Health News

Health News for 01/05/10

January 05, 2010

Start Mammograms by 40, Breast Imaging Experts Say

Annual breast cancer screening should begin at age 40 for most women and start earlier -- between 25 and 30 -- for those at high risk for the disease, say new recommendations from the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI).

Severely Depressed Gain Most from Antidepressants

Antidepressants seem to be most effective for the people with the most severe symptoms, new research suggests.

Key Protein May Fight Cocaine Addiction

Researchers have some good news for cocaine addicts: New findings suggest that a kind of protein could help them beat their addiction.

New Approaches Could Bring Better Depression Treatments

There's been some bad news over the past couple of days for Americans battling depression.

Autism May Cluster Among Highly Educated

Highly educated, older parents are more likely to have a child diagnosed with autism, a new study finds.

Hazards of Obesity Now Rival Smoking in U.S.

Obesity now poses as great a threat to Americans' quality of life as smoking, a new study shows.

Markers for Ovarian Cancer May Show Up Years Earlier

Concentrations of several biomarkers begin to grow three years before women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, but only reach substantial elevation levels over the 12 months before diagnosis, new research finds.

Clinical Trials Update: Jan. 5, 2010

Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com :

Health Highlights: Jan. 5, 2010

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay :

Restless Legs Linked to Erectile Dysfunction

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.

Fat Hormone Controls Gene Linked to Diabetes

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.

Pomegranate May Fight Some Breast Cancers

Laboratory tests suggest pomegranates contain chemicals that reduce the risk that women will develop hormone-dependent breast cancers, researchers report.

Nurse Visitations May Improve Girls' Future Behavior

New research suggests that low-income mothers who were visited by nurses before the birth and during the infancy of their female child could reduce the chances that the child will get in trouble with the law by age 19.

Young, Overweight Fall Prey to Weight-Loss Spam

Many computer users lunge for the delete key when they get unsolicited e-mails about weight-loss products. But some respond, and new research suggests that almost one in five young, overweight people have fallen prey to the hard sell that shows up in their spam.

U.S. Spending on Health Care Slowed in 2008

Despite the recession, U.S. health-care spending in 2008 reached $2.3 trillion -- or $7,681 per person -- and grew faster than the national economy, a new study has found.

Health Tip: Why People Lose Their Hair

Hair loss isn't confined to men. Women and even children can lose their hair, the American Academy of Family Physicians says.

Health Tip: Caring for an Ankle Sprain

You can sprain an ankle during just about any activity, even walking. A sprain occurs when the ligaments that support the ankle become stretched beyond their normal range, or torn.

Stem Cells Likely to Help Genetic Disorders First

With new rules in place that lifted restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research, health-care advocates are looking down the line and wondering when the first medical advances based on stem cells might occur.