Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:30:38 EST Welcome to HHS HealthBeat. Launched on July 11, 2005, this service provides health promotion and disease prevention tips 5 days a week in audio and text formats. http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/ News en-us Public Health Podcasts No Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov Body Mass Index, or BMI, is a reliable indicator of body fatness based on your height and weight, and places you in one of three categories; normal, overweight or obese.  Which are you? A new smartphone app from the National Institutes of Health can let your phone tell you. The NIH’s Karen Donato. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120210a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120210a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No Body Mass Index, or BMI, is a reliable indicator of body fatness based on your height and weight, and places you in one of three categories; normal, overweight or obese.  Which are you? A new smartphone app from the National Institutes of Health can let your phone tell you. The NIH’s Karen Donato. Vitamin D can help to preserve bone, so it can be good for older women. But a new study indicates something the vitamin can’t do – help them to live longer. Researcher Charles Eaton of Brown University examined about 10 years of data on about 2,400 postmenopausal women, to see if women who with more vitamin D lived longer. But that’s not what his closer look found: Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120209a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120209a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No Vitamin D can help to preserve bone, so it can be good for older women. But a new study indicates something the vitamin can’t do – help them to live longer. Researcher Charles Eaton of Brown University examined about 10 years of data on about 2,400 postmenopausal women, to see if women who with more vitamin D lived longer. But that’s not what his closer look found: Eating fish the right way may help you and your brain. Research at the University of Pittsburgh looked at the cognitive benefits of eating fish, following elderly people for 15 years, tracking the effects on memory and learning. Dr. Cyrus Raji is a researcher and medical resident at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Mercy Hospital. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120208a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120208a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No Eating fish the right way may help you and your brain. Research at the University of Pittsburgh looked at the cognitive benefits of eating fish, following elderly people for 15 years, tracking the effects on memory and learning. Dr. Cyrus Raji is a researcher and medical resident at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Mercy Hospital. A study indicates young women don’t always realize when they’ve gained weight. Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston saw this among 466 women with an average age of 25, who did six-month checkups in which they reported whether they thought they had gained weight. But the researchers say some gained more than 10 pounds without realizing it. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120207a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120207a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No A study indicates young women don’t always realize when they’ve gained weight. Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston saw this among 466 women with an average age of 25, who did six-month checkups in which they reported whether they thought they had gained weight. But the researchers say some gained more than 10 pounds without realizing it. People eat lots of meals out – and when they eat out, they tend to eat lots.  So researcher Gayle Timmerman of the University of Texas at Austin has been looking at ways in which people can eat out without letting their calories get away from them. She worked with 35 women ages 40 to 59 in a six-week program aimed at paying attention to ways to control eating, and cues that trigger eating:  Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120206a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120206a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No People eat lots of meals out – and when they eat out, they tend to eat lots.  So researcher Gayle Timmerman of the University of Texas at Austin has been looking at ways in which people can eat out without letting their calories get away from them. She worked with 35 women ages 40 to 59 in a six-week program aimed at paying attention to ways to control eating, and cues that trigger eating:  Forget the shiny red car, or the extreme makeover. The so called “midlife crisis” may be all about your blood pressure. A study at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine reviewed blood pressure in 60,000 people, ages 41 to 55. Norrina Allen is the lead author. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120203a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120203a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No Forget the shiny red car, or the extreme makeover. The so called “midlife crisis” may be all about your blood pressure. A study at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine reviewed blood pressure in 60,000 people, ages 41 to 55. Norrina Allen is the lead author. Being a healthy baby means having a healthy heart. Heart defects occur when there is a structure problem with the heart and can lead to functioning problems. It happens during pregnancy and certain women are at a higher risk. Dr. Stuart Shapira is at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120202a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120202a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No Being a healthy baby means having a healthy heart. Heart defects occur when there is a structure problem with the heart and can lead to functioning problems. It happens during pregnancy and certain women are at a higher risk. Dr. Stuart Shapira is at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Forming a family happens with some people later than with others. At the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, researchers say people with at least a bachelor’s degree were least likely to form a family before age 25, and those with a high school equivalency diploma were most likely. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120201a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/02/20120201a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No Forming a family happens with some people later than with others. At the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, researchers say people with at least a bachelor’s degree were least likely to form a family before age 25, and those with a high school equivalency diploma were most likely. Today’s teens’ poor health habits might cost them years of life. A study found this in data on about 5,500 teens. Donald Lloyd-Jones of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago examined risk factors for heart disease. Many teens had high blood sugar, low physical activity, and smoked. Their eating patterns were high in sodium and sugar-sweetened beverages, and low in fruits, vegetables, fiber and lean protein. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/01/20120131a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/01/20120131a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No Today’s teens’ poor health habits might cost them years of life. A study found this in data on about 5,500 teens. Donald Lloyd-Jones of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago examined risk factors for heart disease. Many teens had high blood sugar, low physical activity, and smoked. Their eating patterns were high in sodium and sugar-sweetened beverages, and low in fruits, vegetables, fiber and lean protein. Mom and Dad might tell teens to eat their fruits and veggies. So what do teens do? At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researcher Sonia Kim saw an answer in national survey data: ``We found that 1 in 4 teens were eating fruit less than once a day, and 1 in 3 were eating vegetables less than once a day.’’  (6 seconds) Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:01:00 EST http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/01/20120130a.html Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov (Ira Dreyfuss) Health http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/2012/01/20120130a.html 00:01:00 Ira.Dreyfuss@hhs.gov No Mom and Dad might tell teens to eat their fruits and veggies. So what do teens do? At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researcher Sonia Kim saw an answer in national survey data: ``We found that 1 in 4 teens were eating fruit less than once a day, and 1 in 3 were eating vegetables less than once a day.’’  (6 seconds)