Health Tips ... from UPI

CHOLESTEROL HELPS PROSTATE TUMOR GROWTH

Researchers at Children's Hospital in Boston have shown that high blood cholesterol levels accelerate the growth of prostate tumors. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, are in keeping with population studies that have linked prostate cancer with high cholesterol levels and Western diets high in cholesterol. "Our study opens up a new paradigm in thinking about how cancer might be controlled pharmacologically by manipulating cholesterol," says Michael Freeman. "Our data support the notion that cholesterol-lowering drugs -- which are widely used and fairly safe -- might be effective in prevention of prostate cancer or as an adjunctive therapy."

MEN'S WAIST SIZE PREDICTOR OF DIABETES RISK

The circumference of a man's waist is a better predictor of his risk of developing type 2 diabetes than his body mass index, according to Baltimore researchers. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found men who had larger waists -- assessed using waist circumference and waist-hip ratio -- or higher overall body fat indicated by BMI had a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. "Both BMI and waist circumference are useful tools to assess health risk," said the study's lead author Dr. Youfa Wang, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "But abdominal fat measured by waist circumference can indicate a strong risk for diabetes whether or not a man is considered overweight or obese according to his BMI."

STORED FRESH SPINACH LOSES NUTRIENTS

The longer a bag of spinach is stored the more nutrients lost, but refrigeration slows the process, a U.S. study found. Luke LaBorde and Srilatha Pandrangi of Penn State University found spinach stored at 39 degrees Fahrenheit loses its folate and carotenoid content at a slower rate than spinach stored at 50 and 68 degrees, according to a study in the Journal of Food Science. "This has implications in the shipping process," says LaBorde. While the heating process for canned spinach may destroy some nutrients, it may retain more of its nutrition than fresh spinach kept in the refrigerator for a few days. Frozen spinach also retains more of its nutrients.

NOROVIROUS MAY BE MOST PREVALENT TD

Norovirus may be the most common cause of travelers' diarrhea for U.S. citizens returning from Mexico and Guatemala. It is estimated that 20 percent to 50 percent of people traveling to tropical areas of the world will experience traveler's diarrhea, or TD, defined as three or more loose stool movements in a 24-hour period. It frequently is caused by bacteria in pathogens. The study of 24 patients with TD found the norovirus virus was detected in 65 percent of patients tested. The research is published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

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(EDITORS: For more information on PROSTATE contact Mary-Ellen Shay at 617-355-6420 or mary.shay@childrens.harvard.edu. For WAIST, Kenna Lowe at 410-955-6878 or paffairs@jhsph.edu. For SPINACH A'ndrea Elyse Messer at 814-865-9481 or aem1@psu.edu. For NOROVIROUS, Jim Sliwa 202-942-9297 or jsliwa@asmusa.org.)