VIDEO: Public Smoking Bans Reduce Heart Attacks, Drinking Can Prevent Death From Serious Head Injury, Exercising While Pregnant Reduces Risk of Heavy Child

22.09.2009 | 1:42 min

(September 22, 2009 - Insidermedicine) From San Francisco - Banning smoking in public places cuts heart attack rates by one third, according to a report published in the journal Circulation. Researchers analyzed several studies that looked at smoking bans in the US, Canada and Europe. After one year of bans, heart attack rates dropped by 17% and within three years, they dropped by 36%. From Los Angeles - According to a report published in the Archives of Surgery, alcohol may prevent people with serious head injuries from dying. Researchers studied the cases of over 35, 000 patients who had suffered a moderate to severe head injury and had been tested for alcohol when they initially arrived at the hospital. Patients who had detectable blood alcohol levels were 12% less likely to die, though they were also at a 24% increased risk of developing complications from the injury. And finally, from Norway - Pregnant women who exercise may be at a reduced risk of having an overweight baby, according to a report published in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Researchers examined data collected from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort study--a study of over 37, 000 women having their first child. Those who exercised while pregnant were at a 28% reduced risk of having a child over 8.8 lbs.
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