The Atkins diet may have proved itself after all: A low-carb diet and a Mediterranean-style regimen helped people lose more weight than a traditional low-fat diet in one of the longest and largest studies to compare the dueling weight-loss techniques. A bigger surprise: The low-carb diet improved cholesterol more than the other two. Some critics had predicted the opposite. [Read More.]

The American Medical Association on Thursday issued a formal apology for more than a century of discriminatory policies that excluded blacks from participating in a group long considered the voice of U.S. doctors. The apology stems from initiatives at the nation's largest doctors' group to reduce racial disparities in medicine - from the paltry number of black physicians to the disproportionate burden of disease among blacks and other minorities. [Read More.]

Taking an HIV test in the pulpit Sunday morning was itself simple. At Spruce Street Baptist Church, one of Nashville's oldest and most established predominantly African-American congregations, a public health worker opened the test kit and handed the swab it contained to the Rev. Raymond Bowman. Bowman opened his mouth and, well, swabbed. [Read More.]

If you need yet another reason to keep a close eye on your waistline, read on. Obesity is already recognized as one of the leading preventable causes of death from heart disease and diabetes, but it’s also a key factor in sight loss, according to a recent report from the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) in Britain. “Most people wrongly assume that if they don't have any obvious problems with their sight, everything must be fine," says RNIB eye health consultant Barbara McLaughlan. "With the huge increase in obesity that we have seen in recent years, many people are now jeopardizing their sight in later life.” [Read More.]

How should society deal with a behavior -– a lifestyle choice -- that places those who engage in the behavior at a high risk for poor health and grave disease? If the behavior in question is smoking, American society does everything in its power to discourage the behavior to the point of passing laws that make it illegal to puff in public places, even if the public venue is privately owned. [Read More]

A night out on the town can be fun, but the calories in all those drinks can add up. Consider the numbers: a glass of white wine contains about 80 calories; 12 ounces of beer about 150 calories; and a Cosmopolitan comes in at around 180 calories. Many women are making a dangerous trade off, literally giving up food so they can drink without guilt. [Read More]

A study led by the University of South Florida sheds new light on obesity’s role in the black-white gap in infant mortality, reports sciencedaily.com. While maternal obesity appears to have no impact on the early survival of infants born to white women, the situation is different for black women, researchers report in the June 2008 issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. [Read More]

A city Health Department study finds that more than a fourth of adult New Yorkers are infected with the virus that causes genital herpes. The study, released Monday, says about 26 percent of New York City adults have genital herpes, compared to about 19 percent nationwide. [Read More]

The pace of life gets faster and faster, and people try to cram more and more into every minute of the day. As things get more hectic, sleep tends to get short shrift. It's seen as wasted time, lost forever. "For healthy people, there's a big temptation to voluntarily restrict sleep, to stay up an hour or two or get up an hour or two earlier," said Dr. Greg Belenky, director of the Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University Spokane. [Read More]

Blacks undergo leg amputations as a complication of diabetes at a far higher rate than whites, according to a study out today that also found blacks lag behind whites in breast cancer screening and diabetic tests. "There are remarkable disparities between blacks and whites and between communities," says Dartmouth Medical School professor and study lead author Elliott Fisher, who says health systems, economics, lifestyle, education and community resources all play a role in the differences.  [Read More]

Many pastors in America are left to figure out their own health coverage with little or no help from their church or denomination, found a survey released this week. “Thousands of pastors and churches are among the millions of Americans without health insurance,” said Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, based on responses to the May Evangelical Leaders Survey. The monthly survey asks the NAE board of directors questions based on relevant issues in society. The NAE board of directors includes the CEO’s of 60 church denominations, and representatives of a broad array of evangelical organizations including missions, universities, publishers and churches.  [Read More]