Trans fat, which is used in many fried and processed foods, may contribute more to weight gain than other types of fat, suggests a new study. The study found that a woman who was consuming 6% of calories from trans fat would be 12 pounds heavier after eight years than a person eating no trans fat.
[Read](http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-10-21-transfat_x.htm?csp=34 “Read the Story”) (USA Today)
Most restaurant chefs are dishing out portions that are two to four times bigger than the governments recommended serving sizes.
They know these large amounts are supersizing their diners, but they believe customers expect big platefuls of food when eating out, according to a survey of 300 chefs presented in Boston at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society.
[Read](http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-10-21-portions-restaurants_x.htm?csp=34 “Read the Story”) (USA Today)
Children who are verbally abused may suffer lasting negative effects in their brain’s ability to process language, researchers report.
Brain scans of people who were verbally abused as children showed that they have 10% less grey matter in the part of their brains involved in language, compared with non-abused adults.
[Read](http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn10332&feedId=online-news_rss20 “Read the Story”) (New Scientist)
Telling women they cant do well in math may turn out be a self-fulfilling statement.
In tests in Canada, women who were told that men and women do math equally well did much better than those who were told there is a genetic difference in math ability. And women who heard there were differences caused by environment — such as math teachers giving more attention to boys — outperformed those who were simply reminded they were females.
[Read](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15337257/ “Read the Story”) (AP via MSNBC)
A vegetable stir-fry and a glass of red wine might go a long way toward preventing the formation of the brain gunk that can lead to Alzheimers disease.
The findings involving experiments with mice add to an increasing body of evidence, including human studies, that suggest the high-fat Western-style diet might lead not just to heart attacks but also to Alzheimers.
[Read](http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-10-15-alzheimers-diet_x.htm?csp=34 “Read the Story”) (USA Today)
Researchers have identified a genetic mutation that raises the risk of autism and could also explain some of the other symptoms seen in children with autism.
Although autism and similar disorders can clearly run in families, this is the first study to find a definitive genetic link to the disorder, which affects as many as 1 in 175 U.S. children.
[Read](http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/10/16/autism.genes.reut/index.html “Read the Story”) (Reuters via CNN)
Parents now have science to back them up when they say, “Turn off the TV. It’s a school night.”
Middle school students who watch TV or play video games during the week do worse in school, a new study finds, but weekend viewing and gaming doesn’t affect school performance much.
[Read](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15105253/ “Read the Story”) (AP via MSNBC)
A new report from the [American Academy of Pediatrics](http://www.aap.org) suggests that **recess can foster creativity and social skills**, arguing that when play is undirected, kids become resourceful in figuring out conflict resolution, negotiation and even leadership — which might not surface as naturally in an adult-structured atmosphere, when children are more likely to “acquiesce to adult rules and concerns.”
[Read](http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06283/728841-298.stm “Read the Story”) (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
The recent outbreak of E. coli in spinach from California exposed a weakness in the nations food chain: A system that quickly delivers meat, fruits and vegetables to consumers just as easily can spread potentially deadly bacteria.
Within days of the first reported E. coli-related case on Aug. 30, illness from the tainted California spinach had spread to two dozen states. Nearly 200 people were sickened — one-third of them in the first 72 hours.
[Read](http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-10-09-food-chain-outbreak_x.htm “Read the Story”) (AP via USA Today)
Every year scientists discover new ways men can protect their hearts–from steps you can take to avoid problems, to drugs and gadgets that can help if you already have heart disease. [Men’s Health Magazine](http://www.menshealth.com) asked heart researchers to boil it down to 10 simple rules men can follow.
[Read](http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=health&conitem=abe999edbbbd201099edbbbd2010cfe793cd____ “Read the Story”) (Men’s Health Magazine)
[Coronary artery bypass surgery](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronary_artery_bypass_surgery “Wikipedia Article”) is more effective at extending the lives of patients with [severe coronary artery disease](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007115.htm “MedlinePlus Article”) than either [angioplasty](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angioplasty “Wikipedia Article”) or [heart medications](http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsDrugs/DrugCats/HeartMedications.html “University of Maryland list of heart meds”).
Researchers analyzed the records of more than 18,000 patients who had at least one coronary artery that was more than 75 percent blocked and who received bypass surgery, angioplasty or heart medications at [Duke](http://www.duke.edu/medical.html “Duke Medical”) between 1986 and 2000.
Those who received bypass surgery lived an average of 5.3 months longer than those treated by angioplasty, the study said.
[Read](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_39679.html “Read the Story”) (HealthDay via MedlinePlus)
A [Johnson & Johnson](http://www.jnj.com “Johnson & Johnson website”) drug received expanded federal approval Friday to treat aggression and other symptoms of autism in children.
The new use for [Risperdal](http://www.risperdal.com/ “Risperdal Website”) is to treat irritability associated with autistic disorder, including temper tantrums, deliberate self-injury and aggression in children and adolescents, ages 5 to 16.
[Read](http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=106&sid=935790 “Read the Story”) (AP via WTOP)
The largest federal study to date into the causes of autism was announced Friday — a multi-state investigation that will involve 2,700 young children.
The new study will recruit 900 children diagnosed with autism, 900 with undefined or other developmental problems, and 900 randomly selected youngsters. The CDC and five other research centers will study the youngsters over five years. The research is designed to ferret out any genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to autism.
[Read](http://wtop.com/?nid=106&sid=935849 “Read the Story”) (AP via WTOP)
Maryland agriculture officials have warned states from Indiana to Georgia about more than 100 pigs that have disappeared from a Carroll County farm under quarantine. The pigs might be infected with [trichinosis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichinosis “Wikipedia Article”).
[Read](http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=25&sid=935013 “Read the Story”) (AP via WTOP)
A 1959 nuclear reactor meltdown at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, which is northwest of Los Angeles, may have caused hundreds of cases of cancer in the community, and chemicals threaten to contaminate ground and water.
[Read](http://wtopnews.com/?nid=106&sid=934886 “Read the Story”) (AP via WTOP)