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Health Highlights: Jan. 29, 2004 Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay: Cinnamon May Have Medicinal Use: Study Want to add a little spice to your health? Try a daily sprinkle of cinnamon, new research suggests. Cinnamon appears to lower blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol, and improves insulin function -- especially in type 2 diabetics, according to a Human Nutrition Research Center study cited by the Los Angeles Times. Among 30 patients who took 1 to 6 grams of cinnamon extract for 40 days, average glucose levels fell 18 percent to 29 percent, triglycerides 25 percent to 30 percent, and total cholesterol 12 percent to 26 percent, the Times reports. The scientists say as little as half a teaspoon of cinnamon appeared to provide benefits that in some cases are nearly as dramatic as those produced by statins -- the cholesterol-lowering drugs that are taken by millions of Americans. The Beltsville, Md., Center, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, says bigger human trials are needed to confirm the findings. Their research appears in the journal Diabetes Care. ----- Scientists Trace Transformation of SARS Virus Scientists have traced the exact genetic changes that turned SARS from a virus that infected only animals to one that struck thousands of people around the globe. The findings strengthen the argument that SARS originated in animals and gradually became acclimated to human hosts, says a paper appearing in the Jan. 30 issue of Science. Perhaps most surprising was the speed with which SARS became comfortable in humans, HealthDay reports. "I'm an evolutionist and I usually deal with evolution over the span of anywhere from 1 million to 30 million years. Usually in the span of 10 million years, you get a number of changes [in organisms] that give you enough information about the dynamics," says Chung-I Wu, one of the 51 authors of the study and chairman of the department of ecology and evolution at the University of Chicago. "The SARS virus does that in a span of three to four months." The researchers found that the initial human outbreak of SARS began when 11 people were apparently independently infected in the Pearl River Delta area in China's Guangdong Province in November 2002. Viral samples taken from those people seem identical to samples taken from captive civets. ----- Asian Nations Fail to Agree on Bird Flu Plan Health ministers from 13 Asian nations meeting in Thailand to consider a plan to stem the bird flu epidemic that's sweeping the continent failed to agree on a course of action, the Associated Press reports. "Each country will have to find its own way to end this problem," Thai foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai told the wire service after the meeting. While the World Health Organization has insisted that the mass slaughter of chickens and other prone fowl is the best way to stem the epidemic, other experts say such a plan could boost the risk to humans. The critics contend that people involved in the slaughter could acquire a mutated form of the virus that might combine with ordinary human flu to pose a real danger to people. So far, 10 human deaths from bird flu have been reported in Vietnam and Thailand, while cases among chickens and other birds have been reported in 10 Asian countries. Millions of birds have been killed in government-ordered slaughters. Most human cases have been traced to direct contact with infected birds and most victims have been young children, the AP reports. ----- Canned Chili May Contain Bits of Electronic Calculator Hormel Foods is recalling 104,000 pounds of canned chili that may contain plastic bits and other material from an electronic calculator, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) says. The cans of Stagg Chili Steak House Reserve chili with beans, hearty beef with a kick of green chilies were sold six to a case. They bear the following date codes: "S112434", "S112435", or "S112436", and the establishment number "Est. 199C" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The chili was produced Nov. 24, 2003 and distributed to retail stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah and Wisconsin. For more information, contact Hormel at 800-611-9778. ----- Bowflex Machines Recalled for Faulty Bench
The recalled machines are the Bowflex Power Pro XL, XTL and XTLU systems with the "Lat Tower" attachment. The name "Bowflex" and the model name are printed on the front of the machines. They were sold via TV infomercials and at specialized retail stores nationwide from January 1995 through December 2003 for $1,200 to $1,600. Consumers should stop using the machines immediately and contact Nautilus Direct at 1-888-424-3020 to request a free repair kit. ----- Defibrillator Patient Set Afire Paramedics who tried unsuccessfully to save the life of a 47-year-old Connecticut woman say a spark from the heart defibrillator they were using apparently set her on fire, reports The Day of New London newspaper. A defibrillator is a device that delivers an electric shock to jump-start a person's heart. The woman, Brenda Jewett of New London, had been placed into an ambulance when the incident occurred. The flames were quickly extinguished, but she died at a nearby hospital. The state chief medical examiner says natural causes -- not the fire -- caused her death, the newspaper reports. Police investigators are treating the incident as an accident. The maker of the defibrillator, Massachusetts-based Phillips Medical Systems, says it's assisting authorities in their probe.
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