Health beat.

• Position: New medical research, United States - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

A growing shortage of physicians in the coming decade looks inevitable, a study from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa., warns. Since 1980, the research states, the U.S. population has grown 21%; per capita medical spending, adjusted for inflation, has soared 130%; but the number of new medical students declined from 17,197 in 1980 to 16,824 in 2000. Although some of the gap has been made up through an increase in nurses, chiropractors, and nonphysician clinicians, patients may find that they faced a decline in services in the future.

The cost of Medicare drug benefits could be reduced by tens of billions of dollars with more-effective use of generic medications, a study by the Schneider Institute for Health Policy at Brandeis University, Waltham, Mass., found. If generic drug incentives currently used in the private sector were successfully implemented, individual seniors could save hundreds of dollars a year, he maintains.

Eat meat is the advice given by Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., scientists who examined the role of fat in a study that combined nutritional analysis with anthropologic research about the diets of ancient hunter-gatherer societies. There is a catch, however. To be as healthy as a caveman, you have to eat certain kinds of fish, wild game such as venison, or grass-fed meat like beef. They found that wild game (elk, for example) and grass-fed beef contain a mixture of fats that lower cholesterol and reduce other chronic disease risk.

A brown-bag lunch can offer more opportunities for a health-protective midday meal at the office than the typical take-out counter or fast-food restaurant, suggests the American Institute for Cancer Research. In addition to providing better control over portion size and fat content, a homemade lunch can deliver the nutrients needed to lower the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases.

Costs of energy rates are increasing, so homeowners are adding more insulation to reduce the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling, notes Mike Kuhn of Housemaster, a national home inspection agency. This may cause the amount of indoor pollutants to rise, since there is a lack of ventilation and fresh air indoors, particularly during cold weather when doors and windows...