In the first federal study focusing on fast-food consumption, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 37 percent of American adults reported eating fast food within 24 hours of being asked. Nationwide, that translates to roughly 85 million adults visiting these establishments daily.
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When we talk about cost and price transparency, medical devices are rarely mentioned. It represents about 5% of our healthcare spending, or roughly $120 billion in 2017. That's less than the $500 billion we spend on pharmaceuticals. But then as the old saying goes, "a billion here, a billion there, after a while you are talking about real money."
Clinical trial registries are supposed to hold researchers accountable for publishing all results. But who is responsible when they ignore the rules?
What physical risks do you run during a race of this length? Since high-mileage training can drain the body of vital nutrients, the short answer is: quite a few. Here's some insight into this punishing endeavor.
If you're inviting gramps over for a steak dinner, don't give him the rare part. French researchers found that protein from beef is best assimilated by older folks when it's well-done.
If your TV doesn't work, it's annoying. If your AC goes on the fritz during a heat wave, that's annoying and possibly dangerous. But when a fire extinguisher fails, that's a disaster. There are 40 million potential disasters in North America right now.
A long-awaited report on strategies to combat the national opioid crisis has been issued by the White House. Will it make things better or worse? Some of the recommendations are no-brainers, while others are controversial with some being good and others being just terrible. Here's how we scored 'em.
When "journalism" goes too far in tragedy.
The kettlebell is one of the least known, most mysterious pieces of exercise equipment there is. Yet it's excellent at toning muscles all over, and it burns calories quickly and efficiently while simultaneously producing cardio and strength benefits. In fact, many people swear that this odd, dopey object has fortified their exercise mentality.
Stephen Harrod Buhner, an herbalist healer, claims that beer will give men "moobs" because of hormone-disrupting chemicals. But there's a much simpler explanation: obesity. That's something every boob should know.
While kids look forward to Halloween because of the candy, some people just cannot let them have fun without ruining it. Opponents of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, use this carefree event to scare parents about what their children are eating.
Do massages stimulate a chemical reaction in the body? Is there a scientific basis to explain why customers feel better, or relaxed, or energized by the experience? While massages feel great and produce short-term satisfaction, specific evidence supporting claims of longer-term health benefits is harder to come by.
Time Magazine's Alice Park wrote a bizarre "letter' in JAMA, which apparently hoped to scare us about a group that found more glyphosate in urine samples than they expected. Her primary source: A guy with a "Ph.D" from an unaccredited institution who writes about yogic flying and ghosts.
Financial conflicts of interest are of increasing concern. And when this occurs, the response from medical leadership, authors and publishers must be disclosure. Here we shed some sunlight on how well we adhere to our self-imposed standards.
Two months after the first gene therapy for cancer was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, there is now another. Known as Yescarta, it will be used to treat adults with a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, large B-cell lymphoma, who have failed to respond to other treatments.
Repetitive head injuries are par for the course for football players. Do factors such as the number of years played or the age when the athlete first started playing have long-term effects?
If you're tempted to use an "all natural" supplement containing aristocholic acid to cure your insomnia or other ailments, best think again. Not only can that particular component destroy one's kidneys, new data implicates it in causing liver cancer. No, Virginia, natural is not always safe!
A four-time Iditarod champ has been accused of doping some of his dogs with a painkiller. Tramadol, an atypical opioid, has some properties in common with the traditional opioids like morphine, which makes this interesting both medically and scientifically. How does it work? It is not as restricted as Vicodin, nor should it be. Here's why.
If you think ozone is just up there in the sky somewhere, think again. It's also being used more and more to combat bacteria and infections, like MRSA. So the next time the conversation turns to ozone, it's good to know the context before you weigh in. And so that you can look knowledgeable here's your quick overview.
In spite of anti-vaccine efforts to scare parents, recent CDC data indicates that the overwhelming majority of children entering kindergarten are being appropriately immunized. Using data from 48 states and the District of Columbia, researchers found that a median of over 90 percent of kids are receiving the recommended vaccines.
Umbilical cord blood banking has gained notoriety ever since it was discovered that those cords are a rich supply of hematopoietic stem cells. Operating on the premise that cord blood samples are a form of "biological insurance" against potential future illness, cord blood banks are really selling a false promise.
An official representing retired Olympians told a gathering of anti-doping officials in London that to rid banned substances from future Olympics, microchips should be implanted in the athletes to constantly monitor for the presence of drugs. "We’re prepared to chip our dogs," he said, "so why aren’t we prepared to chip ourselves?”
A recent report by the Center for Disease Control's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly reveals grim statistics on suicide, with the highest rates linked to rural America.
Many science articles pushed into the media convey information about potential danger, even when these dangers are very unlikely. Why? A study of our behavior suggests it's our primitive lizard brain seeking to protect us from harm.
The sheer number of baby products on the market can overwhelm any new parent. But the Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on one in particular: the sleep positioner. Officials consider it dangerous to the infant, as its use has been connected to 12 fatalities to date.
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