Low-fat, low-carb, high-protein — there's a diet plan of every flavor. And if you're one of the millions of Americans who struggle with weight, you've probably tried them all, likely with little success. That wouldn't surprise Dr. Frank Sacks, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health and lead author of a new study published in the February 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, whose findings confirm what a growing body of weight-loss evidence has already ...

The dieting world screams with contradictory advice: Carbs are evil; carbs are good for you. "Good fat" is healthy; "good fat" has tons of calories. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center put four popular diets -- high carb, high fat, low-fat and high protein -- to the test to see which of the regimens resulted in more weight-loss success. After two years of monitoring the participants, "all the diets were winners," said ...

Venezuela's government on Wednesday froze bank accounts belonging to board members of Stanford Bank Venezuela, the Venezuelan News Agency said. The bank's founder, Texas businessman R. Allen Stanford, has been accused by U.S. authorities of fraud involving billions of dollars through Stanford International Bank in Antigua and Barbuda. Last Thursday, the FBI announced federal agents had located Stanford in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and served him with papers accusing him and three of his companies of orchestrating a $9.2 billion ...

Jose Mourinho drew first blood in his battle with old adversary Alex Ferguson as Serie A leaders Inter Milan denied Manchester United a vital away goal in their Champions League first leg clash at the San Siro on Wednesday. In the night's other England versus Italy encounter Robin van Persie gave Arsenal a slender lead from the penalty spot in their last-16 clash against Roma at the Emirates. World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo was frustrated on several occasions ...

Title holders Manchester United are facing a "nightmare" injury crisis in central defense ahead of their Champions League San Siro showdown with Inter Milan on Tuesday. Manager Alex Ferguson revealed the extent of the problem of Saturday's 2-1 victory over Blackburn on Saturday which saw Jonny Evans aggravate an ankle problem. The Northern Ireland international was set to partner Rio Ferdinand for the match against the Italian champions with Serbian international Nemanja Vidic out through suspension while veteran Gary Neville ...

Antiguan and Barbudan regulators Friday took control of U.S.financier Robert Allen Stanford's financial institutions on the twin-island nation, a day after federal agents served the Texas businessman with papers accusing him of running an investment fraud scheme. The Financial Services Regulatory Commission of Antigua and Barbuda appointed receivers to manage Stanford International Bank Ltd. and Stanford Trust Company Ltd., the commission said in a statement. The receivers, Nigel Hamilton-Smith and Peter Wastell of Britain-based Vantis Business Recovery Services, are in ...

Glenn Wood and several other retirees lean on a wood rail on the second story balcony of the Golden Lion Café -- a beachside pub and restaurant in northern Florida. It's 8 a.m., so no one's here for French fries or beer-battered fish. As the group gazes out into the ocean sunrise, they're scanning for North Atlantic right whales. Wearing whale earrings, a flipper necklace and a blue windbreaker that says "Whale Watch Survey Team" on the back, Wood says ...

Declining Fruit and Vegetable Nutrient Composition: What Is the Evidence? By Donald R. Davis Journal of HortScience; February 2009, 5 pp. The Gist: If the economy isn't grim enough for you, just check out the February issue of the Journal of HortScience, which contains a report on the sorry state of American fruits and veggies. Apparently produce in the U.S. not only tastes worse than it did in your grandparents' days, it also contains fewer nutrients — at least according to Donald ...

Health officials in India's Gujarat state are investigating a hepatitis outbreak that has left 19 people dead in less than two weeks, authorities said Wednesday. A statement on the official Web site of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) www.ecb-co.uk confirmed that joint talks with the West Indies Cricket Board over a "new sponsorship deal" had been called off. Stanford backed a much-criticized $20 million winner takes all Twenty20 match between his all-star team and England in Antigua last ...

The polite hush that descends on the crowd seconds before service is nowhere to be heard when it comes to the issue of equal prize money in women's tennis. It may be two years since Wimbledon and the French Open joined the other major tournaments in offering women the same cash prize as men, but for some tennis fans the issue is far from resolved. "Admit it sisters," screamed one recent headline on Australian Web site AdelaideNow, "this is not ...