A Belgian-led study published in PNAS this week suggests Akkermansia muciniphila, an intestinal microbe that is important for maintaining the gut lining and how food is absorbed, could be used to prevent obesity and associated metabolic disorders, such as those that lead to type 2 diabetes. Our digestive tract is home to a vast and varied population of microbes...

The dangerously high levels of salt in processed food and restaurant food remain the same despite many efforts from several public and private health agencies to change them, according to new research performed by Northwestern Medicine and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)...

Non-smoking hotel rooms with a partial smoking ban do not fully protect guests from harmful exposure to third-hand smoke, according to new research. The study was conducted by experts from San Diego State University (SDSU) and was published in the journal Tobacco Control...

Actress Angelina Jolie, who carries a mutation in her BRCA1 gene, announced that she has had a double mastectomy. Women who carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation have a significantly higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers. According to Angelina Jolie, her lifetime risk of developing breast cancer before having her breasts surgically removed was 87%...

Despite British media attempts to make it appear that all pregnant women will have to prove they do not smoke by taking a carbon monoxide test, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which provides guidance to ensure quality and value for money in the National Health Service, UK, insists that the "NICE does not call for the test to be made compulsory and ...

Surprisingly, researchers at Michigan State University found that men who suffer from sexual harassment are more likely to try and control their weight with extreme measures like taking laxatives or vomiting, compared to women...

A new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that the average meal from independent and small-chain restaurants contains more than half of a person's recommended daily calorie intake. On average, meals from such restaurants contained around three times the amount of energy that an adult should consume in a single meal. Many major restaurant chains across the U.S...

A vaccine for Lyme disease may be on its way, following a promising phase 1/2 clinical trial from investigators at the Stony Brook University School of Medicine and Brookhaven National Laboratory...

Almost half of high school students aged 16 and older text while driving, according to a large national survey. Over 15,000 teenagers were surveyed as part of the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2011, which evaluated texting while driving during the 30 days before completing the questionnaire...

A novel anti-cocaine vaccine has been successfully tested in primates, suggesting that human clinical trials are not far off, according to new research by Weill Cornell Medical College...

SAN DIEGO -- Contrary to what might be expected, adding an antibiotic coating to an artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) does not decrease device-related infection rates, researchers announced at the 108th American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting...

A vaccine that provides wider protection against multiple strains of the bird flu virus, H7N9, is currently being worked on as the outbreak in China continues to get worse. In a news conference held by the World Health Organization (WHO), they cautioned the public that the H7N9 virus, which is responsible for the present outbreak, is one of the most fatal seen in the latest years...

Ten percent of babies born with congenital heart disease have genetic mutations that occurred while they were in the womb, i.e. they did not inherited the genetic mutations from their parents, researchers reported in the May 12th issue of the journal Nature. Thousands of children are born annually with severely malformed hearts...

In a bid to promote breastfeeding, hospitals push to reduce formula feeding in infants in the days following their birth. But in a new study, the first to carry out a randomized trial, researchers show that giving small amounts of formula to newborns who lose a lot of weight in their first few days of life, can actually help prolong breastfeeding in the long term...

A new study of US Veterans has found that exposure to Agent Orange is linked to a two-fold higher risk of developing the most lethal forms of prostate cancer...

Can you really go into a Subway, which calls itself the "healthy" fast food restaurant, and eat a healthy meal? UCLA researchers found that Subways may not be a much healthier alternative to McDonald's for teenagers and young adults...

Diabetes UK have announced the biggest research program in the charity's history to try and develop a new vaccine for Type 1 diabetes within the next two decades, an accomplishment which could transform and improve the lives of the millions of people at high risk of developing the condition...

Sensitive people who consume cinnamon-flavored foods, drinks and food supplements may have a higher risk of liver damage, researchers from the University of Mississippi, USA, and King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, report in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. Cinnamon is one of the most important flavoring agents in foods and drinks, team leader Ikhlas Khan explained...

The magnets in iPad 2 tablets and their covers are capable of interfering with heart implants, including pacemakers, according to a new small study presented Thursday at Heart Rhythm 2013, the Heart Rhythm Society's 34th Annual Scientific Sessions. The research was performed by 14-year-old high school freshman Gianna Chien of Stockton, California and her colleagues...

Breast cancer patients who have lots of friends and social relationships tend to cope with the pain and other symptoms associated with the disease better than those who are more isolated, according to new research published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. Lead author of the study Candyce H...