According to a new study, banning sodas and other high-sugar drinks at schools canteens will only provide limited effect in their overall consumptions by the teens.

These sodas and sugar-sweetened drinks are considered one of the biggest causes of childhood obesity in the US and because of it they are being banned in many schools countrywide. To evaluate the impact of these bans, 456 students were followed, at seven different schools in Maine, over the period of two years. The researchers found that four out these seven schools curbed the availability of the beverages while the rest of three didn’t take any action to control their use in schools.

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Some are struggling with belly fat, some with leg fat, some with love handles, and a lot with their overall appearance. They have one thing in common, as they all want to know ‘how to lose fat’ to keep themselves away from diseases and in a nice attractive shape.

Different surgical procedures, diet programs and exercises have been developed to get rid of excessive fat, but the best way to prevent this fat that accumulates in different parts of your body is to take regular exercise and consume healthy low fat foods. …Click here to read more

The U.S. government report says that microwaveable potpies were the real culprit for a salmonella outbreak that victimized several US states during the last year.

The report has been published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 26th Nov. issue.

There were 401 cases of salmonella in 40 states because of that outbreak and almost 32 % of these people had to get hospital treatment. Investigation revealed that Banquet’s frozen microwavable potpies were the source of the outbreak.

The report also shows that almost 77% (who got illness) had cooked these potpies in microwaves and confusion in understanding of microwaving instructions became the cause of potpies’ improper cooking. ConAgra Foods Inc., the maker of these potpies had to recall nine brands of the potpies during October 07.

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Heart patients with depression have a higher risk for recurring cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke and heart failure, but the reason behind this link is not clear yet. Now U.S researchers find that behavior changes in these patients are a basic factor in recurring cardiovascular events.

To know about the symptoms of depression in heart disease patients, researchers, from the VA Medical Center in San Francisco, used a questionnaire and then they utilized different models to assess the link between depression and following cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

The researchers found that there was a 50% higher risk of cardiovascular events in the patients who had depression. After adjusting cardiac disease severity and other existing conditions, the researchers found a 31% higher risk for cardiovascular events in the patients with depression.

Then, the researchers adjusted some other health behaviors like physical inactivity in these patients and they noticed that there wasn’t a considerable link between cardiovascular events and depression. The researchers accounted physical inactivity for a 44% higher risk of cardiovascular events.

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According to an estimate, almost 5million Americans (over 12 years of age) take part in different self-help groups to get rid ofalcohol and drug abuse every year. It also includes 2.3 million those who are abstaining from these substances at present.

These are the results of a report that the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released on Monday.

This report includes data from nationwide surveys conducted during 2006 and 2007 and it also reveals that: for alcohol use 45.3 percent joined a self-help group, while 21.8 percent for illicit drug use and 33 percent for alcohol as well as for illicit drug use.

Similarly, 45.1 percent people who joined self-help group a year back didn’t use illicit drugs or alcohol during the past month and 32.7 percent people, who joined a self-help group for drug or alcohol abuse, also got special treatment for their drug abuse and it includes attending a mental health center or admittance at a rehabilitation facility as an inpatient or outpatient.

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Figures show that number of babies born with Down’s syndrome is on increase though pre-natal screening has become widespread.

In 1989 when tests came in, there were 717 cases, while in 2006 there were 749 Down’s births in the UK.

To discover why the parents pressed ahead with a pregnancy despite a positive test results, the Down’s syndrome Association included 1000 parents in their survey.

A fifth told that they knew someone with Down’s, according to a third religious or anti-abortion beliefs were the cause and 30% seemed to believe that life had improved for people with Down’s.  While one out five said that they just didn’t believe the results of these tests.

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