CDC: public pools often harbor harmful bacteria

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 1 in 8 public swimming pools is in violation of health and safety codes — and that pools at day care centers and children’s facilities seem to be the most frequent offenders. The findings, based on an analysis of more than [...]

A heart attack doesn’t have to end your sex life

After surviving a heart attack, it makes sense that people want to avoid any activity that could cause their ticker to falter again. Yet, as the Associated Press reports, according to new research presented this week at a conference of the American Heart Association in Washington, D.C., because of lack of information about their risk, [...]

A link between belly fat and dementia risk

Having excess belly fat in middle-age may increase the risk for dementia later in life, according to results of a new study published this week in the Annals of Neurology. In an analysis of 733 middle-aged men and women, researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine found that not only was higher body mass [...]

Autism research: infertility treatment link, no benefit of special diet

Autism researchers from around the world are meeting this week in Philadelphia at the annual conference of the International Society for Autism Research, and have presented studies investigating everything from the impact of an autistic child on the strength of his or her parents’ marriage, to the merits of popular gluten-free, casein-free diets for children [...]

Abortion ad sparks controversy in the U.K.

Marie Stopes International, a sexual health group akin to the U.S.’s Planned Parenthood that provides abortions and other services at clinics throughout the U.K., has purchased a time slot for a 30-second commercial scheduled to air Monday night, the Telegraph reports. The ad — which does not mention the word abortion, but directs women to [...]

Survey: the sex lives of married folks

A new survey asks the question that many people quietly wonder: just how much sex do you have once you’re married? According the poll of more than 2,000 married women between the ages of 18 to 49, well, it depends.

Parents of autistic children not more likely to break up

Though the oft-quoted statistic — that strain and stress contributes to an 80% divorce rate among parents of autistic children — has long had its critics, new research presented today at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Philadelphia more definitively undermines that figure with findings based on families of more than 78,000 children. The [...]

An FDA proposal for improved transparency

In a 67-page proposal for a way forward toward more transparency, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration task force suggested broad changes that would increase public access to information about the oversight and regulatory process for everything form pharmaceuticals and food products to medical devices and tanning beds.

In Young Tanners, Fear of Wrinkling Is Worse than Cancer

O. Jäckel/plainpicture/Corbis

How do you get a teenager to comply? Appeal to her vanity.

Research: Happiness Surges After Age 50

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Results of a phone survey of more than 340,000 Americans suggest that stress and worry decrease — and happiness surges — after middle age.