(HealthDay News) The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is preparing to recommend that men no longer get screened for prostate cancer by undergoing prostate specific antigen -- or PSA -- testing, CNN reported Thursday evening, citing a "source privy to the task force deliberations."…

The test has been controversial for some time. Many doctors contend that the screen often uncovers tumors that are small and slow growing, and will never cause a man to die. On the other hand, treating the disease can often leave a patient impotent or incontinent.

Some prostate cancer patients were disappointed with the task force's decision.

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(HealthDay News) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced late Thursday that it had approved using the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis as a treatment for enlarged prostate.

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, enlarged prostate -- clinically known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) -- is a "common part of aging" for men. In fact, the NIH estimates that "more than half of men in their 60s, and as many as 90 percent in their 70s and 80s, have some symptoms of BPH."

The condition often leads to urinary incontinence and can raise the odds for urinary tract infections and even kidney damage.

"BPH can have a big impact on a patient's quality of life," Scott Monroe, director of the division of reproductive and urologic products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release. "A large number of older men have symptoms of BPH. Cialis [tadalifil] offers these men another treatment option, particularly those who also have ED, which is also common in older men," he said.

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(RealAge.com) For the healthiest meal, eat in.

Recent research suggests that you make better food choices in the comfort of your own home.

Scientists asked 160 women to log their emotional states and eating habits over a 10-day period, and found that women tend to eat healthier foods when they're happy and at home. And it sets up a brilliant chain reaction: Eating a healthy meal triggers even more positive emotions, which makes you choose healthier foods at the next meal, creating a cycle of positive reinforcement. And this cycle is more pronounced at home. Why? Scientists suspect it's because home is where you feel most content, and there's more comfort and happiness associated with a home-cooked meal. That happiness triggers healthier eating.

This supports the belief that healthy eating habits are based on more than just knowing what you're supposed to eat. Your emotions play an important part too.

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(Gannett News Service) Nutrition experts have known for years that some foods, such as oatmeal, nuts and soy products, lower cholesterol.

Now, a new study shows that eating a diet with several of these foods can decrease LDL (bad) cholesterol significantly…

All participants in the study were following heart-healthy diets low in saturated fat (butter, beef fat) and rich in fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains, Jenkins says. Those in the control group continued to stick with their healthy diets.

Others in the intervention group were taught how to incorporate four cholesterol-lowering types of foods into their eating plan, including nuts; soy products; foods rich in viscous fiber (a type of soluble fiber), and plant sterol-enriched margarine…

“We fed people cholesterol-lowering foods, they worked, and you can buy them at the supermarket,” Jenkins says. “If you enrich a good diet with these foods, you get a very respectable reduction in cholesterol.”

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(RealAge.com) Got diabetes? Here's something easy and delicious you can do to avoid complications: Eat a handful of strawberries.

A recent lab study found that there's a whole lot of something called fisetin in the red, juicy berries that reduces the kidney and brain complications associated with type 1 diabetes.

The scientists believe that fisetin increases the production of an enzyme that helps remove a toxin known as AGE from the blood. There's a strong correlation between high levels of AGE in the blood and diabetic complications. Less AGE, less complications. Bingo.

In order to consume the fisetin levels equal to those given to the study subjects, you would have to eat 37 strawberries every day. That's a lot of fruit! But researchers hope that more studies confirming the benefits of fisetin will lead to a fisetin supplement for diabetics. Until then, get your fill of strawberries.

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MyRecipes.com:

Beef and Beer Chili
Cook a flavorful pot of chili in just 40 minutes for a quick weeknight meal that's sure to warm the soul. You can easily double the recipe and freeze extra for later.

Spicy Skirt Steak Chimichurri and Corn Chili

Mexican Black-Bean Chili

Old-Fashioned Chili

EatingWell:

Pureed Broccoli Soup
Try this easy broccoli soup as alongside grilled cheese sandwiches or as a starter to a simple fall meal.

Green Curry Soup

Carrot Soup

Roasted Tomato Soup

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(UPI) In light of the 18 deaths due to the foodborne pathogen listeria, U.S. health officials are advising consumers always to take precautions with raw produce.

The Web site FoodSafety.gov advises consumers only purchase produce not bruised or damaged, and when selecting fresh-cut produce choose items that are refrigerated or surrounded by ice.

Bag fresh fruit and vegetables separately from meat, poultry and seafood products to prevent cross contamination from meat juices, health officials said.

The Web site also advises to:

-- Store perishable fresh fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, lettuce, herbs and mushrooms in a clean refrigerator at a temperature of 40 degrees F or below.

-- Refrigerate all produce purchased pre-cut or peeled.

-- Wash hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap before and after preparing produce.

-- All produce should be thoroughly washed in warm water.

When it comes especially to melons, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises:

-- Any bacteria on the outside of the fruit or vegetable can be pulled to the inside when a knife slices through.

-- After washing hands, scrub the surface of melons, with a clean produce brush or dish cloth and dry them with a clean cloth or paper towel before cutting.

-- Cut melon should be promptly eaten or refrigerated for no more than seven days.

-- Cut melons at room temperature for more than 4 hours should be thrown away.

-- Unlike some other bacteria, listeria can thrive in refrigerators and health officials suggest thoroughly cleaning any refrigerator drawers or shelves that might have held tainted food.

Source

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(HealthDay News) Technology that directly oxygenates the blood reduced the risk of death in patients who were severely sickened by the H1N1 flu virus, a new British study shows.

The researchers cautioned that their study had limitations, and they noted that debate continues about the use of the technology, which is expensive…

Those who received the treatment were roughly half as likely to die as those who didn't.

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(HealthDay News) Indoor tanning beds may be even more likely to cause skin cancer than previously believed.

New research … suggests that the main type of ultraviolet rays used in tanning beds -- UVA1 -- may penetrate to a deep layer of skin that is most vulnerable to the cancer-causing changes caused by UV rays.

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(Reuters Health) Older women taking the breast cancer drug tamoxifen may have an increased risk of developing diabetes, a new study suggests.

The findings, reported in the journal Cancer, do not prove that tamoxifen directly leads to diabetes in some women.

But researchers say it is plausible that in women with known risk factors for diabetes -- like obesity or family history of the disease -- tamoxifen furthers the risk somewhat.

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(HealthDay News) The death of Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs has once again focused attention on cancers of the pancreas, which have claimed the lives of several high-profile celebrities…

Because the pancreas is positioned deep inside the body, it's often difficult to diagnose tumors early because they have yet to interfere with the function of nearby organs such as the stomach, liver or gallbladder, according to Johns Hopkins University…

While Jobs lived eight years with his diagnosis, the average survival time for advanced pancreatic cancer is much worse, roughly only eight or nine months, said Dr. Maged Rizk, a gastroenterologist with the Cleveland Clinic.

Because traditional pancreatic tumors tend to be diagnosed later, rather than sooner, that's a big reason why they're so deadly, Rizk added…

Risk factors for neuroendocrine tumors are largely unknown. Risk factors for pancreatic cancer include not only age, but cigarette smoking, obesity, diabetes and race -- blacks are more likely to develop the disease than whites.

Read more.

Community: One of my grandmothers died of pancreatic cancer when she was in her forties or fifties.

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(Science Daily) In a first ever demonstration of a two-way interaction between a primate brain and a virtual body, two monkeys trained at the Duke University Center for Neuroengineering learned to employ brain activity alone to move an avatar hand and identify the texture of virtual objects.

"Someday in the near future, quadriplegic patients will take advantage of this technology not only to move their arms and hands and to walk again, but also to sense the texture of objects placed in their hands, or experience the nuances of the terrain on which they stroll with the help of a wearable robotic exoskeleton," said Miguel Nicolelis, M.D., Ph.D.

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(Reuters) Texting or emailing while driving is more dangerous than previously thought, according to a new study of the behavior…

Drivers were asked to stop when they saw a flashing yellow light, and their reaction times were recorded, [study leader Christine] Yager said.

The typical time it took a driver who was not texting to respond to the flashing light was one to two seconds. But when the driver was texting, the reaction time extended to three to four seconds, and the texting motorist was 11 times more likely to miss the flashing light altogether.

Yager said the reaction time was the same whether the driver was typing a message or reading one.

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(Science Daily) To examine the link between marijuana use by drivers and risk of a car accident, researchers at Columbia University did a meta-analysis of nine epidemiologic studies and found that drivers who test positive for marijuana or report driving within three hours of marijuana use are more than twice as likely as other drivers to be involved in motor vehicle crashes. The researchers also found evidence that crash risk increases with the concentration of marijuana-produced compounds in the urine and the frequency of self-reported marijuana use.

According to the investigators 8 of 9 studies found that drivers who use marijuana are significantly more likely to be involved in crashes than drivers who do not. Only one small case-control study conducted in Thailand, where the prevalence of marijuana use is far lower than reported elsewhere, was the exception.

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(HealthDay News) The United States' so-called "worst" hospitals are home to a significantly larger pool of elderly, poor and minority patients than are the nation's better quality/lower cost institutions, new research says…

The study team also warns that the situation among the country's most beleaguered facilities is poised to get worse, given the reward system outlined in the new U.S. health care law, which will empower Medicare and Medicaid to cut payments to hospitals that don't meet designated quality standards.

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(UPI) A non-profit group says a set of strategies it has developed could improve the way the U.S. healthcare system serves vulnerable populations and the uninsured…

"Our current economic situation has increased the number and proportion of people who are vulnerable, leaving even more families at risk of suffering from our healthcare system's inequities," Dr. David Blumenthal of Massachusetts General Hospital/Partners HealthCare System and Harvard Medical School, said in a statement. "The recommendations in this report can encourage policymakers to focus on the unique issues facing these populations, and work toward creating a high performance health system for all."

For example, to alleviate the shortage of providers willing to serve Medicaid patients, the commission recommends considering payment reforms to reward high-quality networks of providers for providing optimal care for Medicaid beneficiaries, the report said.

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(New York Times) At Village Health Partners, patients receive a year’s worth of wellness exams in a single visit; get their e-mails answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; and have their mammogram and M.R.I. results logged into their electronic medical records by the time they pull out of the parking lot…

As the United States grapples with rising health care costs and a system that rewards doctors and hospitals for how sick their patients get, not how healthy they become, Texas health care providers are increasingly experimenting with new payment and care delivery models — joining forces to emphasize efficiency and outcomes.

These new models present a culture shift for the state’s physicians. But they have provided an intriguing benefit for patients, drawn to the convenience and comfort of a system financially motivated to keep them as well as possible…

Health care experts say the leading contributor to escalating costs is the dominant fee-for-service payment system, in which doctors and hospitals are paid per treatment or procedure and make more when patients get infections or complications. But they fear returning to the health maintenance organization model that limited patient choice and gave doctors a financial incentive to ration care.

The solution, health care providers including Village Health Partners and Kelsey-Seybold believe, is clinical integration — in which groups of family physicians and specialists share electronic patient information, the costs of case management and care coordination, and the latest research on best practices, all with the symbiotic goal of keeping costs low and patients well.

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(Reuters) If you're a senior on Medicare - or if you help out aging parents with their money matters - it's time to get ready to shop. The annual enrollment period for Medicare prescription drug and Advantage managed care plans is about to begin, and it's one of the best opportunities of the year for seniors to save money…

[T]he enrollment period is earlier this year. The 2010 health reform law moved up the annual enrollment period by several weeks, starting this year. Enrollment will be open from October 15 to December 7 - a sensible move intended to get this time-consuming chore away from the busy holiday season.

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(HealthDay News) Older adults who think they're not in tip-top health may have a greater risk of developing dementia than folks who believe they're healthy, French researchers report…

Someday, "having people rate their own health may be a simple tool for doctors to determine a person's risk of dementia, especially for people with no symptoms or memory problems," Dr. Christophe Tzourio … said.

Read more.

Community: All the more reason to get and stay healthy.

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(Andrew Weil, M.D.) Researchers in Taiwan followed more than 400,000 people for an average of eight years and found that 15 minutes of exercise daily can boost life expectancy by three years.

Compared to inactive individuals, participants who exercised for just under 15 minutes per day were 14 percent less likely to die from any cause during the eight years of the study, and 10 percent less likely to die of cancer. Beyond that, each additional 15 minutes of daily exercise lowered the risk of death - from any cause - by four percent, and the extra physical activity cut the risk of death from cancer by one percent.

Earlier this month, a review published online in Circulation showed that people who get 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week reduce their risk of heart disease by 14 percent compared to inactive people and that exercising five hours per week can lower heart disease risk by as much as 20 percent.

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(Science Daily) If you are looking to lean out, add muscle mass, and get ripped, a new research report … suggests that you might want to look to your garden for a little help. That's because scientists have found that when a specific plant steroid was given orally to rats, it triggered a response similar to anabolic steroids, with minimal side effects. In addition, the research found that the stimulatory effect of homobrassinolide (a type of brassinosteroid found in plants such as mustards) on protein synthesis in muscle cells led to increases in lean body mass, muscle mass and physical performance.

"We hope that one day brassinosteroids may provide an effective, natural, and safe alternative for age- and disease-associated muscle loss, or be used to improve endurance and physical performance," said Slavko Komarnytsky, Ph.D.

Read more.

Community: Debora Esposito, one of the researchers, told me via email that members of the Brassicae family other than various mustards also contain this steroid. Among them are turnips, cabbage, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and kohlrabi.

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(Reuters) The numbers are devastating: almost 2,000 poor kids in Texas with cancer, another 18,000 with diabetes and more than 350,000 suffering from chronic lung disease, heart disease or stroke.

What sounds like a grim statistical report on poverty and disease is actually a lobbying message from Medicaid advocates to Texas congressman Jeb Hensarling, Republican co-chairman of a special congressional panel charged with cutting at least $1.2 trillion from the U.S. deficit over 10 years.

The message is in a 14-page electronic brochure titled "Medicaid's Impact in Texas," sent to Hensarling and other Texas lawmakers by the health consumer advocacy group Families USA, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Diabetes Association and American Lung Association.

The aim is to remind Congress of the potential human toll from tens of billions of dollars in federal Medicaid spending cuts that the groups expect Hensarling and his fellow "super committee" members to consider in the coming weeks.

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(HealthDay News) Less-affluent women now face a greater risk of dying from breast cancer than wealthier patients, a new American Cancer Society report finds.

The trend represents a reversal of a previous trend, in which women with greater means had been at a greater risk for dying from the disease.

"In general, progress in reducing breast cancer death rates is being seen across races/ethnicities, socioeconomic status and across the U.S.," said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, in a society news release. "However, not all women have benefited equally."

"Poor women," he noted, "are now at greater risk for breast cancer death because of less access to screening and better treatments. This continued disparity is impeding real progress against breast cancer, and will require renewed efforts to ensure that all women have access to high-quality prevention, detection and treatment services."

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(UPI) It cost every U.S. citizen $542 in 2010, or a total of $167.5 billion, for the far-reaching consequences of hunger in the nation, researchers calculated…

U.S. hunger costs at least $167.5 billion due to the combination of lost economic productivity per year, more expensive public education because of the rising costs of poor education outcomes, avoidable healthcare costs and the cost of charity to keep families fed, the study said.

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MyRecipes.com:

Halibut with Spicy Mint-Cilantro Chutney
Traditional Indian cuisine provides the theme for this speedy menu. A fiery sauce accompanies fish that's coated in a fragrant spice blend.

EatingWell:

Pork & Bok Choy Stir-Fry
In this zippy pork stir-fry we cut the bok choy into long, thin strips to mimic the long noodles. We like Japanese soba noodles because they are made with buckwheat, which gives them a nutty flavor and a boost of fiber. You can also use mild-flavored rice noodles or whole-wheat spaghetti. Serve with sliced cucumbers dressed with rice-wine vinegar and a glass of sauvignon blanc.

Cooking Light:

100 SOUP RECIPES
Soups, stews, gazpachos, and purees – there is bound to be something for everyone (and every season) on our extensive list of favorite, healthy soups.

Chicken and Dumplings
Basic Beef Stew
French Onion Soup
Mexican Black-Bean Chili

Halloween and Fall Favorites

October's Goal: Eat Less Salt!

6 Steps to Better Stir-Fries

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(Reuters Health) Elderly men with naturally higher levels of testosterone may be less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke than those with lower levels of the hormone, a new study finds…

But the findings … do not prove that testosterone, itself, deserves the credit.

And it's too soon to recommend testosterone replacement to try to lower older men's heart risks, according to Dr. JoAnn E. Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

"Low testosterone may be a marker of other health conditions that put men at higher risk of cardiovascular disease," said Manson, who was not involved in the research.

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(Reuters) The economic slowdown could have an upside: a dramatic decline in the number of drinking and driving incidents, a new federal study suggests.

A 2010 national telephone survey of 451,000 people found the lowest level of alcohol-impaired driving since 1993 and a 30 percent plunge since the peak in 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Tuesday…

The survey did not suggest a significant drop in overall drinking, said Gwen Bergen, a CDC behavioral scientist.

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(Reuters) Dutch drivers caught operating a car while massively over the legal alcohol limit will be forced to fit their cars with "alcolocks" which automatically lock the engine if the driver is over the limit…

The new rules will come into effect on December 1, in time for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The way the alcolock works is that the driver must first breathe into it to unlock the engine, and will have to repeat the same process at regular intervals during the journey.

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(Science Daily) New hope for preventing the development of [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)] has been uncovered by Prof. Joseph Zohar of Tel Aviv University…

When searching for a treatment method for PTSD, Prof. Zohar took his cue from Mother Nature. Most people who survive a traumatic experience don't develop PTSD because the cortisone that our body naturally produces protects us from developing the condition. But the right dose of cortisone at the right time could prove a source of secondary prevention for PTSD, he posited, helping along a natural process.

His approach also may circumvent the harm caused by dosing traumatised patients with other pharmaceuticals. In the emergency room, traumatized patients are often given medications such as Valium or Xanax, aimed at calming them down. In fact, Prof. Zohar says, these pills interfere with our natural and potent recovery process, hindering the secretion of cortisone. "Looking at the long term effect, people who received these medications had a greater chance of developing PTSD than those who did not," he explains…

People who suffer from PTSD are haunted by their traumatic memories; for them, the past is always present, Prof. Zohar explains. Cortisone, given at the right dose at the right time, may alleviate the power of these traumatic memories by preventing their consolidation.

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(Science Daily) Cognitive therapy has dynamically improved the most neurologically impaired, poorly functioning schizophrenic patients. For the first time, researchers … have shown that a psychosocial treatment can significantly improve daily functioning and quality of life in the lowest-functioning cases of schizophrenia…

[Said Paul Grant, PhD, lead author of the study,] "Our results suggest that cognitive therapy can improve quality of life, reduce symptoms, and promote recovery in these patients. This intervention can help these patients improve to the point where they may be able to move up to the next level in psychosocial functioning -- i.e. going from being unemployed to volunteering part-time; not being in school to enrolling in night classes; not socializing to having a weekly social contact and making a friend or two."

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(Science Daily) When an athlete consistently does well, sports commentators may describe them as being "hot" or "on fire." Scientists have debunked these streaks as being in the eye of the beholder, but a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers supports the "hot hand" phenomenon: that a streak of positive outcomes is likely to continue…

[The researchers] used a large data set of more than 300,000 [basketball] free throws to show strong support for the "hot hand" phenomenon at the individual level. They analyzed all free throws taken during five regular seasons NBA seasons from 2005 to 2010. They found that there was a significant increase in players' probabilities of hitting the second shot in a two-shot series compared to the first one. They also found that in a set of two consecutive shots, the probability of hitting the second shot is greater following a hit than following a miss on the previous one.

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(Science Daily) Health care providers assess blood and tissue type as well as organ size and health to enhance transplant success. New research indicates that checklist might also need to include the circadian clock.

While some human studies have shown the time of day transplant surgery is performed can influence the outcome, this study of mice with dysfunctional internal clocks is the first correlating circadian clocks with transplant success, said Dr. Daniel Rudic.

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(HealthDay News) A novel stem cell therapy given shortly after a kidney transplant allows some patients to cast away the medicines meant to keep their body from attacking the new organ, according to a small new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine…

"Organ transplantation has been a very successful enterprise in treating people with organ failure kidneys, hearts, the lungs. These have been life-saving procedures. But the price people still have to pay is lifelong use of medications that prevent rejection," said Strober, an immunologist and professor of medicine at Stanford.

Strober said his new method, honed over 30 years of research in mice, involves a combination of radiation, donor stem cells, and antibodies.

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(Reuters) U.S. scientists for the first time have used a cloning technique to get tailor-made embryonic stem cells to grow in unfertilized human egg cells,…

The achievement … is significant because such patient-specific cells potentially can be transplanted to replace damaged cells in people with diabetes and other diseases without rejection by the immune system.

This technique could ignite new controversy because some opponents consider it to be cloning, which they fiercely oppose.

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(HealthDay News) Treating women with an aggressive form of early stage breast cancer using Herceptin and chemotherapy, while not turning to a third type of drug known as an anthracycline, improves survival while posing less danger to the heart, researchers report.

They tested three different regimens, one of which did not include any anthracyclines. When Herceptin is given with doxorubicin (Adriamycin), an anthracycline, toxic cardiac effects have been seen.

"What the study shows is you have comparable effectiveness in a Herceptin-based regimen when you don't use the anthracyclines," said Dr. Dennis Slamon.

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(Reuters) The health regulator said it is seeking public input on a plan to create a network of outside experts who would help understand new technology in medical devices, potentially speeding up device approval…

The program is part of the FDA's efforts to reform its fast-track approval process for medical devices, called 510(k). In recent years the agency's devices unit has been dogged by high staff turnover, funding woes and major recalls.

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(HealthDay News) Weight loss programs that focus on changing behaviors, as well as those that combine behavior changes and weight-loss medications such as orlistat (Alli, Xenical), can help people shed pounds, according to a new review…

Use of behavior-based weight loss programs resulted in people dropping an average 6.6 more pounds over 12 to 18 months than if they had attempted to slim down without such programs, the researchers reported. People who went to 12 to 26 intervention sessions during the first year on such programs lost 9 to 15 pounds, whereas those in the comparison groups lost little or no weight…

A typical behavior-based program studied had multiple parts, [Dr. Erin] LeBlanc said. For instance, a program might offer group education sessions, individual counseling, or a combination, and also encourage physical activity. These programs would also encourage participants to monitor themselves and set goals…

While a small percent of people may take weight off short term, few keep it off long term, [Dr. Frank Greenway] said.

Read more.

Community: It takes time, attention, and patience, but it is possible to change behavior. I’ve experienced it and have seen it in others.

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(Science Daily) Green tea may slow down weight gain and serve as another tool in the fight against obesity, according to Penn State food scientists…

The researchers … fed two groups of mice a high-fat diet. Mice that were fed Epigallocatechin-3-gallate -- EGCG -- a compound found in most green teas, along with a high-fat diet, gained weight 45 percent more slowly than the control group of mice eating the same diet without EGCG…

A person would need to drink ten cups of green tea each day to match the amount of EGCG used in the study, according to [researcher Joshua] Lambert. However, he said recent studies indicate that just drinking a few cups of green tea may help control weight.

"Human data -- and there's not a lot at this point -- shows that tea drinkers who only consume one or more cups a day will see effects on body weight compared to nonconsumers," said Lambert.

Read more.

Community: I drink a mug of white tea (lighter than green) per day and take a green tea supplement. I don’t think it has affected my weight at all, but I’m not eating a lot of fat, anyway.

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(Science Daily) A major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other health- and life-threatening conditions, obesity is epidemic in the United States and other developed nations where it's fueled in large part by excessive consumption of a fat-rich "Western diet."

But not all fats are equal. Animal-derived saturated fats like lard and butter are strongly linked to adverse health effects, but unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from plants and cold-water fish like salmon and mackerel are not. In fact, the latter are known to produce beneficial health effects and can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

For biomedical investigators, the enduring question has been why saturated and unsaturated fatty acids produce such diametrically opposed health effects. Now … researchers … offer an explanation, and a framework that could lead to dietary supplements designed to treat obesity at the molecular level.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) It's no secret that women often gain weight as they get older. The sex hormone estrogen has an important, if underappreciated, role to play in those burgeoning waistlines.

Now, researchers … have traced those hormonal effects on metabolism to different parts of the brain. The findings may lead to the development of highly selective hormone replacement therapies that could be used to combat obesity or infertility in women without the risks for heart disease and breast cancer, the researchers say.

Read more.

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(Science Daily) The fat we typically think of as body fat is called white fat. But there's another type -- known as brown fat -- that does more than just store fat. It burns fat. Scientists used to think that brown fat disappeared after infancy, but recent advances in imaging technology led to its rediscovery in adult humans. Because brown fat is so full of blood vessels and mitochondria -- that's what makes it brown -- it's very good at converting calories into energy, a process that malfunctions in obesity…

[The researchers] discovered that orexin, a hormone produced in the brain, activates calorie-burning brown fat in mice. Orexin deficiency is associated with obesity, suggesting that orexin supplementation could provide a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of obesity and other metabolic disorders. Most current weight loss drugs are aimed at reducing a person's appetite. An orexin-based therapy would represent a new class of fat-fighting drugs -- one that focuses on peripheral fat-burning tissue rather than the brain's appetite control center.

"Without orexin, mice are permanently programmed to be obese. With it, brown fat is activated and they burn more calories," said Dr. [Devanjan] Sikder. "We're now taking the next steps in determining how orexin -- or a chemical that has the same effect -- might be used in humans to therapeutically prevent or treat obesity."

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(Science Daily) A team of scientists [has] begun to unravel the complex process by which cells take in and store microscopic fat molecules, suggesting new directions for further research into solutions for obesity and its related conditions, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease…

[They] detail the critical role an enzyme called CCT plays in separating and storing fat molecules safely in each cell. When CCT malfunctions and the process fails, the molecules fuse together into ever-larger and toxic globules that can build up throughout the body and in the liver…

"Now that we know how lipid droplets are constructed under normal circumstances, we can potentially look for new treatments for when lipid-droplet formation goes awry," said Dr. [Robert] Farese.

Read more.

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MyRecipes.com:

Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Apples
Sweet spices coat lean pork tenderloin, while apples get a savory treatment with shallots and thyme. Serve with a spinach salad.

Cider-Brined Pork Chops with Grilled Apples

Braised Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Roasted Chicken, Apples, and Leeks

EatingWell:

Korean Chicken Soup
This quick and easy spicy chicken soup recipe is made with leftover cooked chicken and is spiked with garlic, ginger and hot sauce.

Seaweed & Tofu Soup

Korean Beef Stir-Fry

Korean-Style Steak & Lettuce Wraps

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(Washington Post) Those bright orange squashes aren’t just for decoration. Pumpkins are an excellent sources of dietary fiber, vitamins A, C and B6, folate, potassium and iron, says registered dietitian Keri Glassman. A cup of plain steamed, mashed pumpkin has about 50 calories.

“Pumpkins are a great seasonal vegetable similar to winter squash,” Glassman says. “They can be roasted, used in soups, savory dishes, salads or desserts.” Though perfectly edible, pumpkins that are used for jack-o’-lanterns aren’t the best for cooking with. Other varieties better suited for food, such as sugar and pie pumpkins, are also in peak season this month. And if you’d rather skip the hassle of cutting and cooking pumpkin, unsweetened, canned pumpkin is just as nutritious, Glassman says.

Here are some of Glassman’s tips for using pumpkin:

→Add pureed pumpkin to plain yogurt with cinnamon or to oatmeal with cinnamon and walnuts.

→Toss roasted pumpkin pieces into any salad.

→Mash pumpkin with cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes.

→Serve roasted pumpkin as a simple side dish instead of sweet potato.

And don’t forget the seeds, as they make for a great snack, Glassman says. “Like nuts, they are a source of healthy fats and protein,” she says. “They are also packed with minerals” such as magnesium, zinc and iron. Rinse and drain them, discarding the stringy stuff, and spread them on a baking sheet. Add salt or other seasonings and roast at 300 degrees until golden brown, shaking the tray or stirring the seeds every few minutes to avoid burning. One ounce (about 85 seeds) has about 125 calories.

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(Science Daily) The human body has a love-hate relationship with iron. Just the right amount is needed for proper cell function, yet too much is associated with brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Men have more iron in their bodies and brains than women. These higher levels may be part of the explanation for why men develop these age-related neurodegenerative diseases at a younger age…

The results of this study, [Dr. George Bartzokis] said, suggest that menstruation-associated blood loss may explain gender differences in brain iron. And of interest to both men and women, he said, is that it's possible that brain iron can be influenced by peripheral iron levels -- that is, iron levels throughout the body -- and may thus be a modifiable risk factor for age-related degenerative diseases…

"But there are things postmenopausal women and especially men can do to reduce their iron levels through relatively simple actions," Bartzokis said. "These include not overloading themselves with over-the-counter supplements that contain iron, unless recommended by their doctor; eating less red meat, which contains high levels of iron; donating blood; and possibly taking natural iron-chelating substances, molecules that bind to and remove iron, such as curcumin or green tea, that may have positive health consequences."

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(SouthBeachDiet.com) Type 2 diabetes is a condition defined by high blood-sugar levels and abnormal insulin action. Insulin helps the body use a type of sugar called glucose, which the body gets primarily from carbohydrates in food. Glucose provides energy for movement, growth, repair, and other functions. In people with type 2 diabetes, insulin fails to move glucose from the blood into the cells, which is why blood-sugar levels may spike after eating. Poor control of type 2 diabetes can lead to many health complications and affects the heart, nerves, eyes, and kidneys.

Prediabetes, as the name implies, is characterized by blood-sugar levels that are above what is considered normal but are not as high as those that occur with full-blown diabetes…. Unfortunately, most people with prediabetes develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years unless they make certain lifestyle changes — changes that have been found to be more effective for reversing prediabetes than medications, according to the National Institutes of Health. If you’re following a healthy lifestyle, you’re already on the right track.

"The most frustrating part about prediabetes and diabetes is that they are largely preventable, and in circumstances where diabetes can't be prevented, the onset can usually be postponed," says Arthur Agatston, MD, author of The South Beach Wake-Up Call and creator of SouthBeachDiet.com, "These conditions are brought on by a Western lifestyle — eating refined carbohydrates and unhealthy fats like trans fats and saturated fats and being inactive," he explains. But a straightforward South Beach Diet approach to eating nutrient-dense, fiber-rich, wholesome foods (with an emphasis on vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes, lean sources of protein, good unsaturated fats, and low-fat dairy), along with daily exercise, can reverse prediabetes and help you control diabetes.

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Community: Here’s a cheat sheet on preventing or reducing the effects of Type 2 diabetes.

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