Health Highlights: Sept. 24, 2008

Only a few states -- including Minnesota, Vermont, Virginia, and Maine -- and the District of Columbia now have disclosure laws, the wire service said.

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Chinese Milk Scandal Toll at 54,000; System Called 'Out of Control'

China's milk-gathering system was "out of control" and led to abuses that have now sickened some 54,00 babies, killing four, China's agriculture minister acknowledged Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.

The industrial chemical melamine was found in infant formula and milk products from 22 of China's dairy companies and is blamed for causing kidney stones and kidney failure in infants. European Union customs authorities are keeping a closer eye on food imports from China, where it is believed that suppliers may have tried to cut costs by adding melamine to watered-down milk, since its high nitrogen content can mask protein deficiencies, the AP said.

China's Sanlu Group Co. had received complaints about the tainted formula last December but waited eight months to tell local authorities, who then delayed informing higher officials for another month. As a result, Li Changjiang resigned Monday as director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the Chinese agency responsible for the safety of China's food supply chain, the AP said.

The sick have so far have included 12,892 babies who were hospitalized, 39,965 who have received outpatient treatment, and 1,579 more patients discharged from hospitals, the AP reported.

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Obesity Increases Risk of Recurrent Miscarriage

Women who have had a miscarriage may be at increased risk of another miscarriage if they're obese, says a U.K. study that tracked 696 women who had miscarriages classified as "unexplained" by doctors.

The researchers at London's St. Mary's Hospital found that being obese increased the risk of another miscarriage by 73 percent, BBC News reported. The study was presented at an international meeting of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, held in Montreal.

"This is the first study to look directly at the link between BMI (body-mass index) and recurrent miscarriage. It shows that obese women who experience recurrent miscarriage are at greater risk of subsequent pregnancy loss," said Winnie Lo, a clinical nurse specialist who presented the study at the meeting.

"All women with recurrent miscarriage should be weighed at their first consultation. Those who are found to be obese should be counseled regarding the benefits of weight loss," Lo was quoted by BBC News as saying.

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Low-Calorie Diet Can Influence Life Span: Study

A low-calorie diet can affect two genes in a way that increases life span, suggest U.S. researchers, who studied the gene TOR in tiny roundworms called C. elegans. TOR regulates cell growth and plays a role in the development of cancer.

A loss of TOR has been shown to slow aging in C. elegans, which shares similar genetics to humans.

"Our work with C. elegans reveals that TOR depends on a second gene called pha4/FoxA to control the aging process," said study co-author Susan Mango of the University of Utah, United Press International reported.

Mango and colleagues also found that an abundance of food increases TOR activity, which decreases the action of pha4/FoxA and results in a shorter life span.

The study was published in the journal Current Biology.