The effectiveness of the "Energy Up" program developed by lifestyle and fitness leader Kathie Dolgin known to her students as High Voltage, has recently been evaluated in an article published in the May issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health (www.adolescenthealth.org/journal.htm). The health brief titled,"Energy Up" A Novel Approach to the Weight Management of Inner-City Teens," describes the positive results of this school-based, nutrition and fitness pilot program.

We all know that eating fruits, vegetables and soy products provides essential nutrition for a healthy lifestyle, while obesity leads to the opposite. Yet proving the effect of nutrition, or obesity, on cancer is an experimental challenge and a focus for scientists.

A new commitment from state and federal governments to tackle the growing problem of diabetes has been welcomed by doctors and a national support group, but they say much more is needed.

A study published in this month's issue of the Journal of Periodontology found that subjects with periodontitis who were exposed to secondhand smoke were more likely to develop bone loss, the number one cause of tooth loss.