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Controversy surrounding Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy

Whether or not those who are pregnant should take a Covid-19 vaccine to protect themselves and their infants became more controversial in May, when three top U.S. health officials – Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, and Food and Drug Administration director Marty Makary – announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) immunization schedule will no longer recommend it "for healthy children and healthy pregnant women."

30 Sep 2025

Many older adults meet criteria for ultra-processed food addiction

They were the first generation of Americans to grow up with ultra-processed foods all around them – products typically loaded with extra fat, salt, sugar and flavorings.

29 Sep 2025

Survey shows low public concern despite rising West Nile virus infections in the U.S.

West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne illness in the continental United States. As of Sept. 23, over 1,100 human cases of West Nile disease have been reported across 42 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including nearly 750 cases of the more serious neuroinvasive form which affects the brain.

26 Sep 2025

Drinking less water daily spikes your stress hormone

Findings indicate that low hydration is associated with increased cortisol spikes during stress, potentially influencing long-term health risks.

26 Sep 2025

Alcohol raises dementia risk at every level of drinking, genetic study shows

Researchers using two major cohorts and Mendelian randomization found that alcohol consumption, whether light or heavy, raises the risk of dementia. Genetic evidence shows no safe level of drinking, challenging the belief that moderate intake protects brain health.

25 Sep 2025

Global cancer cases and deaths expected to soar by 2050 despite advances in treatment

There has been a rapid increase in the global number of cancer cases and deaths between 1990 and 2023, despite advances in cancer treatment and efforts to tackle cancer risk factors over that same time period.

24 Sep 2025

Researchers explore blueberries as a tool to support microbiota in early life

Researchers tested blueberry powder as one of the first complementary foods in human milk-fed infants. The trial found exploratory evidence that blueberries may support healthier gut microbiota development during early life.

24 Sep 2025

FAU study explores how a new drug may help treat PTSD and its common companions

About 12 million adults in the United States are affected by PTSD, impacting between 4% and 8% of the adult population – and up to 30% of military personnel and veterans.

24 Sep 2025

Uncontrolled hypertension claims more than 10 million lives every year

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released its second Global hypertension report, showing that 1.4 billion people lived with hypertension in 2024, yet just over one in five have it under control either through medication or addressing modifiable health risks.

24 Sep 2025

Clean eating trends on Instagram may subtly harm body satisfaction

Findings indicate foodie Instagram content supports mood, whereas clean eating posts may lead to lower body satisfaction and potential eating disorder risks.

24 Sep 2025

Drinking any amount of alcohol may raise dementia risk

Drinking any amount of alcohol likely increases the risk of dementia, suggests the largest combined observational and genetic study to date, published online in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine.

23 Sep 2025

Study finds growing popularity of low and alcohol-free drinks among 'risky drinkers' in the UK

There's been a significant rise in the use of low and alcohol-free drinks to curb alcohol intake among 'risky drinkers' over the past 5 years in England, Wales, and Scotland, finds research published in the open access journal BMJ Public Health.

23 Sep 2025

Experts call for coordinated global action to make the most of Alzheimer’s treatments

The approval of new antibody medications for Alzheimer's disease – lecanemab and donanemab – and diagnostic tests in the blood mark the beginning of a new era in Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and treatment.

23 Sep 2025

Alcohol-related mortality in the US surged 89% since 1999

A national study reveals a sharp rise in alcohol-induced deaths during COVID-19, with women and Native communities facing the greatest impact.

23 Sep 2025

Researchers call for consistent biomarker scoring

More than 1500 persons in Norway have had a liver transplantation. But how can doctors know which patients need extra follow-up or additional treatment so that as many as possible can live a long life afterwards?

23 Sep 2025

Scientists use blood chemistry to predict disease years before it strikes

Researchers built the largest plasma metabolome-phenome atlas using 274,241 UK Biobank participants, linking over 73,000 metabolite-trait and 52,000 metabolite-disease associations. The study shows metabolic risk scores can predict diseases years before diagnosis, with strong accuracy for diabetes and kidney complications.

22 Sep 2025

Scientists uncover 53 genetic clues that shape math ability beyond IQ

Researchers uncovered 53 genetic loci linked to quantitative ability, distinguishing it from general intelligence and non-cognitive skills. The study highlights brain pathways in axon guidance, synaptic signaling, and mRNA splicing as biological underpinnings of math-related ability.

22 Sep 2025

Coffee protects the liver by blocking inflammation and scarring, review finds

A new review in Biochemical Pharmacology synthesizes decades of research showing consistent links between regular coffee consumption and reduced risk of liver disease, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Coffee’s bioactive compounds act on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, and metabolic pathways to slow liver damage progression.

21 Sep 2025

WHO's new report highlights the urgent need to address NCDs and mental health

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released a new report titled "Saving lives, spending less", revealing that an additional investment of just US$3 per person annually in tackling noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) could yield economic benefits of up to US$1 trillion by 2030.

19 Sep 2025

AI model maps lifetime disease risks to transform future healthcare planning

Researchers developed Delphi-2M, a transformer-based AI trained on UK Biobank and Danish health data to predict and simulate lifetime trajectories for 1,256 diseases. It accurately forecasted long-term multimorbidity risks, generated synthetic health records, and highlighted comorbidity patterns while exposing key biases.

18 Sep 2025