Health Highlights: Nov. 11, 2008

Nov. 12 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

AMA Backs Action Against Trans Fats, Texting While Driving

Government moves to ban artery-clogging trans fats and text-messagingwhile driving have the support of the American Medical Association, thenation's largest physicians' group decided Monday at its semiannual policymeeting.

The AMA voted to back any state and federal efforts to ban the use oftrans fats in restaurants and bakeries, and also voted to lobby for more state bans on text-messaging while driving or operating machinery. The AMA also wants doctors to educate patients about the risks of texting whiledriving, the Associated Press reported.

A number of U.S. cities and fast-food chains already have outlawed oreliminated trans fats, and there are numerous bans on text-messaging whiledriving.

At its meeting, the AMA also agreed to encourage more doctors to practice in underserved communities, to increase the number of primary-care doctors, and to encourage physicians to play a stronger role in promoting policies to combat climate change, the AP reported.

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Women's Mental Health Affects Stillbirth Risk

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Women with a history of serious mental illness are about twice as likely as other women to have a stillborn infant or babies who die within the first month of life, according to British and Danish researchers who studied almost 1.5 million births in Denmark between 1973 and 1998.

During that time, there were 7,021 stillbirths, United Press International reported.

"The risk of stillbirth for women with schizophrenia was twice as high than healthy mothers, while women with affective disorders were also more than twice as likely to give birth to stillborn babies," said lead researcher Dr. Kathryn Abel.

Abel and colleagues also found that women with other mental health problems -- including manic depression and drug and alcohol addiction -- had a higher risk of stillbirth and newborn deaths, UPI reported.