According to HealthDay, Virginia Tech researchers studied overweight and obese men and women between the ages of 55 and 75. The participants were divided into two groups – the first followed a low-fat, low-calorie diet, the other was told to drink two cups of water before each meal while following the same diet.

They found that after 12 weeks, individuals in the group who drank water before their meals lost about 30 percent more weight than the non-water drinkers (15.5 pounds vs. 11 pounds).

In addition, researchers say that after the initial 12-week study was over, those who continued to drink water before meals were able to maintain their weight loss and continue to lose more weight.

"Drinking more water is a pretty simple strategy that may be helpful to people trying to lose weight," senior study author Brenda Davy told the news provider. "We’re not saying, ‘Drink more water and the body fat will melt away’. But for people who are trying to lose weight and trying to follow a low-cal diet, it’s something they can do as part of that."

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.

John H. Byrne, Ph.D., of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School, says that exercise is one thing individuals can do to maintain their brain.

"There is a lot of recent evidence demonstrating that exercise itself promotes neurogenesis – the generation of new nerve cells in the brain," he said. "It had long been believed that once you lose nerve cells, they are gone for good and the brain cannot regenerate them, but exercise appears to inspire the brain’s ability to generate nerve cells."

Exercising the brain through activities like reading or doing crossword puzzles, also help preserve brain function. Byrne says studies have shown that individuals who take part in intellectual activities have a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s as well.

Eating the right foods may also help the brain.

"There are certain ‘brain foods’ that seem to have a benefit on the brain," Byrne said. "New research shows that omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in salmon and other fish, may build the brain’s gray matter. Foods and beverages that are rich in antioxidants may also help keep the brain sharp. For brain food, consider a glass of red wine, some salmon, blueberries, a little bit of chocolate or a cup of green tea."

The study involved 945 patients with high blood pressure who were enrolled in a workplace antihypertensive treatment program from 1981 to 1998. The patients were given a single antihypertensive medication as part of the study.

Researchers say that a statistically significant percentage of participants actually had increases in their blood pressure readings, despite taking medication. They suggest that doctors could avoid this problem – and select drugs most suitable for their patients – by measuring blood levels of the enzyme renin through a blood test that is becoming more widely available.

"Our findings suggest that physicians should use renin levels to predict the most appropriate first drug for treating patients with hypertension," said lead author Michael Alderman, M.D. "This would increase the likelihood of achieving blood pressure control and reduce the need for patients to take additional antihypertensive medications."

According to the American Heart Association, hypertension increases the risk for heart attack, angina, stroke, kidney failure and peripheral artery disease.

In addition to lifestyle changes like weight loss and exercise, supplements containing potassium, calcium, fish oil, magnesium and garlic may help prevent it.

American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology allergist James Sublett, M.D. says individuals who are affected by ragweed pollen should avoid outdoor activities between the hours of 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., when pollen counts are highest.

Avoiding yard work, like mowing the lawn or raking leaves, is also recommended as these activities stir up pollen. Sensitive people should consider wearing a mask to complete these chores if they are unavoidable.

Many suggest natural remedies for treating allergies. These include locally-produced honey as well as several different types of supplements.

WebMD reports that supplements including butterbur, quercetin, stinging nettle and bromelain.

Experts say the best prevention against allergy symptoms is to avoid other potential allergens, like dust mites, dogs or cats, as well as air pollutants, such as cigarette smoke, insecticides, fertilizers, gasoline fumes, fresh paint and tar, which can worsen your symptoms.

Prevention is important as well. Dr. Sublett recommends taking allergy supplements or medications beginning several weeks before symptoms start.

Researchers in the United Kingdom (UK) studied more than 25,000 people aged 40 to 65 between 1993 and 1997. The participants, none of whom had ulcerative colitis at the outset, completed detailed food diaries that were later analyzed by specially trained nutritionists.

By 2004, a total of 22 participants in the study had developed ulcerative colitis and the researchers compared their diets with those who did not develop the disease. They found that those with the highest intake of oleic acid had a 90 percent lower risk of developing the disease.

"Oleic acid seems to help prevent the development of ulcerative colitis by blocking chemicals in the bowel that aggravate the inflammation found in this illness," said lead researcher Andrew Hart, M.D. "We estimate that around half of the cases of ulcerative colitis could be prevented if larger amounts of oleic acid were consumed. Two-to-three tablespoons of olive oil per day would have a protective effect."

Colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that is characterized by inflammation of the lining of the colon or large bowel, which causes abdominal pain, diarrhea and weight loss. It’s estimated that as many as 3.3 million Americans suffer from the disease.

Other alternative therapies believed to help treat colitis include probiotics, prebiotics, acupuncture and nutritional supplements containing fish oil and aloe vera.

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine followed two randomized groups of healthy individuals over a 12-week period. One group practiced yoga three times a week for one hour, while the remaining subjects walked for the same period of time.

Using magnetic resonance spectroscopic (MRS) imaging, the participants’ brains were scanned before the study began. At week 12, the researchers compared the brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels of both groups before and after their final 60-minute session. Low GABA levels are associated with depression and other widespread anxiety disorders.

Each subject was also asked to assess his or her psychological state at several points throughout the study, and those who practiced yoga reported a more significant decrease in anxiety and greater improvements in mood than those who walked.

"Over time, positive changes in these reports were associated with climbing GABA levels," said lead author Chris Streeter, M.D.

Researchers say the study, which appears in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, is the first to demonstrate an association between yoga postures, increased GABA levels and decreased anxiety.

Scientists with a New Jersey biotech company measured the level of polyphenols – a group of natural antioxidants linked to anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic properties – of six brands of tea purchased from supermarkets.

The beverages they analyzed contained 81, 43, 40, 13, 4, and 3 milligrams of polyphenols per 16-ounce bottle. Researchers say the readings compare to 50-150 milligrams of polyphenols found in one average cup of home-brewed green or black tea.

"There is a huge gap between the perception that tea consumption is healthy and the actual amount of the healthful nutrients found in bottled tea beverages," said lead researcher Shiming Li, Ph.D. "Our analysis of tea beverages found that the polyphenol content is extremely low. Someone would have to drink bottle after bottle of these teas in some cases to receive health benefits."

Diabetes is caused when a person has high blood sugar because their body does not respond well to insulin or does not produce enough of the hormone.

The AHRQ found that there were more than 540,000 hospital stays specifically for diabetes and roughly 7.2 million stays for diabetic patients who were admitted for other conditions such as heart disease, kidney damage, infection or foot or leg amputation during the year.

In addition, the study found that hospital stays for people with diabetes cost institutions 25 percent more than stays for people who did not have diabetes.

The disease affects nearly 24 million people in the United States, and close to 250 million people worldwide.

According to the Mayo Clinic, risk factors for developing diabetes include family history, being overweight, leading an inactive lifestyle, and high blood pressure.

Exercising, maintaining a healthy weight and eating a healthy, balanced diet are among the best ways to prevent diabetes and control blood sugar levels naturally.

Researchers from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University studied immune response and respiratory infections in about 600 elderly residents living in nursing facilities in the Boston area.

While a high proportion of nursing facility residents were found to have low serum (blood) zinc concentrations, they found that those with normal blood zinc concentrations were about 50 percent less likely to develop pneumonia, compared to those with low concentrations.

Those with normal blood levels of zinc also had fewer new prescriptions for antibiotics, a shorter duration of pneumonia and fewer days of antibiotic use compared with residents who had low zinc levels. In addition, mortality was lower in those with adequate blood zinc levels.

The findings suggest that giving seniors daily zinc supplements may reduce the risk of pneumonia. However, researchers say that further studies are needed to test the efficacy of zinc supplementation as a low-cost intervention to reduce mortality due to pneumonia among vulnerable populations who already have low zinc levels.

Zinc is an essential mineral that is naturally present in some foods, added to others and is available as a dietary supplement. Dietary sources include oysters, red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, fortified breakfast cereals and dairy products.

Diabetic retinopathy, which is damage to the retina caused by complications of diabetes mellitus, is the leading cause of new cases of legal blindness among adults 20 to 74 years of age in the U.S.

Researchers conducted a study consisting of more than 1,000 diabetics between 2005 and 2008 to determine the most recent prevalence and risk factors of diabetic retinopathy in the U.S. population among those over 40 years old.

The current findings represent an increase of about 40 percent for diabetics who have the condition, and an increase of two and a half times for diabetics who have a vision-threatening case of it compared to estimates from the last similar study, conducted from 1988 to 1994.

They also found that the independent risk factors for diabetic retinopathy include being male, higher hemoglobin A1c level, longer diabetes duration, use of insulin and higher systolic blood pressure.

Researchers say that this information is important for early detection and treatment of diabetic retinopathy.

Individuals with diabetes are advised to control their blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure to help prevent complications such as diabetic retinopathy.