New research from food scientists at Pennsylvania State University suggest that some people’s penchant for salt may be due to a broader hypersensitivity to taste. The researchers suggest that “supertasters” not only experience the taste of salt more intensely, but other flavors as well — meaning that they often rely on extra salt to overcome their [...]
Though they tend to have sex less frequently than their slimmer peers, obese women may be four times more likely to have an unwanted pregnancy, according to findings published in BMJ this week. In a study of more than 12,000 French men and women between the ages of 18 to 69, researchers found that obese [...]
In medical terms, it’s called late-onset hypogonadism — the gradual decline of the male hormone testosterone beginning in middle age, right around the time men also start gaining weight, losing muscle mass, feeling depressed and suffering from sleep problems, weakness and, most notably, sexual dysfunction. Whether these changes are directly related to declining hormone levels, [...]
Initial results from an animal study conducted by researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia may shed some light on a question that has perplexed both sexes: why do women often seem to get so much more stressed out than men? In a rat study led by neuroscientist Dr. Rita Valentino, researchers found that females [...]
This Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will hear from an expert panel about the merits of, flibanserin, a drug that has been touted as potentially being the female equivalent of Viagra. Yet, an initial FDA review posted online today already indicates that Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of flibanserin, may have trouble getting [...]
Since last July the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has had data from studies examining a potential correlation between retinyl palmitate, a common chemical in sunscreen, and elevated cancer risk in lab rats, the agency has been slow to interpret the findings and offer guidance to the public, charges Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY). With beach [...]
Last week a public health committee charged with making recommendations on U.S. government policy regarding blood donation decided in favor of upholding a current rule prohibiting men who have sex with men from donating blood, the Los Angeles Times reports. In a separate recommendation, the Wall Street Journal health blog reports that a researcher investigating [...]
As many as 100,000 deaths could be prevented each year with the increased use of an inexpensive drug, according to a new study from researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In the analysis of more than 20,000 seriously injured patients from 40 different countries, researchers found deaths due to excessive blood [...]
Though current cervical cancer screening guidelines generally recommend that women ages 30 and older get screened — either using a traditional pap smear or a complement of a pap smear and human papillomavirus testing — every 2 to 3 years instead of annually, a new survey published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds that [...]
In early May, national pharmacy chain Walgreens indefinitely delayed sales of an at home genetic test kit after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that kit had not been proven safe or effective, and that further inquiry was needed to determine whether it fell into a category of medical device that requires FDA regulation. [...]
