Your health

Bone-saving diet

Counting calories can rob your bones as it shrinks your waistline. But going on a weight-loss diet doesn't have to put your bones at risk.

A higher-protein diet that emphasizes lean meat and low-fat dairy foods can help you lose weight without losing bone density, according to a new University of Illinois study.

"This is important because many people, especially women in midlife, are concerned with both obesity and osteoporosis," said researcher Ellen Evans.

The study compared the results of a high-protein, dairy-intensive diet with a weight-loss diet based on the food pyramid. "Essentially, we substituted lean meats and low-fat milk, cheese, yogurt, etc., for some of the high-carbohydrate foods in the food-pyramid diet." Participants also ate five servings of vegetables and two to three of fruit.

Bone density remained fairly stable as those in the higher-protein group lost weight, but declined in the higher-carb group. Next, researchers are going to test the dairy-rich diet in older, mildly frail women.

Good news brewing

There's more evidence a history of heart attack doesn't necessarily mean you'll have to give up your beloved favorite cup of joe.

Italian researchers looked at coffee drinking among the more than 11,000 heart attack survivors enrolled in a clinical trial designed to test the benefits of omega-3 fats and vitamin E. After 18 months of follow-up, the researchers found that repeat heart attacks, strokes, sudden deaths, and other cardiovascular events had occurred just as often in the participants who didn't drink coffee as they did among those who drank more than four cups a day.

This study is in line with the American Heart Association's recommendation that a cup or two of coffee is safe for heart attack survivors even as they recover in the coronary care unit.

Summer safety

Working out in hot weather can put you at risk for heat-related illnesses if you don't take proper precautions.

The National Athletic Trainer's Association offers several tips for exercising safely in the heat:

Gradually increase the intensity and length of your workout to give your body time to adjust to the temperature.

Don't begin an outdoor workout until you're properly hydrated. Continue to drink water or sports drinks while exercising in the heat.

Schedule your workouts for early morning or late evening, when it's cooler.

Skip an intense workout if you already have signs of illness, such as fever, diarrhea or extreme fatigue, which can increase your risk of heat exhaustion or other heat-related illness.

CT no cure-all

Screening for lung cancer with CT scans may help reduce lung cancer deaths, but smokers are still at greater risk of dying from other types of cancer, heat and respiratory disease.

Researchers at Harvard University and the Mayo Clinic entered data from CT scan results of 1,520 current and former smokers into a computer program that simulates the development of lung cancer. "It's sort of like the computer game 'The Sims,' except there are no graphics and smoking and lung cancer are the main events," said Dr. Pamela McMahon, the lead researcher.

The program projected that patients who had annual CT screenings for five years would have a 37 percent increase in lung cancer detection and a 28 percent reduction in lung cancer deaths. But their overall death rate was only 4 percent lower.

"The number one goal should still be to quit smoking, because it will reduce risk of death from many causes, including lung cancer," McMahon said.