U.S. Gun Suicides Continue Record Rise

Gun-related suicides in the U.S. reached record highs for the third straight year in 2023, a new report on gun violence says.

About 27,300 gun-related deaths — 58% of all gun deaths — were suicides in 2023, according to research from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

That means an American used a gun to kil...

Fasting Might Not Be Necessary Prior To Surgery, Review Concludes

Fasting is a well-known hassle associated with surgery.

Patients are required to go without food or liquid for hours because of fears they’ll vomit while under anesthesia, potentially causing pneumonia if stomach contents are inhaled.

But this long-standing practice might not be necessary, a new evidence review says.

Ther...

Many Kids Unnecessarily Hospitalized Following Allergic Reactions

Many kids are spending a lot of unnecessary time under observation in a hospital following a sudden allergic emergency, a new study concludes.

About 17% of kids are admitted for overnight observation following a scary allergic reaction to food, medicine or insect bites, researchers reported. 

But 95% of children treated for alle...

High-Fiber Diet Reduces Risk of Hardened Arteries

Noshing on veggies, grains, beans and other high-fiber foods can help your heart as well as your gut health, a new study says.

People with low-fiber diets are more likely to have narrowed arteries caused by the buildup of plaque, researchers reported recently in the journal Cardiovascular Research.

CT scans also revealed tha...

Body Fat Analysis, Waist Size Better Than BMI For Assessing Health

A person’s body fat percentage provides a better estimate of their risk for early death than their body mass index (BMI), a new study says.

People with a high body-fat percentage were 78% more likely to die within 15 years from any cause and 3.6 times more likely to die from heart disease, researchers reported June 24 in the Anna...