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The evidence continues to mount on the health benefits of adequate sleep. A new study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that sleeping less than seven and a half hours a day may be associated with a greater risk for heart disease, particularly for those whose blood pressure spikes overnight.

“Sleep habits have a huge impact on human health,” says the study’s lead author, Dr. Kazuo Eguchi of Jichi Medical University in Tochigi, Japan. Past studies have linked improper sleep habits - sleeping either too little or too much - to disorders such as obesity and diabetes as well as a higher risk of heart attacks and premature death. (See TIME’s A-Z Health Guide.)

Eguchi’s study examined the connection between sleep and heart disease among elderly people. Over a 50-month period, researchers monitored 1,225 people with an average age of 70 and a history of hypertension. For the duration of the study, participants recorded their nightly sleep habits in a sleep diary; their blood pressure was monitored all day and night, using an ambulatory blood pressure monitor, a small halter-like device that takes readings every 30 minutes 24 hours a day. Cardiovascular events including stroke, heart attack and sudden cardiac death were tracked among the participants.

The study found that 99 cardiovascular events occurred among all volunteers. The incidence rate was about 33% higher among people who slept less than seven and a half hours a night and had elevated overnight blood pressure - the so-called “riser pattern” - compared with longer sleepers. But those who slept less than seven and a half hours a night yet experienced no overnight hypertension showed no increased cardiac risk; their rate of heart disease was the same as that of the long sleepers. Particularly when it comes to elderly patients, the authors write that “physicians should inquire about sleep duration in the risk assessment of patients with hypertension.”

“Sleep is important [for everyone], from children to the elderly,” Eguchi says. “But it is more important when someone has some cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension.”

Normally, blood pressure drops during sleep, but if people don’t get enough shut-eye, it can exacerbate hypertension - or even cause it - and lead to depression and weakened immunity, according to previous research. Longer sleep is, therefore, especially vital for patients who already have high blood pressure. Maintaining a consistent sleep pattern is also important - tampering with the body’s circadian rhythm is associated with a variety of hormonal, metabolic and cardiovascular problems. In late October, Swedish researchers reported that the rate of heart attacks jumped following daylight savings time shifts in the spring and fall. “Our data suggest that vulnerable people might benefit from avoiding sudden changes in their biologic rhythms,” Dr. Imre Janszky of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm wrote.

Research generally suggests that seven to eight hours sleep a night is optimal for adults. Eguchi says his study underscores the special need for elderly, hyptertensive patients to get a good night’s sleep. “It’s a very important issue in their health,” Eguchi says, adding that still more studies need to be done to differentiate between “good” and “bad” sleep. The participants in his study recorded the duration of sleep, but not the quality - for instance, whether they experienced disturbances or nocturnia, the medical term for the need to get up and urinate at night, a common condition among the elderly.

Probing further into the nature of sleep, say researchers, may help determine the precise benefits of sleep - largely still a mystery - regardless of age or medical condition.

Carrying too much flab around the middle can almost double your risk of dying prematurely, even if the overall weight is normal, a shocking new research has revealed.

The study, which included over 350,000 people across Europe, has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study provides strong evidence that storing excess fat around the waist poses a significant health risk, even in people not considered to be overweight or obese.

It suggests that doctors should measure a patient’s waistline and their hips as well as their body mass index as part of standard health checks, according to the researchers, from Imperial College London, the German Institute of Human Nutrition, and other research institutions across Europe.

Comparing subjects with the same body mass index, the risk of premature death increased in a linear fashion as the waist circumference increased.

The risk of premature death was around double for subjects with a larger waist (more than 120cm or 47.2in for men and more than 100cm or 39.4in for women) compared to subjects with a smaller waist (less than 80cm or 31.5in for men and less than 65cm or 25.6in for women).

Body mass index is commonly used to assess if a person is of ”normal” weight.

Each 5cm increase in waist circumference increased the mortality risk by 17percent in men and 13 percent in women.

The ratio of waist to hips was also revealed as an important indicator of health in the study. Lower waist-hip ratios indicate that the waist is comparatively small in relation to the hips. The ratio is calculated by dividing the waist measurement by the hip measurement.

Waist to hip ratio varied quite widely in the European populations in the study. In 98 percent of the study population, waist to hip ratio ranged between 0.78 and 1.10 in men and between 0.66 and 0.98 in women. Within these ranges, each 0.1 unit higher waist-hip-ratio was related to a 34 percent higher mortality risk in men and a 24 percent higher risk in women.

An increased risk of mortality may be particularly related to storing fat around the waistline because fatty tissue in this area secretes cytokines, hormones and metabolically active compounds that can contribute to the development of chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases and cancers, suggest the authors.

Privatdozent Dr Tobias Pischon, the lead author of the paper from the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Potsdam-Rehbrücke, said: “The most important result of our study is the finding that not just being overweight, but also the distribution of body fat, affects the risk of premature death of each individual.

“Abdominal fat is not only a mere energy depot, but it also releases messenger substances that can contribute to the development of chronic diseases. This may be the reason for the link.”

Dutch group Philips has developed an “intelligent pill” that contains a microprocessor, battery, wireless radio, pump and a drug reservoir to release medication in a specific area in the body.Philips, one of the world’s biggest hospital equipment makers, said on Tuesday that the “iPill” capsule, measures acidity with a sensor to determine its location in the gut, and can then release drugs where they are needed.

Delivering drugs to treat digestive tract disorders such as Crohn’s disease directly to the location of the disease means doses can be lower, reducing side effects, Philips said.

While capsules containing miniature cameras are already used as diagnostic tools, those lack the ability to deliver drugs, Philips said.

The “iPill” can also measure the local temperature and report it wirelessly to an external receiver.The company plans to present the “iPill” at the annual meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) in Atlanta this month.

The iPill is a prototype but suitable for serial manufacturing, Philips said.

People who have fair skin — or who are otherwise more susceptible to sunburn — are at increased risk for skin cancer.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine lists these other common risk factors for skin cancer:

• Having a lot of freckles or moles.
• Having blue, gray or green eyes.
• Having blond or red hair.
• Having had many severe sunburns early in life.
• Having a family history of skin cancer.
• Being out in the sun frequently for long periods.
• Consistent exposure to the sun without use of sunscreen.

Mandatory vision screening for Florida drivers over the age of 80 may be associated with lower death rates from traffic crashes in this age group, a new study says.

Vision screening for drivers over age 80 is a Florida law, passed in 2004, and requires all people 80 and older to pass the exam before they can renew their driver’s license. For this study, researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham analyzed 2001-06 data on motor vehicle collision traffic deaths among all drivers in Florida. They then compared those rates to neighboring states Alabama and Georgia, which don’t require vision tests for elderly drivers.

From 2001 to 2006, overall motor vehicle collision death rates in Florida increased by 6 percent, from 14.61 to 14.75 per 100,000 people per year. However, death rates among elderly drivers decreased by 17 percent, from 16.03 to 10.76 per 100,000. In Alabama and Georgia, there were no changes in death rates among older drivers.

The study was published in the November issue of the journal Archives of Ophthalmology.

While a number of possible reasons could explain the death rate decline in Florida, study author Gerald McGwin Jr. and colleagues suggested, “the most apparent reason is that the screening law removed visually impaired drivers from the road. However, in reality, the situation is significantly more complex.”

The researchers noted that about 93 percent of elderly drivers were able to renew their license, which indicates that only a small percentage were denied licenses, because they failed to meet the vision standards.

In addition, it’s possible the vision screening law improved elderly drivers’ visual function overall, because many who failed the first test sought vision care and returned with improved vision. It’s also possible that those with poor vision didn’t even bother to apply for license renewal.

“Ultimately, whether the vision screening law is responsible for the observed reduction in fatality rates because of the identification of visually impaired drivers or via another, yet related, mechanism may be inconsequential from a public safety perspective,” the study authors wrote. “However, the importance of driving to the well-being of older adults suggests that isolating the true mechanism responsible for the decline is, in fact, important.”

Identifying this mechanism would enable states to introduce laws that accurately target high-risk older drivers while allowing low-risk older drivers to keep their licenses and mobility, the researchers said.

People who develop kidney stones are at a greater risk of developing chronic kidney disease, according to a new study.

It is known that kidney stones lead to CKD in patients with rare genetic diseases and in extreme cases individuals with CKD caused by kidney stones may even need dialysis or kidney transplants.

The research ream led by John Lieske, MD, and his colleagues at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, analysed the data of patients with kidney stones from Olmsted County, MN, and compared it to the group with no stones.

They found that patients with kidney stones were 60 pct more likely to develop kidney disease and 40pct more likely to develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD), the most severe form of CKD.

Lieske said that the study indicates that patients with kidney stones should be carefully evaluated for CKD and its risk factors, and they should be appropriately treated for any that are identified.

The study was presented at the American Society of Nephrology’’s 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Growth hormone therapy can significantly increase height in children with short stature, says a new study.

The study involving 150 short children, followed over a period of 20 years showed that growth hormone was effective in increasing the final height of in GH deficient children with short stature, as well as non GH deficient kids. However, further studies are still required.

The kids were randomized to no treatment, low GH dosage, or high GH dosage. The treatment could increase their height to nearly eight inches.

“In our study, dose dependent GH treatment increased final height in children with short stature who are not GH deficient with a mean gain of more than three inches, with some cases seeing a gain of nearly eight inches,” said Dr Kestin Albertsson-Wikland, Ph.D., professor at the Goteborg Pediatric Growth Research Center at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, and lead author of the study.

“There are many variables known to affect the growth response to GH treatment, such as birth length and early growth during the first years of life.

“Our study also found that children from parents of normal height respond better to treatment than those from short parents,” Albertsson-Wikland added.

The study will be published in The Endocrine Society’’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

Insurance is a thing that isn’t a fun subject. No one really wants to think about health insurance. You don’t want to picture yourself injured or sick. The truth is that you need to have a good backup plan in case something happens to you and you need a lot of help.

Health insurance is basically an investment. You pay your premiums and then get money back through savings on your next hospital trip or medical problem. The important thing to remember is that you actually get good insurance though. A good program will support you through your emergencies and your minor pharmaceutical needs. It will definitely be worthwhile in the long run to have something you can count on in a crunch. You don’t want to just depend on luck to keep your health, wealthy, and wise.

The process itself is simple. If you want insurance, you just need to call a special line and get insurance quotes from the proper agents. Then, you just compare the quotes and the packages to pick what you want. There are a number of online ways to get quotes from modern companies though, and most of these will even file a quote at the other companies so you can easily compare them at the same time. It really isn’t that hard.

A Canadian study of 219 pairs of twins has revealed that a person’s genetic makeup governs his/her mental toughness.Lead researcher Tony Vernon, from the University of Western Ontario, has revealed that the questionnaire-based study probed the genetic and environmental contributions of four traits associated with mental toughness: control over life, commitment, confidence and the ability to face new challenges.

The researcher said that the study showed that 52 per cent in the variation of mental toughness was down to genetics, and that it also correlated strongly with extroversion.

Vernon said that being neurotic or anxious indicated a reduced likelihood of possessing mental toughness.

“It’s about not letting setbacks destroy you,” New Scientist magazine quoted Peter Clough at the University of Hull, UK, who designed the questionnaire, as saying.He accepted the suggestion that mental toughness is mostly inherited.

Clough, however, insisted that natural worriers could deal with anxiety by learning to purge negative thoughts.

The more weight a woman gains during pregnancy, the more likely she is to have a large baby, posing health risks to both mother and child, a new study finds.

Women who gained more than 40 pounds — the maximum recommended pregnancy weight gain — had twice the risk of having a baby weighing more than 9 pounds, the researchers said.

An estimated one-fifth of women in the study put on too much weight during pregnancy, according to the research, published in the November issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology and funded by the American Diabetes Association.

Less than 12 percent of women who gained weight within the normal range had heavy babies, the study authors said.

“Our study provides one more good reason for all women that they gain the ideal amount of weight during pregnancy, and for the health-care provider to do a good job counseling women about healthy weight gain,” said lead author Dr. Teresa Hillier, an endocrinologist and senior investigator with Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Oregon and Hawaii.

Babies too heavy at birth can suffer stuck shoulders and broken collar bones, and are prone to overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life. And a big baby poses risks for the mother, including vaginal tearing, bleeding and often the need for a Caesarean section, the study authors said.

Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, called the new research “a really good study.”

“It shows how you can modify your risk factors for having large-for-gestational-age babies,” she said. “Mothers want to be careful how much weight they gain during pregnancy, especially if they have gestational diabetes.”

Doctors have known for decades that gestational diabetes — which is diabetes discovered for the first time when a woman is pregnant — is a risk factor for having a heavy baby. Treating gestational diabetes reduces the chances of having a large baby by more than 50 percent, the researchers said.

For the study, the researchers looked at 41,540 pregnant women in the Pacific Northwest and in Hawaii, all belonging to the Kaiser Permanente health plan. All underwent glucose screening for gestational diabetes.

The higher the maternal blood sugar levels went, the higher the risk for a heavy baby. Women who gained more than 40 pounds had nearly double the risk of a large baby for each level of blood sugar, compared to women who gained less than 40 pounds.

“Mothers who had normal sugar and gained in excess of 40 pounds had a higher risk of a large baby than women with gestational diabetes who had less sugar [meaning the diabetes was treated] and gained less than 40 pounds,” Wu said.

But Hillier offered this caution: “Not gaining enough [weight during pregnancy] is a risk for the baby as well. The focus should be eating healthfully: low-fat dairy, protein, lots of fruits and vegetables, also, under the guidance of a physician, getting moderate amounts of exercise,” she said.