Health News Roundup: 'Prediabetes' doesn't necessarily mean diabetes; new African swine fever outbreak and more

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Seniors may need new shoes to avoid pain, prevent falls

Because our feet change shape as we age, shoes that fit when we were young may become uncomfortable and unsafe in our senior years, a research review suggests. Safe footwear for older adults should have a proper anatomical fit, a well-fitted toe box, a low heel height, a broad enough heel, a snug fit, and be easy to get on and off, researchers note in Maturitas.

Most older adults with 'prediabetes' don't develop diabetes

Older adults with slightly elevated blood sugar, sometimes called "prediabetes," usually don't develop full-blown diabetes, a Swedish study suggests. Researchers followed 2,575 men and women aged 60 and older without diabetes for up to 12 years. At the start of the study, 918 people, or 36% of the group, did have higher-than-normal blood sugar levels that were still below the threshold for diabetes.

China reports new African swine fever outbreak in Guangxi region

China's southwestern region of Guangxi has confirmed a new outbreak of African swine fever, the agriculture ministry said on Saturday. The new outbreak has killed 1 pig and infected 42 more on a farm in Guigang city, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a statement on its website.

Weightlifting better at reducing heart fat than aerobic exercise

Obese people who engaged in resistance training were more likely to see reductions in a type of heart fat that has been linked to cardiovascular disease, a new study finds. In the small study, researchers determined that a certain type of heart fat, pericardial adipose tissue, was reduced in patients who did weight lifting, but not in those who worked on increasing their endurance with aerobic exercise, according to a report published in JAMA Cardiology. Both forms of exercise resulted in the reduction of a second type of heart fat, epicardial adipose tissue, which has also been linked with heart disease.

Weed ban means no Rocky Mountain high for Canada's Calgary Stampede

Canada's Calgary Stampede, known as the country's biggest and booziest annual party, is banning the use of cannabis in the first year that legislators made the drug legal nationwide. The Stampede, which started on Thursday and runs through July 14, draws tourists from around the world for its rodeo and chuckwagon races, but much of the revelry happens away from official venues at parties hosted by oil and gas companies.

Custom menopause hormones have unpredictable ingredient mix

Women who fill prescriptions for custom-blended hormone therapy may get capsules or creams that don't contain the correct amount of medicine, a recent study suggests. Researchers focused on what's known as compounded hormone therapy - prescriptions that are custom-blended by pharmacists instead of factory-made by drug companies and approved for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Sometimes these formulations are marketed as "bioidentical," and touted as being more like naturally occurring hormones than regular pharmaceuticals.

Bulgaria reports new case of African swine fever

Bulgaria has confirmed a new case of African swine fever among backyard pigs in the village of Novachene near the town of Pleven in the north of the country, the national food safety agency said on Friday. Bulgaria already reported two cases of African swine fever among backyard pigs in the same region on Thursday.

Sydney's city council reviews use of Bayer's Roundup weed killer amid cancer fears

Sydney's city council said on Friday it was reviewing its weed management, which included the use of Bayer AG's Roundup, after other councils in Australia began cutting ties with the product amid concerns about possible links to cancer. The council, which covers the city's business center, was "reviewing (its) weed management methods and investigating other technologies", a spokeswoman told Reuters in an email, a day after a strike by workers at a nearby council pressured it into trialing an alternative weedkiller.

(With inputs from agencies.)