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

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Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 12/01/2011

Apple juice/arsenic debate rages on

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Consumer Reports tested 88 juice samples (about 3 each from 28 apple and 3 grape juice brands) and found that about 10 percent of the samples had total arsenic levels higher than the 10 ppb (parts per billion) that the federal government allows in bottled water.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 12/01/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:01 AM ET, 11/30/2011

Fish may protect the brain, study indicates

By Rob Stein

The Checkup | People who eat baked or broiled fish at least once a week may protect their brains from Alzheimer’s.

By Rob Stein | 12:01 AM ET, 11/30/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:25 PM ET, 11/29/2011

And now some bad news about caffeine

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

I’ve been writing a lot lately about the health benefits of coffee and/or caffeine. So it’s only fair to note that too much caffeine, under some circumstances, can be harmful.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 01:25 PM ET, 11/29/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 11/28/2011

More good news about coffee

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

If you’re enjoying your Monday morning cup of coffee, take a moment to appreciate it for its deliciousness and the good it may be doing your body.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 11/28/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 11/25/2011

Meditation keeps minds from wandering

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

It might be worth our while to learn to meditate, as the practice has been shown to have psychological and physical benefits.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 11/25/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:00 PM ET, 11/23/2011

Study offers compelling reminder to wash our hands

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

A study published in the online journal PLoS ONE suggests that public bathrooms are teeming with bacteria, most of it deposited on surfaces via human hands, feces and urine.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 05:00 PM ET, 11/23/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:00 PM ET, 11/22/2011

BPA from soup cans shows up in urine

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

In one of the first studies to measure levels of BPA in humans after they’ve consumed canned foods, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have found that eating canned soup dramatically boosts urine concentrations of the controversial chemical.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 04:00 PM ET, 11/22/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:20 PM ET, 11/21/2011

Gathering your family health history

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Okay, so maybe this isn’t the most festive thing you can do to celebrate Thanksgiving this Thursday.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 04:20 PM ET, 11/21/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 11/21/2011

Brits consider ban on smoking in cars

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

A new British research paper suggests banning smoking in cars in the U.K.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 11/21/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:10 PM ET, 11/18/2011

Avastin: Why was it pulled, and what are the alternatives?

By Sarah Halzack

Why did the FDA change course on this drug, and what should the course of action be for patients who had been taking it for breast cancer?

By Sarah Halzack | 12:10 PM ET, 11/18/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 11/18/2011

Taking birth-control pills — but not for birth control

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Oral contraceptives are quite the multi-taskers these days.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 11/18/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:02 AM ET, 11/17/2011

Sorting out the school lunch menu

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

The news that Congress has taken legislative action that would allow schools participating in the federal school meal program to continue serving potatoes and tomato sauce as vegetables has raised all kinds of questions about the government’s role in dictating what kids eat and whether members of Congress are equipped to set nutrition policy.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:02 AM ET, 11/17/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 11/16/2011

Women, younger men overlooked for heart attack prevention, researchers report

By Rob Stein

Researcher: “We currently only treat high-risk patients but our data show that women and young males, who rarely qualify as high risk, make up a substantial portion of the current heart attack population.”

By Rob Stein | 09:00 AM ET, 11/16/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 08:01 AM ET, 11/15/2011

Studies analyze weight-loss interventions

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine Monday and Tuesday compare the effectiveness of various weight-loss interventions among obese adults.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 08:01 AM ET, 11/15/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:48 PM ET, 11/14/2011

Company halts first stem cell trial

By Rob Stein

The company that launched the first government-approved attempt to test a therapy made from human embryonic stem cells announced Monday it was halting the study.

By Rob Stein | 05:48 PM ET, 11/14/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 11/14/2011

Whole grains may reduce colorectal cancer risk

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

A new report suggests that eating whole grains and cereals is strongly tied to reduced risk for that cancer.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 11/14/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 02:27 PM ET, 11/11/2011

Children should get cholesterol tests, experts recommend

By Rob Stein

All U.S. children should have their cholesterol tested between the ages of 9 and 11, according to new guidelines released Friday.

By Rob Stein | 02:27 PM ET, 11/11/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 02:32 PM ET, 11/10/2011

Longer days spell more active kids

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

A rather charming British study has determined that children get more physical activity, largely through unstructured outdoor play, the more hours of sunshine there are in a day.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 02:32 PM ET, 11/10/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 06:56 PM ET, 11/09/2011

Should doctors be allowed to ask about guns in the home?

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

An article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine argues that they should — but that their right to do so is under attack.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 06:56 PM ET, 11/09/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 11/09/2011

Cutting down on salt may not reduce disease, analysis concludes

By Rob Stein

Reducing the amount of sodium people consume may not necessarily be good for their overall health, an analysis says.

By Rob Stein | 10:00 AM ET, 11/09/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:00 PM ET, 11/07/2011

Limiting school sales of soda and other sweetened beverages doesn’t cut kids’ consumption, study finds

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Limiting the sale of sweet drinks in schools doesn’t make a dent in students’ overall consumption of such high-calorie beverages, research finds.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 04:00 PM ET, 11/07/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 11/07/2011

Another study shows Weight Watchers beats physician-guided weight loss

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Research published Friday adds weight to the notion that commercial weight-loss programs work better than physician-guided weight loss approaches.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 07:00 AM ET, 11/07/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:20 AM ET, 11/07/2011

MRSA a major factor in kids’ H1N1 flu deaths, study finds

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Many of the pediatric deaths and critical illnesses in the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic occurred among children who acquired antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in addition to being infected with that flu virus, a study in the journal Pediatrics reports Monday morning.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 01:20 AM ET, 11/07/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 02:04 PM ET, 11/03/2011

Inactivity boosts cancer risk, research finds

By Jennifer LaRue Huget

Too much time spent sitting increases risk of developing cancer, even for those who exercise regularly, according to new research.

By Jennifer LaRue Huget | 02:04 PM ET, 11/03/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 06:30 PM ET, 11/01/2011

‘Disco science’ versus ‘Achy breaky heart’ for CPR

By Rob Stein

By Rob Stein | 06:30 PM ET, 11/01/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:00 PM ET, 11/01/2011

Substance in red wine shows promise in first human study

By Rob Stein

By Rob Stein | 12:00 PM ET, 11/01/2011 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)

The Checkup: December, 2011