Environmental News Network

High Blood Pressure Often Undiagnosed In U.S. Kids
CHICAGO - High blood pressure among children and adolescents, a growing problem linked to increasing juvenile obesity, often goes undiagnosed in the United States, according to a study published on Tuesday. This is dangerous, as high blood pressure can quietly damage the organs, especially the kidneys, the researchers reported in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association. >> Read the Full Article
States Seek Fed Crackdown On Energy Drinks
BOSTON - The attorneys general of 28 states, Washington D.C., and Guam asked the federal government on Tuesday to crack down on the makers of energy drinks with alcohol and caffeine, arguing their advertisements don't warn of health and safety risks. "Combining alcohol with caffeine hardly seems healthy - and that false claim is what we seek to halt," said Connecticut's Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. >> Read the Full Article
UN Says Human Trafficking Spreads HIV/AIDS In Asia
COLOMBO - About 300,000 women and children are trafficked across Asia each year, accelerating the spread of HIV/AIDS, the United Nations said on Wednesday. "Trafficking... contributes to the spread of HIV by significantly increasing the vulnerability of trafficked persons to infection," said Caitlin Wiesen-Antin, HIV/AIDS regional coordinator, Asia and Pacific, for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). >> Read the Full Article
Breaking Up May Not Be As Hard As The Song Says
EVANSTON, Ill. --- The devastation caused by a broken heart has been a dominant theme throughout the ages of great literature and pop culture alike. But a new Northwestern University study shows that lovers, especially those madly in love, do much better -- almost immediately -- following a breakup than they imagined they would. >> Read the Full Article
Fat On Chest And Upper Back Increases Risk Of Insulin Resistance
San Francisco - Upper trunk fat -- deposits of fat on the chest and back -- is associated with an increased risk of insulin resistance, a condition that is a precursor of type 2 diabetes, according to a study led by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. It is the first time such an association has been demonstrated, say the researchers. >> Read the Full Article
Working Families Rely Heavily on "Convenience" Foods for Dinner, But Save Little Time, Study Finds
Los Angeles - Two-income families in Los Angeles don't live so much in a fast food nation as they do in a Hamburger Helper hamlet on the edge of a packaged lettuce greenbelt, according to the first academic study to track American families moment by moment as they make dinner. >> Read the Full Article
Researchers Want To Contain Flesh-Eating â€˜Super-Bugâ€™ In Jails
Los Angeles - Researchers have developed a mathematical model that mimics a particularly nasty and ongoing outbreak at the Los Angeles County Jail of the flesh-eating bacteria known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. >> Read the Full Article
Bednet Best Defense Against Malaria, Say Researchers
NAIROBI - Children sleeping under insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are less likely to die from malaria and nets should be distributed free to all who need them, according to research from Kenya. >> Read the Full Article
Controversy Over GMO Corn Approval In Brazil
Brazil's biosafety committee has approved two sets of guidelines governing the use of genetically modified (GM) corn, despite criticism from within its ranks. The Brazilian National Biosafety Technical Committee (CTNBio), which oversees the use of GM organisms in the country, last week (16 August) approved plans for monitoring and coexistence. >> Read the Full Article
USDA to give $5.5 million to study E. coli in produce
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will held support new research on keeping fresh produce safe from deadly bacteria, officials said on Tuesday. >> Read the Full Article