Surprisingly, even short-term consumption of highly processed, unhealthy foods can significantly reduce insulin sensitivity in the brains of healthy people. This effect persists even after returning to a normal diet.
‘Pandemic babies’ turn 5: Here’s what research tells us about their development and remarkable resilience
Given the effects early-life stress exposure has on a child’s development, many people worried the pandemic would create a generation of children who wouldn’t achieve their potential. But the most recent evidence suggests that pandemic babies are doing better than anyone expected.
Generative AI and deepfakes are fuelling health misinformation.
Here’s what to look out for so you don’t get scammed
Less than half of parents think they have accurate information about bird flu
National Poll: 2 in 5 parents wish the government was doing more to prevent a bird flu outbreak; 1 in 3 have taken action to protect their family against it
Retired Doctors Step Up in the Face of a Rural Health Care Crisis
By Pat Raia, The Daily Yonder March 11, 2025 Four years ago, family practitioner Dr. Jeff Chappell retired from his post as medical director of the Wayne Community Health Center in Bicknell, Utah. He was excited to undertake a new…
The most likely Medicaid cuts would hit rural areas the hardest
Working-age adults who live in small towns and rural areas are more likely to be covered by Medicaid than their counterparts in cities, creating a dilemma for Republicans looking to make deep cuts to the health care program.
UW researchers develop test to predict preeclampsia
Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle have developed an approach that can predict preeclampsia in pregnant women as early as the first trimester by using cell-free DNA in blood samples. Such a screening test could enable earlier interventions and help prevent the severe complications of preeclampsia.
National Cancer Institute Employees Can’t Publish Information on These Topics Without Special Approval
Among the 23 hot-button issues, according to internal records reviewed by ProPublica: vaccines, fluoride, peanut allergies, autism.
King Holmes, who led pioneering research in sexually transmitted diseases, dies
Nearly single-handedly, Holmes brought the study of sexually transmitted diseases field to the forefront of medical research.
NIH funding cuts will hit red states, rural areas and underserved communities the hardest
The cuts will be detrimental to the entire country, they will disproportionately hurt states that traditionally have received very low levels of NIH funding, the majority of which are red states that supported Trump’s election to a second term. This is because such states lack resources to develop advanced research infrastructure necessary to compete nationally for NIH funding.
Daylight saving time and early school start times cost billions in lost productivity and health care expenses
Chronic sleep deprivation does more than leave people tired. It costs an estimated US$411 billion annually in lost productivity and health care costs. Poor sleep leads to workplace mistakes, car accidents and long-term health issues that strain businesses, families and the economy as a whole.
Flu kills two area children
The first was an elementary-age child. The second was a preschool-age child.
Is alcohol good or bad for you? Yes.
We need more high-quality evidence to assess the health impacts of moderate alcohol consumption. And we need the media to treat the subject with the nuance it requires. Newer studies are not necessarily better than older research.
GOP lawmakers push to charge women with homicide for seeking abortions
‘Fetal personhood’ bills would grant fetuses, embryos the same rights as newborns.
As flu cases break records this year, vaccine rates are declining, particularly for children and 65+ adults
In February 2025, flu rates spiked to the highest levels seen in at least 15 years, with flu outpacing COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified this flu season as having “high” severity across the U.S.
The Conversation asked epidemiologist Annette Regan to explain why this flu season is different from last year’s and what people can do to help reduce the spread.