FDA Limits COVID-19 Boosters to Seniors, Other High-Risk Groups

WEDNESDAY May 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided that only seniors and people at high risk should get the latest COVID-19 booster shots this fall.

The new framework, announced Tuesday, says adults 65 and older, and people with certain health conditions, can still get updated COVID-19 v...

Deaths Waiting For Lung Donation Have Dropped Under New Guidelines

WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) — New guidelines for allocating donated lungs are saving more lives, a new study says.

By prioritizing medical urgency, the guidelines caused a dramatic decline in the number of people who die waiting for a lung transplant, researchers reported Sunday at the American Thoracic Society’s i...

Battling Multiple Chronic Illnesses Can Double Risk Of Depression

WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Battling chronic disease really takes it out of a person, leaving them vulnerable to depression.

And people with multiple long-term health problems are even more likely to fall prey to depression, a new study says.

Some combinations of illnesses can more than double the likelihood a pe...

9 In 10 U.S. Teens Have Been Cyberbullied

Cyberbullying is widespread among U.S. teens and is linked to post-traumatic stress symptoms in middle- and high-school students, a new study says.

Nearly 9 of 10 teenagers have experienced cyberbullying, according to the study’s survey of nearly 2,700 U.S. middle- and high-school students. 

And results show that even subt...

Blood, Urine Tests Can Identify Level Of Ultra-Processed Food In Diet

WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Worried you’re scarfing down too many ultra-processed foods?

Blood and urine tests might be able to reveal how much of your diet is made up of industrially produced foods, a new study says.

Chemicals produced as the body converts ultra-processed food and drink into energy can be ...

Many Seniors Fear Cataract Surgery

WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Cataract surgery is one of the most foolproof procedures in medicine, with a success rate as high as 95%.

Nevertheless, many seniors don’t get cataract surgery because they fear losing their sight, researchers reported recently in The Journal of Clinical Ophthalmology.

M...

Bodybuilding Linked To Sudden Cardiac Deaths

WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Bodybuilders spend countless hours in the gym to create a heart-stopping physique.

But their efforts place their own hearts at risk of stopping, a new study says.

Sudden cardiac death is responsible for an unusually high proportion of deaths in male bodybuilders, researchers reported t...

Possible Plastic Contamination Prompts Nationwide Ice Cream Recall

Nearly 18,000 tubs of ice cream and frozen yogurt have been recalled because they may contain plastic pieces.

Wells Enterprises, an Iowa-based ice cream manufacturer, voluntarily recalled the products last month. Its brands include Blue Bunny and Halo Top ice cream products, according to The Associated Press.

The nationwide ...

NIH Scientists Still Face Layoffs Despite RFK Jr.'s Reassurances

Some of the nation's top brain researchers are still facing layoffs, even after U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said no working scientists would be cut.

Last month, scientists at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) got layoff notices. NINDS is part of the National Institu...

Publix Recalls Baby Food Over Possible Lead Contamination

Publix is recalling one of its popular GreenWise baby food pouches because it may contain lead, the company said this week. 

The recalled product is the Pear, Kiwi, Spinach & Pea Baby Food pouch.

The supermarket chain said it found the issue through routine testing and pulled the pouches off store shelves, NBC News ...

Scientists Find Gene That Helps Explain Why Men Are Taller Than Women

Men are usually about five inches taller than women, but scientists have long wondered why. Now, a new study points to a possible reason: A gene called SHOX.

The study -- published May 19 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences -- was drawn from genetic data from roughly 1 million people, The New York Times reported...

Heart Failure Patients Increase Their Odds Of Death By Skipping Yearly Doctor Visit

Two out of 5 people with heart failure are more likely to die because they aren’t regularly seeing a cardiologist, a new study says.

The 3 in 5 heart failure patients who do see a cardiologist once a year have a 24% lower risk of death, researchers report in the European Heart Journal.

“In patients with heart fai...

Recovering From A Heart Attack? Here's What You Shouldn't Do

Lounging around too much after a heart attack can set you up for another one, a new study says.

Within a year of being treated for heart attack symptoms, people who sat around afterwards for more than 14 hours a day on average were at greater risk for another heart-related health emergency, researchers reported May 19 in the journal Ci...