Your Health

High BMI, low PSA

If your build is more shot putter than marathon runner, don't be entirely reassured if your PSA level is low.

Levels of prostate-specific antigen - the marker for prostate cancer - tend to be deceptively low in heavier men. And this can lead to delayed diagnosis and a poorer prognosis, according to a new study by researchers at the Duke Prostate Center and the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

"We know that obese men tend to have lower PSA values than their normal-weight counterparts, possibly caused by larger blood volumes which dilute the readings," said lead investigator Dr. Stephen Freedland.

Researchers found that obese patients whose cancer was diagnosed by PSA testing had more than twice the risk of cancer recurrence after surgery than men whose weight is normal.

And you don't have to be built like a refrigerator to be at risk. "A man who is 5-foot-9 and weighs 203 pounds would be considered obese," Freedland said.

Dangerous drains

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 4. You know never to leave your child unsupervised even for a few seconds, but you probably don't give much thought to whether the pool's drain is safe. You should, especially if the pool or hot tub your kids are frolicking in was built before 1990.

Powerful suction from an exposed pool drain can hold an adult under water, and 74 cases of entrapment were reported between 1999 and 2007, reports Angie's List (www.angieslist.com), an online provider of consumer ratings on local service companies.

A new federal law that goes into effect in December will require all public pools to have new drain covers. Residential pool owners aren't covered by the law, but all pool and spa drain covers sold in the U.S. must meet safety requirements.

Autism study

Does a wheat- and dairy-free diet reduce autistic behaviors? Many parents of autistic children are convinced it does. Now, researchers at the University of Texas in Houston are launching one of the first double-blind clinical studies to find out.

"Hundreds and hundreds of parents think this works, but we need serious evidence," said Dr. Fernando Navarro, a pediatrician and lead investigator.

Autistic children ages 3 to 9 will be taken off all wheat gluten and dairy products before the four-week study begins. Then, half will be given gluten/milk power and half a placebo powder. Researchers will study the effects on their gastrointestinal systems and behavior.

"There are some scientific reasons to think some kids may benefit from this diet," said Dr. Katherine Loveland, co-investigator for the study.