Closer to Health Care Reform
THURSDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- An agreement in principle on the landmark overhaul to the U.S. health care system could come as early as Friday, lawmakers said Thursday.
The agreement in principle, which would cover major issues such as how to pay for health coverage and how many Am...
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Mail-Order May Help People Stick to Med Regimens
THURSDAY, Jan. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Using mail-order pharmacies makes it easier for people to stick with their doctor's prescribed medication regimens, a new study suggests.
Researchers analyzed medication refill data from 2006 and 2007 from 13,922 people with diabetes, high blood pre...
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Could a Bigger Bottom Boost Health?
TUESDAY, Jan. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Big-bottomed women, take heart.
Fat that settles around the thighs and buttocks may be better for you than a tummy tire, experts say. In fact, a new review of the data on the subject suggests it may even help protect your health.
"It is the pro...
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Health Tip: Track What You Eat
(HealthDay News) -- A food diary can help you track how much food -- and how many calories -- you're taking in. This can help make it easier to lose those extra pounds.
The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions for keeping a food diary:
Don't change...
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Genetic Marker for Aggressive Prostate Cancer Found
MONDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- A focused search of the entire human genome has found a genetic variant associated with the aggressiveness of prostate cancer, in a discovery that marks an important first step toward singling out cancers that need intensive treatment from those that can simply...
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To Circumcise or Not?
MONDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- As a major organization of pediatricians considers revising its recommendations on circumcision of newborn boys, two new reviews of existing research offer conflicting conclusions about the bitterly debated procedure.
One review, from Australia, says th...
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Very Low Levels of Lead Harm Kids' Kidneys: Study
MONDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Even very low levels of lead may harm children's kidneys, say U.S. researchers.
The lead level of concern for children is 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention....
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Blood Pressure Drugs Might Fight Diabetic Retinopathy
FRIDAY, Jan. 8 (HealthDay News) -- New research in mice suggests that some drugs used to treat high blood pressure might help prevent and treat a disorder that causes people with diabetes to lose their vision.
The researchers tested candesartan (Atacand), a dru...
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Calorie Counts on Food Labeling Often Off
THURSDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Many reduced-calorie restaurant and packaged foods in the United States have more calories than indicated on their nutritional labeling, a new study reports.
Tufts University researchers analyzed 29 quick-serve and sit-down restaurant foods and found t...
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Childhood Cancer Survivors Targets for Heart Disease
THURSDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Childhood cancer survivors are at increased risk for diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, all of which predispose them to heart disease, say U.S. researchers.
They analyzed data on almost 8,600 survivors and close to 3,000 of their sibli...
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Diabetes Meds May Be Falling Through 'Doughnut Hole'
THURSDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Medicare's so-called "doughnut hole" could be forcing many American seniors to skip their diabetes medications, a new study suggests.
The doughnut hole refers to a gap in the Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage plan. Medicare covers the cost of...
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For Fitness, Cutting Calories May Not Be Enough
THURSDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDay News) -- If you're vowing to lose weight this year, consider adding a regular exercise program while you're cutting calories.
Combining the two results in better health outcomes -- such as lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels -- than simply cutting calor...
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Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Cell phone addicts of the world, listen up: Electromagnetic waves emanating from these ubiquitous gadgets may prevent or even reverse Alzheimer's disease, researchers say.
Normal mice who had long-term exposure to such electromagnetic waves avoided de...
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New Brain Scan May Help Spot Alzheimer's
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- A new type of brain scan might give doctors more insight into whether patients with memory loss are suffering from Alzheimer's disease, researchers say.
The findings are published in the Jan. 6 online edition of the journal Neurology.
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Fat Hormone Controls Gene Linked to Diabetes
TUESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- A fat hormone known as leptin controls a gene in the liver that's linked to the dampening of diabetes in animals, researchers have found.
The finding suggests that the hormone could potentially have the same effect in people.
Earlier research ha...
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Hazards of Obesity Now Rival Smoking in U.S.
TUESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity now poses as great a threat to Americans' quality of life as smoking, a new study shows.
Researchers at Columbia University and The City College of New York analyzed 1993-2008 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System that include...
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Restless Legs Linked to Erectile Dysfunction
TUESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Men with restless leg syndrome are more likely to have erectile dysfunction, new research suggests, but it's not clear how the two conditions are related.
"There is an association, but we don't know which one comes first," said study author Dr. Xiang Ga...
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Experimental Drug May Help in Brain, Prostate Cancers
MONDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental drug called imetelstat shows promise in treating glioblastoma brain cancer and prostate cancer, according to the results of preclinical studies in which the drug was tested on human prostate cancer cells and in rodents with glioblastoma.
...
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For Better Health in New Year, Add Exercise to Your Day
MONDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) --
Want to feel more fit in 2010?
A professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., says adding a half hour of exercise a day is the key to a healthier lifestyle.
"People don't realize you can get tremendo...
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Genes May Put Black Americans at Risk for Diabetes
MONDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Inherited genetic variations could explain why blacks develop type 2 diabetes at a higher rate than whites, new research suggests.
"We found gene expression profiles that suggest that carbohydrate metabolism should be different in the African-Americans...
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Quitting Smoking Can Raise Diabetes Risk
MONDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Smokers who give up the habit have an increased risk of developing diabetes over the next few years, a new study finds.
The finding wasn't a surprise, since smokers typically gain weight when they quit, and weight gain is associated with diabetes, noted...
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Using Kitchen Spoons Ups Risk of Dosing Errors
MONDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that you should steer clear of using ordinary spoons when taking or giving liquid medicines, because the practice raises the risk of potentially dangerous dosing mistakes.
"Clearly we know that there are a lot of people -- despite a...
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Health Tip: Fight Fatigue
(HealthDay News) -- You can combat fatigue -- that feeling of tiredness and lack of energy -- without drinking caffeinated coffee or taking stimulants, the U.S. National Library of Medicine says.
Here are its suggestions:
Stick to a regular sleep schedule, making sure you g...
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Diabetics Less Prone Now to End-Stage Kidney Disease
TUESDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of end-stage kidney disease, one of the most serious complications of diabetes, rose steadily in people with diabetes for decades. But, in 1996, the rate of diabetes-related end-stage kidney disease finally began to decline.
Since that t...
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New Guidelines Urge A1C Test for Diabetes Diagnosis
TUESDAY, Dec. 29 (HealthDay News) -- In its latest set of clinical guidelines, the American Diabetes Association is promoting a more prominent role for the hemoglobin A1C blood test in the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.
Long used in the management of diabetes, the A1C blood...
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Senate Passes Health Reform Package
THURSDAY, Dec. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Senate Democrats gave President Barack Obama a Christmas Eve gift on Thursday with passage of a landmark health care bill that would extend coverage to 31 million uninsured Americans.
Obama said the Senate bill contains 95 percent of the health reform...
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Health Tip: Eat Healthier This Holiday Season
(HealthDay News) -- The holidays are a time of celebrating with fattening foods, cocktails and lots of parties with friends and family. But you can take steps to prevent gaining too much weight during the holiday season.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers these heal...
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Diabetes Insight Could Lead to Better Treatments
MONDAY, Dec. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have identified a protein that may be involved in the development of type 2 diabetes, a finding that could lead to new drugs to fight this growing worldwide scourge.
This same group of researchers recently showed that inhibiting this pathway...
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Health Tip: At the Heart of a Stent
(HealthDay News) -- A coronary stent is a hollow tube-shaped device that is surgically inserted into a blood vessel to keep it open.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine says a coronary stent may be used to treat the following conditions:
Coronary heart disease.
P...
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Health Tip: Blueberries Are Good for You
(HealthDay News) -- Blueberries are more than a tasty, decorative addition to a fruit plate.
One serving of blueberries contains a cup full of goodness, says Moses Taylor Hospital in Pennsylvania.
Here's why they are good for you:
One cup of blueberries has 15 percen...
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Kids in Home-Based Day Care Lack Exercise
FRIDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Most home-based child-care providers meet nutrition standards but don't give children enough physical activity, allowing them to spend too much time in front of the TV, a new study contends.
Oregon State University researcher Stewart Trost surveyed abou...
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Natural Heart Drugs May Combat Colon Cancer
FRIDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- A family of naturally derived heart drugs called cardiac glycosides shows promise in fighting colon cancer, new research has found.
As part of a larger study to screen and identify natural substances that might be effective against colon cancer, Swedish...
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Spiritual Needs Rank High as Death From Cancer Nears
FRIDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Addressing the spiritual needs of someone with advanced cancer could be just as important as taking care of their medical needs, a new study suggests.
When asked what was important to them at the end of their lives, people dying of cancer ranked two f...
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Health Tip: Signs That You May Have Diabetic Nephropathy
(HealthDay News) -- Diabetic nephropathy is damage to the kidneys caused by complications of diabetes. In cases of diabetic neuropathy, the kidneys don't function properly, and may even stop working completely, the American Academy of Family Physicians warns.
The academy offers this list...
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Fat Hormone May Protect Against Alzheimer's
TUESDAY, Dec. 15 (HealthDay News) -- High blood levels of leptin, a hormone that regulates appetite, may guard against Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests.
"Hopefully, in 10 or 15 years this may be one of many agents that we use to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease," said seni...
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Coffee, Tea Might Stave Off Diabetes
MONDAY, Dec. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Here's good news for people who can't start their morning without a cup or two of java: Coffee and tea consumption may decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
That's the conclusion of an Australian study that also found the more coffee you dri...
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Cutting TV Time Burns More Calories
MONDAY, Dec. 14 (HealthDay News) -- James Crouse was watching 25 or 26 hours of television a week until he enrolled in a study that required him to cut his tube time in half.
During his enforced period of deprivation, Crouse burned considerably more calories each day, and not necessarily...
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Studies Quantify Cancer Risks From CT Scans
MONDAY, Dec. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Commonly performed CT scans are exposing patients to far more radiation than previously thought and in doses that could cause tens of thousands of cancers a year, two new studies claim.
Based on the findings, reported in the Dec. 14/28 issue of the A...
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Most Hospital Patients Don't Know What Meds They're Taking
THURSDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) -- A small study finds that even adults who know what medicines they take at home can't accurately name the drugs they're getting in the hospital.
Forty-four percent of patients believed they were receiving a medication in the hospital that was not actua...
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Beer Ingredient Eyed in Prostate Cancer Prevention
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 9 (HealthDay News) -- An ingredient of beer may someday help ward off prostate cancer, new animal experiments suggest.
The compound in question, xanthohumol, is found in hops -- the bitter flavoring agent in beer -- and is known to block the male hormone testosterone, whic...
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Coffee, Exercise Fight Prostate Cancer
TUESDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Having a few more cups of coffee and running that extra mile each day can reduce a man's risk of dying of prostate cancer, two studies indicate.
The case for coffee and physical activity as prostate cancer preventatives is far from proven, according to...
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Many Dialysis Patients Get Wrong Blood Thinners for Angioplasty
TUESDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- More than one-fifth of patients on dialysis who undergo angioplasty are given blood thinners they should not be given, new research shows.
As a result, these patients are subject to a higher rate of bleeding during their hospital stay and may even be at...
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Testosterone Gets Bad Rap: Study
TUESDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- People associate testosterone with aggressiveness, but the male sex hormone actually encourages a sense of fair play, a new study finds.
Testosterone does not cause aggression, said lead researcher Michael Naef, of the department of economics at Royal H...
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Asthmatics Who Quit Smoking May Reverse Lung Damage
MONDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- People who have asthma and who also smoke could reverse some of the damage to their lungs by saying no to cigarettes, new Dutch research suggests.
"We found that exposure to cigarette smoke appears to increase the thickness of the epithelium, or lining,...
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Prostate Hormone Therapy May Up Heart Risks
MONDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Diabetes, heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems appear to be more common in men with prostate cancer who are treated with androgen deprivation therapy, which reduces or eliminates the male sex hormones that can promote cancer growth, a new study has fo...
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Hormonal Drugs Cool Hot Flashes From Prostate Cancer Therapy
SUNDAY, Dec. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Hot flashes caused by androgen suppression therapy for prostate cancer are best controlled by the hormonal treatments cyproterone acetate and medroxyprogesterone acetate, according to a new study.
Androgen suppression is considered the gold standard trea...
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Early Morning Smokers May Be More Dependent on Nicotine
THURSDAY, Dec. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Do you like a cigarette first thing in the morning? If so, take note: A new study suggests that those who rise and smoke inhale more nicotine than other smokers.
It's not clear why this might be so, but one of the researchers said he thinks it could be...
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Health Gains From Lowered Smoking Rates in Jeopardy
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 2 (HealthDay News) -- The overall health of the U.S. population has improved over the past three decades, largely because people have quit smoking in droves, but a new study suggests those gains might soon be wiped out if the rising obesity rates among Americans don't level off or...
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Sugary Colas Tied to Gestational Diabetes
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Women who drink five or more servings of sugar-sweetened cola per week before they conceive increase their risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy, a new study indicates.
"Previous studies have shown an association with other chronic metabolic pr...
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Exercise Guards White Blood Cells Against Aging
MONDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Studies have shown that exercise can help ward off heart disease and cancer, and now new research shows that the reason why may be found within cells themselves.
Endurance athletes had longer telomeres -- DNA at the tips of chromosomes that protect th...
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Sleep Apnea May Cause Nighttime Urination
SUNDAY, Nov. 29 (HealthDay News) -- People who wake up during the night to urinate shouldn't automatically blame a urological problem. Sleep apnea, a breathing-related sleep disorder, could be the cause.
A new study suggests that nighttime urination, or nocturia, is comparable to loud sno...
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Diabetes Cases Expected to Double in 25 Years
FRIDAY, Nov. 27 (HealthDay News) -- The number of people with diabetes in the United States is expected to double over the next 25 years, a new study predicts.
That would bring the total by 2034 to about 44.1 million people with the disease, up from 23.7 million today.
At the sam...
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Long-Term Problems Linked to Testicular Cancer Chemo
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Neurological side effects are among the potential problems faced by long-term survivors of testicular cancer who were treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy, a new study has found.
The study included 1,409 Norwegian men treated for unilateral test...
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For Chest Pain in the ER, CT Angiography May Be Best
THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Compared to standard emergency room triage, CT angiography is quicker, more accurate and much less expensive for screening patients with chest pain who have low to moderate enzyme and EKG scores, according to a new study.
The study included 749 acute...
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Great American Smokeout '09: Time to Quit
THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The less you smoke, the more birthdays you'll have, says the American Cancer Society as it encourages smokers to quit on Thursday, the day of the 34th Great American Smokeout.
Research shows that smokers who quit at age 35 gain an average of eight yea...
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Kidney Transplant, Sleep Disorder May Add Up to Trouble
THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Kidney transplant patients with sleep apnea are at increased risk for high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, Hungarian researchers say.
The study of 100 kidney transplant recipients found that 25 percent had moderate to severe sleep apnea, a r...
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Moderate Drinking Guards the Heart
THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A Spanish study has found that long-term moderate drinking decreased the risk of heart disease by up to one-third in men and to a lesser degree in women.
The type of alcohol -- beer, wine or spirits -- made no difference, the researchers reported in t...
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Spray May Delay Ejaculation
THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A spray touted as the first potential treatment for premature ejaculation has proved effective in a second study, according to the company that developed it.
PSD502 -- which combines the drugs lidocaine and prilocaine -- is sprayed on the head of the...
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Toddlers, Obese Kids Suffer Most From Smoke
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Secondhand smoke harms the cardiovascular health of children, especially toddlers and obese youngsters, U.S. researchers say.
Their study of 52 toddlers (aged 2 to 5) and 107 adolescents (aged 9 to 18) found an association between the amount of secon...
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Incidence of High Cholesterol Drops in U.S.
TUESDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) -- The good news is that a new report shows the percentage of American adults with high LDL cholesterol, the "bad" kind that clogs arteries, decreased by about one-third between 1999 and 2006.
The bad news is that too many of those who have dangerously hi...
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Study Touts Success With 'Female Viagra' Drug
MONDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) -- New industry-funded research suggests that the antidepressant flibanserin, which has been touted as a female version of Viagra, can enhance libido in women with low sex drives.
The research compiles the results of several trials, the first to test a tre...
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Health Tip: What Causes Urinary Tract Infections in Women?
(HealthDay News) -- A urinary tract infection occurs when certain bacteria invade the urinary tract. Symptoms may include itching, burning, and painful urination.
The National Women's Health Information Center lists these common causes of urinary tract infections in women:
...
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Progress in Stamping Out Smoking Has Stalled
THURSDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) -- After decades of progress, the number of Americans who smoke hasn't budged over the last five years and actually rose slightly from 2007 to 2008, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Over the longer term...
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Quitting Smoking Simplifies Surgical Recovery
THURSDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Want to boost the odds that you'll thrive after surgery and avoid complications?
The American Society of Anesthesiologists has a recommendation: Drop that butt.
Quitting smoking will make it more likely that you'll recover from an operation wi...
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BPA Tied to Impotence in Men
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to high levels of the controversial plastics chemical bisphenol A (BPA) significantly raised the risk of sexual dysfunction, including impotence and low sex drive, among Chinese factory workers, a new study has found.
The researchers stress...
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Health Tip: Check Your Blood Glucose
(HealthDay News) -- The American Diabetes Association says anyone who is diabetic can benefit from blood glucose checks, especially if the person:
Takes insulin or medication to manage diabetes.
Is pregnant.
Has difficulty keeping blood glucose stable and under con...
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Anemia Drugs May Cause Deadly Blood Clots
TUESDAY, Nov. 10 (HealthDay News) -- New research on cancer patients adds to the controversy surrounding anemia drugs such as Procrit and Aranesp, concluding that they increase the risk of venous thromboembolism, potentially fatal blood clots.
These drugs, called erythropoiesis-stimulati...
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Doctors Spending More Time Now With Patients
MONDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Family doctors are now taking more time consulting with adult patients, seeing them more often and improving the quality of visits, a new study suggests.
"Patients spent more time with their primary care physicians during office visits in 2005 than they...
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Scientists Grow New Penile Tissue in the Lab
MONDAY, Nov. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers were able to restore sexual function to rabbits with damaged penises by growing new penile tissue in the lab and implanting it, a new study reports.
Though a human application is a ways off, researchers say the technique could one day be used...
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PSA Reading Could Predict Post-Radiation Survival
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Prostate cancer patients whose prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels rise within 18 months after radiotherapy have an increased risk of death, say U.S. researchers.
Their study included more than 2,100 patients with clinically localized prostate canc...
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FDA Issues Warning for Diabetes Drug
TUESDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Reports about possible kidney problems, including renal failure, in people taking the diabetes drug exenatide (Byetta) have prompted changes to the drug's prescribing information, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Monday.
From April 2005 to Oct...
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Living With Less TV, More Sweat Boosts Weight Loss
TUESDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- If you want to lose weight, exercise and diet are crucial. But a new study says other factors appear to play a role, too -- including the number of TVs in your house and the presence of exercise equipment.
"The home environment really came out as a str...
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Low Cholesterol May Help Prevent Cancer
TUESDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Low blood cholesterol levels reduce the risk not only of heart disease but also of cancer, two new studies show.
The findings should help ease longstanding fears that low cholesterol is associated with an increased risk of cancer, said Dr. Demetrius Alb...
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Switch to 'Light' Cigarettes Makes Quitting Tougher
TUESDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Experts have long known that "low-tar" and "light" cigarettes aren't any healthier than regular cigarettes, and new research suggests they have another drawback: People who switch to them are less likely to quit, even those who switch specifically because they...
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Diet Soda, Sodium Tied to Kidney Trouble: Studies
MONDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- A diet high in salt or artificially sweetened drinks increases the risk of kidney function decline, two studies show.
"There are currently limited data on the role of diet in kidney disease," researcher Dr. Julie Lin, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in B...
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Hormone Therapy Can Help Some With Prostate Cancer
MONDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- A brief course of hormone-blocking therapy can provide small benefits to a specific group of men who get radiation therapy for prostate cancer, a long-running study shows.
Ten-year survival was 62 percent in men with cancers graded as intermediate risk w...
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Nicotine Patch Plus Lozenge Best for Quitting Smoking
MONDAY, Nov. 2 (HealthDay News) -- The first head-to-head comparison of different quit-smoking products finds that a nicotine patch combined with a nicotine lozenge had the most success.
More than other methods, including antidepressants, this combination best mimics the actual highs and...
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For People on Dialysis, Too Thin Can Be Risky
SUNDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Dialysis patients with very low body fat are much more likely to die than other people on dialysis, even those with the highest levels of body fat, a new study has found.
Researchers measured body fat percentage in 671 dialysis patients in California. In...
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Anemia Drug May Raise Stroke Risk in Kidney Patients
SATURDAY, Oct. 31 (HealthDay News) -- A drug designed to fight anemia appears to double the risk of stroke in patients with diabetes and kidney disease without substantially improving their quality of life, a new study finds.
Darbepoetin alfa, marketed as Aranesp and known as an erythro...
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Traveling While on Dialysis Could Be Risky
FRIDAY, Oct. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Travel can jeopardize the health of people on dialysis, a U.K. study has found.
Researchers at the Imperial College Kidney and Transplant Institute in London analyzed health information on 69 dialysis patients who had traveled in Europe, the Middle East...
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Veggies in Pregnancy Lowers Child's Diabetes Risk
FRIDAY, Oct. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Children born to mothers who ate plenty of vegetables during pregnancy are less likely to have type 1 diabetes, Swedish researchers say.
"This is the first study to show a link between vegetable intake during pregnancy and the risk of the child subseque...
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Diet, Exercise Thwart Diabetes: Study
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Diet and exercise can keep diabetes at bay for a decade, cutting the risk for the disease by more than a third in the most susceptible people, a new study finds.
About 11 percent of U.S. adults (24 million) have diabetes, mostly type 2, which is link...
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Preventive Antibiotics Help Some Kids Fend Off Urinary Infections
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Children who are predisposed to recurrent urinary tract infections are commonly treated with preventive antibiotics, and a new Australian study suggests that such prophylactic therapy may have at least a modest effect.
Only 13 percent of youngsters...
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Testicular Cancer Survivors Face Other Ills
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 28 (HealthDay News) -- For men with testicular cancer, survival comes at a price: New research suggests that those who recover from the disease face higher risks of long-term illness unrelated to tumors.
"Current patients with testicular cancer should be informed about the...
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All New Dialysis Patients at Increased Risk of Death
TUESDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) -- A higher risk of cardiovascular-related death isn't the reason why kidney failure patients starting dialysis are at increased risk of death, according to new research that challenges previous thinking.
A number of studies have found that cardiovascular...
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Bladder Problems May Often Be Related to Mental Health
FRIDAY, Oct. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Psychiatric disorders and sexual trauma in women increase the risk of lower urinary tract symptoms, such as incontinence and overactive bladder, a new study finds.
U.S. researchers analyzed the answers in two questionnaires -- the Urogenital Distress I...
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Health Tip: What's Causing Urinary Incontinence?
(HealthDay News) -- Urinary incontinence is the medical term that describes the frequent or significant leakage of urine.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists offers this list of common causes among women:
A urinary tract infection.
Weakened or s...
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Guidelines Urge Use of Erectile Dysfunction Drugs
THURSDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors should prescribe oral phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitor drugs, such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, for men with erectile dysfunction, unless the patient is on nitrate therapy, according to a clinical practice guideline issued by the American...
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Red-Grape Compound May Improve Diabetes
THURSDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- New research provides further insight into how a health-boosting compound found in red grapes may help the body fend off type 2 diabetes.
But scientists have only seen the effect in mice who received injections in the brain, and no evidence has emerge...
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For Obese, Weight Gained in Pregnancy May Not Leave
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Obese women who gain more than 15 pounds during pregnancy tend to retain much of it long after delivery, a new U.S. study finds.
Oregon researchers collected data on almost 1,700 obese women (their body mass index was 30 or higher) who gave birth bet...
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Radiation Treatments Made Safer for Cancer Patients
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 21 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. researchers say they may have found a way to protect healthy tissue and also increase tumor death when cancer patients undergo radiation therapy.
The key is a biochemical signaling pathway that can influence how radiation exposure affects both h...
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Super Obesity Ups Risk of Dying After Weight-Loss Surgery
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 21 (HealthDay News) -- People who are super obese and those with the most chronic health problems face an increased risk for dying within a year after weight-loss surgery, a new U.S. study has found.
The research involved 856 men and women who had bariatric (weight-loss) s...
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Votrient Approved for Advanced Kidney Cancer
TUESDAY, Oct. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Votrient (pazopanib) has been approved to treat advanced renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer in which cancerous cells invade the lining of small tubes in the kidney called tubules, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a news release.
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PSA 'Nanotest' May Spot Prostate Cancer's Return After Surgery
MONDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A new test that could revolutionize the treatment of men following prostate cancer surgery has worked well in a small, early trial, researchers report.
Using nanotechnology, the researchers were able to detect prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the cancer...
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Docs May Be Overdoing Some Invasive Procedures
FRIDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) -- A new study calls into question the increasing use of invasive procedures as first-line treatment for patients with renal artery stenosis, a narrowing of blood vessels in and around the kidneys.
New medical technology has made...
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Heart Test Deemed OK Before Kidney Transplant
THURSDAY, Oct. 15 (HealthDay News) -- A test to determine whether a person's heart is healthy enough for a kidney transplant is safer than previously thought, according to a British study.
Chronic kidney disease can contribute to the development of heart disease, which means that doctors...
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Smog Tougher on the Obese
THURSDAY, Oct. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Air pollution appears to hit the obese hardest, causing significant increases in blood pressure, a new study finds.
Air pollution has been linked to a variety of health problems including asthma, heart disease and diabetes, but this is the first time...
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Smoking Bans Reduce Heart Attacks: Study
THURSDAY, Oct. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Bans on smoking in public places really do work at reducing heart attacks from secondhand smoke, a major study finds.
Smoke-free policies can reduce the risk of heart attack by up to 47 percent and significantly reduce the likelihood of other heart...
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Impotence, Incontinence Risk Casts Doubt on High-Tech Prostate Surgery
TUESDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Heightened risks for post-operative incontinence and impotence may outweigh any benefits from minimally invasive "keyhole" surgery for prostate cancer, a new study suggests.
The presumed good stemming from the robotic technique are being oversold to a...
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Health Tip: Why Don't You Exercise?
(HealthDay News) -- People always have excuses for why they don't exercise. But the American Diabetes Association says for every typical excuse not to get active, there's a solution:
Think you don't have time? Start out exercising about 10 minutes per day. Before you know it, you'll...
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Healthier Neighborhoods Help Keep Diabetes at Bay
MONDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- People who live in neighborhoods that promote physical activity and offer access to healthy foods may be less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, researchers say.
Their study included 2,285 people, aged 45 to 84, living in neig...
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Stop-Smoking Vaccine in the Works
MONDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- The National Institute on Drug Abuse has given a $10 million grant to a Maryland company to help it in the final phases of research regarding a possible anti-nicotine vaccine.
Nabi Biopharmaceuticals of Rockville will launch a phase III study of a pote...
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With Hormone Therapy, Tender Breasts May Signal Cancer Risk
MONDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Breast tenderness in women taking estrogen/progestin hormone replacement therapy could signal increased chances of developing breast cancer, a new study says.
Women taking estrogen plus progestin who reported developing breast tenderness after starting...
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Body Clock, Blood Sugar Control Seem Linked
FRIDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) -- A strong link exists between the body's biological clock and blood sugar control, say U.S. researchers who conducted lab experiments on mouse and human stem cells, as well as genetically engineered mice.
"The most surprising part of our findings is that...
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Exercise Extends Life of Kidney Patients
THURSDAY, Oct. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Exercise may help extend the lives of people with kidney disease, a new study finds.
Many patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) die prematurely, but many of those deaths aren't directly related to kidney problems, according to background informati...
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Shingles Raises Stroke Risk: Study
THURSDAY, Oct. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Adults with the skin disease shingles appear to be at raised risk for stroke, especially when it affects the area around the eyes, researchers report.
Previous reports have linked shingles with stroke risk, but "the exact frequency and risk for these...
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Headphones May Threaten Heart-Device Performance
TUESDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) -- A U.S. study offers more evidence that portable headphones can create magnetic interference that might make implanted defibrillators and pacemakers malfunction.
Using the headphones over the ears doesn't appear to be a problem, but storing them in a sh...
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In Health Care Today, It's Electronic All the Way
SATURDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Imagine that you see a new mole and don't like the looks of it so you take a picture of it using your cell phone and e-mail it to your family doctor for an opinion.
Or perhaps you have heart disease and take your blood pressure using a cuff that automa...
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Drug Combo May Prevent Heart Attacks, Strokes
FRIDAY, Oct. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Giving daily doses of a statin and a blood pressure-lowering ACE inhibitor to people at high risk for a heart attack or stroke reduced their incidence by more than 60 percent in two years, researchers report.
People in the study all had diabetes or a his...
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Study Urges Treatment for Even Mild Gestational Diabetes
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnant women who receive treatment for the mildest forms of gestational diabetes -- including diet and exercise intervention, self-monitoring of blood glucose levels and possibly insulin therapy -- are less likely to have serious birth complications or de...
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Workplace Wellness Seems to Really Work
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Workplace wellness programs are an effective way to reduce major risk factors for heart disease, such as smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes, says a new American Heart Association policy statement.
Each year, heart disease costs the...
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Exercise 30 Minutes a Day? Who Knew!
TUESDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Despite 14 years of public education campaigns, only one-third of Americans know about national recommendations for a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day, and fewer than half meet that goal, a new study has found.
The lack of awareness is greatest...
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Health Tip: Evaluating Signs of Kidney Stones
(HealthDay News) -- Kidney stones occur when there's too much of certain substances in the urine, which crystallize and form stones.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers this list of symptoms that could indicate kidney stones:
Pain in the abdomen or side of the back...
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Health Tip: Get Enough Sleep
(HealthDay News) -- You feel better when you're well-rested, but insufficient sleep can affect more than your cheerful disposition.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says lack of sleep has been linked to development or worsening of these chronic health conditions:...
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Docs Miss Test Results -- Even With Alerts
MONDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Even an advanced, computerized medical-record system with alerts cannot guarantee that patients will receive timely follow-up care when imaging tests turn up signs of trouble, new research suggests.
"Our findings suggest that an electronic medical rec...
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Men Not Being Told Enough About PSA Tests
MONDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Most men are not being told the pros and cons of PSA tests, two new studies find.
Although PSA tests can detect prostate cancer, they can't predict which cancers are aggressive and which are so slow-growing that they don't need to be treated. This lead...
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Exercise May Prevent Prostate Cancer: Study
FRIDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Regular exercise may help protect men from prostate cancer, says a new study.
U.S. researchers looked at 190 men who had a prostate biopsy and found that those who were moderately active -- anything equivalent to walking at a moderate pace for several...
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Spider Venom -- The Next Way to Treat Impotence?
FRIDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists may have discovered a novel way to treat erectile dysfunction -- using the venom of a deadly spider.
The bite from the Brazilian wandering spider (Phoneutria nigriventer) causes a painful erection that can last for many hours and later lead...
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Studies Find PSA Screening Unreliable
FRIDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- The inability of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test to distinguish between deadly and harmless prostate cancers makes it unusable as a population-wide screening tool, new research claims.
Because of its unreliability, results from the test lead t...
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Fructose Boosts Blood Pressure, Studies Find
THURSDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- America's sweet tooth may be contributing to the ever-increasing number of people with high blood pressure.
Two new studies link fructose, the kind of sugar in soft drinks and many sweetened foods, to high blood pressure, which is a major risk facto...
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Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer Raises Heart Risks
TUESDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Hormone therapy to treat advanced prostate cancer can increase the risk of heart disease, but some types of hormone therapy appear to be safer than others, new research has found.
The study included 30,642 Swedish men with either locally advanced pros...
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Diet, Exercise May Slow Kidney Disease Progression
FRIDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Shedding pounds may be good for most people, but especially for those with kidney disease, a new study has found.
A review of previously published studies on weight loss through diet, exercise or surgical intervention found that the weight loss had a p...
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Progress Made Toward Vaccine for Urinary Infections
FRIDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- A vaccine to prevent urinary tract infections shows early promise in tests on mice, according to University of Michigan researchers.
For two decades, researchers have been trying to develop a vaccine to prevent urinary tract infections, which afflict a...
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Extended Antiviral May Benefit Kidney Transplant Patients
THURSDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- A longer period of preventive treatment after kidney transplant can help reduce the risk that the patient will become infected with a virus that can cause devastating problems, new research suggests.
Healthy people can usually fight off the virus, c...
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More Whole Grains May Mean Less Fat
THURSDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Eating more whole-grain foods may help reduce body fat in older adults, says a new U.S. study.
The study looked at the eating habits -- including the consumption of whole-grain bread, brown rice, popcorn and other whole grains as well as fruits and v...
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Trouble With Daily Activities Could Point to Alzheimer's Risk
THURSDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Problems carrying out daily chores or enjoying hobbies could predict which people with "mild cognitive impairment" will progress more quickly to Alzheimer's dementia, U.S. researchers report.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, mild cognitive...
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Exercise Benefits Even the Oldest Old
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Older adults who get regular exercise may live longer and be at lower risk for physical disabilities, according to an Israeli study.
The research included almost 1,900 people born in 1920 and 1921 who were assessed at ages 70, 78 and 85. Those who...
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Health Tip: Eat Your Fruits and Veggies
(HealthDay News) -- Since childhood, lots of people have heard the parental plea to eat their fruits and vegetables.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers this insight on why eating fruits and veggies is so important:
Eating lots of fruits and vegetab...
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Diabetes Medications Don't Lower Inflammation
TUESDAY, Sept. 15 (HealthDay News) -- In people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, the glucose-lowering medications metformin and insulin don't appear to reduce the inflammation associated with heart disease, new research suggests.
Even though these medications helped reduce glucose le...
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Watchful Waiting Works for Older Men With Prostate Cancer
TUESDAY, Sept. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Older men diagnosed with prostate cancer who choose watchful waiting are doing better these days than in the era before screening with a test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) became common, a new study finds.
"The most important message is that the...
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Discovery May Pave Way to Better Diabetes Care
FRIDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- A newly discovered gene could give researchers new insight into type 2 diabetes, potentially leading to better treatment for the increasingly common disease.
The gene, which appears to be linked to diabetes, affects how the body reacts to insulin in t...
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Health Tip: Take Medications Safely
(HealthDay News) -- Many medications may seem harmless, but they can still cause harm if not taken correctly.
The University of Virginia Health System offers these suggestions to help prevent problems with medications:
Understand that even vitamins, herbs, supplements and o...
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Getting Closer to the Origins of Prostate Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Two studies take significant steps toward solving major mysteries about prostate cancer -- the exact spot in the gland where tumors can originate, and how to distinguish fast-growing malignancies that are life-threatening from the slower-growing kind that ca...
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Virus May Drive Some Prostate Cancers
TUESDAY, Sept. 8 (HealthDay News) -- A new study tightens the suspected link between a virus and prostate cancer, and raises the possibility that infection with the virus could be an indicator of aggressive tumors that require swift treatment.
"We're not making any causal association at t...
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Non-Drinkers More Likely to Be Anxious, Depressed
FRIDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- While alcohol may be considered a depressant, teetotalers as well as heavy drinkers are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than moderate tipplers, a new study has found.
Norwegian and British researchers also found that people who don't d...
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Waist-Hip Ratio Good Gauge of Obesity in Elderly, Study Shows
FRIDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Among the elderly, the ratio of waist size to hip size may be a better determinant of obesity than body mass index, say researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles.
For women between ages 70 and 80, every 0.1 increase in the waist-hip rat...
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Nightly Snacking May Speed Weight Gain
THURSDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Late-night forays to the fridge might have you packing on the pounds even faster than munching during the day does, a new mouse study suggests.
That's because the body's internal clock, or circadian rhythm, may play a role in metabolism, researchers s...
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Adult Weight Gain Tied to Prostate Cancer Risk
TUESDAY, Sept. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Men who pack on excess pounds as young adults are at heightened risk of developing prostate cancer, although the risk varies by ethnic group, researchers from the University of Hawaii report.
Obesity is a risk factor for many common cancers, including...
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Key Protein May Link Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Woes
TUESDAY, Sept. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they know why obesity leads to diabetes and cardiovascular disease, a finding that may help experts target therapies to limit the health impact of being very overweight.
A Japanese team discovered a protein that causes ongoing, low-gra...
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Mediterranean Diet May Be Best for Type 2 Diabetes
MONDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- The Mediterranean diet, long touted as a healthy eating plan, may help people with type 2 diabetes stay off blood sugar-lowering medications, as well as help them lose weight and lower cardiovascular risk factors.
Those are the major findings from Ital...
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Prostate Cancer Over-Diagnosed: Study
MONDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Mass screening for prostate cancer with a test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has led to mass over-diagnosis and over-treatment, a new study contends.
Since the PSA screening test came into use in 1986, federal government data show that the number...
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Cigarettes May Dull Taste Buds
THURSDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- In addition to the many well-known ways that smoking cigarettes can damage a person's health, new research has found that smoking dampens the ability to taste.
In the study, researchers used electrical stimulation to test th...
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Regular Yoga May Improve Eating Habits
THURSDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Practicing yoga regularly may help your eating habits so you can maintain a healthier weight, a new study says.
Researchers at the Seattle-based Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center reported a link between yoga practitioners and "mindful eaters," p...
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'Electronic Nose' Could Spot Kidney Disease
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- An "electronic nose" that can sniff out chronic renal failure could offer a noninvasive and fairly inexpensive way to detect kidney disease in the earliest and most treatable stages, according to Israeli researchers who developed the technology.
In t...
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Wheat Consumption May Contribute to Diabetes
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- An abnormal immune response to wheat proteins may contribute to type 1 diabetes, Canadian researchers say.
Their study of 42 people with type 1 diabetes found that nearly half had immune system T-cells that overreacted to wheat. The researchers also...
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Hormone Therapy for Early Prostate Cancer Not Always Best
TUESDAY, Aug. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and who also have underlying heart disease may not benefit from treatment with hormones, new research suggests.
In fact, such hormone therapy may actually increase their odds of dying.
"For men w...
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Smokers' Cars Loaded With Nicotine
MONDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Passengers riding in the cars of smokers are exposed to nicotine levels nearly twice those found in restaurants and bars that permit smoking, a new study suggests.
The dangers of exposure to secondhand smoke are well known, including the risk for heart...
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Gene Linked to Inherited Kidney Disease Found
FRIDAY, Aug. 21 (HealthDay News) -- A genetic mutation associated with inherited kidney disease has been pinpointed by an international team of researchers, who also identified a potential treatment that's currently being tested in a clinical trial.
The mutation occurs in the gene that en...
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Obesity Tied to Prostate Cancer Recurrence
FRIDAY, Aug. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity increases the risk of prostate cancer recurrence in both black and white men, says a U.S. study that challenges previous research suggesting obesity may be more significant for black men.
"Not so. Obesity leads to worse cancer in both groups," s...
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Wearable Kidney May One Day Replace Dialysis
THURSDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- A wearable artificial kidney may someday make life much easier for dialysis patients by eliminating the need to spend hours on a dialysis machine at a hospital every week, researchers say.
The portable device, which weighs about 10 pounds and is power...
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Web Is Becoming One-Stop Shopping for Health Help
SUNDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- People regularly turn to the Internet for games and gossip, news and entertainment, essential information and high weirdness.
And now, apparently, for their health as well.
A number of successful online medical interventions have been reported i...
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How Weight Loss Helps the Heart
TUESDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Losing a lot of weight rejuvenates the physical structure of the heart, and it makes no difference whether the weight is lost by surgery or by dieting, a new British study shows.
The heart muscles of people who started with a body mass index (BMI) aver...
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New Bone-Building Drug Promising Against Prostate Cancer
TUESDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) -- A new bone-building drug has worked well in a trial of men whose bones were weakened by the hormone therapy they were taking for prostate cancer, researchers report.
The drug, denosumab (Prolia), is a monoclonal antibody that Amgen Inc. hopes to market...
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Oral Drug Ups Survival in Advanced Prostate Cancer Cases
TUESDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Oral sodium clodronate improves overall survival in advanced prostate cancer patients but doesn't reduce the risk of death in those with localized disease, British researchers say.
They reported on the long-term survival outcomes of more than 800 men e...
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Immunoglobulin Can Predict Some Diabetic Complications
FRIDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Swedish researchers say that immunoglobulin M (IgM) is a reliable predictor of cardiovascular complications in people with type 1 diabetes who have diabetic nephropathy (DN) -- kidney damage caused by diabetes.
The study included 139 patients who were fo...
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Sex Hormone Protein May Predict Type 2 Diabetes
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- A protein that carries and activates sex hormones throughout the body may also predict those at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a new study finds.
The protein, called sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), regulates the levels of testosterone a...
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FDA Approves Avastin for Most Common Kidney Cancer
TUESDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The drug Avastin has been approved in the United States for treating people with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, the most common form of kidney cancer.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Avastin to be used in combination with the drug inter...
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Livalo Approved for High Cholesterol
TUESDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Livalo (pitavastatin) is the newest statin to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat high cholesterol.
As with other statin drugs, Lavalo is meant for people in whom diet and exercise fail to lower cholesterol, the agency said in...
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Low Birth Weight Might Raise Adult Kidney Disease Risk
MONDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Low birth weight babies have a much greater risk of developing kidney disease later in life, according to researchers who reviewed 32 observational studies.
The meta-analysis found that people who were less than 5.5 pounds at birth were 70 percent more l...
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Older Diabetics Should Avoid Dementia Meds
TUESDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- Older diabetics who take antipsychotic medications have an increased risk of ending up in the hospital with elevated blood glucose levels, or hyperglycemia, researchers say.
More and more seniors are being prescribed these medications for dementia and...
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Men Who Have Prostate Cancer Surgery Do Well
MONDAY, July 27 (HealthDay News) -- A major study has good news for men who have prostate cancer surgery but leaves unanswered the complicated question of whether a man should have that operation, another treatment or just watchful waiting.
The study of almost 13,000 American men who had...
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Most Not Worried by Delayed Prostate Cancer Therapy
MONDAY, July 27 (HealthDay News) -- Men who delay treatment for their early prostate cancer are not especially anxious about living with the disease, new Dutch research shows.
The evidence seems to contradict the assumption that living with untreated prostate ca...
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Fatty Acids in Diet Linked to Bowel Disease Risk
THURSDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- Consuming too much of a common polyunsaturated fatty acid could be a contributing factor in an estimated 30 percent of all cases of ulcerative colitis, researchers say.
In a new study, participants who had the highest intake of linoleic acid had more...
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Fresh-Meat Additives May Be Dangerous for Kidney Patients
THURSDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- Additives used to "enhance" uncooked meat and poultry can pose serious health risks for people with kidney disease, researchers say.
Many fresh meat and poultry products are injected with water, sodium, potassium salts, antioxidants and flavorings tha...
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Baking Soda May Be Key Ingredient for Kidney Patients
FRIDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- A dose of baking soda a day may slow the progression of chronic kidney disease, a new study has found.
The study included 134 advanced chronic kidney disease patients with metabolic acidosis, a condition caused by low bicarbonate levels. The patients we...
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Blacks Have Highest Obesity Rates in U.S.
THURSDAY, July 16 (HealthDay News) -- The obesity epidemic in the United States is hitting minorities the hardest, U.S. health officials report.
Here are the hard numbers: Blacks have a 51 percent greater prevalence of obesity than whites, and Hispanics have 21 percent greater obesity pre...
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Dietary Oils May Help Some Fight Fat
THURSDAY, July 16 (HealthDay News) -- For certain people, dietary oil supplements could help ward off unwanted fat, according to a new study.
Obese older women with type 2 diabetes who added safflower oil or conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplements to their diet either decreased their...
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Sunitinib Benefit Explored in Poor-Prognosis Kidney Cancer
THURSDAY, July 16 (HealthDay News) -- The oral cancer drug sunitinib (Sutent) has shown promising results in advanced kidney cancer patients who have a poor prognosis, new research says.
Previous clinical trials showed that sunitinib was effective in patients with advanced kidney cancer,...
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Walking, Biking to Work Pays Off
TUESDAY, July 14 (HealthDay News) -- People who walk or cycle to work have fewer risk factors for heart disease, a U.S. study has found.
The study included 2,364 men and women who worked outside the home. At physical examinations conducted in 2005 and 2006, the participants reported detai...
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Combination Therapy Best for Aggressive Prostate Cancer
MONDAY, July 13 (HealthDay News) -- Men with aggressive prostate cancer who have brachytherapy alone are more likely to die than those who receive a combination of treatments, new findings show.
In brachytherapy, radioactive "seeds" are implanted in the tumor.
"Despite the increas...
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Heavy Drinking Linked to Aggressive Prostate Cancer
MONDAY, July 13 (HealthDay News) -- Heavy drinking, especially when it's beer, increases the risk for highly aggressive prostate cancer, a new study finds.
The researchers did not set out to determine the effect of alcohol consumption on prostate cancer risk but rather to test the effect...
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Smoking May Speed Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
MONDAY, July 13 (HealthDay News) -- In addition to the well-known hazards of smoking, research now suggests that the dangerous habit causes a more rapid progression of multiple sclerosis.
The new findings are from a study that included 1,465 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, average age 4...
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Lighter Meals May Bring Longer Life
THURSDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- A new study that found that a lower-calorie diet slowed the aging process in monkeys could be the best proof yet that restricted diets might do the same for humans.
"The big question in aging research is, 'Will caloric restriction in species closely re...
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Prostate Drug Appears Safer Than Thought
WEDNESDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors don't have to be so cautious in prescribing the drug finasteride to men at risk for prostate cancer, a new study suggests.
Physicians face a dilemma when trying to decide whether to use the drug, which has been shown to prevent prostate cancer...
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Fat-Cell Protein May Reduce Diabetes Risk
TUESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- Higher levels of a protein created by fat cells are associated with a lessened risk of type 2 diabetes.
The protein, adiponectin, appears to have anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing capabilities, according to a study published in the July 8 issue...
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Health Tip: Caring for a Diabetic's Skin
(HealthDay News) -- People with diabetes may be concerned with their heart, eyes and nerves. But don't forget the body's largest organ.
As many as one-third of diabetics develop a skin disorder, the American Diabetes Association says.
The association offers these skin care sugges...
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Another Genetic Link to Testicular Cancer Is Found
THURSDAY, July 2 (HealthDay News) -- A second gene linked to inherited testicular germ-cell cancer has been identified by scientists at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
"This study contributes to our understanding of why testicular germ-cell cancer appears to run in families," Dr....
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Anti-Smoking Drugs Get FDA 'Black-Box' Warning
WEDNESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- Two drugs prescribed to help people quit smoking, Chantix and Zyban, will now carry "black-box" warnings on the potential risks of psychiatric problems, including depression and suicidal thoughts, U.S. health officials said Wednesday.
The U.S. Food a...
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CPR Survival Rates for Older People Unchanged
WEDNESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- Despite efforts to fine-tune the procedure for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, the survival rate for older people given CPR has not changed much in recent decades, new research has found.
Just 18 percent of adults older than 65 who received C...
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Drugs May Not Slow Kidney Damage in Diabetes
WEDNESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- Results from a new trial have dashed hopes that early use of two blood pressure drugs could slow the loss of kidney function caused by type 1 diabetes.
But the study, reported in the July 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, does fin...
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Comic Strip Aims to Educate Families About Diabetes
TUESDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- The syndicated comic strip "Baldo" will feature a storyline on diabetes in order to boost awareness about prevention and treatment of the disease among Hispanics.
The comic strip features a Hispanic teen named Baldo Bermudez. In a series of strips that...
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Obese Get Higher Doses of Radiation for X-Rays
TUESDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- People who are overweight and obese are usually given higher-than-normal doses of radiation in order to obtain usable X-ray images, even though the long-term effects are unknown, new research contends.
"You need to get a certain amount of X-rays to go...
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Statins Might Stave Off Alzheimer's
TUESDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment with a cholesterol-lowering drug might protect against Alzheimer's disease, new research suggests.
Scientists have long known that nerve cells in people with Alzheimer's die prematurely because they are strongly overstimulated, a process cal...
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A Few Extra Pounds Might Bring Extra Years
TUESDAY, June 23 (HealthDay News) -- A new study finds that being overweight -- but not obese -- might help you live longer.
In the study of more than 11,000 Canadian adults, overweight people lived longer than normal-weight people, while those who were either extremely obese or underweig...
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Common Weight-Loss Surgery May Double Risk of Kidney Stones
MONDAY, June 22 (HealthDay News) -- A popular weight-loss surgery may double the risk of kidney stones, though the actual odds are still relatively slight, a new study suggests.
Having Roux-en-Y, the most common type of gastric bypass surgery, may result in a person having an 8 percent ch...
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Obama Signs Tough New Anti-Smoking Law
MONDAY, June 22 (HealthDay News) -- President Barack Obama signed into law Monday the nation's toughest anti-smoking law that gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unprecedented powers to regulate tobacco products.
Under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the FDA...
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Promising Therapy for Prostate Cancer
MONDAY, June 22 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental drug therapy appears to have helped destroy allegedly inoperable prostate cancer in two patients in a clinical trial.
Use of the immunotherapeutic agent MDX-010, or ipilimumab, in combination with standard hormone and radiation treatment...
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Green Tea Component May Slow Prostate Cancer
FRIDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- The active compounds in green tea might slow the progression of prostate cancer, the results of a small study suggest.
The study included 26 men, 41 to 72 years old, who had prostate cancer and were scheduled for radical prostatectomy. The men took fou...
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Health Tip: Help Prevent Metabolic Syndrome
(HealthDay News) -- Metabolic syndrome occurs when being overweight or obese -- combined with other risk factors -- increase a person's chances of developing heart disease and diabetes.
These risk factors include abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, high blood pressure, elevated...
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Fruits and Veggies May Improve Sperm Quality
TUESDAY, June 16 (HealthDay News) -- Antioxidants play an important role in semen quality, according to new research from Spain.
The study found that "men with good semen quality ate more vegetables and fruit (more vitamins, folic acid and fiber and less protein and fats) than those men w...
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Health Tip: Have Unused Medications?
(HealthDay News) -- While flushing unwanted or expired medications down the toilet is common practice, Health Canada says this may harm the environment.
Here's how to properly dispose of medications:
Check to see if your pharmacy has a drug recycling program.
See...
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Diabetes Drug Byetta May Aid Weight Loss in Obese Patients
THURSDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- Exenatide (Byetta), a drug normally used to treat diabetes, may also help non-diabetic obese people lose weight when combined with diet and exercise, new research has found.
Researchers divided 152 obese men and women (with a body-mass index of greate...
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Health Secrets of Red Wine Uncovered
THURSDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists already knew that drinking red wine in moderation is good for your health; now they are figuring out why.
New research is uncovering the disease-prevention secrets of a polyphenol called resveratrol, one of compounds in red wine that seems...
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Need a Walking Partner? Try a Dog
THURSDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- Forget about joining a gym. If you want to get into shape, all you need is a four-legged pal.
Dr. Robert Kushner, a human obesity expert and professor of medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, said that dogs make great wor...
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Nicotine May Help Spur 'Prediabetes'
THURSDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- The nicotine in cigarette smoke may promote insulin resistance and lead to a condition known as prediabetes, new research shows.
The finding, to be outlined Thursday at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Washington, D.C., could explain why smok...
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Longer Hormone Treatment May Improve Prostate Cancer Outlook
WEDNESDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- Men with moderately advanced prostate cancer who get hormone-blocking drugs after radiation therapy do better when the drug treatment is continued for two or more years after an initial six-month regimen, a European study has found.
The results prett...
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Heavy Periods May Be Due to a Clotting Disorder
FRIDAY, June 5 (HealthDay News) -- Bleeding disorders often go undiagnosed in women, say experts who've developed a new list of signs that might indicate a problem.
The guidelines aren't meant only for doctors. Women with heavy menstrual cycles should watch for these signs as well because...
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Health Tip: Laughter is Good for You
(HealthDay News) -- A genuine belly laugh can be priceless medicine for life's everyday stresses. And you don't have to worry about any side effects -- except, maybe, a case of the giggles.
When appropriate, make an effort to relax and let yourself laugh. Rotary International offers thes...
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Two Drugs Safe for Rare Forms of Kidney Cancer
SUNDAY, May 31 (HealthDay News) -- Using a combination of the drugs temsirolimus (Torisel) and Bryostatin appears to be safe in patients with metastatic kidney cancer, according to early data from 25 patients in a phase 1 trial.
The researchers said a pathway known as mTOR signaling promo...
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Health Tip: Alleviate Caregiver Stress
(HealthDay News) -- When you're a caregiver, you have a lot of responsibilities in managing someone else's health and personal matters. But it's very important not to neglect your own well being.
The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these suggestions to help prevent caregiver...
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More Assisted Reproduction, But Fewer Multiple Births
THURSDAY, May 28 (HealthDay News) -- Each year, 219,000 to 246,000 babies conceived through assisted reproductive technology (ART) are born worldwide, says an international study that also found that the number of ART procedures increased by more than 25 percent between 2000 and 2002.
Res...
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Americans Score Low on Healthy Lifestyle
WEDNESDAY, May 27 (HealthDay News) -- The benefits of eating right, exercising and keeping your weight down are well-known, but few Americans are living that healthy lifestyle, researchers report.
In fact, over the past two decades exercise rates have dropped, fruit and vegetable intake h...
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To Quit Smoking, Try Logging On
TUESDAY, May 26 (HealthDay News) -- Internet- and computer-based smoking cessation programs are a cost-effective alternative to more expensive telephone hotlines or counseling services for smokers who are trying to quit, according to a new study.
"With the rising cost of health care, ther...
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Advanced Prostate Cancer Deadlier in Younger Men
FRIDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- Younger men diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer don't live as long as older men facing the same diagnosis, a new study finds.
"Overall, young men with prostate cancer do quite well, although the young men that have more advanced prostate cancers did...
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High Blood Fats Tied to Diabetic Nerve Loss
THURSDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Diabetes patients with elevated levels of triglyceride fats are at increased risk of developing a serious complication called neuropathy -- the loss or damage of nerves that results in numbness, tingling and pain in the hands, arms, legs and feet, researchers...
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Glucose Control Pays Long-Term Benefits for Diabetics
WEDNESDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- For diabetics, the key to managing their disease is keeping their blood glucose levels at a normal, low level.
But new studies show just how important this is when it comes to avoiding the complications of the disease, which can include eye, kidney a...
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Higher Fitness Levels Tied to Lower Heart, Death Risks
TUESDAY, May 19 (HealthDay News) -- Getting in shape really does help you live longer, new research says.
People with high levels of physical fitness, called cardiorespiratory fitness, have a lower risk of dying from all causes of death, including coronary heart disease and cardiovascular...
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An Aid to Tailoring Prostate Cancer Treatment
FRIDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers claim to have found a way to better customize the treatment of prostate cancer.
Four risk factors that can help predict how long men could survive with metastatic prostate cancer have been identified by researchers from the Duke Comprehensiv...
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For Dialysis Patients, More Pills = Lower Quality of Life
WEDNESDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- The more pills that kidney dialysis patients take, the more side effects they suffer and the worse their quality of life, a new study finds.
Dialysis patients have to take more pills than most patients with other chronic diseases. In this study, resea...
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Health Tip: Be Proactive at Your Next Doctor Visit
(HealthDay News) -- If you don't go to the doctor very often, it's important to make the most of every visit.
It's your opportunity to talk to your doctor about any health problems, or questions that you have.
Here are conversation pointers for your next medical visit, as recommen...
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After Job Loss, People Report More Health Issues
FRIDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) -- Losing a job can lead not just to financial hardships but to health problems as well, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, heart attack and stroke, new research has found.
"In today's economy, job loss can happen to anybody," Kate Strul...
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Health Tip: Manage Medications Safely
(HealthDay News) -- To avoid the possibility of overdose, interaction or reaction, you must pay attention to how often, how and which medications you take.
The American Heart Association offers these suggestions to help you safely manage your medications:
Store medications i...
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Health Tip: Learn to Manage Your Stress
(HealthDay News) -- Today's women often manage many roles, including partner, friend, mother, daughter, employee and manager of the home.
With all of that going on, the Cleveland Clinic says women may be prone to the following conditions if they don't take the time to manage their stress:...
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Health Tip: Help Your Child Cope With Diabetes
(HealthDay News) -- Diabetes will change a child's life, and the lives of close family members.
The American Diabetes Association offers these suggestions to help your child cope with his or her condition:
Learn as much as you can about diabetes -- together.
Encoura...
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Biomarkers May Predict Aggressiveness of Prostate Cancer
TUESDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) --Three molecules associated with prostate cancer might provide the long-sought markers that could discern which tumors are life-threatening and need aggressive treatment, a new study indicates.
The currently hot debate about the value of screening for earl...
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Chronic Kidney Disease Raises Risk for Some Cancers
FRIDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- Older men who suffer from moderate chronic kidney disease appear to have a higher risk for developing certain kinds of cancers, a team of Australian scientists report.
The observation -- which suggests a bump in the risk for lung and/or urinary cancer, bu...
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Nighttime Urination Linked to Higher Death Rate Among Elderly
FRIDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) --New Japanese research suggests that elderly people who get up two or more times a night to urinate face a higher risk of death.
The findings don't offer a possible explanation for the cause of the higher death rate. It could be that a factor like disrupted...
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Vitamin E, Selenium and Soy Won't Prevent Prostate Cancer
FRIDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- Despite earlier promise, three nutrients - vitamin E, selenium and soy - do not seem to prevent prostate cancer in men with precancerous prostate lesions, Canadian researchers report.
"There has been a collection of scientific data that has suggested tha...
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Drink a Little Wine, Live a Little Longer
THURSDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Men who regularly drank up to a half a glass of wine each day boosted their life expectancy by five years, Dutch researchers report.
Light, long-term alcohol consumption of all types of beverages, whether wine, spirits or beer, increased life by 2.5...
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Some Diet Sodas May Ward Off Kidney Stones
WEDNESDAY, April 29 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking diet sodas, especially those with a citrus flavor, might help ward off painful calcium deposits known as kidney stones.
The drinks contain citrate, which is known to inhibit calcium formation, according to the authors of a study that was to...
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As Literacy Improves, So Might Happiness
TUESDAY, April 28 (HealthDay News) -- Among older adults, the better they're able to read, understand and use health and medical information, the happier they are, suggests a U.S. study.
Researchers asked 383 people 50 and older if they could read and answer que...
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Health Tip: Smoking and the Musculoskeletal System
(HealthDay News) -- Damage to the lungs is one of the first things people think about when it comes to the health detriments of smoking. But smoking can affect much of your body, right down to your bones and muscles.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says smoking can have the...
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Lifestyle Factors Tied to Older Adults' Diabetes Risk
TUESDAY, April 28 (HealthDay News) --Numerous lifestyle factors affect older adults' risk of diabetes, a new study finds.
U.S. researchers analyzed the link between lifestyle and incidence of diabetes over 10 years in 4,883 men and women aged 65 and older. The lifestyle factors examined...
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Experts Back Away From Annual PSA Test
MONDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- New guidelines on prostate cancer screening suggest that annual PSA blood tests might not be necessary for many men, but the same guidelines call for a "baseline" PSA test at the age of 40, rather than 50.
A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test to dete...
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Heart, Bone Problems May Follow Prostate Cancer Treatment
MONDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- Though proven effective, treating prostate cancer with the testosterone-lowering treatment known as androgen deprivation therapy may raise men's risk for developing bone fractures and fatal cardiovascular disease, a new study suggests.
The likelihood o...
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Medication Errors Could Be Cut: Experts
MONDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- Medication errors and adverse drug reactions cost lives and dollars each year in the United States, but two new reports suggest ways hospitals and pharmacists can work to reduce these mistakes.
Medication errors are one of the most common medical error...
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Topical Treatment May Ease Erectile Dysfunction
MONDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- A "nanoparticle" topical treatment for erectile dysfunction appears to work well, at least in a study involving rats.
According to the researchers, five of seven rats developed erections after their penises received a coating of a special hybrid of...
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Well Water Might Raise Bladder Cancer Risk
MONDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- Sun exposure, smoking and the source of water used for drinking may each play a role in whether someone develops and dies from bladder cancer, according to a new study.
Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that well water co...
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Statins Guard Against Prostate Cancer
SUNDAY, April 26 (HealthDay News) --Several new studies suggest statins help prevent prostate cancer and reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction.
"At this point in time, there seems to be mounting evidence that there may be a future role for statins in prostate cancer treatment or prostat...
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Health Tip: Kicking the Habit
(HealthDay News) -- Former smokers may tell you that quitting was one of the hardest things they've ever done. The physical and psychological withdrawal can be intense.
If you're thinking of quitting smoking, the U.S. Surgeon General offers these tips to help you handle the cravings:...
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A Pre-Workout Meal to Help You Burn Fat
THURSDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- The type of calories you take in before a workout may influence how many calories you burn during your workout, new research suggests.
Women who ate a breakfast rich in carbohydrates that do not cause a spike in blood sugar -- think muesli, yogurt,...
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Agent Orange Exposure Tied to Prostate Cancer Return
THURSDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. male military veterans exposed to the Agent Orange herbicide/defoliant are at increased risk for aggressive recurrence of prostate cancer, a new study finds.
It included 1,495 veterans who'd had surgery to remove cancerous prostates. Of those, t...
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First Vessel Graft Grown From Kidney Patients' Own Cells
THURSDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- The successful use of a patient's own skin cells to grow tissue-engineered shunts for dialysis could portend a revolution in kidney care, researchers say.
The problem right now is that about half of all dialysis patients have their blood filtered thr...
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Osteoporosis Drugs Might Not Raise Cancer Risk
WEDNESDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- Two new studies find that the class of osteoporosis drugs known as bisphosphonates may not, in fact, raise the risk of esophageal cancer.
This is in contrast to news earlier this year that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had received reports o...
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A 'Smart Bomb' for Prostate Cancer?
TUESDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers were able to shrink prostate cancer cells in mice using a new drug delivery method that combines imaging with chemotherapy in a single agent.
"It's like a smart bomb, to use a military analogy," Dr. John P. Sedelaar, a postdoctoral researc...
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Fructose-Sweetened Drinks Up Metabolic Syndrome Risk
MONDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- Fructose-sweetened soft drinks and other beverages can have a negative effect on the body's sensitivity to insulin and its ability to handle fats, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke, a new study suggests.
But glucose-sweetened beverages do...
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Having Psoriasis Raises Risk of Diabetes, Hypertension
MONDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- A new study lends more credence to a long-suspected connection between psoriasis, diabetes and hypertension.
Researchers reporting in the April issue of the Archives of Dermatology suspect the link may have to do with the chronic inflammation th...
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Outgoing Nature Could Get You to 100
MONDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- Want to live to 100 or beyond? Be very outgoing and know how to manage your stress.
A new study found that those were the traits found in the children of people who lived to 100, and longevity is thought to run in families.
"We have observed th...
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Gum Chewing May Cut Craving for Snacks
SUNDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- You might be able to cut down on snacking by chewing more sugarless gum.
During an experiment, people were offered a variety of snacks three hours after a standard lunch and were told they could eat as much of the snacks as they desired. One afternoo...
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Halting Avandia Use Hikes Blood Sugar Levels
THURSDAY, April 16 (HealthDay News) -- Many patients who stopped using the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) due to concerns about the drug's safety received less treatment and developed higher blood glucose levels, U.S. researchers report.
An analysis of scientific evidence released...
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Tough Laws, Higher Prices Mean Fewer Kids Smoke
THURSDAY, April 16 (HealthDay News) -- American adolescents who live in states that comply with tobacco sales laws are less likely to pick up a smoking habit than are those who live where the laws are not vigorously enforced, a new study has found.
And raising the price of a pack of cigar...
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Heart Screening Not Effective for Type 2 Diabetics
TUESDAY, April 14 (HealthDay News) -- Routine screening for coronary artery disease is of no value for adults with diabetes who have no symptoms of heart problems, a new study finds.
Screening is expensive, at $1,000 per test. But the study of 1,123 people with type 2 diabetes who had no...
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Impotence Drugs Don't Harm Vision: Study
TUESDAY, April 14 (HealthDay News) -- The erectile dysfunction drugs Cialis (tadalafil) and Viagra (sildenafil) didn't appear to damage vision in men who took the medications daily for six months, according to a drug company study.
These drugs, called selective phodiesterase type 5 (PDE5)...
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Pancreatic Islets in Forefront of Diabetes Research
TUESDAY, April 14 (HealthDay News) -- Pancreatic islets, which are hormone-producing cells, are becoming more prominent in diabetes research and could play a major role in future treatments, according to U.S. experts.
"The primary objective of islet-based research is to cure diabetes,"...
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Severe Low Blood Sugar Ups Older Diabetics' Dementia Risk
TUESDAY, April 14 (HealthDay News) -- Older individuals with type 2 diabetes who have been hospitalized with severe low blood sugar levels seem to have a greater risk of developing dementia, new research suggests.
It's not yet clear whether less severe episodes of low blood sugar, which a...
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Health Tip: Plan Ahead for Healthy Meals
(HealthDay News) -- Many people have the best intentions when it comes to cooking and eating healthy, but late nights at work and juggling family schedules can make it a challenge.
The American Diabetes Association says you should carefully plan your meals. It offers these suggestions:
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Doctors Urged to Get Aggressive to Help Smokers
WEDNESDAY, April 8 (HealthDay News) -- To truly help people quit smoking, doctors need to treat the habit as a chronic disease that might require repeated or intensive interventions, including pharmacotherapy and counseling, say two new studies.
One study included 750 people who smoked at...
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Health Tip: Aerobic Exercise
(HealthDay News) -- Any exercise is beneficial, but aerobic exercise is what gets your heart rate up and burns calories. Examples of aerobic exercise include: running, swimming, biking, rowing and walking.
An effective aerobic exercise program should include a workout at least three time...
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Stress Management Battles Prostate Cancer Anxiety
WEDNESDAY, April 8 (HealthDay News) -- Stress management counseling appears to benefit men who have all or part of their prostate removed (radical prostatectomy) to treat early-stage prostate cancer, says a U.S. study.
The study included 159 patients who were assigned to receive one of t...
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Certain Diabetes Drugs May Pose Eye Risk
TUESDAY, April 7 (HealthDay News) -- A class of diabetes drugs called glitazones are associated with an increased risk of a vision-threatening complication called diabetic macular edema (DME), which features swelling and fluid accumulation in the retina.
Glitazones are a newer class of di...
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Health Tip: Sticking With Exercise
(HealthDay News) -- Starting an exercise routine isn't the hardest part -- sticking with it is. After a few days or weeks of exercise, you may be tempted to start skipping days, and before you know it, you're not exercising regularly. But there are things you can do to keep yourself motivated. <...
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Intensive Early Treatment Doesn't Help Bladder Cancer Survival
TUESDAY, April 7 (HealthDay News) -- More intensive treatment in the first two years after a diagnosis of early bladder cancer doesn't appear to improve patient survival, a new study finds.
Researchers analyzed data on 20,713 Medicare patients diagnosed with early bladder cancer between 1...
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New Prostate Cancer Drug May Hold Promise
TUESDAY, April 7 (HealthDay News) -- A new drug with a radically different way of attacking prostate cancer has done well in an initial trial and is ready for larger-scale testing, researchers report.
One standard treatment for the malignancy is to inhibit the activity of androgens, male...
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Health Tip: Jump Rope for Fitness
(HealthDay News) -- If you're tired of the gym, going for a run, or home exercise equipment, you may want to opt for jumping rope.
The American Council on Exercise suggests these tips to help you enjoy a safe, fun workout by jumping rope:
Keep a firm but gentle grip on the...
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Male Infertility Treatment Boosts Sperm Count
MONDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- A hormone-antioxidant combination therapy appears to improve sperm count and motility in infertile men, according to an Egyptian study.
The research included 60 men eligible for infertility treatment. They were randomly selected to take either the comb...
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More U.S. Kids Taking Diabetes, Blood Pressure Drugs
MONDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- The number of American children and teens taking drugs to lower blood pressure and control diabetes has risen significantly since 2004, according to a new study.
The study is one of several reports on childhood obesity in the April issue of Archives...
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Topical Spray Helped Men With Premature Ejaculation
MONDAY, April 6 (HealthDay News) -- A new spray enabled men with premature ejaculation to delay their orgasm six times longer than before, according to a study that included 300 European men.
The men, with clinically diagnosed premature ejaculation, were randomly selected to receive a pla...
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Nicotine Replacement May Help Smokers Quit Gradually
FRIDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- For smokers who want to cut down on the number of cigarettes they smoke, using nicotine replacement therapy not only helps them smoke less but makes it twice as likely that they will quit altogether, British researchers report.
Although using nicotine r...
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Many Smokers Don't Tell Docs About Their Habit
THURSDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- More than half of smokers aren't fretting over their personal health, and almost a quarter of those who have health-care providers haven't discussed their tobacco use with that person, a new online survey shows.
The survey of more than 1,000 adult smo...
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Kidney Ailments May Rise Along With Blood Pressure
FRIDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- The higher your blood pressure, the greater your risk of kidney problems, according to a new report.
Analysis of data from the National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) also found evidence that more advanced stages of chronic...
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Networking May Aid Blacks Who Need Kidney Transplant
FRIDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Social and medical networking can improve the chances that blacks who have kidney failure will acquire a new kidney, a survey has found.
"Research overwhelmingly indicates that African-Americans are less likely to successfully get kidney transplants, e...
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Health Tip: Remember to Take Your Medicine
(HealthDay News) -- Many medications should be taken at the same time every day, both to ensure their effectiveness and so that you remember to take them.
The American Heart Association offers these suggestions to help keep you on schedule:
Make taking your medication a par...
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Scientists ID New Biomarker for Prostate Cancer
WEDNESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- A newly identified marker for prostate cancer progression may also offer a new target for treatment, University of Michigan researchers say.
Previous research has found that decreased levels of the marker galectin-3 are linked with neoplastic progre...
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Drug-Coated Sponges May Limit Catheter Infections
TUESDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- Adding a sponge soaked in an antibacterial agent to the dressing around the spot where a catheter is inserted appears to reduce the chances that a potentially deadly infection will develop, French researchers report.
People in intensive care units (I...
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Omega-3 Fatty Acids Guard Against Advanced Prostate Cancer
TUESDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- Omega-3 fatty acids could help protect men against advanced prostate cancer, researchers report.
Eating fish at least once a week may reduce the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer even if one is genetically predisposed to developing the disea...
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Protein From Yellow Peas May Lower Blood Pressure
SUNDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Certain proteins found in the yellow garden pea appear to help lower blood pressure and delay, control or even prevent the onset of chronic kidney disease, at least in rats, a Canadian study has found.
"What we seem to have here is sort of a natural ap...
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Health Tip: Managing Urinary Incontinence
(HealthDay News) -- Many women have urinary incontinence, notably after having a baby or after beginning menopause.
The National Women's Health Information Center says there are many treatment options for urinary incontinence in women, among them:
Performing Kegel exercises...
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PSA Testing: What Should Men Do?
THURSDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- In the wake of yesterday's publication of two major studies on the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test to detect prostate cancer -- one finding that it didn't save lives and another finding that it did -- American men may be wondering if the test is still w...
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2 Studies Conflict Over Value of Prostate Cancer Screening
WEDNESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Two new studies offer conflicting views on the value of screening men with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test to check for prostate cancer.
But at least one leading oncologist says this much seems to be clear: A younger man with a strong family...
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Guidelines Suggested for Heart-Kidney Transplants
WEDNESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- A set of criteria to help identify people who would benefit from a combined heart and kidney transplant has been developed by U.S. researchers.
"In the past, patients with end-stage heart failure having concurrent renal (k...
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Millions of Americans With Chronic Ills Put Off Health Care
WEDNESDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Millions of Americans suffering from at least one chronic health problem are putting off care, not taking needed medications, and resigning themselves to feelings of isolation and depression.
So reveals a new poll commissioned by the National Coun...
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Health Tip: Reducing Your Risk of Kidney Stones
(HealthDay News) -- A kidney stone is a hard formation of waste products from urine. The stone can stay in the kidney where it was formed, or move into the urinary tract. Either way, it can be very painful.
People who have had a kidney stone are more likely to have another one.
T...
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Hormone Might Help Restore Female Fertility
TUESDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- A hormone called kisspeptin may offer a new treatment for infertility, according to British researchers who found that the hormone can activate the release of sex hormones that control the menstrual cycle.
The study included 10 women who were not mens...
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Obesity Takes Years Off Your Life
TUESDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Being obese can shorten your life, a new study shows.
"Moderate obesity typically shortens life span by about three years," said researcher Gary Whitlock, from the Clinical Trial Service Unit at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. "By mode...
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Walk 100 Steps a Minute for 'Moderate' Exercise
TUESDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- National guidelines urge all Americans to engage in "moderate physical activity" at least 2.5 hours a week, but what does that mean if you're out for a stroll?
A new study provides the answer: It's equivalent to a brisk walk, or about 1,000 steps eve...
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'Watchful Waiting' Safe With Low-Risk Prostate Cancers
MONDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- Refusing immediate treatment can be safe for men with low-risk prostate cancer if they're closely monitored, new research finds.
The multi-center study of American and Canadian patients was conducted between 1991 and 2007.
"When or if to treat...
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Dialysis Via Fistulas May Help Young or Old
FRIDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- A new study finds that people with chronic kidney disease, whether young or old, respond equally well to dialysis done through arteriovenous (AV) fistulas, surgically created passageways between veins and arteries to help in the circulation of filtered blood....
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Freezing Kidney Cancers Shows Promise
FRIDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- Most kidney cancer tumors can be eradicated using a noninvasive freezing technique that eliminates the need for surgery, a pair of studies from Johns Hopkins Hospital suggests.
The findings have prompted the researchers to claim that the procedure, kno...
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Preemie Delivery Tied to Later Heart Woes for Women
FRIDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- The things that affect a woman's reproductive health can also have an effect on her heart, new research shows.
Giving birth prematurely or delivering a small-for-gestational-age baby are both associated with a later risk of cardiovascular disease in th...
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Too Little Sleep May Raise Diabetes Risk
WEDNESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- A good night's sleep may help lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, researchers say.
People averaging less than six hours of shuteye during the work week over a period of years were shown to have nearly five times the chance of developing...
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'Male Lumpectomy' May Help Some With Prostate Cancer
TUESDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- A new procedure for prostate cancer that destroys only the part of the gland that is cancerous results in fewer side effects than surgery or radiation therapy, a new study finds.
The so-called "male lumpectomy" is a minimally invasive procedure that...
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Folic Acid Supplements Raise Prostate Cancer Risk
TUESDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- A 10-year study has found that men who took folic acid supplements faced more than twice the risk of prostate cancer as those who didn't take the supplements.
But the incidence of prostate cancer in the study was slightly lower in men who simpl...
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Technique Might Prevent Some Bladder Removals
MONDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- A new technique that more accurately determines the stage of bladder cancer could help reduce the number of bladder removals, a new study says.
U.S. researchers studied 70 bladder cancer specimens and found that the technique was about 95 percent accura...
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Men Who Get Active in Midlife Live Longer
THURSDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- Men who start exercising when they are 50 can extend their life span by more than two years, Swedish researchers say.
Their study found that exercising has the same beneficial effect on length of life as quitting smoking in middle age.
Noneth...
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Stress May Raise Diabetes Risk for Obese Black Women
THURSDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- Stress may play a key role in the development of type 2 diabetes in obese black women, U.S. researchers say.
"Much attention has been given to the role of obesity in the development of type 2 diabetes, but stress may be as important in this at-risk po...
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'Fasting Signal' Offers Clues to Insulin Resistance in the Obese
TUESDAY, March 3 (HealthDay News) -- A signal known to play a role during fasting also becomes active in the fat tissue of obese mice in the early stages of progression toward type 2 diabetes, say researchers. They also found that blocking this signal in fat tissue prevents insulin resistance in...
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Solostar Injection Pen Approved for Diabetes
THURSDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Sanofi-Aventis's Apidra (insulin glulisine) Solostar injection pen has been approved to treat diabetes, the company said Thursday in a news release.
The disposable pen with rapid-acting insulin was approved for adults with type 2 diabetes and for chil...
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Drugs May Help Healthy Men Lower Prostate Cancer Risk
TUESDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Healthy men with no signs of prostate cancer may wish to talk to their doctors about taking a drug that could further reduce their risk for the disease, new guidelines suggest.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Urological Asso...
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PSA Tests Not Race-Specific, Study Finds
TUESDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Levels of a protein doctors examine to help determine the likelihood of a man developing prostate cancer predicts chances of the disease occurring in blacks just as well as in whites, a new study shows.
The finding is reported in the Feb. 24 issue of <...
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Tests Might Diagnose, Predict Prostate Cancer
TUESDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- One study suggests that a simple urine test could pick out 50 percent of men with prostate cancer. Another study says that combining risk factors for prostate cancer may help predict the likelihood of developing the disease.
Both studies were presented...
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Laser Therapy Disappoints in Stroke Trial
FRIDAY, Feb. 20 (HealthDay News) -- An experimental laser treatment of damaged brain areas failed to significantly reduce disability in stroke patients, researchers report.
The trial was the first major clinical study of "transcranial" laser therapy for stroke.
In the trial, the...
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Out-of-Control Blood Sugar May Affect Memory
THURSDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A rise in blood sugar levels causes poorer brain function in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a study that included nearly 3,000 people aged 55 and older at 52 sites in Canada and the United States.
The participants, who were part of a larger...
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Two-Drug Combo May Lower Diabetics' Kidney Risk
THURSDAY, Feb. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A combination of two blood pressure-lowering drugs reduced the risk of kidney disease by about 20 percent in people with type 2 diabetes, according to researchers who analyzed data from a study that included more than 11,000 patients.
The patients wer...
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Researchers ID Biomarker for Fatal Prostate Cancer
FRIDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- A newly identified biomarker for fatal prostate cancer may help guide men trying to decide whether or not to undergo treatment for the disease.
Men whose levels of ionized serum calcium are in the highest third are three times more likely to die of pro...
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2 or More Sodas a Day Boost Women's Kidney Risks
THURSDAY, Feb. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Women who consume two or more cans of soda pop daily are almost two times more likely than other women to show early evidence of kidney disease, according to a U.S. study.
But there's no increased risk for men who drink lots of soda pop or for people...
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Urine Test May One Day Predict Prostate Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthDay News) -- A simple urine test that identifies small molecules, called metabolites, that are associated with prostate cancer might someday be able to identify men who have a fast-moving, aggressive form of the disease, University of Michigan researchers report.
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Levels of Circulating Tumor Cells Could Predict Prostate Cancer Outcome
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Checking for changes in the number of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) could help doctors predict advanced prostate cancer patients' survival and response to treatment, U.S. researchers report.
They studied the association between CTC numbers (before a...
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