Health

A highly contagious digestive virus is surging across the U.S., experts warn.Rotavirus, a double-stranded RNA virus, causes acute gastroenteritis — inflammation of the stomach and intestines — which can lead to severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain.The virus primarily affects infants and young children, but there have also been outbreaks in elderly populations, such as nursing homes.AT LEAST 46 CHILDREN DEAD AMID MEASLES OUTBREAK AS VIRUS SPREADS GLOBALLYData from […]

A study from Harvard Medical School indicates natural selection has favored the red hair gene, resulting in a potential increase in the number of redheaded people as humanity continues to evolve.By analyzing nearly 16,000 ancient genomes spanning 10,000 years, researchers identified a list of traits that nature is actively pushing forward. Among the most prominent were the genetic variants for red hair."Perhaps having red hair was beneficial 4,000 years ago, […]

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma have discovered a hormone that appears to reverse obesity in the body.The new study, published in the journal Cell Reports, used mouse models to identify a naturally occurring hormone called FGF21 (fibroblast growth factor 21).The hormone "appears to work by signaling to a brain region involved in metabolism and appetite regulation, the same area targeted by the popular GLP-1 drugs," according to a university […]

A distraught mother who thought she was having a heart attack was instead hospitalized with broken heart syndrome — otherwise known as takotsubo syndrome (TTS) — less than a year after her veteran son tragically took his own life.Dawn Turner, 57, of the U.K., lost her son in August of last year. Just last month, the mom of three awoke with "unbearable" chest pains, she said — and called an ambulance, […]

Eating too much salt has long been linked to high blood pressure, but new research suggests it could trick the immune system into prematurely aging the blood vessels.A preclinical study recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has identified a biological chain reaction that links a salty diet to cardiovascular decay.Scientists at the University of South Alabama observed that mice on a high-salt diet experienced rapid deterioration […]

Excessive daytime napping is associated with higher mortality risk in older adults, according to new research from Mass General Brigham.Between 20% and 60% of older adults take naps, according to the researchers.While occasional naps have been shown to be refreshing, frequent or prolonged daytime napping in this group has been associated with a variety of health concerns.The study followed 1,338 older adults for up to 19 years, tracking the timing […]

Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables was found to have a surprising link to lung cancer among younger non-smokers, early research suggests.The observational study, led by Jorge Nieva, M.D., of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at Keck Medicine, was presented this month at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting in San Diego. It has not yet been peer-reviewed. Researchers looked at dietary, smoking and demographic […]

Colorectal cancer, once considered a disease of older age, is becoming a crisis for younger adults. New research shows one group getting hit the hardest – those without a college degree.A recent study from the American Cancer Society analyzed data from over 101,000 adults aged 25 to 49 who died from colorectal cancer between 1994 and 2023.While death rates remained stable for college graduates, they climbed significantly for those without […]

Common and treatable ear conditions may be associated with a higher risk of dementia, according to new research.A study from Columbia University investigated how middle-ear problems that may cause conductive hearing loss are linked to the brain disorder.The research, published in the Journal of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, analyzed a large dataset from the National Institutes of Health, including more than 300,000 U.S. adults.CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH […]