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 women were less likely than
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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).
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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
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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
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In new research presented today at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Genetics in Sweden, French geneticist Dr. Géraldine Viot of Maternité Port Royal hospital in Paris, highlights the elevated risk for congenital defects for children born using assisted reproductive technologies (ART), and stresses the need for
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In a study of more than 3,000 12-year-old girls, a team of U.K. researchers found that eating large quantities of meat in early childhood was associated with a greater likelihood of beginning menstruation younger, the BBC reports. In fact, girls who ate the highest amount of meat — more than 8 portions per day by age 3, and more than
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While women are often characterized as the more emotionally sensitive of the sexes, new research published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior suggests that, when it comes to the heartache following a failed romance, men may actually suffer more than women.
The research, conducted by sociologists at Wake Forest University
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Doctors should talk to patients about the risks of distracted driving, just as they discuss the dangers of smoking and unprotected sex, writes Dr. Amy N. Ship, an internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in the June 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. As more states pass laws banning talking on a cell phone or
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For some teens, more time spent in front of the TV or computer screen may mean a greater likelihood for recurring headache and backache, according to new research published this week in the journal BMC Public Health. For the study, a team of researchers from Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Sweden analyzed TV, computer and video
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A large scale study of Kaiser Permanente health policy holders in Northern California shows that hospital admissions for heart attack dropped significantly between 1999 and 2008 — coinciding with the implementation of public health efforts such as smoking bans, lowered target levels for blood pressure and cholesterol and more
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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has, for the second time, lashed out against exaggerated marketing claims made by Rice Krispies’ manufacturer Kellogg’s. Last year the FTC ordered the company reached a settlement with the FTC, which criticized its unfounded claims that Frosted Mini Wheats cereal was “clinically shown to improve kids’
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After an early May recall of 40 different varieties of liquid medications — including Children’s Tylenol and Motrin — manufactured at a Johnson & Johnson plant in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration criticized sloppy quality control that led to the recall, and prompted a Congressional inquiry. Last
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Two new studies from researchers at Indiana University suggest that the new fad of athletes wearing compression clothing to enhance performance may be little more than that, a fad. In two separate inquiries analyzing the effect of compression legwear on athletic performance, Abigail Laymon and Nathan Eckert both found no evidence for
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