U.S. Rushes to Change Workplace Toxin Rules

Political appointees at the Department of Labor are moving with unusual speed to push through in the final months of the Bush administration a rule making it tougher to regulate workers' on-the-job exposure to chemicals and toxins.Read More

Limiting Fructose May Boost Weight Loss

One of the reasons people on low-carbohydrate diets may lose weight is that they reduce their intake of fructose, a type of sugar that can be made into body fat quickly, according to a researcher at UT Southwestern Medical Center.Read More

How Independent Are Vaccine Defenders?

(CBS) For years some parents and scientists have raised concerns about vaccine safety, including a possible link to autism and ADD. Many independent experts have sided with government officials and other scientists who say there's no possible connection. But how "independent" are they? CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson shares here's what she found.Read More

Soy foods 'reduce sperm numbers'

A regular diet of even modest amounts of food containing soy may halve sperm concentrations, suggest scientists.

The study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, found 41 million fewer sperm per millilitre of semen after just one portion every two days.

The authors said plant oestrogens in foods such as tofu, soy mince or milk may interfere with hormonal signals.MORE.......

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Alzheimer’s in a Can?

Sugary beverages are part of the American way of life, but five or more cans a day may raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

The research team, using mice genetically predisposed to develop Alzheimer’s-like symptoms, added a 10 percent solution of sugar water to the diet of half the mice being tested. Over 25 weeks, the sugar-water mice gained 17 percent more weight than the controls. They also developed insulin resistance and had a higher cholesterol count. Read More

AIDS among Latinos on the rise

 

SAN YSIDRO, Calif. - AIDS rates in the nation's Latino community are increasing and, with little notice, have reached what experts are calling a simmering public health crisis. Though Hispanics make up about 14 percent of the U.S. population, they represented 22 percent of new HIV and AIDS diagnoses tallied by federal officials in 2006. According to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Hispanics in the District have the highest rate of new AIDS cases in the country.

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A Test of Justice for Rape Victims

Every two minutes, someone is raped in the United States. Every year, more than 200,000 rape victims, mostly women, report their rapes to police. Most consent to the creation of a rape kit, an invasive process for collecting physical evidence (including DNA material) of the assault that can take up to six hours. What most victims don't know is that in thousands of cases, that evidence sits untested in police evidence lockers.... Read More

Poison in Baby’s Carrier and Your Easy Chair

A well-known toxic chemical may lurk in everything from your easy chair to your baby’s bassinet—and manufacturers don’t have to tell you about it. The chemical is a flame retardant called “chlorinated Tris,” and it was used in children’s pajamas until 1977, when studies showed it caused cancer in animals. However, it’s turning up again with increasing frequency in upholstered furniture, car upholstery, paint, mattresses, and even baby carriers....Read More

Patients Don't Know Exercise Cuts Colon Cancer Risk

Many experts now consider colon cancer a largely preventable disease, but a new study finds that primary care doctors might not always inform patients about one important step they can take to reduce their risk: becoming more physically active....Read More

Health Officials: Don't Eat Lobster Tomalley

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Maine officials are advising consumers to avoid eating lobster tomalley after tests revealed high levels of toxins in some lobsters.

The Maine Center for Disease Control said Friday that lobster meat is perfectly safe but that people should not eat the tomalley _ a soft green substance found in the body of the lobster.

High levels of toxic algae known as red tide have been recorded along Maine's coast this summer, forcing the state to close many areas to clam and mussel harvesting. Tomalley functions as the lobster's liver by serving as a natural filter for contaminants that are in the water.

Editors note: Of course if you believed God, one would never ever even consider eating a lobster!

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has advised consumers for many years not to eat tomalley, which is considered a delicacy by some.