Long-Term Melatonin Might Harm Heart Health, Study Says

Folks using melatonin supplements as a sleep aid might be putting themselves at risk for future heart problems, a new study says.

Adults with insomnia who’d been using melatonin for a year or more had 90% higher odds of heart failure, researchers are scheduled to report Nov. 10 in New Orleans at a meeting of the American Heart Associ...

Three-Pronged Blood Test Highlights Heart Attack Risk

A new three-pronged blood test can highlight people with a nearly tripled risk for heart attack, a new study says.

The test relies on three blood markers linked to heart disease: lipoprotein a [Lp(a)], remnant cholesterol and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hsCRP], researchers are slated to report at a Nov. 10 meeting of the American ...

Light Pollution Harming Heart Health, Study Says

The bright lights of the big city might seem dazzling, but they can be hard on your heart health, a new study says.

People exposed to high levels of artificial light have an increasingly higher risk of heart disease, researchers are scheduled to report at a Nov. 10 meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans.

Higher expo...

Device Provides 'Smart Toilet' Feedback On Health

A new “smart toilet” device aims to help people track their health by analyzing their bathroom trips.

The Dekoda device clamps around the rim of any standard toilet, where it uses advanced sensors to scan a person’s waste, says its manufacturer, Kohler Health.

With this data, folks can monitor their hydration and gu...

Study Finds Surprising Link Between Gut and Brain Rhythms

The human body is packed with natural rhythms, from your sleep-wake cycle to the steady pulsing of blood through the brain to heart rate and pulse. 

Now, scientists say the gut may hold the key to understanding how this complex coordination happens in the brain’s blood vessels.

Researchers at the University of California S...

Scientists Find the Genetic Clues That Let Humans Walk on Two Legs

Two small changes in human DNA may have played a big role in helping our ancestors walk upright, researchers say.

The study, recently published in the journal Nature, found that these tweaks changed how a key hip bone developed.

This allowed early humans to stand, balance and walk on two legs instead of moving on all fours l...

Can Texting Your Therapist Work? New Study Says Yes

A growing number of Americans are turning to therapy by text message, and new research suggests it can be just as effective as traditional video sessions for some patients.

In a study published Oct. 30 in JAMA Network Open, researchers found that people with mild to moderate depression who used text-based therapy showed similar im...

FDA to Ease Copycat Drug Rules, Speeding Access to Cheaper Drugs

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Wednesday that it will relax certain rules for approving low-cost versions of some high-priced medications, in an effort to speed up access to cheaper alternatives.

The decision affects biosimilars — medicines that are near-identical copies of biologic drugs made from living cells...

Dr. Casey Means’ Senate Confirmation Postponed After Going Into Labor

Dr. Casey Means’ confirmation hearing to become the next U.S. surgeon general was postponed Thursday after she went into labor with her first child, officials confirmed.

Means, who was nominated in May by President Donald Trump, had been scheduled to appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that mornin...

This Common Halloween Candy Might Be the Scariest Thing You Eat

They may make your lips pucker, but sour candies can do more than surprise your taste buds — they can seriously damage your teeth, experts warn.

“These candies combine two factors that increase mouth acidity and accelerate enamel erosion,” said Nadine Tassabehji, an assistant professor at Tufts University School of Dental...

Gene Test Can Predict Risk For Gout Medicine Side Effects

A new gene test might be able to predict which gout patients will have a bad skin reaction to a common medication for the condition, researchers say.

A newly discovered gene combined with an already known genetic factor could explain the risk of skin side effects in more than 80% of U.S. gout patients prescribed allopurinol, researchers re...

Millions Carry Hidden Cancer Risk, Experts Say

Millions of Americans carry hidden genetic mutations that increase their risk of cancer, regardless of their family’s cancer history, according to a new study.

As many as 5% of Americans, or about 17 million, have genetic variants linked to cancer, researchers recently reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association