Best Health News You Didn't Hear in 2009

As swine flu scares and surprising new guidelines for breast and cervical cancer screenings have stolen the limelight for health news this year, a number of new findings and studies relevant to your life have slipped quietly under the radar. Here are just a few of the under reported health stories of 2009, and how they may impact you in the future.

Yo-Yo Dieting is Not Bad for Your Health: Contrary to conventional wisdom, gaining and losing 10 to 20 pounds several times over the course of your life isn't bad for your health, according to a new Harvard Medical School study of some 45,000 middle age to older women in the Nurses' Health Study. The trial concluded that women who engaged in yo-yo dieting did not have higher death rates than women who did not experience multiple weight changes. What It Means: Don't avoid going on that diet for the third or fourth time because you're afraid it will harm your health. If you're significantly overweight, dropping pounds is always going to be better for your health than keeping them on.

Red Meat Does Not Cause Breast Cancer: Despite the fact that some studies over the past 20 years have suggested that consumption of red meat may increase one's risk of breast cancer, a new study out of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York City indicates that eating red meat has no correlation to the development of breast cancer. The study followed more than 120,000 post-menopausal women, tracking their diets for more than eight years. Even women who consumed large amounts of red meat had no increased incidence of breast cancer when compared to their their lower meat eating counterparts. What It Means: Don't feel guilty if you enjoy an occasional hamburger or steak, but remember that saturated fat is still bad for your heart, so limit your intake to no more than a few three-ounce servings a week.

Statins Can Prevent Heart Attacks in Women: While studies of heart disease in women have been lagging behind for decades, the new JUPITER trial completed this year by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers was the first involving women on a large scale. The study confirmed that that the class of drugs known as statins will prevent first heart attacks in women just as they do in men. The trial included nearly 7,000 post-menopausal women with low to normal cholesterol levels but with high amounts of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a new and often overlooked risk factor for heart attacks. Women who took a statin daily cut their heart attack and stroke risk in half. What It Means: If your CRP levels are high, putting you at greater risk for heart attack, talk to your doctor about whether or not statins might be an option for you in addition to a healthy eating plan and exercise.

Healthy Lifestyle is More Important Than Weight: While popular media tends to equate being thin with being healthy, a number of professional associations dedicated to fighting eating disorders have unanimously declared that a healthy lifestyle is far more important than one's weight or Body Mass Index (BMI). The Academy for Eating Disorders (AED), Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA), Eating Disorder Coalition (EDC), International Association for Eating Disorder Professionals (IADEP), and National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) all feel that the attention on BMI creates weight prejudice that can not only lead to weight discrimination and low self-esteem but can encourage poor eating habits in people who are overweight but still lead active and healthy lifestyles. "Targeting weight just isn't working," says Linda Bacon, Ph.D., nutrition professor, researcher, and author of "Health at Every Size." Bacon is also a member of the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH). " Well-intentioned as the 'war on obesity' may have been, there has been extensive collateral damage," she adds. " Food and body preoccupation, self-hatred, eating disorders, weight discrimination, poor health--few people are at peace with their bodies." What It Means: Don't sweat the number on the scale or even the measurement of your waistline. If you eat nutritiously, exercise regularly, and feel good, be happy with your health.

New Research May Lead to Faster Production of H1N1 Vaccines: Researchers at Howard Hughes Medical Institute have discovered a naturally occurring human protein that works to prevent and fight infection by H1N1 as well as other viruses, including West Nile and dengue fever. These IFITM proteins have been found to produce at high levels in cells affected by the virus and, if the proteins are not present, the influenza virus actually replicates much more quickly. Investigator Stephen Elledge says the ideal outcome of this initial research would be to develop a drug that mimics the IFTM proteins to help fight swine flu infection. "That's going to take a while, however," he adds, " but we may be able to find drugs that will increase production of the protein." What It Means: In the shorter term, Elledge believes his team's research may enable scientists to develop a strand of H1N1 that lacks this human protein, so that the virus will replicate faster in the lab and, therefore, allow for increased production of the vaccine to keep up with demand in future years.

Reducing Calorie Intake May Prevent Cancer: Calorie reduction can extend the lifespan of healthy human cells while increasing the body's ability to kill cancer-forming cells. According to research performed by scientists at the University of Alabama, restricting consumption of glucose, the most common dietary sugar, increases the lifespan of healthy lung cells in humans while reducing the spread and growth of cancerous cells. What it Means: By eating a reduced-calorie diet, you may be able to extend your life as well as help prevent chronic disease, such as cancer.

New Treatment for Prostate Cancer Nearing FDA Approval: Men in the U.S. may soon have access to a new treatment for prostate cancer with fewer side effects than radiation and surgery. Called High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), it is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure that uses sound waves to heat and destroy cancerous tissue. The treatment is in the final stages of clinical trials in the U.S., and FDA approval will likely follow shortly. The treatment has been available outside the U.S. for several years. What It Means: American men may soon be able to undergo prostate cancer treatment that targets tumors while avoiding destruction of surrounding healthy tissue, thus minimizing potential side effects like incontinence and impotence.

Check out our gallery on the most surprising celebrity health stories of 2009.



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