Ames, Iowa (U-WIRE) Zero calories. Zero sugar. But diet soft drinks don’t equal zero… Ames, Iowa (U-WIRE) Zero calories. Zero sugar. But diet soft drinks don’t equal zero health problems, according to a study released last month in Circulation, the American Heart Association’s medical journal.

The study suggests that a diet soda drinker has just as much of a chance of developing metabolic syndrome as a person who commonly consumes regular soft drinks.

Metabolic syndrome includes obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and a slew of other health problems. The study lasted more than four years and included more than 6,000 people of different races, health status and physical activity levels.

Since diet soft drinks contain no calories, scientists expected diet soda drinkers to be healthier than regular soda drinkers. – Carroe Fossum, Iowa State Daily (Iowa State U.)

Raleigh, North Carolina (MCT) A study released this month by the Duke University Medical Center showed that not only is moderate exercise good, in some instances it might be even better than more vigorous workouts.

The researchers found that low-intensity exercise “dramatically lowered” triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are those pesky particles that lug fat around the body. Reducing their numbers can reduce the risk of both heart disease and diabetes.

The Duke study involved 240 middle-age, sedentary types who were divided into four groups and studied over eight months. Three groups exercised, doing time on the treadmill, elliptical trainer and stationary bike.

One group exercised a lot and did so with great intensity, one group also exercised with great intensity but not as much and the third group exercised in moderation. A fourth group, the control group, retained its sedentary ways.

To the researchers’ surprise, it was the modest exercisers who showed the most change in terms of triglyceride levels. – Joe Miller, McClatchy Newspapers

Clemson, South Carolina (MCT) If you drop a brownie on the floor, that brownie is dirty. Time, and the five-second rule specifically, is not on your side.

Researchers at Clemson University recently put this age-old justifier to the test by placing bread and bologna on bacteria-covered surfaces for varying lengths of time.

Food science professor Paul Dawson and his colleagues found that test food slices picked up within five seconds were found to be less contaminated than those left for longer, but, more importantly, nothing came out germ free.

And munchies left up to a minute on the floor picked up nearly 10 times more bacteria than the five-second tidbits – whether on tile, wood flooring or nylon carpets.

– Maureen Simpson, McClatchy Newspapers