RESEARCH
               Heavy cost: Extra pounds can be costly for middle-aged women, researchers at the University of Michigan say.

        The findings, based on data from more than 7,000 men and women in their 50s and 60s, found that obesity has economic consequences for women in terms of their worth in the labor market and personal wealth.

        In 1992, data showed, moderately to severely obese women from 51 to 61 were worth about 40 percent less than their thinner counterparts. And in 1998, obese women ages 57 to 67 had individual net worths of 60 percent less than thin peers, an average difference of more than $135,000.

        The economic effects of obesity were generally smaller and not statistically significant for men, researchers said.

        Researchers looked at several factors, including demographic, physical and mental health characteristics, but those factors didn't account for all the differences in net worth, leading researchers to conclude that perceived physical attractiveness is probably a factor.

        — The Cincinnati Enquirer

        A heads-up: Ever since 1984, when soccer passed baseball as the most popular team sport in this country, a growing number of young soccer players have suffered mild to severe head trauma, neck injuries, damage to the cervical spine, headache, neck pain, dizziness, irritability, and insomnia, the Journal of the American Chiropractic Association says.The president of the association's Council on Occupational Health says youngsters shouldn't start heading the ball until they are 14 to 16 years old. — Knight Ridder News Service

WORKOUT
               Warning: A health club may be a particularly bad place for a heart attack.

        The American Heart Association advises fitness centers to screen members for heart problems, and to have an emergency medical plan in place. However, a random survey of 122 fitness centers in Ohio, 65 of which responded, found that only 28 percent had a system to identify members with cardiovascular problems. Almost 60 percent did not have a written medical emergency plan, researchers from the University of Massachusetts and four other institutions reported in New Orleans.

        About 17 percent of the clubs said that at least one member had experienced a heart attack or sudden death at the gym in the last five years.

        The results are worrisome, given that health clubs are increasingly seeing an older membership. More than half of all fitness club members are older than 35, with the fastest growth occurring in the over-55 age group, the researchers said. — Dallas Morning News

SHELF HELP
               Don't sit still: Despite what your parents told you, fidgeting is good for you, say Frank and Victor Katch, authors of The Fidget Factor: The Easy Way to Burn up to 1,000 Extra Calories Every Day (Andrews McNeel Publishing; $10.95). The book, based on recent research, asserts that simple activities like crossing your legs while you're sitting at your desk can burn 1.7 to 2.6 calories per minute. — The Cincinnati Enquirer

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