Filed by KOSU News in Health.
June 25, 2011

Nuts and yogurt came out as big winners in new research we discuss in this week’s podcast, while potatoes were losers. The contest? Which foods can help you keep weight off as you age.

Nuts also came up big in a post about food allergies, though in a more ominous light: They’re one of the more common causes of extreme allergic reactions to food in kids, a new allergy estimate shows.

We’ve also got some news about hammocks. It turns out the gentle rocking motion makes people fall asleep faster, and they sleep more deeply. These findings could inspire new ways to help insomniacs, the researchers say.

And we hit the latest controversy in health policy: a survey from consulting giant McKinsey & Co. found as many as 30 percent of employers might drop health insurance in a few years because of the federal law overhauling health care. But the results, at odds with other research, sparked questions about how and why the survey was conducted.

And we hear about the dark history of eugenics laws in North Carolina and the forced sterilizations that once occurred there.

To subscribe to the Your Health podcast, click here. [Copyright 2011 National Public Radio]