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Teen pregnancy is a hot topic in the media and pop culture these days, as attested to by movies including "Juno" to "Teen Mom 2" to "16 and Pregnant." Events of recent weeks may indicate this concern is finally cracking the shell around our public health leaders as well better late than never.

Is the goal of eradicating breast cancer by 2020 unrealistic and overly ambitious? We were inclined to agree with a Nature editorial that said so, but one of our readers says no. Dr.

For most women who have been treated for breast cancer, taking tamoxifen (an estrogen blocker in breast tissue) can cut their odds of recurrence but for how long to take the drug to maximize benefit, has not been clear. Now a new study shows 10 years of tamoxifen treatment is better than five, lowering the risk of recurrence by a quarter and the risk of dying by 29 percent.

Yesterday, ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross presented ACSH s position on access to reduced-risk tobacco and nicotine products at the FDA s public meeting on nicotine replacement therapies and smoking-cessation products.
In his synopsis of the current sad state of affairs, Dr. Ross after discussing the counterproductive FDA approach to communicating risks called to account the public health authorities who have misled and continue to mislead smokers about the risks of various tobacco products. He states,

ACSH friend Jon Entine has written an incisive investigative piece featured in Slate.com exposing just how much politics can interfere with science. His chosen topic is the bizarre course towards eventual (we hope) governmental approval of the genetically-engineered AquaBounty salmon over the past two-plus years.

There may be yet another reason for individuals with elevated levels of blood cholesterol (especially LDL, the bad cholesterol) to jump on the exercise bandwagon, according to new research. A study which included over 10,000 veterans with such lipid abnormalities, classified individuals into four fitness levels ranging from least fit to highly fit.

Does anyone remember when CBS used to be a respected news organization that did its own research or at least quoted independent experts? Or even conducted interviews? When it comes to health and science news, alas, it seems like they ve been reduced to rewriting alarmist or sensationalist press releases.

A new method of prostate cancer testing could potentially put an end to painful prostate biopsies that often miss the actual tumor.
The small size of the prostate gland makes it very difficult to reach, forcing doctors to do a so-called blind biopsy, in which multiple chunks of tissue are removed. A doctor can only hope that one of those chunks is a piece of the tumor that will allow them to determine the state of the cancer. But often, this is not the case.

A new analysis of the Nurse s Health Study has quantified just how much smoking contributes to sudden cardiac death and how quitting can potentially reduce or eliminate that risk.

We have yet another candidate for the silliest scientific study of the year, although it will probably just win for this week. A new study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, claims that heavy coffee drinkers those who drink more than four cups of regular (caffeinated) coffee a day may cut their risk of dying from cancers of the mouth and throat by nearly half.

As recently as the 2009 swine-flu outbreak, authorities had to warn people against panic-buying Tamiflu over the Internet. My how the tide has turned these days Roche is under fire for not providing certain clinical data on the drug after researchers say there s little evidence it works.

Childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States, affecting almost 18 percent of boys and 16 percent of girls aged between 2 and 19.

Weight loss surgery may not be a long-term solution for many patients with type II diabetes, as was once thought. A study published in the journal Obesity Surgery found that many of the obese type II diabetics who had gastric bypass surgery did not go into remission and of those who did, a third redeveloped diabetes within five years. This is a stark contrast from what has been publicized in the past.

As America s health care spending continues to grow, does it become the government s responsibility to use public health policy to campaign for and encourage practical actions officials believe we Americans should be taking to rein in healthcare costs? David B.

A lower dose and shorter course of adjuvant radiation for localized breast cancer cuts down on toxicity without raising recurrence risk, researchers reported at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Last year, chlorinated Tris a fire retardant chemical was added to California s ever-expanding list of carcinogens and reproductive toxins According to the state s Proposition 65, products containing a certain level of chemicals on this lengthy list must carry a warning label.

As we look back on 2012, we are reminded once again of the importance of getting vaccinated, be it against the flu, whooping cough or a multitude of other illnesses which can be prevented. According to preliminary government figures, 2012 was the worst year for pertussis (whooping cough) in six decades, with over 40,000 cases reported. According to Dr. Tom Clark of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is the possibility of reaching even higher numbers in the coming years.

You may not be able to trust the labels found on certain foods, according to a new scientific examination conducted by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention.

The two dozen vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for kids before age 2 do not cause any significant increase in the risk of health problems, a government-advisory body stated yesterday.

Both New York City and Los Angeles have seen declines in childhood obesity rates, with New York leading the way, according to a new study. The prevalence of obesity peaked in New York around 2003-2004, while in Los Angeles this leveling off did not occur until 2008-2009, with rates beginning to decline in 2010-2011. This may be the result of New York government programs promoting healthy behaviors in low-income kids earlier than in LA.

Americans live shorter lives and are in generally worse health than citizens of other wealthy nations, according to an extensive report released Wednesday by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine.

The European Union Health Commission is out with a new set of rules proposing more regulations on e-cigarettes and tightening the absurd ban on snus which ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross is doing his best to counter in the popular press.

Breast-feeding is on the rise across America according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The proportion of mothers breast-feeding their infants jumped from 70.3 percent to 74.6 percent from 2000 to 2008 and the proportion of mothers who continued to breast-feed after 6 months jumped from 34.5 percent to 44.4 percent.

There has not been a day that has passed in the last few weeks where we have not been bombarded with news stories pertaining to the current flu season and the apparent epidemic. And most of these stories urge individuals to go out and get the flu vaccine if one has not yet done so. However, pertussis (whooping cough) has taken a backseat amidst all this hype, even though in 2012, it struck the highest number of Americans since the days of President Eisenhower, writes ACSH s Dr.

The U.S. birth rate has hit a historic low, the Centers for Disease Control says. There were 12.7 babies born per 1,000 people in 2011, down from 13.0 live births in 2011. Back in 1950, the rate was 24.1.
Overall there were 1 percent fewer children born in the U.S. in 2011 than in 2010.