How long Americans can expect to live varies dramatically — and the gap continues to widen. A new report says health inequalities have, in essence, created 10 Americas. These mutually exclusive populations are divided along familiar fault lines, including race, ethnicity, income and address.  While life expectancy rose in nine of 10 Americas between 2000…  read on >  read on >

A daily dose of vitamin B3 reduced inflammation in the lungs of patients with COPD, Danish researchers report.  “This is significant, because inflammation can lead to reduced lung function in these patients,” said researcher Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, of the University of Copenhagen. Patients with COPD — the full name of which is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease…  read on >  read on >

America’s kitchen trash bins are receiving more unwanted food as appetites falter among people taking GLP-1 weight-loss meds, a new study shows. GLP-1s like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound all work by making food less desirable, and it’s showing up in more food wasted at dinner tables, said a team led by Brian Roe, of…  read on >  read on >

A drug used to help patients lose weight and manage diabetes may also help those with heart failure, an international clinical trial shows. The test of tirzepatide, brand named Zepbound, included 731 patients with diastolic heart failure and obesity who were followed for two years. “This class of drugs continue to show benefits far beyond…  read on >  read on >

An E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots has sickened 39 people in 18 states, U.S. health officials reported Sunday. Supplied by California-based Grimmway Farms and sold under popular brand names such as Nature’s Promise, Wegmans and Trader Joe’s, the tainted carrots have left at least one person dead and 15 others hospitalized, the U.S.…  read on >  read on >

You’ve loaded up on goodies while at a family gathering, and you suddenly feel chest pains. Is it heartburn or something worse? Being able to tell the difference between indigestion and cardiovascular trouble might save your life, said Dr. Maya Balakrishnan, an associate professor of gastroenterology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Unfortunately, the chances of…  read on >  read on >

In a move guaranteed to alarm many, President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vocal opponent of vaccines and other tenets of mainstream health care, to head the massive U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The department encompasses numerous key agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,…  read on >  read on >