(January 26, 2010 - Insidermedicine)

From Florida - Being obese by age 7 increases a child's risk of heart disease and stroke later in life, according to a report published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Researchers studied 202 children--115 of whom were obese and 87 who were lean controls--that had not yet developed symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Results showed that the obese children had abnormalities in their blood widely regarded as predictors for the development of heart disease, even though these children did not have risk factors such as high blood pressure.

From Ohio - According to a report published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, contact lenses that block ultraviolet radiation may protect eyes from the sun. Researchers exposed rabbits to the equivalent of roughly 16 hours of sunlight, finding that those who wore the UV blocking contact lenses experienced no damage to their corneas

And finally, from Liverpool- According to a report published in Public Library of Science Medicine, at least 125 million pregnancies are at risk of malaria each year. Researchers targeted certain territories in which malaria thrives, multiplying the number of pregnancies by the fraction of people living within the limits of malaria transmission in each country. Results showed that 125.2 million pregnancies--or, 60% of all pregnancies globally--were at risk of malaria every year.