Men who start to lose their hair in their early 20s may be more likely to develop prostate cancer in later life, new research suggests.

Scientists at the Paris Descartes University in France looked at 388 men who were being treated for prostate cancer, as well as a further 281 cancer-free men.

They found that those with prostate cancer were twice as likely to have started going bald at age 20 as those without the disease.

In contrast, men who only started to lose their hair in their 30s or 40s were no more likely to develop prostate cancer than those in the control group. Read the rest of this entry »

A regular serving of safflower oil may help to improve levels of cholesterol and blood sugar in postmenopausal women who are obese and have type-2 diabetes, a small study suggests.

Safflower oil is a flavourless and colourless oil that has a similar nutritional content to sunflower oil.

Scientists at Ohio State University found that women who consumed about 1.66 teaspoons of the common cooking oil each day for 16 weeks showed improvements in a number of risk factors for heart disease.

The oil contains a polyunsaturated fatty acid called linoleic acid, which is now thought to help prevent metabolic syndrome – a cluster of conditions that increase a person’s risk of developing heart disease. Read the rest of this entry »

Men who took erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra were more likely to become infected with sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

This infection rate was higher even in the year before the men got their prescriptions filled, which suggests the risky behavior came first, the researchers reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The study shows that even middle-aged men need advice about spreading and catching STDs, especially AIDS, which is deadly and incurable, Dr. Anupam Jena of Harvard Medical School in Boston and colleagues wrote.

“Users of ED (erectile dysfunction) drugs had higher rates of HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in the 12 months before filling their first ED drug prescription, although only HIV and chlamydia were statistically significant in this period,” Jena’s team wrote.

“At a minimum, use of ED drugs seems to correlate with higher-risk sexual behavior, either in the number or type of sexual encounters.” Read the rest of this entry »

What is a healthy weight?

A healthy weight is a weight that lowers your risk for health problems. For most people, body mass index (BMI) and waist size are good ways to tell if they are at a healthy weight.

But reaching a healthy weight isn’t just about reaching a certain number on the scale or a certain BMI. Having healthy eating and exercise habits is even more important. When you’re active and eating well, your body will settle into a weight that is healthy for you.

If you want to get to a healthy weight and stay there, healthy lifestyle changes will work better than dieting. Reaching a certain number on the scale is not as important as having a healthy lifestyle.

Why pay attention to your weight?

Staying at a healthy weight is one of the best things you can do for your health. It can help prevent serious health problems, including:

• Heart disease.
• Stroke.
• High blood pressure.
• Type 2 diabetes.
• Sleep apnea.

But weight is only one part of your health. Even if you carry some extra weight, eating healthy foods and being more active can help you feel better, have more energy, and lower your risk for disease. Read the rest of this entry »