“A cough is one of the most common symptoms of illness and a common mode of disease spread,” says researcher Suzanne Smith, PhD, of STAR Analytical Services. “Yet we don’t use technology in any way to measure or understand what coughs mean.”

The program is designed to distinguish different coughs using acoustic vocalization analysis, a way to distinguish different audio tones. Researchers hypothesize that the sound of coughing varies by illness, and that these subtle differences may be enough to determine which illness a patient has.

If this is true, it could mean greater accessibility to medical services for individuals who live far from a doctor. An early diagnosis would also help determine what treatments are necessary and ensure that patients receive the proper medications they need to recover.

Efforts are currently focused on pneumonia,  a disease that kills 1.8 million children every year. Most of them live in developing countries. Software capabilities, if initially successful, are likely to grow. Cell phones could potentially be used to diagnose everything from the common cold to influenza.

The project is in its beginning stages, but the possibility of such a program could save millions of lives, not to mention billions of dollars in health care costs.

Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the Global Health Program says that this is the exact sort of thinking it will take to tackle the world’s health challenges.

"I'm excited about their ideas and look forward to seeing some of these exploratory projects turn into life-saving breakthroughs," he says.

“In the past decade, the decline in carbohydrate quality has been identified as a likely culprit leading to increased adiposity and metabolic disorders among children and adults,” authors write.

Eighty-five overweight Latino children from the Los Angeles area were asked to participate in the study. Selection criteria included having a family history of type 2 diabetes, likelihood of insulin resistance and pre-diabetes. The children were between the ages of 11 and 17, a stage when most begin developing eating habits. Researchers measured weight and body composition. The children then underwent two trial periods to monitor the effects of sugar and fiber intake.

The first trial lasted 16 weeks. Roughly one in three children who reduced their added sugar intake had improved insulin secretion. In this group, participants who consumed more fiber had a 10 percent reduction in visceral adipose tissue (body fat).

The second trial was based on 24-hour self-reported dietary recalls—two each year for two years. Although sugar intake didn’t have a significant effect, fiber continued to produce positive results.

“Although the healthy reputation of dietary fiber continues to grow, national data consistently show that children consume less than one-half of the recommended amount of dietary fiber,” authors write.

In addition to increasing insulin sensitivity, consuming more fiber appeared to lower body mass. An decrease in dietary and insoluble fiber intake increased fat tissue by 21 percent, compared with a 4 percent fat decrease in children who consumed more.

Those consuming more fiber ate more non-fried vegetables, fruit and legumes—all excellent sources of both dietary and insoluble fibers. Other sources include nuts and seeds, whole grains, and wheat bran.

The study provides great encouragement for individuals wishing to lose weight and improve metabolism. According to authors, even a small change could make a big difference:

"These findings suggest that fairly modest increases in fruit and vegetable intake of 1 or 2 servings and bean intake of 0.5 servings (equivalent to 1/4 cup) daily could have profound effects on lowering visceral adiposity and subsequent related metabolic disorders."