8 Screening Questions for Potential Tenants

The application and screening process for tenants is important for landlords because it allows them to find ideal renters. An ideal tenant is typically someone who has a steady income, pays rent on time, and is respectful of the property and other tenants. The last thing a landlord needs is a tenant who causes trouble in one way or another.

One of the best ways to screen tenants is to have them fill out a Rental Application. This can act as a preliminary qualifier before you interview them. It should be noted that you are not required to formally interview tenants. You can accept their application, show them the property, and allow them to move in if they meet all your requirements. However, landlords can benefit from being more thorough.

In this post, we’ll discuss questions you can ask that will allow you to weed out unsuitable tenants, as well as questions that could get you into some legal hot water.

Good Questions to Ask Prospective Tenants

Regardless of how many stages are in your vetting process, these are some questions that you can ask on a Rental Application or in an interview with potential tenants:

1. Why are you leaving your current residence?
2. When do you plan on moving in?
3. What is your monthly income?
4. Can you pay move-in costs once you’ve signed the lease?
5. Can you provide references from your employer/previous landlord(s)?
6. Will you agree to a background and credit check?
7. How many people will be living in the unit?
8. Do you have pets? Do you want them in the future?

These questions cover the applicant’s income, ability to pay rent, and some basic information, and they also give you access to other vetting avenues. For instance, the reference check from employers or past landlords will likely give you the most insight into what kind of person the applicant is.

Other great avenues for you as a landlord are the credit and background checks, which will show you if the tenant is good at paying bills and if they’ve ever been convicted of a crime. Keep in mind, you can’t ban a tenant from housing based on them being convicted of a crime, except for sex offenses, arson, and the manufacturing and/or distribution of illegal drugs.

Questions You Can’t Ask Potential Tenants

It’s also important to discuss the kinds of question you can’t ask potential tenants. These are mostly questions that discriminate against specific people. It’s a good idea to review them because the last thing you want is a fair housing violation that leads to a lawsuit.

Essentially you can’t ask anything that violates the Fair Housing Act (FHA). This act keeps protected classes from discrimination when it comes to housing, which means you can’t bar a prospective tenant’s application based on certain characteristics.

These characteristics include:

• Race
• National origin
• Skin color
• Religion
• Sex
• Familial status (e.g. married or single tenants, tenants with or without children)
• Disability

You might have noticed that sexual orientation and gender are not part of these characteristics. This is because technically sexual orientation and gender are not protected under the FHA. However, in 2012, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued the Equal Access Rule which expanded protections for these two categories under the law’s “sex” protections. The rule frames the protection under discrimination based on gender nonconformity and discrimination in the form of sexual harassment.

Some states, cities, and counties have laws that include gender identity and sexual orientation as protected classes, so it’s best to review the laws specific to your property’s location. Additional information can also be found on HUD’s LBGT Housing Discrimination page.

Fair Housing and Fair Screening

As a landlord, you want the best tenants, and the best way to find them is to use the exact same screening process for every single tenant you’re in contact with. What tends to get landlords in trouble is changing up their processes and questions for particular people; that opens them up to liability and fair housing violations.

If you can stick to the same list of questions for everyone and avoid questions that violate fair housing protections, you should have no trouble finding upstanding tenants while ensuring you aren’t asking anything that could be considered discriminatory.

link:http://blog.lawdepot.com/8-screening-questions-for-potential-tenants/

How Do I Write an Executive Summary for a Business Plan?

Creating a Business Plan is a fundamental step when starting a business of any size. When you’re looking for investors to help finance your business, it’s very likely that they’ll ask to see your proposal so they can determine whether they can trust you to provide them with a return on their investment.

Typically, the front page of your Business Plan should be an executive summary, which is essentially a detailed table of contents and elevator pitch for your plan. Investors tend to be busy professionals, so you need to hook them by describing the benefits of investing in your business as concisely as possible.

Below, we’ll discuss the main things you should include in the executive summary of your Business Plan and ask some questions to help get you started.

If you’re looking for advice on writing a full Business Plan, have a look at our Top Six Tips for Writing a Business Plan to help make yours the most captivating.

What Should Be Included in an Executive Summary?

You should break your executive summary into sections. Create succinct, easily understood headers that are relevant to each topic or section in your Business Plan and write three or four clear sentences with pertinent information.

A good strategy is to think like your investor. Consider a few questions that you’d want the answers to if you were the one investing and base the content in each section on those answers.

The headers should match up with the sections in your business proposal, which will likely include:

1. Company goals: Think about what your company can realistically achieve. What do you want to accomplish in the next 12 months? In the next 5 years? What are your sales forecasts?
2. Timeline for achieving those goals: Show you’re a visionary and a realist. When will planning be complete? When will you hire employees? When will your product or service be available for sale? If you’re a brick-and-mortar establishment, when will you open your doors?
3. Personal information: Describe yourself as a business owner. Do you have experience in your industry? What are your qualifications? Why should you, and not someone else, run this business? What’s the company structure?
4. Product and/or service information: Sell the investor on what you anticipate to be your bestseller(s). What separates this product/service from your competitors? If it’s a unique product/service, how will you garner interest and awareness? Do you have plans to develop new products/services to stay relevant a few years down the line?
5. Your customers: Demonstrate you’ve conducted consumer research. Who is your target customer? How will you reach them? How will you advertise to them?
6. SWOT analysis: Show that you’ve done a thorough competitor and market analysis. What are your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats? What’s your competition like? How are you planning to out-perform your competitors?
7. Capital requirements: Demonstrate financial competency. How much have you invested? How much do you need to borrow? Where is the money going? How will you pay it back?

Pitch the Positives of Your Plan

The aim of the executive summary in your Business Plan is to hook an investor. As long as you can highlight the best aspects of your plan and present them in a concise manner, it’s likely that your reader will take the time to evaluate your plan in full.

You don’t have to exaggerate or lie in your summary to overshadow any risks. Just whittle it down to the gems, and let your plan speak for itself.

link:http://blog.lawdepot.com/write-executive-summary-for-business-plan/

Hand Sanitizers Boost Wellness, Productivity at Work

Hand sanitizers have become trendy since last year's swine flu scare, and dispensers pumping them out have cropped up everywhere from airports and office buildings to restaurants and stores.

But new research has taken the sanitizer craze a step further, claiming that the alcohol-based variety can improve on-the-job productivity and reduce the number of days employees are out sick.

A research team from Germany led by Nils-Olaf Hubner found that absenteeism among public administrations due to colds, fever and coughs dropped dramatically when hand sanitizers were used by staff.

The authors of the study, published in the open access journal BMC Infectious Diseases, looked at the data on sick days and health symptoms for 129 participants. Subjects were divided into two groups, with those in the control group told to keep up their usual hand-washing rituals and those in the other group instructed to use hand sanitizer at least five times during the workday.

The researchers urged those given the disinfectant to use it liberally -- particularly after activities likely to expose them to germs.

"Our study found that hand disinfection reduced the number of episodes of illness for the majority of the investigated symptoms," Hubner wrote, according to a bulletin about the research.

Researchers saw fewer symptoms of common illnesses even during periods when participants weren't out sick. They surmised that those results translated into a rise in at-work productivity and wellness.

Hubner did not respond to AOL Health's requests for comment.

Prior studies have documented the positive effects of hand sanitizers in hospitals, child care centers and other public places where bacterial infections and viruses thrive.

But the disinfectants' link to employees' health in the workplace and their performance on the job hadn't previously been examined.

"Hand disinfection can easily be introduced and maintained as part of the daily hand hygiene, acting as an interesting and cost-efficient method of improving workforce health and effectiveness." Hubner concluded.

11 Ways to Pick Out Healthy Food

Although VitaminWater sounds healthy (and it says so on the label), a federal judge recently begged to differ. The drink doesn’t meet the FDA standard for labeling, he ruled.

It’s a common ploy. You can walk down any grocery store aisle and be bombarded with "all natural" and "immunity boosting" claims touted on boxes, bags, and bottles.

With so many enthusiastic labels shouting out to you, how can you tell which packages are healthy and which ones are nutritional nightmares? Here's how to break down the nutritional information and ingredient list for 11 common food buys.Most cereals are similar in serving size and calories but differ in fiber and sugar content, says American Dietetic Association spokesperson, Keri Gans, RD.

Buy those with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving and less than 12 grams of sugar per serving. The only way sugar in cereal is good for you is if it comes from dried fruit, and not in the form of high fructose corn syrup, molasses, or honey, Gans says.

In general, the fewer the ingredients the better (for example, shredded wheat is usually just that). Stay as close to 5% of your age group’s recommended daily allowance (RDA) of sodium as possible, and definitely don’t consume more than 20% with your cereal.Look for bread with no more than 100 calories and 150 milligrams of sodium per slice, and at least 3 grams of fiber (which rules out white bread).

And not all wheat bread is healthy. "Just because something says it might have whole-wheat flour in it doesn’t mean it’s 100% whole wheat," says Gans. Instead, look for breads that say, "100% whole grains."

And it’s worthwhile to read the ingredient list. Whole wheat, oats, or other whole grains should be the first ingredient, as opposed to refined flours. If whole-wheat flour is listed first and followed by other flours, that bread will be lower in fiber. Limit molasses and other sweeteners too.

Snack bars

Pay attention to the protein content, along with the calories, fat, sugar, and fiber, in these portable noshes. The best buys have at least 5 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber, less than 10 grams of sugar, and no more than 200 calories, if it’s a snack.

It can contain 300 calories if it’s a meal, says Gans, and 8 to 10 grams of protein is fine, but 20 grams is probably too much. Limit yourself to about 10 grams of total fat, and no more than 1 gram of saturated fat, but also check where the fat is coming from. "Nuts are the best source of fat in a snack bar," Gans says.

Microwave meals

Even low-cal options can contain more than 30% of your daily sodium. “You need to compare brand to brand, because most frozen dinners are going to have more salt than they should,” Gans says. “Look for the ones with the smallest percentage of daily value.”

Also, fat and calorie content is an issue with these meals. They can include unsaturated fats from olive oil and salmon but not saturated fat from cream or butter. Also aim for less than 500 calories. And since this is a meal, make sure you have 10 grams of protein or more per serving.

But bear in mind that you’re probably not going to get enough veggies from a frozen dinner, so enjoy a side salad too.

Just 5 Minutes Outside Boosts Mental Health

A new study published in the American Chemical Society's "Environmental Science & Technology" says just five minutes of "green exercise," such as a walk in a park, working in a backyard garden or hiking on a nature trail will benefit your mental health.

Jules Pretty and Jo Barton, of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Environment and Society and Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Essex in Colchester, England, define green exercise as "physical activity in the presence of nature." Previous studies have shown that outdoor activities decrease the risk of mental illness and improve self-esteem, but until now, there were no specifics on how much time you should spend with nature to reap these rewards.

The authors analyzed 1,252 people of different ages, genders and mental health statuses, during activities such as walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming. Results showed that, although everyone benefitted in some way from the green space, the greatest health changes occurred in the young and mentally ill participants.

"So we believe that there would be a large potential benefit to individuals, society and to the costs of the health service if all groups of people were to self-medicate more with green exercise," Barton said.

Pretty also noted that all natural environments were beneficial, but green areas with water seemed even better for health. Overall, the study showed that the largest positive effect on self-esteem came from a five-minute dose.

"We know from the literature that short-term mental health improvements are protective of long-term health benefits," Pretty said.

Significant Number of Dads Experience Postpartum Depression

The after-baby blues aren't just a mom phenomenon. Turns out, dads also get postpartum depression, the Journal of the American Medical Association is reporting.

About 10 percent of fathers feel depressed either before their babies are born or after, with rates peaking in the three-to-six-month postpartum period, according to an analysis of previous research published in the mental-health-themed May 19 issue of JAMA.

Researchers call the findings significant.

"There are many implications of these findings," the authors write. "The observation that expecting and new fathers disproportionately experience depression suggests that more efforts should be made to improve screening and referral, particularly in light of the mounting evidence that early paternal depression may have substantial emotional, behavioral and developmental effects on children."

The report's co-authors, James F. Paulson, Ph.D., and Sharnail D. Bazemore, M.S., of the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, conducted a meta-analysis to measure rates of paternal prenatal and postpartum depression, as well as its link to mothers' postpartum sadness.

Researchers included studies documenting depression in dads between the first trimester of pregnancy and the first year after the baby's birth, identifying 28,400 participants from 43 different surveys to take into account for their own article.

They estimated that the overall rate of paternal depression was 10.4 percent, compared with a 4.8 percent rate of depression in the course of one year among the general population.

There was also marked variety in the timing of fathers' baby-related depression, with the highest rate, 25.6 percent, occurring three to six months after birth and the lowest rate, 7.7 percent, happening in the first three months after birth.

American Schoolchildren Smoking Less, But Tobacco Use Decline Is Losing Steam

The number of middle and high school children who use tobacco products has dropped since 2000, but the decline has been slowing down in recent years, says a CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) report Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The report calls for laws that require more impacting health warnings on tobacco packaging and advertisements, as well as greater funding for anti-tobacco programs.

The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) informs that tobacco consumption is still the single leading preventable cause of death and disease in America. Over four-fifths of all regular adult smokers started smoking before they became adults.

CDC analyzed data from NYTS (National Youth Tobacco Survey) for the period 2000-2009. NYTS is a school-based survey which gathers data on tobacco use and related behaviors and attitudes among middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (9-12) pupils. The 22,679 study participants were asked to complete self-administered questionnaires annually from 2000 to 2009.

Number of Women Without Children Reaches All Time High

The number of American women without children has risen to an all-time high of 1 in 5, a jump since the 1970s when 1 in 10 women ended their childbearing years without having a baby, according to the Pew Research Center.

About 1.9 million women aged 40-44 -- or 18 percent -- were childless in 2008, an 80 percent increase since 1976, when just 580,000 -- 10 percent of those in that age bracket -- had never given birth, the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey shows.

Childlessness has increased across racial and ethnic groups and most education levels, but has dropped among women with advanced degrees in the past decade, according to the research.

Part of the reason for the rise in the number of childless women is an overall pattern toward delaying marriage and having kids, the research showed. Experts say that a drop in societal pressure to be a parent is also responsible for the trend, along with an increase in career opportunities and an improvement in birth control options and effectiveness.

"People put off getting pregnant," said women's health expert Dr. Laura Corio, a member of AOL Health's Medical Advisory Board. "Even when they're married they're putting off getting pregnant. Then they wake up one day and they're 40 and they want to have a child. It's like, hello?"

Explanations for the trend vary, but for some, the reason behind delaying parenting is a simple joie de vivre.

"They're freer. People are enjoying their lives: they're traveling, shopping, eating out," Corio told AOL Health. "Putting a baby into the situation is going to change everything."

Though the most educated women are still among those most likely to never give birth, there was a 31 percent decline in those aged 40-44 with master's, doctoral or professional degrees who had not had babies between 1994 and 2008, when 24 percent of women in that category were childless.

The data represents combined statistics from 2006 and 2008 (referred to as 2008 in the study) and from 1992 and 1994 (referred to as 1994).

White women remain the most likely not to have had a child, but the childless rates have grown more quickly for blacks, Hispanics and Asians over the past decade, according to the figures.

Never-married women still had the highest incidence of childlessness, though those rates also have declined over the past 10 years. By comparison, the childless rates have increased for those who are married or were at one time -- referred to as the "ever-marrieds."

"A lot of women can't find someone, or they're very picky or very educated," Corio said. "Contraception is also better. A lot of pregnancies in the past may have been accidents where they decided to keep the baby. It's also money -- they think, we're not in the financial situation [to have children]."

Among the women aged 40 to 44 without children, the number of those who didn't want to have children equaled the number of those who did but weren't able to conceive, according to figures from the National Survey of Family Growth.

In 2003, about 6 percent of women in that age group were voluntarily childless, 6 percent were involuntarily childless and 2 percent didn't have children but wanted them in the future.

Along with the population changes have come shifts in attitude, with public opinion showing more acceptance of women without children, Pew Research reported. Most adults -- 59 percent in 2002 -- said they disagree with the statement that people who don't have kids "lead empty lives," compared to only 39 percent who didn't agree with the statement in 1988.

Similarly, a 2007 Pew survey showed that 41 percent of adults believe children are important for a successful marriage, down from 65 percent who expressed the same views in 1990.

About 46 percent of people said the trend has no bearing on society, according to a 2009 Pew survey, but 38 percent said it was bad for society -- up from 29 percent in 2007.

9 Reasons Not to Ignore GERD Symptoms

For most Americans, heartburn is just an occasional problem. Sixty million people get it at least once a month.But for the 19 million people who have a chronic form of heartburn known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), untreated symptoms can lead to a variety of health complications.If you experience frequent or extended heartburn (twice a week on a regular basis), see your doctor. Here are nine reasons why you shouldn’t ignore signs of GERD.

It's estimated that 60 to 70 million people in the U.S. are affected by a digestive disease. While that includes everything from chronic constipation to inflammatory bowel disease and pancreatitis, research shows that acid reflux is the most commonly diagnosed of all. And whether it's due to a physiological reason or the fact that women are more diligent about visiting the doctor, women are diagnosed with GI conditions—including acid reflux—more often than men.

The proper name for acid reflux is gastroesophageal reflux (GER). GER happens when your stomach's contents move back up toward your esophagus, causing an array of uncomfortable symptoms. It's extremely common for anyone to experience this on occasion, according to The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. But if it happens regularly—more than twice a week for a few weeks—it could be a sign that you have a chronic condition called GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease. GERD affects 20 percent of the U.S. population. It's caused by a malfunction in the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES is supposed to close after allowing food to pass through to the stomach, but when it doesn't, stomach acid can flow back up where it's not supposed to be. Over time, GERD can cause damage to the esophagus, including precancerous changes, or lead to respiratory problems like pneumonia, laryngitis, and asthma, so it's important to get treated.

Though some people are most at risk—pregnant women, smokers, and those who are overweight or obese—acid reflux and GERD can happen to anyone. Here are the most common signs to look out for.

Live Healthy, Live Longer

Making just a few changes in your lifestyle can help you live longer. A recent study found that four bad behaviors—smoking, drinking too much alcohol, not exercising, and not eating enough fruits and veggies—can hustle you into an early grave, and, in effect, age you by as many as 12 years. Fortunately, you can do something to correct these and other unhealthy behaviors. Adopt the following nine habits to keep your body looking and feeling young.If you want to live to 100, leaving a little bit of food on your plate may be a good idea. Author Dan Buettner, who studies longevity around the world, found that the oldest Japanese people stop eating when they are feeling only about 80% full. St. Louis University researchers have confirmed that eating less helps you age slower; in a 2008 study they found that limiting calories lowered production of T3, a thyroid hormone that slows metabolism—and speeds up the aging process.Too much time in front of the boob tube can take a serious toll on your health. In fact, a 2010 study found that people who watched four or more hours a day were 46% more likely to die from any cause than people who watched less than two hours a day. Even cutting back a little can help; each additional hour you watch increases your overall risk of dying by 11% and dying from heart disease by 18%.

Dancing With the Stars: The Workout

Most of us weren't born with the flexibility of an Olympic gymnast—and that includes ABC's Dancing With the Stars pro Cheryl Burke. "I am not one of those girls who can just land in a split," says Cheryl, 28. "I need to warm up to be flexible." Before you launch into a dance workout, Burke recommends doing this eight-minute warm-up routine, which stretches and strengthens the muscles surrounding the hips, thighs, and ankles. Three days a week, begin with two minutes of jumping jacks and dive into these moves. DWTS-style heels—strictly optional!Benefit: Strengthens and stretches thighs, hips and glutes How to do it: Stand with feet a bit wider than hip-width, toes turned out. With hands on hips and back straight, lower butt toward ground until you feel a stretch in thighs. Pulse, moving ever so slightly up and down, for 10 counts. Rest for 30 to 60 seconds; repeat.Benefit: Stretches and strengthens feet and ankles How to do it: Extend right leg, point toes and "write" the entire alphabet in lowercase letters, using right leg as the "pen." Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat alphabet using uppercase letters and a larger range of motion. Repeat with left leg.

8 Recipes for a Healthy Taco Night

Before you roll up your sleeves and dive into these tasty taco-night recipes, you have an important decision to make: hard taco shells, or soft? For soft tacos, wrap 24 corn tortillas in a clean kitchen towel and microwave for one minute and 30 seconds. To make hard shells, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Loosely fold tortillas in half and overlap on a baking sheet. Bake until just crisp, 8 to 12 minutes.Ingredients: Ground turkey, tomatoes, onion, chipotle chiles, ground cumin, fresh oregano, olive oil, salt, pepper Calories: 185

Growing up, one of my favorite nights in our house was Taco Night! I like to think it was always on a Tuesday but who knows?

More often than not, my mom would make us classic ground beef Tacos with crispy shells and a variety of toppings. It was always so much fun to pile everything on and wage the war on how long you could eat the taco shell without it completely falling apart.

Nowadays, when I eat tacos, they are usually of the soft-shell variety, filled with a variety of perfectly-spiced ingredients and accompanied by guacamole, pico, herbs, and some type of green salad.

Some of my Taco standby’s are…

Beef + Bean Taco Lettuce Wraps   and    Weeknight Black Bean Tacos

I also like to make this Grilled Shrimp + Corn Fiesta Salad and if you don’t already have a good recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning, now is the time to make your own and save some money!


Grilled Shrimp + Corn Fiesta Salad from Everyday Maven
These are not Mexican influenced but remind me of Tacos so I rotate through these a lot as well.

I have been taking it easy this week with cooking, between my freezer disaster and a bunch of personal obligations, there is just not enough time for me to spend in the kitchen. Whenever that happens, I think homemade convenience, I think Tacos.

So, tonight will be  Beef + Bean Taco Lettuce Wraps. We’ll have them with some homemade guacamole, pico de gallo, cilantro and a green salad. I’m planning to concoct the salad out of whatever vegetables are left in the produce drawer.

Because we all love Tacos, I have collected 18 fabulous Taco recipes from some of my food blogger friends. Add those to my Beef Tacos and Weeknight Black Bean Tacos and you have 20 Healthy Taco Recipes for Taco Tuesday and plenty of inspiration!

For the next week or so, Everyday Maven will be hosting some really fantastic guest bloggers to give you a chance to get to know some new food blogs. And, they will, of course, be providing some delicious,  interesting and healthy new recipes for you.

 These guests are blogs that I personally follow and feel inspired by. I reached out to them and they graciously accepted so stay tuned as I explain a little about each one and why they are so great!

10 Food Swaps For a Healthier Cinco de Mayo

Mexican dishes are a crowd favorite, but they're often loaded with cheese and fatty ingredients. So we gathered recipes that use fresh vegetables, lean protein, and fiber-rich beans to get the same great taste with less saturated fat and calories. In general, you should aim for 30% or less of calories come from fat, and most of those calories should come from healthy unsaturated fat. All fruits and vegetables, due to their rich nutrient and fiber content, help to combat chronic inflammation, so make sure to include adequate amounts of these foods daily. Some types of fresh produce, however, are even more potent than others. Some terrific anti-inflammatory fruits and vegetables to include in your meal plan include apples, berries, broccoli, mushrooms, papaya, pineapple, and spinach. So try one of these Mexican food recipes tonight!

Roast Chicken Soft Tacos
These tacos are a good alternative to often-greasy ground beef varieties. Use leftovers from a roast chicken or grill up and shred a fresh chicken breast.

Either way, you’re getting 37 grams of protein, more than half the recommended dietary allowance for adults, all for under 315 calories!

Fat per serving: 5.2 grams, 1.3 g saturated

Fish tacos are a tasty crowd pleaser, and, unlike beef tacos, fish and chicken tacos are relatively low in saturated fat.

Choose fat-free sour cream instead of reduced fat to cut back even more on unhealthy fats.

Enjoy 2 tacos for just 232 calories.

Fat per serving: 6 grams, 1 g saturated

We can’t guarantee that you’ll get as fit as Madonna by eating her favorite burritos, but they do offer veggie-friendly ingredients and heart-healthy fats, sure to keep you healthy and get you on your way.

Fat per serving: 12 grams, 2 g saturated

FDA approved diabetes drug that also helps with weight loss

U.S. regulators on Tuesday approved a new diabetes drug that reduces blood sugar levels and also helps people lose significant weight.

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk said the Food and Drug Administration approved its once-a-week shot for people with Type 2 diabetes. The drug, Ozempic, also known as semaglutide, works by stimulating the body's own insulin production and reducing appetite.

In one big company-funded study, Ozempic, on average, reduced long-term blood sugar levels at least 2 ½ times as much as a popular daily diabetes pill, Merck & Co.'s Januvia. It also helped study participants lose two to three times as much weight as those in the comparison group.

Over 56 weeks, patients who got a lower dose of Ozempic lost an average of 9.5 pounds (4.3 kilograms) while those who got a higher dose lost 13.5 pounds (6.1 kilograms). The patients who took Januvia lost an average of 4 pounds (1.9 kilograms).

The 1,200 study participants were also taking one or two standard diabetes medicines.

Novo Nordisk, a leader in diabetes care, has also been testing the drug separately for weight loss alone.

Many Type 2 diabetes patients are overweight or obese, and losing significant weight usually helps them reduce their blood sugar and better control their diabetes. Over time, too high sugar in the blood can damage multiple organs and weaken circulation.

The new drug comes in injector pens and costs about the same as similar weekly drugs: $676 for a four- to six-week supply without insurance. Novo Nordisk already sells a similar once-a-day shot, Victoza.

Ozempic will compete with other popular once-a-week drugs in the same class, including Eli Lilly and Co.'s Trulicity and AstraZeneca PLC's Bydureon, which don't produce as much weight loss. However, they all carry warnings about possible serious side effects, including kidney damage and inflammation of the pancreas. They also may be linked to thyroid cancer, so people taking all drugs in the class are being followed via a patient registry.Januvia is in a different drug class.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/fda-approves-diabetes-drug-helps-weight-loss-51594540