Health Tip: Opt for a Healthy Weight-Loss Plan

(HealthDay News) -- Fad diets may promise drastic and quick loss of weight, but may be dangerous and often fall short when it comes to long-term weight loss.

Breast Cancer Gene Puts Survivors at Higher Odds for Recurrence

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Breast cancer survivors carrying specific genetic mutations, known as BRCA1 or BRCA2, have a 10 percent greater risk for developing cancer in their other breast, and the risk rises further when a woman receives her first diagnosis before age 40, new research suggests.

Hispanic Women More Likely to Die of Breast Cancer

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Hispanic women have a 20 percent greater risk of dying from breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women, according to a new study.

Early Ovary Removal May Raise Arthritis, Osteoporosis Risk

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Women under the age of 45 who have their ovaries removed are more likely to be diagnosed with arthritis and have lower bone mineral density, a predictor of osteoporosis, a new study finds.

Obesity Linked to Worse Outcomes With Early Breast Cancer

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Obese women with early stage breast cancer are less likely to survive than other women who are of normal weight, new research suggests.

Few With Acute Kidney Injury See Specialists, Study Finds

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Many Americans who experience acute kidney injury that does not get better do not see a kidney specialist within a year, which suggests that doctors need to do more to identify and treat these patients, a new study reveals.

Taxi Drivers Show How Learning Changes Adult Brain

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- The brains of new taxi drivers change as they learn to navigate thousands of streets and places of interest over several years, a new study shows.

Stress Early in Pregnancy Linked to Fewer Baby Boys

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- A stressful early pregnancy could lower a woman's odds for delivering a boy and raise her risk for premature delivery, a new study suggests.

Rats Can Lend a Helping Paw to Others, Study Finds

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Rats may have gotten a bum rap.

British Screening Program Finding More Early Stage Colon Cancers

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- A government colon cancer screening program in England is on target to reduce colon cancer deaths by its goal of 16 percent, according to researchers who conducted an analysis of the first 1 million test results.

Avastin Boosted Survival for Type of Aggressive Breast Cancer: Study

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- In November, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revoked its approval of the drug Avastin for the treatment of breast cancer. But, a new study suggests that the drug can boost the survival of women with a specific type of aggressive breast tumor when used in conjunction with two other medications.

Family Tree May Affect Diagnosis Age in Some Breast Cancers

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Some women who inherit the BRCA1 or BRCA2 breast and ovarian cancer genes from their father may be diagnosed with breast cancer nearly a decade earlier than those who inherit the genes from their mother, a new study indicates.

Two New Drug Combos May Fight Advanced Breast Cancers

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Breast cancer researchers report they are heartened by the results of two new studies that show combination therapies might improve survival for women with two different types of advanced tumors.

Starchy Foods May Boost Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Increased consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods, especially starches, may boost the risk of breast cancer recurrence, new research finds.

Treating Prehypertension Lowers Stroke Risk: Study

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- A new study found that the risk of stroke dropped about 22 percent in people with prehypertension who took drugs that lower blood pressure.

FDA Advisers: Newer Forms of the 'Pill' Need Revised Warning Labels

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. health advisers recommended Thursday that several newer forms of oral contraceptives carry revised labels warning about an increased risk of potentially fatal blood clots.

Health Highlights: Dec. 8, 2011

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

More Americans Exercise, but Arthritis Can Get in the Way

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Exercise is good medicine, and the number of American adults who did no physical activity in their leisure time decreased from 31 percent in 1989 to 25 percent in 2008, researchers have found.

British Study Suggests Mammograms May Do More Harm Than Good

THURSDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Women aged 40 and older who follow recommendations to have annual mammograms may do themselves more harm than good, British researchers report.

CDC Issues New TB Treatment Guidelines

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- New guidelines on treating so-called "latent" tuberculosis infection in the United States should significantly shorten and simplify the course of the therapy from about 9 months to 3 months, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Few Women Get Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy: Study

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Few women undergo breast reconstruction after a mastectomy, despite the known cosmetic and psychological advantages, a new study indicates.