If the local 24-hour Fitness is any measure, sports drinks seem to be the favored breakfast of champions these days. But a new study by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin suggests that the best pre-workout meal is a whole grain cereal with milk.

Researchers have long known that women who get adequate amounts of folic acid are much less likely to give birth to infants with spina bifida, a devastating birth defect. New research shows that folic acid supplements dramatically reduce the risk of preterm births, as well.

Many cancer patients swear by acupressure wristbands as a way to ward off treatment-related nausea. Most doctors have assumed the bands work because of the placebo effect. No longer.

Sports drinks may give you an energy boost when you’re working out. But disturbing new evidence suggests they may also be wreaking havoc on your pearly whites.

Want to live a very long and healthy life? Researchers with the New England Centenarian Study have identified the two personality traits that could help you get there.

The solution to the growing threat of childhood obesity may be as simple as a tall glass of water, experts say.

Sure they’re cute. Yes they’re cuddly. But man’s best friends can also be downright dangerous, according to new statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

A drink a day for people over 55 substantially reduces the risk of premature death, according to a study published in the March issue of The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

This week’s update from the Ms.Fits, our home team competing in Live Healthy Iowa, proves that individual differences have a lot to do with how people respond to lifestyle changes. The team wins a gold medal for activity, logging more than 60 hours last week. That’s impressive by any measure. Unfortunately, a few of the team members have seen some of the weight they lost earlier creep back. That’s discouraging, of course, but it doesn’t mean they can’t lose it again and keep it off.

One of the Ms.Fits, Sue, is still on track to reach her goal of losing 21 pounds over the 100-day challenge. She’s down 17 pounds, with 4 more to go.

Since she has tried diets and exercise programs before to lose weight and been frustrated and ultimately disappointed with the results, PDQhealth asked her what seems to be working for her this time around. She pointed to five strategies that, together, are making it easier to lose weight and stick with the program.

Is President Obama tackling too many issues? At a time like this, with the economy teetering, is it really wise to try to reform the health care system?

Pundits and politicians have been debating that question a lot of late. “This is no time to be taking on something as big and complex as health care,” the naysayers admonish. It’s no coincidence that many of them are politicians or high-profile media talking heads–among the lucky few who don’t have to worry about health care coverage. Most of them don’t have the foggiest idea what the rest of us are up against.

These days, $1 billion dollars can seem like a drop in the bucket. Still, health officials have good reason to applaud one small piece of the $787 billion economic stimulus bill signed by President Obama that sets aside $1.1 billion for studies designed to identify the safest and most effective treatments for specific conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, neck pain, or diabetes.

In our view, it will be money well spent.

Going in for a regular check-up after switching doctors, I had no complaints beside the odd aches and pains that a man my age shouldn’t complain about. Otherwise, my cholesterol levels were perfect. Triglycerides: right where they should be. Blood pressure: smack dab the middle of normal. Weight: normal. Blood sugar levels? “Wow,” my new doctor said. “Your fasting blood sugar levels are high. Did you know that?”

Not many of the math geeks I knew in high school liked gym class–and not only because they were usually the last to be picked for any team. As far as these future math wizards were concerned, running laps was a dumb waste of time that could have been better spent solving equations. Turns out working up a sweat in phys ed class may have helped them hone their mathematical skills.