Health News - Saturday, February 17, 2007
New research shows during the last 30 years, the average soft drink portion size in the United States increased more than 50 percent from about 13 ounces to almost 20 ounces, and that increase is mirrored in the increased size of Americans' waistlines.
During this time, calorie consumption increased an average of 150 to 300 calories per day, with about half that increase coming from beverages. The variety of calorie-dense beverages and number of soft-drink servings per day both grew. Several studies peg calories from beverages as one of the causes of increased numbers of overweight and obese people in the United States. Studies suggest when people consume more calories from beverages, they don't compensate by eating or drinking less. Continue reading
A new breath test has been reported to detect lung cancer in its early stage. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and doctors believe that early detection could offer sufferers their best chance for early survival.
Dr. Michael Phillips, CEO of Menssana Research, the company that developed the breath test, said, "We developed a breathalyzer that is one billion times more sensitive than those the police use to measure alcohol in the breath. It detects around 200 different chemicals in a person's breath, and some of these chemicals are markers of cancer. A breath test has great advantages over most other medical tests - it is completely safe, painless and non-invasive. All you have to do is breathe gently into a tube for two minutes. There are no potentially dangerous x-rays to worry about, and it will certainly be a lot less expensive than chest imaging." Continue reading