Health briefs: Tips on Halloween candy

Waiting until the last minute to buy Halloween candy is a good way to stick to a healthy diet and cut extra calories, an expert suggests. Dr. William Gillespie of EmblemHealth offers other tips:

* Keep candy out of sight. Once kids enjoy a night of trick-or-treating, put the remaining candy away, so they will be less likely to think about it.

* Toss extra candy. Another way to limit the amount of candy kids eat is to allow them to choose a few of their favorites; toss the rest.

* Don't be too restrictive. If candy becomes a "forbidden" treat, it may be even more tempting.

Living longer

It's said that life is short. But people living in developed countries typically survive more than twice as long as their hunter-gatherer ancestors did, making 72 the new 30. Most of the decline in early mortality has occurred in the past century, or four generations, according to a study published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

-- HealthDay