The number of American teens and young adults who’ve been prescribed one of the new GLP-1 weight-loss drugs soared nearly seven-fold between 2020 and 2023, a new report finds. That’s compared to an overall decline of about 3% in young Americans’ use of other types of prescription meds. But how safe are drugs like Ozempic,… read on > read on >
In a finding that suggests microplastics may pose a special danger to men, a new study has shown that human testicles contain these tiny bits of plastic at levels triple that seen in animal testicles and human placentas. “They look like little shards, tiny broken bits from very, very old plastics,” said lead researcher Matthew… read on > read on >
Doctors have long known that excessive marijuana use can trigger psychosis, especially in the young. But new research suggests the link is stronger that ever imagined before. Teens who use cannabis face 11 times the odds for a psychotic episode compared to teens who abstain from the drug, new Canadian research contends. The teen years… read on > read on >
Fetal exposure to fluoride from a mom-to-be’s drinking water might raise the odds for physical and mental health issues in toddlers, new research suggests. The study, which was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, wasn’t designed to prove cause-and-effect. However, researchers believe the findings are worth investigating further. “This is the first U.S.-based… read on > read on >
The nation’s top pediatrics group has reversed its decades-old position on HIV-positive mothers breastfeeding their infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics now says it’s generally safe for moms with HIV to breastfeed or provide breast milk to babies if their infection is properly controlled. The risk of HIV transmission through breastfeeding from a mother who… read on > read on >
Fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other methods don’t boost the odds for tumor recurrence in young women who’ve survived breast cancer and carry the BRCA cancer genes, a reassuring, new report finds. The issue had been in question because breast tissue can be sensitive to hormones and many assisted reproductive techniques… read on > read on >
Many teens are spending their days buzzed on caffeine, with their parents mostly unaware of the potential risks, a new national poll says. A quarter of parents reported that caffeine is basically part of their teen’s daily life, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health released… read on > read on >
Women treated for infertility were twice as likely as those who conceived naturally to be hospitalized with heart disease within a year of delivery, recent research shows. They are particularly likely to land in the hospital with dangerously high blood pressure, with risks more than double that of moms who didn’t receive fertility therapy, researchers… read on > read on >
Kids and young adults who use social media for seven or more hours per day have double the risk of taking up vaping or smoking or both, new research shows. The study is based on a survey of almost 11,000 young British people ages 10 to 25 who were tracked from 2015 through 2021. Overall,… read on > read on >
