Health beat.

• Position: Various - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Male breast cancer is rare, but 400 men die each year from it, indicates Ward Parsons, associate professor of radiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Men who have a family history of breast cancer in female relatives may be at increased risk, he cautions, and should report any change in their breasts to a physician.

Women who engage in even moderate physical activity on a regular basis have a lower percentage of body fat and a significantly higher resting metabolic rate than sedentary women, an Arizona State University, Tempe, study shows.

Ballroom dancing, ballet, swing, and hip-hop have something serious in common, says William G. Hamilton, clinical professor of orthopedic surgery, Columbia University, New York. Each has the potential for career-ending injury to dancers, whether recreational or professional. Hospitals and doctors' offices treated more than 118,000 dancing-related injuries in 2000 alone, resulting in medical, legal, and work-loss expenses exceeding $1,-600,000,000.

Asian women--who are often petite and small-boned--are at a significant risk for osteoporosis, according to the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. The typical Asian diet is low in calcium, averaging less than 500 milligrams a day, which can increase the risk of...