01:37 PM PST on Wednesday, March 23, 2005

From KING 5 Staff Reports

Yogurt helps dieters

By replacing some foods with a few daily servings of yogurt, obese adults could trim their waistlines better than just cutting calories. A new study showed a group of obese men and women who ate three daily servings of yogurt while on a reduced-calorie diet shed more fat than dieters who ate little or no dairy.

The high calcium eaters also retained more lean, muscular body tissue.

Bad teeth could cause preemies

More research is upholding the theory that a woman's dental health can affect her pregnancy. New York University researchers say women with high levels of a bacteria associated with tooth decay and cavities are more likely to deliver premature babies.

It's believed the bacteria gets into a woman's blood stream and travels to the uterus, where it increases the risk of contractions and cervical dilation.

The study found women with the highest levels of the bacteria are the most likely to have a premature baby.

No more shortage of flu vaccine

The flu season peaked last month and the number of new cases is now declining. After all the trouble with flu shots, the government says there is flu vaccine left over. An immunizination expert at the Centers for Disease Control says enough people passed on flu shots voluntarily, that the sick, elderly and health care workers were protected nearly as well as in years past.

As for the next flu season, the CDC says it expects America will have about 2 million more doses than it did this year.