HEALTH

MARSHFIELD, Wis. — Respiratory Syncytial Virus appears to cause milder illness than influenza in adults age 50 or older, researchers at Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation announced Wednesday.

The study, published online in Clinical Infectious Diseases, also shows RSV is a common cause of respiratory illness in older adults and that the chance of infection increases with age.

WASHINGTON — In response to the study "Long-Term Multivitamin Supplementation and Cognitive Function in Men: The Physicians' Health Study II" and the editorial "Enough is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements," published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the Council for Responsible Nutrition on Tuesday released two video statements.

CHICAGO — IRI on Tuesday released SilverLink, a new report that segments the U.S. population ages 50 years and older based on demographics; attitudes toward aging, health and wellness; shopping behavior; and lifestyle habits.

“The next generation of retirees will be the healthiest, longest lived, most educated and most affluent in history,” stated Robert Tomei, president of consumer and shopper marketing for IRI. 

CHICAGO — To help CPG manufacturers and retailers identify and leverage the varying shopper beliefs about health and nutrition, IRI has released the first NutriLink segmentation study, which classifies U.S. consumers into six groups based on their behavior and attitudes toward health, diet and nutrition, as well as their demographics, the firm announced Tuesday. 

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration may require makers of antibacterial soaps to perform clinical trials to show their products are better at preventing infections and disease than ordinary soaps, part of a larger effort by the agency to ensure the safety and efficacy of antibacterial products and slow down the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

ATLANTA — Flu vaccination prevented an estimated 6.6 million influenza-associated illnesses, 3.2 million medically attended illnesses, and 79,000 hospitalizations during the 2012-2013 flu season, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published Thursday. CDC also reported today that despite the benefits of flu vaccination, only 40% of Americans 6 months and older had reported getting a flu vaccine this season as of early November 2013.

DALLAS — MarketsandMarkets on Friday projected the global probiotics market would reach $23.9 billion by 2017. 

"[The] probiotics market has been one of the prime beneficiaries of the recent fad over functional foods," MarketsandMarkets reported. "Rising levels of health consciousness and aging baby boomer population are a few of the drivers helping in the growth of the market.