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Honey as an alternative to sugar? New study indicates the health benefits

Consuming raw honey from a single floral source may improve blood sugar control and lower cholesterol levels when taken within the context of a healthy diet, according to a recent study published in Nutrition Reviews.  “These results are surprising because honey is about 80% sugar,” said Tauseef Khan, a senior researcher on the study and a research associate in nutritional sciences at…

4 healthy diets that could extend your life

You can reduce the risk of an early death by nearly 20%, just by eating more foods from four healthy eating patterns, according to researchers who analyzed decades of data collected on more than 119,000 adults. The study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that people who ate the “highest-quality diets” had 20% lower risk of dying early from cancer, cardiovascular illness, and…

FDA accelerates approval for Alzheimer’s drug

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday announced the fast-tracked approval of an Alzheimer’s drug that modestly slows the brain-robbing disease to those with mild impairment. The drug, Leqembi, is the first that’s been convincingly shown to slow the decline in memory and thinking that defines Alzheimer’s by targeting the disease’s underlying biology. The FDA approved it for patients with…

India detects all omicron sub-variants of COVID-19

India has detected the presence of all omicron sub-variants of COVID-19 in the community after testing more than 300 samples since late December, the health ministry said in a statement on Monday. “No mortality or rise in transmission were reported in the areas where these variants were detected,” the ministry said.

Consuming ultra-processed foods could increase dementia risk

People could be at a higher risk for dementia if more than 20% of their daily caloric intake is ultra-processed foods, a new study found. The part of the brain involved in processing information and making decisions, or executive functioning, is particularly impacted by the risk of cognitive decline, according to the study published Monday in JAMA Neurology. In the study, people who consumed…

Gates Foundation contributes $1.2 billion to the fight to eradicate polio worldwide

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced $1.2 billion on Sunday for efforts to eradicate polio worldwide.  Polio was paralyzing tens of thousands of children a year in dozens of countries around the world just a few decades ago, but the virus is now only endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Part of the success in eradicating the virus is due to the nearly $5 billion that the Gates…

The Bubonic Plague influenced evolution of the human immune system, new study suggests

Centuries after the Black Death ravaged the medieval world, the genetic legacy of the disease still affects people to this day, according to a new study.  The genes that may have helped individuals survive the Bubonic Plague during the 14th century make some individuals more likely to acquire certain diseases in today’s modern world.  The study, published Wednesday in the British weekly journal…

Nurses and other health staff in UK leaving profession for better paying jobs

First there was Brexit.  Then there was “Drexit” — an exodus of doctors walking away the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. And now nurses and other staff in the NHS are heading for the doors, too. Staff are leaving the medical profession for better paying jobs, such as hospitality and retail, according to a recent NHS Providers survey. “All respondents say they are…

World Mental Health Day: ‘It’s OK to ask for support or help’

World Mental Health Day is Monday, Oct. 10, 2022 — an opportunity to take stock of our mental well-being especially in light of the mental health crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. “People all over the world have been impacted by our mental health crisis,” saidDr. Rebecca Brendel, president of the American Psychiatric Association. Based in Boston, she is an attorney as well a physician…

Health officials call for flu shots ahead of potentially severe season

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging Americans to get their flu shot ahead of a season that is predicted to be especially active.  Levels of the flu had been historically low amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but Australia recently saw a particularly nasty flu season, sparking fears worldwide.  CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Tuesday urged Americans to get a shot before the…

Israel plans on offering updated coronavirus booster by September

Israel will offer the updated COVID-19 booster shots from Pfizer designed to combat the Omicron BA.4/5 subvariants by the end of September, a senior health official said on Wednesday. Israel’s coronavirus task force chief Salman Zarka urged those in risk groups to take the booster along with a flu shot, though anyone above the age of 12 and at least three months from a previous shot or COVID-19…

WHO director-general says ‘the end is in sight’ for COVID pandemic

The world has never been in a better position to end the COVID-19 pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, urging nations to keep up their efforts against the virus that has killed over six million people. “We are not there yet. But the end is in sight,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at a virtual press conference. The comment was…

Ghana declares end to Marburg virus outbreak

Ghana has declared the end of an outbreak of Marburg virus, a highly infectious disease similar to Ebola, that was confirmed in July, the president’s office said on Monday. Ghana’s Marburg outbreak was the second in West Africa. The first ever case of the virus was detected last year in Guinea, with no further cases identified. “The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has officially declared Ghana free…

Herbal supplements and their side effects: Here’s how to stay safe

While herbal supplements are extremely popular today, they may not be right for everyone. And there are caveats attached to them from doctors and nutritionists. Attractively packaged and promising a world of health benefits, many of the herbal supplements available on the market are extremely potent, say doctors and nutritionists — and should be taken with care and medical advice. Americans…

Why scientists are studying wastewater to learn more about monkeypox, other diseases

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – First, it was COVID-19 that drove some Las Vegas scientists to the sewers. Now, it’s monkeypox. Turns out, what goes down the toilet can tell us a lot about diseases spreading in an area. That’s how scientists at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas know how widespread the monkeypox virus is, even before the health department. They were one of the first in the nation to…

British scientists behind crucial COVID trial pivot to monkeypox treatment research

The British scientists behind one of the major therapeutic COVID-19 trials have turned their focus to treatments for monkeypox, a viral disease that has been labeled a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). The team from Oxford University behind the so-called RECOVERY trial – which honed in on four effective COVID treatments – on Tuesday unveiled a new trial, dubbed…

Switzerland looks to secure 40,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine

Switzerland plans to procure 40,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine as well as 500 units of an antiviral drug, the government said on Wednesday. The army simultaneously aims to procure 60,000 vaccine doses and 500 drug doses as part of readiness measures, as the vaccine can also be used in the event of an outbreak of other smallpox viruses, it said. The drugs and vaccines, and their use in civilian…