Health Buzz: Nutrition Bars Yanked on Salmonella Fears and Other Health News

Peanut Butter Snacks Yanked on Salmonella Fears

Nutrition bars became the latest food products to be recalled as a result of the ongoing salmonella outbreak that has now sickened more than 470 people. The Food and Drug Administration's latest list of recalled products names certain types of Clif and Luna Bars, made by Clif Bar & Co., and some varieties of ZonePerfect bars, made by Abbott Nutrition. Other products added in the past few days include some kinds of ice cream and peanut butter crackers. Peanut butter products made by Peanut Corp. of America, a supplier of bulk peanut butter and paste to institutions and other manufacturers, are suspected as the origin of the epidemic.

U.S. News's Nancy Shute explained earlier this month how to reduce the risk of getting the salmonella bug. Also, smart shopping and common sense in the kitchen can help keep families safe.

Calm, Outgoing People Are Less Likely to Develop Alzheimer's

People who are relaxed, socially active, and outgoing were less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, a new study shows. Older people were questioned about how they responded to stress and how much they engaged with other people. Six years later, researchers returned to see who had developed Alzheimer's and whether any personality traits were correlated with the disease. However, it's not yet clear whether being active and happy held off Alzheimer's later on or whether the people who were initially withdrawn and neurotic were actually already affected by some early, undiagnosed signs of the disease. In either case, it can't hurt to be active, engaged, and social, since all those traits are associated with other health benefits. You can read more about how to keep an aging brain active. Physical activity is also tied to better health; here are 7 tips on meeting the government's new fitness guidelines.

Are Women Condemned to Succumbing to Food Temptation?

Researchers are reporting that a brain-imaging study suggests women have a tougher time than men controlling their hunger. But U.S. News's Katherine Hobson isn't so sure women should throw up their hands in frustration. Like other brain-imaging studies looking at sex differences, these findings are based on averages. Some female brains behave more like males'—they're able to cognitively inhibit appetite, in this case—and vice versa. Rather than fret about your hard wiring, figure out how to find a healthful lifestyle that works for you: Check out these 5 tips for boosting willpower, follow a sensible, balanced diet, and try 7 tips to get plenty of exercise.

Just Because You're Paranoid Doesn't Mean People Aren't Out to Get You

If your friends are kidding you about paranoia, it turns out they might not be all that far off. Daniel Freeman, a clinical psychologist at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, and one of the world's leading authorities on paranoia, notes in Paranoia: The 21st Century Fear, a book new to U.S. stores last week, that an unfounded or exaggerated distrust of others, once believed only to be a mark of severe mental illness, is actually commonly experienced by ordinary people and appears to be on the rise. Estimates suggest that 1 in 4 of us is routinely plagued by paranoid thoughts, and Freeman blames the media's affinity for repeated, graphic, extreme reports of threats along with unprecedented levels of city dwelling. Paranoia rates are twice as high in urban areas as in rural ones, he says.