Lifestyle

Wednesday, 19 September 2012 10:11

Bulgaria: Ancient ruins, fast cars and feta

Written by By CORALIE CARLSON

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) -- A horse-drawn cart passed us on the way to the sidewalk cafe in the sleepy Bulgarian mountain town of Yakoruda, where we sipped espresso and munched on phyllo-and-feta pastries. Across the wide town square, people milled about a Soviet howitzer on display, shooed away stray dogs, and cast furtive glances at the...

Published in Travel

Wednesday, 19 September 2012 08:54

Arsenic in Rice: New Report Finds 'Worrisome Levels'

Written by Christine Hsu

Authors: Christine Hsu

Photos.com/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- A major consumer magazine is warning Americans to limit how much rice they eat because of concerns over arsenic.
According to a sobering report released to Good Morning America by Consumer Reports magazine on Wednesday morning, rice eaten just once a day can drive arsenic levels in the human...

Published in Health

Wednesday, 19 September 2012 07:43

How Soul Food Stymies African-Americans' Low-Salt Efforts

Written by Christine Hsu

Authors: Christine Hsu

Hemera/Thinkstock(ATLANTA) -- "I can't eat food that has no taste!" exclaim many of Dr. Khaalisha Ajala’s patients with high blood pressure in her weekly clinic.
Based in a large hospital in Atlanta, Ga., the patients love that what they eat is filled with a cultural tradition that reminds them of their moms.
Mouth...

Published in Health

Wednesday, 19 September 2012 06:15

FDA urged to set standards for arsenic in rice

Written by By MARY CLARE JALONICK

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Consumer groups are pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to set federal guidance on allowable levels of arsenic in rice, prompting the agency to study the issue and consider possible new standards.......

Published in Health

Tuesday, 18 September 2012 20:41

AMA Paper Says Fat Taxes, Soda Bans Make Dollars and Sense

Written by Carmen Cox

Authors: Carmen Cox

Hemera/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Taxing or limiting the serving sizes of high-calorie junk food may sound like the perfect weapon in the war against obesity, but it seems to have backfired in at least one instance.
Last week, the Danish government announced plans to scrap the tax it instituted just last year on foods high in...

Published in Health

Tuesday, 18 September 2012 23:37

Execution of 486-Pound Death Row Inmate 'Simply Will Not Work,' Attorneys Say

Written by Carmen Cox

Authors: Carmen Cox

Getty/David J. Sams(ELYRIA, Ohio) -- Attorneys for a 486-pound Ohio death row inmate claim that the execution procedure "simply will not work" on their client and will cause him a "torturous and lingering death."
Ronald Post, 53, was sentenced to death in 1985 for the shooting death of Helen Vantz, a desk clerk at a motel in...

Published in Health

Tuesday, 18 September 2012 20:49

Twenty Minutes of Exercise Cuts Kids' Diabetes Risk

Written by Carmen Cox

Authors: Carmen Cox

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(AUGUSTA, Ga.) -- Just 20 minutes of exercise a day can protect kids from diabetes, according to a new study.
This clinical trial, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, randomly assigned 222 overweight, inactive kids to one of three activity groups for 13 weeks.
The first two...

Published in Health

Tuesday, 18 September 2012 18:33

Time Breast-Feeding Mom Poses Again

Written by Joshua Cohan

Authors: Joshua Cohan

ABC News(NEW YORK) -- Nearly four months after becoming the poster mom for “attachment parenting” by breast-feeding her 3-year-old son on the cover of Time magazine, Jamie Lynne Grumet said the fallout left her “really, really sad” but now excited about the second chance to deliver her message.
“I...

Published in Health

Tuesday, 18 September 2012 11:40

Plastic Chemical BPA Linked to Childhood Obesity

Written by Christine Hsu

Authors: Christine Hsu

David McNew/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- New research is reheating the debate on bisphenol A, a chemical banned from baby bottles that can still be found in other food and drink containers.
The new study found children and teens exposed to high levels of bisphenol A, or BPA, were more likely to be obese.
"Clearly bad diet and...

Published in Health

Tuesday, 18 September 2012 11:16

Most Americans May Be Obese by 2030, Report Warns

Written by Christine Hsu

Authors: Christine Hsu

Digital Vision/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- By 2030, more than half of Americans could be obese, resulting in millions of new cases of diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke -- a constellation of illness that could cost the United States up to $66 billion in treatment and over $500 billion in lost economic productivity.
It's...