Mediterranean Diet Cuts Women's Risk of Early Death by 23%

Experts have long extolled the benefits of the Mediterranean diet and a new study adds to that evidence, finding it cuts the odds for an early death in women by 23%.

“For women who want to live longer, our study says watch your diet!" said study senior author Dr. Samia Mora, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

"The good ...

Almost 1 in 3 Americans Know Someone Who's Died From a Drug Overdose

As the opioid addiction crisis continues to lay waste to American life, a new survey finds that nearly a third of U.S. adults now know someone who's died of a drug overdose.

Conducted in the spring of 2023, the survey of 2,300 Americans found 32% saying they'd dealt with the loss of someone they knew due to fatal overdose.

Expanded ...

1 in 8 Older Americans Are Stricken With Traumatic Head Injury

About one in eight U.S. seniors will be treated for a traumatic brain injury, typically during a fall, a new study finds.

Medicare data shows that about 13% of seniors suffered a severe concussion during an average follow-up period of 18 years, researchers report.

Although these injuries can be treated, they increase the risk of seri...

Could Tough Workouts Trigger a Hot Flash?

While going through menopause, many women who gain weight head to the gym for intense workouts, but new research suggests that too much exercise may help trigger another side effect: hot flashes.

In a report published May 29 in the journal Menopause, investigators found that working out too vigorously may raise the risk hot flash...

U.S. Deaths Linked to ATVs Rose by a Third in One Year

In just one year, U.S. deaths linked to the use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) jumped by a third, according to the latest report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

With another summer set to begin and ATVs brought out of storage, the agency is warning of the dangers from ATVs, also known as off-highway vehicles (OHVs).

Chi...

Stress, Discrimination Add to Cancer Burden for LGBTQ+ Americans

While LGBTQ+ people have higher risk factors for cancer, they are apt to face discrimination when in need of high-quality medical care, a new report shows.

In particular, LGBTQ+ people have to worry that a health care provider will refuse to treat them due to their gender identity and sexual orientation, the American Cancer Society (ACS) r...

Suicidal Impulses May Peak During Restless Nights

The wee hours of the morning could be the most dangerous for someone on the brink of suicide or homicide, a new study shows.

There’s a five-fold greater risk for suicide and an eight-fold greater risk for homicide between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. for those awake in the still of the night, researchers report.

“Disrupted sleep may acutely...

Night Owls Could Be Upping Their Mental Health Risks

People who regularly stay up until the wee hours of the morning could be harming their mental health, a new study finds.

Regardless of whether people were morning larks or a night owls, they tended to have higher rates of mental and behavioral disorders if they stayed up late, researchers found.

The mental health risk associated wit...

Amsterdam's 'Psychiatric Ambulance' Could Be Advance For Those in Mental Health Crisis

Ambulances meant for people having a mental health crisis could help folks get the care they need with less confrontation and friction, a new study says.

People transported to the hospital by a “psychiatric ambulance” required fewer restraints or coercive measures than those transported by the police, according to results from an Amste...

Caffeine Affects Dopamine Function in Parkinson's Patients

Caffeine has been associated with a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, but a new study says a coffee jolt might not be good for people already diagnosed with the brain disorder.

Consuming caffeine appears to blunt the brain’s ability to use dopamine, the hormone that lies at the heart of Parkinson’s symptoms, researchers...

CDC Reports Third Dairy Worker Infected With Bird Flu, Risk to Public Remains 'Low'

Amid an ongoing outbreak of bird flu in dairy cows, there's been a third case of H5N1 avian flu confirmed in a dairy worker, U.S. health officials reported Thursday.

The previous two human cases -- the first in Texas, the second in Michigan, where this latest case also occurred -- involved only a brief discomfort of the eyes, linked to con...

Doctors Used See-Through Plastic 'Window' to Monitor Injured Man's Brain

California skateboarder Jared Hager has become the first person to receive a transparent skull replacement, which allows doctors to better view the function of his brain.

The window has allowed doctors to both monitor his progress and test new and better scanning methods for assessing brain health.

Hager, 39, of Downey, Calif., susta...

PTSD, Anxiety Is Rising Among College Students

America's college students seem to be more stressed than ever, with a new report finding a sharp rise in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder (ASD) on campuses across the country.

In a "national sample of U.S. college students, we found a notable increase in the prevalence of PTSD and ASD," concluded a t...

Study Confirms Effectiveness of 'Watch-and-Wait' Approach to Prostate Cancer

For a large percentage of men with prostate cancer, the tumor may be so slow-growing that doctors advise a "watch-and-wait" approach instead of active treatment.

Now, a study of almost 2,200 patients followed for up to a decade finds that, for most, that decision may be a wise one.

"In this study, 10 years after diagnosis, 49% of men...

Suicide Rates Among Cancer Patients Are Falling

Even as suicide rates have risen among Americans generally, one group appears to be bucking that trend: People diagnosed with cancer.

Experts are crediting improved access to counseling and other "psychosocial care" with easing the emotional toll of cancer and keeping more patients from making tragic decisions.

Nevertheless, cancer ...

Scientists May Have Spotted Stuttering's Origins in the Brain

Stuttering is a neurological condition, not a psychological one, and scientists in Finland now believe they've found the disrupted network in the brain that may cause it.

"These findings explain well-known features of stuttering, such as the motor difficulties in speech production and the significant variability in stuttering severity acro...

Cancer Patients Get Poorer Care at Hospitals Serving Minority Communities

Cancer patients receive less effective treatment at hospitals that mainly serve minority communities, a new study shows.

More than 9% of cancer patients are treated at hospitals where a significant percentage of patients are from minority groups, researchers say.

Those patients are less likely to get the best care for breast, prostat...

Coming to Grips With a Third Thumb

A “Third Thumb” -- a robotic, prosthetic extra thumb -- is easy to use and can help folks grab and tote more objects, a new study says.

Hundreds of diverse test subjects at a science exhibition were able to figure out the extra thumb quickly and use it to pick up things like pegs and foam objects, researchers reported May 29 in the jou...

Will Epilepsy Meds Taken in Pregnancy Affect a Child's Creativity?

Newer epilepsy drugs taken while pregnant won’t affect the creative thinking of children, an effect that had been observed in older medications, a new study reports.

Researchers found no difference in creativity scores at age 4 between kids of mothers with epilepsy and those of moms without the disorder, researchers reported May 29 in th...

Being a Dad May Take Toll on Men's Hearts

The old joke holds that fatherhood causes a man’s hair to go prematurely gray.

Whether or not that’s true, being a father does appear to put men at greater risk of poor heart health later in life, a new study finds.

Dads tended to have worse heart health than men without kids, based on factors like diet, exercise, smoking, weight...