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The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans have just been published, and there are some positive moves as well as some of the same-old recommendations that have yet to be shown to be effective. Dietary advice always brings a variety of dissent and assents, so we thought we'd add some of our own.

Like the use of luminol in crime scene investigations, researchers at Duke University, in collaboration with MIT in Boston, have developed a chemical dye that emits brighter fluorescence in cancer cells than normal tissue. The innovation could lead to better surgical results, by preventing subsequent operations.

New York's Compassionate Care Act recently became state law, allowing dispensaries to open with medical marijuana only for those with well-defined diseases and conditions. So if Smoky Sam shows up there hoping to just get stoned, he'll be bummed out since the rules make it nearly impossible to get pot just to party.

An op-ed in the NY Times co-authored by Dr. H. Gilbert Welch decries Medicare's proposal to penalize doctors for ordering the prostate screening tests. That seems like an odd sentiment to endorse, given that we here at the American Council believe that these tests are being given far too often.

Writing at Reason, Ron Bailey dissects some worrying trends and then highlights some insight on cancer which, I am proud to say, came from us.

A new report by the Centers for Disease Control reveals that the number of heart-failure-related deaths is on the rise, in contrast to the slow, steady decline seen for over a decade. Another key finding was that the death rate was higher for blacks than for whites or Hispanics.

A very large study of Nordic twins published recently in JAMA found that there's a significant link between their genetic makeup and their risk of getting certain cancers, with the strongest links involving melanoma and the prostate.

Bariatric surgery is currently the most effective means of weight loss for the extremely obese; some types have even been shown to cause remission of diabetes. But these benefits occur with some downsides, which people should be aware of before choosing this type of treatment.

In Brazil, a new viral infection called Zika is doing great harm. It's causing an epidemic of severe birth defects, so much so that doctors are advising women to delay becoming pregnant. There is no treatment for it, although in non-pregnant victims the symptoms are not terribly severe.

Anti-vax sentiment gets a lot of media attention, but casual refusal of the flu vaccine doesn't. That said, it should, for no other reason than that many healthy people are putting senior citizens, and babies, and young people with immune issues at greater risk.

What exactly is missing from your diet that must be supplemented by an anabolic steroid? Not sure? Well, we don't know either. To find out, go ask Orrin Hatch. The longtime Utah Senator co-crafted the law that allows this insanity to occur.

Vitamin D has acquired the reputation of a sort of miracle nutrient, with various studies suggesting it can prevent cancer, strengthen muscle and bones and prevent falls and fractures. But recent studies don't support such ideas thus, no new miracles in sight!

About 20 percent of cancer clinical trials recruit less than half of the target number of participants. Knowing what factors contribute to this ongoing dilemma in cancer clinical trials could shift resources in the right direction.

Hormonal contraception has traditionally been available only with a doctor's prescription. That is changing in both Oregon and California, where only a pharmacist's approval will be necessary. But, is this a good development?

Three independently-working groups have developed an effective, albeit temporary, therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy to delete the defective gene and replace it with a functional gene. Although these succeeded in mice, human treatment will not be far behind.

Researchers at the University of California have been able to successfully create a liquid blood pressure medication that can be absorbed through the skin, without the requisite skin toxicity. The implications for transdermal drug delivery are multiple and profound.

More and more women are choosing to give birth at home, or in birthing centers, rather than in hospitals. The important question is whether these alternatives are safe for mothers and/or babies. A new report sheds light on this important question, and mostly appears to support the choice.

If you want doom and gloom, go visit Natural Resources Defense Council. In the world outside merchant of doubt brochures, things are better than ever.

In the film, actor Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, who elucidated the cause of early dementia, depression and death among a group of former NFL players: repetitive head trauma from football, known as CTE, and the opposition he had to overcome to publicize it.

Let's face it: New Years resolutions normally happen after the New Years Eve countdown, which means the night before you're probably still practicing old habits

Want to advocate for a food you want to sell or criticize a competitor? There's a study for that.

Hypothesis: A tiny dose of a chemical causes a greater biological response than a small or moderate dose. Sound ridiculous? Sure does. But that idea, known as hormesis, sounds just as wacky as when Einstein outlined quantum mechanics and Wegener proposed continental drift (and we know how those turned out).

I don't want to be a wet blanket about that Fitbit you got for Christmas is not going to make the difference.

People tend to fear what they don't understand, and cannot control. And that adds to the apprehension people have when evaluating the safety of food produced using genetically modified organisms. But added safety may be found in a new concept: a biologically-engineered "kill switch" for GM microbes.

Choosing Wisely, a campaign which uses lists of appropriate treatments, aims to encourage conversation between clinicians and patients about which diagnostic tests and procedures are most appropriate in addressing patients' health concerns.