Health Highlights: June 29, 2008

A lack of DNA repair capacity may be a cause of lung cancers that occur in non-smokers, say researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. About 15 percent of lung cancers occur in non-smokers.

The researchers found that non-smokers with less efficient DNA repair ability were almost twice as likely to develop lung cancer, compared to non-smokers with normal DNA repair capacity,United Press Internationalreported.

Non-smokers with the lowest DNA repair capacity were more than three times more likely than average to develop lung cancer.

"Our findings demonstrate that suboptimal DNA repair capacity together with secondhand smoke exposure are strong lung cancer risk factors in lifetime never smokers,"UPIquoted lead author Olga Gorlova as saying in a prepared statement.

The study appears in the journalCancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

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Unsafe Water Causes Many Diseases, Deaths: WHO

More than 9 percent of diseases and 6 percent of deaths worldwide are caused by unsafe water, says a World Health Organization report released Thursday. Dengue fever and diarrhea are among the diseases that can be transmitted via water.

Developing countries are disproportionately affected by water-related health problems. For example, unsafe water causes less than 1 percent of deaths in developed countries, compared with an average of 8 percent in developing countries,Agence France Pressereported.

Death rates in certain poor countries can be much higher, such as 24 percent in Angola.

"In the 35 most affected countries, over 15 percent of diseases could easily be prevented by improved water, sanitation, and hygiene," said report author Annette-Pruss-Ustun,AFPreported.

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Low-Fat Milk May Benefit Kidney/Heart Health

Low-fat milk may offer protection against poor kidney function linked to heart disease, according to American and Norwegian researchers.

They measured the kidney function of more than 5,000 adults, ages 45 to 84, and found that those who consumed at least one serving of low-fat milk or milk products a day were 37 percent less likely than those who had little or no low-fat milk to have poor kidney function related to heart disease,United Press Internationalreported.

The study was published in theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The authors noted that previous research suggests that milk protein, vitamin D, and magnesium may contribute to milk's potential heart health benefits,UPIreported.