Analysis of a “chemical score” from mouth lesion swab samples might allow patients to skip painful biopsies, getting oral cancers promptly diagnosed in a noninvasive way, scientists report. Right now, dentists and other specialists must send excised tissues from suspicious mouth lesions to labs for standard biopsies, which are costly and invasive. However, researchers at…  read on >  read on >

Salad lovers, take note: Lettuce is more vulnerable to E. coli contamination than other leafy greens, researchers report. The physical composition of green leaf and romaine lettuce makes it a happy home for E. coli bacteria, particularly at room temperature, according to a report published recently in the journal Food Microbiology. Other leafy greens –…  read on >  read on >

There’s a host of studies supporting the numerous ways breastfeeding helps baby’s development — and the health of mothers, too.  However, too many women are hesitant to start breastfeeding or stick with it if they do, according to Nadine Rosenblum, a perinatal lactation program coordinator at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. “There are still so…  read on >  read on >

(HealthDay news) — More than 1 billion adults and children around the world are now obese, a new global analysis estimates. Nearly 880 million adults now are living with obesity, as well as 159 million children, according to the report published Feb. 29 in The Lancet journal. Obesity rates for kids and teenagers quadrupled worldwide…  read on >  read on >

Vaping and skipped meals appear to be the main causes of frequent headaches among teens, a new study says. Teens who ate breakfast and dinner with their family had a lower risk of frequent headaches than those who regularly missed meals, researchers report Feb. 28 in the journal Neurology. Meanwhile, vaping also was associated with…  read on >  read on >

PFAS “forever” chemicals, increasingly linked to health risks, will no longer be added to food packaging handled by American consumers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday. “Grease-proofing materials containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances [PFAS] are no longer being sold for use in food packaging in the U.S.,” Jim Jones, the agency’s Commissioner for…  read on >  read on >

Pesticides and herbicides used in farming appear to increase people’s risk of Parkinson’s disease, a new, preliminary study finds. People exposed to pesticides and herbicides are 25% to 36% more likely to develop Parkinson’s, according to a study to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s upcoming annual meeting in April. The Parkinson’s risk…  read on >  read on >

For nearly a week, prescription drug orders have been disrupted at thousands of pharmacies as the largest health insurer in the United States tries to fully restore services following a cyberattack. The security breach was first detected last Wednesday at Change Healthcare, a division of UnitedHealth Group, and two senior federal law enforcement officials told…  read on >  read on >