Three liver blood scores tracked higher heart disease risk
In 318,308 adults with no diagnosed liver or heart disease, three scores calculated from ordinary blood work each predicted future heart problems, and stacking all three predicted the most.
Health News
Health News
The health headlines move fast and most coverage gets the science wrong. Every day, Dr. Ravi Kumar, MD, a board-certified neurosurgeon, cuts through the noise: what a new study or story actually says, what it doesn’t, and what it means for you. Researched, sourced, and reviewed before it’s published.
US Alcohol-Related Cancer Deaths Doubled Since 1990
A Global Burden of Disease analysis found annual US alcohol-attributable cancer deaths climbed from 11,361 to 23,126 between 1990 and 2023, with colorectal cancer overtaking liver cancer as the top alcohol-linked cancer death in adults under 55.
Smartwatches Overestimate Calories Burned by 15% to 25%
A Florida International University study tested Apple, Garmin, Samsung, and Fitbit watches against lab-grade metabolic equipment and found they read high, with the biggest errors in people carrying more body fat.
GLP-1 Prescriptions Jump 310-Fold in Kids Ages 8 to 11
A national records study of more than 300 million patients found weight-loss drug prescribing in grade-schoolers climbing fast from a very low starting point, with almost all recipients already carrying severe obesity and a second illness.
GLP-1 Gene Activity Linked to Male Pattern Baldness
A genetic analysis of more than 205,000 men found that inherited GLP-1 receptor activity tracks with male pattern hair loss, but no one in the study was taking Ozempic, Wegovy or Zepbound.
Doctors' Groups Issue Flu, COVID and RSV Vaccine Guidance
Four national medical societies published their own fall and winter shot recommendations on September 2, alongside three JAMA evidence reviews, after the CDC's vaccine advisory committee was dismantled and left in legal limbo.
Clot-Busting Catheter Beats Blood Thinners for Lung Clots
A Czech trial of 558 patients found that threading a catheter into a lung clot and dripping in a clot-dissolving drug beat blood thinners alone, without the bleeding penalty that sank earlier attempts.
New Stroke Guidelines Say Start Rehab Within 48 Hours
The American Stroke Association's first rehabilitation update since 2016 says therapy should begin as soon as a patient is medically stable, while warning against moderate to high-intensity exercise in the first 24 hours.
Blood Test Separates Broken Heart Syndrome From Heart Attack
Researchers in Europe built and validated a five-marker blood score that tells Takotsubo syndrome apart from a heart attack before a patient reaches the catheterization lab.
New Migraine Guideline Urges Prevention at 4 Headache Days
The first full update since 2012 gives its strongest marks to CGRP drugs and Botox, but keeps decades-old propranolol and topiramate on the same list.
Heart Monitor After Fainting Doubled Arrhythmia Diagnoses
The ASPIRED trial of 2,234 adults at 45 UK hospitals failed to cut repeat fainting episodes, but it more than doubled arrhythmia detection and cut the wait for a diagnosis from 55 days to 22.
AFib Ablation Fixed the Rhythm but Not Quality of Life
In a new sham-controlled trial, catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation beat a fake version of the procedure on rhythm control but not on how patients said they felt six months later.