RFK Jr. Confirmed as Health Secretary in Near Party-Line Vote

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vocal vaccine skeptic and activist lawyer, was confirmed Thursday as the nation's new health secretary.

The Senate voted largely along party lines to put Kennedy at the helm of the $1.7 trillion U.S. Health and Human Services Agency.

In his new role, Kennedy will oversee 11 agencies including the U.S. Cente...

Belly Fat, Diabetes and Drinking Doubles Liver Disease Risk

If you've got a big belly, diabetes or high blood pressure, you may want to limit your alcohol, experts warn, as drinking could significantly raise your odds for serious liver disease.

The research, published recently in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, found that people with belly fat or diabetes who drink mo...

Experts Warn Marijuana Ads Are Reaching Kids Through Social Media

A legal loophole is allowing marijuana ads to slip past regulations and land right in front of kids on social media, a new report shows.

Although the federal Controlled Substances Act prohibits advertising the sale or use of marijuana through federal airwaves or across state lines, these rules haven’t stopped social media ads on cann...

Certain Birth Control Pills, Devices Linked to Higher Heart Risks

The most common formulation of birth control pills has been linked to a doubling of relative risk of heart attack and stroke, a new study finds.

Contraceptive vaginal rings and skin patches formulated in the same way were also linked to higher heart risks. 

Danish researchers stressed that the absolute risk to any one woman usin...

Ready for a Romantic Relationship? Your Friends' Opinions Matter

This Valentine's Day, are you ready for something real or still playing the field?

New research suggests your friends probably share similar notions about your readiness for lasting love.

Researchers at Michigan State University in East Lansing tracked data on nearly 800 young adults embedded in friend groups.  

Participan...

More Sunshine in Pregnancy, Infancy Could Benefit Kids With MS

Children who develop multiple sclerosis appear to fare better if they were exposed to safe amounts of summer sunshine as infants, new research shows.

If their moms got some summer sun while pregnant, that seemed to help, too, according to a study published Feb. 12 in the journal Neurology.

“It is important not to spend...

Enjoying Valentine's Day When a Loved One Has Alzheimer's

Love doesn't fade when one member of a family develops Alzheimer's disease, but times of intimacy like Valentine's Day can become tougher.

Experts at the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) acknowledge that a loved one living with dementia can have trouble expressing their feelings or remembering things as they did in the past. 

Could Yogurt Lower Your Odds for Deadly Colon Cancers?

You may be less likely to develop an especially lethal form of colon cancer if you're a longtime consumer of yogurt, new research finds.

Folks who ate two or more servings of yogurt per week for years had a 20% lower odds for an aggressive type of tumor typically found on the right side of the colon, researchers reported Feb. 12 in the jou...

Canned Tuna Recalled in Dozens of State Over Risk of Food Poisoning

A major recall of canned tuna sold in dozens of states has been issued amid concerns that a packaging defect could cause “a potentially fatal form of food poisoning,” the manufacturer said in a statement. 

California-based Tri-Union Seafoods announced a voluntary recall for certain tuna products sold under the Genova®,...

More Evidence Ozempic Can Curb Alcoholism

Yet another study is supporting the notion that the blockbuster GLP-1 drug Ozempic can help problems drinkers curb their intake.

The research found that, compared to placebo, weekly injections of semaglutide (also marketed for weight loss as Wegovy) helped reduce cravings in people with alcohol use disorders. The drug also seemed to reduce...

In People With Autism, ADHD Rates Still Common in Adulthood

Too often, ADHD and autism coincide in children. New research finds that for many of those kids, this dual diagnosis continues into adult life.

Having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) alongside an autism diagnosis was also linked to worse health outcomes overall for adults, the study found.

“Generally speaki...

Almost Half of Rural Americans Face Long Drives for Surgery

As closures of rural hospitals across the United States continue, more Americans are facing hour-plus drives to reach surgical centers, two new reports find.

By 2020, data show, 99 million Americans already had trouble finding "timely, high-quality and affordable surgical care," according to a news release from the University of Michigan.&...

Federal Judge Rules FDA, CDC Must Restore Health Websites Removed Under Trump Order

A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to restore access to public health websites that were removed or modified in response to a Trump administration executive order on gender.

The order, issued Feb. 11 by U.S. District Judge John Bates, grants a tempora...

Anesthesiologists' Group Urges Limits on Ketamine Use

The tragic early death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry from a ketamine overdose in 2023 has swung a spotlight on the dangers of unsupervised use of the potent anesthetic. 

Now, America's leading group representing anesthesiologists is issuing new guidelines on proper use of the drug. 

Ketamine has also come under increasing...

'E-reporting' Daily Symptoms Boosts Cancer Patients' Well-Being

Patients with advanced cancers who checked in daily with their care teams electronically gained a better quality of life, a new study concludes.

This "patient-reported outcome" (PRO) strategy did not improve patients' survival, the study found. But it did help their care teams spot and treat issues such as pain and frailty earlier, easing ...

Weight-Obsessed Teens Face Triple the Odds for Self-Harm

Even if a teen is at a healthy weight, just thinking they are overweight can greatly raise their odds for self-harm, a new study finds.

“What we found was that the perception of being overweight has a much stronger effect of suicidal ideation than the objective measure of weight,” said study lead author Philip Baiden. He's asso...

Federal Judge Halts NIH Cuts That Could Impact Medical Research

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from making big cuts in medical research funding ordered by the Trump administration.

The proposed cost-cutting could have reduced support for hospitals, universities and labs across the country.

Monday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley puts on...

GLP-1 Meds Can Work Wonders for Kidney Health

Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda, Trulicity: These and other GLP1-RA diabetes/weight-loss meds can also boost outcomes for folks battling chronic kidney disease, new research shows.

Compared to another common class of kidney medications, called DPP4is, GLP1-RA medications did better in helping slow the progression of kidney disease, keeping kidney...

Shark Attacks Plummeted Worldwide Last Year

It was a bit safer to go into the water last year: Unprovoked shark attacks worldwide fell by about a third in 2024 compared to the year before, new data show.

The United States continues to be the most likely country in which to get bitten by a shark, according to the annual International Shark Attack File from the Florida Museum of Natur...

Most Americans Keep Chronic Health Conditions Hidden at Work: Poll

Chronic ills like heart disease, asthma or diabetes afflict a majority of U.S. workers, but 60% of those affected say they've kept their health issue a secret from employers, a new poll finds.

More than a third of workers battling chronic conditions also said they'd skipped a necessary medical appointment over the past year for reasons rel...