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Obesity is not as simple as avoiding exercise or overindulging with food. It's been known for some time that genetics are also involved. A new study shows that not only are there epigenetic factors at play, but they're also present at birth. 

There are probably few, if any, nutritional advisories that are as hotly debated as the appropriate level of sodium intake for healthy adults. Yes, the Dietary Guidelines and the American Heart Association recommend an upper limit of 2,300 mg sodium per day (about a teaspoon). But some new research is being added to the literature indicating that level of restriction may be too strict.

What makes Italian-style coffee good for prostate health? The same style of coffee (high pressure, high temperature) that has also shown to increase cholesterol levels.  Mostly because the relationship between coffee and science is a love-hate. Coffee certainly isn't a miracle drink, but it does have some benefits.
 
 

A young man who recently received a lung transplant, following a terrible case of pneumonia that caused his lungs to collapse, has died. He made national headlines because his petition to receive new lungs was initially rejected because he had smoked marijuana.

Leishmaniasis, transmitted by a sandfly bite, causes 500,000 cases of visceral disease and 1.5 million cases of cutaneous disease – resulting in 50,000 deaths annually. The drugs to treat it are terrible. If the parasite doesn’t kill you, the treatment may make you wish it had.       

With warm weather, it's necessary to be aware of the usual tick-transmitted suspects, Lyme disease and the West Nile virus. These are nasty enough, but there's a bad boy out there that makes them look like creamed spinach. Meet the Powassan virus. It is pure evil.

It's indisputable that we need to develop new antibiotics – and fast. It's also all-but-indisputable that once this gets into the hands of politicians, they will screw it up. They sure did this time. American Council advisor Dr. David Shlaes explains. 

A legal document in California suggests the American Council is why $1 billion in environmental fundraising is failing to convince Americans their food is unsafe. Our president is too modest to agree – but it's a terrific compliment.

If someone's going to commit mass murder of innocent civilians, it follows that he's going to lie about it. Which is exactly what Bashar al-Assad did when he denied Syria used chemical weapons in the April 4 attack. What revealed the lie? Chemistry.

Is there gender discrimination in payments made to physicians? Not by Medicare, Medicaid or insurance companies. So why does Doximity, a social network of physicians, say it exists? It all depends on what you're measuring. 

Several years after Obamacare was approved, healthcare costs continue to rise in America. The question of why – and, perhaps more importantly, how much of these costs should be covered by the government – continue to spark intense political debate. New research may shed some light on this issue.

Researchers at the University of Iowa have identified two antibodies that, in their words, "blocked tumor creation" in breast cancer and melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. While it's not without reservations, this cancer research is somewhat promising. 

The 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act is some kinda shady piece of legislation, one that continues to do damage. You might say were not huge fans. But on the enforcement side, it's great to see that 14 companies have been busted by FDA for selling phony cancer claims. Only $30 billion in revenue now to go after.

Our oceans, rivers and landfills are getting clogged with plastic bags — especially the kind we get in grocery stores. It's a real problem, since they're not biodegradable. But now researchers have discovered that a caterpillar that lives in bee hives — the wax moth caterpillar — can actually eat the plastic and thrive!

The Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on the use of opioid-containing drugs for children. Is this an overreaction? Maybe.

A study suggests that supplemental choline in your diet is "clot enhancing," and therefore bad. Yet studies say we need choline because it prevents chronic diseases. So what's the best approach?

We all understand the impact of a gaping wound, or the wasted appearance of a body overrun by cancer. But often there are more silent and invisible conditions that not only invoke a physical furor, but emotional and psychological pain as well. Type 1 Diabetes is such a malady. Thankfully, major advances are ongoing.
 

Traveling to Italy in the near future? You might want to add "get up to date on your measles vaccines" to your to-do list before jetting away. That's due to a new CDC recommendation, since there's an outbreak currently taking place in Europe's pasta-and-wine paradise.

Any effort to fight fake news is noble and should be applauded. But, if Mr. Wales believes his new venture will be the solution to fake news, it will fall short for at least four reasons. 

Public-health campaigns focusing on reducing smoking have shown that including graphically disturbing images in their messaging can be effective. That approach is now being applied to raising awareness of the dangerous health effects of indoor tanning. A recent study of college-aged women showed mostly promising results.

You've heard of being in a fog while pregnant, but is there science to back this up? A little bit. Watch our video to find out.
Plus, a bonus announcement from Ana Dolaskie.

Director of Medicine Dr. Jamie Wells attended the annual Yale-West Point Civil-Military Service Symposium, where issues of veterans health policy were extensively discussed.

A new paper published in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases showed that 3 percent of men who undergo prostate biopsies end up being hospitalized within a month. Worse, half of those hospitalizations are due to an infection – and 45 patients died.
 

Science advocates had been insisting that this weekend's marches were not anti-Republican. While the majority of people attending had an earnest interest in science, they were also duped into believing science was suddenly in peril. Here's a look at that, and some other events that concerned us.

If the "Sky's the Limit" for someone whose ambitions know no bounds, what's the limit for someone who lives above the sky?
A curious soul might like to pose that existential question to Peggy Whitson, as her stay in space reaches record-breaking heights.
Or, better yet, maybe President Trump will do it during his upcoming call with the trailblazing NASA astronaut.