No Sign of Bird Flu in Ground Beef, USDA Says

After investigation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that the nation's ground beef supply is so far testing negative for the presence of H5N1 avian flu.

In a statement, the agency said that its Food Safety and Inspection Service tested 30 samples of ground beef from retail outlets in "states with dairy cattle herds t...

U.S. Maternal Deaths Declined in 2022

The number of American women who died at or soon after childbirth declined significantly in 2022, the latest government data shows, but the rate is still higher than pre-pandemic levels.

The report from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics found that, in 2022, 817 women died within 42 days of the end of a pregnancy "from any caus...

Economy, Election Spur Rising Anxiety Among Americans in 2024

A looming presidential election, continued economic struggles and the threat of gun violence have a rising number of Americans more anxious this year compared to last, a new poll finds.

The survey, conducted in early April among 2,000 adults by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), found 43% of respondents saying they were more anxio...

Day Care Pick-Up Often Involves Sugary Snacks, Study Finds

Giving your kid a drink, snack or small bag of fast food on the way home from day care might distract them during a busy commute, but it’s not doing their daily diet any favors, a new study warns.

The hour after kids are picked up from day care stands out as a high-calorie, less healthy part of their overall diet, researchers report Apri...

Avoid Raw Milk to Cut Risk of Bird Flu, Officials Urge

People drinking raw unpasteurized milk are at risk for potentially contracting bird flu, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Wednesday.

“We continue to strongly advise against the consumption of raw milk,” Dr. Donald Prater, acting director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said during a Wednesday medi...

Major Women's Health Study Supports Hormone Replacement Therapy in Early Menopause

Hormone replacement therapy can safely ease middle-aged women’s symptoms during early menopause, data from a major women’s health study show.

Women younger than 60 can use hormone replacement to treat symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats without significantly increasing their risk of breast cancer or other health problems, accord...

Organic Walnuts Tied to Serious E. Coli Illnesses

Organic walnuts from a California grower that were distributed to health food and co-op stores in 19 states have been linked to serious cases of E. coli illness, federal officials reported Tuesday.

So far, 12 people have been sickened; seven were so ill they required hospitalization, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Six ...

More Than Half of Cats on Farm Where Bird Flu Infected Cows Died After Drinking Milk

In yet another sign that bird flu is spreading widely among mammals, a new report finds more than half of cats at the first Texas dairy farm to have cows test positive for bird flu this spring died after drinking raw milk.

Published Tuesday in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, the report details the early stages of the inv...

Biden Administration Could Reclassify Marijuana as Less Risky Drug

The Justice Department has recommended that marijuana be reclassified as a less dangerous drug, a move that signals a significant shift in U.S. drug policy.

The proposal, first reported Tuesday by the Associated Press, still has a long way to go before it becomes official policy: First, it has to be reviewed by the White House Off...

Americans of Pacific Island Ethnicity Have Up to Triple the Rate of Cancer Deaths

Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander people have cancer death rates that are two to three times higher than they are in whites, new data shows.

The first-of-its-kind report, issued by the American Cancer Society (ACS) on May 1, focuses solely on the cancer risk of Americans who’ve descended from regions along the Pacific Rim, the A...

How Anger Could Raise Your Heart Risks

Feeling angry constricts blood vessels in unhealthy ways and could raise a person's long-term odds for heart disease, new research warns.

“If you’re a person who gets angry all the time, you’re having chronic injuries to your blood vessels,” said study leader Dr. Daichi Shimbo, a cardiologist at Columbia University Irving Medical C...

EPA Clamps Down on Deadly Toxin Found in Paint Strippers

A toxin found in paint strippers that's responsible for 85 U.S. deaths over the past five decades will be phased out for many uses, under an Environmental Protection Agency rule finalized Tuesday.

The cancer-causing solvent methylene chloride will still have some allowed uses, but with strict guidelines aimed at keeping workers safe.

Popular Teens (Especially Girls) May Get Less Sleep

Popular teens pay a price for being so well-liked by their peers, a new study shows.

The popular crowd are less likely to get the 8 to 10 hours of sleep recommended for teenagers each night, researchers found.

In fact, the more popular a teen is, the less time they spend snoozing, results show.

The most popular teens tend to sl...

Years Prior to Menopause Are Danger Zone for Depression

Women approaching menopause appear to be at higher risk of depression, a new review indicates.

Women in the transition period prior to menopause are 40% more likely to experience depression than premenopausal women, according to pooled data from seven studies involving more than 9,100 women around the world.

The results show that wo...

School Entry Rules Boost Kids' HPV Vaccination Rates

Getting the HPV shot in adolescence can spare kids a lifetime of risk for cervical and other cancers related to the virus, but only half of American kids are up-to-date on these shots.

Now, a new review suggests that if schools mandate HPV shots as an entry requirement for students, immunization rates rise.

"A majority of studies ev...

For Parents of Kids with Food Allergies, Social Media Can Bring Support -- and Stress

Having a child with food allergies isn't easy to manage, and now new research shows that most of these parents turn to social media for medical advice.

When they do, some of the advice is good and some is not, researchers report. 

In the study, published recently in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scie...

All Women Need Mammograms Beginning at Age 40, Expert Panel Says

All women should start getting mammograms every other year beginning at age 40, the nation’s top panel of preventive health experts announced Tuesday.

About 20% more lives can be saved from breast cancer by moving the regular screening age up to age 40, rather than starting at age 50, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) esti...

When in Life Are Folks Most Lonely?

At what age does loneliness strike adults the hardest?

A new review maps it out, finding that people are more lonely as young adults, grow less lonely as they approach middle age, and then fall back into loneliness in old age, researchers reported April 30 in the journal Psychological Science.

“What was striking was how co...

Staying Fit Boosts Kids' Mental Health

The benefits of physical fitness for kids spill over into their mental health, new research shows.

Getting plenty of exercise may guard against depressive symptoms, anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a new study published April 29 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found.

And the more exercise, the...

USDA Testing Beef Amid Bird Flu Outbreak in Dairy Cows

As bird flu continues to spread among dairy cows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday it is now testing ground beef for any presence of the virus.

The agency said it is sampling ground beef bought in grocery stores in states where dairy cattle have tested positive for the virus, also known as H5N1, CNN reported. Officia...