The Washington Post “The Checkup” blog reports, “Smoking marijuana doesn’t appear to do the kind of damage to people’s lungs as smoking tobacco does,” according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “But that may have to do more with the way marijuana is typically smoked than with anything inherent in the substance itself.”

Reuters reports that, according to a study published online in Stroke, red meat consumption may be linked to an increased risk of stroke.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports a study in Nature showing that irisin, “a hormone naturally found in muscle cells … rises during exercise, converting white fat into brown fat, a substance whose primary function is to generate body heat.”

The Los Angeles Times “Booster Shots” blog reports, “A recent study  … concluded that doctors can consider transferring two embryos in some women but that there is no justification for transferring three or more embryos in any patient.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that new research suggests that the risk of cardiac arrest for those participating in marathons may be very small.

Neti pot users had a scare after recent news about two deaths from amebic brain infection in people using a neti pot. But this does NOT mean that nasal irrigation with a neti pot is unsafe.

Bloomberg News reports, “People who are genetically susceptible to developing Alzheimer’s disease may be able to reduce their risk with exercise,” according to a study published in the Archives of Neurology.

The Washington Post asks, “Research has indicated that smokers may have a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. Might nicotine patches offer memory benefits, too?”

On its website, ABC News reports, “Scientists have found new evidence that grief might actually break your heart.”

ABC World News reported, “And we have a red flag to tell you about tonight about the most popular prescription drug in the world: statins.” Investigators “at Harvard Medical School” found that “people who take statins to reduce their cholesterol are at slightly higher risk of diabetes.” Sounds scary, right? Not to worry … it isn’t!

Fast foods, sodas, and ice cream may be American kids’ favorite menu items, but they’re also probably the worst for those with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new literature review suggests.

According to two researchers from Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, a relatively simple diet low in fats and high in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables is one of the best alternatives to drug therapy for ADHD. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid supplements have also been shown to help in some controlled studies, they noted.

This state-of-the-art review suggests dietary interventions for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) if:

1. medications are ineffective,
2. parents or children wish to try dietary approaches, or
3. mineral deficiencies were present.

Diets to reduce symptoms associated with ADHD include sugar-restricted, additive/preservative-free, oligoantigenic/elimination, and fatty acid supplements.

The authors write, “In practice, additive-free and oligoantigenic/elimination diets are time-consuming and disruptive to the household; they are indicated only in selected patients.”

Reuters reports that a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology surveyed over 600 prostate cancer patients and found that robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy, compared with traditional open surgery, showed no difference in problems, such as urinary incontinence and sexual problems, after the surgery.

USA Today reported, “Screening men with the PSA test increases their chances of being diagnosed with prostate cancer but doesn’t reduce their overall risk of death, according to a large, long-running government study” published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

When it comes to neck pain the best medicine is no medicine at all according to a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

USA Today reports that according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, “the number of twin births in the USA more than doubled from 1980 to 2009.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, weight-loss surgery may be linked to a reduced risk of death from heart disease.

The Wall Street Journal reported on a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggesting that a person’s total calorie intake, regardless of the nutritional source of the calories, determines how much fat accumulates in the body.

Reuters reports on a study published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, which found that some young women who have received the HPV vaccine believe that it protects them against STDs such as syphilis and gonorrhea, and indicates that greater education efforts may be necessary.

The Los Angeles Times reports, “Numerous studies show that small tweaks to one’s routine can improve a person’s health.”

Here’s a practice changer for me. HealthDay reports, “Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for ALL unvaccinated adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes aged 19 to 59.”

HealthDay reports, “A diet consisting of eight weeks of protein shakes and soup followed by adding low-calorie, high-protein foods can help people with knee osteoarthritis (knee OA) lose weight, which may lessen joint pain and improve their quality of life,” according to a study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

ABC World News reported, “There is a revolutionary new treatment for the wear and tear on joints that can come with exercise after 50.”

When Baby Makes Three, the 2011 State of Our Unions report from the National Marriage Project and the Institute for American Values, relies on nationally representative data to answer four important questions about contemporary family life:

Scott McCartney writes in the Wall Street Journal “The Middle Seat” column about how to avoid contracting airborne infections during air travel.

The AP reports that a team of “specialists convened recently by the National Institutes of Health say it’s time to strip the name ‘cancer’” from low-risk prostate cancer.”

MedPage Today reports, “Older patients with isolated systolic hypertension gained an extra day of life expectancy for every month of treatment with diuretic-based stepped care, according to long-term follow-up of a randomized trial” published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

HealthDay reports, “Blood pressure changes in middle age can affect your lifetime risk for heart disease and stroke,” according to a study published in Circulation.

Can zinc supplements shorten colds and reduce the progression of advanced macular degeneration?  “Yes, but not all supplements provide a dosage that has been proven effective.” says Tod Cooperman, M.D., President of ConsumerLab.com.

The Los Angeles Times reports, “Feeding young babies solid foods, such as crackers, cereals and bread, which tend to be high in salt, may set them up for a lifelong preference for salt,” according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The National Journal reports, “Nearly every American has at least one risk factor for heart disease,” according to a report from the American Heart Association.