Laboratory Equipment

Red Meat Associated with Increased Risk of Type-2 Diabetes

Eating more red meat over time is associated with an increased risk of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a follow-up of three studies of about 149,000 U.S. men and women, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

Red meat consumption has been consistently related to an increased risk of T2DM, but previous studies measured red meat consumption at a baseline with limited follow-up information. However, a person’s eating behavior changes over time and measurement of consumption at a single point in time does not capture the variability of intake during follow-up, the authors note in the study background.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/06/red-meat-associated-increased-risk-type-2-diabetes

Strict Laws for Teens May Lower Smoking Across the Board

States that want to reduce rates of adult smoking may consider implementing stringent tobacco restrictions on teens, suggests a new study by researchers at Washington Univ. School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The researchers discovered that states with more restrictive limits on teens purchasing tobacco also have lower adult smoking rates, especially among women. And compared with states with less restrictive limits, they also tend to have fewer adult heavy smokers.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/06/strict-laws-teens-may-lower-smoking-across-board

Coffee ‘Miracle’ Weight-Loss Supplements Don’t Work

A major ingredient in those green coffee bean dietary supplements — often touted as “miracle” weight-loss products — doesn’t prevent weight gain in obese laboratory mice fed a high-fat diet when given at higher doses. That’s the conclusion of a first-of-its-kind study published in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. It also linked the ingredient to an unhealthy build-up of fat in the liver.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/06/coffee-%E2%80%98miracle%E2%80%99-weight-loss-supplements-don%E2%80%99t-work

Artificial Sweetener May Change Your Body

Researchers at Washington Univ. School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a popular artificial sweetener can modify how the body handles sugar.

In a small study, the researchers analyzed the sweetener sucralose (Splenda) in 17 severely obese people who do not have diabetes and don’t use artificial sweeteners regularly.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/06/artificial-sweetener-may-change-your-body

Formula-Feeding Linked to Higher Risk of Disease

New evidence from research suggests that infants fed formula, rather than breast milk, experience metabolic stress that could play a part in the long-recognized link between formula-feeding and an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and other conditions in adult life. The study appears in ACS’ Journal of Proteome Research.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/06/formula-feeding-linked-higher-risk-disease

Environmental Policies Bring Better Health, Lives to Europe

Europeans live longer and healthier lives than in the past, partly due to successful environmental policies that have reduced the exposure to harmful environmental contaminants in air, water and food, according to a new report. However, these contaminants are still a problem, and several new health risks are emerging, for example, from new chemicals, new products and changing lifestyle patterns.

Read complete report here: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/06/environmental-policies-bring-better-health-lives-europe

Sunscreen Slows Skin Aging

If worry about skin cancer doesn’t make you slather on sunscreen, maybe vanity will: New research provides some of the strongest evidence to date that near-daily sunscreen use can slow the aging of your skin.

Ultraviolet rays that spur wrinkles and other signs of aging can quietly build up damage pretty much anytime you’re in the sun — a lunchtime stroll, school recess, walking the dog — and they even penetrate car windows.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/06/sunscreen-slows-skin-aging

U.S. Kids Need More Gym Classes

Reading, writing, arithmetic — and PE? The prestigious Institute of Medicine is recommending that schools provide opportunities for at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day for students and that physical education become a core subject.

The report says only about half of the nation’s youngsters are getting at least an hour of vigorous or moderate-intensity physical activity every day. Another concern, the report says, is that 44 percent of school administrators report slashing big chunks of time from physical education, arts and recess since the passage of the No Child Left Behind law in 2001 in order to boost classroom time for reading and math.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/us-kids-need-more-gym-classes

Overeating is Learned in Infancy

In the long run, encouraging a baby to finish the last ounce in their bottle might be doing more harm than good. Though the calories soon burn off, a bad habit remains.

Brigham Young Univ. sociology professors Ben Gibbs and Renata Forste found that clinical obesity at 24 months of age strongly traces back to infant feeding. “If you are overweight at age two, it puts you on a trajectory where you are likely to be overweight into middle childhood and adolescence and as an adult,” says Forste. “That’s a big concern.”

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/overeating-learned-infancy