Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Widow of Baltimore Orioles Pitcher Sues Makers of Ephedra
The widow of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler, who collapsed and died during spring training this year, has filed a $600 million lawsuit against the makers of a dietary supplement containing ephedra, the Associated Press reports.
Bechler, who was 23, was taking the supplement to lose weight. He collapsed at the team's spring training complex in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Feb. 16 and died the next day.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, calls the product -- Xenadrine RFA-1 -- a "poisonous cocktail" unsafe for human consumption, the AP reports.
Kiley Bechler is seeking damages for the loss of her husband and a ban on the sale of ephedra-based products, according to her attorney.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says ephedra has been responsible for an estimated 120 deaths nationwide.
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Masturbation Can Prevent Prostate Cancer, Study Claims
The more often young and middle-age men ejaculate, the less likely they are to develop prostate cancer, Australian researchers report in the journal New Scientist.
The Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne asked 1,079 men with prostate cancer to answer a survey describing their sexual habits, comparing those answers with 1,259 healthy men of the same ages.
Although the preventive effect held true for men between the ages of 20 and 50, the effect seemed greatest among men in their twenties, the researchers conclude. Those in their twenties who ejaculated more than five times a week were one-third less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer later in life, they say.
The latest findings appear to contradict previous studies, which found that having many sexual partners or a high frequency of sexual activity increased the risk of prostate cancer by up to 40 percent.
The Australian researchers have a simple explanation: "Men have many ways of using their prostate which don't involve women or other men," explains the study's lead author, Graham Giles.
The scientists speculate that ejaculation prevents carcinogenic substances from building up in the prostate, lowering a man's risk of cancer.
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Researchers Explain How Anthrax Works
Anthrax quickly disables the body's immune system, rendering it useless against the potentially deadly bacterium, new research shows.
Prompted by the 2001 anthrax-by-mail attacks, the federally funded study at Emory University suggests that boosting the immune system once anthrax is detected could help thwart the germ's deadly attack, reports the Associated Press.
The germ first targets immune agents called dendritic cells. Once those cells are disarmed, anthrax proceeds to evade the immune system's other defenders and spreads virtually unchecked, the researchers conclude.
Previous research has found that anthrax also inhibits and destroys large white blood cells called macrophages -- revealing that the germ attacks the body in a number of ways.
Results of the study are published in the journal Nature.
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Millions of Slow Cookers Recalled
Hamilton Beach/Proctor-Silex is recalling 2.7 million slow cookers that may have faulty handles, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says.
The handles can break during use, posing a burn risk to consumers. The company has received 4,700 reports of the handles breaking, including two involving users who needed medical attention for burns.
The 3.5- to 6.5-quart cookers were marketed under the Hamilton Beach and Proctor-Silex brand names. They are either round or oval, and were sold in solid white and various print designs.
Affected model numbers include:
Hamilton Beach
33390, 33475, 33575, 33590, 33675, 33690, 33725, 33850, 33860
Proctor-Silex
33320, 33320FD, 33325, 33375, 33380, 33625A
The products were sold at discount department stores nationwide from January 1999 through December 2002 for between $15 and $45. Contact Hamilton Beach toll-free at 1-800-429-6363 to request a new base free of charge.
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'Uncle Sam' Says Nuts Can Help Your Heart
Eating a handful of nuts each day may, indeed, be good for your heart.
And it's not just the folks who grow walnuts, pecans, and the like who say so. Now the U.S. government agrees -- at least to a degree.
The federal Food and Drug Administration has given its OK for packages of certain nuts to make a very specific claim: "Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease," reports the Associated Press.
Although nuts are high in calories, the nut industry maintains that nuts can help reduce cholesterol and that some are good sources of antioxidants.
The government's approval of the claim marks the first such action under a new FDA policy that loosens the restrictions on the scientific proof required for health claims.
Packages of almonds, pistachios and peanuts as well as walnuts and pecans can tout the heart benefit claim. Walnuts, for instance, have a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, which the FDA cites as deficient in the average American diet. Eating 1.5 ounces -- or about a third of a cup -- a day would more than fulfill the recommended daily requirement for omega-3 fatty acids, according to information from the California Walnut Commission.
But fattier nuts, like macadamias, cannot be sold in packages proclaiming health benefits, according to the AP.
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Genes Get the Blame for Heartburn, Too
An unhealthy lifestyle and a bad diet aren't off the hook as causes of heartburn, but researchers now believe that genes play a good-sized role as well.
A study of 2,000 pairs of twins revealed that an identical twin was more than 1.5 times as likely as a non-identical twin to show symptoms of the ailment, reports BBC News.
From that, researchers calculated that 43 percent of the risk of developing acid reflux, which causes heartburn, stems from genes.
An estimated 20 percent of the population suffers from acid reflux, considered one of the most common digestive disorders in the developed world, says the BBC.
