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It's OK to eat bacterial proteins sprayed on organic crops, but dangerous to have the plants produce the same proteins, or so say the off-balanced, anti-GMO activists. But as an article in the Washington Post points out, that stance has less support than a two-legged stool.

A new study tries to demonstrate that there is a correlation between purchase (not even consumption) of soda and heart attacks. It fails miserably, but that didn't stop the Washington Post from swallowing it whole.

Knee or hip replacement surgery can greatly improve quality of life for arthritis sufferers. But new research indicates that these procedures may also increase the risk of heart attacks early in the recovery period.

Low levels of toxic aldehydes have been detected in a significant number of flavored vapors from e-cigarettes. Although there is no evidence yet that these levels are dangerous, there is no reason for their presence and they should be eliminated.

Everyone knows that if you eat less than you're used to eating you will be hungry. It's just a fact of life. But according to Gary Taubes, hunger is the elephant in the room when it comes to weight loss.

There are expensive drugs and there are expensive drugs. But they can be very different. Two new antibody drugs that drastically lower LDL cholesterol have just hit the market. But they cost about $1,000 per month for life. Hepatitis C drugs have been targeted as too expensive, but this is worse.

German green zealots have taken over the asylum, mandating a ban on GMOs, thanks to an EU dictum allowing each nation to make that decision independent of the overall EU policy. A Wall Street Journal editorial assesses the situation tersely, but accurately: Germany vs. Science.

Another expose of the phony dietary supplement industry scam by Dr. Pieter Cohen reminds us to warn all consumers about the dangers these useless and potentially toxic products pose to the unwary. Thanks to Dr. Cohen's work to keep this travesty in the news.

The so-called War on Fast Food has not been the healthcare boon that overzealous regulators anticipated it would be. But that hasn't stopped them from trying, and their latest endeavor is more of the same ineffective thinking, as a New York City lawmaker tries to clamp down on Happy Meals.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced that as of September 2, 2015, publication of the Federal Register notice announcing the decision, a genetically engineered (GE) potato variety developed by J.R. Simplot Company (Simplot) engineered for late blight resistance, low-acrylamide potential, reduced black spot bruising, and lowered reducing sugars will be non-regulated.

What's the best procedure for women diagnosed with DCIS breast cancer, also known as ductal carcinoma in situ? Should they undergo surgery, or just have more frequent mammograms? This crucial question is addressed in a recent study, but it doesn't seem to produce a clear answer.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT, "shock therapy") has been a well-accepted treatment for severe depression and other serious mental conditions for decades. Yet, most people perceive it like "the cuckoo's nest" last-resort. We discuss it rationally with experts here.

The (thankfully small) subset of loons that are also known as "AIDS Deniers" must have been overjoyed to see the news today. Some of the abbreviated headlines seems to suggest what they have been believing all along: That despite overwhelming and irrefutable evidence that HIV is the causative pathogen of AIDS, all of it is wrong. So they say.

Good news abounds in 2015 on the vaccine front and the CDC announced some more this week. Vaccine coverage rates among American kindergardeners is very high in most of the country. However, keep that "mission Accomplished" banner at bay. There's still advocacy work to be done.

It took a new national advertising campaign for the FDA to do what they have been saying they would do since the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 gave them the authority. We're on their side, so we don't want to be too mean, but why did it take six years?

Simple lifestyle interventions are a tempting target to stave off cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. Sadly, two new studies appearing in JAMA show no discernible benefit from exercise activity nor from omega-3 or vitamin supplementation.

First, the EPA bungled the mine disaster in Colorado, polluting a beloved river. Now, it's getting even tougher to believe its officials, when earlier this week the agency announced that an internal investigation of a separate matter cleared itself of wrongdoing.

A new trend among health care systems is posting patient evaluations of staff physicians, or "doctor report cards." This is a bad idea, as professional qualities of care, knowledge and compassion (much less outcomes) are not amenable to Yelp-like reviews as if doctors were personal computers on sale.

Bees die. A lot. They die in the winter, they die in the summer. Sometimes they die in one area, which is what happened in 2006. Why? Well, it could be stress. Or that beekeeping has become a fad, where amateurs are bungling their backyard hive. So there's mounting evidence that the so-called "Beepocalypse" is not to be Bee-lieved.

It appears that some Indiana school children may be forced to create a secret smuggling web. Does it involve drugs, or other contraband? No. They're doing it just to get through their midday meal. Do we want to raise a generation of students who worry they can't even trust their own lunch?

There's a new sugar substitute called allulose (aka psicose), with properties that could make it a very popular, non-caloric sweetener. But it must be manufactured. It'll be interesting to see how psicose will be received by the anti-sugar substitute psychos.

Congress tries to control drug prices and it blows up in their faces. How? Shortages of common drugs, and obscene price gouging for others. Unintended consequences? You bet, along with a few horrendously painful outcomes for patients.

Time to stop counting calories? Really? Doctors say some dietary changes are more important for reducing heart disease. But can t we do both?

A new study links long-term, continuous use of common painrelievers (NSAIDs and aspirin) to a reduced risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). This study does not prove a cause-and-effect benefit, and these drugs can cause bleeding, so discuss with your doctor.

Now that it's OK to eat fat again, we seem to need another dietary villain. Enter The Sugar Film, one Australian's attempt to blame sugar for his ills after he consumes way too much of the stuff. How convincing is it? Not very.