New Scoring System Predicts Gastric Bypass Surgery Risk
Duke University Medical Center surgeons have developed a simple scoring system based on five patient characteristics that can predict which candidates for gastric bypass surgery would be at highest risk for dying.If validated by additional prospective studies, the new scoring system not only would give surgeons concrete information on which to base treatment options, but would help patients make informed decisions about potential risks, its developers said. [click link for full article]

The Cytokine Diet: The Next Fad In Weight Loss?
Might we be able to turn our immune system against another kind of foe besides infections and viruses? How about fat? Researchers from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) at the Pasteur Institute and the University of Lille, France, have evidence suggesting the possibility. [click link for full article]

How do you tell your nine-year-old she could die in her 30s?
Krystie Maddox, 16, has Friedreich's ataxia, a rare disease which attacks the nervous system. Her mother has written a book about coping with her daughter's illness. Here's her heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting, story

Suntan and alcohol ‘keep you young’
Sunburn and alcohol may help reverse the ageing process, experts have surprisingly claimed. They found small doses of "stressors" normally considered dangerous to health can actually boost the body's self-repair system, and as a side-effect preserve youth

Shift In Heart Disease Treatment Needed
As the obesity epidemic grows in the United States, the medical community is faced with the significant challenge of properly treating patients before complications such as heart disease arise. But, as obesity expert Louis Aronne, MD, explained, ongoing research into the endocannabinoid (EC) system shows promise in combating obesity and the associated cardiometabolic risks. [click link for full article]