Scientists look to babies’ gut bacteria to predict their asthma and allergy risk

Products that promote “good bacteria” continue to be popular among health-seekers in supermarkets, with probiotic drinks like kombucha gaining notoriety. Even beyond digestion, the various microorganisms that live in your gut (called your “gut microbiota”) may affect things like your mood and how often you get sick. So it’s no surprise that scientists wanted to find out how gut bacteria in babies affected their likelihood for developing asthma and allergies.

Sugar industry made fat the scapegoat for heart disease decades ago

In the 1960s, the sugar industry funded Harvard research that downplayed the risks of sugar and emphasized the dangers of fat, according to a new study from the University of California, San Francisco, published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Around this time, studies were coming out, linking sugar with risk factors for heart disease, like high cholesterol and triglycerides, the researchers said. So instead of letting sugar take the heat, they made dietary fat the patsy.

Newsflash: Your pap smear doesn’t check for ovarian cancer! Here’s what to do to be proactive

September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. In the U.S. this year, an estimated 22,280 women will receive an ovarian cancer diagnosis, and 14,240 women will die of it, according to the American Cancer Society. It is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women.

When easing the pain turns fatal: The big problem with opioids and anti-anxiety drugs

You may or may not have heard that opioid painkiller use has skyrocketed into epidemic proportions, with deadly overdoses on the rise. For example, The Washington Post reported that between 1999 and 2014, deadly opioid overdoses among middle-aged white women shot up 400 percent. But it’s not just opioid use we have to worry about. In fact, anti-anxiety drugs called benzodiazepines contributed to many of those deaths, even as much as a third of them in recent years.

For all pregnant mothers and soon to be: 3 things to avoid premature birth

Preterm birth refers to babies born before 37 weeks’ gestation. Babies who are born early may be at risk for breathing, heart, gastrointestinal and developmental problems. In the U.S., 11.4 percent of births are preterm (twice as high as several other developed nations, researchers say). But new research suggests up to a quarter of these preterm births may be preventable by addressing three simple risk factors that are within your control.

The dirty secret of antibacterial soaps

For years, scientific studies have been sounding the alarm that antibacterial soaps may do more harm than good. Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is putting its foot down, issuing a ban against 19 ingredients, including the most common ones -- triclosan and triclocarban. Makers of these soaps have one year to remove the banned ingredients; luckily, some have already begun phasing them out. The reason? These ingredients may be putting your health at risk, and quite frankly, they’re no better than regular ol’ soap and water!

PTSD linked with mental decline and dementia among September 11 first responders

On Sept. 11, 2001, selfless rescuers and first responders rushed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. It was a day of terror in New York City, rattling the nation as many of us watched the scene unfold on TV. As rescue efforts continued amidst the rubble, stories of hope emerged, thanks to the efforts of first responders. Now, over a decade later, the aftermath still lingers in their minds -- and it’s affecting their health, according to a recent study.

Simplify the hard task of picking the right cancer treatment: Let your genes decide

After a diagnosis of cancer comes the discussion of treatment options. The patient contemplates trying chemotherapy or radiation therapy, but wonders whether these treatment options will work. After all, they do come with a lot of collateral damage. For some people, the treatment causes more trouble than if the growth was just left untreated. Meanwhile, others respond quite well to the treatment. So, how is a patient to know which category he or she will fall into?

What you should know before reaching for the calcium supplements

Calcium supplements are pretty popular, but they may not be helping your health like you think they are. Many people take them for their bones, but research shows “the more the merrier” just isn’t the case with calcium. Taking in excess calcium (more than you need) in the form of supplements or food won’t make your bones less likely to break. Plus, calcium supplements may cause bloating, constipation, interference with medications, and particularly in men, greater heart attack risk (due to vascular calcification).

5 reasons you need the health benefits of omega 3s

We hear a lot about healthy fats and how good they are for our bodies. In fact, they’re a mainstay of the praised Mediterranean diet, with staples like olive oil, whole grains and avocado. One of the reasons the Mediterranean diet is often recommended is due to the healthy omega-3 and omega-6 ratio, with more omega-3s in the diet than omega-6s. The typical Western diet gets plenty of omega-6s, but not enough omega-3s, and this can cause inflammation and disease.

Omega-3s: What’s the difference between DHA and EPA?

Omega-3 fatty acids are known for their brain and heart health benefits, but then you see terms like DHA and EPA thrown around in the same sentence. These types of omega-3s each serve unique functions. So what is the difference between DHA and EPA?

Your quick guide to eating clean (don’t get groceries without this)

“Eating clean” is something you hear a lot. But what does it mean for food to be “clean”? And what’s “dirty” about food that isn’t so-called “clean”? Clean eating is all about eating more whole, nutritious, fresh foods -- as nature intended. Clean foods are unprocessed, or minimally processed, and are in their most natural, organic form, free of pesticides, GMOs, added sugar, unhealthy fats, preservatives, color additives, binders, stabilizers and emulsifiers. So if you've ever tried to eat clean or want to, here's a quick cheat sheet.

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