Smokers in the throes of nicotine withdrawal when they wake up in the morning may crave not just a cigarette but a cup of coffee along with it. Science can explain that. Researchers have identified two compounds in coffee that directly affect certain nicotine receptors in the brain. Study author Roger Papke, a pharmacology professor…  read on >  read on >

School lunches can be nutritious, help kids maintain their energy throughout the day and fit into a budget. One nutrition expert offers some tips for cost-effective healthy lunch options. “All foods belong in our diet, but we need to view them as energy,” said Courtney Cary, a senior registered dietitian at Baylor College of Medicine…  read on >  read on >

Kids can take part in sports while on vegetarian and vegan diets, but parents and caregivers must help them select foods that will fuel them and meet their nutrition needs. Vegan athletes can become deficient in vitamin B12, vitamin D, long-chain omega-3 fats, riboflavin and calcium, so it’s important to find good substitutes, said Roberta…  read on >  read on >

More than 70 genes are very strongly associated with autism and more than 250 are linked to the condition, a major new genetic analysis has revealed. The analysis is the largest of its kind to date, involving more than 150,000 participants, including 20,000 diagnosed with autism. The researchers found that genes linked predominantly to developmental…  read on >  read on >

FRIDAY, Aug. 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday warned a maker of nicotine gummies to stop marketing what is an illegal product. In what is a first-of-its-kind warning, the agency said it considers these gummies particularly concerning because they resemble candy and can cause severe nicotine toxicity or…  read on >  read on >

A new and inexpensive same-day test could help pregnant women learn if their developing fetus has genetic problems that increase their risk of miscarriage. The Short-read Transpore Rapid Karyotyping (STORK) test can detect extra or missing chromosomes using samples collected from standard prenatal tests like amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling, a new study found. The…  read on >  read on >

U.S. health officials said Wednesday that they are investigating an outbreak of E. coli that has infected 29 people in Michigan and Ohio. The outbreak has led to nine hospitalizations but no deaths, and investigators have not yet found a food source responsible for sickening people. They did note that the numbers are likely higher…  read on >  read on >

Using a lower threshold to diagnose pregnancy-related diabetes does not seem to reduce the risk of having a big baby, on average — but some women do benefit, a new clinical trial suggests. Gestational diabetes is diagnosed when a pregnant woman’s blood sugar levels are abnormally high. The condition can have consequences for moms and…  read on >  read on >