WHETHER YOU’RE 9 OR 90, STUDIES INDICATE EXERCISE CAN ENHANCE YOUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. Adding as little as a half-hour of moderately intense physical activity to your day can reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, and several types of cancer. Regular exercise also can help you sleep better, reduce stress, control your weight, brighten your mood, and sharpen your mental functioning.

Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA.

AN EMERGING IMAGING TECHNOLOGY shows that using two different levels of X-ray energy is better than one. The new technology, called dual energy X-ray imaging, goes beyond the single perspective image of an X-ray exam and can identify the compositions of substances and tissues in the body. The technology can be used to identify kidney stone compositions and detect gout, among other things.

Mayo Clinic Health Letter, 200 First St. S.W., Rochester, MN 55905, monthly, $27/yr.

LOSING WEIGHT CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE URINARY INCONTINENCE, according to a six-month study of 338 overweight women. The study found women who lost 17 pounds cut their incontinence episodes in half. Urinary incontinence affects more than 13 million U.S. women.

University of Alabama at Birmingham.

THE WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO (WHR) IS A SIMPLE CALCULATION: Divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference. For women, the risk for heart disease, stroke, and other health problems starts to climb at a ratio of about 0.85, so that’s often set as the cutoff for a “good” ratio. For men, the cutoff seems to be about 0.90. Research shows that a high WHR is a better indicator of heart disease than waist circumference alone.

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.

FEW AMERICANS WHO SUFFER FROM CHRONIC DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY RECEIVE APPROPRIATE TREATMENT, according to one study of 1,642 adults with one of these conditions. The assessment found only 22 percent of the participants had consulted a mental health specialist. Only 12 percent with persistent illness were getting both medication and counseling, the appropriate treatment.

Research at the University of California, Los Angeles.

CHILDREN WHO TALK ON CELL PHONES WHILE CR OSSING STREETS ARE AT A HIGHER RISK FOR INJURIES OR DEATH in a pedestrian accident, one study found. All of the children in the study—even those who were experienced with talking on cell phones or crossing streets, or who were rated as highly attentive —were more likely to exhibit risky behaviors when they crossed a street while talking on phones. The children looked both ways 20 percent fewer times before crossing the street and gave themselves 8 percent less time to cross safely in front of oncoming traffic when they were on phones.

University of Alabama, Birmingham.

MORE THAN HALF OF DOG OWNERS SLEEP WITH THEIR PETS OR PERMIT LICKS ON THE FACE. Fortunately, these behaviors aren’t likely to cause disease, one study found. However, researchers did show an association between antibiotic-resistant E. coli and owners who didn’t wash their hands after petting their dogs and before cooking meals.

Research at Kansas State University, Manhattan.

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