Pill Form of Semaglutide Fails to Slow Alzheimer’s in Large Trial

A pill version of semaglutide, the ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, did not slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease, drugmaker Novo Nordisk announced Monday.

In two Phase 3 trials, researchers tested an oral form of semaglutide in more than 3,800 adults with Alzheimer’s who were already receiving standard care.

While t...

New Female Crash Dummy Aims to Make Cars Safer for Women

For decades, car safety tests were built around the body of an average man from the 1970s. Now, federal officials are taking a step to better protect women behind the wheel.

The U.S. Transportation Department has approved a new female crash test dummy called THOR-05F, designed to better reflect how women’s bodies respond in a car cra...

GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drug in Pill Form Shows Promise in Trial

New clinical trial results bode well for what could be the first GLP-1 weight loss drug taken as a pill, not by injection.

The daily pill, orforglipron, is currently under investigation by drugmaker Eli Lilly, which funded the study.

In the 18-month trial, people with type 2 diabetes and obesity who took the highest (36 milligram) d...

Untreated Sleep Apnea Could Greatly Raise Odds for Parkinson's

Add one more malady to the potential risks from untreated sleep apnea: Parkinson’s disease.

A new study involving 11 million U.S. veterans finds that a person’s odds of developing Parkinson’s nearly doubled if they were diagnosed with sleep apnea but hadn’t used a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device to...

Most Americans Believe Obesity Is A Disease That Deserves Insurance Coverage, Poll Finds

A large majority of Americans now view obesity as a disease whose management, surgical or pharmaceutical, should be covered by insurance, according to a new poll.

The online Harris poll was conducted in October among nearly 4,200 U.S. adults. The study was supported by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), which represents t...

Quitting a GLP-1 Before Pregnancy Linked to Higher Weight Gain, Complications

Women who stop taking a GLP-1 weight loss/diabetes medication just prior to a pregnancy appear to be at higher odds for excess weight gain and complications while pregnant, new research shows.

As the study authors pointed out, potential risks to the fetus of using a GLP-1 while pregnant remain unclear, so current recommendations advise dis...

Your Butt's Shape Might Predict Frailty, Diabetes Risk

Researchers are standing behind new data on how people’s posteriors reflect changes linked to aging and diabetes.

Shrinkage or inflammation of the gluteus maximus muscles of the buttocks may reflect frailty, sitting time, fat deposition and diabetes risk, and these changes may occur differently among men and women, the British team s...

Twin Sisters Cheese Recall Linked to E. Coli Infections

Several raw milk cheeses from a Washington creamery are being recalled after links to E. coli infections in two states.

Twin Sisters Creamery, based in Ferndale, Washington, is voluntarily recalling four products: Whatcom Blue, Farmhouse, Peppercorn and Mustard Seed cheeses.

All were made with unpasteurized (raw) milk and aged for at...

Washington Patient Dies After Rare Bird Flu Infection

A rare bird flu virus has claimed the life of a Washington state resident, making it the first known human case of this specific strain in the U.S.

State health officials said the patient, an older adult with underlying medical conditions, died on Friday after being hospitalized since early November.

The person had been infected wit...

JFK’s Granddaughter Shares Terminal Cancer Diagnosis in New Personal Essay

In a powerful new essay, Tatiana Schlossberg wrote about learning she had terminal cancer at the same time she was becoming a new mother.

Schlossberg, 35, the granddaughter of former President John F. Kennedy, shared her story in The New Yorker in an essay titled “A Battle With My Blood.”

She wrote she had just g...

Eli Lilly Becomes First Trillion-Dollar Health Company

Eli Lilly reached a major milestone Friday, becoming the first healthcare company in the world to hit a $1 trillion market value.

The drug company briefly crossed the trillion-dollar mark during morning trading before its stock pulled back slightly. Shares were last trading at around $1,048 each.

Eli Lilly is now just the second non-...

A Root Canal's Hidden Beneficiary: The Heart

Nobody wants a root canal, but if you must get one there’s possible benefit for your heart.

Researchers in Britain found that a successful root canal appears to lower inflammation linked to heart disease. It might even improve cholesterol and blood sugar readings.

“Root canal treatment doesn’t just improve oral heal...

Could CBD in Cannabis Help Protect the Livers of Heavy Drinkers?

A study of more than 66,000 U.S. adults finds that heavy drinkers who also used cannabis were less likely to develop liver disease than those who drank heavily without using weed.

While the study authors were quick to say that this isn’t a recommendation to start smoking cannabis, the CBD component of the plant might help protect imp...

Could Ultra-Processed Foods Trigger Overeating in Teens?

After two weeks of being placed on a diet high in ultra-processed foods, people in their late teens and early twenties continued to take in an excessive amount of calories, even when not hungry, new research shows.

The same was not true for similarly aged people who’d been placed on a two-week diet that shunned ultra-processed fare i...

Under Current Guidelines, Most Lung Cancer Patients Weren't Eligible for Cancer Screening

Under current screening guidelines, almost two-thirds of Americans with lung cancer would not have qualified for the CT chest scans that could have spotted tumors early and extended their lives, new research shows. 

The finding hits home for 38-year-old Carla Tapia, a mother of three from Beltsville, Maryland. She smoked a bit in her ...

Staying Slim: What’s More Effective, Exercise or Healthy Eating?

When it comes to warding off excess fat, boosting exercise levels while improving your diet may be most effective, rather than focusing on either exercise or diet alone.

That’s the finding from a seven-year study of almost 7,300 British adults. 

“We found that combining a better diet with more physical activity is an...

GLP-1 Drug May Offer Short-Term Control of Obsessive Food Cravings

Researchers say a woman struggling with obesity who couldn’t resist eating fatty foods experienced declines in her cravings after taking tirzepatide, the GLP-1 weight-loss drug used in Mounjaro and Zepbound.

Studies of the woman’s brain function suggest the drug quieted what the researchers call “food noise” —...

Holiday Tips To Keep Allergies and Asthma Under Control

The holidays: Twinkling lights, family dinners and packed travel plans. Plus, a surge of allergy and asthma triggers that can turn the season stressful for some folks.

But with a little planning, you can enjoy the celebrations without spending them sniffing, itchy or reaching for tissues.

"The holidays are a wonderful time to reconne...

Can Screen Time Help Kids Stay Healthy? New Research Says Yes

Ah, screens. The thing kids won’t put down, and parents can’t stop worrying about. But a new study suggests they may not be all bad after all.

Researchers at the University of South Australia analyzed data from more than 133,000 children and teens under age 18. They found that digital tools such as health apps, fitness trackers...

New Approach Could Make Gene-Editing Treatments Faster and Cheaper

A new gene-editing strategy may one day help many people with rare genetic diseases.

In a new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, researchers say this new approach could make future treatments easier and less costly to develop, especially for conditions caused by a certain type of genetic error.

"We are purposef...