The good news is, as we ve reported in the past, that overall rates of obesity in children and teens have stopped increasing. But, and it s an important but, the rate of severe obesity in kids has not leveled off.

More non-news on arsenic and rice
In today s Let s Worry About Nothing news, there is a story that will either make people feel better, worse, or simply confused about a non-problem tiny amounts of arsenic in rice.

It s that time of year again. Summer s over, and school is starting again. And with this new year comes another (predictable) chance for activist groups posing as scientific experts to scare parents

Most breast cancer deaths occurred among women who had not been screened, and the median age of diagnosis was 49-50. The authors say this calls for more frequent and younger age for mammograms to start.

In a first-of-its-kind study, e-cigarettes proved equal or superior to nicotine patches in helping smokers quit, but those who used e-cigs were far more enthusiastic about them than those who used the patches.

Graphic images on cigarette packs may be doing their jobs. A new study shows the visuals were more likely to discourage teens from smoking than when warnings were text-only

A drug that had previously been proven effective for treatment of adults and children with sickle- cell anemia has been found to significantly cut annual hospital costs for children with the disease

Viewers of The Biggest Loser the popular TV show about extremely obese people who lose massive amounts of weight might be excused for thinking that exercise is the key to weight loss, since the show focuses mostly on participants exercise routines.

The beneficial cardiovascular effects of statins are anything but news. But a very large retrospective study from Taiwan may bring the utility of these drugs to an entirely new level it appears that the use of high dose statins significantly cut the risk of senile dementia in older people.

It s well-known that hypertension is a strong risk factor for stroke and other cardiovascular ills, but it is a silent condition in most and may not be diagnosed and treated appropriately.