Today's Reuters Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
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Illinois lawmakers put off vote on pension reforms
Thu,31 May 2012 07:56 PM PDT
Reuters - SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) - Illinois lawmakers on Thursday put off a vote on proposed changes to its vastly underfunded public employee pension system, risking further credit rating downgrades of the state. Tom Cross, the Republican leader of the state House of Representatives, announced that too few House Democrats would support the current form of the legislation so he had agreed with Governor Pat Quinn not to call for a vote on it. "We have to be willing to find some common ground," a weary-sounding Cross told fellow lawmakers. "We need to let emotions settle down. ... Full Story | Top |
Fewer food choices don't help weight loss: study
Thu,31 May 2012 06:15 PM PDT
Reuters -  (Reuters) - Reducing people's options for junk foods helps them to cut back on the amount of calories they take in, but it doesn't reduce their overall calorie load or help them lose weight, according to a U.S. study. "Limiting variety was helpful for reducing intake for that type of food group, but it appeared that compensation occurred in other parts of the diet," said Hollie Raynor, a professor at the University of Tennessee and lead author of the study. ...
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Coke, McDonald's slam NYC bid to ban big soda cups
Thu,31 May 2012 05:37 PM PDT
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co and McDonald's Corp slammed a proposed limit on soft drink sales in New York City that would turn a small McDonald's drink into the new large and could trigger a wave of similar restrictions aimed at curbing obesity. "New Yorkers expect and deserve better than this. They can make their own choices about the beverages they purchase," Coca-Cola said in a statement on Thursday. Coke dominates the U.S. fountain drink market, and would likely be the most hurt. ... Full Story | Top |
Global cancer cases seen surging 75 percent by 2030
Thu,31 May 2012 04:07 PM PDT
Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - The number of people with cancer is set to surge by more than 75 percent across the world by 2030, with particularly sharp rises in poor countries as they adopt unhealthy "Westernised" lifestyles, a study said on Friday. Many developing countries were expected to see a rise in living standards in coming decades, said the paper from the World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France. ... Full Story | Top |
Can a decade of dark chocolate protect your heart?
Thu,31 May 2012 04:06 PM PDT
Reuters -  LONDON (Reuters) - A scientific study likely to stir the souls of chocoholics has suggested that eating dark chocolate every day for 10 years could reduce the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes in some high-risk patients. A team of researchers from Australia used a mathematical model to predict the long-term health impact of daily dark chocolate consumption in 2,013 people with a condition known as metabolic syndrome, which puts them at high risk of heart disease. ...
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Factbox: NY Mayor pushes restrictions to promote public health
Thu,31 May 2012 02:47 PM PDT
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a far-reaching ban this week on sales of large-size sugary beverages by restaurants, mobile food carts, movie theaters and delis. The proposal is one in a long string of bans and other measures that Bloomberg says will improve public health. In some cases, Bloomberg's initiatives have been seen as models for how other big cities can usher in quality of life improvements and curtail unhealthy habits. But critics have balked, calling Bloomberg's New York a "nanny state" where the real target has been personal freedom. ... Full Story | Top |
Clorox to be aggressive in healthcare deals
Thu,31 May 2012 02:34 PM PDT
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Clorox Co Chief Executive Don Knauss plans to be fairly aggressive in buying assets to expand his company's healthcare offerings as it looks to triple the size of that business over the next five years. The 99-year-old company is best-known for its namesake bleach, but its healthcare business - encompassing products like disinfecting spray, germicidal wipes and hand sanitizer - has been a small growth engine in recent years. The business has grown to around $100 million in annual revenue from around $2 million over the past five years, Knox told Reuters in an interview. ... Full Story | Top |
Bristol urges combo hepatitis C study with Gilead
Thu,31 May 2012 02:24 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co renewed calls for biotechnology company Gilead Sciences Inc to test one of its hepatitis C drugs in late-stage trials alongside Bristol's own promising medicine, following impressive results from a mid-stage trial that combined the experimental products. Bristol's daclatasvir is from a new class of drugs known as NS5A inhibitors. Gilead's GS-7977 is a nucleotide polymerase inhibitor. Both are designed to block enzymes essential to replication of the hepatitis C virus. ... Full Story | Top |
Coke, McDonald's slam NYC bid to ban big soda cups
Thu,31 May 2012 02:00 PM PDT
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co and McDonald's Corp slammed Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed ban on large soft drinks in New York City, arguing for freedom of choice and saying it would not effectively curb obesity. "New Yorkers expect and deserve better than this. They can make their own choices about the beverages they purchase," Coca-Cola said in a statement on Thursday. ...
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U.S. FDA checks dictionary on corn syrup vs sugar
Thu,31 May 2012 01:35 PM PDT
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. food and beverage makers who add high-fructose corn syrup to soda, breakfast cereal and other items will not be able to label it "corn sugar," under a decision by federal officials that frustrated corn processors but won praise from the sugar industry and some health advocates. Both sides say they have consumers' interests at heart and are trying to minimize confusion about the term "sugar." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which decides what goes on food labels, has ruled against the corn groups. ... Full Story | Top |
U.S. House rejects sex-selection abortion ban
Thu,31 May 2012 12:50 PM PDT
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday rejected Republican legislation banning abortions based on the sex of the fetus in a vote that keeps the election-year spotlight on an emotionally charged issue. The "Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act," would have subjected doctors to a five-year prison term if they performed abortions intended to select gender. Medical and mental health professionals also would have had to report suspected violations to authorities or face a one-year sentence. ... Full Story | Top |
U.S. House panel backs medical device tax repeal
Thu,31 May 2012 12:38 PM PDT
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican-controlled congressional panel voted on Thursday to repeal a tax on medical devices, a key revenue provision in President Barack Obama's 2010 healthcare reform law, but the measure was not expected to become law. Approval in the House, which is dominated by Republicans, was viewed as probable, possibly as soon as next week. But the measure faced an uphill climb in the Democrat-controlled Senate, where parallel legislation lacks bipartisan sponsors. ... Full Story | Top |
Scientists unlock gene secrets of opium poppy drug
Thu,31 May 2012 11:04 AM PDT
Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have unravelled exactly how opium poppies produce a non-addictive compound that can both suppress coughs and kill tumor cells, paving the way for improved production of the medicine. Opium poppies, the source of illicit heroin, are also important for producing medical painkillers such as morphine and codeine, along with noscapine, which has been used for decades as a cough suppressant. More recently, researchers have found noscapine is also a potent anti-cancer agent, prompting clinical tests into its role in fighting blood cancer. ... Full Story | Top |
Paralysed rats walk again in Swiss lab study
Thu,31 May 2012 11:01 AM PDT
Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists in Switzerland have restored full movement to rats paralysed by spinal cord injuries in a study that might eventually be used in people with similar injuries. Gregoire Courtine and his team at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne saw rats with severe paralysis walking and running again after a couple of weeks following a combination of electrical and chemical stimulation of the spinal cord together with robotic support. ... Full Story | Top |
Companies fire back at proposed NYC big soda ban
Thu,31 May 2012 10:28 AM PDT
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co and McDonald's Corp fired back at New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg on Thursday for proposing a ban of large-sized soft drinks at restaurants and other food service outlets. "New Yorkers expect and deserve better than this. They can make their own choices about the beverages they purchase," Coca-Cola said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
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