Here are more medical breakthroughs from last year, culled from health journals.

Control your hunger and lose weight

A kind of dietary fibre known as "resistant starch" is emerging as a new weight-loss powerhouse.

A 2008 Swedish study found people who ate a resistant starch at supper (in the form of barley bread) felt much less hungry than those who munched on plain white bread -- and the hunger-suppressing effect lasted past breakfast the next day.

Found in beans, slightly green bananas and potatoes, among other foods, this kind of fibre "resists" being digested. Because the starch doesn't enter your bloodstream, it stabilizes blood-sugar levels and also boosts the immune system.

Stay healthy: Load up your diet with these indigestible carbs, also found in brown rice and corn, says Leslie Bonci, author of the American Dietetic Association Guide to Better Digestion. Because the starch becomes resistant during cooling, serve these foods at room temperature or from the fridge -- think three-bean or (low-fat mayo) potato salad.

Shorter radiation regimen for breast cancer

A woman who has a lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer faces a gruelling five to seven weeks of daily radiation treatment -- a schedule so arduous that some patients sometimes choose a mastectomy to avoid it.

Now results from a 12-year Canadian study have proven that a three-week radiation regimen of slightly higher daily doses is just as effective -- with no decrease in survival rates or breast appearance.

Stay healthy: Be vigilant about getting mammograms - the less-gruelling treatment is appropriate only when cancer is detected early.

Prevent colon cancer

When doctors perform a colonoscopy, they typically look for polyps. But a study of 1,800 patients found that about 9 per cent of those getting the exam had a different kind of growth -- one that's flat or even recessed.

Why that matters: These overlooked growths are up to 10 times as likely to be cancerous as equal-size polyps, the researchers found.

Stay healthy: Don't rush to get a "virtual" colonoscopy. Though another 2008 study found that an X-ray colon exam is almost as accurate as the old-fashioned kind at finding large polyps and cancers, experts don't think it's as good at detecting flat lesions.

So it's safest to stick to a traditional colonoscopy for now, says gastroenterologist Dr. John L. Petrini. And the new finding means it's more important than ever to follow the prep instructions: Only a clean colon will allow your doctor to spot these less obvious growths.

Slash your risk of diabetes

Researchers have long believed that if your BMI is lower than 25 (meaning that you weigh less than 145 pounds if you're 5-foot-4, for instance), you're safe from the ill effects of obesity.

But a recent study from the Mayo Clinic showed that many women are dangerously "skinny fat." More than half of the 1,101 women with a BMI lower than 25 actually had more than 30 per cent body fat, making them "normal weight obese."

Because fat cells pump out damaging hormones, these women had four times the rate of prediabetes of those with less body fat.

Stay healthy: You can't tell if you're skinny fat simply by looking in the mirror (excess fat cells can hide deep in your abdomen or distribute evenly over your arms and legs), so get your body-fat percentage checked.

A spa or health club is more likely than your doctor to have testing equipment.

What's best: Combine cardio and strength-training so you build muscle as you burn fat.