Friday Links

by Marcy Franklin, Online Editor

Happy Friday! Check out the links below to get the latest (and quirkiest) health news.

Prepare to be grossed out if you’re still smoking by 2012: the FDA has unveiled graphic new labels for cigarette packages, including pictures of diseased lungs and corpses. Studies say that adolescents (or 3.4 million teenagers) are less likely to smoke after seeing the picture warnings, rather than text labels. (New York Times)

Ever feel exhausted trying to do a million things at once? It may not just be your hectic schedule causing you to feel fried. Studies have our ability to multitask is deteriorating, thanks to our computer habits. The constant switches between emails, video chats, and Internet sites are literally melting our attention span—yikes. (MSNBC)

If you’re like me and have a serious love for Cherry Garcia ice cream, you may be addicted to the starches in it. Scientists are studying the affects of amylase (an enzyme in your saliva that breaks down starches into liquid) to figure out why people love foods like ice cream and chocolate so much. Turns out, the more amylase you have in your saliva, the quicker your enzymes break down starches—making you eat that entire carton of ice cream. (Wall Street Journal)

Four-Loko lovers, beware: The University of Rhode Island, plus the states of Washington and Michigan, have banned the popular caffeinated drink. No surprise there— four students at Central Washington University had BAC levels from .12 to .35 percent, nearly four times the legal limit. (Boston Globe Herald, Wallet Pop)

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