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Does the proverbial apple a day really prevent stroke, as a Dutch study now in the journal Stroke suggests? Or is it just that the kind of people who eat more fruits and vegetables are more likely to lead healthier lifestyles in general? Who knows?

In a new study comparing the difference in the age at breast cancer diagnosis between older and younger generations of women with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancer gene mutations, researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that breast cancer is diagnosed about eight years earlier in the younger women.

More good news on the anti-smoking front strikes closer to home, as the latest statistics reveal that adult smoking rates in New York fell to a record low of just 14 percent in 2010, compared to 22 percent in 2002. The declining trend was also present among high school students, since only 7 percent were smokers last year as opposed to 18 percent in 2001.

Proven to be the leading cause of cervical cancer, the human papillomavirus (HPV) has recently been linked to anal and oral cancer as well. That s why it s important for young men and women to protect themselves against those strains of the virus with the HPV vaccine. Currently, the vaccine schedule consists of three shots that are spaced months apart, but unfortunately, a three-dose regimen may not be economically feasible for many.

Dr. Neal Benowitz, a professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and a member of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, acknowledges that use of smokeless tobacco (ST) could reduce harm to smokers if they switched to the products entirely. He reviewed the literature and found, surprisingly, total agreement with our approach: ST is not a risk for cardiovascular disease and is only a minimal risk for pancreatic cancer (far less than smoking).

The results of a new study published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology reveal a worrisome trend: Throat cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) are on the rise, especially among men.

A new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal finds that heart patients on antiplatelet agents (such as Plavix and aspirin) who are prescribed a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are at a greater risk of internal bleeding.

At this week s annual American Dietetic Association conference in San Diego, ACSH advisor Dr. Adam Drewnowski, director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington in Seattle, presented his latest research on the government s misguided dietary guidelines.

We ve previously read some claims that soda consumption is tied to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, but we ve yet to hear one this ridiculous: Drinking lots of soda may increase the risk of violent behavior among teenagers.

Good news for women considering in vitro fertilization (IVF): Improved technology has increased the likelihood that they ll give birth to a healthy singleton from just one implanted embryo instead of having to navigate the health risks associated with multiple births. IVF currently accounts for 1 percent of U.S. births each year, but it s responsible for 17 percent of twins.

Used pacemakers may be a safe option for poor patients in developing countries, a new study suggests.

It turns out that losing weight and keeping it off is not only a question of willpower. New research published today in the New England Journal of Medicine investigated the issue by limiting 50 obese or overweight adult men and women to a very low-calorie liquid diet for 10 weeks. After reintroduction of regular foods, the participants were followed for an additional year to determine whether they could keep the excess weight off, and how their physiology changed.

Are hospitals really doing enough to help smokers quit the dangerous habit? The numbers seem impressive: The records show that they re providing advice on smoking cessation to 99 percent of heart attack patients, 97 percent of heart failure patients, and 95 percent of pneumonia patients. But a recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that they re not doing an adequate job.

Fluoridating water reduces the incidence of tooth decay by 25 percent nationwide and is heralded as one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the twentieth century by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nevertheless, the practice has been rejected by about 200 jurisdictions over the past four years.

It s been in the works for some time now, but on Wednesday, three U.S. cancer groups proposed new cervical cancer screening guidelines. The American Cancer Society, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and the American Society for Clinical Pathology jointly proposed guidelines that largely accord with two recent evidence reviews by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Despite ACSH's efforts to promote sound scientific practices in public health research and journalism, there are always some researchers who seem to manipulate data and stretch them to limits unjustified by any rational interpretation. And, what's more, ostensible science journalists continue to publicize these non-studies as more important than they are.

A previously feared link between ACE inhibitors (a common treatment for high blood pressure) and congenital heart defects may actually be unfounded, a recent study suggests.

This week, we haven t had much that s positive to say about dietary supplements. However, the results of a new Norwegian study have reminded us that, despite the questionable utility of most supplements, folic acid actually offers real benefits. Folic acid supplementation in women of childbearing age has long been shown to help prevent major birth defects in a fetus developing brain and spine.

While there's a well established link between HPV and cervical, genital, anal, and pharyngeal cancer, Dr. Kenichi Fujise, a cardiologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, has found that women infected with the virus also have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. While Dr.

If you happen to be a fan of ACSH Director of Pharmaceutical Sciences Dr. Josh Bloom s frequently irreverent interjections in our Dispatch, we recommend that you check out his blog posts over at Medical Progress Today, where he will be a regular contributor. There, he will have more space to devote to analyzing select issues with his customary cheekiness.

Is eating more whole grains also an effective way to lower the toll of colorectal cancer in the U.S.? As far back as C.W. Post s early twentieth-century introduction of cold cereal to the public, Americans have hoped to reap benefits from the fiber found in whole grains. Since then, various studies have both bolstered and undermined the correlation between dietary fiber and a lower risk of colorectal cancer.

The evidence supporting the benefits of using statins to reduce cardiovascular events has been well documented, especially in the prevention of subsequent events in people who have suffered a heart attack (secondary prevention). But do different statin drugs differ in their ability to reduce plaque build-up and reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels?

Josh Bloom Medical Progress Today, Spotlight Feature 11/4/11
New FDA Drug Warning May Deprive Cancer Patients of Vital Medicine

In a new blog post for Medical Progress Today, ACSH's Dr. Josh Bloom takes a humorous look at a serious subject: How the FDA is making it impossible for companies to develop new and much needed antibiotics. His piece, "Where is Mel Blanc When You Need Him?" can be found here.

Two drugs used to help people stop smoking varenicline (Chantix) and bupropion (Zyban) carry a significantly increased risk of depression and suicidal or self-injurious behavior, according to a new study published in the Public Library of Science.