Report Finds High Levels of Pesticides in 20% of Fruits, Veggies

Nearly 20% of fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables that Americans eat contain concerning levels of pesticides, a new report finds.

Pesticides posed significant risks in popular choices such as strawberries, green beans, bell peppers, blueberries and potatoes, the review from Consumer Reports found.

"One food in particular,...

Big Health Care Disparities Persist Across the U.S., New Report Finds

Deep-seated racial and ethnic disparities persist in health care across the United States, even in states considered the most progressive, a new report shows.

For example, California received a score of 45 for the care its health system provides Hispanic Americans. The Commonwealth Fund report gives each state a 0-to-100 score for each pop...

Teens Often Bullied Online About Their Weight: Study

Teenagers are frequently bullied about their weight on social media, and the bullying increases with each hour they spend on these sites, a new study reveals.

Nearly one in five teens (17%) said they’d experienced weight-related bullying online, according to results published April 17 in the journal PLOS One.

“This exper...

Work That Challenges Your Brain Helps You Stay Sharp With Age

Jobs that challenge your mind could help your brain age more gracefully, a new study suggests.

The harder your brain works on the job, the less likely you are to have memory and thinking problems later in life, researchers reported April 17 in the journal Neurology.

“We examined the demands of various jobs and found that ...

Two-Drug Combo Curbs Drinking for People Battling Severe Alcoholism

A combo of an allergy drug and a blood pressure med appears to lower daily drinking in folks battling severe alcoholism, French researchers report.

The two generic drugs are the antihistamine cyproheptadine and prazosin, which treats high blood pressure and urinary urgency, noted a team led by Henri-Jean Aubin, of the Université Paris-Sac...

Most Homeless Americans Are Battling Mental Illness

Two-thirds of homeless people are experiencing some form of mental health disorder, a large, new review of data on the subject.

The analysis found that men who are homeless are more likely to be battling mental illness than women, although rates were high for both genders compared to the general population.

There are signs that rates...

FDA Recalls Heart Failure Devices Linked to Injuries and Deaths

Two implanted heart devices used by patients in end-stage heart failure are now under a strict U.S. Food and Drug Administration recall, after being tied to 273 known injuries and 14 deaths, the agency said Tuesday.

The HeartMate II and HeartMate 3 are manufactured by Thoratec Corp., a subsidiary of Abbott Laboratories. About 14,000 of the...

COVID Does Not Spur Asthma in Kids, Study Finds

There’s no evidence that a COVID infection increases the risk of asthma in children, the first study to date on the subject finds.

“We knew from a number of really nice studies over the last decade or more that respiratory viral infections are a risk factor for the development of asthma in children,” said senior study author Dr. Davi...

Birth Control Pill Might Lower Odds for Sports Injuries

Active women using the pill appear to receive an added bonus from their birth control, a new study says.

These women are less likely to suffer sprains and strains than women not on birth control, researchers reported recently in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Women taking oral contraceptives had...

Weight-loss Drug Zepbound Eases Sleep Apnea in Company Trials

Zepbound, one of the wildly popular weight-loss drugs that millions of Americans now take, eased sleep apnea in obese adults in two company trials, drug maker Eli Lilly announced Wednesday.

First approved to treat obesity by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last November, Zepbound's power was significant: It reduced sleep apnea severi...

Mouse Study Shows Microplastics Migrating From Gut to Other Organs

Microplastics could be migrating from the digestive tract into the kidneys, livers and brains of human beings, a new mouse study suggests.

Lab mice exposed to microplastics in their drinking water wound up with the tiny plastic particles lodged in a number of different organs, researchers reported April 10 in the journal Environmental ...