Vitamin E does not prevent heart attacks and cancer and can actually be harmful when taken in large doses, a top medical journal reported.

In a seven-year study of thousands of patients with heart disease and diabetes, researchers found that not only did vitamin E supplements fail to prevent heart attacks and cancer, but that they may actually increase the risk of heart failure.

"In conjunction with its lack of efficacy, the potential for harm suggested by our findings strongly supports the view that vitamin E supplements should not be used in patients with vascular disease or diabetes," wrote lead researcher Dr. Eva Lonn of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada...more click on heading

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The premise is simple: Maintaining good posture lessens your risk of developing back problems.

Even if your back feels okay at the movement, you may be straining it if you have poor posture, perform awkward movements, are out of shape, or are overweight. Good body mechanics include reducing strain on your back when you lift heavy loads. The Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma (NISMAT) offers these suggestions:

* Stand close to the object to be lifted.
* Spread your feet wide apart to straddle the object.
* Squat, bending your knees and hips, keeping your back in proper alignment...more click on heading

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An early warning system can help doctors prevent many cases of deep-vein thrombosis, the so-called "economy-class syndrome" that causes potentially fatal blood clots, researchers said.

Up to 2 million Americans develop the clots each year, usually because of inactivity, cancer or dehydration.

The condition has been known to afflict passengers on long airline flights, and such a clot claimed the life of NBC television news reporter David Bloom in 2003 when he was covering the U.S. invasion of Iraq...more click on heading

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A daily dose of laughter may be good for the heart because, like exercise, it makes blood vessels work more efficiently, U.S. researchers reported.

Depression, on the other hand, can raise the risk of dying from heart failure, a separate study found. The two studies, presented at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology in Orlando, Florida, show how psychological factors can affect a person's health.

"We don't recommend that you laugh and not exercise, but we do recommend that you try to laugh on a regular basis. Thirty minutes of exercise three times a week, and 15 minutes of laughter on a daily basis is probably good for the vascular system," said Dr. Michael Miller of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore...more click on heading

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Red meats and processed meats such as hot dogs appear to increase the risk of diabetes, as does a heavily "Western" diet, according to new research released.

U.S. investigators found that people that ate mostly Western foods - including sweets, French fries, refined grains such as white bread, and red and processed meats - were nearly 50 percent more likely to develop diabetes over a 14-year period than people who ate minimal amounts of Western-type foods...more click on heading

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Marital rows do not just produce harsh words and hot air - they can harden your arteries too, a study suggests. But the cause of the damage differs depending on your gender, the research by University of Utah scientists involving 150 couples found.
They said arterial disease in women was linked to either partner demonstrating hostility, but in men it was linked to either showing controlling behaviour.

The research was presented to the American Psychosomatic Society meeting...more click on heading

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People with low levels of zinc in their tissues may be at increased risk for developing cancer of the esophagus, according to research reported in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

In the study, investigators determined zinc levels in esophageal biopsy samples obtained from 132 residents of Linzhou, China in 1985. Of these subjects, 60 subsequently developed esophageal cancer and 72 did not. People in the highest quartile of zinc levels were 79 percent less likely to develop esophageal cancer than those in the lowest quartile, Dr. Christian C. Abnet, from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues report...more click on heading

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Depression is more common in women than in men as researchers have identified several gene variants linked to depression that occur only in women, including one that is related to female hormone regulation, a study said.

However, women acknowledge their symptoms while men are more reluctant to admit the problem or reach out for help.

Twice as many women as men are dealing with depression globally and one out of eight women have an episode of major depression at some time in her life, according to the May issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter...more click on heading

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If you want to keep trim, forget the diet books and gym membership - you may be better off just brushing your teeth more often, according to a Japanese study.

In a survey of the everyday habits of nearly 14,000 people whose average age was in their mid-40s, Dr. Takashi Wada of Jikei University in Tokyo found that those who managed to stay slim tended to brush their teeth after every meal. Overweight men sometimes went more than a day without brushing their teeth, according to the study, published in the Journal of the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity...more click on heading

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Drugs companies are being urged to do more to combat hearing loss among cancer patients having chemotherapy. The Royal National Institute for Deaf people (RNID) says thousands are suffering "unnecessary" hearing damage caused by anti-tumour agent cisplatin.

It is urging the pharmaceutical industry to develop drugs that block chemotherapy's damaging side-effects...more click on heading

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In chronic smokers who stop smoking, there is a rapid increase in the number of circulating cells that aid in the repair of the lining of blood vessels, researchers have found.

Therefore, "even short-term cessation of smoking may be an effective means to reduce cardiovascular risk," they write in the medical journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology...more click on heading

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Sleeping a little over half an hour in the middle of the day may reduce the risk of death from heart disease, particularly in healthy young men, say researchers. Naps - known as siesta - are often taken early afternoon after a midday meal. Such a period of sleep is a common tradition in hot countries...more click on heading

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Routine childhood vaccinations do not increase the risk of developing diabetes, according to a study of more than 700,000 Danish children.

The study, led by Anders Hviid of the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen, looked at all Danish children born from 1990 through 2000 and found that diabetes rates were not higher regardless of what types of vaccines were administered...more click on heading

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Mobile phone users can take heart. A new British research, part of a worldwide study initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO), has found that there is no link between cell phones and brain tumours.

The study conducted at the Institute of Cancer Research involved researchers from several universities. The experts looked at links between mobile use and the incidence of glioma, the most common kind of tumour found in the head...more click on heading

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Routine childhood vaccinations do not increase the risk of developing diabetes, according to a study of more than 700,000 Danish children.

The study, led by Anders Hviid of the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen, looked at all Danish children born from 1990 through 2000 and found that diabetes rates were not higher regardless of what types of vaccines were administered...more click on heading

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