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Researchers Say Weight Loss and Physical Activity Are Keys to Prevention of Prediabetes and Diabetes More than half of all Americans may develop diabetes or prediabetes by 2020, unless prevention strategies aimed at weight loss and increased physical activity are widely implemented, according to a new analysis. These efforts could in theory also save about $250 billion in health care costs in the next 10 years, suggests the analysis published by UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform & Modernization, a specialized center within UnitedHealth that focuses on health care reform issues. "We need a sense of urgency. There is a lot of money and human suffering at stake," says Deneen Vojta, MD, senior vice president of the UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform and Modernization, which is based in Minneapolis. "The good news is that we know what works, and if we work together in a concerted national way, we can win." Weight Loss and Exercise For exam

In Study, Heavy Drinkers Had Nearly Twice the Risk of Heart Attack or Death From Heart Disease Heavy drinking or binge drinking a couple of days a week may be worse for the heart than drinking a moderate amount of alcohol throughout the week, new research indicates. Researchers in France and in Belfast, Northern Ireland, say that middle-aged men in both places drink about the same amount of alcohol per week. But in Belfast, people tend to go on binges, drinking in one or two days about the same amount of alcohol that French men drink in a week. Alcohol Use in Belfast and France Jean-Bernard Ruidavets, MD, of Toulouse University, and colleagues studied alcohol drinking patterns of 9,758 men in France and Belfast over a 10-year period. For the study, scientists divided participants between the ages of 50 and 59 without ischemic heart disease into four distinct groups -- never drinkers, former drinkers, regular drinkers, and binge drinkers. Drinkers were interviewed

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

Study Shows Depression May Raise Risk of Diabetes and Vice Versa Depression and diabetes may be linked, according to new research in the Archives of Internal Medicine . "People usually think of these as two isolated conditions, but there is growing evidence that they are linked behaviorally and biologically," says study researcher Frank Hu, MD, PhD, MPH, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "This data provide strong evidence that we should not consider these two isolated conditions any longer." About 23.5 million Americans have diabetes, and about 14.8 million Americans have major depressive disorder in a given year, according to statistics in the new report. Of the 65,381 women aged 50 to 75 in 1996 who were study participants, 2,844 women were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and 7,415 women developed depression in the ensuing 10 years. Depression and Diabetes Risk Depression increased

Ready to be a super-steadfast sleeper? Then it's time to get physical. In a study of people with insomnia, those who broke a sweat by adopting an upbeat exercise program saw a greater improvement in their sleep than the folks with less-active hobbies. Something About Sweat The key to the better sleep results? Perspiration. The exercisers in the study didn't just take a couple of strolls in the park. They trained for several weeks until they were able to do four 30-minute workouts a week at about 75 percent of their max heart rate. That means jogging, brisk walking, or riding a stationary bike at a good clip -- anything that gets the heart rate up and makes talking tough. The vigorous exercisers also reported less daytime sleepiness and fewer symptoms of depression as a result of their efforts. Feeling Good, Feeling Sleepy The other group in the study spent comparable amounts of time on nonathletic activities, like going to museums or attending classes.

Study Shows Foods Rich in Antioxidants May Reduce the Risk of Death Eat your veggies and you may live longer, a study suggests. The study shows that eating foods rich in antioxidants, like vegetables and fruits, fights disease and may prolong life. Researchers found that people with the highest levels of the antioxidant alpha-carotene in their blood had a 39% lower risk of death from any cause, including heart disease and cancer, than those who had the lowest levels of the antioxidant during the 14-year study. "These findings support increasing fruit and vegetable consumption as a means of preventing premature death," write researcher Chaoyang Li, MD, PhD, of the CDC and colleagues in the Archives of Internal Medicine . Alpha-carotene is part of a group of antioxidants known as carotenoids, which also includes beta-carotene and lycopene. Vegetables particularly high in alpha-carotene include yellow-orange vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpk

Study Shows Dangers for Women Who Are Overweight but Consider Themselves to Be Normal Weight Nearly one in four women who is overweight perceives her weight as normal, according to a new study. The study also shows 16% of the normal-weight women studied had weight misperceptions, considering themselves overweight, says researcher Mahbubur Rahman, PhD, MBBS, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and a senior fellow at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women's Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston. There were dangers with both groups of what he terms "misperceivers," he tells WebMD. "Overweight women who were misperceivers are less likely to have healthy weight-loss behaviors." Those of normal weight who thought they were overweight, likewise, had unhealthy behaviors, such as using diet pills or smoking . The study is in the December issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. "The fact that people mis

High Waist Circumference in Kids Increases Risk of Heart-Related Disorders Children with higher levels of belly fat have higher pulse pressures, which puts them at risk for heart-related disorders, a new study finds. Gangadarshni Chandramohan, MD, of Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, says doctors should measure children's waist circumference to judge their level of obesity , rather than the commonly used body mass index, which is a ratio of weight to height. Chandramohan and colleagues studied data on 4,667 children between 6 and 17, all part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which is done by the CDC in Atlanta. Body Mass Index Doesn't Correlate to Higher Pulse Pressures "We found the children's body mass didn't correlate to higher pulse pressures," Chandramohan says in a news release. "This study suggests pediatricians add waist measurements to their routine screeni

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

Ditching belly fat may be a simple matter of choosing the right rice or bread. And the choice to make? Whole grain. You probably already love whole grains for their heart-healthy, disease-defying superpowers. So new research on their belly-fat-busting abilities should vault whole grains to the top of your grocery list. A One-Grain Guy In fact, the more whole grains you add to your diet in place of refined grains, the better off your waistline will be. In a new study where scientists reviewed the diets of close to 3,000 men and women, they found a strong correlation between belly fat and grain choice. The whole-grain lovers tended to have less belly fat than refined-grain buyers -- and had smaller waists, too. But eating more whole grains had a fat-curbing effect only when it was combined with a low intake of refined grains. So eating that whole-grain cereal at breakfast doesn't mean you can slack off and have the white-bread sandwich at lunchtime.  The Magic Number Just how many