THURSDAY, March 6, 2025 (HealthDay News) --  The antiviral drug Paxlovid may not offer much protection against COVID-related hospitalizations or deaths for vaccinated older adults after all.

Research published recently in JAMA Network Open looked at data from more than 1.6 million adults ages 65 to 74 in Ontario, Canada, duri... Full Page

Breastfeeding can promote lower blood pressure among children, a new study says.

Longer-term breastfeeding appears to populate a baby’s gut with diverse bacteria that could help lower blood pressure, researchers found.

Children who were breastfed for at least six months had lower blood pressure at age 6, researchers report in t... Full Page

People put a lot of thought into getting a tattoo – the design they desire, the location they prefer and the message their body art will send to others.

Most don’t think about the impact their tattoo might have on their long-term health, but perhaps they should, a new study suggests.

Tattoos appear to increase a person&rs... Full Page

Preventive screenings for cancer declined during the pandemic, with lockdowns, social distancing and COVID-19 surges keeping many from needed mammograms and colonoscopies.

But breast and colon cancer screening numbers have since rebounded and have even surpassed pre-pandemic screening estimates, a new American Cancer Society study has foun... Full Page

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic can help kidney transplant patients avoid organ failure and live longer, a new study suggests.

The drugs help manage patients’ type 2 diabetes and promote weight loss, both of which improve the chances of a successful kidney transplant, researchers added.

Kidney transplant patients prescribed GLP-1 drug... Full Page

Hot flashes, night sweats and other symptoms of a difficult menopause could be early warning flags for dementia, a new study suggests.

Women who exhibit more menopause symptoms are more likely to develop early signs of dementia like decreased mental function and mild behavioral impairment, compared with women who have an easier transition,... Full Page

Chronic stress can increase young women’s risk of stroke, a new study says.

Moderate stress increases risk of stroke by 78% in women but not in men, researchers reported in the journal Neurology.

“More research is needed to understand why women who feel stressed, but not men, may have a higher risk of stroke... Full Page

A measles outbreak in Texas has grown to 159 cases, and now the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has sent a team to help local health officials respond.

The CDC announced the plan on X, explaining that its Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) is working closely with the Texas Department of State Health Services.

K... Full Page

Men with strong, fast-swimming sperm may not only have better fertility but also longer lives, a new study suggests.

Researchers tracked more than 78,000 men over 50 years and found that those with higher sperm motility -- the ability of sperm to swim -- lived nearly three years longer than men with poor sperm movement.

“In abs... Full Page

Folks facing surgery on a Friday may want to consider rescheduling if they can based on findings from a new study.

People who undergo surgery just before the weekend have a significantly increased risk of death and complications, researchers reported March 4 in JAMA Network Open.

This “weekend effect” occurred ac... Full Page

Over-the-counter drugs like aspirin or ibuprofen might help protect against dementia, a new study suggests.

These NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) might help protect the brain by quelling inflammation that contributes to dementia, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

People wh... Full Page

Seniors battling insomnia are best off picking up some dumbbells or doing some push-ups, a new evidence review suggests.

Resistance exercise, activities that make muscles work against an external force, appears to be the best means of improving sleep in older adults, researchers found.

“Exercise that strengthens muscles, rather... Full Page

Opting for a lumpectomy during breast cancer treatment can protect a woman’s future sex life, a new study suggests.

Breast-conserving therapy (BCT) is associated with better sexual well-being, compared to mastectomy followed by breast reconstruction, researchers found.

In fact, sexual well-being improved among lumpectomy patien... Full Page

Sight-robbing injuries to the cornea can be repaired using a groundbreaking experimental stem cell treatment, a new study shows.

The cornea -- the clear outermost layer of the eye -- can become irreversibly damaged if injury or disease destroys its ability to regenerate new cells.

In this new process, stem cells taken from a person&r... Full Page

Social media influencers tout the benefits of “cycle syncing” to boost strength training results among women.

The idea is that women who lift weights during their period build more muscle, because their bodies are flooded with the female hormone estrogen.

But there’s absolutely nothing to this trendy notion, a new s... Full Page

Some popular synthetic hair products used for braids, twists and extensions may contain cancer-causing chemicals and high levels of lead, according to a new investigation by Consumer Reports.

The report, published Feb. 27, tested 10 synthetic hair products, including brands like Magic Fingers, Sensationnel and Shake-N-Go, which are widely ... Full Page

Bad meetings don’t just waste time -- they can leave workers with a "meeting hangover," new research shows.

More than 90% of employees surveyed by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte said they sometimes experience these "hangovers" -- lingering frustration and distraction after unproductive meetings.

More than half sa... Full Page

Tossing and turning more as you age? You’re not alone -- and experts think they know why.

Dr. Shelby Harris, a sleep psychologist in White Plains, N.Y., explained that stress, sleep structure and hormonal changes can impact sleep as people age.

"As we start to move into our 60s, 70s, you have more issues with the depth of your ... Full Page

Race plays a role in whether a child is quickly and accurately diagnosed with asthma, a new study suggests.

Outdated and flawed studies previously led to the belief that white children had “naturally higher” lung function compared to other races, researchers said.

Diagnostic procedures based on that assumption have caused... Full Page

Continuous blood glucose monitors have been promoted as potentially life-changing for people with diabetes -- allowing real-time updates on blood sugar levels without the need for repeated finger pricks.

But a new small-scale study suggests these devices might not be as accurate as many believe, and could lead some to mismanage their diets... Full Page