Health Highlights: Dec. 11, 2007
Mar. 23 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
More Americans Lack Health Insurance: CDC Survey
Some 42.5 million Americans don't have health insurance, up from about 41 million in 1997, according to a new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey.
Based on findings from the National Health Interview Survey of 41,823 people conducted in the first half of this year, the CDC estimated that 30.8 million people were uninsured for more than a year and about 53.2 million were uninsured for at least part of the year prior to the survey, Bloomberg news reported.
About 22 percent of working adults younger than age 64 were uninsured for at least part of the preceding year, and 14 percent had no health coverage for more than one year. Among jobless people, 52 percent were uninsured in the preceding year, and 33 percent were uninsured for more than one year.
However, the survey found that the percentage of uninsured children has continued to decline, Bloomberg reported. In 1997, about 9.9 million (13.9 percent) of children were uninsured, compared with 6.4 million (8.6 percent) in the first half of 2007.
While the CDC put the number of uninsured Americans at 41 million, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 47 million Americans were uninsured in 2006, Bloomberg reported.
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Fasting May Help Protect Heart: Study
People who fast for one day per month may have healthier hearts, suggests a Utah study presented at a recent American Heart Association conference, the Associated Press reported.
The study of 515 people found that 59 percent of those who skipped meals one day a month were diagnosed with heart disease, compared with 67 percent of those who did not regularly fast. The researchers calculated that people who fasted once a month were about 40 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who never took a break from eating.
The study, partly funded by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, doesn't provide proof that periodic fasting is good for everyone, the researchers emphasized.
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