Most Recommended Health News

GENEVA (AFP) - Early exposure to chemicals used in the making of products such as baby bottles or plastic food wraps may lead to obesity, according to new research.

ATHENS, Greece - A 9-year-old girl who went to hospital in central Greece suffering from stomach pains was found to be carrying her embryonic twin, doctors said Thursday.

WASHINGTON - Would consumers get the same warm, fuzzy message from a drug advertisement that promised to lift their mood if it also urged them to report side effects like suicidal thoughts and diarrhea?

WASHINGTON - Legislation that would require prescription drug makers to disclose payments to doctors got a boost Tuesday when Eli Lilly and Co. broke ranks with the industry and endorsed the bill.

ATLANTA - People 60 and older should get a one-time shingles shot that can help prevent the painful rash, U.S. health officials are recommending. There's a 50-50 chance the shot will prevent shingles for those 60 and up, though the odds get worse the older you get. But shingles can be severe for some people, and the government believes it's worth the $160-per-dose cost.

Breast cancer patients with low levels of vitamin D were much more likely to die of the disease or have it spread than patients getting enough of the nutrient, a study found — adding to evidence the "sunshine vitamin" has anti-cancer benefits. The results are sure to renew arguments about whether a little more sunshine is a good thing.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research shows "alarming levels" of obesity in most ethnic groups in the United States, principal investigator Dr. Gregory L. Burke, of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina told Reuters Health. The study also confirms the potentially deadly toll obesity exacts on the heart and blood vessels.

BEIJING (AFP) - China said Thursday that no major disease outbreaks had been reported in the earthquake zone but warned that a battle against epidemics was only just beginning as relief workers recovered bodies.

An anti-bleeding drug probably will stay off the market, experts say, after a rigorous study found patients getting the medication during heart surgery were much more likely to die than patients given other drugs.

Evidence is growing that vitamin D, which the skin makes from sunshine, is linked to lower risk of breast cancer and other cancers. But that doesn't mean it's good to get a golden tan — and certainly not a sunburn.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A protein responsible for repairing damaged DNA may be a vital link to explaining how smoking causes lung cancer, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

People with implanted heart devices need closer follow-up care, an international panel of heart specialists recommended Wednesday in the first guidelines for monitoring this rapidly growing group of patients.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Giving elderly people either Aleve or Celebrex, two anti-inflammatory painkilling drugs, did nothing to ward off the mental decline associated with the onset of Alzheimer's disease, researchers said on Monday.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Heavy drinking causes high blood pressure, stiff arteries and rigid heart muscles in men and enlarged hearts in women, boosting their risk of having heart attacks and strokes, researchers said on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials on Thursday recommended that people 60 and older get Merck & Co Inc's vaccine Zostavax to protect against shingles, a viral infection that causes a painful, blistering rash.

WASHINGTON - Get your daughters off the couch: New research shows exercise during the teen years — starting as young as age 12 — can help protect girls from breast cancer when they're grown. Middle-aged women have long been advised to get active to lower their risk of breast cancer after menopause.

LONDON (Reuters) - A coming wave of Chinese pills is set to push down the price of generic drugs, as more low-cost finished medicines from the country win approval in major markets, according to a report on Tuesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obesity is a well known risk factor for certain physical health problems, but a new study suggests that heavy adults also have higher rates of psychiatric disorders.