Health Highlights: June 6, 2008

• High-Protein, Low-Fat Dairy Diet Prevents Bone Loss
• College Teens Less Likely to Have Risky Sex
• Admiration of Celebrities May Boost Self-Esteem
• Anxiety More Important Than Looks in Teen Eating Disorders
• Dental Fillings With Mercury Pose Threat to Children, Fetuses: FDA
• Crib Mattresses Recalled Due to Entrapment Hazard

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

High-Protein, Low-Fat Dairy Diet Prevents Bone Loss

A high-protein, low-fat dairy diet can help prevent bone loss in people trying to lose weight, according to a U.S. study.

Many people lose bone mass when they lose weight and this can become an issue for middle-aged people, particularly women, said Ellen Evans, an associate professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois, CBC News reported.

The study included 130 middle-aged people divided into two groups. One group ate a high-protein weight loss diet that included cheese, yogurt and low-fat milk, while the other group ate a high-carbohydrate weight loss diet. They stayed on these diets for four months of weight loss, followed by eight months of weight maintenance.

At the end of the year, the high-protein diet group had 1.2 percent higher whole body bone density, 2.1 percent higher lumbar spine bone density, and 1.4 percent higher hip bone density than the carbohydrate group, CBC News reported.

The study appears in the June issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

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College Teens Less Likely to Have Risky Sex

American teens who attend college are less likely to have risky sex than teens who aren't in college, say researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle.

They found that teen college students were more likely to always use a condom and less likely to engage in high-risk sex than teens who weren't in college, United Press International reported.

According to the study:

• 23 percent of teen college students and 35 percent of non-college teens reported inconsistent condom use.
• 15 percent of college students and 29 percent of non-college teens engaged in casual sex.
• 5 percent of college students and 16 percent of non-college teens had high-risk sex, which included casual sex, inconsistent condom use, having sex with a man who had sex with other men, or having a sex partner who was HIV positive or was an intravenous drug user.
• 53 percent of college students and 70 percent of non-college teens engaged in sex in the previous month.

The study appears in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

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Admiration of Celebrities May Boost Self-Esteem

Admiration of celebrities may help people with low self-esteem feel better about themselves, suggest University at Buffalo researchers.

The scientists assessed the self-esteem of hundreds of undergraduate students, who identified their favorite celebrity, then described that celebrity in an open-ended essay, United Press International reported.

Based on the results, the researchers concluded connections to celebrities (parasocial relationships) can offer people with low self-esteem benefits they don't receive in real relationships.

The researchers said parasocial relationships, which have a very low risk of rejection, provide people with low self-esteem the chance to feel closer to their ideal selves, UPI reported.

The study appears in the journal Personal Relationships.

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Anxiety More Important Than Looks in Teen Eating Disorders

In teens with eating disorders, anxiety plays a bigger role than dissatisfaction with appearance, says a study by Finnish researchers.

They conducted two surveys, a year apart, of 372 students, ages 15 to 17, and found that 13 percent reported eating disorders in either the first or second survey and 5 percent reported eating disorders in both surveys, United Press International reported.

The researchers also found that students who reported suffering from anxiety earlier in adolescence were 20 times more likely to report ongoing eating disorders. Teens who said they were dissatisfied with their appearance only had recurring eating disorders if they also reported anxiety earlier in adolescence.

Teens with eating disorders were more likely than those without eating disorders (70 percent vs. 40 percent) to report one or more health problems such as insomnia, fatigue, headache, abdominal pain or dizziness, UPI reported.

The study was published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

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Dental Fillings With Mercury Pose Threat to Children, Fetuses: FDA

Dental fillings that contain mercury may be harmful to children and fetuses, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a warning posted on its Web site Wednesday.

The agency agreed to post the warning as part of a lawsuit settlement reached with several consumer advocates. The FDA also agreed that by July 2009, it would issue a more specific rule for fillings that contain mercury, FOXNews reported.

"Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses," says the warning on the FDA Web site.

"Pregnant women and persons who may have a health condition that makes them more sensitive to mercury exposure, including individuals with existing high levels of mercury bioburden, should not avoid seeking dental care but should discuss options with their health practitioner," the FDA advises.

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Crib Mattresses Recalled Due to Entrapment Hazard

About 20,000 Simmons Kids Crib mattresses are being recalled because they may pose an entrapment hazard to infants. Some of the mattresses can measure smaller than the 27 1/4-inch minimum width requirement for cribs, leaving a gap between the mattress and side rails, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

There's been one report involving a six-month-old baby becoming wedged between the mattress and the crib's frame. The baby was unharmed.

The recall covers open coil mattresses made between July 1, 2006, and March 23, 2008, with the following model names: Pottery Barn Kids by Simmons Kids Lullaby; Simmons Kids Slumber Time Evening Star Luxury Firm; Simmons Kids Baby Mattress Series 400; Simmons Kids Baby Mattress 234 Coil Count.

They were sold at Pottery Barn Kids and nursery furniture stores across the United States for between $100 and $150.

Consumers should measure the width of their crib mattresses. If the mattress measures less than 27 1/4 inches wide, they should contact Simmons Kids at 1-800-810-8611 to receive a free replacement mattress.