Latest Health News
- Weight Loss Drug Helps Half of Teens in Study Tackle Obesity Semaglutide represents an effective treatment option for teens with obesity, with the potential to reduce BMI below the obesity threshold.
- Cholesterol, Blood Pressure Genes Linked to Alzheimer’s RiskPeople whose genes make them more likely to have certain kinds of high cholesterol and high blood pressure are at a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study.
- Early-Life Smartphone Use Tied to Poorer Mental Health in Gen ZA new report by Sapien Labs published this week used global data from 27,969 “Gen Z” young adults (ages 18-24) to focus on the possible relationship between childhood smartphone use and current mental health.
- Study Says Casual Pot Use Harmful to TeensTeenagers who use marijuana recreationally are 2 to 3 times more likely to have depression and suicidal thoughts than those who don’t use it.
- FDA Advisory Panel Recommends RSV Vaccine for Pregnant WomenAn FDA advisory panel has recommended that the FDA approve an RSV vaccine for pregnant women. The vaccine would be given in the final trimester, with protection from RSV being passed through the placenta to the unborn baby.
- Weight Gain Before 30 Raises Risk of Fatal Prostate Cancer, Study SaysYoung men who gain the most weight in their late teens and early 20s appear to have a substantially increased risk of an aggressive form of prostate cancer and dying from the disease later in life.
- U.S. Overdose Deaths Stabilizing, Leaving Experts HopefulThe surge in drug overdose deaths in the U.S. during the first 2 years of the pandemic appears to have stabilized. Overdose deaths in 2022 totaled an estimated 109,680 people, which is 2% more than the 107,573 deaths in 2021.
- Chronic Pain More Common Than Many Top U.S. AilmentsA person’s risk of developing chronic pain is higher than the risk of developing some of the most common diseases in the U.S., such as diabetes, depression, or high blood pressure, a new study shows.
- U.S. Adults Report Depression at Record Rates: SurveyIn a survey, 29% of adults said they had been diagnosed with depression during their lifetime, and 18% said they currently have depression or are being treated for it. Those rates are up from the baseline 2015 rates of 20% of people ever having depression, and 11% of people with a current diagnosis.
- COVID Emergency Over, but Hundreds Are Still Dying WeeklyJust as the 3-year-old coronavirus public health emergency ended, COVID is still killing more than 100 people every day in the U.S., and amid widespread efforts to move on and drop protective measures, the country’s most vulnerable people are still at significant risk.
- U.S. Will Fund Study of Safe Injection Sites Despite PushbackThe federal government will, for the first time, bankroll a study on the effectiveness of overdose prevention sites, according to an announcement on May 8.
- Black Americans Face Much Higher Rates of Early Death, Study SaysAfrican-Americans have a starkly higher rate of early mortality than whites, with 1.63 million “excess deaths” occurring among Black people over two decades, according to a new study published in JAMA.
- Most Crohn’s and Liver Disease Info on TikTok Is Accurate: StudiesIn a new study, three medical residents reviewed 81 TikTok videos identified by a search for #crohnsdisease. All were posted since January 2021. They found of the 25% that were educational, 80% were accurate.
- Hypnosis Can Be Powerful Therapy – But Will It Work for You?More and more data backs up hypnotherapy as a treatment for pain, anxiety, and more. But would it work for you? Here’s what to know.
- Guidelines For Kids with Obesity: Family and Treatment Are KeyOne-tenth of parents have children who were overweight or obese, and over a quarter worry about their child’s weight, a new survey found.
- CDC Warns of Mpox Resurgence This SummerA resurgence of mpox (formerly called monkeypox) this summer could be larger than last year’s caseload, the CDC said in a warning to public health officials this week.
- Insurers Still Must Cover Preventive Care for Now, Court SaysA federal appeals court has temporarily restored the Affordable Care Act requirement that health insurers fully pay for certain preventive services.
- Trial Begins of Potential Universal Flu VaccineA clinical trial to test a universal flu vaccine is under way, based on messenger RNA technology that was behind Moderna’s and Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines, the National Institutes of Health announced.
- Review Supports Continued Mask-wearing in Health Care VisitsA new study urges people to continue wearing protective masks in medical settings, even though the U.S. public health emergency declaration around COVID-19 has expired.
- Could Vitamin D Supplements Help People With Long COVID? If confirmed in large randomized clinical trials, a new study suggests that vitamin D supplementation could represent a possible strategy to reduce the burden of long COVID, say researchers.
- Will AI Perpetuate or Eliminate Health Disparities? As AI algorithms ramps up, should patients be raging against the machine or encouraged that they might eventually be treated equally?
- Don’t Use Sugar Substitutes for Weight Loss: WHOThe World Health Organization now recommends that people trying to lose weight should not use sugar substitutes known as non-sugar sweeteners.
- Study May Explain Cause of Lingering Lyme Disease SymptomsA new study says elevated levels of an immune system marker in the blood may be the reason some people with Lyme disease experience years of chronic symptoms.
- Your Body Soap Could Be Attracting MosquitoesAfter testing four popular body soaps, researchers at Virginia Tech found that three brands could potentially increase how attractive someone smells to mosquitoes, while one soap was less preferred by the disease-spreading insects.
- Magnetic Pen Set Stabilizes Writing for Parkinson’s PatientsNorthwestern University undergraduate students created a stabilizing pen system that allows people living with Parkinson’s Disease to write with a steady hand.
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