Health Buzz: One-A-Day Vitamins Dispute and Other Health News

Clash Over One-A-Day Vitamins' Cancer Claims

A consumer advocacy group says it will file a lawsuit against Bayer HealthCare, maker of One-A-Day vitamins, if the manufacturer continues to promote its men's formula as a cancer preventative, the Associated Press reports. Ads for the vitamins say a key ingredient, the antioxidant known as selenium, helps ward off prostate cancer in men. But in a recent government-funded study, scientists found no evidence that selenium protects against prostate cancer. In October, researchers ended the study of 35,000 men when it became clear that selenium did not stop the cancer from developing, the AP reports. On Thursday, Bayer said that its claims about its vitamins have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, according to the AP.

In May, Canadian researchers announced that three nutrients—vitamin E, selenium, and soy—do not seem to prevent prostate cancer. Do vitamins and supplements work as weapons in fending off chronic and age-related disease? The answer may depend on which supplement you're taking.

Pigout Problem: Can One Big Meal Hurt Your Heart and Your Stomach?

How much will one big meal hurt you? An unusually heavy meal may quadruple the chance of a heart attack during the first two hours after eating, U.S. News's Katherine Hobson reports. Big meals are often high in fat—some fast-food chains, in fact, serve up more than three days' worth of saturated fat in a single meal. And fat intake, particularly in large amounts, can change the functioning of the arteries, keeping them from expanding when they need to, one expert says.

A large amount of food also requires a lot of digestive activity, which means the gut needs more blood. That mean the heart has to work harder. Blood sugar and insulin output go up, and that may cause blood pressure to rise in some people. But your actual risk of a post-meal heart attack will depend on how susceptible you are in the first place—and that depends on your age, whether you have diabetes or high blood pressure, and other factors, Hobson writes.

Earlier this month, U.S. News dished about high-calorie offerings of popular restaurant chains. Consider why you should avoid dining out: Researchers have found that restaurants are full of environmental cues—from plate size to bread condiments—that encourage us to eat more.

Planned Parenthood Ad Emphasizes Primary Care

This week, Planned Parenthood began airing an ad campaign on cable news networks in the nation's capital that states that every year the group provides 1 million cervical cancer screenings and 850,000 breast exams and also supplies immunizations, as well as contraception. "Ninety percent of what Planned Parenthood does is provide preventive and primary care to keep women healthy," the voice-over states.

The ad is aimed not at the typical woman but at policymakers in Congress to educate them about Planned Parenthood's services, U.S. News's Deborah Kotz reports. Most women probably know what services the group's clinics offer, given that 6 in 10 of them who go to a clinic consider it their primary source of healthcare, according to a recent report by the Guttmacher Institute. The real push is to get Congress to consider women's health clinics as an integral part of the health reform package, says Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood's president.

Learn how the recession affects women's health. One survey suggests that a growing number of women are putting off having babies and have become more careful about taking birth control pills. Lost your health insurance? Here's how Planned Parenthood clinics can help.

—Megan Johnson

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