NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Research shows that boosting levels of potassium in the diet may lower a person's risk of developing high blood pressure and may decrease blood pressure in people who already have “hypertension.”

High blood pressure remains the chief reason for visits to doctors' offices and for prescription drug use in the U.S., two researchers from Nashville, Tennessee note in a special supplement to The Journal of Clinical Hypertension this month.

Beijing says can provide rare blood type during Olympics

BEIJING (Reuters) – Beijing is confident it can provide sufficient supplies of rhesus negative blood – rare in China but more common amongst Caucasians – during next month's Olympics, a senior health official said on Thursday. “We have a team of 1,000 volunteers in Beijing at present who are rhesus negative, and we can call on them to give blood if there is an emergency,” Deng Xiaohong, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Health Administration, told a news conference.

Conservative Malaysia faces uphill battle in HIV fight

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Strict laws and conservative attitudes are making the fight against HIV/AIDS harder in predominately Muslim Malaysia as they drive high-risk groups deeper underground. Soliciting and sodomy are outlawed and there are heavy penalties for illegal drug use.

Los Angeles City Council passes fast-food ban

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted on Tuesday to put a one-year ban on new fast-food restaurants in one of the city's poorest areas, marking the latest effort by a municipality to fight rising obesity rates. If approved by the mayor, the ordinance would put a moratorium on construction of new fast-food outlets in a 32-square-mile (82-sq-km) area of Los Angeles. The measure could also be extended for a second year.

Scottish smoking ban seen to cut heart attacks

BOSTON (Reuters) – Scotland's 2006 ban on smoking in public places cut the heart attack rate by 17 percent within one year, with non-smokers benefiting most, researchers reported on Wednesday. The study is the first real-time, large-scale look at how a ban on second-hand smoke might benefit smokers and nonsmokers. Earlier research looked at the effect of smoking bans in individual cities, or had other limitations.

Aspirin may be useful for osteoporosis

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – In an animal study of osteoporosis, researchers have shown that low-dose aspirin can decrease the activity of cells that breakdown bone, while increasing the activity of cell that build up bone, according to research published online in the journal PLoS One. Increased activity of cells that breakdown bone is typically cited as the cause of osteoporosis, but recent evidence suggests that a drop in bone-forming cells may also play a role, Dr. Songtao Shi from University of Southern California School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, and colleagues note.

U.S grapples with rising prescription drug addiction

BOSTON (Reuters) – When Sarah Roisman was 11 years old, her doctors prescribed Klonopin, a muscle relaxant, for a psychiatric disorder that caused her to have seizures. She liked how the drug made her feel. Her seizures went away. But that's where her trouble with addiction began.

Few aware that smoking can cause bladder cancer

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – While most people know that smoking can cause lung cancer, a new study shows that few know that it is a major risk factor for bladder cancer – even among people who have the disease. In a research review published in the Journal of Urology, investigators found that in one recent study, just over one third of adults knew that smoking raises the risk of bladder cancer. In contrast, 98 percent correctly identified the habit as a risk factor for lung cancer.

Sugarless gummy bears may battle cavities

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Gummy bears containing a sugar substitute called xylitol seem to reduce cavity-causing bacteria on young children's teeth suggesting, researchers say, that candy could be turned into a weapon against tooth decay. Xylitol is a natural sweetener found in various berries, corn, birch and other plant sources. Research has shown that the sugar substitute reduces levels of mutans streptococci (MS) bacteria, which are known to cause