Latest Health News

TUESDAY, Jan. 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Stung by recent food safety scandals -- most notably last year's infant formula shortage, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it is creating a new unit devoted to food safety. The newly dubbed Human Foods Program will wield wide-ranging powers."We’re proposing the creation of a unified, newly envisioned organization, called the Human Foods Program, that elevates key focus areas, removes redundancies and consolidates activities under a single leader, a deputy commissioner for human foods," FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said during a media briefing announcing the change.The deputy commissioner “will have clear decision-making authority and oversight of priorities to ensure a safe and nutritious U.S. food...

TUESDAY, Jan. 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Black and Hispanic women who work as hairdressers are exposed to an array of chemicals, including many that have not been previously identified, a small study finds.Researchers found that compared with women of color in office jobs, hair stylists had higher levels of various chemicals in their urine. Those substances included expected ones -- ingredients known to be in salon products -- but also many more the researchers could not identify.Experts said the findings underscore a need to better understand the chemical exposures inherent to salon work -- and what the health effects could be.There is particular concern for Black women and Hispanic women in the industry, according to senior researcher Carsten Prasse, an assistant professor of...

TUESDAY, Jan. 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- People with celiac disease may be more likely to develop heart disease despite having fewer traditional heart risks than other folks.Celiac disease is an immune reaction that occurs when some people eat gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. The only treatment is following a strict gluten-free diet.People with celiac disease may be 27% more likely to develop heart disease compared with those without this autoimmune condition, and the longer a person has celiac disease, the higher the risk, a new study suggests.“People with celiac disease have an increased risk of heart disease that is independent of traditional risk factors, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol levels,” said study author Megan Conroy, an epidemiologist at...

TUESDAY, Jan. 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- To fight an urgent opioid overdose crisis, a Canadian province took an unusual step on Tuesday.British Columbia decriminalized small amounts of several hard drugs. This includes up to 2.5 grams of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, the province's Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions said in a statement.Going forward, police will not seize the drugs. Instead, adults found with that amount will be given information about addiction treatment programs.“We know criminalization drives people to use alone. Given the increasingly toxic drug supply, using alone can be fatal,” Jennifer Whiteside, British Columbia's Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said in the statement. “Decriminalizing people who use drugs breaks down the fear and shame...