Agave: Calories, Nutrition Facts, and More

By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD And Jenn Horton WebMD Feature Reviewed by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD You've seen agave syrup in your grocery store or in products sweetened with its nectar. It's about 1.5 times sweeter than sugar and comes from the same plant that's used to make tequila. Should you reach for it instead of sugar, honey, or maple syrup? What if you're working on losing weight or have diabetes? The answer may be more about your personal taste than about health. If you were hoping that you could use as much agave as you like,...

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Help! My Kid Is a Jerk!

By Lisa O'Neill Hill WebMD Feature Reviewed by Roy Benaroch, MD Your kid is a great kid -- good sport, lots of good deeds -- but he has obnoxious moments. And those moments threaten your sanity. Sometimes he doesn't listen to you. He won't take no for an answer. He's mean to his sister. You start to ask yourself, "Is my kid a jerk?" Some ages are naturally harder on kids -- and parents.  But how can you tell what's normal? What can you do about it? And when should you get help? "All of those behaviors are typically one of two things: A cry...

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Diet Changes Can Alter Gut Bacteria, Study Says

Researchers monitored stool samples of two people for a year WebMD News from HealthDay By Mary Elizabeth Dallas HealthDay Reporter FRIDAY, July 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Dietary changes can dramatically alter the balance of bacteria in the gut on a daily basis, according to a new study. These fluctuations could lead to monitoring systems that might help detect and ease flare-ups for people with certain chronic illnesses, such as inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease), the researchers said. Trillions of bacteria live...

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Study Links Shift Work to Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

Researchers cite many possible reasons for the effect, including hormonal changes WebMD News from HealthDay By Mary Elizabeth Dallas HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, July 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Shift workers, especially men, may be at higher risk for type 2 diabetes compared to people not on such schedules, a new study suggests. Also at special risk are shift workers who don't work on a set schedule, with shifts moving around at various times of the day. The findings are "not at all surprising," said one expert, Dr. Alan Manevitz, a clinical...

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Is Coffee Aggravating Your Hot Flashes?

Researchers suggest women skip caffeine if they're bothered by menopausal symptoms WebMD News from HealthDay By Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, July 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Drinking caffeine may worsen the hot flashes and night sweats that affect roughly two-thirds of women as they go through menopause, new survey data suggests. "While these findings are preliminary, our study suggests that limiting caffeine intake may be useful for those postmenopausal women who have bothersome hot flashes and night sweats," said researcher Dr. Stephanie...

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5 Best Stretches for New Moms

By Karen Asp WebMD Feature Reviewed by David T. Derrer, MD After having a baby, it’s perfectly normal to feel like your body is a little off. "Your back, shoulders, and hips are likely to feel tight,” says Erica Ziel, a personal trainer in Newport Beach, CA. These five moves will soothe common sore spots and help ease you back into a fitness program. “When you do these stretches, use your core muscles to deepen the stretch and get your core strength back,” Ziel says. 1. Hip Rolls What they do: Open up your lower back and hips. How to do them:...

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Routine Pulse Check May Prevent Second Stroke, Study Says

Patients, relatives can get reliable results, researchers find WebMD News from HealthDay By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, July 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Regularly checking the pulse of a stroke survivor may help prevent another stroke, researchers report. "Screening pulse is the method of choice for checking for irregular heartbeat for people over age 65 who have never had a stroke. Our study shows it may be a safe, effective, noninvasive and easy way to identify people who might need more thorough monitoring to prevent a second...

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New HIV Guidelines Released by WHO

By Pam Harrison Medscape Medical News July 23, 2014 (MELBOURNE, Australia) -- Five groups of people are driving the global HIV epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) says in its new guidelines. Men who have sex with men, sex workers, injection-drug users, transgender people, and people in prisons are among the groups targeted for prevention and treatment efforts. HIV rates are "going down all over the world, with the exception of key affected populations," Fabio Mesquita, MD, said during a news conference at the 20th International AIDS Conference....

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Will 3-D Printing Revolutionize Medicine?

By Sonya Collins WebMD Health News Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD July 23, 2014 -- Sydney Kendall lost her right arm below the elbow in a boating accident when she was 6 years old. Now 13, Sydney has used several prosthetic arms. But none is as practical -- nor as cool, she’d argue -- as her pink, plastic, 3-D-printed robotic arm. The arm was custom-designed for her this spring, in pink at her request, by engineering students at Washington University in St. Louis through a partnership with Shriners Hospital. They printed it while Sydney and her...

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HIV Meds May Also Help Control Hepatitis C, Study Finds

For people infected with both viruses, early treatment is critical, researchers report WebMD News from HealthDay By Mary Elizabeth Dallas HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, July 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients infected with both HIV and hepatitis C, HIV antiretroviral therapy may help control both viruses, a small study suggests. Researchers said doctors could use their findings to improve treatment strategies for people with the two diseases. "The findings suggest that HIV suppression with antiretroviral medications plays an important role...

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Cystic Fibrosis Drug Combo May Be Less Effective Than Hoped

One medication seems to partly counteract the other, suggests study on human cells WebMD News from HealthDay By Randy Dotinga HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, July 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A powerful drug combo may not be as effective against cystic fibrosis as previously thought. New lab-based research on human cells suggests that one of the medications might stop the other from working properly. However, this study's findings aren't definitive, and there's still hope for the medications known as ivacaftor (brand name Kalydeco) and lumacaftor,...

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Is Butter Back? The Truth About Saturated Fats

By Amy Paturel WebMD Feature Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC For decades we’ve been warned that eating saturated fat, the type found in meat, cheese, and other dairy foods, can lead to heart disease. Instead, we've been told to choose healthy fats from nuts, seeds, fish, and vegetable oils. New research questions that belief. A recent review of 72 studies found no link between saturated fat and heart disease. The review also showed that monounsaturated fats like those in olive oil, nuts, and avocados don't protect against heart disease. This...

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Appeals Courts Rule Differently on ACA Provision

By Julie Rovner Tue, Jul 22 2014 Updated at 12:45 p.m. A three-judge panel at the U.S. Appeals Court for the D.C. Circuit threw the fate of an important part of the Affordable Care Act into doubt Tuesday. In a 2-1 decision in Halbig v. Burwell, the judges ruled that the Internal Revenue Service lacked the authority to allow subsidies to be provided in exchanges not run by the states. That could put at immediate risk the millions of people who bought insurance in the 36 states where these online insurance marketplaces are run by the federal government....

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Caffeine Powder: FAQ

By Emily Newman WebMD Health News Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD The story of an 18-year-old prom king, who according to reports died from an irregular heartbeat and seizures brought on by a caffeine overdose, has raised questions about caffeine -- particularly the powdered type used by the teen. Here’s what you need to know. What is caffeine powder? It's caffeine in powder form. Caffeine is naturally in more than 60 plants, like coffee beans, tea leaves, and cacao, the FDA says. But man-made caffeine is also added to energy drinks and sold as...

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Blood Test Might Help Predict Survival With Lou Gehrig's Disease

Study findings may also help researchers test new ALS drugs, researchers suggest WebMD News from HealthDay By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, July 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Simple blood tests may one day help predict survival and the course of the disease in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease, Italian researchers report. The components in the blood that might yield clues to how fast ALS is progressing are called albumin and creatinine. These components are normally tested to follow kidney...

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Fruit Recalled for Possible Listeria Contamination

WebMD News from HealthDay July 22, 2014 -- Packaged fresh fruit sold at Costco, BJ's, Trader Joe's and other retailers has been recalled because of concerns of possible contamination with the life-threatening bacteria listeria, according to published reports. The voluntary recall includes peaches, plums, nectarines and pluots -- apricot-plum hybrids -- packaged between June 1 and July 12 by Wawona Packing Co. of California, WPIX-TV in New York City reported. "Because we do not know the locations of the companies that purchased the products from our...

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HIV Diagnoses Down in U.S., Except for Young Gay Males: CDC

Messages about safe sex may be falling on deaf ears, researcher notes WebMD News from HealthDay By Randy Dotinga HealthDay Reporter SATURDAY, July 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new report offers good and bad news about the AIDS epidemic in the United States: The annual diagnosis rate of HIV, the virus that causes the disease, has dropped by one-third in the general population but has climbed among young gay and bisexual males. Significantly fewer heterosexuals, drug users and women were diagnosed each year with HIV, according to the report from...

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Many Young Adults Misinformed About Hookahs' Harms

More than half surveyed said the water pipes weren't dangerous WebMD News from HealthDay By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter SATURDAY, July 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Many young adults don't realize that using hookahs can harm their health, a new study reveals. Hookah smoking can be just as dangerous as cigarettes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, this study found that many young adults believe the water pipes are a safe alternative to cigarettes. Researchers asked patrons, aged 18 to 30, at three Southern...

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HPV Test Beats Pap Smear in Gauging Cervical Cancer Risk, Study Finds

Study of over 1 million women suggests it could be stand-alone screening method WebMD News from HealthDay By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter FRIDAY, July 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new study involving data on more than 1 million women finds the HPV test outperforming the standard Pap test in assessing cervical cancer risk. Researchers at the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) conclude that a negative test for HPV (human papillomavirus) infection is associated with an extremely low risk for cervical cancer and provides greater assurance of...

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EPA Unveils New Bug Repellant Labeling

Should work much like sunscreen SPF labels, telling users how much protection they will get, agency says WebMD News from HealthDay By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter FRIDAY, July 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new graphic for insect repellant labels will show consumers how many hours the product will protect them from mosquitoes and/or ticks, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says. "We are working to create a system that does for bug repellents what SPF [sun-protection factor] labeling did for sunscreens," Jim Jones, assistant administrator...

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'Rockford Files' Star Dies

      The Zone Diets, Here's what's trending on Twitter this week.         @media only screen and (max-device-width: 480px) { table[class=outer] .t-s p { margin-left: -2px !important; padding-right: 10px !important; } table[class=outer] .t-i img { width: 32px !important; height: 32px !important; } table[class=outer] .m-c, table[class=outer] .mid { padding: 0 !important; } table[class=outer] .o-t, table[class=outer]...

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