Vegetarian diets are a healthy choice for growing kids — though they may slightly raise the odds of youngsters being underweight, a new study suggests. The study, of nearly 9,000 young children, found that those on vegetarian diets were, on average, of similar weight and height as their peers who ate meat. They were also…  read on >  read on >

Adults who suffer from asthma often need to take corticosteroids to open up their airways, but the medications may have an unintended side effect: New research shows the treatment, particularly when taken in pill form, raised the risk of patients becoming obese. “Oral corticosteroids are often given to asthma patients, particularly those who had a…  read on >  read on >

If a mother reaches for cakes, chocolates or other snacks when she’s feeling down, her children could become emotional eaters as well. Kids’ chances of becoming emotional eaters are shaped by both their natural eating tendencies and their parent’s influence, according to a new British study. Emotional eating refers to indulging in “comfort” foods when…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday released proposed rules — first announced a year ago — to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. “The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in an…  read on >  read on >

Dietary fiber gets a lot of praise for helping people feel full and for lowering the risk of certain types of disease. Yet many types of dietary fiber exist — and they don’t all work the same, according to a small new study. “When you actually get down to it, fiber is incredibly heterogeneous. It’s…  read on >  read on >

Seniors are often advised to take calcium supplements, but new research says the pills might significantly increase an aging person’s risk of heart valve problems that contribute to heart failure. People taking either calcium supplements alone or calcium with vitamin D had a higher risk of heart-related death or death from any cause compared with…  read on >  read on >

Dentures may take a bite out of your nutrition, a new study warns. “They do not provide the same chewing efficiency, which may alter eating habits,” said senior author Dr. Thankam Thyvalikakath, director of the Regenstrief Institute and the School of Dentistry Dental Informatics program at Indiana University in Indianapolis. “Dentists need to be aware…  read on >  read on >

The majority of antibiotic prescriptions for U.S. seniors and Black and Hispanic Americans are inappropriate, a new report reveals. For the study, researchers analyzed federal government data on more than 7 billion outpatient visits to doctors’ offices, hospital clinics and emergency departments nationwide between 2009 and 2016. Nearly 8 million visits (11%) led to antibiotic…  read on >  read on >

“Time-restricted” eating has become a popular weight-loss tactic, but a new clinical trial finds no benefits in adding it to old-fashioned calorie-cutting. Time-restricted eating is a form of intermittent fasting, in which people limit themselves to eating within a certain time window each day. Outside that window, they swear off everything other than water or…  read on >  read on >