According to researchers from Duke University Medical Center, the way a body anticipates a meal could be a diabetes risk factor. The way individuals respond to the taste or smell of food could be responsible for the development of the disease.

When individuals anticipate a meal, the parasympathetic nervous systems sets off salivation and increases the production of insulin in anticipation of glucose entering the blood stream. This process could ultimately lead to type 2 diabetes.

"We think this parasympathetic response is potentially important in type 2 diabetes," said Vann Bennett, one of the study’s investigators. "Our study showed there is a novel mutation in the gene encoding ankyrin-B, which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. This happens through an impairment of the insulin secretion that is added by the parasympathetic nervous system."

According to a study presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), patients who had total knee replacement surgery saw a significant improvement in their dynamic balance.

One of the main problems with severe osteoarthritis is an impaired balance and an increased tendency to fall, these problems were fixed with the help of the surgical procedure.

The purpose of the study was to determine if the surgery was effective in fixing a patient’s equilibrium, as falls are one of the leading causes of injuries in elderly individuals.

"Balance is critical to the elderly, especially those with knee problems. This study reinforced our hypothesis about how an osteoarthritic patient’s function is compromised not only due to pain, but also by balance," said Dr. Leonid Kandel, the study’s author and orthopaedic surgeon.

According to a new study published in the journal, Depression and Anxiety, patients who received a series of 10 massage therapy sessions are reported to be half as anxious as they used to be up to three months after the treatment.

Additionally, the researchers found that while massage therapy was effective for anxious patients, it had the same results as people who were left in a room alone with soft and relaxing music. These findings puzzled the scientists.

"We were surprised to find that the benefits of massage were no greater than those of the same number of sessions of ‘thermotherapy’ or listening to relaxing music," said Dr. Karen J. Sherman, a senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute. "This suggests that the benefits of massage may be due to a generalized relaxation response."

According to findings published in the journal, Clinical Cancer Research, obese patients with colon cancer have a greater risk of either death or relapse compared to individuals who maintain a healthy weight.

Researchers found that obese men had a stronger risk than obese women, but there was an overall 35 percent increase in the risk of death related to colon cancer in patients who were excessively overweight.

The scientists said that they were not too surprised by the findings, as multiple studies have shown that obesity increases the risk factor for other problems with an individual’s health.

"More studies are now demonstrating that obesity plays a role as an independent risk factor for poorer patient prognosis that is unrelated to stroke or heart disease," said Dr. James Abbruzzese.

According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, adopting a diet low in carbohydrates helps an individual lose weight and lower their blood pressure. The diet has been proven to be more effective than a weight-loss drug.

Study author Dr. William Yancy, Jr. said that this may help people realize that a healthy diet can offer more benefits than prescription medications, which can also produce harmful side effects in addition to being costly.

"While weight loss typically induces improvements in blood pressure, it may be that the low-carbohydrate diet has an additional effect," Yancy explained.

Participants were split into two groups. The first group was submitted to a low-carb regimen and the others took a weight loss drug. Although the average weight loss for both groups was nearly 10 percent of their body weight, the low-carb group had a lower blood pressure level, indicating more health benefits.

According to the Supplement to American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM): Blood Disorders in Public Health – Making the Connection, there are recommendations that should be followed in order to prevent more people from suffering from deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and PE.

First, it is recommended that a representation of all geographic areas and minorities be established to determine who may be most at risk for developing the potentially life-threatening condition.

Secondly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) might want to create a team of experts to advise certain approaches as to what primary care physicians should look for if any symptoms should occur.

Finally, increasing the public’s knowledge of DVT and PE may raise awareness and inspire more people to get checked out.

"It’s time to put in place an ongoing method of documenting the prevalence of these disorders and their consequences, identifying individuals affected by them, and determining which medical and public health strategies are working – or not working – to prevent and reduce DVT and PE." said Dr. Hani K. Atrash, Director of the CDC’s Division of Blood Disorders.

According to a new study published in the Journal of Patient Safety, physicians who treat their patients with non-drug techniques may effectively stop their discomfort.

Treatments such as relaxation response, acupuncture, acupressure, massage, music and aromatherapy and reflexology were administered to 1,837 caridiovascular, medical, surgical, orthopedic, spin, rehabilitation, oncology and women’s health patients at Abbott Northwestern.

It was found that a high number of patients experienced up to 50 percent less pain than before, giving hope to the researchers that there may be alternative treatments other than prescription drugs, which some physicians are hesitant to prescribe.

"We struggle to provide effective pain control while trying to avoid the adverse effects of opioid medications, such as respiratory depression, nausea, constipation, dizziness and falls," said one of the study’s authors, Dr. Gregory Plotnikoff.

According to researchers from Case Western Reserve University, using natural and artificial sheaths to heal bone injuries may have a faster effect. The sleeve-like cover is administered to the outside of the bone and helps create stem cells. Inside the sleeve, the bone grows and matures, which could have lasting effects.

Researchers administered the sleeve to a wheelchair-bound patient who suffers from cerebral palsy. The sleeve worked and the patient has since regained the ability to walk.

The scientists hope that this discovery will be adapted in other facilities so that more individuals can be treated with the artificial sleeve.

"The next step is to bring the technology to the clinic, to broaden its access to the general public beyond the top clinics, for example for patients relying on hospitals in rural areas, as well as for soldiers injured on the battlefield," researcher Ulf Knothe said.

The National Sleep Foundation conducted a study that found that one in every four Americans are in a relationship with someone who is too tired to have sex, according to The New York Times. While the study was conducted to determine the sleeping habits for different ethnic groups, the researchers found that lack of sex was prevalent across the board in people who were not getting enough sleep.

Researchers found that one of the main reasons people were not getting enough sleep is stress about their everyday lives.

"So many people are suffering because of economic uncertainty," Martica Hall, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, told Fox News. "If you find yourself lying awake worrying, write a note to yourself to work on these issues the next day so you can dismiss those ideas at bed time."

According to researchers from Purdue University, high humidity that is typically present in bathrooms and kitchens has the capacity to degrade vitamins and nutritional supplements, even if the cap is screwed on tightly.

Researchers liken this process to something that also occurs in regular ingredients that are stored in the kitchen.

The process, known as deliquescence, occurs when humidity causes a water-soluble solid to start to dissolve. Keeping nutritional supplements at a normal-to-cool temperature might be able to help their effectiveness last longer.

"You might see salt or sugar start to cake in the summer, start to form clumps, and that’s a sign of deliquescence," said researcher Lisa Mauer. "You can also get chemical instabilities, which are a little more problematic if you’re consuming a dietary supplement with vitamin C for that vitamin C content."