Black adults living in food deserts can beat high blood pressure, with a little help. Folks living in an area with few grocery stores had a greater reduction in blood pressure if they participated in a program that home-delivered healthy eats, researchers recently reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. They fared better…  read on >  read on >

Chowing down on ultra-processed foods – fast food, packaged snacks, heat-and-eat meals – increases young adults’ risk of health problems that contribute to diabetes, a new study warns. An increase in ultra-processed food intake is associated with a higher risk of prediabetes, in which early-stage high blood sugar can lead to type 2 diabetes, researchers…  read on >  read on >

Do you have regular migraine headaches? If so, you’ve got a lot of company. Nearly 1 in every 3 people worldwide suffer from a headache disorder, affecting almost 3 billion people, researchers will report in the December issue of The Lancet Neurology. It’s especially bad for women, who experience more than double the lifetime headache-related…  read on >  read on >

The rate of kids and teens with high blood pressure worldwide nearly doubled over the past two decades, according to a startling new report. In 2020, more than 6% of children and adolescents under 19 had high blood pressure, up from around 3% in 2000, researchers reported Nov. 12 in The Lancet Child & Adolescent…  read on >  read on >

People facing a major surgery might understandably think they need to conserve their energy, both for the procedure as well as the rehabilitation to follow. But they’d be better off if they engaged in “prehabilitation.” And a new study found prehab works best if a patient receives some one-on-one attention. Patients who got a personalized…  read on >  read on >

Officials say the warnings were based on outdated 2002 study data involving older patients and old drug formulas  read on >

They’re tasty, affordable and satisfy fast — ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) dominate the American diet, accounting for more than half of the calories consumed by the average adult, and even more for children. These foods are a growing public health concern and federal health officials are working to remove some from food assistance programs. But experts…  read on >  read on >

There’s no clear evidence linking acetaminophen use during pregnancy with developmental issues like autism or ADHD, two major evidence reviews have concluded. Any increased risk observed in dozens of studies tended to cancel out when researchers adjusted for other potential factors, or when they compared between siblings to validate their findings, both evidence reviews found.…  read on >  read on >

Bathing can be a tricky subject for people with eczema, some of whom fear that a daily bath might cause a symptom flare. But a major study now says eczema patients can choose to wash up either daily or just one to two times per week without any fear of their symptoms getting worse. There…  read on >  read on >

Vitamin D might help people with heart disease avoid a heart attack, if it’s provided in a dose tailored to you by a doctor, a new study says. Folks provided vitamin D reduced their risk by more than half, researchers reported Sunday at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting in New Orleans. But there’s a…  read on >  read on >

A cup of coffee might actually benefit some people with a common heart rhythm disorder, a new study says. Adults with atrial fibrillation who drank a daily cup of coffee were 39% less likely to have an episode of irregular heart rhythm, compared to those who avoided caffeine, researchers reported Nov. 9 in the Journal…  read on >  read on >

Bribing folks with tickets to a cash lottery got them to take their blood pressure medicines more reliably, but did nothing to improve their health, a new study says. Study participants were twice as likely to take their blood pressure medication when they could win a daily cash reward through a lottery, researchers reported Nov.…  read on >  read on >