An apple a day keeps cancer away? Study shows public confusion - Yahoo

It found that in high-income countries like the United States, Britain and Spain, 59 percent of people thought not eating enough fruit and vegetables was a cancer risk, while only 51 percent viewed alcohol intake in the same way.

"The scientific evidence for the protective effect of fruit and vegetables is weaker than the evidence that alcohol intake is harmful," the UICC said.

Moreover, 42 percent of people questioned in high-income countries said that drinking alcohol does not increase the risk of causing cancer -- a claim not borne out by statistics, according to the UICC.

"In fact, cancer risk rises as alcohol intake increases," it said....

Small packages trick some into eating more - MSNBC

If you think buying junk food in small packages will help you eat less, look out — marketers know the truth.

Two new marketing studies found that some people tend to consume more calories when junk food portions and packages are smaller. For some, it's because they perceive small packages to be — get this — diet food.

For others, it's just the temptation of small sins.......

Living Longer, in Good Health to the End - NYT

Dr. Richard S. Rivlin, an internist and director of the nutrition and cancer prevention career development program at Weill Cornell Medical College, said in an interview that it was never too late to adopt habits that predict a healthy old age.

“While measures started early in life are most likely to have the greatest health benefit,” he said, “older people should never feel that turning over a new leaf at their age is anything but highly effective.”

He said there was clear evidence that measures taken in one’s 70s could help prevent “several important categories of disease, such as hypertension, heart disease, osteoporosis and even cancer.”

Nutrition: MSG Use Is Linked to Obesity - NYT

Consumption of monosodium glutamate, or MSG, the widely used food additive, may increase the likelihood of being overweight, a new study says.

Researchers studied 752 men and women in three villages in northern and southern China where most people use little commercially processed food, but where about 80 percent of people add MSG in cooking.

After controlling for body mass index, smoking, physical activity and almost two dozen measures of daily nutrient intake, they found that the one-third of people who used the most MSG were almost three times as likely to be overweight — that is, to have a body mass index over 25 — as those who used none...

Eat your fluids to stay hydrated - CNN

If your water bottle travels with you everywhere, sip on this thought: Drinking water isn't the only way to stay hydrated.

Several factors influence your need for water, including climate, muscle mass, physical activity, and diet. (People who have more muscle need more water -- that's why men generally have higher fluid requirements than women.)

Food, often overlooked as a water source, can be a rich supply of fluid. On average, it provides 20 percent of the fluid we need -- and far more if you choose water-rich fare.

Health care company offers bike-sharing program - CNN

Story Highlights

• Humana Inc. allows workers to borrow bikes for commuting, errands or fun
• More than 2,500 employees are registered for the bike program
• The health care provider also offering bikes at both political party conventions
• The bikes have navigation systems and track mileage

Learning to say no crucial to survival - Mayo

With the bewildering pace of technology and with the globalization of commerce, events and circumstances around the world can impact each of us in a second. So what can we do from a practical perspective to keep us focused and on task? For many of us, it is the acknowledgment that yes, it is OK to take care of ourselves. Yes, it is OK to get a good night's sleep. Yes, it is OK to turn down that business luncheon or that early morning meeting and simply say, "Thank you, but this will not work with my schedule."

Chemical Used in Plastic Bottles Is Safe, F.D.A. Says - NYT

Despite safety concerns of parents, consumer groups and politicians, a chemical used in baby bottles, canned food and other items is not dangerous, federal regulators said Friday.

Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration said the trace amounts of bisphenol A that leach out of food containers were not a threat to infants or adults. The plastic-hardening chemical is used to seal canned food and make shatterproof bottles.

Better to Be Fat and Fit Than Skinny and Unfit - NYT

Last week a report in The Archives of Internal Medicine compared weight and cardiovascular risk factors among a representative sample of more than 5,400 adults. The data suggest that half of overweight people and one-third of obese people are “metabolically healthy.” That means that despite their excess pounds, many overweight and obese adults have healthy levels of “good” cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose and other risks for heart disease.

At the same time, about one out of four slim people — those who fall into the “healthy” weight range — actually have at least two cardiovascular risk factors typically associated with obesity, the study showed.

Getting Better With Age: Dive In - NYT

DARA TORRES, the 41-year-old Olympic swimmer with the impossibly chiseled abs who collected three silver medals in Beijing, has proved at the elite level that getting older doesn’t mean getting slower in the water. But put her aside for now.
Researchers at the Counsilman Center for the Science of Swimming at Indiana University found that the population of Masters swimmers (made up of 42,500 members ages 18 to 100-plus) has gotten faster over the last 20 years in age groups from 25 to 55, said Joel Stager, the center’s director.

F.D.A. Allows Irradiation of Some Produce - NYT

The government will allow food producers to zap fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce with enough radiation to kill micro-organisms like E. coli and salmonella that for decades have caused widespread illness among consumer

It is the first time the Food and Drug Administration has allowed any produce to be irradiated at levels needed to protect against illness.

Protein map of human spit created - Reuters

U.S. researchers have identified all 1,116 unique proteins found in human saliva glands, a discovery they said on Tuesday could usher in a wave of convenient, spit-based diagnostic tests that could be done without the need for a single drop of blood.

As many as 20 percent of the proteins that are found in saliva are also found in blood, said Fred Hagen, a researcher at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York who worked on the study....

What Matters Most? - Newsweek

Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote: "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." Rachel Remen, M.D., has spent much of her 40-year medical career helping patients and doctors find their why. A colleague of mine at the University of California, San Francisco, and founder of the Institute for the Study of Health and Illness, she has been a pioneer of integrative medicine, exploring the powerful ways in which our emotional, mental and spiritual states may directly affect our health. Dr. Remen is also the author of the best sellers "Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal" and "My Grandfather's Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging" (both from Riverhead Books). I spoke to her recently about how understanding and pursuing what matters most to us can help to heal both body and soul...

The 16 worst places to stash your stuff - MSNBC

Location, location, location: Store owners aren't the only ones concerned with finding the perfect spot in which to situate their stuff. Researchers in a wide variety of fields know that how you organize your environment — from where you stand in fitness class to the place you choose to store your meds — has a surprising effect on everything from your weight to your chances of staying well. In other words, when it comes to how you feel, it's not just what you do, it's where you do it. Here, surprisingly bad locales for your health — and the best places to optimize it....

Hospitality has highest alcohol rate, 15 % - UPI

Hospitality workers have the highest rate of alcohol problems followed by those in construction, wholesale, the professions and retail, U.S. researchers say.

Alcohol problems affect all employers, with an average of 9 percent of U.S. workers drinking in ways that contribute to absenteeism, higher healthcare costs and lost productivity, said the report by Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems at The George Washington University Medical Center....

Health Tip: Your Diet and Sleep - Health Day

If you've noticed that you feel particularly sleepy or more energized after eating certain foods, that's because what you eat can have an impact on how well you sleep and how awake you are during the day.

Here are examples of foods that can affect your sleep, courtesy of the National Sleep Foundation....

Early to bed, early to rise depends on TV - UPI

Across the United States it is television -- not Daylight Saving Time -- that determines the sleep schedule of most people, a study found.

Researchers Daniel S. Hamermesh, Caitlin Knowles Myers and Mark L. Pocock said the natural cue of daylight has some effect on timing, but timing of television programs has a larger effect.

"I lived 20 years in the Eastern Time Zone, I used to stay up until 11:45 p.m. to watch the monologue on the 'Tonight Show,'" Hamermesh of the University of Texas said in a statement. "Living in Texas, I typically turn out the lights at 10:45 p.m., when the monologue is done."...

In Deep-Dish Pizza Land, a Thinner Blue Line - NYT

Superintendent Jody P. Weis wants fitness tests for Chicago officers.

But the skinny on the officers of the Police Department here, at least according to the new police superintendent, is that some have, let’s say, fitness issues....

U.S. weight discrimination prevalent - UPI

U.S. women are twice as likely as men to report weight discrimination, a bias U.S. researchers say is common as racial discrimination....

The study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, found men aren't at serious risk for weight bias until their body mass index reaches 35 or higher, while women begin experiencing a notable increase in weight discrimination risk at a BMI level of 27....

Study co-author Tatiana Andreyava said weight discrimination is more prevalent than discrimination based on sexual orientation, nationality/ethnicity, physical disability and religious beliefs....

Hospital Quality Measurement Leaves the ‘Pong Era’ - WSJ

Quick: Which of your local hospitals treats patients best? And how does it compare with facilities in the next town?

You’d have been out of luck getting much of an answer in most parts of the country until now. But this afternoon, Mike Leavitt, secretary of Health and Human Services, unveiled the addition of patient satisfaction data to Medicare’s three-year-old Hospital Compare Web site. The changes are part of a continuing effort by HHS to improve the measurement of health quality and, in the process, to spur better care....