Health: From the Journals

FROM THE JOURNALS

 DOES A RAW-VEGGIE DIET HARM BONES?

Maybe not, according to a study of 18 strict raw-food vegetarians in the current issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. While those on raw-food diets had lower BMIs, body fat and bone mass, their bones did not appear fracture prone.

SEEING THE POWER OF TOUCH

Close your eyes. Imagine a can of soda or a carton of eggs, and then, with your eyes still closed, estimate its size with your hands. A study in Psychological Science predicts that your visual memory will make you overestimate; a blind person--more tactilely sensitive--will do better. --By David Bjerklie

NEEDLES FOR THE HEART

Acupuncture needles that deliver a low-frequency electric charge reduced elevated blood pressure in rats, according to a new study from the University of California at Irvine. Can the treatment work for people? Preliminary studies are under way.

15

The ripple effect of preterm births doesn't stop with the hard-hit baby and family. It costs employers 15 times more when employees have preemies, says a new March of Dimes study.

SLEEP IN AMERICA

Snooze news from the National Sleep Foundation's 2005 poll: 26% of adults get eight or more hours of sleep on weekdays; the number rises to 49% on weekends • The average time it takes to fall asleep is 23 minutes; 12% nod off in less than 5 minutes; 8% need an hour or more • Thirteen percent report that they get a good night's sleep a few times a month, 10% say rarely, and 3% say never