That busy highway could be contributing to depression, and not just because you’re snarled in a traffic jam. Air pollution from traffic appears to increase risk of depression among women, according to a new study published Jan. 21 in the journal Menopause. Further, researchers think this air pollution might be raising depression risk by affecting…  read on >  read on >

A proposed ban on formaldehyde in chemical hair straightening products — linked to cancer and other health risks — has hit a roadblock after an executive order from President Donald Trump paused all new regulations. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been considering banning formaldehyde and ingredients that release formaldehyde when heated from…  read on >  read on >

Hesitancy over the COVID-19 vaccine is leading some parents to skip important vaccinations for their children. Young children of parents who declined the COVID vaccine are about 25% less likely to get the standard measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, researchers reported in a new study published recently in the American Journal of Public Health. Public health officials…  read on >  read on >

Preventing or treating infections could be a key means of warding off dementia, a new evidence review says. Vaccines, antibiotics, antiviral medications and anti-inflammatory drugs are all associated with a reduced risk of dementia, researchers reported in a study published Jan. 21 in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. These results…  read on >  read on >

Pumping iron and hitting the treadmill can improve your odds against cancer, a new evidence review says. People with more muscle strength and better cardio fitness are less likely to die from cancer, researchers reported recently in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. This survival benefit extends even to people with advanced-stage cancers, results show.…  read on >  read on >

A broken home seems to set a ticking time bomb in the brains of some children of divorce. Seniors have a 61% higher risk of stroke if their parents divorced when they were children or teenagers, researchers reported in a study published Jan. 22 in the journal PLOS One. The level of added risk is…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is awarding the pharmaceutical company Moderna $590 million to continue developing a vaccine to protect against bird flu. This funding, announced Friday by Moderna, builds on the $176 million it received from HHS last year to support earlier stages of vaccine research. Moderna’s vaccine is designed…  read on >  read on >

Check out your surgeon as you’re wheeled into the operating room. Do they seem tense, on edge, or stressed out? If so, that could be good news for you, a new study says. The patients of stressed surgeons tend to suffer fewer major complications from surgery, according to findings of new study published in JAMA…  read on >  read on >

Menthol cigarettes are under fire in the United States for promoting smoking among Black Americans, with a number of cities and states banning the smokes. In response, the tobacco industry has come up with “menthol mimics” that imitate the cooling effect of menthol, and smokers are taking note of the innovation, a new study published…  read on >  read on >