Latest Health News
- Updated Pfizer COVID Boosters May Be Approved by End of AugustPfizer’s CEO says the FDA could approve the company’s updated COVID-19 booster shots by the end of the month. Pfizer and Moderna asked the FDA in June to approve a new version of their boosters aimed at the XBB.1.5 subvariant.
- New Oral Chemotherapy Shows Breakthrough Potential in MiceA promising new oral cancer treatment has been shown to selectively destroy cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
- How Soybean Oil Could Lead to Gut InflammationEating too much soybean oil, widely used in processed foods, could drive conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and leaky gut.
- Grip Strength Is a Crucial Vital Sign Your Doc Has Never TakenGrip strength, at any age, reveals clues to your overall health, can red-flag future disease, and even help predict how long you’ll live. Here’s how to measure and improve it.
- Drinking Kombucha May Help Manage Blood Sugar: StudyPeople with type 2 diabetes who drank the fermented tea beverage kombucha for 4 weeks lowered their blood sugar from dangerous to safe levels, a small new pilot study from Georgetown University shows.
- Alzheimer’s Blood Test Becomes Available to ConsumersThe first direct-to-consumer blood test for an early Alzheimer’s indicator is now available from Quest Diagnostics, revealing the risk for the disease years before symptoms appear.
- Millions of American Women Lack Access to Maternity CareMillions of women in America don’t have adequate access to maternity health care and that number is growing, according to an annual report by the March of Dimes.
- Leprosy Cases in Florida Prompt CDC Warning The skin and nervous system disease leprosy is now so common in central Florida that it is considered endemic in the southeastern United States, according to a new study published by the CDC.
- Dementia Patients Sent to ER at Staggering Rates: StudyPeople with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are visiting emergency departments at rates that suggest their caregivers are struggling and don’t have better options, according to researchers from the University of Michigan.
- More Than 2 Million in U.S. Have Inflammatory Bowel DiseaseA groundbreaking study estimates nearly 1 in 100 Americans have inflammatory bowel disease and shines a light on the growing burden the disorder inflicts in the United States, where up to 56,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
- Long COVID Treatment Trials – Finally – Set to StartIn December 2020, Congress approved $1.15 billion for the NIH to research and test treatments for long COVID. The new clinical trials are phase II, meant to test safety and effectiveness. But some advocates are concerned the process is still moving too slowly.
- Study Says Even Light Drinking Raises Blood Pressure Light drinking raises a person’s systolic blood pressure—the top number in a blood pressure reading—even if that person doesn’t have hypertension in the first place.
- Short Bursts of Activity May Cut Your Cancer RiskPeople who do 4 to 5 minutes of vigorous physical activity daily can reduce their cancer risk by up to 32%, a new study published in JAMA Oncology says.
- Playing Through the Pain of Ulcerative ColitisTwo-time Olympian and former professional soccer player Rosie White shares how she overcame ulcerative colitis on and off the field.
- Women Increasingly Dying of Alcohol-Related CausesResearchers have known for several years that the sex gap related to alcohol use and complications is narrowing. Women are drinking more, engaging in more high-risk drinking, and increasingly developing alcohol use disorder.
- Plant-Based Milks Lack Naturally Occurring NutrientsMost plant-based milks, such as almond or oat milk, have less calcium, vitamin D, and protein than what is found in cow’s milk, a cornerstone beverage for meeting nutritional needs, according to research from the University of Minnesota.
- Fast-Acting Postpartum Depression Drug is EffectiveThe FDA is considering approving a postpartum depression medication, zuranolone, that can start working rapidly -- in as little as three days.
- Cases of Meat Allergy Linked to Tick Bites on the Rise: CDCThe CDC is calling for more health care providers to become educated about alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy caused by tick bites that may have affected up to 450,000 people in the United States.
- Olive Oil Is Having a Moment. Is It the Ultimate Superfood?Olive oil has been tied to lower risks of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, neurological diseases like dementia and Parkinson’s, and early death in general.
- Research Casts Doubt on Value of Daily Aspirin for Healthy AdultsDaily use of low-dose aspirin offers no significant protection against stroke and was linked to a higher rate of bleeding in the brain, according to new research published in JAMA.
- Woman With Transplanted Uterus Gives Birth to Boy A woman who was born without a uterus has given birth to a boy in Alabama.
- Multistate Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Ground BeefSixteen people have gotten sick, with six hospitalized, because of a salmonella outbreak in four Northeastern states, the CDC said.
- Protecting Your Eyes and Ears During the SummertimeSummer is a time of fun and enjoyment, vacations, camp, and family trips. But many popular activities of summer, such as swimming, can have safety risks, especially to the eyes and ears.
- Going Vegetarian May Help Your Heart and Lower Diabetes RiskIn people with heart or other vascular diseases, or who are at risk of them, a new analysis shows that vegetarian diets are linked to lower cholesterol and body weight, and better blood sugar control.
- Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Psoriasis SeverityA study found a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and psoriasis severity, indicating that some people who increase their intake of the vitamin could better control this skin condition.
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