Men's Health: Facts for Your Head and Body

Dec. 18 -- A gargle to get you to quit smoking, a drug warning and a new fast-acting aspirin gel. Read on.

Sideline Infection ProtectionAthlete’s foot isn’t all you can catch in the locker room. According to Japanese researchers, one player on an American football team accidentally infected 10 of his teammates with hepatitis B. The virus was likely transmitted through exposure to open wounds during training. If you play contact sports that can cause bloody injuries, ask your doctor about a hep-B vaccination. You can also make sure that bandages stay in place on the court or field by covering them with prewrap and tape, just as you would a strained muscle.

CCB CautionIf you’re taking a CCB for high blood pressure, talk to your doctor about switching to a more effective medication. Researchers at Wake Forest University collected data from 27,000 patients taking heart-disease drugs and found that people on calcium channel blockers have a 25 percent higher likelihood of suffering a heart attack or heart failure than people taking ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, or diuretics.

Anti-Tobacco GargleResearchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo have developed a mouthwash that alters the taste of cigarette smoke. The new mouthwash reacts with nicotine, altering its flavor and making it taste unbearably bad. “The taste is so awful that in a test of 20 hard-core, long-term smokers, most couldn’t get past the first puff,” says Sebastian Cianco, D.D.S., who developed the product. The mouthwash lasts 3 to 4 hours and has no effect on the tastes of other food. Look for it early next year.

A Deadly Sweet ToothYour body constantly produces a small number of free radicals—molecules that roam your tissues, advancing aging and increasing heart-disease risk. Until recently, however, scientists had no idea that sugary foods cause your body’s production of free radicals to soar. State University of New York researchers made the discovery after having 20 volunteers drink either 75 grams of sugar water or a substitute. Saccharin had no impact on free-radical levels, but glucose caused levels to balloon by more than 250 percent. Antioxidants like vitamins C and E counteract some free-radical damage, says Paresh Dandona, Ph.D., M.D., author of the study.