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TUESDAY, Nov. 2, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Many people pop a zinc supplement at the first sign of a cold, and there's new evidence supporting the habit.Australian researchers found that the supplements appear to help shorten respiratory tract infections, such as colds, flu, sinusitis and pneumonia.Many over-the-counter cold and cough remedies offer only "marginal benefits," the researchers noted, making "zinc a viable 'natural' alternative for the self-management of non-specific [respiratory tract infections]."The study was led by Jennifer Hunter, associate professor at the NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University in Penrith, New South Wales. Her team published the findings Nov. 2 in the BMJ Open.According to Hunter's team, zinc as a nutrient has gained attention...

TUESDAY, Nov. 2, 2021 (American Heart Association News) -- The latest word on heart-healthy eating is "balance." A new report encourages people to think of broad eating habits instead of narrowly focusing on single foods. Rather than one-size-fits-all rules, it leaves room for personal preferences."The emphasis is on dietary patterns, not specific foods or nutrients," said Alice H. Lichtenstein, who led the writing committee for the American Heart Association scientific statement. "And it's not just about what people shouldn't be eating. The focus is really on what people should be eating, so they can customize it to their personal preferences and lifestyles."The guidance, last updated in 2006, was published Tuesday in the AHA journal Circulation. The advice is consistent with federal...

TUESDAY, Nov. 2, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly one-third of older U.S. adults visit at least five different doctors each year — reflecting the growing role of specialists in Americans' health care, a new study finds.Over the past 20 years, Americans on Medicare have been increasingly seeing specialists, researchers found, with almost no change in visits with their primary care doctor.On average, beneficiaries saw a 34% increase in the number of specialists they visited each year. And the proportion of patients seeing five or more doctors rose from about 18% in 2000, to 30% in 2019.Is the trend good or bad? "It's probably both," said Dr. Michael Barnett, the lead researcher.On one hand, he noted, medicine has grown by leaps and bounds in recent decades — yielding a deeper...

TUESDAY, Nov. 2, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- As teens dramatically stepped up their screen time during COVID-19 lockdowns, their well-being took a hit, a new study reveals.Recreational screen time among U.S. teens doubled from before the pandemic to nearly eight hours per day during the pandemic, according to the report. And this estimate doesn't include time spent on screens for remote learning or schoolwork, so the total was likely much higher, the researchers said."More screen time was linked to poorer mental health and greater stress among teens," said lead researcher Dr. Jason Nagata, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco."Although social media and video chat can be used to foster social connection, we found that teens reporting higher...