health news

It seems like we were talking just about a Colorado cantaloupe recall, and unfortunately, you might need to steer clear of this melon once again. The North Carolina company Burch Farms has recalled tens of thousands of cantaloupes and honeydew melons due to possible food poisoning.

The FDA reported finding the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes (L. mono) on a honeydew melon grown and packed by Burch Farms. Although no one has confirmed getting sick, this bacteria can cause listeriosis with symptoms that include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, and other tummy issues. Although older adults, pregnant women, and babies are most at risk, it can also (although rarely) affect other people. Illness can show up anywhere from a few days to more than two months after eating contaminated food.

See which states are affected after the break!

You think you're doing your body good by washing your hands with antibacterial soap, but recent research might cause you to stop. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that exposure to the chemical triclosan, which is found in many antibacterial soaps, may be linked to impaired muscle function.

Also known by its brand name Microban, triclosan can also be found in mouthwash, toothpaste, deodorant, hand sanitizer, and common household items like bedding and towels. The use of this chemical has been growing since its introduction in the '70s, which is why scientists wanted to find out what effect it had on humans.

Instead of testing on actual people, the researchers produced fully functioning cells derived from primary muscle cells in humans. After exposure to normal daily levels of triclosan, they discovered that the muscles' ability to respond when stimulated was greatly affected. Interfering with this function can not only have debilitating effects on people, it can also be fatal since your good old ticker is a muscle.

This isn't cause for major concern just yet, since most people have the ability to quickly metabolize the chemical and excrete it in their urine. The FDA does state there's no evidence that triclosan has any extra health benefits, so it makes sense to just avoid it. If you're concerned, check labels and look for products made without triclosan (Microban) from brands such as CleanWell, Nature's Gate, Ivory, Tom's of Maine, Listerine Essential Care, Peelu, Weleda, and Purell.

This morning brings great news for all chocolate lovers out there! A British scientists have effectively cut chocolate's fat content in half. In order to slim down the traditional recipe, a team of scientists out of the University of Warwick have employed help from a juicy source.

Keep reading to find out how scientists cut chocolate's fat content in half.

A new survey from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention has some good news as well as some bad. The report says that while more people are walking more than ever before, Americans still aren't getting enough exercise to help improve their health.

The CDC reported that more than 145 million people say they walk at least 10 minutes a week, accounting for 62 percent of the population. However, the CDC also cautioned that while any physical activity is good, people need far more exercise than 10 minutes to reap the health benefits. To decrease your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer — not to mention to drop pounds — the US Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults do at least two and a half hours, or 150 minutes, of moderate aerobic activity a week.

If working out for over two hours a week sounds like a lot to you, there are some ways to break up your exercise to benefit your body. Mix and match to reach your 150-minute goal — get the ideas after the break!

We know that losing weight depends on a lot of factors, but does one matter more than another? A new study on one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes in existence points to evidence that when it comes to dropping pounds, the secret may just be in what you eat.

The study, published in the journal PLoS One, tracked the metabolism rates of 30 members of the Hazda tribe, a hunter-gatherer community in Tanzania. The study's researchers found that despite the perception that a member of a hunter-gatherer tribe would move much more than the average sedentary office worker, in fact the metabolism rates were similar between both groups. But while their energy expenditure rates turned out to be the same, their weight was not: the tribe members weighed much less than their Western counterparts.

So if calorie burn was the same, why the difference in weight? Researchers say that what the hunter-gatherers eat is the reason for the large weight disparity. While the tribal members eat whole, unprocessed wild foods, the average American relies on much fattier fare, which has more of an effect on their waistlines than activity level. The stats give more evidence to the belief that "differences in obesity prevalence between populations result primarily from differences in energy intake [food] rather than expenditure [exercise]," the authors say.

The findings confirm what a lot of people already believe — that in the quest to lose weight, your diet is what's most important. Of course, exercise will always be a key component of the calories in/calories out formula (and not only that, there are more important reasons to stay active than just your dress size!). What do you think of the findings?

Is it time for another blockbuster diet pill? Fifteen years after banning popular diet drug fen-phen due to dangerous side effects, the Food and Drug Administration has weighed the risks and approved two new weight-loss drugs within the past month.

The first, Qsymia (formerly known as Qnexa), is actually a combination of two previously approved drugs and suppresses hunger by releasing appetite-regulating hormones and creating a feeling of fullness. The latest drug to be approved, Belviq, works by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain. Both are approved for people considered obese or overweight with a weight-related condition, like type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.

In trials that led to these drugs' approvals, subjects taking Belviq on average had a 3 to 3.7 percent increase in weight loss over those taking a placebo, while people taking Qsymia averaged an 8.9 percent greater increase in weight loss than those using the placebo. The FDA hopes that these new drugs will help lessen the severity of the current obesity epidemic and believes that the risks of untreated obesity outweigh any possible side-effect risks of the medications. What do you think of the new drugs? Do you think they'll help, or do you think that diet pills carry too much risk?

Looking good in your Summer best may be your main motivation for hitting the gym, but having a bikini body isn't the only reason to keep up your exercise routine; new research published in The Lancet says that as many as 10 percent of all deaths are caused by being sedentary — more than the amount of deaths from smoking.

Researchers from Harvard Medical School analyzed global data on deaths in 2008 and tracked the number of deaths they believed resulted from conditions that could be attributed to inactivity, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. They found that six to 10 percent of these diseases could be attributed to not being active for at least 150 minutes a week. In fact, the researchers say that inactivity led to 5.3 million deaths, compared to five million deaths from smoking. Reducing inactivity by 10 percent would save 533,000 more lives worldwide yearly, they added.

Numerous other studies have found that sitting too much is deadly and the more activity you can do throughout the day the better — even if you spend 30 minutes on the elliptical at the end of the day. Besides exercising five days a week for at least 30 minutes at a time, try walking more and taking frequent breaks from your desk to limit time in your seat. Here are more ways you can combat deadly sitting.

Tell us, do you exercise for at least 150 minutes a week?

If you want to lose weight, there are a few fail-safe strategies to employ, a new study says — track your food, don't skip meals, and bring your lunch to work.

The study, from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, surveyed 123 women and found that those who were the most successful at losing weight monitored their food intake by keeping a food journal. They also didn't skip meals, but they did skip out on going to a restaurant with their co-workers at lunch.

The women who kept a food journal ended up losing six more pounds than those who didn't track their food, while women who skipped meals ended up losing eight fewer pounds than those who kept regular eating schedules. Women who ate lunch out instead of at work lost five fewer pounds, since they were less likely to be able to control portion sizes when eating out instead of brown-bagging it at lunch.

All of these findings highlight the importance of sticking to a plan and being honest with yourself about portions and calories if you're trying to lose weight. Keeping a food journal, eating regularly, and limiting the number of times you eat out during the week are already weight-loss rules that you know work. Read about more scientifically proven weight-loss strategies, and let us know if you already practice these!

Think that baby bites are just for the babies? Think again. Cutting food into tiny pieces may seem slightly childish, but a study out of the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University says humans find smaller portions more satisfying.

In the past, researchers found this to be the case with rats (they consistently preferred four pellets of food compared to a single large pellet), but the human reaction to this form of portion control had yet to be tested. Author Devina Wadhera and her team put 301 college students to the test. Each student was given a bagel — either a whole or cut into four pieces. Twenty minutes after chowing down, the students got to enjoy as much as they wanted from a measured amount of food at a free lunch — aka an undergrad's dreamworld.

Students who were given the whole, uncut bagel ate more calories from both the bagel and the free meal than the students who were given the bagel into four pieces. It looks like this manipulation of portion control could be another great way to enjoy healthful food while remaining mindful.

How do you tackle portion control? Share below!