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In most people's minds, high blood pressure is undoubtedly linked to salt intake. But there's another mineral that should also be considered — potassium. A recent review of several types of studies strongly indicates that it's not just a proper sodium level that helps one achieve, and maintain, normal blood pressure.

It's one thing to be anti-vaccine. It's another to compare the "damage" that vaccines are doing to the damage done to the children killed in Syria by Assad's chemical weapons. But that is exactly what "The Health Ranger" did in a recent article. For that, he should be ashamed and his followers should really think twice.

Looking to investigate why some people cannot go to sleep when most others do, researchers say they now know what physical difference prevents these "night-owls" from hitting the sack earlier. It's a gene mutation, which has just been identified by a scientific team at The Rockefeller University in New York.

This year's Bradley Prizes event was recently held in Washington D.C., where discussions about medicine, its practice and the state of healthcare abounded. ACSH's Dr. Jamie Wells attended, and filed this report.

Over-the-top responses to peanuts are not uncommon. People are under the impression that the mere whiff of a peanut is enough to send some kids to the emergency room. But that's simply not true.

Habit is using a metabolic-challenge drink to understands an individual's metabolomics. They stand upon real science providing at-home personalized nutritional recommendations.

We want to hear what kids around the nation (and globe!) want to know about science and health. Kicking off our new segment, #KuriousKiddos, are Isaiah and Gabriel who ask us this: Our mom dilutes our juice with water because she says too much sugar is bad for us. Is it healthier to drink diluted juice or the real deal?
Watch the video to hear our answer!
If you'd like to submit a question to #KuriousKiddos, please e-mail us at: simovskaa@acsh.org
 
 

23andMe was selling home DNA testing kits that gave genetic information to consumers. Four years ago the Food and Drug Administration told the company to stop selling kits that perform disease detection. But now the agency has changed its tune.

What if your mobile phone's battery was made to be longer lasting, and instead of requiring a mined mineral its essential ingredient came from a renewable source? And it was available worldwide, making the battery production process more sustainable? A scientist thinks he's on to something just like that – using seaweed.

Should we all be taking the cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins? Even if one has never had a heart attack or stroke, should they be on a statin for so-called primary prevention? The USPSTF has reviewed the data and answers with a qualified "yes."

One in 10 have a major depressive disorder during their lives, which makes depression the most common mental illness. Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression. Depression has both a genetic component and it's connected to environmental factors. But the genetic component has been difficult to determine.

To get at the science of personalized nutrition, we need to understand the emerging science of metabolomics, which is “the systematic study of the unique chemical fingerprints that specific cellular processes leave behind." Let's get an overview by considering our sweet friend, glucose.

Depression and anxiety, as well as severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia, have become more openly discussed. Yet, one aspect of mental health remains largely in the shadows: Nightmares. A new study builds on previous data and examines their relationship to suicide.
 

Taking advantage of today's toxic, confrontational mindset are outlets like SourceWatch. The website is like a politicized, unscientific version of Wikipedia. Volunteers – rather than qualified experts – write smear articles about people and groups they don't like (one of them being us).

ACSH's Dr. Jamie Wells attended the Congressional Luncheon hosted by the Center for Excellence in Education, in support of STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – education. Both Sen. Joe Lieberman and Sen. Ted Cruz had prominent roles in the Washington, DC gathering.

Metabolomics is an emerging field that studies the "unique chemical fingerprints that specific cellular processes leave behind." In this case, it's applied to what we eat. And coupled with machine learning, this may well give us very personalized diets to improve our health.

There are many reasons not to take dietary supplements, just take a look at some of the stuff we've written in the past.  But to jog your memory, here are five reasons not to start taking dietary supplements, or multivitamins. 

Bacteria are ubiquitous. While most are benign, they inhabit every surface we touch. They're on our companion animals, as well as all over our food and loved ones. Perhaps the scariest is Yersinia pestis — the cause of the black plague – which killed 60 percent of Europe during a 14th century outbreak. So, can it return?

Public health is a field that's widely misunderstood, even by science journalists. That's because epidemiology is an inexact science, complicated by a large variability in the quality of the data it produces. Also, by its reliance on advanced statistical methods. 

Listening to the tranquil sounds of nature makes you feel more relaxed. Most people would believe that statement to be true, since it's both plausible and intuitive. And factually, maybe it is true. But can it be scientifically proven? British researchers tried to, but following their reasoning was analogous to getting lost in the woods.

We know you're not going to attach an intravenous line to an orange to get a vitamin-C boost, but this picture is worth a 1,000 words. Hyper-healthnicks are visiting "infusion clinics" for IVs of all sorts of vitamins and minerals. These costly clinics may have a dubious connection to "good" health, but hey – they sue are chic and comfortable. 
 

Is science political? Around climate change, yes it is. But regarding oxidative phosphorylation, not so much. A new paper uses the market to describe the politics of science.

The FDA announced new regulations on tobacco products — some good, some not so great. We'd like to see the data supporting the idea that lowering the nicotine level in cigarettes would be less addictive. But we applaud the move to give tobacco manufacturers more guidance and time to apply for approval of their products.

People trying to quit smoking won a major battle last week when the FDA announced it would delay implementation of regulations that would have deemed a number of e-cigarette products illegal. So why are some anti-nicotine advocates calling foul?

Apricot seeds are all over the internet - marketed as cancer fighters. But the seeds contain a chemical compound that, when ingested in high quantities (and by high we mean several seeds), can cause cyanide poisoning.