Articles for Health

The Mediterranean diet is consistently heralded as one of the most healthful eating styles. It’s heavy on produce, nuts, whole grains, olive oil and lean protein, and light on red meat, processed foods and refined sugars. But a new study finds that vegetarian diets may be just as good at keeping your heart healthy, according […] Read More

By Kim Anderson For our entire lives, we’ve been hammered with a silent message: Being heavy is a bad thing. Our media, our culture, and society have tended to look down on those of us who don’t ‘fit the mold’ of what physical perfection is, as perceived by society. If you’re reading this, there’s a […] Read More

Article Source: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bdr2.1198/abstract  Background Folic acid fortification significantly reduced the prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in the United States. The popularity of “low carb” diets raises concern that women who intentionally avoid carbohydrates, thereby consuming fewer fortified foods, may not have adequate dietary intake of folic acid. Methods To assess the association between carbohydrate […] Read More

CDC: This season’s flu vaccine 36 percent effective From: AMA Bulletin Healthcare Feb. 16, 2018. Overall the flu vaccine’s effectiveness for preventing flu influenza requiring medical attention this season is 36 percent. In adults it is 25 percent and in children the effectiveness is much higher and reported to be 59 percent. Normally the flu […] Read More

In “Science Now,” the Los Angeles Times reports that research suggests “the first week or so of a flu infection appears to make” people “much more susceptible to a heart attack.” The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Reuters reports that researchers “used confirmed cases of flu, analyzing 364 heart attacks from mid-2008 through mid-2015 among […] Read More

The long-term use of oral contraceptives reduces the risk for ovarian and endometrial cancers, and the effect is especially evident in smokers, the obese and those who exercise infrequently, a new study found. Earlier studies have demonstrated an association of previous oral contraceptive use with reduced risk for these cancers in postmenopausal women. This study […] Read More

Source: Dennis Thompson, HealthDay News Breakthroughs in breast cancer screening and treatment have slashed the percentage of women dying from the disease, a new analysis reveals. “Advances in screening and treatment are saving lives,” said lead researcher Sylvia Plevritis, a professor of radiology and biomedical data science at the Stanford University School of Medicine. “Here’s an […] Read More

ABC World News Tonight reported that “new numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal what so many have suspected: This is the worst flu season in nearly a decade.” Correspondent Steve Osunsami reported that CDC data indicate “the flu is still spreading wildly, from 27 states reporting high activity last week to 32 […] Read More

NBC Nightly News reported on Saturday that “the CDC says this flu season is already shaping up to be a lot worse than last [season’s], with widespread flu activity now being reported in dozens of states.” NBC Nightly News reported that flu is widespread in 36 states, according to the CDC. The Hill (12/30, Delk) […] Read More

Reuters reports the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a government-backed panel of experts, has concluded that “postmenopausal women should not use hormone therapy to prevent chronic medical conditions, because the risk of significant side effects outweighs the unclear evidence of a benefit.” The experts recommend, instead of hormone therapy, “a healthy diet and physical activity […] Read More