WEIGHT GAIN AND THE BRAIN

  Adults who were overweight during middle age are more likely to develop dementia later in life than adults who maintained a normal weight, according to a study published in the May 3, 2011, issue of Neurology.  The analysis involved 8,534 Swedish adults who participated in a long-term study of twins.

 

SPARE TIRES AND THE HEART

  In a review published in the May 10, 2011 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers pooled data from studies involving 1,923 people with heart disease.  Those with a high waist-to-hip ratio and large waist circumference had nearly double the mortality vs. people with no spare tires – regardless of their body mass index or BMI.

READ THE FINE PRINT

  In the June 2011 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that only 41 percent of typical adults looked at the active ingredient when buying over-the-counter medications, only 31 percent correctly identified the active ingredient in Tylenol as acetaminophen.  Since an overdose of acetaminophen is the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States.  This is a serious cause of concern.

DIABETES DETAILS

  Adults with type 2 diabetes who participated in a structured exercise program for more than 2.5 hours a week – and did it for at least three months – improved their blood glucose levels more than those who exercised less or were not in a supervised program.  The finding is from a review of 47 clinical trials in the May 4^th.2011, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.