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For Some Black Women, DNA Could Magnify Racism's Toll on Health

Many aspects of daily living can trigger stress. But for Black women, everyday stressors plus racial discrimination and a specific genetic mutation may increase the risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease, researchers say.

The EBF1 mutation is found in roughly 2% of Black women and 7% of white people. And according to study c...

Lockdowns Got Your Teen Down? Here's How to Help

If you're the parent of a teen, you had plenty to deal with before the pandemic began -- dramatic sighs, slamming doors, eye-rolling -- and that was only when your teen wasn't out somewhere with friends.

But the coronavirus pandemic brought your teen's social life to a screeching halt. No more in-person school, no more sports, no more club...

Ample Vitamins May Shield You From Colds

People who get enough vitamin A, D and E may be less likely to complain of coughs and sore throat, though it's not clear the nutrients are the reason why, new research suggests.

The study, of over 6,100 U.K. adults, found that those who consumed more of the vitamins were less likely to have "respiratory complaints" -- like coughs, "chest" ...

AHA News: Can Video Games Help You Level Up Your Health?

You might assume that portraying video games as bad for your health would be as easy as shooting ducks on an old Nintendo.

Even a professional gamer like Noah "Nifty" Francis, 22, admits players aren't known for having great habits. Francis, who plays Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for the Dallas-based Team Envy, knows people who play 14...

Five Ways to Reduce Your Stroke Risk

Strokes can happen any time, anywhere and at any age, which is why it's important to know how to reduce your risk, says the American Stroke Association.

First, check your blood pressure regularly.

"Checking your blood pressure regularly and getting it to a healthy range is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your ri...

How Teachers Can Manage Burnout During the Pandemic

Many teachers are suffering from burnout as they try to cope with teaching during a pandemic, worrying about managing students and dealing with anxiety about their own health.

But Ann Murphy, director of the Northeast and Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center at Rutgers School of Health Professions in New Jersey, says teachers...

COVID-19 Lockdowns Improved Air, Prevented Deaths

Lockdowns in China and Europe to blunt the spread of COVID-19 resulted in better air quality and thousands of lives saved, a new study finds.

Researchers found that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations dropped 30% in China and 17% in parts of Europe.

PM2.5 are tiny airborne particles that come from combustion including indu...

NYC Transit Workers Hit Hard by COVID-19: Survey

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a significant toll on New York City transit workers, who are grappling with illness, anxiety and the loss of colleagues.

About 24% of transit workers who participated in a pilot study led by New York University researchers reported having had COVID-19. About 76% said they knew a colleague who had died of the...

Most Americans Anxious About Climate Change: Poll

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 28, 2020 (Healthday News) -- Nearly 7 in 10 Americans are very anxious about the effect of climate change on the planet and more than half worry about its impact on their mental health, a new poll reveals.

The percentage of Americans who say climate change is probably or definitely affecting their mental health rose from 47...

Don't Let COVID-19 Keep You From Seeing Your Doctors

Patients with chronic health problems don't need to put off seeing their doctors in person during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In fact, that could lead to other health problems, according to an expert from Rutgers Center for State Health Policy at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, in New Jersey.

In a news rel...

Hospitals Across America Strained by Coronavirus Surge

Hospitals across America were struggling on Tuesday as the new coronavirus struck with a vengeance in parts of the country that had been spared the worst in the early days of the pandemic.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has climbed an estimated 46 percent in the past month, straining the capacity of regional health care sy...

Will Expelled Droplets Spread COVID? Ventilation May Be Key

The tiny droplets that linger in the air after people talk, cough or sneeze aren't very efficient at spreading the new coronavirus, new research suggests.

Using laser technology, researchers measured the path of droplets released when people spoke or coughed.

If someone enters a room a few minutes after a person with mild COVID-19 sy...

People With Down Syndrome Face Higher Risk of Severe COVID-19

When adults with Down syndrome contract COVID-19, their risk of dying is much higher than the norm, a large, new study finds.

The researchers found that of over 8 million British adults, those with Down syndrome were four times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, and 10 times more likely to die due to the infection.

Right n...

Colon Cancer Screening Should Start at Age 45: Task Force

Average folks should start being screened at age 45 to prevent colon cancer, five years earlier than is now recommended, the nation's top preventive medicine panel says.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force currently recommends that people aged 50 to 75 be regularly screened for colon cancer, one of a handful of cancers that can be prev...

Trial of Antibody Drug for COVID-19 Stopped for Lack of Effectiveness

Testing of Eli Lilly's antibody drug for hospitalized COVID-19 patients has been halted because the treatment doesn't help them recover from their infection.

Two weeks ago, enrollment in the study was paused because of a possible safety issue, the Associated Press reported. But the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious...

Got Election Anxiety? Experts Have Coping Tips

It may be no surprise that this year's presidential election is taking a toll on the mental health of Americans.

In a new Harris Poll survey, conducted on behalf of the American Psychological Association, 68% of U.S. adults said the 2020 election is a significant source of stress in their lives.

"The brain, body, the entire ...

Newborn Brains Don't Process Emotions Like Adults

Newborns don't have the brain circuitry to process emotions, a new study finds.

Brain scans of newborns found that the area of the brain that experiences emotions isn't connected in a mature way to areas that process visual or auditory stimuli, researchers say.

In adults, these connections enable us to feel fear when we watch a scary...

1 in 3 High School Seniors Who Misuse Prescription Opioids Turn to Heroin

Among high school seniors, nearly a third of those who misuse prescription opioids use heroin by age 35, a new study shows.

"It is a very timely study given the number of adolescents and young adults who were overprescribed opioids and who are now aging into adulthood," said study author Sean Esteban McCabe, director of the Center for...

Colon Cancer Screening Should Start at Age 45: Task Force

Average folks should start being screened at age 45 to prevent colon cancer, five years earlier than is now recommended, the nation's top preventive medicine panel says.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force currently recommends that people aged 50 to 75 be regularly screened for colon cancer, one of a handful of cancers that can be ...

Will Expelled Droplets Spread COVID? Ventilation May Be Key

The tiny droplets that linger in the air after people talk, cough or sneeze aren't very efficient at spreading the new coronavirus, new research suggests.

Using laser technology, researchers measured the path of droplets released when people spoke or coughed.

If someone enters a room a few minutes after a person with mild CO...