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When those two little red lines pop up on a pregnancy test, it does not take long for most mothers to shift into full ‘operation healthy pregnancy’ mode. The standard list of things to do to shift the odds in your favor of having a healthy baby have not changed much over the decades and it's rare that a new recommendation gets added. However, a new study may do just that - adding take vitamin B3 (also called niacin) to the list. 
It is rare that an entire story gets neatly wrapped up in one paper, but that is the case with this new report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Vitamin B3 is in the news because of findings that it may prevent birth defects. But B3 (aka niacin) has a number of different names and also is similar in spelling and pronunciation to other molecules. We try to clarify things.

Although governmental and medical advisories warn the population to "eat less salt" on the theory that this will help deal with hypertension, there are some holdouts who avoid giving such wholesale advice. That includes ACSH, and a Doctor of Pharmacy who says it's sugar, not salt that is the root of all (vascular) evil. And, he says, we should eat more salt. Who to believe?

The reality is simple: In the developed world, you have very little to fear. We live our lives in good health and safety, and much of that is attributable to the wonderful advances of science and technology.

Mommy blogs can be chock full of great advice.  They become problematic when bloggers dispense and perpetrate bad medical advice.  Learn why leaving the bun in the oven for too long can be a situation of life and death.

A recent report generated out of London by the National Health Service (NHS) paints a grim picture about systemic failings in healthcare of the sickest patients. It is not rocket science as to the "why," in fact the reason is rather simple.

Avoiding cows' milk in favor of plant-based substitutes (e.g. rice, soy or almond "milks") has been part of the vegan lifestyle for years. And now, the popularity of such substitutes has been increasing.  According to a recent study, it might mean less growth in kids fed these "milks".

Trending this summer is the oh-so-delicious Moscow Mule, served traditionally in a solid copper mug. Lovers of the mule swear by its unique taste (thanks to the copper). But the dangers of the drink don't lie in the alcohol, but rather in the copper leaching into your drink.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest wants to ban food coloring. Seeing Red, is a slick marketing of ideas blending health studies with some misdirection promoting an agenda to “revoke approval for all food dyes.”

TCSPI wants to ban food coloring. Seeing Red, is a slick marketing of ideas blending health studies with some misdirection promoting an agenda to “revoke approval for all food dyes.”

Winston Churchill once said that Russia is "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." That's in many ways still true. However, Russia is a complete open book compared to the Hermit Kingdom.
The latest development in the ongoing saga of North Korea is Kim Jong-Un's threat to attack Guam. If he was capable of that (and he very well might be), would he actually do it?

Chelation therapy is the main form of treatment for toxic acute metal poisonings.  Somehow, this treatment has become mainstream with claims by junk science gurus that chelation treats other disorders, real or imagined. 

Last year a Senate committee dragged Dr. Mehmet Oz over the coals for his promotion of dubious supplements on his TV show. Earlier this year Eric T. Schneiderman, the NY State attorney general, accused several stores of selling mislabeled and adulterated herbal supplements. After that, 14 state attorneys general asked Congress to further investigate the supplement industry.

Pope Francis can claim many firsts; he is the first non-European Pope since 741 AD, the first from the Americas and the first from the Southern Hemisphere. Given his nuanced positions on science issues like climate change and agriculture, some might also consider him the first scientific Pope. That isn't correct, but he may be the most scientific in history.
Francis is not scientific due to credentialism, he does not have any advanced degree in chemistry. Instead, he is scientific by behavior.

A New York Post op-ed calls out songwriter and activist Neil Young for his misguided beliefs about sound agricultural practices, specifically his loud-mouthed (but widely heard) ignorance about GMO technology and its potential for saving lives threatened by malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies.

A family in rural Pennsylvania bore the sad fruits of believing in products that could not possibly help when illness struck. We hope this tragedy can be a lesson for others possibly vulnerable to the siren call of phony health remedies: this time it s homeopathy.
Eighteen-month old toddler Ho

Everyone wants transparency about their food, at least on surveys, but few people actually read the labels.

Despite the old adage about what pots call kettles, we would be remiss in our duties if we did not point out the arrogance of the title in a new piece about sunscreen in Time: This Is the Only Sunscreen Article You Need to Read.
ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom says, When I start calling others arrogant, it is not unfair to wonder if I have clinched first place in the Hypocrite of the Year award. But in this case, it s not as bad as it seems. If Time is making such a grandiose claim, one would hope that the information

We have to give a shout-out to freelance science writer Kavin Senapathy for her interview on dnaindia.com. Senapathy eloquently conveys the facts on genetically modified food for the article: Organic vs GM: finding the grain of truth.

ACSH friend and Fox News host John Stossel has penned a commentary bemoaning the current status of scientific discourse in America. We here at ACSH agree, sadly, with the main thrusts of his cri de coeur: fixed beliefs based on ideology are the opposite of science.

Jessica Alba has a billion dollar baby supply enterprise called The Honest Company, and it is based on the idea that the products people use should be safe and non-toxic (surprisingly, many companies don't!). Sounds nice, who could argue with that?
ACSH friend Julie Gunlock, that s who.
Gunlock, of the Independent Women s Forum and the Culture of Alarmism, has a fascinating opinion piece in today s New York Post that pulled back the curtain on Alba s enterprise and her assessment: Alba s product is not baby supplies; it s fear.

The field of personalized medicine continues to explode. We have discussed the nascent approach of tailoring cancer treatments to specific gene mutations rather than the type of cancer. Although results have been mixed, many researchers believe that this is the future of cancer therapy, replacing the traditional scattershot approach.

Acute appendicitis has been the most common surgical emergency causing ER visits since records have been kept. It has been crucial to rapidly differentiate acute AP pain from pain unrelated to an acute, possibly emergency condition. Until now, that is: antibiotics and observation may be an option.

When it comes to which foods are healthy and which foods are not, everyone has an opinion and whether you re right or wrong there s probably science to back you up. This makes it difficult for you, the consumer, to make the right choices.

We ve written recently on America s lackadaisical use of sunscreen as well as the increasing rates of skin cancer, including deadly melanoma, reported by the CDC. Clearly, more must be done to educate the public on the importance of skin protection, and when and how often sunscreen should be applied to avoid skin damage. New technology in the form of smartphone apps and wearable