A long-awaited ban on menthol cigarettes has been delayed indefinitely, the Biden administration said Friday. “This rule has garnered historic attention, and the public comment period has yielded an immense amount of feedback, including from various elements of the civil rights and criminal justice movement,” U.S. Health and Human Service Secretary Xavier Becerra said in…  read on >  read on >

Bits of bird flu virus have been discovered in roughly 20% of retail milk samples tested in a national survey, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday. The finding suggests that bird flu has spread far more widely among dairy cows than officials first thought. Samples from parts of the country that have infected…  read on >  read on >

School lunches will soon contain less added sugars and salt under new nutrition standards announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday. “We all share the goal of helping children reach their full potential,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release announcing the changes. “Like teachers, classrooms, books and computers, nutritious school…  read on >  read on >

People taking heartburn meds have a higher risk of migraines and other types of severe headaches, a new study warns. All classes of acid-reducing drugs — proton pump inhibitors, H2 blockers, and even antacids — appear to promote an increased risk of migraine and headache, results show. “Given the wide usage of acid-reducing drugs and…  read on >  read on >

U.S. recalls of foods for salmonella, foreign objects or undeclared allergens are rampant nowadays and the highest they’ve been since 2020, a watchdog group warns. “Everyone needs to do better: food producers, regulators and lawmakers,” said Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog at U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). “We shouldn’t have to worry that everything from…  read on >  read on >

It’s long been known that exposure to agricultural pesticides can greatly raise a person’s odds for Parkinson’s disease. New genetics research now reveals those who might be most vulnerable. A team at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), pored over genetic data from 800 Parkinson’s patients living and working in that state’s agricultural heartland,…  read on >  read on >