Daily Health Tips: Trusted Medical Information, Health Tips and Advices

Guys: The next time you go out for seafood, think twice before saying, "I'll have what she's having." Here's why: When it comes to the diabetes-dodging powers of seafood, new findings suggest that they may not be the same for men and women. Gender Bender A 15-year Chinese study found that for women, a diet that included all types of seafood helped protect them from type II diabetes , but for men, diabetes defense came only from eating shellfish. Further studies are needed to explore possible reasons for these gender-specific differences, but most researchers agree that it's the omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) in seafood that keep insulin -- the body's blood sugar-controlling hormone -- working well. ( Related: Keep your blood sugar in check with this nutritional formula. )

  In the moments before you "stop and smell the roses," it's likely your brain is already preparing your sensory system for that familiar floral smell. New research from Northwestern Medicine offers strong evidence that the brain uses predictive coding to generate "predictive templates" of specific smells -- setting up a mental expectation of a scent before it hits your nostrils. Predictive coding is important because it provides animals -- in this case, humans -- with a behavioral advantage, in that they can react more quickly and more accurately to stimuli in the surrounding environment. The study, published in the Oct. 6 issue of the journal Neuron , was led by Christina Zelano, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Jay Gottfried, M.D., associate professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and attending physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The researchers used functional MRI techniques and

Do you know your monounsaturated fats from your polyunsaturated? Your omegas from your antioxidants? If you are confused by food terminology we're here to help with a healthy eating A to Z, we've selected the most frequently used food and diet terms associated with healthy eating to help you to clean up your diet. Alcohol - we all know what this is! 'Alcohol' is the term used to refer to ethanol and contains a whopping 7 calories per gram! Amino acids - there are 20 different types of amino acid, eight of which are 'essential' - that is, the body cannot make these, so they must be found in the diet. Antioxidants - these are the good guys, protecting against free radical damage by giving up one of their own electrons, stabilizing the free radical and making it less reactive. BMI - a mathematical calculation used to determine whether or not a person's bodyweight is suitably healthy for their height.  BMI = weight in kg/height in m 2 .

Study found omega-3 fatty acids linked to lower risk of age-related macular degeneration. MONDAY, March 14 (HealthDay News) -- Women who consume fish regularly -- and the abundance of omega-3 fatty acids found in that meal choice -- have a lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), new research suggests. This latest evidence of a protective link between fish oil and eye health mirrors past research that has found the same benefit. In this study, Harvard researchers performed a dietary analysis on more than 38,000 women. "Our observational data needs to be confirmed in randomized trials," cautioned study author William G. Christen, an associate professor with the division of preventive medicine in the department of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. "But already the message seems to be simple and strong," Christen added. "Fish oil, that is the omega-3 fat

To feel more satisfied with your food -- and possibly avoid pigging out -- use this mind trick: Just focus on the calories. Doing so could dial down your hunger big-time -- especially if you convince yourself you're indulging in a rich, high-calorie treat. Because new research shows that people's perception of calorie content affects their appetite-control hormones. Mind over Hunger Pangs In a study, researchers gave a small group of college students the same 350-calorie milk shake but told half the students that it was an indulgent 650-calorie treat. The other half thought it was a sensible 140-calorie snack. And what the students thought had a huge impact on how many hunger hormones their bodies produced. For the students who thought they were drinking a creamy, high-cal shake, their bodies' production of hunger-inducing ghrelin totally nosedived. But in the other group? Not as much. Which led researchers to conclude that just the perception of calorie

Are your ears ringing? Then you might want to take a break from your cell phone. As cell phone ownership has surged in recent years, so have questions about how extended use may affect health. One new potential impact researchers have discovered? Tinnitus -- a little-understood condition that causes distracting ringing, buzzing, humming, or other low-level sounds in the ears. Ring, Ring . . . In a recent study, researchers examined a group of people who already had tinnitus, as well as a group of people of a similar age who didn't. And after doing ear exams and hearing tests and surveying people about their cell habits and history, researchers discovered that the risk of tinnitus was about 71 percent higher among people who used their mobile phones at least 10 minutes a day. The odds of having the condition were also doubled in people who'd been using a cell phone for at least 4 years.    Stay Tuned It's one of the first studies on the topic, and much mo

To keep your waistline trim, you might want to make sure this flavor enhancer doesn't make its way into your mouth: MSG. Too much monosodium glutamate (MSG) -- an additive used in restaurant and processed foods to boost flavor -- may be a fast track to weight gain, a new study shows. Investigating MSG Have you heard of MSG? It's basically a salt that comes from glutamic acid. Restaurants and food manufacturers use it because it gives flavors a little lift. But that pleasure for your mouth may come at the expense of your hips. People who started a study at a healthy weight but were among the highest MSG consumers -- taking in about 5 grams a day -- were 33 percent more likely to be overweight at the end of the study 5 years later. And, surprisingly, it's not because better-tasting food enticed people to eat more. Eating lots of MSG bumped up the risk of extra pounds, regardless of calorie intake. Weighted Speculations The study researchers suspect MSG m

Study Shows a Link Between Car Accidents and Drivers With Less Than Legal Limit for Alcohol in Blood Driving with a buzz can be as dangerous as driving when you are fully intoxicated, a new study suggests. The blood-alcohol content (BAC) limit in the U.S. is set at 0.08%, but levels well below this legal limit are associated with car accidents that cause incapacitating injury and death. According to the CDC, close to 30 people in the U.S. die every day in motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver. This is the equivalent of one death every 48 minutes. "Buzz kills," says David Phillips, PhD a sociologist at University of California, San Diego. "No amount of alcohol seems to be safe for driving." The new study appears in Addiction. In the study, drivers who tested positive for blood alcohol at levels well-below the legal BAC limit were more likely to be in severe car accidents than sober drivers largely because they drove significant

Nearly One-Quarter of U.S. High School Students Drink Regular Soda Every Day Two new reports provide a snapshot of the physical activity and beverage habits of U.S. high school students. About one in 10 high school students gets the recommended amount of aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise, and nearly a quarter of students drink at least one sugary soda every day. Both reports, which appear in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, analyzed data from the 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study that looks at the height/weight, diet, and exercise habits of high school students. In the physical activity study, 12.2% of high school students met the Healthy People 2020 objective for aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity, which calls for 60 or more minutes of aerobic activity every day and some muscle strengthening on three or more days per week. Healthy People 2020 sets 10-year national goals for improving the health of A

Unhealthy Foods So Accessible That Distance From Schools Makes Little Difference A child's risk for becoming overweight or obese does not seem to increase when fast food establishments and stores are located near school grounds, a new study finds. "Unhealthful food choices are ubiquitous and consequently stores selling these food items near schools have no significant effect on student obesity," researchers led by David E. Harris, PhD, of the University of Southern Maine in Portland say in the July/August 2011 Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior . Researchers compared the weight and height of 552 students from 11 high schools in Maine to the proximity of food stores to their schools. They computed the driving distance to all food stores within 1.24 miles of the schools or to the closest store. Ten schools had one or more stores that sold soda, and eight schools had one or more fast food restaurant less than a mile from their grounds, the study sh

Scientists Observe Karaoke Singers to Get Better Understanding of Neurodegenerative Conditions Belting out a karaoke tune and then listening to the cringe-worthy performance afterward gave researchers new insights into how the brain processes embarrassment. In the study, scientists from the University of California, San Francisco and University of California, Berkeley observed 79 people, 58 of whom had neurodegenerative conditions while the rest had healthy brains. In neurodegenerative conditions, brain cells are progressively damaged or destroyed. Although not asked to sing karaoke in a club or bar, each volunteer crooned "My Girl" by the Temptations along with the voice-recording device and were videotaped while doing it. They were then asked to watch and listen to their vocal chops minus any accompanying music. The goal was to embarrass the singers while researchers measured their facial expressions and reactions, including sweating, breathing, and heart

Consumer Group Says Dangerous Toys Can Still Be Found on Store Shelves Though progress has been made in recent years in making playthings for children safer, far too many toys remain on store shelves that pose serious risks to America's kids, a consumer watchdog group says in a new report. Some toys contain toxic chemicals and many are choking hazards, according to the report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG). "We've made a lot of progress, but dangerous toys can still be found among our children's playthings," says Liz Hitchcock, U.S. PIRG public health advocate and lead author of the organization's 25th annual Trouble in Toyland report. "U.S. PIRG's report and the resources we offer will help consumers identify and avoid the worst threats and keep their children safe this year." Toxic Substances in Toys The report says many toys contain lead or other toxic substances, pointing to six toys as examples as po

Xgeva Reduced Fractures, Pain in People With Advanced Cancer The FDA has approved Xgeva (denosumab), an osteoporosis drug reformulated to reduce the risk of bone fractures and bone pain in patients with cancer that has spread throughout the body. The FDA based its approval on three clinical trials involving more than 5,700 patients with various cancers, including breast and prostate cancer. The trials compared Xgeva with a similar drug, Zometa. Researchers looked at groups of cancer patients on one of the two medications and measured the time until occurrence of skeletal-related events such as a bone fracture or spinal cord compression due to their cancer or until surgery or radiation was needed to alleviate severe bone pain. The clinical trial results showed Xgeva was more effective overall than Zometa in preventing skeletal-related events; among men with prostate cancer, the median time to developing a bone fracture or cancer-related bone pain requiring treatment wa

Controversial Painkiller Sunk by Dangerous Heart Side Effects The FDA has at last banned Darvon, Darvocet, and other brand/generic drugs containing propoxyphene -- a safety-plagued painkiller from the 1950s. New proof of heart side effects, in studies of healthy people taking normal doses of the drug, prompted the FDA to act. An estimated 10 million Americans are taking Darvocet and other propoxyphene painkillers. They should NOT immediately stop taking the drugs, as there is danger of serious withdrawal symptoms. Patients taking the drugs should instead immediately contact their doctors for help switching to different methods of pain control. "Don't delay," warns Gerald Dal Pan, MD, MHS, director of the FDA's office of surveillance and epidemiology. The FDA action comes nearly six years after the drug was banned in the U.K., and nearly a year and a half after the European drug agency banned it. The public interest group Public Citizen petition

College Students Who Often Drink Energy Drinks May Become Problem Drinkers, Researchers Say Drinking energy drinks daily or even on a weekly basis may increase your risk of developing alcohol problems. The new findings, which appear online in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research , are especially concerning given the trend of mixing alcohol with high-caffeine energy drinks. In the new study of more than 1,000 college students, people who drank energy beverages 52 or more times a year were more than twice as likely as non-users to meet criteria for alcohol dependence. In addition, such "high-frequency users" were more likely to get drunk at an earlier age, drink more in one sitting, black out, and/or experience hangover symptoms that limited their usual activities, the study showed. Overall, more than 60% of college students drank an energy beverage at some point in the past year and 10.1% had these drinks weekly and 2.6% daily or almost daily. T

New Warning Labels Would Be Larger and More Graphic The FDA is proposing new cigarette warning labels that will be larger and more visible on cigarette packages and in advertisements in an effort to reduce the number of tobacco-related illnesses and deaths. The proposed images are graphic: a thin, sickly patient in bed, a breastfeeding mother blowing smoke in the baby's face, a corpse, and a smoker injecting a cigarette in the arm like a hypodermic needle. The proposal was announced today at a news conference by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and FDA officials. "Today marks an important milestone in protecting our children and the health of the American public," Sebelius said. "The existing warning labels on cigarette packs have not been updated in 25 years, so this is very good timing," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said at a second news conference Wednesday elaborating on the proposal. "Some of the images, I am

Cymbalta Effectively Treats Osteoarthritis and Chronic Low Back Pain, Studies Show A drug used to treat depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, and diabetic neuropathy has been approved by the FDA for a new use -- to treat chronic musculoskeletal pain, including pain caused by osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain. The drug is sold under the brand name Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride) and is manufactured by Eli Lilly and Co., a major pharmaceutical company based in Indianapolis. Chronic low back pain is one of the most common forms of musculoskeletal pain, and finding an effective treatment can sometimes be challenging. The approved dose for chronic musculoskeletal pain is a 60-milligram capsule taken once a day, swallowed whole; it does not have to be timed with meals. "Up to three-quarters of the population experience chronic pain at some time in their lives," Janet Woodcock, MD, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said