Overweight Kids Are at Risk for High Blood Pressure

FRIDAY, June 14, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Overweight preschoolers have twice the odds of developing high blood pressure by age 6, putting them at risk of heart attack and stroke later in life.

And those odds begin building as early as age 4, a new study reports.

"The myth that excess weight in children has no consequences ham...

Best Gift From Dad for Kids: More Time Together

FRIDAY, June 14, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Father's Day is a once-a-year celebration of the bond between Dad and his kids, but cementing that bond takes a year-round commitment.

A new study suggests the type of involvement (caregiving vs. play) and the timing (workday vs. weekend) make a difference.

University of Georgia research...

Education, Intelligence Might Protect Your Brain

FRIDAY, June 14, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Being smart and highly educated may not prevent Alzheimer's disease, but it appears to delay the disease's impact on everyday life, a new study suggests.

Researchers can't prove that that's the case, but their data suggests it might be.

"Our study was designed to look for trends, not...

FDA Warns of Infections From Fecal Transplants After 1 Death

FRIDAY, June 14, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Fecal transplants -- transferring fecal matter from a healthy person into an ill person with a compromised "microbiome" -- is an increasingly used new treatment for a variety of ills.

But on Thursday federal health officials announced that a patient died after such a procedure, highlighting the...

Hot Water Soak May Help Ease Poor Leg Circulation

FRIDAY, June 14, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Could soaking in hot water followed by light exercise work as well on peripheral artery disease (PAD) as a longer bout of exercise does?

The authors of a new study suggest it could, but some PAD experts aren't convinced.

Peripheral artery disease affects about 8.5 million Americans....

AHA News: Are Transgender Men and Women Who Take Hormones at Risk for Heart Disease?

FRIDAY, June 14, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- The impact of hormone therapy on the heart health of transgender men and women has been the subject of several studies published within the last year. But medical experts and researchers aren't ready to sound the alarm just yet.

"We have to recognize that hormones can be lifes...

When Healthy Eating Turns Into a Dangerous Obsession

FRIDAY, June 14, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- When eating healthy becomes an around-the-clock obsession, it could be a sign of trouble.

An extreme preoccupation with clean eating is an eating order called orthorexia nervosa. Though less well-known than anorexia nervosa or bulimia -- and not as well-documented -- a new study review says orth...

'Daddy-Do-Overs': Men Increasingly Getting Plastic Surgery

FRIDAY, June 14, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- A face-lift for Father's Day, anyone?

It could happen: A new report finds many more men are taking advantage of the same plastic surgeries that have long been associated with women.

The midlife decision by men to try a face-lift or other procedure has been nicknamed the "Daddy-Do-Over...

Common Infant Vaccine May Also Shield Kids From Type 1 Diabetes

FRIDAY, June 14, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Vaccinating against the common infant infection rotavirus not only cuts a child's odds of getting sick, it might also prevent them from developing type 1 diabetes later in life, new research suggests.

Infants who got all of the recommended doses of the "stomach flu" virus vaccine had a 33% ...

5 Easy Ways to Cut Back Your Salt Intake

FRIDAY, June 14, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- About two-thirds of Americans have taken steps to cut back on salt, according to the International Food Information Council Foundation.

This often starts with comparing labels and choosing foods -- from soups to canned veggies -- with less sodium. Here are four more steps that you can take to ...

A Simple Way to Help Prevent Child Obesity

FRIDAY, June 14, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Kids who don't drink water take in nearly 100 more calories from sugary drinks every day than those who do, according to a recent Penn State study.

About one-fifth of children fall into the no-water group.

But a multi-year experiment in the New York City public schools involving more ...

Type 1 Diabetes Might Affect Young Kids' Brain Development

THURSDAY, June 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at an early age have slowed growth in brain areas linked to mild cognitive deficits, new research suggests.

The study compared MRIs of the brain in kids with type 1 diabetes to age-matched children without the condition. Researchers also saw that areas ...

50 Years After Ban, Canadian Lakes Still Have High Levels of DDT

THURSDAY, June 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Although DDT was banned in the 1970s, the toxic pesticide still lurks in the sediment of lakes in New Brunswick, Canada, researchers report.

To control insects, airplanes sprayed nearly 6,300 tons of DDT onto New Brunswick forests between 1952 and 1968.

Sprayed DDT can enter lakes a...

2 Hours/Week in Nature: Your Prescription for Better Health?

THURSDAY, June 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Spending just a couple of hours a week enjoying nature may do your body and mind some good, a new study suggests.

The study, of nearly 20,000 adults in England, found that people who spent at least two hours outdoors in the past week gave higher ratings to their physical health and mental wel...

Later School Start Time Pays Off With More Attentive Students

THURSDAY, June 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- It's a no-brainer -- not getting enough sleep makes it harder for kids to learn. And a new study finds that starting school later in the morning can help teens be more alert during the day.

In 2017, the Cherry Creek School District in Greenwood Village, Colo., changed start times from 8 a.m...

Exercise Rates Rising for Urban, Rural Americans: CDC

THURSDAY, June 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- The trend towards Americans getting off their couches and into gyms is hitting city and country folk alike, according to a new report.

Overall, the percentage of all adults who now meet or exceed federal exercise guidelines rose from 18.2% in 2008 to 24.3% by 2017, researchers at the ...

Epilepsy DrugTied to Higher Risk of Suicidal Behavior in Young Users

THURSDAY, June 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- A new study supports the notion that a drug used to control epilepsy and other disorders could make some young people more prone to suicide.

The medicine, pregabalin (Lyrica), comes from a class of drugs called gabapentinoids. Besides their use against epilepsy, these drugs are also used to t...

CDC Opens Emergency Operations Center for Congo Ebola Outbreak

THURSDAY, June 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- The United States is stepping up its response to a historic outbreak of Ebola in two African nations.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention activated its Emergency Operations Center Thursday to assist in the government's response to the second-largest outbreak of Ebola on recor...

Drug ODs, Suicides Soaring Among Millennials: Report

THURSDAY, June 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- So-called "deaths of despair" are skyrocketing among millennials, with thousands of 18- to 34-year-olds losing their lives to drugs, alcohol and suicide each year, a new report says.

During the past decade, drug-related deaths among that age group increased by 108%, alcohol-induced deaths b...

Male Victims of Domestic Violence Often Suffer in Silence

THURSDAY, June 13, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Men who are victims of domestic violence find it hard to get help and the support they need, British researchers report.

"While both men and women are reluctant to seek professional help for their abuse, there is an added barrier for men voiced in these studies, that they may be falsely accus...