Microlife Medical Home Solutions, Inc. has announced The Biggest Loser medical staff will implement the MedGem indirect calorimeter to assess metabolic changes in program contestants. The MedGem handheld indirect calorimeter is an FDA-cleared, Class II, medical device that assesses metabolic rate by measuring a patient’s resting oxygen consumption. Resting metabolic rate varies dramatically between individuals. Until recently, most healthcare providers would estimate RMR using complicated estimation equations.

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Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd has received the FDA approval for the marketing of a fast-dissolving drug called Metozolv intended for treating diabetic gastroparesis and heartburn. The FDA’s approval covers 5 mg and 10 mg tablets of Metozolv ODT. The drug’s main ingredient, metoclopramide, has long been used to treat the two conditions in different forms. Diabetic gastroparesis is a condition in which the stomach takes too long to clear out food.

Stress at work raises the risk of heart disease, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal. The study, which examined more than 10,000 British civil servants, found that among persons under the age of 50, those working in a stressful environment had a 70% higher chance of developing a heart problem than those working in a stress-free environment. Those experiencing job-related stress usually had poor diet and improper or no exercise regimen. The researchers said, however, that stress and heart risk were correlated, irrespective of lifestyle.

Lifestyle-related factors, including maintaining body weight, abstaining from smoking and regular exercise, play a vital role in ensuring one lives to the age of 90, according to researchers led by Dr. Laurel Yates of the Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston. The researchers followed 2,357 men from 72 years of age and conducted the survey over two decades. The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that the chances of reaching 90 years was 54% in the absence of smoking, diabetes, obesity, hypertension and a sedentary lifestyle.

A sedentary lifestyle may accelerate biological aging, according to The King’s College London study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The researchers studied twins with different activity levels and the study, based on DNA samples, found that people with less physically active lifestyles had shorter leukocyte telomeres than those who were more active. The length of leukocyte telomeres is considered as “markers” of a person’s biological age.

A diet comprising mainly of meat and fried foods increases the risk of developing metabolic syndrome, according to research published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Metabolic syndrome refers to the presence of three or more cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar and low levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein or “good”) cholesterol.

The study also confirmed an earlier finding that the consumption of diet soda raises the risk of metabolic syndrome. Dairy products were found to prevent metabolic syndrome to some extent.