States With Abortion Bans Also Saw Declines in Birth Control Post-Dobbs

Post-Dobbs bans and restrictions on abortion are having a spillover effect in reducing the use of birth control and emergency contraception in those states most affected, a new study shows.

Why the troubling trend? The study's author believes the demise of Roe v. Wade in 2022 triggered the closure of many family planning clinics.

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Study Finds Multivitamins Won't Help You Live Longer

A full third of American adults take multivitamins, despite prior studies suggesting they do little to boost health.

Now, a study involving almost 400,000 people finds zero benefit from multivitamin use in helping folks live longer.

Among people "without a history of major chronic diseases, we did not find evidence to support improv...

CDC Warns of Rising Threat of Dengue This Summer

A federal health advisory warning of a heightened risk of dengue fever infections in the United States was issued on Tuesday.

The alert was prompted by an unexpectedly high number of dengue fever cases reported across the country this year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said, and climate change is only upping th...

Meat Alternatives Healthier for Heart Than Meat, Review Shows

Even though plant-based meat alternatives are ultra-processed, they still may be healthier for your heart than traditional meat is, a new review finds.

Risk factors for heart disease, including total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and body weight, all improved when meats were replaced with a plant-based substitute, according to the...

Drug-Resistant Fungi Found in Commercial Flower Bulbs, Compost, Soil

A tough-to-treat, drug-resistant fungal infection may be as close as your local garden center, new research shows.

Investigators at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens found high levels of multidrug-resistant fungi in compost, soil and flower bulbs sold at popular retailers.

“Gardening is a nice, stress-relieving hobby. But I...

Exposure to Plastics Chemical BPA May Raise Diabetes Risk

A common plastics chemical might increase a person’s risk of diabetes, a new study warns.

People fed small doses of Bisphonol A (BPA) developed significantly worse insulin sensitivity within a four-day period, researchers found.

“We were surprised to see that reducing BPA exposure, such as using stainless steel or glass bottles a...

Feel Sick? Waiting at Least 2 Days Before COVID Test Is Best

The COVID virus, or rather people's immune response to it, has changed and it might be prudent to wait a couple days after symptoms start before taking a COVID test, researchers report.

“For COVID, we found that if you only have one test, it’s best to wait two days after symptoms arise to use it, because the virus is unlikely to be det...

Anxiety Tied to Doubling of Parkinson's Risk

Anxiety could be an early warning sign of Parkinson's disease, a new study finds.

People with anxiety have at least double the risk of developing Parkinson’s compared to those without the mood disorder, results show.

Further, specific Parkinson’s symptoms serve as warning signs of the disorder in people with anxiety, researchers...

Cortisol Might Play Role in Tough-to-Treat Diabetes

The stress hormone cortisol appears to play a role in tough-to-treat type 2 diabetes, a new study finds.

About 1 in 4 people (24%) with tough-to-treat type 2 diabetes have elevated cortisol levels, researchers found.

“These results are significant as they highlight a previously underrecognized factor contributing to the barriers wh...

New Insights Into How Microbiome Helps Cause Type 2 Diabetes

A person’s gut microbiome appears to increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, researchers claim.

Specific strains of gut microbes are more commonly found in people with type 2 diabetes, and these strains seem to heighten the risk of developing the metabolic disorder, they say.

"We believe that changes in the gut microbiom...

Obesity May Be Even Less Healthy If Child Was Born Underweight

Low-birth-weight newborns have a higher risk of health complications if they become obese as children, a new study has found.

Obese children who were low-birth-weight babies have a higher risk of insulin resistance, fatty liver and other health problems, researchers found.

The study “supports the theory that individuals who were bo...

Could Mom's Smartphone Use Affect Baby's Language Development?

Mothers tend to speak less to infants when they’re on their smartphones, a new study finds.

Moms talked 16% less to their babies when they were fiddling with their phone, researchers found.

Shorter 1- to 2-minute intervals of phone use interfered with mom-baby interaction even more, decreasing a mother’s baby talk by 26%.

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Listeria Fears Spur Nationwide Ice Cream Recall

Check your freezer for multiple brands of ice cream that are being recalled by the maker, Totally Cool Inc., due to worries over listeria contamination.

The full list of brands and recalled products can be found online, but include multiple products by Friendly's, Abylin's Frozen, some Hershey's ice cream, Yelloh!, Jeni's, Cumberland Farm...

Slow-Release Ketamine Pill Eases Depression: Study

A new slow-release pill form of ketamine can quell hard-to-treat depression without producing psychedelic side effects normally associated with the drug, early research suggests.

Patients on the strongest dose of ketamine tablets saw significant improvement in their depression compared to a placebo, researchers found.

On a 30-point d...

Summer COVID Cases Are Rising Across America

As scorching summer temperatures drive Americans indoors and millions travel for vacations and family gatherings, COVID infections are again climbing, U.S. health officials warned Monday.

In evidence that suggests a COVID summer wave is underway, case counts are most likely increasing in 39 states and aren’t declining anywhere ...

U.S. Surgeon General Declares Gun Violence a Public Health Emergency

Gun violence in the United States has become a national public health crisis, the U.S. Surgeon General declared Tuesday.

"Today, for the first time in the history of our office, I am issuing a Surgeon General's Advisory on firearm violence. It outlines the urgent threat firearm violence poses to the health and well-being of our country," D...

Wegovy Helps Heart Failure Patients Lose Weight, Improve Symptoms

Weight-loss drugs like Wegovy can improve symptoms in heart failure patients, a new clinical trial shows.

Both men and women showed improved heart function after a year on semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, researchers report.

Women tended to lose more weight than men, on average about 9.6% of their body weight...

Despite Falling Out of Favor With Doctors, Daily Aspirin Still Popular

For decades, millions of Americans popped a low-dose aspirin each day to lower their heart risks.

Then, accumulated data prompted the nation's two leading cardiology groups -- the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association -- to overturn advisories in 2019 and recommend against daily aspirin, citing a risk ...

Loneliness Can Raise Older People's Odds for Stroke

A lonely middle and old age could bring higher odds for a stroke, new data suggests.

A 12-year study of people over 50 found that those who experienced chronic loneliness were 56% more likely to have a stroke, versus those who said they weren't lonely.

“Loneliness is increasingly considered a major public health issue. Our findings...

Healthy Weight Loss Could Lower Your Odds for Cancer

Losing weight can protect you against cancers related to obesity, a new study finds.

Obesity has been linked to higher risk of at least 13 types of cancer, researchers said. This is largely due to excess levels of hormones like estrogen and insulin.

But study results show that dropping pounds can improve a person’s odds against dev...