It seems as though every day brings a new study on the merits — or the risks — of coffee. So what’s the real scoop? If you like drinking coffee simply for the pleasure of it, Harvard University research has found that sipping up to six cups a day is probably safe. Remember: Those are…  read on >

Every five days in the United States, at least one child dies from choking on food. More than 10,000 children are hospitalized due to food-choking injuries each year. However, these injuries and deaths are preventable, the New York State Department of Health says. The department suggests: Always supervise small children while eating. Do not allow…  read on >

Flexibility helps prevent injury. Young athletes should stretch muscles before and after playing a sport, says the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. After warming up with a brisk walk, the AAOS suggests these stretches: Forward and side lunges. Standing quad pull. Seated straddle. Knees to chest. Source: HealthDay

When a social media “influencer” hawks junk food, young kids may be easily won over, a new study suggests. British researchers found that when children saw images of two famous YouTube “vloggers” simply holding junk food, they immediately showed a craving for cookies and candy. Unfortunately, they were not similarly swayed by images of those…  read on >

When Giuseppina Miller’s 8-year-old son, Peter, was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, he necessarily got a lot of his parents’ attention. “We tried to adjust pretty well, but I was getting no sleep because I had to check his blood sugar in the middle of the night, and I was worried all the time.…  read on >

For older adults with a urinary tract infection (UTI), antibiotic treatment should begin immediately to prevent serious complications, a new British study finds. Delaying or withholding antibiotics in this age group can increase the risk of bloodstream infection (sepsis) and death, researchers reported Feb. 27 in the BMJ. The findings suggest that doctors should “consider…  read on >

Nicotine use among teens is soaring, but not because of traditional cigarettes. E-cigarettes are the most common form of smoking among youth in the United States, the National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens says. Although they’re commonly marketed as safer alternatives, they still put teens at risk, the agency says. Young people who use…  read on >

If you’re in a frequent tug of war with your kids over turning off their gadgets, it could be the tactic you use when you try to persuade them to disengage. It turns out that giving 1- to 5-year-olds a time warning that screen viewing is about to end makes the transition away from a…  read on >

The actual number of childhood cancer cases worldwide is nearly double the recorded number, a chilling new study finds. “Our model suggests that nearly one in two children with cancer are never diagnosed and may die untreated,” said study author Zachary Ward. He is a researcher at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health in…  read on >

Feeling trapped behind a desk, a counter or on the factory floor does no favors for the mind. Now, research helps confirm that women with jobs that demand long hours may be more prone to depression. Researchers found that compared with women who worked a standard 40-hour week, those who were on the clock 55…  read on >