Health & Medicine

  1. Health & Medicine

    Measuring Soft Drinks’ Jolt

    Researchers report what most soft-drink labels don't: how much caffeine your refreshments contain.

    By Janet Raloff
  2. Health & Medicine

    Infectious Obesity: Adenovirus fattens stem cells

    Some cases of obesity may result from infection by a virus that can transform adult stem cells into fat-storing cells.

    By Brian Vastag
  3. Health & Medicine

    If You Can Stomach It: Obesity surgery extends life span

    Drastic weight loss achieved through gastric bypass and other stomach surgeries improves long-term survival for very obese people.

    By Nathan Seppa
  4. Health & Medicine

    Vaccine targets ovarian-cancer cells

    A vaccine for ovarian cancer enables some women who've undergone chemotherapy to stay in remission.

    By Nathan Seppa
  5. Health & Medicine

    Lithium might help bone healing

    In mice, treatment with lithium assists in the production of a bone-repair protein and improves the healing of fractures.

    By Nathan Seppa
  6. Health & Medicine

    Caffeine Aids Golden Girls’ Mental Health

    Coffee and tea appear to keep aging women sharp. Men, not so much.

    By Janet Raloff
  7. Health & Medicine

    Calming Factor: DNA vaccine for MS passes initial test

    A DNA vaccine against multiple sclerosis passes a safety trial and shows signs of suppressing immune-directed nerve damage.

    By Nathan Seppa
  8. Health & Medicine

    Anti-inflammatory prevents pancreatic cancer in mice

    An anti-inflammatory drug of the COX-2 inhibitor family blocks precancerous lesions in mice prone to pancreatic cancer.

    By Nathan Seppa
  9. Health & Medicine

    Nerve Link: Alzheimer’s suspect shows up in glaucoma

    Amyloid-beta, the protein fragment implicated in Alzheimer's disease, may also play a role in glaucoma.

    By Nathan Seppa
  10. Health & Medicine

    Skeletal Discovery: Bone cells affect metabolism

    A protein made by bone cells has a surprising influence on energy metabolism, and could have a role in treating diabetes.

    By Patrick Barry
  11. Health & Medicine

    Serotonin lower in shift workers

    Workers who rotate between day and night shifts have less of the brain chemical serotonin than day shift workers do.

    By Brian Vastag
  12. Health & Medicine

    CT heart scans: Risk climbs as age at screening falls

    CT scans are increasingly used to investigate heart blockages, but their X rays can increase cancer risk.

    By Janet Raloff