Search results

American Council On Science and Health: How Toxic Is Salt?
With a recent mandate in New York City that restaurant chains label menu items containing more than the recommended daily allowance for salt, the American Council on Science and Health has tackled the issue with a short consumer-level book.
 

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing provided by 23andme claims to provide relatively benign services to consumers, but is it okay to trust a company who's CEO is married to the founder of Google?

What everyone "knows" is that dog ownership is good for one's health. But are there data to support that? Yes, a preliminary study from Sweden provides some confirming data.

What started off as a company which gleefully offered revolutionary technology and promises of breakthrough performance, Theranos seems to have failed miserably. Egregious errors were found when California investigators paid a visit to one of its facilities.

There are three instances where EPA worried the pubic about three bogus human carcinogens - though why remains a mystery.

Traditional Chinese exercises (TCE) such as tai chi have been shown to have biochemical, physiological and psychological beneficial on among cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients. But it’s unclear whether concurrent healthy lifestyle practices unrelated to TCE could also be responsible for such benefits of those previously stricken with a heart attack or stroke.

After much excitement and anticipation, the first attempt to transplant a donor uterus into one of ten clinical trial participants failed.

When a mother gives birth to two non-identical babies, it's usually safe to assume they also had the same father. But that assumption isn't always true. In (hopefully) rare cases, the "twins" are really half-siblings, rather than true twins.

Ever feel like you walk into a room and forget why you went in there in the first place? Relax, you don't have early onset memory loss. Scientists have pegged this phenomenon the "Doorway Effect." Watch our video to see how it works.

In data obtained from each individual state, researchers were able to determine that in many states, cancer is the leading cause of death, beating out cardiovascular disease, which has consistently been the leading cause of death since the 1940s.

A 48-year old California woman experienced a life-threatening blood clot and subsequent stroke after a routine hair wash. This happened as a result of what experts call “beauty parlor stroke syndrome," a rare but recognized condition among the neurology community.

When family history suggest an infant might be prone to developing allergies or autoimmune disease, the standard advice to parents is often to feed the baby formula in which the protein is broken down, or hydrolyzed. Supposedly, this will make the baby less likely to develop allergies. But a new, rigorous study refutes this idea, and may well have the formula industry hunting for better products.

AC/DC rocked the rock 'n 'roll world this month when they postponed further tour dates, out of concern for lead singer Brian Johnson's hearing. But as it turns out, the hearing problems facing Johnson - the 68-year-old frontman for a loud group of rock legends - may also face millions of millennials throughout the world.

The technique has been around since the early 90s, first being used only in cases for cystic fibrosis. Now, it is approved for more than 250 conditions.

An article recently published in the British Journal of Pharmacology discusses the synthesis of a molecule, PnPP-19 and its ability to block pain perception and potentiate erections. So as it turns out, not all spider venom is bad – in fact, it can be pretty great.

A British company is confronting the menstrual-talk “taboo” head-on with a new policy that offers women paid time off during their period. The hope is that the policy will allow women to take time for their body’s natural cycle without feeling the burdens of what continues to be a gender stigma.

Could diet be responsible for lung cancer? We know the leading cause is cigarette smoking, but what about the 10 percent or so of cases that occur in non-smokers? A new study suggests that a diet high in foods with a high glycemic index may be a culprit. Don't go on a potato and rice-free diet just yet. This study is just about worthless.

How will the Zika virus impact the U.S.? Hard to say, but researchers are taking it very seriously. In fact, one particular drug looks promising because it works similarly to Sovaldi, Gilead's revolutionary drug that was the first legitimate cure for hepatitis C. Although it's way too soon to tell if this approach will work, science is on their side.

Duke University researchers are developing a blood test that is able to accurately identify -- 87 percent of the time -- whether the source of an upper respiratory infection is caused by a viral or bacterial agent.

It's well accepted that being obese, or even overweight, isn't good for you. But some data suggests that these states might actually be healthy — a situation known as the obesity paradox. A new study suggests that this apparent contradiction is tied to the metric used to decide who's fat and who isn't — the BMI.

Apparently folks in Sweden have stepped up their game in the fight against cardiovascular disease, based on a marked decline in the population’s overall cholesterol levels. The best part is that this lowering had less to do with medicinal interventions, and more with residents adopting healthier lifestyles.

Is medicine ready for an Uber-style revolution to fill the void between what patients want and the type of healthcare services that are available?

Several previous studies have shown that common baseball overuse injuries in the U.S. have become a serious concern. But the first study focusing on the effects of a "well-monitored preseason training program" involving teenaged pitchers found that the regimen improved strength and arm flexibility, while reducing risk of injury.

Why does cursing feel so darn satisfying? And why is it so taboo?
Science says, expletives can help express many emotions, and in some cases, they can relieve pain! It's true, we swear!

Katherine Schreiber, Health Editor at Cosmopolitan, wanted to get to the bottom of the issue on one diet fad that's been around for decades - giving up carbohydrates. Carbs are, of course, an essential food, but during a previous health craze, low-fat, people took in a lot more carbs.
The American Council on Science and Health has long been trusted guides for the public when it comes to separating food fads from nutrition science, so Schreiber got together with the Council's Senior Nutrition Fellow, Dr. Ruth Kava, to talk about the downside to low carbs.