Title: How You Digest Carbs May Influence Weight Gain, Study Says
Category: Health News
Created: 4/3/2014 12:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 4/4/2014 12:00:00 AM

By P.J. Huffstutter and Tom Polansek CHICAGO (Reuters) – Merck & Co Inc wants to feed its controversial feed additive Zilmax to 240,000 U.S. cattle to prove it is safe. Merck plans to conduct the biggest ever test of its kind in an effort to reintroduce the weight-adding drug into the United States and Canada after suspending sales last August. I can’t afford to give away a steer, let alone hundreds.” Cargill Inc and Tyson Foods Inc, two of the world’s largest beef processors, told Reuters their stance on Zilmax had not changed since last autumn, when they stopped accepting cattle fed the drug following reports it may cause lameness.

Title: Monkeys on Very-Low-Cal Diet Lived Longer, Healthier Lives
Category: Health News
Created: 4/1/2014 2:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 4/2/2014 12:00:00 AM

The latest findings from a 25-year study published in Nature Communications suggest that monkeys on a caloric-restricted diet live longer and have reduced age-related diseases than peers who are allowed to eat what they want.

By Kate Kelland LONDON (Reuters) – Men who start smoking before the age of 11 risk having sons who are overweight, British researchers have found, adding to evidence that lifestyle factors even in childhood can affect the health of future offspring. “This discovery of transgenerational effects has big implications for research into the current rise in obesity and the evaluation of preventative measures,” said Marcus Pembrey, a professor of genetics at University College London, who led the study and presented its findings at a briefing on Wednesday. While previous studies in animals and in people have found some transgenerational health impacts, the evidence so far is limited. It points, however, to epigenetics – a process where lifestyle and environmental factors can turn certain genes on or off – having an effect on the health of descendants.

Title: Alli Weight Loss Drug Recalled Over Tampering
Category: Health News
Created: 4/1/2014 11:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/1/2014 12:00:00 AM

(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration found contamination of drug ingredients manufactured at a GlaxoSmithKline Plc plant in Ireland and said the company did not take sufficient action to resolve the problems. The news comes just days after GSK said it was recalling all supplies of its over-the-counter weight-loss drug in the United States and Puerto Rico, after concerns that bottles had been tampered with. In a warning letter dated March 18, the U.S. FDA said GSK did not fully investigate a list of objectional conditions the regulator sent after its inspection of the manufacturing plant at Cork, Ireland in October. The FDA said its investigator found that a certain drug ingredient, the name of which was not disclosed, was contaminated with material from the plant’s pharmaceutical waste tank.

New research further illuminates the heart-healthy benefits of the Mediterranean diet, tying the eating plan to lower levels of platelets and white blood cells, two markers of inflammation. Inflammation has an association with greater risk of heart attack and stroke. Study results are published online in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – How parents monitor the television and video game habits of their children is tied to the kids’ performance in school, their relationships with peers and their weight, according to a new study. “It’s a fairly small effect, but what’s interesting about this study is because we tracked these children over time we see these effects build,” lead author Douglas Gentile told Reuters Health. He is a psychologist at Iowa State University in Ames. According to Gentile, the researchers can’t say children will gain one fewer pound or get in one fewer fight for every show parents approve for their kids.

A new Canadian review of research on the relationship between weight and risk of premature death finds that having a body mass index in the underweight range is linked to an even higher risk of death than having a body mass index in the obese range.Led by Dr. Joel Ray, a physician-researcher at St.