All Women Need Mammograms Beginning at Age 40, Expert Panel Says

All women should start getting mammograms every other year beginning at age 40, the nation’s top panel of preventive health experts announced Tuesday.

About 20% more lives can be saved from breast cancer by moving the regular screening age up to age 40, rather than starting at age 50, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) esti...

When in Life Are Folks Most Lonely?

At what age does loneliness strike adults the hardest?

A new review maps it out, finding that people are more lonely as young adults, grow less lonely as they approach middle age, and then fall back into loneliness in old age, researchers reported April 30 in the journal Psychological Science.

“What was striking was how co...

Staying Fit Boosts Kids' Mental Health

The benefits of physical fitness for kids spill over into their mental health, new research shows.

Getting plenty of exercise may guard against depressive symptoms, anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study published April 29 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found.

And the more exercise, the...

USDA Testing Beef Amid Bird Flu Outbreak in Dairy Cows

As bird flu continues to spread among dairy cows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday it is now testing ground beef for any presence of the virus.

The agency said it is sampling ground beef bought in grocery stores in states where dairy cattle have tested positive for the virus, also known as H5N1, CNN reported. Officia...

Living Healthy Counters Effects of 'Life-Shortening' Genes

Doctors argue that genetics aren’t destiny when it comes to a person’s health, and a study appears to support that notion.

A healthy lifestyle can offset the effects of life-shortening genes by more than 60%, researchers found.

People at high genetic risk of a curtailed lifespan could extend their life expectancy by nearly 5.5 ye...

Another Teen Vaping Danger: Toxic Lead, Uranium

Teens who vape frequently are exposing themselves to harmful metals like lead and uranium, a new study finds.

Lead levels in urine are 40% higher among intermittent vapers and 30% higher among frequent vapers, compared to occasional vapers, results show.

And urinary levels of uranium were twice as high among frequent vapers as occasi...

Man Nearly Died From Fentanyl-Linked Brain Disease

A middle-aged Seattle man collapsed in his Portland, Ore.-area hotel room, where he was staying during a business trip.

He’d just tried fentanyl for the first time, and it very nearly killed him by literally destroying his brain.

Inhaling fentanyl caused terrible inflammation throughout large sections of white matter in the patient...

1 in 4 U.S. Women Will Have an Abortion in Their Lifetime

As the battle over abortion continues to rage in the courts and American politics, a new report estimates that one in every four U.S. women will undergo the procedure during their lifetime.

The study was issued by the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization focused on sexual and reproductive health that supports acce...

Painless Skin Patch Could Deliver Vaccines to Kids

Kids who don’t like vaccination shots might soon have an alternative in a painless skin patch, researchers say.

More than 90% of 190 Gambian infants were protected from measles and all were protected from rubella after receiving a single vaccine dose through the patch, early trial results show.

The patch contains an array of micro...

Florida Dolphin Found Infected With Bird Flu

H5N1 avian "bird" flu is making headlines this week, with new reports finding inactive virus detected in 1 in 5 U.S. milk samples.

That means the virus is infecting mammals such as dairy cows, and now researchers report it's turned up in a bottlenose dolphin in Florida.

“We still don’t know where the dolphin got the virus and ...

1 in 20 ER Visits Involve Homeless People

At major medical centers across the southeast, 1 in every 20 visits to emergency departments involve people who are homeless or face "housing insecurity," a new U.S. study finds.

Concerns of suicide was the leading medical reason bringing these types of patients to the ER and many were uninsured, said a team reporting recently in the jour...

More Medical Lab Tests Will Soon Face Federal Scrutiny, FDA Says

Laboratory tests used by millions of Americans are soon to be classified as medical devices, and as such be regulated by U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the agency announced Monday.

The new rule does not apply to tests and kits made by big medical device manufacturers -- those already face FDA review.

Instead, the agency is widen...

FDA Says First Round of Tests Show No Live Virus in Pasteurized Milk

Live bird flu virus has not been found in any of the first batch of retail milk samples tested, federal health officials said Friday.

Amid an ongoing outbreak of bird flu in U.S. dairy cows, the early findings should reassure the public that the milk sold in stores remains safe, officials added.

In the online update, the U.S. Food an...

King Charles Returns to Duties After Cancer Treatment

Britain's King Charles III is back to resuming his royal duties following treatment for cancer, Buckingham Palace announced Friday.

"His Majesty The King will shortly return to public-facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis," the Palace said in a statement.

On Tuesday, Charle...

Biden Administration Delays Menthol Cigarette Ban

A long-awaited ban on menthol cigarettes has been delayed indefinitely, the Biden administration said Friday.

“This rule has garnered historic attention, and the public comment period has yielded an immense amount of feedback, including from various elements of the civil rights and criminal justice movement,” U.S. Health and Human Serv...

Blood Test Might Predict Knee Osteoarthritis Years Early

A blood test could help doctors spot the signs of knee osteoarthritis at least eight years before it shows up on X-rays, a new study claims.

After analyzing the blood of 200 white British women, half diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis and half without, researchers discovered a small number of biomarkers distinguished the women with osteoar...

Dogs Can Get Lyme Disease, Too

People worry about contracting Lyme disease from ticks, but they should be concerned for their furry friends as well, veterinarians say.

Dogs throughout the United States are increasingly vulnerable to the tick-borne illness, say experts from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech.

Lyme disease was trad...

Spinal Cord Injury Damages Metabolism, and Scientists Now Know Why

Patients with a spinal cord injury frequently develop diabetes and heart health problems, and researchers now think they know why.

It appears that neuron activity following the injury causes belly fat to break down into compounds that leak and pool in the liver and other organs, a new animal study has discovered.

“These are quite r...

Syphilis Is Increasingly Displaying Atypical, Severe Symptoms

Syphilis cases are on the rise in the United States, and doctors in Chicago say they are increasingly seeing cases that don't display typical symptoms, such as rash or skin ulcers.

Instead, patients are presenting with headaches or disruptions in their vision or hearing, said a team co-led by Dr. Amy Nham. She's a first year epidemic inte...

Climate Change Could Be Good News for Viruses Like COVID

MONDAY, April 29, 2024 -- Climate change -- and closed windows -- could be aiding the spread of airborne viruses like the one that causes COVID-19, a new study suggests.

Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and in indoor spaces appear to be a major factor in prolonging the life of COVID variants present in tiny airborne dro...