(The Hill) Top Senate Democrats on Wednesday called on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to protect seniors in Medigap plans from "excessive" rate hikes.

"We are hearing disturbing stories from beneficiaries across the country about excessive premium increases for Medigap supplemental insurance policies," Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Max Baucus (D-Mont) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) wrote to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

The lawmakers cited some Medigap plans offered by United of Omaha, which will see premiums increases around 40 percent next year.

Read more.

Community: My friend in Washington has some juice. This letter to HHS is a direct result of my recent complaint. Other recent headlines on cost and outcomes in U.S.: Reuters – “Poor healthcare may shorten American lives: study”, UPI – “Cancer patients rationing drugs, therapy” [due to the high cost].

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(HealthDay News) Americans need to step it up when it comes to walking, experts say.

Researchers at the University of Tennessee found that Americans average just 5,117 steps per day, far fewer than people in Australia (9,695), Switzerland (9,650) and Japan (7,168)…

"The health benefits of walking are underappreciated. Even modest amounts of walking, if performed on a daily basis, can help to maintain a healthy body weight," lead author Dr. David R. Bassett, Jr. … said in an American College of Sports Medicine news release.

The study findings help explain why obesity rates are much higher in the United States than in other developed countries, the researchers noted. Thirty-four percent of U.S. adults are obese, compared with 16 percent in Australia, 8 percent in Switzerland and 3 percent in Japan.

Read more.

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(SouthBeachDiet.com) You don’t have to be a professional athlete to reap the benefits of interval walking. In this form of exercise, you alternate bursts of fast, intense walking with periods of slower and less-intense walking that allows your body to recover. In fact, by doing interval walking for a mere 20 minutes every other day, you can shift your metabolism into high gear so that you burn more calories and fat in less time than if you were working out at a steady pace.

And there’s a bonus: With interval walking, the higher the intensity of the exercise, the longer the afterburn; that is, you will continue to burn more fat and calories even after you stop exercising!

Read more.

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(UPI) Patients of U.S. physicians who communicate in a motivational style about losing weight lost an average of about 3.5 pounds in three months, researchers say…

[P]atients whose doctors spoke in judgmental/confrontational style did not lose weight.

Lead author Kathryn Pollack and colleagues analyzed the recorded conversations of 40 primary care physicians and 461 of their overweight or obese patients over an 18-month period -- saying only they wanted to record how doctors talked about health.

"Patients don't like to be told what to do, and they are generally not going to question or talk back to their doctor," Pollak said in a statement. "But what happens when doctors use reflective statements or a more motivational and empathic approach, it changes the relationship; the patient becomes more of an equal, more of a partner in care."

Read more.

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(RealAge.com) You could be putting a stranglehold on coffee's health perks by stirring in the wrong stuff. So consider these rules: no nondairy creamer, and go easy on the sweet stuff.

In a recent small study, sugar and nondairy creamers seemed to undo a big chunk of the health benefits of drinking coffee by binding up the good-for-your-body antioxidants in the brew…

[M]ore research is needed to confirm the effect and also clear up remaining questions about milk (other research has shown that proteins in milk bind with CGAs in tea, making the antioxidants unavailable to the body). But the bottom line is that the less you put in your coffee, the better it probably is for you. No sugar means no extra calories. And if you must have milk, choose just a splash of fat-free. Whole milk and many nondairy creamers add saturated fat.

Read more.

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(RealAge.com) Fall is one of the most beautiful seasons, thanks to changing leaves and autumn harvests. And you can have beautiful skin to match with this fall treat: pumpkin.

This festive orange squash is rich in key nutrients that help keep skin healthy and fend off wrinkle-causing damage, according to Allison Tannis, author of Feed Your Skin, Starve Your Wrinkles.

Just a quarter cup of canned pumpkin provides over 4,000 micrograms of beta carotene. Canned pumpkin also provides you with a little iron, another skin-supporting nutrient. It's necessary for the formation of collagen, a protein that helps skin stay firm and smooth. And as a bonus, pumpkin also serves up wrinkle-fighting vitamin C. (Here's a list of top foods for your skin.)

Find out why pumpkin is so good for the rest of your body, too.

Read more.

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MyRecipes.com:

Chicken-Penne Salad with Green Beans
To quickly prepare the beans in this recipe, trim just the stem ends, leaving the tapered blossom ends intact. Line up 5 or 6 beans at a time and cut them roughly the same length as the pasta. You can have an entire meal ready in about 35 minutes.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Herbed Chicken Parmesan

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

EatingWell:

Sesame-Seasoned Spinach
In Korea there is an entire category of side dishes called namul. These are boldly seasoned vegetables from the land and the sea. This particular recipe reflects Korea’s love of both spinach and sesame seeds. The seeds are always toasted before serving for a boost of flavor. This namul can be served alone or as one of the colorful elements in bibimbap.

Wilted Spinach with Garlic

Simple Sautéed Spinach

Catalan Spinach Sauté

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(Science Daily) Almost 50 percent of patients undergoing orthopedic surgery have vitamin D deficiency that should be corrected before surgery to improve patient outcomes, according to a study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City. Vitamin D is essential for bone healing and muscle function and is critical for a patient's recovery…

"In the perfect world, test levels, fix and then operate," said Joseph Lane, M.D…, who led the study. "If you put people on 2,000-4,000 [milligrams] of vitamin D based on what their deficient value was, you can usually get them corrected in four to six weeks, which is when you are really going to need the vitamin D. If you are really aggressive right before surgery, you can correct deficient levels quickly, but you have to correct it, measure it, and then act on it."

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Cells that help to protect the central nervous system may also contribute to pathological changes in the brain. New research, published by Cell Press in the October 7th issue of the journal Neuron, provides mechanistic insight into a link between the immune system and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease that are associated with abnormal accumulation of tau protein.

Tau is a protein found inside of neurons that acts almost like a skeleton, providing a supportive framework for the cell. However, abnormal tau sometimes clumps into filamentous deposits that damage neurons.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Massachusetts General Hospital researchers say they have determined how iron contributes to the production of brain-destroying plaques found in Alzheimer's patients.

The team … report[s] that there is a very close link between elevated levels of iron in the brain and the enhanced production of the amyloid precursor protein, which in Alzheimer's disease breaks down into a peptide that makes up the destructive plaques.

Dr. Jack T. Rogers … said the findings "lay the foundation for the development of new therapies that will slow or stop the negative effects of iron buildup" in patients with the progressive neurodegenerative disease, symptoms of which include memory loss, impaired judgment, disorientation and personality changes.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Air pollution has already been linked to a range of health problems. Now, a ground-breaking new study suggests pollution from traffic may put women at risk for another deadly disease. The study … links the risk of breast cancer -- the second leading cause of death from cancer in women -- to traffic-related air pollution…

Dr. [France] Labrèche [said] "Some studies published in the US have also shown possible links between cancer and air pollution. At the moment, we are not in a position to say with assurance that air pollution causes breast cancer. However, we can say that the possible link merits serious investigation. From a public health standpoint, this possible link also argues for actions aimed at reducing traffic-related air pollution in residential areas."

Read more.

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(UPI) A study of more than 6,000 U.S. workers found a persistently noisy workplace more than doubled serious heart disease risk, Canadian researchers say…

The blood tests of the workers who worked in nosier places, did not indicate particularly high levels of cholesterol or inflammatory proteins -- both risk factors for heart disease -- but diastolic blood pressure, was higher than normal, a condition known as isolated diastolic hypertension, an independent predictor of serious heart problems.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Like cats, human cells have a finite number of lives: once they divide a certain number of times (thankfully, more than nine) they change shape, slow their pace, and eventually stop dividing -- a phenomenon called "cellular senescence."

Biologists know that a cellular clock composed of structures at the chromosome end known as telomeres records how many "lives" a cell has expended…

[T]his study suggests that aging itself is infinitely complex: that progressive telomere shortening hastens chromosomal aging by changing the way genes entwine with histones, so-called "epigenetic" changes…

Rescue experiments in which the team cosmetically enhanced aging cells confirmed that signals emitted by eroding telomeres drove epigenetic changes. When aging cells were engineered to express telomerase, the enzyme that restores and extends stubby telomeres, those rejuvenated cells showed histone levels reminiscent of "happy, healthy chromatin," and a partial return to a youthful chromatin profile…

"The flip side of elongating telomeres is that you enable cells to grow for much longer periods and can generate what are called "immortal" cells," says [Jan Karlseder, Ph.D.]. "That takes you one step closer to cancer cell development."

Read more.

Community: As readers of Many Years Young already know, exercise can help slow the shortening of telomeres. And here are more articles on telomeres.

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(Science Daily) When mice are given drinking water laced with a special concoction of amino acids, they live longer than your average mouse, according to a new report… The key ingredients in the supplemental mixture are so-called branched-chain amino acids, which account for 3 of the 20 amino acids (specifically leucine, isoleucine, and valine) that are the building blocks of proteins.

"This is the first demonstration that an amino acid mixture can increase survival in mice," said Enzo Nisoli of Milan University…, noting that researchers last year showed that leucine, isoleucine, and valine extend the life span of single-celled yeast…

The benefits of the amino acid supplements appear similar to those earlier ascribed to calorie restriction, Nisoli said.

He says a large clinical trial is needed, but there is little incentive for companies to do such trials for dietary supplements as opposed to drugs.

Overall, Nisoli said the new work supports a "general philosophy of a nutritional approach to disease, aging, and problems of energy status."

Read more.

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(U.S. News & World Report) A flood of cosmetics and other elixirs advertised as magic against old age is pulling in consumers on the Internet these days, often to their later dismay. Complaints from consumers like Cole about tactics often used to sell the products—the so-called free trials, the monthly commitment, an often complicated and difficult cancellation process—have caught the attention of federal lawmakers, who are looking into the problem. "When an anti-aging company says 'free trial, give us your credit card,' it's almost always a 'gotcha,' " says Joe Stanganelli, a lawyer in Boston…

Often, the companies that sell the cosmetic concoctions, colon cleansers, and supplements make anti-aging claims backed by little or no scientific evidence. In some cases, the pitches even come with phony celebrity endorsements…

Nationally, the Better Business Bureau and other consumer protection agencies have heard so often about bogus free trials that the Federal Trade Commission is now in discussions with Congress about requiring online retailers to clearly disclose what the deals involve, according to Leonard Gordon, director of the FTC's northeast regional office. At the moment, retailers can impose monthly charges as long as they disclose what they're doing in their terms and conditions, he says, which they often bury in "mouseprint" on their websites.

Read more.

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(UPI) Employees who have control of their work schedule tend to work more, blurring the boundaries between work and the rest of their lives, U.S. researchers say…

The work-family conflict is critical because "a substantial body of social scientific evidence demonstrates its link to poorer physical and mental health outcome," [sociology professor Scott] Schieman says.

Read more.

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(HealthDay News) A small cash incentive from an employer might be enough to prompt healthy lifestyle changes in families, new research suggests.

IBM offered its employees $150 to participate in a 12-week program where they were given a list of health-promoting activities to choose from -- such as adding more vegetables to the family diet, exercising more as a family and reducing family TV and computer time -- and found that more than 50 percent of the employees who chose to participate in the project completed the program…

More than 11,000 -- 52.2 percent of those enrolled -- employees completed the program. Those that finished it reported increased physical activity, reduced time spent on electronic entertainment and more healthy family meals.

Read more.

Community: I’m thinking they didn’t do it for the money.

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(Science Daily) Fish oil -- long encouraged by doctors as a supplement to support heart and joint health, among other benefits -- induced severe colitis and colon cancer in mice in research led by Michigan State University…

Jenifer Fenton, a food science and human nutrition researcher at MSU, led the research that supports establishing a dose limit for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), one of the omega-3 fatty acids present in fish oil, particularly in people suffering from chronic conditions such as inflammatory bowel diseases.

Read more.

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MyRecipes.com:

Pasta with Sausage, Leeks, and Fontina
Whole wheat pasta makes this hearty. The flavors meld and provide just enough of each element in every bite to keep you wanting more.

Pasta with Ham and Herbed Cheese

Giant Butternut Squash Ravioli

Pasta with Shrimp and Veggies

EatingWell:

Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken with Pepian Sauce
Tomatillos and pepitas form the basis for pepian sauce--one version of Mexican mole.

Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Blackberry Mustard

Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Spice-Crusted Chicken with Citrus Salsa

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(HealthDay News) The breathing masks often prescribed to treat sleep apnea can subtly alter the shape of a patient's face with prolonged use, a new study suggests.

The common treatment, called continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can help relieve the interrupted breathing of sleep apnea. However, "my research found possible craniofacial change [as a result of] long-term CPAP use," said study author Hiroko Tsuda…

However, the team concluded that for now the benefits of CPAP for sleep apnea patients outweigh concerns raised by the potential for what appears to be a risk for relatively minor facial structure changes.

Read more.

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(HealthDay News) Among adults whose heart had stopped beating, those who received 'hands-only' cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from a bystander were 60 percent more likely to survive than those who received no CPR or conventional CPR with mouth-to-mouth breathing.

This is good news, researchers said, because not only is 'hands-only' CPR -- in which the rescuer does rapid, uninterrupted chest compressions -- easier for the public to learn and remember, research shows bystanders are more likely to act when they don't have to do mouth-to-mouth…

Researchers stressed the findings apply only to adults given CPR by the lay public. Children should still usually receive rescue breathing, Bobrow said, as well as anyone who was choking, drowning or having breathing trouble before becoming unconscious.

Read more.

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(HealthDay News) A small new study is the latest to suggest that testosterone may boost the health of women with heart failure, without causing serious side effects…

Researchers have previously linked testosterone to better health in elderly men with heart failure. In the new study, researchers randomly assigned 36 women with heart failure to receive normal medical treatment by itself or with skin patches that administered testosterone to their bodies…

The researchers found that testosterone improved the women's tolerance for exercise and boosted their muscle strength, said study author Dr. Ferdinando Iellamo… All of these factors "play a role in determining the prognosis and survival of female patients with chronic heart failure," Iellamo said.

Read more.

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(Reuters Health) Neurotic people aren't only making themselves miserable; they cost society billions of dollars in health care spending and lost productivity, according to new research from the Netherlands…

Neuroticism -- a proclivity toward worry, anxiety and emotional ups and downs -- is considered to be a personality trait with genetic roots, and is strongly associated with several types of mental illness, including depression, anxiety and schizophrenia.

Read more.

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(Reuters Health) Sending bar patrons home at earlier hours may lower the rate of late-night violence, hints a new study from Australia.

In the city of Newcastle, New South Wales, home to about half a million people, researchers found that bumping up the closing time for a group of downtown pubs led to a reduction of more than a third in local police-recorded assaults.

Read more.

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(HealthDay News) The use of CT and MRI scans for injury-related emergency room visits in the United States has tripled since 1998, new research finds.

"There has been a dramatic increase in the likelihood of getting a CT or MRI scan during visits to emergency departments for injury-related conditions without a corresponding increase in the likelihood of diagnosing life-threatening injuries during those visits," said lead researcher Dr. Frederick Kofi Korley…

[B]esides raising health-care costs, scanning increases radiation exposure and prolongs stays in the ER, according to background information in the study.

Read more.

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(Reuters) Nurses can handle much of the strain that healthcare reform will place on doctors and should be given both the education and the authority to take on more medical duties, the U.S. Institute of Medicine said on Tuesday…

But the American Medical Association, which represents about 120,000 practicing physicians as well as students and resident doctors, quickly criticized the report.

"Nurses are critical to the health care team, but there is no substitute for education and training," the group said in a statement. "With a shortage of both nurses and physicians, increasing the responsibility of nurses is not the answer to the physician shortage."

Nurses already often deliver babies, counsel patients with heart disease or diabetes and care for dying cancer patients -- and these roles should be expanded nationally and paid for by both public and private insurers, the report says.

Read more.

Community: Many Years Young has been ahead of the curve in making this recommendation. And to heck with what the AMA thinks. They see their job as preserving doctors’ hegemony over the practice of medicine.

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(UPI) Some 45 percent of U.S. adults report having employer-paid healthcare coverage in September, down from 50 percent in 2008, a survey indicates.

The Gallup survey, part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index based on interviews with more than 30,000 U.S. adults, also indicates that while employer-based healthcare insurance dropped because of the loss of jobs since the economic crash in 2008, there is a new high of people getting healthcare via the government.

More American adults reported having government healthcare -- Medicare, Medicaid, or military/veterans' benefits -- in September at 26.3 percent compared to January 2008, when it was 22.5 percent.

Americans without health insurance were at 16.1 percent in September, close to the 16.6 percent in August, but higher than the 14.8 percent in January 2008.

Read more.

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(USA Today) Millions of consumers who shop for health insurance policies in the individual market [now have a tool] that will help them compare prices and see inside information on how often insurers deny applications for coverage.

The Department of Health and Human Services is now posting pricing information for 4,400 individual and family health plans offered by more than 225 insurance carriers at www.healthcare.gov. Plan information will be updated monthly, said Todd Park, HHS chief technology officer.

"The whole point is to put consumers in charge," Park said.

Read more.

Community: Go to HealthCare.gov and choose your state to get your information.

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(Science Daily) A researcher from the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta has discovered a mechanism underlying some forms of obesity and addictions which could lead to a treatment for both diseases.

When a hungry animal finds food in the wild, it is a rewarding stimulus for the animal and is recognized by the brain by the release of the chemical messenger dopamine. Because narcotics such as cocaine, heroin and amphetamines, and even tasty and highly-caloric foods also cause the release of dopamine and therefore make people feel rewarded, it's clear that dopamine has a role in addiction and the development of obesity…

[The results of the current study] help explain the mechanisms that underlie the formation of reward-cued spatial memories in both the laboratory model and human dentate gyrus. Understanding this mechanism not only explains the biology of an important form of learning, but may also lead to potential treatments for addiction and obesity.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Cutting back on sleep reduces the benefits of dieting, according to a study…

When dieters in the study got a full night's sleep, they lost the same amount of weight as when they slept less. When dieters got adequate sleep, however, more than half of the weight they lost was fat. When they cut back on their sleep, only one-fourth of their weight loss came from fat.

They also felt hungrier. When sleep was restricted, dieters produced higher levels of ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger and reduces energy expenditure.

"If your goal is to lose fat, skipping sleep is like poking sticks in your bicycle wheels," said study director Plamen Penev, MD, PhD.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) A diet rich in walnuts and walnut oil may prepare the body to deal better with stress, according to a team of Penn State researchers who looked at how these foods, which contain polyunsaturated fats, influence blood pressure at rest and under stress.

Previous studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids -- like the alpha linolenic acid found in walnuts and flax seeds -- can reduce low density lipoproteins (LDL) -- bad cholesterol. These foods may also reduce c-reactive protein and other markers of inflammation…

The researchers found that including walnuts and walnut oil in the diet lowered both resting blood pressure and blood pressure responses to stress in the laboratory. Participants gave a speech or immersed their foot in cold water as a stressor. Adding flax seed oil to the walnut diet did not further lower blood pressure.

Read more.

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MyRecipes.com:

Skillet Fillets with Cilantro Butter
Any mild white fish such as cod, flounder, or orange roughy would also be delicious in place of tilapia. Serve these brightly flavored fillets with sautéed spinach or a green salad.

Cilantro Chicken with Zucchini Spanish Rice

Roast Chicken-Chipotle Nachos with Cilantro-Avocado Crema

Cilantro Shrimp

EatingWell:

Sesame Tuna Salad
Toasted sesame oil transforms a humble staple like canned tuna into an elegant supper. We love the crunch of napa cabbage in this salad, but romaine lettuce would also work if you happen to have that on hand.

Tomato, Tuna & Tarragon Salad

Tuscan-Style Tuna Salad

Mediterranean Tuna Antipasto Salad

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(Science Daily) Researchers … have discovered a group of substances in the body that play a key role in controlling bone density, and on this basis they have begun development of a drug for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and other bone disorders…

In their current research, the researchers found that the bone cells produce a series of substances composed of fatty acids and amino acids called "acyl amides." They then analyzed their precise chemical composition, created synthetic versions of them, and examined their effect on bone cell cultures.

In experiments on mice, they discovered that one of the compounds in the group of synthetic materials, oleoyl serine, increased bone density in both healthy and osteoporotic mice. They also found that the osteoporotic mice were actually missing the oleoyl serine in their bones. These findings, say the researchers, can serve as the basis for new drugs that can both prevent bone loss and boost bone formation and in this way reverse loss of bone tissue in osteoporosis patients.

Read more.

Community: There are a number of ways to maintain bone density without medication.

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(Reuters) British scientists have developed a new way of joining and rebuilding molecules and used it to refine the anti-wrinkle treatment Botox in an effort to improve its use for Parkinson's, cerebral palsy and chronic migraine.

Researchers at the Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology said their results also open up ways to develop new forms of Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin, commonly known as Botox, which may be used as long-term painkillers.

"It will now be possible to produce Botox-based medicines in a safer and more economical way," Bazbek Davletov, who led the study, said in a statement about his findings.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Researchers … have identified a new type of cell in mice that dampens the immune system and protects the animal's own cells from immune system attack.

This "suppressor" cell reduces the production of harmful antibodies that can drive lupus and other autoimmune diseases in which the immune system mistakenly turns on otherwise healthy organs and tissues…

[T]he discovery will be used to explore therapies that might control the hyperactive immune system in lupus.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) A new vaccine added to standard therapy appears to offer a survival advantage for patients suffering from glioblastoma (GBM), the most deadly form of brain cancer, according to a study…

The vaccine also knocks out a troublesome growth factor that characterizes the most aggressive form of the disease.

Read more.

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(Reuters) Using electrodes to stimulate areas deep within the brain may be able to help patients with severe obsessive compulsive disorder OCD who do not respond to any other kinds of treatment, Dutch scientists said on Monday.

In a study of 16 patients with extreme forms of OCD, researchers... found after using a deep brain stimulation (DBS) system of electrodes patients saw a dramatic reduction in symptoms.

With DBS therapy, a surgeon implants a generator or battery into the wall of the chest to send electrical pulses to electrodes that target specific areas deep inside the brain.

"It's a bit like a pacemaker for the brain," said Damiaan Denys of Amsterdam University, who led the study.

Read more.

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(UPI) Being rejected by another person not only causes emotional and physical pain, it slows the rejected person's heart rate, researchers in the Netherlands say…

The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, says the participant's heart rate fell in anticipation of the person's supposed opinion of them. Heart rate dropped more after being told the other student didn't like them and was slower to resume its usual rate.

The heart rate slowed more in people who expected the other person would like them, the researchers add.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) Special mental health courts appear to be associated with lower post-treatment arrest rates and reduced number of days of incarceration for individuals with serious psychiatric illnesses, according to a report…

"This first multisite, prospective study of mental health courts offers encouragement that they can achieve the public safety outcomes that funders and the public want," the authors write. "Our data do not comprehensively address the key questions of who the courts are most effective for or what mechanisms produce positive outcomes. These important questions await further data from this and other studies. Until then, it appears that mental health courts are diversion programs for justice-involved persons with mental illness and, usually, co-occurring substance abuse disorders that warrant public policy support."

Read more.

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(Reader’s Digest) Among current bad health habits, eight out of nine doctors rate these three as having the potential to cause significant harm:

1. Smoking

2. Chronic anger, stress or worry

3. Feeling out of control at home or in your relationships.

What was the next tier of unhealthy habits? More than half the doctors identified the following as having the greatest chances of causing significant future harm to your health:

4. Not having a regular exercise routine

5. Drinking to excess on a weekly basis

6. Breathing secondhand smoke regularly

7. Taking sleeping pills to fall asleep most nights

8. Gulping large quantities of sugary drinks every day.

9. Being stuck in an unhappy relationship – with your spouse or with your own body – got top rankings, too…

10. Poor food habits set off alarms, too…

11. Dieters, beware: gaining and losing the same 10 to 20 pounds repeatedly was deemed dangerous by most.

12. So was skipping breakfast.

13. … Eight out of nine said that neglecting dental health could be the cause of moderate to significant harm…

The 21st-Century Vices…

14. Too much debt

15. Too much coffee

16. Too much intense, stressful driving

17. Six warned that skipping vacations isn't a good thing

18. Seven were concerned that being a workaholic could damage health.

Read more.

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(Los Angeles Times) For women who worry about becoming the oft-quoted "1 in 8" who will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, two well-established drugs can do for breast cancer what statins and blood pressure drugs do for heart attacks and strokes: drive down their odds of happening.

Cardiovascular medications are aggressively advertised, widely prescribed and talked about freely among friends and co-workers. Breast cancer prevention drugs are virtually invisible on the American pharmaceutical landscape…

In the coming years, researchers expect a new class of drugs — aromatase inhibitors — may prove even more effective than raloxifene and tamoxifen at driving down breast cancer risk, cutting it by 70%.

So why, given the fear so many women feel about this particular disease, aren't people flocking to the drugs? The reasons are various — involving optimism, mistrust and a misunderstanding of how breast cancer risk is calculated…

In one telling 2009 study, 632 women considered to be at high risk of developing breast cancer in the next five years received a comprehensive assessment of the risks and benefits they could expect from tamoxifen. While 29% said they would probably speak to their doctor about the drug, only 6% said they thought they would take it. Three months later, fewer than 1% had started to take it, and just 6% had asked their doctor about it.

"People weren't always convinced the benefits were real or that those benefits would apply to them," says study co-author Angela Fagerlin, a University of Michigan psychologist. And then there is suspicion. Fagerlin says she was struck recently by online comments posted in response to a newspaper editorial she wrote about the medications.

"They said, 'Look at hormone replacement therapy — they claimed it was going to help us, and look what happened,' "Fagerlin says. "The hatred and mistrust of the pharmaceutical companies was just astounding."

Read more.

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(SouthBeachDiet.com) The American Cancer Society recommends a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats… Here are small lifestyle changes you can make today that may help lower your risk of developing cancer in the future:

• Limit or avoid fried foods.
• Choose whole grains over refined-flour products.
• Cut down on sweets.
• Avoid meats high in fat.
• Eat a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
• Limit consumption of alcoholic beverages to no more than one drink a day if you’re a woman or two if you’re a man.
• Quit smoking.
• Exercise regularly to maintain a healthy weight.

Taking control of your health by following these tips will help lower your risk of developing many kinds of cancer. Some people are genetically predisposed to cancer because of family history or environmental influences. If you think you may be at high risk for developing cancer, consult your physician.

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(RealAge.com) It's simple, requires no equipment, and is easy on your joints. And new research shows it helps banish brain fog, too. It's walking.

In a study of people age 55 to 80, engaging in one of the world's oldest and simplest forms of exercise helped improve signaling communication in the brains of the study participants.

As we get older, communication pathways within the brain begin to bog down. But in the study, the brains of couch-potato adults who enrolled in a year-long walking program showed significant improvement in cognitive functioning and communication signaling at the end of the study period…

No time to walk? Here are some sneaky strategies for finding more minutes to pound the pavement.

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(RealAge.com) Getting plenty of this vitamin may make venturing out of your house a little less scary this flu season. We're talking about the sunshine vitamin -- good old D.

In a study done during flu season, people who had higher blood levels of vitamin D were half as likely to get hit with the bug -- or any other viral infection of the respiratory tract, for that matter…

Another good defense against flu? Getting vaccinated.

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(RealAge.com) It's soup season. And whether you get yours from a can or find the time to whip up one of Mom's classics, there's a soup ingredient your blood sugar will love: greens.

That's right. Winter greens like kale and chard make great soup add-ins. And a recent review of scientific studies revealed that people who ate roughly a cup of cooked greens a day were 14 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes…

As a food group, researchers say leafy greens include a wide range of good-for-you vegetables, including lettuce, kale, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and edible herbs like dill and parsley. And their benefits go well beyond just blood sugar. Here are some of the other fun reasons to treat your body to a variety of leafy greens this winter:

To make your skin younger: Discover which leafy-green nutrients help keep skin looking firm and smooth.

To make your heart sing: Find out how the vitamins in greens calm inflammation in blood vessels.

To keep knees comfy: Here's why a salad is such an awesome appetizer for hands and knees.

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