Medical Dude

Nutrition & Diet

School children who consume foods purchased in vending machines are more likely to develop poor diet quality – and that may be associated with being overweight, obese or at risk for chronic health problems such as diabetes and coronary artery disease, according to research from the University of Michigan Medical School. The study also looked... [Read more of this review]

Something as simple as olive oil could actually make a difference when predisposed to or fighting against breast cancer. Components in this antioxidant monounsaturated fat actually attack tumors, retarding their growth (even to the point of implosion) and can protect DNA against harmful cancerous cells. Researchers at the Universitat Autonoma... [Read more of this review]

Young children do not get fat all on their own, they have help from a variety of sources, including the lack of physical education in schools, lack of play time and play areas, and too many calories served at home. But many parents turn a blind eye to the fact that their children are overweight and becoming unhealthy adults. A new report,... [Read more of this review]

It may feel pretty lonely out there when everyone you know is trying to shed pounds and you are trying to put some on. However, your goals are exactly the same as those trying to lose some weight: To eat a healthy diet, and reach a normal body weight. It’s just as much of a challenge for the overweight person to lose pounds, as it is for you... [Read more of this review]

Yoga has long been a form of relaxation, meditation and exercise, dating back to several thousand years B.C. Originating out of India, yoga teaches us to focus on the self: mind, body, spirit. Which is exactly what cancer survivors need to do to heal. So it makes sense that a new study found that yoga can aid survivors with sleep, energy... [Read more of this review]

Use of tobacco kills more than 1.5 million women in world every year, and the number could rise to 2.5 million in the next two decades, the UN has warned. ‘Most deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Without concerted action, that number could rise to 2.5 million women by 2030,’ UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. Ban... [Read more of this review]

Concentrated doses of caffeine can boost athletic endurance, with certain caveats, and with the removal of caffeine from the list of banned substances, could have an impact in major sporting events. While this news is not necessarily pertinent to the recreational athlete, it does have ramifications for those who partake in competition sports.... [Read more of this review]

Salt has long been the enemy for people suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure), but now another white granular substance will be joining its ranks on the restriction list: sugar. High consumption of sugar-based products—including those made from high-fructose corn syrup—has been shown to increase the risk of high blood pressure,... [Read more of this review]

Lively, educational comic strips, geared to 8- to 10-year-old African-American girls, can help these young viewers make better food choices and improve their physical fitness. That’s what happened in a preliminary study, reported several years ago, with 78 Internet-savvy African American girls age 8 to 10. Now, the program’s creators... [Read more of this review]

A US consumer group has threatened legal action against the fast food company McDonald’s if it does not stop using toys to promote its “junk food” Happy Meals: the group says using unfair and deceptive marketing to “lure small children” is illegal under consumer protection laws in various states of the US. The nonprofit... [Read more of this review]