Skip artificial sweeteners if you’re trying to lose weight, warns the World Health Organization (WHO), noting the sugar substitutes aren’t effective for shedding pounds and may also cause harm. Long-term use of sugar substitutes may cause “potential undesirable effects,” according to new WHO guidance. This can include an “increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular… read on > read on >
Kids whose families left distressed neighborhoods had significantly fewer severe asthma attacks, with improvements greater even than those seen with medication. New research found that children whose families participated in a program that enabled them to move to areas with less poverty, and better schools and parks had about 50% fewer severe attacks. After moving,… read on > read on >
Many American women fear childbirth, and the COVID-19 pandemic did not calm those feelings, new research shows. “Our results showed really high rates of childbirth fear in our sample,” said Zaneta Thayer, co-author of a new study and an associate professor of anthropology at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. Moreover, childbirth fear was linked to… read on > read on >
Americans are less anxious than they were in early 2020, at the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, but many still have anxiety about keeping themselves or their families safe. In a new poll by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), 70% of U.S. adults reported being anxious or extremely anxious about keeping safe. About 78% of… read on > read on >
When parents talk to their toddlers, they are not only teaching them words, but may be shaping their developing brains, too, a new study suggests. Researchers found that toddlers whose parents spent a lot of time talking to them day to day showed a particular brain characteristic: a greater concentration of myelin in language-related parts… read on > read on >
Over the past two decades, premature deaths have cost Black Americans over 80 million more lost years of life, compared with white Americans, a new study finds. The study is the latest to highlight the nation’s longstanding racial disparities in health and life expectancy. And while the problem is well known, the new findings frame… read on > read on >
Public health officials are urging people at risk of contracting mpox, the virus previously called monkeypox, to get vaccinated. They are concerned that a slowdown in infections since last summer may not continue. “There’s a very real risk of there being a surge in mpox cases over the next few months. Most likely, it won’t… read on > read on >
More than 10 million people in the United States are living with bipolar disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). It’s characterized by severe, dramatic shifts in mood that can catch people off guard. The name captures the dramatic swing from elation to despair. With treatment, many people with bipolar disorder lead… read on > read on >
Americans will continue to be able to get free preventive health care services — at least for now. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans temporarily blocked a lower court decision on Monday, pausing a ruling that challenged an Affordable Care Act provision that all health plans cover certain care,… read on > read on >
Lured by promises of bigger muscles and better performance on the field, many athletes and bodybuilders turn to anabolic steroids despite their well-known side effects, including increased risk for heart disease and mood issues. Now, two new studies show these harms may persist after athletes stop taking the synthetic hormones. The message is clear when… read on > read on >
