Love Bread & Pasta? Humans' Hunger for Carbs Has Ancient Roots

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• October 18, 2024
• Full Page

Folks who struggle to reduce their carb intake might be able to blame ancient DNA still lurking in humans, a new study suggests.

Humans carry multiple copies of the salivary amylase gene (AMY1), which helps begin breaking down starch in the mouth -- the first step in dig...

Real-World Study Confirms RSV Vaccine's Protective Power for Seniors

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• October 18, 2024
• Full Page

A global real-world study of the vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) finds it offers folks aged 60 and over 80% protection against severe illness and/or hospitalization.

With U.S. vaccination rates falling, "I encourage older adults to follow CDC guidance and g...

Family, Friends Crucial to Whether You Get Screened for Cancer

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• October 18, 2024
• Full Page

Having close family and friends who care about their health makes women more likely to get regularly screened for cancer, a new study has found.

Women are more likely to undergo regular cancer screening if they have a tighter web of social and emotional connections, rese...

Vaping Rates Hit Record Lows for U.S. High School Students

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• October 17, 2024
• Full Page

Is vaping finally losing its coolness for American teens?

The latest tally of federal data finds that 550,000 school kids, mostly high schoolers, quit using e-cigarettes in 2024.

Vaping rates fell from 10% of high school students in 2023 to 7.8% this year, "reachin...

New Drug Regimen Extends Survival for Cervical Cancer Patients

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• October 17, 2024
• Full Page

In some good news for women battling locally advanced cervical cancer, new research shows that adding six weeks of chemotherapy to standard treatment cuts the risk of death by 40 percent.

“This is the biggest improvement in outcome in this disease in over 20 years,...

Listeria Recall Expands to Include Nearly 12 Million Pounds of Meat, Poultry

• Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter
• October 17, 2024
• Full Page

A national recall of meat and poultry has been expanded to include close to 12 million pounds of products that may have been contaminated with listeria, U.S. health officials announced.

In addition, the updated recall noted that some of the affected products "were distri...

Weight-Loss Meds Like Wegovy Could Battle Alcoholism

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• October 17, 2024
• Full Page

Weight-loss and diabetes drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound appear to help people battle alcoholism and opioid addiction, a new study finds.

People taking this class of drugs, called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1), have a 50% lower rate o...

Older People More Prone to Relocating After Dementia Diagnosis

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• October 17, 2024
• Full Page

A new diagnosis of Alzheimer's or other dementia often spurs a person to move from their home, new research shows.

“One possible explanation is that individuals with dementia and their caregivers may choose to move closer to family or informal caregivers, either wi...

Dad's Use of Diabetes Med Metformin Won't Raise Birth Defect Risk

• October 17, 2024
• Full Page

A new, reassuring study finds that men can take the diabetes drug metformin without worrying that their offspring will suffer from birth defects.

Recent research raised concerns that metformin could promote birth defects in children by damaging the quality of a man&rsqu...

Are Stroke Survivors Getting Too Many Sedatives Like Xanax, Valium?

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• October 17, 2024
• Full Page

Doctors might be overprescribing sedatives to stroke survivors, a new study warns.

About 5% of people are prescribed a benzodiazepine following a stroke, to help calm anxiety and improve sleep, researchers found. Benzodiazepine meds include Valium, Ativan and Xanax.

Silent Damage First: Alzheimer's Disease Could Have Two Phases

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• October 17, 2024
• Full Page

Alzheimer’s disease might damage the brain in two distinct phases, a new study suggests.

An early phase that occurs slowly and silently appears to lay the groundwork for a second, more widely destructive phase of Alzheimer’s, according to sophisticated brain ...

What's the Best Clot-Buster Med After Stroke?

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• October 17, 2024
• Full Page

An off-label clot-busting drug appears to work slightly better in treating stroke patients than an approved medication, a new review finds.

The clot-buster tenecteplase is associated with a slightly higher likelihood of excellent recovery and reduced disability three mon...

Oct. 7 Tragedy Spurs Israeli Researcher to Study Grief Over Sibling Loss

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• October 17, 2024
• Full Page

A young Israeli researcher who lost a sibling in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israeli civilians said the tragedy has spurred her to study the unique aspects of grief at the sudden loss of a brother or sister.

The research by Master of Arts student Masada Buchris, of ...

The Right Time is Now to Get Your Flu Vaccine

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• October 17, 2024
• Full Page

Folks who want solid protection during the cold and flu season should get the influenza vaccine now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

The ideal time to get the flu vaccine is by the end of October, the FDA said in a news release.

“Flu viruses typic...

Just Standing More Probably Won't Help Your Heart

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• October 17, 2024
• Full Page

Got yourself a standing desk because you know sitting is unhealthy? It might be the wrong move, new research suggests.

The study of over 83,000 British adults who wore special movement monitors on their wrists found no benefit to exchanging sitting for standing, in the ...

Kidney Transplants Safe When Donor, Recipient Both HIV-Positive

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• October 16, 2024
• Full Page

People living with HIV who need a kidney can rest assured that outcomes are similar whether their kidney donor was also HIV-positive or not, a new study finds.

One- and three-year survival was the same, regardless of the donor's HIV status, as were the rate of serious si...

New Combo Drug Therapy Halves Death Risk From Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• October 16, 2024
• Full Page

Jenna Cottrell is a young sports reporter working for a TV station in the Rochester, N.Y., area.

She's also a survivor of advanced Hodgkin lymphoma, who first got diagnosed at the age of 25 back in 2017.

After 12 rounds of the then standard-of-care treatment chemo...

Serena Williams Has Large Benign Cyst Removed From Neck

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• October 16, 2024
• Full Page

Retired tennis legend Serena Williams has had a cyst on her neck "the size of a grapefruit" surgically removed and is in recovery, she announced Wednesday on social media.

In May, "I found this big mass on my neck," Williams, 43, said. "I was mortified by it and I g...

When Complications Strike After Heart Surgery, Women More Likely to Die Than Men

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• October 16, 2024
• Full Page

Women and men experience similar rates of dangerous complications after a major heart surgery.

So why are women dying at higher rates than men when these complications strike?

That's the main question raised by a new study that involved more than 850,000 cases of M...