Health briefs: A zinc fix

There's still no cure for the common cold, but there may be a way to shorten its misery: A new study suggests that higher doses of zinc lozenges in certain formulations may cut the length of colds by more than 40 percent. Researcher Dr. Harri Hemila of the University of Helsinki in Finland reviewed 13 placebo-controlled trials examining the effect of zinc lozenges on cold infections. Three of them found that zinc acetate in daily doses of more than 75 milligrams shortened the duration of colds by 42 percent, on average.

How to eat less

Telling patients their obesity is caused by unhealthy personal choices or low willpower can be stigmatizing and is unlikely to motivate them to lose weight, researchers say. Instead, obesity counseling should focus on neurobehavioral processes -- how the brain controls eating behavior in response to biological and environmental factors. The team at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago outlines its new counseling approach in August's Journal of the American Dietetic Association. "Even highly motivated and nutritionally informed patients struggle to refrain from highly palatable foods that are high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats," lead author Brad Appelhans says. Obesity counseling's new model focuses on neurobehavioral processes like food reward and inhibitory control.

-- HealthDay