Coming soon to a store near you: sunscreens with labels that are easier to understand. The Food and Drug Administration plans to give manufacturers until mid-December to make all the changes, but many products already have the new labeling. Here are some of the biggest changes, which will also apply to moisturizers and cosmetic products that contain a sun-protection factor (SPF):

Men planning to take the drug finasteride—the active ingredient in both Propecia, the medication to combat hair loss and Proscar, the medication to shrink enlarged prostates—may want to carefully consider the risk of sexual side effects. Those drugs have been associated with a decreased libido, problems with orgasm, and other issues that can continue for some time after men stop taking them, according to the drugs' labels that were recently updated by the Food and Drug Administration.

About 10 percent of the U.S. population has nutritional deficiencies--mostly for vitamins B6, D, and iron--according to a report released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Death rates from all cancers combined decreased from 1999 to 2008 among men and women in most racial and ethnic groups, according to the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, from the nation's leading cancer organizations.

This week in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that all boys 11 and 12 years old should be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) and that boys ages 13 to 21 receive “catch up” vaccinations if they haven’t already been vaccinated. This follows an action last fall when an advisory committee with the CDC recommended that 11- and 12-year-old boys receive a routine vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today that obesity rates in the U.S. have peaked. However, the latest figures released by the federal health agency show the epidemic of overweight Americans is far from over.

If you’re like most Americans, you’re probably exercising less now that the days have gotten shorter. A new Gallup poll released earlier this month found that the percentage of U.S. adults who exercise for at least 30 minutes a day three or more days a week reached its low in November, to just under 50 percent. But our recent survey of 42,918 Consumer Reports subscribers found that treadmills and ellipticals were the favorite home exercise machines, in part because they allowed users to keep exercising even when the weather was bad.

Many older Americans undergo routine cancer screening tests even though guidelines recommend against them, according to a study published online this week by the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force asked for public comment this week on its proposed new recommendation that most men don’t need routine screening for prostate cancer. Our comment: We agree. Here’s why.

Daily supplementation with vitamin E increases the risk of prostate cancer, according to a study released online today by the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The erectile dysfunction drug Cialis (tadalafil) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration late Thursday for the treatment of urinary problems in men due to an enlarged prostate. But we still think other options, including lifestyle changes and, if necessary, inexpensive generic medications, should be tried first.

The news that a key advisory board to the federal government might recommend against routine prostate cancer screening in healthy men is already setting off a firestorm of controversy and confusion. After all, the PSA blood test has become a standard part of the routine checkup for men, and millions believe it has saved their lives. Yet evidence for the test’s benefits has been on the decline for years, and concerns that it leads to unnecessary treatment that leaves many men impotent, incontinent, or both, have been on the rise.

Heart-healthy habits not only lower the risk for cardiovascular disease, they can also lower the risk of erectile dysfunction in men. It’s well known that the plaque formation that underlies coronary heart disease can also contribute to erectile dysfunction. Now, a systematic review from researchers at the Mayo Clinic, and published this week in Archives of Internal Medicine, has found convincing evidence that the same lifestyle changes that are good for the heart, can improve sexual function in men.

Older men who regularly miss out on deep, restorative sleep have an 80 percent increased risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a study out this week in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension.

Men tend to pack on the pounds after getting divorced, women after getting married. That’s according to research presented this week at the American Sociological Association’s 106th Annual Meeting.