Health Highlights: Nov. 3, 2009

Nov. 4 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Tests Can Detect Early Dementia: Study

Early dementia can be detected using memory and language tests, say British researchers.

Their 20-year study included 241 elderly people who were given regular tests to assess their thinking and cognitive abilities, BBC News reported. Scrutiny of the test results revealed subtle clues associated with later mental impairment.

The researchers found that participants who had more difficulty with language expression, learning and recall tasks went on to develop mild cognitive impairment or pre-dementia.

The study appears in the journal Neurology.

Most dementias are diagnosed only after considerable loss of brain tissue. These findings could help lead to earlier diagnosis of dementia, which is important because treatment is most effective when started early, BBC News reported.

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Cereal's 'Immunity' Claim Outrages Experts

Health and nutrition experts are attacking Kellogg for claims that one of its cereals benefits children's immune systems because it contains increased levels of vitamins A, C and E.

Bold lettering on the front of Cocoa Krispies boxes claims the cereal "Now helps support your child's IMMUNITY," a declaration likely to catch the eye of parents worried about the danger the H1N1 virus presents to their children.

"The idea that eating Cocoa Krispies will keep a kid from getting swine flu, or from catching a cold, doesn't make sense," Marion Nestle, a nutrition professor at New York University, told USA Today. "Yes, these nutrients are involved in immunity, but I can't think of a nutrient that isn't involved in the immune system."

After she saw the cereal box claims in August, she sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has jurisdiction over false or misleading labeling. Nestle hasn't heard back from the agency.