Health Tip: Avoid Unnecessary Eating

(HealthDay News) -- Eating when you're not hungry, or simply bored, can make those unnecessary calories add up.

Health Tip: Reduce Infection Risk After Ear Piercing

(HealthDay News) -- Newly pierced ears can be prime candidates for infection, but proper care can help reduce the risk.

Working Night Shifts May Raise Diabetes Risk for Women

MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Women who often work at night may face higher odds of developing type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.

Nearly Half of Older Breast Cancer Patients Don't Get Radiation

MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Even though radiation after mastectomy for advanced breast cancer has been proven to save lives and multiple guidelines call for it, nearly half of these patients don't receive it, researchers say.

Calories, Not Protein or Carbs, Are Key to Weight Loss: Study

SUNDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- Curbing calories is the key ingredient for diabetics seeking to lose weight, and low-fat diets that are either high in protein or high in carbs are equally effective, researchers say.

Lifestyle Changes Might Alter Breast Cancer Rates

FRIDAY, June 24 (HealthDay News) -- Lifestyle changes such as losing weight, drinking less alcohol and getting more exercise could lead to a substantial reduction in breast cancer cases across an entire population, according to a new model that estimates the impact of these modifiable risk factors.

Content, Timing of TV Can Take Toll on Kids' Sleep

MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Sleep problems common to the toddler set are made worse both by violent media content and greater evening use of televisions, computers or video games, a new study suggests.

Doctors Urge Ban on Junk Food Ads During Kids' Shows

MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- The nation's leading group of pediatricians is calling for a ban on all junk food and fast food ads during children's television shows as a means of slowing the rising tide of obesity among young people.

Does Ovulation Boost a Woman's 'Gaydar'?

MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Uncovering some science behind the type of intuition known as "gaydar," a team of American and Canadian researchers reports that a woman can tell whether a man is straight or gay by looking at his face when she is ovulating.

At-Home Blood Pressure Monitoring More Telling Than Doctor's Office Readings

MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Blood pressure readings logged over a 24-hour period on a portable home monitoring device appear more effective than blood pressure readings taken in a doctor's office for predicting whether patients with chronic kidney disease will experience kidney failure or death.

Hospitals in U.S. Territories Have Higher Death Rates: Study

MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Certain groups of patients treated at hospitals in U.S. territories have poorer outcomes and higher death rates than those treated at hospitals in U.S. states, according to a new study.

Pregnancy Safe for Most Women With MS: Study

MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnancy is generally safe for women with multiple sclerosis, a new study says.

HIV Drugs May Be Tied to Early Aging

SUNDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- An older class of antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV can cause premature aging, a new study suggests.

After Diabetes Diagnosis, Concentrate on Dietary Changes, Study Says

SATURDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- Dietary changes alone can yield the same benefits as changes in both diet and exercise in the first year after a person is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a new study contends.

Life Expectancy Improves for Type 1 Diabetics

SATURDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- Advances in diabetes care have nearly eliminated the difference in life expectancy between people with type 1 diabetes and the general population, according to new research.

Diabetes on Upswing Worldwide

SATURDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- The last quarter century has seen a such an explosion in the incidence of diabetes that nearly 350 million people worldwide now struggle with the disease, a new British-American study reveals.

Many Pediatricians Aren't Testing Tots for Developmental Delays

MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Although there's been some improvement in the number of pediatricians checking toddlers for developmental delays, more than half still don't routinely do so, a new study finds.

Diabetic Girls May Have Heart Risk Factors

MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- New research finds that girls and young women with type 1 diabetes show signs of risk factors for cardiovascular disease at an early age.

Health Highlights: June 27, 2011

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

New Blood Thinner Beats Plavix When Paired With Low-Dose Aspirin

MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Brilinta, an experimental anti-clotting medication currently awaiting U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, performed better than the industry standard, Plavix, when used in tandem with low-dose aspirin, a new study finds.

Vitamin D, Calcium Combo May Halve Melanoma Risk in Some Women

MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Certain women at risk for developing melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer, may cut the likelihood in half by taking vitamin D/calcium supplements, a new study suggests.

Lab-Grown Blood Vessels Seem to Help Dialysis Patients

MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- In early research, blood vessels originating from a donor's skin cells and grown in a laboratory have been successfully implanted in three dialysis patients.

New Crib Safety Rules to Take Effect

MONDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- New mandatory safety standards for cribs in the United States that take effect Tuesday "are an important step in ensuring a safe environment for infants as they sleep," according to a statement from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.