A drug that has helped millions of men reinvigorate their sex lives seems to treat a rare, but often deadly, eating disorder in dogs, researchers say. The condition is called megaesophagus. It’s an enlargement of the esophagus and a loss of its ability to move food to the stomach, resulting in food getting jammed in…  read on >  read on >

Smoking in the weeks before and after conception has a potentially unhealthy effect on an embryo, Dutch research shows. “Smoking not only impacts an embryo’s growth during pregnancy and birth weight, but also embryo development right from the very early stages of pregnancy,” said study leader Dr. Melek Rousian, a gynecologist at Erasmus University Medical…  read on >  read on >

You don’t need to run marathons or sweat it out on your indoor bike to boost your heart health. This is the main message of a new study that found everyday household activities including dishwashing, gardening and cooking also count when it comes to helping older women reduce their risk for heart disease. Women who…  read on >  read on >

Remember when everyone was downing zinc supplements at the beginning of the pandemic, in hopes of guarding against a severe case of COVID-19? New research suggests that folks may have wasted their time and effort: Taking zinc, vitamin C or vitamin D supplements doesn’t lower one’s risk of dying from COVID-19. “A lot of people…  read on >  read on >

Construction workers may bring home more than the bacon — they may also be exposing their families to toxic metals, a new study reveals. Toxic contaminants unintentionally brought from the workplace into the home are a public health hazard, but the majority of research to date has focused on problems related to lead. Much less…  read on >  read on >

Joshua Akey admits he didn’t care much for dogs in his youth. “My wife, who grew up with dogs, convinced me that we should get a dog our first year in graduate school. I very begrudgingly agreed, and have been a dog person ever since,” said Akey, a professor with Princeton University’s Lewis-Sigler Institute for…  read on >  read on >

If want to get more out of your next flu shot or COVID-19 vaccination, an early study hints at a simple way: Take a long, brisk walk afterward. Researchers found that when people exercised moderately for 90 minutes right after either vaccination, their bodies produced more infection-fighting antibodies over the next month. The findings are…  read on >  read on >

Fracking has already raised the ire of environmentalists for its effects on the planet, but new research sends up another red flag: The wastewater produced by the complicated oil and gas drilling process is loaded with toxic and cancer-causing contaminants that threaten both people and wildlife. In fracking, water that contains a number of additives…  read on >  read on >