200513472-001.resize

Why Delaying Delivery by Just Two Weeks Boosts Baby’s Survival

What if you could make the difference between life and death for your baby, simply by being patient? A new study published in the June issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology shows that mortality rates are halved by waiting until at least 39 weeks rather than 37 weeks to give birth.

What’s the Ideal BMI for Longevity?

Peter Dazeley / Getty Images

How fat is too fat? A large new government-funded study found that being even a bit overweight can increase your risk of death from heart disease, stroke or cancer.

A Step Toward Personalized Care of Leukemia Patients

STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SPL

Researchers have discovered gene mutations in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that may help doctors determine which treatments will work best for which patients early on.

Common Sense v. Politics: Should Federal Addiction and Alcohol Agencies Be Merged?

NIH

It seems like a no-brainer. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) currently has two bodies devoted to studying problems of addiction: the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Why not combine them into one agency, as a recent policy review by an NIH working group [...]

The BPA Debate: Bad Reputation and Still No Answers

Getty Images

Bisphenol-A (BPA), the endocrine-disrupting chemical in plastics — and the go-to environmental health villain — has vexed public-health experts for at least a decade. Reams of inconclusive and conflicting studies on the health effects of the compound, which is found in plastic food containers, water bottles and the epoxy lining of cans, have hampered a [...]

NIH says science is lacking for Alzheimer’s prevention

A new report fro the National Institutes of Health suggests that, currently, there is not enough rigorous scientific evidence to suggest any surefire ways of preventing Alzheimer’s disease. While small studies have suggested that everything from crossword puzzles to routine exercise can help stave off cognitive decline, the national panel said that there have not [...]