FDA Signs off on New Version of Abortion Pill Mifepristone

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A new low-cost version of the abortion pill mifepristone just received federal approval and it’s already stirring political controversy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted approval to Evita Solutions for its generic version of mifepristone, a medication used to e...

Nearly 100 Sickened Aboard Royal Caribbean Ship with Norovirus

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Nearly 100 people aboard Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas contracted norovirus during a two-week voyage from San Diego to Miami, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

The highly contagious gastrointestinal illness affected 94 of the 1,874 passenger...

Scientists Grow Egg Cells From Human Skin in New Study

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Oregon scientists have taken an early step toward creating lab-grown eggs using human skin cells, but the process faces major challenges before it could ever be used to help people have children.

In the new study, published Sept. 30 in the journal Nature Communications, researchers at ...

Minnesota Confirms 10 New Measles Cases, All in Unvaccinated Travelers

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has confirmed 10 new measles cases this week, bringing the state’s total to 18 so far in 2025.

The cases were all among unvaccinated people who had recently traveled, KSTP-TV in Minneapolis reported.

Seven of the new cases w...

Menopause Doesn't Affect MS Progression, Major Study Concludes

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Menopause does not increase symptoms and disability among women with multiple sclerosis, a major new study has concluded.

Some experts had been concerned that fluctuating hormone levels associated with menopause might affect severity of the neurodegenerative disease, researchers said.

MS ...

Free School Meals Linked To Less High Blood Pressure Among Children

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Universal free meal programs appear to improve kids’ heart health, a new study says.

The proportion of students with high blood pressure fell by nearly 11% over five years among schools that signed up for free meal programs, researchers recently reported in JAMA Network Open.

Bad Sleep Linked To Accelerated Brain Aging

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Rotten sleep might accelerate the aging of a person’s brain, partly by increasing inflammation, a new study says.

People’s brains aged faster as they scored worse on a five-point scale of sleep quality, researchers reported Sept. 30 in the journal eBioMedicine.

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Smart Patch Helps Addicts, Alcoholics Manage Stress And Cravings

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A “stress coach” smart patch can help people struggling with addiction or alcoholism manage their anxiety and cravings, lowering their risk of relapse, a new study shows.

The biofeedback patch provides people with real-time monitoring of their heart rate, which can become erratic fo...

Flavored Weed Vapes Becoming New Face Of Teen Drug Use

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Flavored weed vapes are now American teens’ favorite way to get high, a new study says.

Vaping marijuana has become increasingly popular among weed users, and flavored cannabis vapes are their preferred product, according to research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health....

Immigrants' Heart Health Advantage Fades While Living In The U.S., Study Says

FRIDAY, Oct. 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Immigrants come to the United States hale and healthy, but that doesn’t last long, a new study says.

Immigrants’ heart disease risk increases the longer they live in the U.S., according to research scheduled for presentation today at an American College of Cardiology meeting in Duba...

Walmart Pledges to Ditch Several Artificial Colors and Additives by 2027

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, has announced a sweeping plan to remove synthetic food dyes and 30 other additives from its store brands sold in the U.S. by January 2027. 

The company's goal, announced Wednesday, targets about 1,000 products, including popular items like sa...

Doctors Warn Against Imitating Hot Noodle Scene from 'KPop Demon Hunters'

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Doctors nationwide are issuing urgent warnings about a viral food trend inspired by the hit Netflix movie "KPop Demon Hunters" that is causing serious scalding injuries in children and teens.

The trend involves youth imitating a scene from the movie by eating extremely hot instant noodles.

Study Finds Microplastics in All Tested Beverages, Especially Hot Drinks

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The concerning spread of microplastics — plastic fragments smaller than a grain of rice — has now been found to extend to nearly every drink we consume. 

Research just published in Science in the Total Environment revealed that every hot and cold beverage tested, inc...

Gene Test Can Predict Breast Cancer Risk For Women Diagnosed With Abnormal Cells

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A genetic risk score can help predict which women will develop invasive breast cancer after abnormal cells have been found in their breast tissue, researchers said.

Women who scored high on the genetic blood test were twice as likely to develop breast cancer after doctors found abnormal cells...

Industrial Chemical Linked To Parkinson's Disease

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Long-term exposure to a chemical used in metal degreasing and dry cleaning might increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, a new study says.

Seniors living in places with the highest airborne levels of trichloroethylene showed a 10% higher risk for Parkinson’s than those in areas ...

Adrenaline Nasal Sprays Work As Well As EpiPen For Allergic Shock

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — People with extreme, life-threatening allergic reactions might do as well to use a nasal spray as jab themselves in a thigh with an EpiPen, a new evidence review says.

Adrenaline delivered with liquid or powder nasal sprays is as effective, and sometimes even better, than injected adrenaline,...

Taxpayers Paid Billions Treating Gunshot Wounds, Study Estimates

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — American taxpayers have foot the bill for billions of dollars spent treating gunshot wounds, a new study says.

Treatment for firearm injuries cost U.S. hospitals an estimated $7.7 billion between 2016 and 2021, with the largest share falling on urban hospitals that serve the highest proportio...

Farm Workers At Risk For Kidney Disease

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Farm workers have a higher risk for kidney disease, mainly due to exposure to high heat and agricultural chemicals, a new small-scale study says.

Workers on a grape farm near the Arizona-Sonora border had high levels of arsenic, cadmium and chromium in their urine, and those were linked to in...

Kids' Long COVID Risk Doubles After Second Infection, Researchers Say

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Children and teens have a doubled risk of long COVID following their second COVID-19 infection, researchers report.

What’s more, long COVID dramatically increases kids’ risk of myocarditis, blood clots, damaged kidneys, abnormal heart beats and other health problems, researchers r...

NIH Awards $50 Million to Top Autism Researchers Despite Political Controversy

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2025 (HealthDay News) — In a move that surprised many in the scientific community, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $50 million to 13 research projects focused on the complex and credible causes of autism. 

The grants were announced just days after top administration officia...