High voltage, strawberry-flavored e-cigarettes worst for health
October 14th, 20160 When it comes to e-cigarette safety, flavorings added to the liquid nicotine burned in the devices may influence how much the fumes lead to health problems, a recent study suggests. Researchers tested vapor released by a variety of devices filled with some popular e-cigarette flavors – tobacco, pina colada, menthol, coffee and...
Humans may already have reached maximum lifespan
October 13th, 20160 When she turned 120 years old in 1995, plucky Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment was asked what type of future she expected. "A very short one," she replied. But Calment lived two more years, dying at age 122 with the longest documented lifespan of any person in history. Scientists who examined statistical trends regarding maximum lifespans...
Job insecurity tied to increased risk of diabetes
October 7th, 20160 People who are worried about losing their jobs may be more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, according to a new analysis. Compared to people who felt secure in their jobs, people who were experiencing so-called job insecurity had a 19 percent higher rate of new cases of diabetes, which researchers called a "modest increased...
Tips to combat election-related stress
October 7th, 20160 Stop reading the news and take up yoga. That's what some therapists are telling patients stressed out by a nasty presidential campaign in which two unpopular candidates are in a tight race for the most powerful office in the world. While some patients are unhappy with the idea of a Hillary Clinton presidency, most are worried about...
Weight discrimination may worsen young teens’ emotional problems
September 30th, 20160 For overweight adolescents, experiencing discrimination or bullying in the first year of middle school may contribute to emotional issues seen in the third year by worsening loneliness and anxiety, a study suggests. "We know that heavier youth are likely to be dissatisfied with their bodies at any one time," said lead author Jaana...
Chronic sleep problems linked to disability
September 29th, 20160 In adults of all ages, chronic sleep problems were linked with a greater risk of trouble with activities of daily living later in life, in a recent study found. Although disability rates have been falling, up to one in five seniors have at least one limitation in their ability to perform tasks, the researchers write in the Journal of...
Classroom standing desks may help kids slim down
September 9th, 20160 Standing desks in classrooms could help children maintain a healthy body weight, a new study suggests. These desks are set at a height that allows students to alternate between sitting on a stool or standing while working. Standing desks "can interrupt sedentary behavior patterns" while kids are in school, "simply, at a low cost, and...
WHO strengthens safe sex guidance when returning from Zika zones
September 9th, 20160 The World Health Organization said men and women returning from areas where the Zika virus is actively spreading should practice safer sex or abstinence for 6 months, regardless of whether they are trying to conceive or showing symptoms. The guidance is a change from the WHO's interim recommendation on June 7, which referred only to...
Instagram filters linked to depression
September 2nd, 20160 Instagram may be best known for users' selfies and pictures of food, fashionable outfits and inspirational quotes. But if your friend is posting frequently on Instagram in darker colors, they may be exhibiting signs of depression, according to a new paper. Researchers Andrew Reece of Harvard University and Chris Danforth of the...
More than 300 million at risk of life-threatening diseases from dirty water
September 2nd, 20160 More than 300 million people in Asia, Africa and Latin America are at risk of life-threatening diseases like cholera and typhoid due to the increasing pollution of water in rivers and lakes, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said. Between 1990 and 2010, pollution caused by viruses, bacteria and other micro-organisms, and...
Gum disease linked to heart disease
August 25th, 20160 A report from The Netherlands adds to the evidence tying chronic gum disease to heart disease and stroke. In a study of more than 60,000 dental patients, those with gum disease were twice as likely to have had a heart attack, stroke or severe chest pain. At the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, the largest dental school in the...
Concerns rise over EpiPen price increase
August 25th, 20160 Members of Congress are demanding more information on why the price for lifesaving EpiPens has skyrocketed. EpiPens are injection devices used to ward off potentially fatal allergic reactions and the price has surged in recent years. A two-dose package cost around $94 nine years ago. The average cost was more than six times that in...
Lack of stores with fresh foods linked to signs of heart disease
August 18th, 20160 Living in poor neighborhoods has been linked to increased heart risk and a new U.S. study suggests the lack of access to fresh, healthy foods may be to blame. "Previous studies have found relationships between neighborhood characteristics and cardiovascular disease," said lead author Jeffrey Wing of Grand Valley State University in...
Prescription drug abuse tied to increased risk of teen suicide
August 18th, 20160 Suicide is a leading cause of death for teens worldwide and the odds of suicide attempts may be higher when adolescents abuse prescription drugs, a Chinese study suggests. To explore the connection between suicide risk and misuse of prescription opiates and sedatives, researchers surveyed about 3,300 Chinese teens once when they were...
Clash of civilizations or powerful diversity
August 11th, 20160 RIO — When the Egyptian women's beach volleyball team met with its German counterpart in the Rio Olympics last week, the discrepancy in the players' attire received more attention than the difference in their scores. Egyptian players, sporting a Hijab, were covered from head to toe. German woman, however, wore bikini-style......
Ibtihaj Muhammad makes history, despite early elimination
August 11th, 20160 RIO — Ibtihaj Muhammad made history in her Olympic debut for Team USA becoming the first American to wear a hijab during competition at the Olympics.The New Jersey native viewed her presence as an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than herself."I feel like this is a great opportunity and a great moment for Team USA to even...
Michael Phelps’ purple circles spotlight ‘cupping’ trend
August 11th, 20160 RIO — It wasn't just Michael Phelps' big win on Sunday that had people talking about the U.S. swimming star. It was also the dark purple circles on his shoulders.Phelps, who won the 19th Olympic gold medal of his career on Sunday and helped the U.S. men's team to victory in the 4x100 meters freestyle relay, is one......
McDonald’s to remove corn syrup from buns
August 4th, 20160 McDonald's Corp will replace corn syrup in hamburger buns with sugar this month and has removed antibiotics that are important to human medicine from its chicken months ahead of schedule, it said on Monday, moves that are part of its drive to target increasingly health-conscious consumers. The fast food company also said it eliminated...
Ice Bucket Challenge credited with ALS breakthrough
August 4th, 20160 The Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral two years ago, raising hundreds of millions of dollars, has helped identify a new gene behind the neurodegenerative disease ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, researchers say. The challenge involved people pouring ice-cold water over their heads, posting video on social media and donating funds for...
Millennial hookup culture is not real
August 4th, 20160 People may think of millennials as being one right swipe away from a quick hookup, but a new study suggests many 20-somethings are actually having less sex than their parents did back in the day. "The misperception that millennials have a hook-up culture may be driven by the most promiscuous members of the generation, who are now able...
Netherlands, Latvia lead world in height
July 29th, 20160 If you want to see a tall population of men, go to the Netherlands. Tall women? Latvia. And in the United States, which lags behind dozens of other countries in height, the average for adults stopped increasing about 20 years ago. That's the word from researchers who analyzed a century's worth of height data from 200 countries.......
Doctors urged to check pregnant women for Zika
Health officials are strongly urging doctors to ask all pregnant women about a possible Zika infection at every checkup. So far, there have been no confirmed cases of a Zika infection from a mosquito bite in the United States, although officials expect mosquitoes will start spreading it in Southern states. All U.S. illnesses have been...
Pediatricians encourage sex ed at doc’s office, home and school
July 21st, 20160 Children and adolescents should receive age-appropriate and evidence-based education about sex and sexuality from pediatricians, schools, professionals and parents,according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. In the U.S., according to the AAP, about one in three adolescents does not receive any information on sexuality from......
The murky role of mental illness in extremism, terror
July 21st, 20160 After family members of the driver who slammed a truck into a holiday crowd in the French city of Nice said he suffered from depression, questions have been raised again about the links between mental illness, extreme ideology and mass violence. Mental illness cannot be blamed for terror attacks, experts say. The overwhelming majority...Butter not tied to heart disease
Despite decades on the list of "bad" fats that harm the heart, butter, on its own, is not linked to increased risk of heart disease after all, according to a recent analysis of existing research. Eating more butter was even weakly tied to a lower risk of diabetes, the authors found. Some people hold that butter is a "villain" while......
