• The Top Health Stories of 2024
  
  It was a year in health news that will be hard to forget. As blockbuster weight-loss drugs known as GLP-1s made a sizable dent in the obesity epidemic, study after study revealed other ways in which these powerful medications can improve health. At the same time, multiple...
• How to Protect Yourself Against Microplastics
  
  Plastic is everywhere. It's in the air, our clothing, our home and even our food packaging. Disturbing new research found that even some commercial tea bags can release anywhere from 8 million to 1.2 billion small plastic particles, called nanoplastics or microplastics,...
• How to Make New Year's Resolutions Stick
  
  As the new year dawns, so too does the opportunity for change. Experts say January can be a good time to reflect on self-improvement, but acknowledge it takes work to make resolutions stick. Studies have shown that up to 70% of people who make New Year's resolutions abandon...
• How to Use Physical Therapy to Prevent Injury
  
  If you think physical therapy is only about rehabilitation after surgery or recovering from an accident, think again. For the vast majority, seeing a physical therapist should be about prevention, routine assessment and staying well. "We're the best-kept secret in health...
• Elon Musk Slims Down With Help of Weight Loss Drug
  
  Billionaire Elon Musk posted a photo of himself on X wearing a Santa suit on Christmas to show off his new, slender physique. Calling himself 'Ozempic Santa,' the Tesla CEO touted the benefits of the new, popular weight loss drugs in the social media post. According to the...
• Novo to Begin New Trial of Combo Weight-Loss Drug
  
  Novo Nordisk said on Friday it will begin a new trial of its experimental next-generation CagriSema drug in the first half of 2025 that it hopes will show greater weight-loss, after posting disappointing late-stage trial data. "We plan to optimize dose titration to further...
• FDA Updates Meaning of 'Healthy' on Food Labels
  
  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants to redefine the meaning of healthy food, issuing a new rule Thursday that changes the way food companies can claim their products are indeed nutritious. What foods will qualify for the new designation? Under the final rule, pretty...
• Why We Crave Rich Foods During the Holidays
  
  We can blame our cravings for rich foods during the holidays on science. Research shows that people do gain weight during the months between Thanksgiving and Christmas, which cumulatively increases overall weight gain during our adult years. We eat more decadent food and...
• Study Links Moderate Drinking to Lower Mortality
  
  A large new analysis finds that people who drink moderate levels of alcohol have a lower risk of dying from any cause than those who never drink. The new study findings contradict recent research that concluded that drinking has no health benefits at all and is linked to a...
• FDA: Lilly Weight-Loss Drug Shortage Resolved
  
  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday that Eli Lilly's weight-loss drug shortage has been resolved, following a re-evaluation of the drug's supply by the agency. Still, the FDA said it would not take any action against compounding pharmacies making cheaper...
• With Correct Measurements, Wine Really May Protect Heart
  
  A little wine every day can protect your heart health, a new study suggests.
• Team Sports Boost Kids' Executive Function Skills
  
  There may be something special about team sports in childhood that helps sharpen a kids' brain, new research shows.Children who were on soccer or volleyball teams scored higher on tests of "executive function" - thinking skills needed to organize, remember details, make...
• Novo Responds to Ozempic's Link to Rare Eye Disease
  
  Danish health authorities said on Monday they would ask the European Union's drug regulator to review the findings of two Danish studies linking Novo Nordisk's popular diabetes drug Ozempic to a rare sight-threatening eye condition. The two studies conducted by University of...
• Increasing Daily Steps Lowers Depression Risk
  
  Can you literally step away from depression? A new global review of data found that "increasing the number of daily steps, even at modest levels, was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms." The Spanish study found that up to a level of about 10,000 steps per day,...
• Omega-3 Rich Diet May Slow Prostate Cancer Growth
  
  Men who opt for "watchful waiting" instead of treatment for a low-risk prostate cancer might improve their odds if they take fish oil supplements, early research suggests. "Many men are interested in lifestyle changes, including diet, to help manage their cancer and prevent...
• How to Keep Your Skin Moisturized This Winter
  
  Keeping your skin healthy and hydrated during the winter can be a challenge. Our skin can become dry and cracked during the winter months due to the colder temperatures and lack of moisture in the air. With the cold air outside and the warm air inside, we can experience up...
• US Obesity Rate Fell in 2023 as GLP-1 Med Use Rose
  
  The U.S. obesity rate declined for the first time in a decade last year, coinciding with the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss meds, a new study finds. Data on almost 17 million adults nationwide showed the obesity rate - which has been rising for years - fell from 46.2% of adults...
• Hot Cocoa Protects Against Negative Effects of Stress
  
  'Tis the season to be stressed, and if that leads you to reach for fatty foods, add a cup of good quality, hot cocoa to your indulgence. Researchers from the University of Birmingham in the U.K. found that the flavanols in cocoa combat the damage excess fat from foods does...
• Blood Test Can Alert Doctors to Problem Drinking
  
  Have you been boozing more often than usual? A new blood test might be able to tell if you're damaging your liver from too many beers, margaritas or belts of scotch, researchers report. A blood-borne byproduct of alcohol consumption called phosphatidylethanol (PEth) can give...
• Half of Calories Eaten at Home are Ultra-Processed
  
  Unhealthy ultra-processed foods have wormed their way into American kitchens, likely harming people's health for decades, a new study warns. More than half of the calories adults eat at home now come from ultra-processed foods, which contain high levels of sugar, salt, fat...
• Natural Cold Remedies That Really Work
  
  We've seen how garlic combats the common cold along with other illnesses, but what about other home remedies such as chicken soup and zinc lozenges - can they treat the more than 200 viruses that can cause a cold? According to the BBC, remedies effective against infections...
• Exercise's 'Brain Boost' May Last 24 Hours
  
  Want to give your brain a boost for tomorrow? Get in a little pulse-pounding exercise today, a new study shows. In a finding that suggests the benefits of exercise may linger longer than believed, researchers discovered that middle-aged adults and seniors perform better on...
• Experts Warn of Bird Flu's Pandemic Threat
  
  Health experts have been sounding the alarm about the potential pandemic threat posed by bird flu, which has been showing signs of mutating as it spreads among cows and infects people in the United States. There is no guarantee that bird flu will ever begin transmitting...
• History of Back Pain Emerges in Accused CEO Killer
  
  A potential history of back pain emerged as a point of interest in the UnitedHealthcare CEO murder case, based on accounts from two people who knew the suspect and details from his social media profiles. Luigi Mangione is in custody in Pennsylvania and faces...
• Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to Colon Cancer Risk
  
  Fatty, salty and sugary ultra-processed foods could be increasing people's risk of colon cancer by spurring chronic inflammation in the gut. In a new study, colon tumors taken from people with poor diets had higher levels of pro-inflammatory biochemicals, as well as lower...

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