Women are often advised to stop drinking to avoid extra calories but a new research suggests that women who regularly consume moderate amounts of alcohol are 30 per cent less likely to gain weight than those who do not drink. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston said the women who consumed two to three servings of beer or wine each day were less likely to gain extra pounds as they get older. The 13-year research found that women who did not drink at all gained the most weight. The findings, reported this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, are based on a study of 19,220 U.S. women aged 39 and over who had normal body weight at the start of the study. Researchers tracked the women’s drinking habits over 13 years. About 60 per cent of the women were light or regular drinkers, while about 40 per cent reported drinking no alcohol. Over the course of the study, 41 per cent of the women became overweight or obese. The risk of becoming overweight was almost 30 per cent lower for women who consumed one or two alcohol beverages a day, compared to others who did not drink at all.

It's likely to be another active day in the options of Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Alkermes as traders prepare for a big decision from the Food and Drug Administration tomorrow. Volumes have been surging in both companies, which stand to benefit from the approval of a long-acting diabetes treatment that needs to be taken only once a week, versus twice a day. Some 65,320 contracts traded in AMLN yesterday, more than triple the average level, while activity was twice normal in ALKS. The stocks have been rallying into the news and have recently hit new 52-week highs. That's pushed up the cost of options in both names as shareholders look to protect their positions from a potentially negative decision from the FDA. Implied volatility in AMLN is now quoted at 117 percent, more than twice the 49 percent historical volatility over the previous 30 sessions. In ALKS the premium is even richer, with implied volatility at 94 percent versus the 36 percent historical reading.

When Georgetown's Austin Freeman started experiencing symptoms of diabetes, he thought it was a stomach flu. Once word got out that he has diabetes, the media spread the word like wildfire. Freeman isn't even sure what type of diabetes he has, all he is sure of, is hoping to be a mentor for other athletes battling the disease. Hoya's coack, John Thompson III, told the Star-Ledger that he has a constant eye on Freeman in the game. “I’m watching him, trying to read his body language. Fortunately we have a great medical staff, so that’s all they’re doing. But at the same time, you’ve just got to watch him.” Diabetes is not an uncommon condition for athletes. Millions of people in the U.S. are undiagnosed, it's likely the star basketball player has had diabetes for years. Symptoms of type 1 and type 2 are similar. According the American Diabetes Association, type 1 symptoms include frequent urination, unusual thirst, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, extreme fatigue and irritability.

A rabbi, a yogi and a Buddhist walk into the Manhattan JCC…What sounds like a stock opener of a joke actually happened at an event March 1 connected to Dani Shapiro’s newly released memoir, “Devotion” (Harper). The author invited her spiritual teachers to join her in a conversation moderated by writer and former television producer Abigail Pogrebin, who not only feigned surprise that attendees didn’t arrive in yoga pants, but also declared herself the most high-strung person in the room. Spiritual searching seems de rigueur for the modern memoir, and when Shapiro’s first blipped my radar, I thought, the world does not need a Jewish “Eat, Pray, Love.” Luckily, with “Devotion,” we’re getting much more. After relocating to rural Connecticut from Brooklyn, Shapiro suffered a general malaise. A mother in her mid-40s, she’d buried her father in childhood, battled drug addition and alcoholism, and abandoned her Orthodox upbringing. Yet it was her young son who nudged her toward a transformative journey. He asked about God; she sprung into action, seeking out teachers to guide her through her own head.

At first glance, the Dartmouth football team and men’s soccer team might not have much in common. When it comes to training, however, both are fluent in terms such as “lord of the fishes” and “pigeon pose,” which have been used during team yoga sessions. Instructed by Julia Cedergren — the wife of men’s soccer assistant coach Johan Cedergren — the teams have incorporated yoga to help the athletes improve flexibility and stretch out tight muscles. While the soccer team is entering its second year of supplemental yoga, the football team completed its first term with weekly sessions this Fall. “I’ve been noticing this semester in particular that we have a lot of flexibility issues with the hips, the hamstrings and the shoulders,” football strength and conditioning coach Kaitlin Sweeney said. “[Yoga] is a great way for them to work on those weaknesses as a team, instead of having to do it on their own.” Due to NCAA regulations on practice hours, the yoga sessions are optional for the football team, but around 35 players have chosen to attend each class. Head coach Buddy Teevens has also participated in a few sessions.