Ovarian Cancer :: Study fuels debate over whether exercise and body size influence ovarian cancer risk

A new study adds fuel to the debate over whether being fat or inactive affects the risk of developing ovarian cancer. The study, presented by Australian researchers today (Thursday) at the European Cancer Conference (ECCO 14) in Barcelona, found some evidence suggesting exercise might increase the risk. It found no link with body measurements.

Health :: Farewell chicken tenders

Northwestern University is using an economics theory to rehab people with lousy health habits. Researchers want participants to just change two unhealthy behaviors to see if the others will tag along. Sort of a buy two, get two free sale based on the Behavioral Economics Theory used by Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman. Couch potatoes also get an arsenal of high-tech tools to help them make the changes.

Heart Disease :: Pot bellies linked to early signs of heart disease

Most of us rely on the bathroom scale to tell us when middle-aged spread is getting out of hand. It might be better to keep a tape measure at the ready. New research shows that adding several inches to the waist?even if body weight still falls within a normal range?markedly increases the risk of unhealthy plaque build-up in the arteries of the heart and the rest of the body.

Obesity :: Waist-to-hip ratio may better predict cardiovascular risk than body mass index

In a study to be published in the Aug. 21 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, investigators at UT Southwestern Medical Center found that people with a larger waist-to-hip ratio may be at increased risk for heart disease.

Radiation Therapy :: Radiation therapy combined with microsurgery shows promise for curing injured spinal cord

Research on rats with crushed spinal cords, similar to human injury, reveals that treatment soon after injury combining radiation therapy to destroy harmful cells and microsurgery to drain excess fluids significantly increases the body?s ability to repair the injured cord leading to permanent recovery from injury, according to the study published in the July 18 peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE.

Heart Disease :: Diet & regular soft drinks linked to heart disease risks

Drinking more than one soft drink daily ? whether it?s regular or diet ? may be associated with an increase in the risk factors for heart disease, Framingham researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Metabolic Syndrome :: New definition helps identify children at risk of metabolic syndrome

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has launched a new definition to identify children and adolescents at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in later life. The definition is published in The Lancet.