Health Highlights: July 29, 2008

About one in five U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has had symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, which puts them at increased risk for suicide, according to a recent RAND Corp. study, the AP reported.

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Children With Gene Variant Have Difficulty Sensing They're Full

Children with an obesity-associated gene have a more difficult time than other children sensing that they're full and tend to overeat, says a U.K. study that included more than 3,000 children, ages 8-11.

The researchers found that those with a certain variant of the FTO gene were less likely to have their appetite "switched off" when they should have been full after a meal, BBC News reported.

The gene variant's effect on appetite was the same regardless of a child's age, sex, socioeconomic status and body mass index, said the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Previous research found that adults with two copies of the high-risk FTO variant were an average of three kilograms (6 lb. 10 oz.) heavier, and adults with one copy of the gene variant were an average of 1.5 kg. heavier, than adults without the variant, BBC News reported.

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Green Potatoes May Contain Harmful Toxin

Green-tinged potatoes may contain toxic glycoalkaloids that can cause serious illness in high concentrations, Indian researchers warn in a paper published online in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

Cutting away the green parts of a potato can reduce the risk.

The researchers said glycoalkaloids are produced naturally by potatoes as protection against pests and disease, United Press International reported.

Levels of the toxin can be controlled by adopting certain pre- and post-harvest measures, such as keeping potatoes well covered with soil during growth, allowing them to mature before harvesting, avoiding harvest at very high temperatures, and minimizing exposure to light.