Up to 155,000 COVID Deaths May Not Have Been Counted, Study Finds

• HealthDay Staff HealthDay Reporter
• March 20, 2026
• Full Page

FRIDAY, March 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A new study suggests the true number of COVID-19 deaths in the early days of the pandemic may be much higher than official counts show.

Researchers estimate that as many as 155,000 additional deaths linked to COVID may have...

FDA Drops Plan To Ban Tanning Beds for Minors Nationwide

• HealthDay Staff HealthDay Reporter
• March 20, 2026
• Full Page

FRIDAY, March 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A long-debated plan to block teens from using tanning beds nationwide will not move forward.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said earlier this week it is withdrawing a proposed rule that would have banned anyone...

Survey Shows More People Struggling To Afford ACA Insurance

• HealthDay Staff HealthDay Reporter
• March 20, 2026
• Full Page

FRIDAY, March 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Rising health insurance costs are pushing some Americans to drop their coverage, a new survey finds.

About 1 in 10 people who had Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans last year are now uninsured, according to a report from the h...

High Blood Pressure Deaths Quadruple Among Young Women, Study Finds

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 20, 2026
• Full Page

FRIDAY, March 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) — High blood pressure-related deaths are skyrocketing among young women, with rates up more than fourfold during the past two decades, a new study says.

Nearly 5 of every 100,000 deaths among 25- to 44-year-old women in 2023 ...

Meningitis Vaccine Doesn't Protect Gay, Bisexual Men From Gonorrhea, Clinical Trial Concludes

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 20, 2026
• Full Page

FRIDAY, March 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A meningitis vaccine does not protect against gonorrhea spread between men, a new clinical trial has concluded.

Experts had hoped that a meningococcal B vaccine called 4CMenB might prevent the spread of gonorrhea, based on ...

'Early Bird' Exercisers Get The Most Health Benefits, Study Finds

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 20, 2026
• Full Page

FRIDAY, March 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) — “Early bird” exercise provides better health benefits for people, a new study says.

People who regularly exercise in the early morning are significantly less likely to develop clogged arteries, high blood pressu...

Social Media Poses Risks to Children's Mental Health, Review Concludes

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 20, 2026
• Full Page

FRIDAY, March 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Social media is bad for kids, increasing their risk of depression, self-harm, substance use and behavior problems, a major evidence review has concluded.

The risk social media poses to kids’ health is “comparabl...

Some Patients With ADHD and Addiction History Missing Out

• Deanna Neff HealthDay Reporter
• March 20, 2026
• Full Page

FRIDAY, March 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For millions of teens living with ADHD, the transition into adulthood adds more complexity and temptation to daily life. Substance abuse, on top of ADHD, can become a tricky landscape to navigate.

New research from Penn Sta...

Does Closing Your Eyes Help You Hear Better?

• Deanna Neff HealthDay Reporter
• March 20, 2026
• Full Page

FRIDAY, March 20, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Everybody’s done it: You’re at a noisy party and someone is telling you something in your ear. You squeeze your eyes shut to focus and try to hear what they’re saying.

For generations, the common wisdom ha...

Gut Microbiome May Take Years to Recover From Antibiotic Use

• Haley Neff HealthDay Reporter
• March 19, 2026
• Full Page

THURSDAY, March 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Antibiotics are often hailed as miracle drugs for their ability to wipe out dangerous infections, but new research suggests they leave a more lasting footprint on our bodies than previously thought.

A study of nearly 15,0...

The Math Behind Eczema Flare-Ups May Finally Add Up

• HealthDay Staff HealthDay Reporter
• March 19, 2026
• Full Page

THURSDAY, March 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Eczema flare-ups can feel random and hard to control, but new research suggests there may be a way to better predict and manage them.

Scientists say something from a complex field of mathematics called nonlinear dynamics ...

Both Types Of Diabetes Increase Dementia Risk

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 19, 2026
• Full Page

THURSDAY, March 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Both types of diabetes dramatically increase a person’s risk of dementia, a new study says.

People with type 1 diabetes are nearly three times more likely than those without diabetes to develop dementia, and folks w...

Aldi Recalls Spinach Bites Over Possible Contamination

• HealthDay Staff HealthDay Reporter
• March 19, 2026
• Full Page

THURSDAY, March 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Frozen spinach bites sold at Aldi are being pulled from shelves after a possible contamination issue, federal health officials said.

The recall involves Simply Nature Spinach Bites, which may contain rodent hair. 

Pesticide Exposure Before Pregnancy Might Risk Newborn Health

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 19, 2026
• Full Page

THURSDAY, March 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Pesticides can affect a newborn’s health before they’re even conceived, a new study says.

Women exposed to agricultural pesticides prior to pregnancy are up to three times more likely to give birth to sickly b...

Premature Menopause Increases Heart Disease Risk

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 19, 2026
• Full Page

THURSDAY, March 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Premature menopause can increase a woman’s long-term risk of heart disease from clogged arteries by 40%, a new study says.

This risk is particularly important among Black women, as they are three times more likely t...

Drug Smoking Linked To Surge In Severe Burn Cases

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 19, 2026
• Full Page

THURSDAY, March 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Illicit drug users are fueling a surge of severe burn cases at hospitals, as more choose to smoke their dope rather than inject it, a new study says.

More than half of Medicaid patients treated for burns in Oregon hospita...

U.S. Teen Obesity Hits Record Highs While Efforts to Slim Down Drop

• Deanna Neff HealthDay Reporter
• March 19, 2026
• Full Page

THURSDAY, March 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Late-night study sessions and the constant hum of social media make high school a stressful time, and a new study suggests that stress is contributing to a growing weight and health crisis.

Researchers from Florida Atlant...

Thymus Gland Health May Be Key to Long Life and Fighting Cancer

• Haley Neff HealthDay Reporter
• March 19, 2026
• Full Page

THURSDAY, March 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For decades, medical students were taught that the thymus — a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the upper chest — was essentially inactive once a person hit puberty. 

But new research suggests this overloo...

What To Know About Fatty Liver Disease and Why It’s So Common

• Dr. Meena B. Bansal, FAASLD, system chief of the Division of Liver Diseases, Mount Sinai Health System HealthDay Reporter
• March 19, 2026
• Full Page

WEDNESDAY, March 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Fatty liver disease is when too much fat builds up in the liver. The liver is the body’s filter. It helps clean your blood, store energy and process nutrients that you eat. If too much fat stays in the liver, it can harm...

Study Finds Little Proof Cannabis Helps Most Mental Health Conditions

• HealthDay Staff HealthDay Reporter
• March 18, 2026
• Full Page

WEDNESDAY, March 18, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Cannabis-based medications are often used to treat mental health problems, but a new review suggests they may not work as well as many people hope.

Researchers looked at decades of studies and found little evidence that ...