Health News

GENEVA (Reuters) - Obesity contributes to global warming, too.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obesity is a well known risk factor for certain physical health problems, but a new study suggests that heavy adults also have higher rates of psychiatric disorders.

GENEVA (Reuters) - France is the first EU country to report a leveling off of childhood obesity rates, suggesting that healthier diet programs and a ban on vending machines in schools is paying off, researchers said on Thursday.

GENEVA (AFP) - Childhood obesity may be levelling in France in contrast to the general trend in Europe where more youngsters are growing fat, according to two new studies presented Thursday.

GENEVA (AFP) - Early exposure to chemicals used in the making of products such as baby bottles or plastic food wraps may lead to obesity, according to new research presented Wednesday.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia's government is worried that high school graduates may not know enough about sex.

MONDAY, May 12 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy often suffer from heart failure, but Viagra might prevent or delay the onset of this condition, a new Canadian study finds.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Canadian study involving mice shows that anti-impotence pills might protect the hearts of people with a common form of muscular dystrophy, researchers said on Monday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Incontinence and other disorders of the pelvic organs can take a toll on a woman's sex life, a new study suggests.

Kentucky Derby champion loses his libido

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese owners of former Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem are struggling to explain why the American thoroughbred has lost his libido. Even a private harem and a limitless supply of Viagra have failed to pep up the love life of a stallion his handlers freely admit has some personal issues.

(HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of Thomson CenterWatch:

ROCKVILLE, Maryland (Reuters) - A free hotline for patients to report serious medical side effects should be mentioned in television commercials and also needs to be more widely promoted on pill bottles and pharmacy packaging, U.S. health experts said on Friday.

(HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of Thomson CenterWatch:

ROCKVILLE, Maryland (Reuters) - Ads for prescription drugs need to be clear and direct and government needs to study the effects these ads have on consumer behavior, particularly among the elderly and minorities, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel of outside experts said on Thursday.

An anti-bleeding drug probably will stay off the market, experts say, after a rigorous study found patients getting the medication during heart surgery were much more likely to die than patients given other drugs.

FRIDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- Adults who had cancer as children or teens are more likely to experience cardiovascular disease, a new study found.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Anorexic women with a history of childhood anxiety may have particularly severe symptoms of the eating disorder, a study suggests.

(HealthDay News) -- If you're planning to take a trip while pregnant, you should check with your doctor to be sure it's safe for you to travel. Unless you have complications with your pregnancy, most women can travel safely.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Children who survive cancer while they are young are five to 10 times more likely than their healthy siblings to develop heart disease, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

Children who survive cancer face a much greater risk of heart problems later in life than their brothers and sisters who did not have cancer, new research shows.

ROCKVILLE, Maryland (Reuters) - Ads for prescription drugs need to be clear and direct and government needs to study the effects these ads have on consumer behavior, particularly among the elderly and minorities, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel of outside experts said on Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An extract from Chinese club moss shows promise as a treatment for people with Alzheimer's disease, researchers report after analyzing combined data from multiple trials conducted in China.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Chuck Jackson has lived his entire life the same way four generations of his family have before him: with a death sentence from Alzheimer's disease hanging over his head.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Retired U.S. Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor made a rare public appearance on Wednesday with emotional testimony in Congress in which she told how Alzheimer's disease had forced her to bring her husband to work with her.

WASHINGTON - The first woman on the Supreme Court is now the nation's most prominent Alzheimer's caregiver.

FRIDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- Women with breast cancer who have a vitamin D deficiency at the time of diagnosis are more likely to have a recurrence or to die from their disease, a new study shows.

FRIDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- A simple blood test to check levels of circulating tumor cells can help doctors more accurately assess how well treatments are working in women with metastatic breast cancer, according to a Georgetown University Medical Center study.

FRIDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- Low levels of vitamin D and high levels of a hormone secreted by the parathyroid glands may increase the risk of depression in older adults, according to a new report.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Evaluating the emotional health and social connectedness of pregnant women may help determine if their children will need extra help to meet developmental goals later on, Canadian researchers say.

PRETORIA (AFP) - The South African military's blanket exclusions of HIV positive members is not medically justified and ignores government policy, lawyers for service personnel union told a court Thursday.

Breast cancer patients with low levels of vitamin D were much more likely to die of the disease or have it spread than patients getting enough of the nutrient, a study found — adding to evidence the "sunshine vitamin" has anti-cancer benefits. The results are sure to renew arguments about whether a little more sunshine is a good thing.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Grapes, apples and their juices can prevent the development of atherosclerosis in hamsters eating a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet, French researchers have found.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Listening to half an hour of music each day may significantly lower your blood pressure, according to research reported at the American Society of Hypertension meeting in New Orleans this week.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Breast cancer patients with lower levels of vitamin D were far more likely to die and far more likely to have their cancer spread than women with normal levels, Canadian researchers reported on Thursday.

FRIDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- Low levels of vitamin D and high levels of a hormone secreted by the parathyroid glands may increase the risk of depression in older adults, according to a new report.