Getting your tongue or lips pierced? Don’t be surprised when your dentist is unhappy about it. These piercings can do damage to your teeth and gums, a new study warns. “Our study found that many people with oral piercings had deep pockets and gaps around their teeth, and receding and bleeding gums,” said study author…  read on >  read on >

Keeping your body well-fueled and hydrated is a must during outdoor summer sports and exercise, a nutrition expert says. “For summer workouts, it’s important to make sure that adequate carbohydrates, fluids and electrolytes are consumed,” said sports dietitian Kristen Chang, assistant director of the master’s program in nutrition and dietetics at Virginia Tech University. “You…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the emergency use of both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for the country’s youngest children. The approvals come not a moment too soon: More than two years into the pandemic, children younger than 5 still have no vaccine available to them. “Many parents, caregivers and…  read on >  read on >

Rapid access to a patient’s medical records could help dentists provide better care, but that rarely happens, a new study finds. “Oral health practitioners may need to confirm a list of medical considerations; for example, that there is no contraindication to a patient sitting in a chair for a lengthy procedure or whether a patient…  read on >  read on >

Putting a new spin on the term “beer gut,” a small study suggests that a bottle a day may do a man’s gut bacteria some good. In a clinical trial of 19 healthy men, researchers found that a daily bottle of beer — alcoholic or non-alcoholic — changed the composition of the men’s gut bacteria…  read on >  read on >

EleCare specialty infant formula production at Abbott’s Michigan plant has been halted after severe storms triggered flooding in the plant. The closure comes less than two weeks after the factory resumed production following a months-long shutdown that fueled a national formula shortage. As a result of the flooding, “Abbott has stopped production of its EleCare…  read on >  read on >

Women who follow a healthy plant-based diet after menopause appear to face a substantially lower risk for breast cancer, new French research indicates. After tracking more than 65,000 women for two decades, investigators found those who consumed a healthy, primarily plant-based diet saw their risk for developing any type of breast cancer drop by an…  read on >  read on >