Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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Health Highlights: April 1, 2004
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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay: Bush Signs Law Protecting Fetuses President Bush on Thursday signed a law that expands the rights of the unborn, making it a separate crime if a fetus is harmed when a violent act is committed on a pregnant woman on federal property. Bush invited victims of such crimes, including the mother and stepfather of Laci Peterson, the California woman who was slain along with her unborn son, Connor, to the signing ceremony in the East Room, the Washington Post reported. Peterson's husband, Scott Peterson, is now standing trial for her murder. "As of today, the law of our nation will acknowledge the plain fact that crimes of violence against a pregnant woman often have two victims," Bush said. "And therefore, in those cases, there are two offenses to be punished." Although the law is limited in its scope -- it won't apply to most murders, which are prosecuted by states -- it re-opened the debate over abortion, the Post reported. While supporters of the legislation see it as further protecting the unborn, opponents see it as a back-door attempt to erode abortion rights. ----- 'Morning-After' Pill Doesn't Lead to More Unsafe Sex: Study Teenagers who have the so-called "morning after" pill at home are no more likely to have unprotected sex than other teens, University of Pittsburgh researchers concluded from a new study. In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration delayed a decision on whether to allow the pills to be sold over the counter, the Associated Press reported. Opponents of the move have argued that making the pills easier to get would encourage unprotected sex and an increase in sexually-transmitted diseases. Supporters have said the drug would simply reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies. "People seem to be really worried that if young women knew that they had this [pill] that they would drop their usual methods and go out and have rampant sex," lead author Melanie Gold told the wire service, suggesting her research proved otherwise. The pollsters questioned 301 females ages 15 to 20, about half of whom had immediate access to the pills, the AP said. Results are published in the April issue of the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. ----- U.S. Urges Police Authority to Ticket All Beltless Riders Citing statistics showing that automobile riders are likelier to buckle up in states where they can be stopped for not doing so, the U.S. government is urging all states and territories to adopt so-called "primary enforcement" belt laws. Under such laws, police have the authority to stop and issue citations to drivers and passengers solely for failing to click a safety belt. Currently, 20 states have enacted such legislation. By and large, in the rest of the country police cannot ticket riders for not wearing a belt unless they've stopped them for another violation, such as speeding or a broken tail light. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday that in states with primary laws, the compliance rate -- those who reported always using a belt -- was 85 percent. In states with secondary enforcement, however, the rate fell to 74 percent. Moreover, those in secondary states were twice as likely as those in primary states to report never buckling up at all. The rate with the lowest compliance rate was North Dakota (a secondary enforcement state), where 52 percent reported not always using a belt; the highest rate was seen in California (a primary enforcement state), with 92.2 percent compliance. New Hampshire, which only requires children to buckle up, had the highest rate of people -- 10.3 percent -- who never use belts. Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death among Americans 34 and younger. Safety belts are "the single most effective means of reducing crash-related deaths," the CDC reports in its publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, and all states should adopt primary enforcement laws "as an effective strategy to increase safety belt use." ----- Viagra Use Could Affect Fertility Men who take Viagra while hoping to start a family could be hampering their fertility, according to researchers at Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. While the drug does appear to enhance sperm movement, it also seems to speed up the timing of a process known as the "acrosome reaction," which normally occurs when a sperm reaches a woman's egg. The reaction releases digestive enzymes that break down the egg's protective outer layer, allowing the sperm to penetrate more easily. But if the enzymes are released by the sperm too early, the sperm are rendered fully "reacted" and are infertile by the time they reach the egg, according to the research presented at the annual meeting of the British Fertility Society. In the Irish study, up to 79 percent more sperm from Viagra patients were reacted by the time they reached the egg, as compared to the sperm from men who hadn't taken Viagra, the researchers reported. Lead author Dr. Sheena Lewis pointed out that Viagra was created to help men overcome impotence, not for the often-used purpose of enhancing their fertility. She said fertility clinics that dispense the drug for this reason should exercise caution. ----- Recalled Child Books Pose Choking Hazard
Consumers should take the book away from young children immediately, and return it to: Kingfisher Publications PLC, Customer Service, 181 Ballardvale St., Wilmington, Mass., 01887 for a full refund and postage reimbursement. For more information, contact the company toll-free at |
