Tomatoes vegetables.
Diet, Nutrition, Prevention, Supplements

Antioxidants help stave off a host of health problems – but figuring out how much you’re getting can be tricky

Although your body produces some of these antioxidants, you can get them from the foods you eat, and they’re better for you than supplements.

In fact, researchers found that antioxidant supplements did not reduce deaths, and some supplements in excessive amounts contribute to oxidative stress, and may even increase the risk of dying.

In contrast, increased antioxidant intake from whole foods is related to decreased risk of death.

Capitol at Dusk
Politics, Prevention, Public Health

Shutdown leaves gaps in states’ health data, possibly endangering lives

The pause leaves states with less early warning on disease outbreaks, potentially endangering lives even as child vaccination rates drop amid increased exemptions and hesitancy fed by misinformation. State and local officials can combat outbreaks with targeted advice to get vaccinated and stay home when sick, but they need to know where to do that first. And residents won’t know to take precautions if they’re unaware when many in their community are falling ill.

AI generated image of a cheerful robot doctor holding a stethoscope up: ChatGPT.
Biotechnology, Cardiology, Heart and Circulatory System, Technology

Stethoscope, meet AI – helping doctors hear hidden sounds to better diagnose disease

AI technology can identify the hidden differences in the sounds of healthy and damaged hearts and use them to diagnose disease before traditional acoustic changes like murmurs even appear. Instead of relying on the presence of extra or abnormal sounds to diagnose disease, AI can detect differences in sound that are too faint or subtle for the human ear to detect.

AN illustration of a rural doctor's office with a 'closed' sign hanging on the front door. the building is small and simple, with a wood
Politics, Rural Health, Rural Hospitals

Trump’s new $100K visa fee could worsen state doctor shortages, experts say

Rural communities have long struggled to recruit and retain doctors. Many rural hospitals are struggling financially, and have had to eliminate services or even shut down. The shortage of providers is critical in rural communities that tend to have higher rates of chronic illness and early death compared with their urban counterparts.

Many immigrant physicians help fill those gaps thanks in part to the H-1B visa, which allows skilled foreign workers to come work in the U.S.