Vitamin supplements are a big business, with Americans spending roughly $45 billion out of more than $177 billion worldwide on pills, gummies and powders meant to boost health. About 59 million Americans regularly use some type of vitamin or supplement, spending an average $510 each year. But most folks are wasting that money, experts say.…  read on >  read on >

Medicare will now cover the popular weight-loss drug Wegovy if patients using it also have heart disease, U.S. officials announced Thursday. The move comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s application to add cardiovascular benefits to the medicine’s label earlier this month. As a result, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid…  read on >  read on >

Many teens – especially girls – are affected by body dysmorphic disorder, a condition in which they become obsessed with perceived flaws in their personal appearance, a new study shows. BDD affects about two in every 100 teens (1.9%), according to a report published March 17 in the Journal of the American Academy of Child…  read on >  read on >

Your baby could be endangered by now-recalled Comfi Baby Infant Walkers, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned Thursday. The walkers, sold on Amazon, “violate the federal safety regulations for infant walkers because they can fit through a standard doorway, are not designed to stop at the edge of a step and have leg openings…  read on >  read on >

Intermittent fasting might be bad for your heart, a new study warns. People who restricted their eating to an 8-hour window had nearly twice the risk of heart-related death compared to folks who ate freely, results show. This runs counter to previous research in which intermittent fasting improved several measures related to heart health, including…  read on >  read on >

Over the first few years of a child’s life, foods found in a family’s fridge and cupboards tends to get less healthy, new research shows. “We found significant changes in several food categories over time,” said study lead author Jennifer Barton. “Food items such as non-whole grains, processed meats, savory snacks, candy and microwavable or…  read on >  read on >

Millions of Americans whose livers develop scar tissue due to a common disease now have the first approved drug, Rezdiffra, to treat the condition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday. The condition is called non-cirrhotic non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH with liver scarring is thought to affect up to 8 million Americans. It’s often…  read on >  read on >

Scientists have long noticed that folks who eat healthy have healthier brains as they age, including lowered odds for dementia. Now, researchers believe they know why: Regimens like the heart-healthy Mediterranean or DASH diets appear to slow biological aging, helping to protect the brain. “Our findings suggest that slower pace of aging mediates part of…  read on >  read on >