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Obesity may impede sexual health![]() By Elizabeth Landau Here's another peril of obesity to add to the well-known risks: It may harm sexual health. A study published in the British Medical Journal looked at survey results from more than 5,500 women and 4,600 men in France regarding sexual behavior. Of them, 411 women and 350 men were obese, as defined by a body mass index (BMI) of over 30. Vitamin B6 may play anti-cancer role![]() By Leslie Wade A new study suggests vitamin B6 may play a role in preventing cancer (watch video). A study in the latest edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association found adults with higher levels of vitamin B6 in their blood were half as likely to develop lung cancer as those with low B6 levels. Infants can get too much vitamin D, FDA warnsBy Val Willingham Parents could be overdosing their children with liquid vitamin D, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. Many of the vitamin D supplements in stores use droppers that could allow anyone to accidentally give harmful amounts of the vitamin to a baby. Although the FDA says it wants to be sure not to alarm adults on this issue, the agency believes parents and caregivers should just be aware that there are risks to giving too much vitamin D and that they should use the appropriate dropper. Study: Colorful vegetables can keep vision healthyBy Matt Sloane Getting older is inevitable, just like income taxes. But according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin, poor vision doesn't necessarily have to be a part of the aging process – at least not as early as you would expect – if you eat correctly. The study followed more than 2,000 women, and found those who ate a diet high in colorful vegetables – dark leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers, squash and corn, among others – developed cataracts about two and half years later than women who ate diets high in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Hospital warns patients about potential infections![]() By Sabriya Rice A hospital in San Diego, California, is warning 3,400 patients who underwent colonoscopy and other procedures that they may have been exposed to potential of infection from items used and reused during the procedures. The hospital says some of the recommended steps may not have been completed while disinfecting the equipment. They believe the risk is low, but they are informing the patients by letter as a precautionary measure. (Read more here) Unfortunately, incidents like these are not rare occurrences. For example, a 2009 inspection of Veterans administration facilities found many did not have the safety procedures in place to ensure colonoscopy equipment was sterilized properly between patients. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention healthcare-associated infections or HAIs account for an estimated 1.7 million infections and 99,000 associated deaths each year. Report: Reduce salt, fat in U.S. dietary guidelines![]() By John Bonifield An advisory committee on U.S. dietary guidelines is urging the government to decrease the recommended daily amount of saturated fat in American's diets from 10 percent to 7 percent of total calories consumed. The panel's report also recommends that Americans decrease the amount of daily sodium in their diets from 2,300 milligrams to less than 1,500 milligrams and calls for drinking fewer sugar-sweetened beverages. "It's sort of a gradual approach to decrease the caloric intake of the American public," says Penelope Slade-Sawyer, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion at the Department of Health and Human Services. Critic details flaws of cell phone safety studyBy Danielle Dellorto Critics are speaking out against the the controversial Interphone cell-phone safety study released last month. U.S. researcher Lloyd Morgan presented a report in Seoul, South Korea this week, challenging Internphone’s findings at the Bioelectromagnetics Society’s annual meeting. Morgan’s presentation is based on his re-evaluation of the Interphone study. He says it emphasizes several design flaws. “The Interphone study is giving people false hope. Most people only hear the headline, Cell phones don’t cause cancer’ yet the devil is in the details,” Morgan, Senior Research Fellow at the Environment Health Trust, said. ““When I read study papers, I look for what they are not saying – and this study isn’t saying a lot.” |
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love. ![]() ![]() |
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