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February 6, 2012
Fitness and 'fatness' both matter to the heart
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Losing fitness or packing on fat with age each can be bad for the heart -- but avoiding either one of those fates may protect the ticker, a study published Monday suggests.
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January 31, 2012
Statins work as well for women as men: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Despite doubts raised by some studies, a new research review suggests that cholesterol-lowering statins offer as much protection for women as for men.
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January 30, 2012
Big Pharma donates drugs for neglected diseases
LONDON (Reuters) - The world's major pharmaceutical companies joined forces with governments and leading global health organizations Monday to donate drugs and scientific know-how to help control or wipe out 10 neglected tropical diseases by 2020.
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January 25, 2012
Kids' health predicts parents' future heart disease
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When children have high cholesterol or blood pressure, their parents may have increased risks of diabetes and heart disease down the road, a new study finds.
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January 25, 2012
USDA sets guidelines for healthier school meals
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - School meals for millions of children will be healthier under obesity-fighting U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards unveiled on Wednesday that double the amount of fruits and vegetables in cafeteria lunches - but won't pull French fries from the menu.
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January 10, 2012
Heart disease more likely in people with psoriasis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who suffer from psoriasis may want to pay extra attention to heart risks, according to a new study that found they are at a greater risk for blocked arteries than those who don't have the skin disease.
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January 9, 2012
Statin use tied to more diabetes in women
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Cholesterol-lowering drugs may be linked to an increased risk of diabetes, according to a new study of middle-aged and older women.
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January 6, 2012
Study shows memory loss can start as early as 45
LONDON (Reuters) - Loss of memory and other brain function can start as early as age 45, posing a big challenge to scientists looking for new ways to stave off dementia, researchers said Thursday.
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January 2, 2012
Lean beef OK for certain diets: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People using a diet centered on fruits and vegetables to lower their cholesterol may be able to introduce lean beef and get similar results, suggests a new study.
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December 8, 2011
Impotence risk higher in men taking several drugs
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men taking multiple medications for different health conditions may have a higher risk of erectile dysfunction -- a link that doesn't seem to be explained by the health problems themselves, a new study finds.
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December 2, 2011
Obese people use more meds: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obese adults in the United States use a number of prescription drug types more frequently than normal-weight adults, says a new study from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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December 1, 2011
Without primary care, less awareness of chronic ills
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a new U.S. study, people who said emergency rooms were their usual site of medical care were less likely to know they had chronic conditions, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol, than those who got primary care at doctors' offices or clinics.
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October 17, 2011
Ailing and overweight Americans cost billions
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Full-time U.S. workers who have chronic health troubles or are overweight cost more than $153 billion in lost productivity each year from absenteeism, according to a Gallup-Healthways study released on Monday.
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October 13, 2011
Coronary calcium tests not always worthwhile: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Using CT scans of coronary arteries to help determine a person's chance of getting heart disease may be worth the costs and potential risks in men, but doesn't seem to be cost-effective in women.
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October 10, 2011
Heart attacks hit smokers younger: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Smokers tend to suffer heart attacks years earlier than non-smokers, suggests a new study from Michigan.
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October 7, 2011
FDA approves Merck's new diabetes therapy combo
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September 20, 2011
Express, Medco tout savings, competition in hearing
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Express Scripts' deal to buy Medco Health Solutions will bring down drug costs and help the U.S. government track waste, fraud and abuse, executives told lawmakers examining whether the deal will stifle competition in the market for managing prescription benefits.
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September 20, 2011
Too little evidence for ECG heart screening: panel
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although some doctors use electrocardiograms to screen symptom-free people for heart disease, there is too little evidence that it does any good, an expert panel said Monday.
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September 13, 2011
U.S. unveils ambitious plan to reduce heart attacks
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September 13, 2011
High cholesterol tied to Alzheimer brain "plaques"
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Middle-aged and older adults with high cholesterol may have an increased likelihood of developing protein deposits in the brain that are connected to Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.
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September 8, 2011
Grape seed shows small effect on blood pressure
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Grape seed extract is marketed as a way to guard your heart health, but clinical trials so far suggest the supplement has small effects on blood pressure and heart rate, a new review finds.
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August 31, 2011
For heart health, every bit of exercise counts
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who walk or jog for just a couple of hours each week are at lower risk of heart disease than those who don't exercise, suggests a new study.
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August 30, 2011
Experimental obesity drug beats placebo again
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The experimental weight-loss drug lorcaserin may spur modest weight loss without the heart risks of some older drugs, a new clinical trial confirms -- though whether the medication will ever reach the market remains up in the air.
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August 26, 2011
Next big drug against cholesterol takes shape
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A handful of drugmakers are racing to develop a new class of medicines they believe could be the biggest weapon against heart disease since statins were introduced in the 1980s.
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August 26, 2011
Obesity to worsen, weigh heavily on healthcare costs
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Obesity is most widespread in Britain and the United States among the world's leading economies and if present trends continue, about half of both men and women in the United States will be obese by 2030, health experts warned on Friday.
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August 23, 2011
Diet alone helps lower bad cholesterol: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A diet based around plants, nuts and high-fiber grains lowered "bad" cholesterol more than a low-saturated-fat diet that was also vegetarian, researchers reported on Tuesday.
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August 12, 2011
Experts to hunt genes for China's high cholesterol
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Scientists in Hong Kong are embarking on a study to identify genes that are responsible for high cholesterol and heart disease in patients in southern China, which they hope will pave the way for the design of better drugs.
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July 31, 2011
No need to fast before kids' cholesterol screening
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kids can safely skip fasting before cholesterol tests, according to a new study that aims to simplify widely used guidelines.
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July 6, 2011
Green tea lowers cholesterol, but only a little
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Drinking green tea seems to cut "bad" cholesterol, according to a fresh look at the medical evidence.
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June 27, 2011
"Lean gene" ups risk of heart disease and diabetes
LONDON (Reuters) - Being slim may not always lead to a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes, scientists said Sunday after they identified a gene linked both to having a lean body and to a higher risk of metabolic diseases.
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June 22, 2011
Chronic constipation tied to women's heart risks
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older women bothered by constipation may have a higher risk of heart disease than those who are more "regular," a large study of U.S. women suggests.
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June 9, 2011
Pain drugs' safety for heart patients doubted again
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Heart disease patients who chronically use painkillers like ibuprofen and naproxen might face an increased risk of suffering a heart attack or dying from cardiovascular causes, a new study suggests.
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May 19, 2011
McDonald's stockholders reject obesity proposal
OAK BROOK, Illinois (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp spurned calls to assess the impact of its food on childhood obesity, and said its trademark clown Ronald McDonald would be hawking Happy Meals to kids for years to come.
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May 16, 2011
Can selenium lower cholesterol?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Taking high doses of selenium may help slightly lower cholesterol levels -- but it's still not recommended in the United States, where most people get plenty of the mineral, according to the authors of a new study.
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May 10, 2011
Lifestyle, diet have little effect on Alzheimer's
CHICAGO (Reuters) - There is no strong evidence that any dietary or lifestyle changes can reduce a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, a U.S. government panel said on Monday.
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April 19, 2011
New Alzheimer's guidelines view disease in stages
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The first new U.S. diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimer's disease released in 27 years paint the disorder as a disease that occurs gradually over many years, starting with changes in the brain, then mild memory problems and finally progressing to full-blown dementia.
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April 18, 2011
Many parents would get gene tests for kids: study
CHICAGO (Reuters) - If given the chance, many parents would test their children to see if they are genetically predisposed to diseases like diabetes or heart disease, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
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April 14, 2011
Devices take lead in future heart disease battle
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Sophisticated devices and nonsurgical techniques look to be the wave of the future in the battle against heart disease as drugmakers produce fewer new medicines to fight the world's leading cause of death.
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March 31, 2011
Obese with strong heart beats thin and weak
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For overweight people with heart disease, improving their physical fitness could pay big dividends.
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March 29, 2011
Indonesia to boost health services for poor
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia wants the private sector to build more hospitals and reserve a quarter of the available beds for the poor, as it increases spending on free healthcare to tackle a rise in diseases from strokes to AIDS, the health minister said.
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March 24, 2011
Cholesterol levels might influence cancer risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - High cholesterol may be linked to an increased risk of some cancers but a lower risk of others, according to a new Korean study.
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March 1, 2011
Gallstones, earlier death linked
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who have gallstones are more likely to die within 20 years of diagnosis than people without the disease, a new study says.
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February 10, 2011
Minnesotans are kinder to their hearts: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Minnesotans are less likely than the average American to die of heart disease, and lower rates of risk factors like smoking and high blood pressure may help explain why, a new study finds.
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February 9, 2011
Short time on antipsychotics may up heart disease
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Antipsychotic medications, which have raised red flags in the past, may increase the risk of heart disease in as little as a few months, a new study says.
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February 9, 2011
South Asia faces rising incidence of heart disease, diabetes
HONG KONG (Reuters) - South Asia is facing a health crisis, with rising rates of heart disease, diabetes and obesity, and patients facing impoverishment as they pay for treatment out of their own pockets, the World Bank said on Wednesday.
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February 4, 2011
Obesity epidemic risks heart disease "tsunami"
CHICAGO/LONDON (Reuters) - More than half a billion people, or one in 10 adults worldwide, are obese -- more than double the number in 1980 -- as the obesity epidemic spills over from wealthy into poorer nations, researchers said on Thursday.
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February 1, 2011
U.S. health system not helping heart disease -CDC
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most Americans with the biggest risks for heart disease are not doing enough to control these risks, and the fragmented U.S. healthcare system is partly to blame, federal health officials said on Tuesday.
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January 26, 2011
Kidney stones and clogged arteries may be linked
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young adults who've had kidney stones may also have an increased risk of clogged arteries, a new study says.
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January 25, 2011
'Healthy' waist may be a bit bigger for black women
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The definition of a 'healthy' waistline may have a bit more wiggle room for African-American women than for white women, a new study suggests.
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January 24, 2011
Toddler self-control can predict health and wealth
LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Children who have low levels of self-control at three are more likely to have health and money problems and a criminal record by the age of 32, regardless of background and IQ, scientists said on Monday.