Social status is intimately linked with health-related risk factors. In the current issue of Deutsches Arzteblatt International, Thomas Lampert, of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin, inquires to what extent smoking, physical inactivity, and obesity are associated with social status (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107(1-2): 1-7).

Individuals who drink more coffee (regular or decaffeinated) or tea appear to have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to an analysis of previous studies reported in the December 14/28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

New study results strengthen the evidence that people who smoke cigarettes over a long period of time have an increased risk for developing colorectal cancer, even after adjusting for other risk factors.

A large new study confirms that people with severe mental disorders – such as schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders – are 25 percent to 40 percent more prone to die from heart disease than people without mental illness are.

Based on evidence people work harder with a partner than when working alone, a team of Michigan State University researchers are pairing college-age students with a virtual workout partner to study the impact on exercise trends.