Drinking diet soda reduces kidney stone risk

Drinking diet soda may reduce the risk of forming kidney stones – Patients with stone disease could benefit from drinking diet soda. New research from the University of California, San Francisco suggests that the citrate and malate content in commonly consumed sodas may be sufficient to inhibit the development of calcium stones.

Universal health insurance may narrow gaps in health care, US

Universal health insurance coverage may reduce persistent disparities in Americans from different racial, socioeconomic or ethnic groups. – Health care disparities in the U.S. have long been noted, with particular attention paid to the gaps separating racial and economic groups.

New cancer gene UTX identified

Getting down to cancer basics — Cancer mutations in the heart of gene regulation. – Researchers have identified a new cancer gene – one that is common to many cancers and affects the most basic regulation of our genes.

Vitamin C lowers gout risk in men

Higher vitamin C intake is independently associated with a lower risk of gout. Supplemental vitamin C intake may be beneficial in the prevention of gout. – Men with higher vitamin C intake appear less likely to develop gout, a painful type of arthritis, according to a report in the March 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Gene variants increase hypertension risk

Common gene variants increase risk of hypertension, may lead to new therapies – A new study has identified the first common gene variants associated with an increased incidence of hypertension ? a significant risk factor for heart attack, stroke and kidney failure.

Multivitamins offer no benefit in postmenopausal women

Long-term multivitamin use has no impact on the risk of common cancers, cardiovascular disease or overall mortality in postmenopausal women. – The largest study ever conducted on postmenopausal women shows that multivitamins may offer no benefit in reducing the risk of common cancers, cardiovascular disease or overall mortality.

Weight loss reduces urinary incontinence in overweight obese women

Losing weight helps women reduce urinary incontinence at least 70 percent according to a clinical research. – Reducing urinary incontinence can now be added to the extensive list of health benefits of weight loss, according to a clinical trial funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH), both part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Hypertension treatment combo fails for blood pressure patients

Guideline alert for blood pressure patients as treatment combo fails (combination of ACE inhibitors and Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers) – Thousands of Canadians with high blood pressure (hypertension) are being treated with a drug combination that increases the risk of sudden cardiac death, kidney disease and the likelihood of dialysis, warns the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Smoking during pregnancy increases cancer risk in child

Smoking during pregnancy increases a child?s likelihood of developing cancer. – New research by the Cancer Institute NSW has provided the strongest indication yet that smoking during pregnancy increases a child’s likelihood of developing cancer.