Your Health: Jun. 8, 1998

GOOD NEWS FOR BOWELS

An FDA advisory panel last week recommended approval for a new drug, infliximab, to treat Crohn’s disease–a painful, chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. There’s no cure for Crohn’s, but infliximab, which is administered intravenously, significantly reduces symptoms–sometimes for months at a time. Final approval is expected by this fall.

BAD NEWS FOR DRIVERS

Car smell like an old pair of running shoes? The problem may lie in your air conditioner. A new report finds that about 3% of autos–high- and low-end models–have fungi and bacteria breeding in the moisture that collects on the a.c. It won’t make you seriously ill, but allergy sufferers may find their symptoms become worse.

GOOD NEWS ON BRAINS

Aging mice that live in enriched environments, with lots of playmates and toys like running wheels, develop three times as many new brain cells as mice in boring digs. The implication, say scientists in California, is that the brains of elderly humans may benefit from varied activity.

BAD NEWS ON SUGARY SODA

Soda lovers, before your next gulp, consider this: A preliminary report on men suggests that drinking 4 1/2 cans a day of fructose-filled pop may cause the body to lose calcium and phosphorus–two minerals essential for strong bones.

–By Janice M. Horowitz

Sources: FDA; American Society for Microbiology; Journal of Neuroscience; Agricultural Research Service, USDA