The Checkup - Jennifer Huget on health in the news and in your life.

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Posted at 01:01 AM ET, 09/01/2011

Stroke hospitalizations rise among young people

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Advancing age is considered a major risk factor for stroke. But research published Thursday morning shows that, even as stroke incidence among older people has leveled off in recent years, the incidence of stroke-related hospitalization among teens and young adults has risen.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 01:01 AM ET, 09/01/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: General Health

Posted at 12:06 PM ET, 08/31/2011

Boys drink more sugary beverages than girls, federal survey shows

By Rob Stein

On any given day, about half of the all Americans ages 2 and older consume drinks containing sugar, according to an analysis of data by the federal government’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2005 and 2008.

By Rob Stein | 12:06 PM ET, 08/31/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/30/2011

Video game competitiveness, not violence, spurs aggression, study suggests

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

A study suggests that it might not be the games’ violent content itself that sparks aggression but instead their level of competitiveness.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 08/30/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/29/2011

For beating belly fat, aerobics tops resistance training

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

New research comes to the surprising conclusion that, at least for one subset of people, aerobics alone is best not only at promoting overall weight loss but also whittling away the visceral belly fat that’s linked to so many negative health conditions.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 08/29/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 06:30 PM ET, 08/25/2011

Global obesity crisis requires government action, report says

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Public health experts argue in The Lancet that the global obesity crisis will continue to grow worse unless governments and major institutions take action.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 06:30 PM ET, 08/25/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/25/2011

Dietary supplements and the licensing effect

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Does dutifully taking your multivitamin in the morning make it okay to indulge in a hot-fudge sundae for dessert?

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 08/25/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 08/24/2011

Discouraging news on unintended pregnancies

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

The first research documenting rates of unintended pregnancy in the U.S. since 2001 makes clear that we’ve made little progress in combating that phenomenon.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 06:00 AM ET, 08/24/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Categories: Motherhood

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/23/2011

5,000 children a year hurt falling from windows, study reports

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Children under age 4 were most likely to suffer head injuries and to be hospitalized or die from injuries related to falls from windows, according to a new medical study.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 08/23/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/22/2011

A quest to be world’s fattest woman

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Readers of the Drudge Report may be familiar with Susanne Eman, an Arizona woman who claims to be on a quest to become the world’s fattest woman.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 08/22/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:01 AM ET, 08/22/2011

Fall in hormone replacement therapy led to decrease in mammography, study finds

By Rob Stein

The drop in hormone use by women going through menopause has contributed to a decrease in mammography use, federal researchers reported Monday.

By Rob Stein | 12:01 AM ET, 08/22/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/19/2011

Birds, bees and infertility

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

If you or a friend or loved one has experienced infertility, you know it’s not a laughing matter. So creating a video highlighting the issue with a woman dressed as a bee was a bit risky.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 08/19/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:00 PM ET, 08/18/2011

ADHD diagnoses increase in the United States, federal data show

By Rob Stein

The percentage of U.S. children between ages 5 to 17 who were diagnosed with ADHD increased from about 7 percent to 9 percent between 1998 and 2009, according to the analysis by the National Center for Health Statistics.

By Rob Stein | 12:00 PM ET, 08/18/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/18/2011

Big month for bat news

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Cast a wary eye on the bats that swoop around the eaves of my house at twilight on these summer nights.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 08/18/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:01 AM ET, 08/17/2011

FDA approves new drug for advanced melanoma

By Rob Stein

Zelboraf was approved for patients with metastatic melanoma, the most life-threatening form of skin cancer that cannot be removed with surgery.

By Rob Stein | 11:01 AM ET, 08/17/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/17/2011

Exercise extends life, study says

By Rob Stein

There’s new evidence that even just 15 minutes a day of physical activity can have a significant impact on longevity.

By Rob Stein | 07:00 AM ET, 08/17/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/16/2011

Dropping a kid at college, trying not to cry

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

I’m starting to think I’m the only one whose eyes well up every time I think about the prospect.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 08/16/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:01 AM ET, 08/15/2011

Younger siblings of autistic children at greater risk for autism, study finds

By Rob Stein

Younger brothers and sisters of children with autism are at greater risk of developing the condition than had been thought, according to research released Monday.

By Rob Stein | 12:01 AM ET, 08/15/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 10:23 AM ET, 08/11/2011

Charla Nash, victim of chimpanzee attack, shows results of her face transplant

By Rob Stein

Charla Nash had received a full face transplant in May after being mauled by a friend’s chimp in 2009.

By Rob Stein | 10:23 AM ET, 08/11/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 02:00 PM ET, 08/10/2011

Report: Genetically engineered immune system cells produce remissions for leukemia

By Rob Stein

An experimental treatment produced dramatic results in three patients suffering from an advanced form of leukemia, researchers said.

By Rob Stein | 02:00 PM ET, 08/10/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:01 AM ET, 08/10/2011

Organic farming reduces resistance of bacteria to antibiotics, study finds

By Rob Stein

Bacteria at farms that had recently become organic had lower resistance to drugs, a study says.

By Rob Stein | 12:01 AM ET, 08/10/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:00 PM ET, 08/09/2011

New evidence for role of genes in intelligence

By Rob Stein

‘Nature’ plays big role in intelligence, but ‘nurture’ is also important, new study concludes.

By Rob Stein | 04:00 PM ET, 08/09/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/09/2011

In pursuit of perfect portion sizes

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

What tricks and tools do you use to control portion sizes in your household?

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 08/09/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/05/2011

CDC: Hospitals should do more to encourage breastfeeding

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

A report issued yesterday by the CDC finds that hospitals are not doing all they can to encourage and facilitate breastfeeding among their patients.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 08/05/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:50 PM ET, 08/04/2011

Consumers warned about ground turkey contaminated with salmonella

By Rob Stein

Federal officials Thursday urged stores and consumers to check any ground turkey they have on their shelves to make sure it is not among the products being recalled because of a nationwide salmonella outbreak.

By Rob Stein | 12:50 PM ET, 08/04/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/04/2011

FDA says ‘gluten-free’ is not for fad dieters

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

The FDA has issued a consumer update spelling out the role gluten plays in our diet and noting that as much as 1 percent of the U.S. population suffers from celiac disease, a serious condition in which the body cannot digest or tolerate gluten.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 08/04/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:01 AM ET, 08/03/2011

Centenarians have lousy habits too, study finds

By Rob Stein

A new study finds that people who live into their 90s and longer have habits just as bad as the rest of us.

By Rob Stein | 12:01 AM ET, 08/03/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:20 PM ET, 08/02/2011

More on melatonin

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

According to FDA regulations, ingredients used in conventional food must either be classified as approved food additives or be among the ingredients classified as “generally recognized as safe.” Melatonin has not been shown to be safe when used as a food ingredient.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 05:20 PM ET, 08/02/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 09:27 AM ET, 08/02/2011

Giffords vote suggests ‘remarkable’ recovery

By David Brown

The surprise return of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) to Congress to vote on the debt-ceiling bill offered the most public glimpse yet of how far she has come since being gravely wounded.

By David Brown | 09:27 AM ET, 08/02/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/02/2011

Sleep’s great. But what if it eludes you?

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Sadly, while cutting back on certain foods and beverages may, as I wrote last summer, promote better sleep, no food or drink has been proven to help people fall or stay asleep.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 08/02/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

The Checkup: September, 2011