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C-Sections, Wary Docs
Push Birth Costs Up

Oct 8, 2008 11:46 AM CDT

C-Sections, Wary Docs Push Birth Costs Up

Report is critical of high-tech methods, urges natural ones

(Newser) - Spending on childbirth—the country's No. 1 reason for hospitalization—is on the rise, and much of it is due to unnecessary tests and procedures, USA Today reports. A new study critical of the system found that $2.5 billion is spent annually on needless high-tech C-sections, which cost more...

Low B12 Levels Tied to Brain Shrinkage, Memory Loss

Sep 9, 2008 1:22 PM CDT

Low B12 Levels Tied to Brain Shrinkage, Memory Loss

Many adults deficient in crucial nutrient

(Newser) - Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause memory loss, particularly in the elderly, reports the BBC. People short on the nutrient were 6 times more likely than individuals with normal levels to experience brain shrinkage, which is strongly linked to dementia, a new study shows. Forty percent of people are believed to...

Runners Live Longer: Study

Aug 12, 2008 3:52 AM CDT

Runners Live Longer: Study

Health benefits extend into runners' 90s

(Newser) - Runners live longer and age more slowly than non-runners, a new study has found. Researchers tracked hundreds of older people for decades and discovered those who ran regularly remained active later into old age and were less likely to develop disabilities. Twenty years into the study 34% of the non-runners...

US Health Care
Stinks: Study

Jul 17, 2008 10:33 AM CDT

US Health Care Stinks: Study

Huge inefficiencies put American system last among 19 developed nations

(Newser) - The US health care system gets dismal grades in a ranking of 19 industrialized countries, Reuters reports. A private foundation looked at key indicators like efficiency and access, and found the US did very poorly despite spending the most money—putting it last on the list. Health-care dollars were squandered...

A Good Night's Sleep
Shores Up Memory

Jul 14, 2008 5:00 PM CDT

A Good Night's Sleep Shores Up Memory

8 hours of shut-eye helps brain function the next day, study suggests

(Newser) - Nothing improves memory like a little shut-eye, a new study suggests. Researchers taught new information and skills to two groups of patients, and allowed one to sleep normally while giving the other none or only a nap. The sleepers tested better the next day–and scans revealed enhanced brain activity...

Big Butts
Are Healthy, Study Finds

May 7, 2008 6:52 AM CDT

Big Butts Are Healthy, Study Finds

Pear-shaped bodies contain fat that could help prevent diabetes

(Newser) - The kind of fat found in the hips and buttocks may actually help fight diabetes, a result that surprised Harvard doctors performing the research that produced the finding. Although belly fat is known to raise the risk of diabetes, subcutaneous fat injected into the abdomens of mice actually increased their...

Playgroups, Daycare Cut Leukemia Risk

Apr 29, 2008 12:31 PM CDT

Playgroups, Daycare Cut Leukemia Risk

Immune systems toughen when exposed to other children

(Newser) - Enrolling your kids in a preschool, playgroup or daycare center could reduce their risk of getting leukemia by 30-40%, a study finds. Exposing children to other youngsters at a tender age toughens their immune systems, which researchers infer helps them stave off the cancer.

For Women,
Big Belly Is Big Trouble

Apr 8, 2008 10:20 AM CDT

For Women, Big Belly Is Big Trouble

Wider waists may increase risk of early death, study finds

(Newser) - Wider-waisted women may have an increased risk of premature death—even if they’re not obese. In a 16-year-long study of 44,636 women, those with waists at least 35 inches wide had a 79% higher chance of premature death, compared with those with waists of 28 inches or less....

For Healthier Teens,
Keep the TV in the Den

Apr 7, 2008 12:55 PM CDT

For Healthier Teens, Keep the TV in the Den

Older adolescents who watch in their bedrooms pick up bad habits with the remote

(Newser) - Older teens feeling too fit, well nourished, and smart can turn all that around with one simple move: install a TV in the bedroom. Kids 15 to 18 with a boob tube in the boudoir were twice as likely to watch 5 or more hours a day than those who...

Quickies Are the Way to Go

Apr 3, 2008 10:50 AM CDT

Quickies Are the Way to Go

Study shows 3-13 minutes is gtoo long in bed

(Newser) - Size may or may not matter when it comes to sex, but length (of time) definitely does, reports the AP. A recent survey of sex therapists reveals that 3-13 minutes is ideal. One researcher wanted to refute the notion that "more of something good is better, and if you...

Exercise and Happiness Not Linked: Study

Mar 17, 2008 8:06 AM CDT

Exercise and Happiness Not Linked: Study

Same gene set makes physically active most likely to be mentally fit

(Newser) - Going for a run might not clear your head in quite the way thought, reports USA Today, and its supposed benefits on mental health may be misguided. Rather, Dutch researchers found that a single set of genes both determines one’s inclination toward exercise and happiness—making the most physically...

Women at Risk After Hormone Therapy: Study

Mar 5, 2008 11:14 AM CST

Women at Risk After Hormone Therapy: Study

Breast cancer risk continues, but other health threats diminish

(Newser) - Breast cancer remains a risk for women even after they stop taking hormone therapy, researchers said yesterday. A follow-up to a 2002 study showed that women who dropped estrogen and progestin still had a 24% greater breast cancer risk. But their chance of a stroke, heart attack, or blood clot...

Sex Hormone Tied to Depression

Mar 4, 2008 10:35 AM CST

Sex Hormone Tied to Depression

Mood tracks testosterone levels, study finds

(Newser) - Men with low levels of testosterone are more likely to be depressed, Australian researchers have found, and they recommend that those with abnormally low levels be treated with injections of the sex hormone. A study of men over the age of 70 revealed that those with the lowest testosterone levels...

Study Links
Cell Use to Mouth Tumors

Feb 18, 2008 8:45 PM CST

Study Links Cell Use to Mouth Tumors

Israeli research contradicts 2-year-old data from Sweden

(Newser) - People who use cell phones frequently are 50% more likely to develop salivary gland tumors, according to a new study. Researchers at Tel Aviv University compared a population of nearly 500 tumor patients to a control group of healthy subjects; more than 400 of the 500 patients selected for study...

Substitutes Not All Sweetness and Light

Feb 15, 2008 7:42 PM CST

Substitutes Not All Sweetness and Light

Zero-calorie sugar stand-ins may cause weight gain, study says

(Newser) - Cutting back on sugary calories could make you gain weight instead of lose it, a study suggests. Scientists at Purdue University compared rats fed either zero-calorie saccharin or sugar, and found that those on artificial sweetener gained more weight—mostly in fat, Time reports. Animals appear conditioned to respond to...

Jet Noise Linked to Heart Risks

Feb 13, 2008 4:30 AM CST

Jet Noise Linked to Heart Risks

Aircraft may cause hypertension, heart attacks

(Newser) - People who live near airports may be at risk for stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure, according to a new study. Research funded by the European Commission found that aircraft noise significantly increases blood pressure, even while victims are asleep, potentially triggering a wide range of health problems,...

Baby Products Expose Infants to Chemicals

Feb 4, 2008 4:29 PM CST

Baby Products Expose Infants to Chemicals

Little ones absorb dangerous phthalates from lotions, powders, shampoos

(Newser) - Common baby products may be exposing infants to dangerous chemicals called phthalates, a new study shows. The presence of the substances in infants' urine was linked with the use of baby lotions, powder, and shampoo. Experts don't know the long-term health consequences, but "there is a large body of...

Obese US Facing Diabetes Crisis

Jan 24, 2008 3:35 AM CST

Obese US Facing Diabetes Crisis

A million new cases reported a year

(Newser) - America is facing a diabetes epidemic—a health disaster more economically catastrophic than a Hurricane Katrina each year, USA Today reports. The disease killed 284,000 people last year, and a staggering million new cases are diagnosed each year as more Americans become morbidly obese, according to a new study...

ER Waiting Times Tripled Since 1997

Jan 16, 2008 4:51 PM CST

ER Waiting Times Tripled Since 1997

Average waits for heart attack patients rose from 8 to 20 minutes

(Newser) - With emergency room visits and hospital overcrowding on the rise, waiting times have grown dangerously long—36% longer than they were in 1997. A new study in medical journal Health Affairs cites especially troubling waits for heart attack victims, with 25% waiting at least 50 minutes to see a doctor...

Parents Blind to Their Fat Kids

Dec 25, 2007 3:20 PM CST

Parents Blind to Their Fat Kids

Only 13% recognize when their child is obese

(Newser) - Nearly half the parents of severely overweight children ages 6 to 11 said their child was “about the right weight,” and only 13% recognized that their child had a severe problem, says a University of Michigan study. The results indicate parents think children will “grow out” of...