Diet and exercise counseling provide a "positive but small" effect in preventing cardiovascular disease for otherwise-healthy adults, according to a new recommendation from one of the nation's most influential health care organizations. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force maintained a middle-of-the-road C grade for diet and exercise counseling for those classified as normal or overweight who have no known risk factors for heart disease such as hypertension, high blood sugar levels, elevated blood cholesterol or diabetes.

Pharmaceutical firm to stop selling opioid

The maker of opioid painkiller Opana ER is pulling the drug off the market at the request of federal regulators because it's being abused. Endo International PLC said it will voluntarily stop selling the pills, approved for use in patients with severe, constant pain, after consulting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It's the first opioid drug that the FDA has sought to remove from the market due to abuse.

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