'Hungry Gut' Gene Test Shows Who'll Benefit Most From Wegovy

You've watched others shed pounds in a matter of weeks after taking one of the new blockbuster weight-loss drugs, so you decide to try one of the medications yourself, only to discover the needle on your bathroom scale barely budges.

Why? New research presented Monday at the Digestive Disease Week conference in Washington, D.C., suggests ...

For Pregnant Women, Fluoridated Drinking Water Might Raise Risks for Baby: Study

Fetal exposure to fluoride from a mom-to-be's drinking water might raise the odds for physical and mental health issues in toddlers, new research suggests.

The study, which was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, wasn't designed to prove cause-and-effect. However, researchers believe the findings are worth investigating furt...

Vaping After Quitting Smoking Keeps Lung Cancer Risk High

If you've quit smoking and have switched to vaping instead, your odds for lung cancer won't fall as steeply as if you quit nicotine altogether, new research suggests.

“This is the first large population-based study to demonstrate the increased risk of lung cancer in e-cigarette users after smoking cessation,” said study lead author Dr....

To Boost Colon Cancer Screening, Give Patients Choices

Giving patients a choice between screening methods could help doctors detect colon cancer earlier, a new study shows.

More than double the number of patients underwent colon cancer screening if they were given a choice of the type of test they’d prefer, researchers report.

Only 6% of patients completed screening within six months ...

Quit-Smoking Drug Chantix May Also Help Folks Stop Vaping

A quit-smoking drug appears to help people drop their vaping addiction, a new study shows.

Vapers who took varenicline (Chantix) were significantly more likely to quit using e-cigarettes loaded with nicotine than those randomly assigned to receive a placebo, researchers found.

“We had a 15 percent difference in quit rates, with tho...

More Kids With Asthma Need Hospital Care on Very Hot Days

Heat waves and heat domes are particularly dangerous to kids with asthma, a new study finds.

Daytime heat waves are associated with 19% increased odds that a child with asthma will wind up in the hospital, researchers discovered.

What’s more, heat waves that stretch for days double a kid’s risk of being hospitalized due to asthma...

Tracking Exercise by Steps or Minutes? Study Finds Either Method Boosts Health

Some folks like to count their daily steps, while others prefer exercising for a certain amount of time during a day or a week.

Luckily, either approach boosts health, a new study finds.

Exercise targets based on either step count or minutes are equally associated with lower risks of premature death and heart disease, researchers rep...

Stomach Paralysis Risk May Rise in People Taking Ozempic and Similar Drugs

New, real-world research confirms that the blockbuster weight-loss drugs that millions of Americans have been taking to shed pounds can trigger stomach paralysis in some patients.

“Although these drugs do work and should be used for the right reason, we just want to caution everyone that if you do decide to start this, be prepared that y...

In a Shift, Pediatricians' Group Says Breastfeeding Safe When HIV-Positive Mom Is Properly Treated

The nation’s top pediatrics group has reversed its decades-old position on HIV-positive mothers breastfeeding their infants.

The American Academy of Pediatrics now says it’s generally safe for moms with HIV to breastfeed or provide breast milk to babies if their infection is properly controlled.

The risk of HIV transmission throu...

Fertility Treatments Safe for Breast Cancer Survivors With Cancer-Linked Genes

Fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other methods don't boost the odds for tumor recurrence in young women who've survived breast cancer and carry the BRCA cancer genes, a reassuring, new report finds.

The issue had been in question because breast tissue can be sensitive to hormones and many assisted reproductiv...

1 in 4 Parents Say Their Teen Drinks Caffeine Daily

Many teens are spending their days buzzed on caffeine, with their parents mostly unaware of the potential risks, a new national poll says.

A quarter of parents reported that caffeine is basically part of their teen’s daily life, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s H...

New Blood Test Could Spot Dangerous Type of Stroke

MONDAY, May 20, 2024 -- When a stroke hits, "time is brain," doctors say, with neurons beginning to die off in minutes.

Quickly figuring out which type of stroke a patient has been hit with is crucial. Now, an experimental blood test might speed that process along.

A team from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston report their t...

Blood Pressure Meds Raise Fracture Risks for Those in Nursing Homes

Blood pressure medications appear to more than double the risk of life-threatening bone fractures among nursing home residents, a new study warns.

The increased risk stems from the drugs’ tendency to impair balance, particularly when patients stand up and temporarily experience low blood pressure that deprives the brain of oxygen, resear...

Could Infertility Treatment Raise Postpartum Heart Risks?

Women treated for infertility were twice as likely as those who conceived naturally to be hospitalized with heart disease within a year of delivery, recent research shows.

They are particularly likely to land in the hospital with dangerously high blood pressure, with risks more than double that of moms who didn’t receive fertility therap...

Does It Matter What You Eat or Drink Before Bed?

If you suddenly find yourself craving food or drink right before you head to bed, one expert suggests you steer clear of big meals and caffeine.

"From a sleep standpoint, you shouldn't eat a big meal at 8 p.m. if you plan to go to bed at 9 p.m. If you are sensitive to caffeine, I would say to stop drinking it around noon," said Roberta And...

Your Allergy Meds Come With Hazards: Be Aware

People with seasonal allergies often turn to over-the-counter and prescription medicines to relieve symptoms like coughing, sneezing, runny nose, congestion and itchy eyes, nose or throat.

But they often aren’t aware that these meds -- including antihistamines -- have as much risk for potential side effects, drug interactions and overdos...

Vaping Linked to Earlier Onset of Asthma

People with asthma who vape tend to develop the respiratory disease earlier in life than folks who never vaped, new research shows.

Overall, asthmatic adults who said they'd vaped over the past month were over three times as likely to have developed asthma relatively early in life (before the age of 27) compared to folks who never vaped, ...

FDA Approves New Drug for Deadly Lung Cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a new drug to treat patients with an advanced form of deadly lung cancer.

Importantly, tarlatamab (Imdelltra) is only for patients who have exhausted all other options to treat extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.

"The FDA's approval of Imdelltra marks a pivotal...

U.S. Justice Department Moves to Reclassify Weed as Less Risky Drug

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, setting the stage for a significant shift in the nation's drug policy.

In a proposed rule sent to the federal register, officials acknowledge the medical uses of marijuana and state that cannabis has less potential for abuse than more dangerous ...

Global Life Expectancy Could Rise By More Than 4 Years by 2050

Life expectancy around the world is expected to increase by nearly 5 years in men and more than 4 years in women during the next three decades, researchers predict.

These increases are expected to be in countries where life expectancy typically is shorter, according to the report published May 16 in The Lancet.

The trend is ...