Cancer Deaths Decreasing in America. According to a new report, the United States is slowly and steadily winning the war against cancer as mortality rates from the disease continue to decline. Between 2002 and 2011, the overall cancer death rate fell an average of 1.5% per year, and the rate of new cancer rates declined…

How Vitamin D May Protect the Heart… Though recent published studies have found strong associations between vitamin D deficiency and hypertension, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, and atherosclerosis, the mechanisms by which vitamin D protects the cardiovascular system remain a mystery. In a new paper published in the Open Cardiovascular Medicine Journal, Dr. Natália Ribeiro Mandarino…

Images on Cigarette Packs Educate Young Adults About Smoking Dangers. The results of two new studies indicate that young adults gain a much greater appreciation for the health consequences related to smoking when warning texts about the dangers of cigarette use are accompanied by graphic illustrations. Study author Dr. Renee E. Magnan explains, “Although this…

Most Smokers Will Die Early if They Don’t Quit. If you want to live longer, you should quit smoking now. A new study that followed over 200,000 men and women found that two-thirds of smokers died an average of ten years sooner than their peers who were non-smokers. Study director Dr. Emily Banks comments, “We…

Are 80% of Strokes Preventable? According to an article in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, four out of every five strokes could be prevented if individuals took measures to avoid cigarette smoke, eat a heart-healthy diet, exercise on a regular basis, and better control their blood pressure and cholesterol levels, among…

Size Checks Among Children May Spot Celiac Disease. Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland believe that checking children for growth problems may help indentify those with celiac disease much faster. They found that screening children for five height- and weight-related differences in growth is an effective strategy for spotting those with celiac disease, as…

Over a Billion Young Adults at Risk of Hearing Loss. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over one-billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of hearing loss due to unsafe levels of sound. The risk is primarily due to exposure to high levels of recreational noise from personal audio devices and loud entertainment…

Probiotic Pill May Help Diabetics. Researchers claim that a study involving rats demonstrates that a modified strain of “friendly” human gut bacteria called Lactobacillus appears to have instigated a process that converted cells in the intestinal lining to behave like pancreatic beta cells and release insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. In the study, the…

Prevent Urinary Tract Infections Among Children. To assist parents in preventing urinary tract infections in their children, the National Kidney and Urologic Disease Information Clearinghouse recommends the following: encourage kids to use the bathroom regularly, offer more fluids if children are not urinating frequently, teach proper wiping technique after using the bathroom, and dress them…

Prevent Breast Cancer. In a cumulative examination of research done on environmental factors associated with breast cancer, experts recommend the following actions to minimize an individual’s risk: engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity, avoid a high-fat diet, reduce alcohol intake, and be cognizant when taking estrogen and synthetic progestagen hormonal therapy. Asian Pacific Journal…