Soldiers Too Overweight for the Army
Soldiers are being dismissed from the Army for failing fitness tests, and obesity is now the leading cause of ineligibility for people who want to join the Army. According to the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, between 1998 and 2010, the number of active-duty military personnel deemed overweight or obese has more than tripled. The Army kicked out 1,625 soldiers for being out of shape during the first 10 months of this year, about 15 times the number discharged for that reason in 2007, which was the peak of wartime deployment cycles. [The Washington Post]
A condition called “sex headache” is more common that we originally thought, affecting about 1 in 100 people actually. Experts suspect that number many be much higher, but people are too shy or embarrassed to seek diagnosis. The condition, known as coital cephalgia, is more likely to afflict migraine sufferers, and usually happens right before an orgasm. There are several medications have been shown to effectively treat the condition when taken prior to sex. [Live Science]
Regular aspirin use has been linked to a rare form of macular degeneration, according to a new study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Although the risk was slight, it may be a potential concern because many adults nationwide take low doses of aspirin regularly to ward off heart disease and other ailments. The study says that routinely using aspirin doubled the odds of developing neovascular macular degeneration, the most severe form of the disease. [New York Times]
Is type 2 diabetes remission possible? According to a new report from the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in nine people with diabetes saw their blood sugar levels dip back to a normal or “pre-diabetes” level after a year on an intensive diet and exercise program. While there is no “cure” for type 2 diabetes, 11.5 percent of study participants had at least partial diabetes remission, which proves that diet and exercise play a major role in preventing and treating disease. [Reuters]
