Jogging does a lot to reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, says a new study. A quiet stroll? Not so much. (Matthias Weinberger/Flickr Creative Commons)
Soda vending machines in Chicago and San Antonio government buildings will display calorie counts in a new American Beverage Association-sponsored program, says the Seattle Times. Workers in the two cities will also compete for a $5-million grant from the association, which will be awarded to the healthier workforce. Individual employees will also get $1,000 from the association for meeting yet-to-be-specified health goals. The two cities are intended to be pilot locales before the program is rolled out nationwide.
Walking's a good way to get in your daily dose of physical activity, but for it to mean anything, says a new study, you have to kick it up a notch. HealthDay reports that while an easygoing stroll doesn't do anything for your risk of metabolic syndrome, fast walking and jogging can reduce that risk by up to 50 percent. Metabolic syndrome refers to a slew of conditions like high blood pressure, high blood sugar and obesity that increase a person's risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
HIV mortality rates are still disproportionately high for black people, reports the Los Angeles Times, especially those who don't have much education. A new study found that the disease is the ninth-leading cause of death among the black community and the 24th-leading cause of death among white people.
Call it counterintuitive: A new study found that moving from "high-poverty" to "low-poverty" neighborhoods was beneficial for some teenage girls – and no one else. Research appearing in Archives of General Psychiatry found that a move like that benefitted some teen girls who were in healthy families, but when it came to other youth age groups, it either had no effect or caused some mental distress. The conclusion? Simply moving doesn't erase the effects of living in poverty – "additional program supports" are needed, as the authors wrote.
Everyone's got that friend with the really strict mom – or maybe that was you. In any case, HealthDay reports on research that says strict moms are not only good for their kids, but for their kids' friends. The friends of a child with a strict mother were less likely to get drunk, binge drink, smoke and use drugs.
Eating a lot of tomatoes may decrease your stroke risk, says the BBC. A new study found that lycopene, a chemical found in tomatoes, was linked to a smaller likelihood of stroke in men. More research is needed to determine why, but in the meantime, researchers said to remember that all fruits and vegetables have health benefits, so you shouldn't limit yourself to tomatoes.
And finally, a disease update: According to Reuters, the federal government says as many as 13,000 people received a steroid shot contaminated with fungal meningitis, which puts that many more at risk of contracting the rare but deadly disease. Eight people have died so far, and others who received the injection may have to wait weeks to figure out if they're infected.
Photo by Matthias Weinberger via Flickr Creative Commons.
