Even if your takeout dinner was prepared by a cook who has COVID-19, there’s little need to worry about your risk of infection, according to an expert in viruses. “Restaurant kitchens can be one of the safest places in this coronavirus outbreak because they already practice strict hygiene protocols to avoid foodborne illness,” said Paula…  read on >

Having a furry, fluffy or feathered friend can have a profound effect on seniors’ mental health, possibly even helping prevent some suicides, new research suggests. In a group of 35 older people who were pet owners, more than one-third said they were “actively suicidal” or “significantly traumatized,” but their pets gave them a reason to…  read on >

The coronavirus pandemic will put extra stress on caregivers of loved ones with dementias, so the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America offers some advice. “Reducing stress is always important for caregivers, and even more so now,” said Charles Fuschillo Jr., the foundation’s president and CEO. “Disruptions in daily routines, social isolation and anxiety are all added…  read on >

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Annette Adams-Brown’s 87-year-old mother was an avid follower of TV news. Now Adams-Brown has to channel-surf for a less stressful pastime. Her mother, Bertha, has dementia, and each time she hears the news about a terrible disease spreading through the country, it’s like she is hearing it for the first time.…  read on >

Trapped in the house with a cupboard full of food: Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic can spawn an unintended side effect — stress eating. It may be tempting to ease your anxiety with your favorite comfort foods, but emotional eating can hurt you physically and mentally, according to experts from Rush University Medical Center…  read on >

The new coronavirus is not just a physical health threat. The stress, anxiety, fear and isolation that go along with it also take a toll on your mental well-being. “One of the basic tenets of how to manage your mental health in a crisis like this is to ensure that you’re taking care of your…  read on >

A simple blood test for dozens of cancers is in the works. Researchers say their test can detect more than 50 kinds of cancer at early stages and pinpoint their location in the body. “If these findings are validated, it will be feasible to consider how this test might be incorporated into a broader cancer…  read on >

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be able to identify people who will develop type 2 diabetes, researchers say. For the study, the researchers used machine learning AI to analyze more than 509,000 annual health checkup records of more than 139,000 people in Japan from 2008 to 2018. They included more than 65,000 who did not have…  read on >