Healthy Heart

Long the object of jokes, prunes may now have the last laugh. New research demonstrates that prunes (dried plums) are more effective than psyllium fiber in combating constipation

Plus new clues to the disease from ibuprofen and vitamin D. Three new studies are shedding light on the mysteries of Parkinsons disease, one of the most common nervous system disorders with aging. A neurodegenerative brain disorder that leads to tremors and difficulty with movement and coordination, Parkinsons most often develops after age 50; 50,000-60,000 new US cases are diagnosed annually

One-third of Americans are at risk for vitamin D inadequacy or deficient in vitamin D, according to a new report from the CDC. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2001-2008 on more than 24,000 people, the report said 24% of adults and children over age 1 were at risk of inadequacy

A long, leisurely meal may not discourage snacking, despite increased satiety and lower levels of hormones associated with hunger. The availability of sweet and salty snacks, Dutch researchers report, seems to override the bodys internal messages to stop eating

In a rare bit of good news for red-meat lovers, a study of nearly a half-million people from 10 European countries has found no link between eating red or processed meat and risk of bladder cancer

A new National Institutes of Health-funded study holds out the first glimmer of hope that high doses of omega-3 fatty acid supplements might counter the degenerative muscle loss that leads to frailty in the elderly

Fad diets have touted using the glycemic index (GI)-a measure of how quickly a food boosts blood sugar-as a magic bullet for targeting weight loss. But science keeps finding that the facts are more complicated

Quenching your thirst for answers about sodas and your health. Soft-drink lovers who thought they were doing something good for their health got a jolt-not the highly caffeinated soda kind-earlier this year when a report linked diet sodas to greater risk of stroke and heart attack. The surprising findings captured headlines and blared over the nightly news: In a study of 2,564 people

Pathogens in meat and poultry cost the US economy more than any other sources of food-borne illnesses, according to a new study, and the top 10 most damaging pathogens take an annual toll of $8.1 billion

Sweden is poised to become the first in the world to phase out the use of the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in food and beverage can linings, following a European Union ban on BPA in baby bottles