Latest Health News

TUESDAY, Dec. 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Depression may be a disorder of the brain, but new research adds to evidence that it also involves the gut.While depression is complex, recent research has been pointing to a role for bacteria that dwell in the gut -- suggesting that certain bacterial strains might feed depression symptoms, while others might be protective.In a pair of new studies, researchers identified 13 groups of bacteria that were related to the odds of adults having depression symptoms. In some cases, the gut bacteria were depleted in people with depression, while in others they were present at relatively high levels.However, experts stressed that the findings do not prove that any of the gut bugs cause or protect against depression. So, it's far too soon to recommend...

TUESDAY, Dec. 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers may have sniffed out why colds are more likely in wintertime: The answer may lie within the nose.A previously unidentified immune response inside the nose is responsible for fighting off the viruses that cause upper respiratory infections, according to researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Northeastern University in Boston.Unfortunately, cold weather inhibits this protective response, making it more likely that a person will come down with anything from a cold to COVID-19.The new study offers the first biological explanation why respiratory virus infections are more likely to spike in colder seasons, researchers said."Conventionally, it was thought that cold and flu season occurred in cooler months because people are stuck...

TUESDAY, Dec. 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Shehzin Tietjen was 27 years old when she felt a lump in one of her breasts while in the shower.That discovery led to a confirmation of breast cancer, an unexpected jolt at her age. "I was really shocked," said Tietjen, who lives in Atlanta.Though breast cancer is more common in postmenopausal women, about 9% of new breast cancer cases occur in women under 45. Many breast cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, can affect fertility.While Tietjen soon began talking with doctors about preserving her fertility, that's not a conversation all young women with a similar diagnosis have, according to a survey of more than 700 breast cancer patients by Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit.Only 49% of survey respondents...

TUESDAY, Dec. 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Chips, pizza, cookies: Delicious, but a diet full of ultra-processed foods like these may contribute to brain deterioration, researchers report.Ultra-processed foods have lots of added and unhealthy ingredients, such as sugar, salt, fat, artificial colors and preservatives. Examples include frozen meals, soft drinks, hot dogs and cold cuts, fast food, packaged cookies, cakes and salty snacks.These foods have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome and obesity. Now, scientists in Brazil have tied them to a greater risk of declining brainpower.The study couldn't prove cause-and-effect. However, "the cognitive decline could be the result of microvascular lesions in the brain, reduced brain volume or even systemic...