A new rule that would require tobacco companies to slash nicotine levels in cigarettes could be issued Tuesday by the Biden administration. The rule, which would have an unprecedented effect in lowering smoking-related deaths, would be unveiled as part of a compilation of planned federal regulatory actions released twice a year, an individual with knowledge…  read on >  read on >

Millions of people pop vitamins and supplements every day in hopes of staving off heart disease and cancer, but a new report finds the evidence to support that strategy is largely lacking. While there is some research showing that a daily multivitamin may slightly reduce cancer risk, the bigger picture suggests a lack of enough…  read on >  read on >

As a weekend heat wave that put more than 15 million Americans in the Northern and Central Plains on alert slowly moves east, the nation’s emergency doctors have advice to keep you safe. “Overexposure to the sun or heat can turn into an emergency faster than most people expect,” said Dr. Gillian Schmitz, president of…  read on >  read on >

The Omicron variant is less likely to give you long COVID than a previous strain of the virus, British researchers say. What was described as the first peer-reviewed report to investigate Omicron and patients’ risk of persistent symptoms found 4.4% of Omicron cases resulted in long COVID. That’s well below the nearly 11% associated with…  read on >  read on >

In a cancel culture where there’s zero tolerance for prejudice, at least one form of discrimination appears to be alive and well. Ageism involves prejudice based on people’s advancing age. It can be as overt as not hiring someone because they are older, or as subtle as giving a loved one a meant-to-be funny “you’re…  read on >  read on >

Annual wellness visits covered by Medicare reduce diabetes patients’ risk of amputation by more than one-third, a new study finds. “Our results confirmed our hypothesis that Annual Wellness Visits are associated with a reduced risk of major lower-extremity amputations, highlighting the importance of connecting patients to preventive care services,” study author Jennifer Lobo said in…  read on >  read on >