Chicago: As the holidays approach, it’s easy to slip into bad eating habits. However, poor diet increases the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and poor circulation – three major factors that affect overall heart health. 

Washington: A Georgia State University expert said that to prevent the deaths of 5.6 million children, strong actions are needed to discourage smoking, raise the cost of cigarettes, provide access to tobacco cessation programs, and to implement the Food and Drug Administration’s power to regulate tobacco products, among other steps.

Minneapolis: People who have sleep apnea or spend less time in deep sleep may be more likely to have changes in the brain that are associated with dementia, according to a new study published in the recent online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Ann Arbor: Patients with head and neck cancer who used antacid medicines to control acid reflux had better overall survival, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

New Delhi: The expert panel constituted by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has recommended prohibition on sale of loose or single stick of cigarette, increasing the minimum legal age for sale of tobacco products, increasing the fine or penalty amounts for violation of certain provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA), as well as making such offences cognizable. 

Schaumburg: Studies have demonstrated that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and indoor tanning damages the DNA in our skin cells. This not only increases a person’s risk for skin cancer, it can also lead to premature skin aging in the form of wrinkles and sun spots.