HEALTH

An obesity expert from the UK believes Australia has overtaken America as having one of the unhealthiest diets in the world.

An Australian study has found the previously unsuspected cause of heart disease in women, connected to the hormonal disorder polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

A Victorian cheese company has recalled some of its products due to fears over possible salmonella contamination.

New statistics show one in five people in Guam have diabetes and up to 50 per cent of Pacific islanders have the disease.

An updated Guide to Staying Alive that outlines a plan to aid troubled people in surviving a suicidal episode has just been released by a mental health support group in Australia

(Reuters) - Widely used anticonvulsant drugs, including Pfizer's Neurontin and Novartis' Trileptal, may increase the risk of suicide, attempted suicide and violent death in patients taking them for the first time, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who cut out saturated fatty acids while upping their intake of white bread, pasta and other refined carbohydrates that can cause blood sugar to spike aren't doing their heart any favors, new research from Denmark shows.

We all know that too much salt may increase the risk of high blood pressure, hypertension, stroke, heart failure and the list goes on. We maybe eating a healthy balanced diet right now, but chances are these foods may contain too much salt. So, what is the best way to take salt?

Testicular cancer occurs when the cells in the testicles grow abnormally and develop into a tumour, commonly a seminoma in men aged 25 to 55 and a nonseminoma in men aged 15 to 30. Usually only one testis is affected, but it may spread through the lymph nodes to the abdomen, lungs, liver, bone or brain.

The Ministry of Ageing has recently released a report that the Rudd Government will invest $386 million to increase the number of services in aged care to better support older Australians.

Children who spend time outdoors are less likely to become short-sighted and require glasses, say Australian researchers.

(Reuters) - Now that the U.S. healthcare reform plan is law, the federal government is turning to states to institute key components -- some of which have never existed before -- and do so in a tight timeframe.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children with a particular variation of strabismus -- commonly referred to as cross-eyes -- appear highly likely to develop nearsightedness by adulthood, according to a new study.

(Reuters) - A diet rich in olive oil, nuts, fish, poultry and certain fruits and vegetables may have a powerful effect at staving off Alzheimer's disease, researchers reported on Monday.

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally announced the results of the investigation into an apparent cancer cluster in the NSW Hunter Valley will be made available to the public.

According to the long-standing policy that restricts blood donation from the gay community, a man who has had homosexual sex within the past 12 months is not eligible to donate blood. The policy is now being reviewed by Red Cross Blood service of Australia.

The first Australia's HIV antibody testing was introduced mid-April of 1985 and nearly 900,000 of the tests are still conducted, yearly across the country.

Recent study shows that although shock, anxiety and depression are experienced by carers, there are also beneficial consequences from their labour of love.

New measures are being introduced in South Korea seeking to combat the problem of internet addiction. The move follows the trial of a couple for negligent homicide. Their three-month old daughter died of malnutrition, allegedly because they were too busy raising a virtual child in a Second-Life-style game online known as Prius.

Victorian Premier John Brumby sought to trump Mr Rudd's offer to take responsibility for 60 per cent of state hospital funding in return for taking 30 per cent of GST revenues, with a demand for a 50-50 split that would leave the states in control of public hospitals.

A new book about the male mind suggests women should accept that a bloke just can't help it .

(Reuters) - Deaths of women in and around childbirth have gone down by an average of 35 percent globally, according to a study using new methods, but are surprisingly high in the United States, Canada and Norway.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although antidepressants are effective in children, they are known to increase suicidal behavior. That increase, however, is not dependent on the specific drug, researchers reported on Monday.

(Reuters) - The World Health Organization conceded shortcomings on Monday in its handling of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, including a failure to communicate uncertainties about the new virus as it swept around the globe.

Although calls for reform of youth mental health by Patrick McGorry, Australian of the Year, have generated considerable support, including by GetUp, through a community launched campaign, further analysis of his opinion piece in Weekend Health called Mental health needs early care, Feb 6-7) shows an unclear interpretation of evidence.

The livestock industry and the federal government are allocating $5 million for the research on foot and mouth disease overseas, rather than importing the live virus.

Scientists at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute have found that breast stem cells are extremely sensitive to the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone, a finding that opens the way for the development of new preventions and treatments for breast cancer.

Five residents around a single block in Singleton have brain tumours, rising fears that a cancer cluster has erupted in the heavily polluted Hunter Valley mining town.

Parents often have a hard time figuring out what to do when their children decide to throw tantrums. It doesn't help matters that kids often have their meltdowns in public places -- the supermarket, the mall, the family restaurant.