Active women using the pill appear to receive an added bonus from their birth control, a new study says. These women are less likely to suffer sprains and strains than women not on birth control, researchers reported recently in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Women taking oral contraceptives had significantly fewer…  read on >  read on >

Zepbound, one of the wildly popular weight-loss drugs that millions of Americans now take, eased sleep apnea in obese adults in two company trials, drug maker Eli Lilly announced Wednesday. First approved to treat obesity by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last November, Zepbound’s power was significant: It reduced sleep apnea severity by nearly…  read on >  read on >

Some people with tough-to-treat epilepsy might benefit if doctors target a brain region newly linked to the disorder, a new study suggests. Seizures declined by 83% after a patient underwent surgery that removed almost all of the fasciola cinereum, a previously overlooked region of the hippocampus, researchers report April 17 in the journal Nature Medicine.…  read on >  read on >

Eating healthy can lower the risk of heart disease in breast cancer survivors, a new study has found. Heart disease is a top cause of death in women who’ve survived breast cancer, likely due to the toxic effects of chemo, radiation and targeted cancer therapy on the heart, researchers said. Breast cancer and heart disease…  read on >  read on >

The placenta could be one reason why some women develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, a new study finds. A deficit in the way the placenta expresses the gene for a hormone called insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) appears linked to insulin resistance during pregnancy, researchers reported April 16 in the journal Nature Medicine. “The placenta…  read on >  read on >

Changes in gut bacteria have been linked to a variety of different diseases, including type 2 diabetes, obesity and inflammatory bowel disease. Now, a new study indicates that gut bacteria also might play a role in a person’s risk of developing heart disease. Certain species of bacteria actively consume cholesterol in the gut, which might…  read on >  read on >

In a new study, people living with HIV who got standard meds to keep the virus at bay also had much lower rates of Alzheimer’s disease — suggesting the drugs might also lower risks for the brain illness. It’s early-stage research, but it’s possible that mechanisms used by these HIV drugs work at a genetic…  read on >  read on >

Keeping blood pressure under control could be crucial for women in preventing uterine fibroids, new research shows. Middle-aged women tracked for up to 17 years in a new study were 37% less likely to develop these painful growths if they treated their high blood pressure with medication. On the other hand, “patients with new-onset hypertension…  read on >  read on >

Artificial intelligence can serve as a helpful backup editor to radiologists, making sure their reports are accurate and reliable, a new study says. The OpenAI program GPT-4 performed about as well as a group of radiologists in detecting errors that had been placed into reports, according to findings published April 16 in the journal Radiology.…  read on >  read on >

In the wake of a sharp rise in the number of young children accidentally eating melatonin supplements, an industry group has called for tougher safety guidelines for packaging and labeling the sleep-aid supplements. Companies have 18 to 24 months to voluntarily add child-deterrent packaging and improve warning language on the labels of over-the-counter melatonin products,…  read on >  read on >

Counterfeit or mishandled Botox shots have triggered harmful reactions in 19 people in nine states, U.S. health officials warned Monday. In its alert, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said nine people had been hospitalized and four were treated with an antitoxin because of concerns that the botulinum toxin had spread beyond the…  read on >  read on >

Want to feel happier? Live in or near a place with a rich diversity of nature, a new study says. Environments with plentiful natural features — trees, birds, plants and rivers — are associated with better mental well-being than the more spartan landscapes of suburbia, researchers found. Further, spending time in areas like this can…  read on >  read on >