Efforts underway to end race-based assessments of lung function

The intestines are home to trillions of microorganisms that produce substances capable of regulating all the body's organs via the bloodstream and the gut's nervous system. Yet, only little is known about the effects of most of the bacteria that make up our microbiome.

New research examining 17 years of data from Medicare hospitalization claims and major flooding events finds increased rates of skin diseases, nervous system diseases, and injuries or poisonings among adults aged 65 and older following major floods.

When a cheeseburger costs less than a punnet of strawberries, it's clear the odds are stacked against healthy choices—especially for teenagers.

The 17 experts who were ousted from a government vaccine committee last month say they have little faith in what the panel has become, and have outlined possible alternative ways to make U.S. vaccine policy.

Invest in breastfeeding, invest in the future 1 August 2025 – Since 1992, World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) has been celebrated Annually, in the first week of August. In 2018, a World Health Assembly resolution endorsed WBW as an important breastfeeding promotion strategy. Championed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Ministries of Health and civil society partners around the globe, WBW serves to remind the public and policy-makers that breastfeeding lays the foundation for lifelong health and development. This year, under the banner “Invest in breastfeeding, invest in the future”, the campaign casts a spotlight on the ongoing support that women and babies need from the health care system throughout their breastfeeding journey. Every mother should have access to the support and information she needs to breastfeed for as long as she wishes to do so. Efforts are needed to ensure that health systems offer skilled and sustained support from pregnancy through to early childhood. Policies, laws and programmes should prioritize women, babies and breastfeeding, and communities must uphold every woman and baby’s right to breastfeed. Breastfeeding protects child health and improves survival, especially in the first months of life. In addition to essential nutrition, it provides antibodies that protect against common illnesses like diarrhoea, pneumonia and infections. With the right investments, countries can significantly increase rates of exclusive breastfeeding. Around 10% more infants are exclusively breastfed at 6 months compared to 2013 – in some countries the figure reaches 20% – more can be done. Lead by example. Countries can Read more...

A new study has found that, among women with a high desire to avoid becoming pregnant, those who drank heavily had a 50% higher risk of becoming pregnant than those who drank moderately or not at all. In contrast, participants who used cannabis were no more likely to have an undesired pregnancy than participants who did not use cannabis.

A new study published in Addiction has found that young adults in the US do not "titrate" when using strong cannabis. In other words, they do not use less cannabis to compensate for the stronger potency. In fact, it's the opposite: young adults who report using strong cannabis also typically use it more frequently and in higher quantities than young adults who use weaker forms of the drug.

Obesity elevates the risk of at least 13 major cancers, including those of the breast, colon and liver. It also impairs immune responses that target tumors and are stimulated by cancer immunotherapies. But it has long been unclear whether these effects stem from the sheer adiposity—or mass of fat—in people living with obesity or from the specific dietary fats they consume.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have shown for the first time that a type of human papillomavirus (HPV) commonly found on the skin can directly cause a form of skin cancer called cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) when certain immune cells malfunction.

Drivers are not the only ones to blame for roadway fatalities.

The Trump administration is pushing an initiative for millions of Americans to upload personal health data and medical records on new apps and systems run by private tech companies, promising that will make it easier to access health records and monitor wellness.

Nirsevimab is effective for protecting infants against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD), according to a study published online July 22 in Pediatrics.

Allergic to peanuts? Bees? Pollen? Cockroaches? There's a shot for that.

Women are less likely than men to receive drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS) between the ages of 18 to 40, during women's childbearing years, even when those drugs have been shown to be safe for use during pregnancy or to have a prolonged effect against the disease even when stopped before conception, according to a study published in Neurology.

As temperatures rise, California is experiencing fewer deaths from cold temperatures, which outweigh increased deaths from extreme heat. However, hotter temperatures sharply increase emergency department visits—a previously overlooked consequence of climate change that could place a greater burden on the health care system.

A new study reveals that fragmented sleep causes cellular damage to the brain's blood vessels, providing further evidence to suggest that sleep disruption predisposes the brain to dementia.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer worldwide, and early detection is key to successful treatment. While traditional methods rely on visual inspection and biopsy, researchers are developing new technologies that can provide more detailed information without cutting into the skin.

New research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) finds that prolonged and/or repeated exposure to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) anesthetic agents (sevoflurane, propofol) for infants in the first two months of life resulted in an accelerated maturation of brain electrical activity patterns evoked by visual stimuli when recorded at 2–5 months of age, compared to infants who did not have early general anesthesia exposure.