Health & Wellness
Through the study and use of genetics, we can identify measures that could lead to the improvement of human health and wellness. These methods and procedures aim to prevent years of chronic disease and thousands of dollars in health care costs, and provide families and communities with knowledge of how to live healthier.
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
Evolution, the human diet and the meat vs. plant conundrum
Evidence suggests our hominin ancestors turned to meat when climate change reduced resource-rich vegetation. The signatures of these changes may ...
Evolutionary quirk: Humans are defined by ‘singular vulnerability’ to heart attacks
There are many things that set us humans apart from other species: large brains, bipedalism, a predilection for puns. But ...
Higher yields, reduced pesticide use fueled by GMO crops boost farmer welfare in developing world
Up to 17 million smallholder farmers planted GM crops in 2018, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of ...
Evolution takes time: ‘Relatively recent’ gene variant helps some humans cope with high-sugar diets
It’s well known among palaeontologists and nutrition experts that the human diet began to change after our distant ancestors transitioned ...
Taking psychoactive drugs can mirror near death experiences, study shows
In a fascinating new study, [near-death experience] stories were compared linguistically with anecdotes of drug experience in order to identify a ...
In the age of DNA, sperm donors can no longer expect promises of anonymity to stand up
For generations, it was a basic tenet of donating sperm: Clinics could forever protect their clients’ identities. But, increasingly, donor ...
Promising immunotherapy drug to treat peanut allergies may be approved although 10% of study subjects had serious side effects
On [September 13], a panel of experts assembled by the Food and Drug Administration voted that the agency should approve a drug ...
Harmless mutations may cause serious illnesses when combined together, case study shows
In 2008, pediatric cardiologist Deepak Srivastava treated a newborn baby who suffered from acute heart failure and had to be put on ...
‘Especially deadly’ mosquito-spread virus kills 3 Americans so far this year
Rhode Island health officials reported that a resident had died after contracting the Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus. The death marks the ...
Overreaction? Newly proposed definition of pain could withhold opioids from those who need them most
A new definition of pain is out for comment from the International Association for the Study of Pain, an influential ...
Viewpoint: How the ‘Food Justice’ movement hinders progress toward equity, health, sustainability
It’s not clear what concept of justice this activism actually serves ...
Length matters? DNA testing companies claim to assess stress, health and aging by measuring your telomeres
By determining length of your chromosome tips - also known as telomeres - testing companies claim to offer an insight ...
Anti-aging pill ‘5 to 12 years away’
[I]magine if, instead of a pill you could take to live for ever, there was a pill that could push ...
Nature can be toxic: Many common herbal remedies can dangerously interact with medications
My patients often consider herbal remedies to be free of side effects, but many “natural” products can lead to toxicity ...
Thanks to IVF, 73-year-old Indian woman just became the ‘oldest new mother ever documented’
An Indian woman named Erramatti Mangayamma has seemingly made history by becoming the oldest new mother ever documented. Her doctors ...
Podcast: GMO rice could yield affordable treatment to stem HIV in developing world
A research team developed an ingenious solution to a logistical public health problem—adding anti-HIV proteins to rice ...
Podcast: Medical scans boost your cancer risk? Recent research raises troubling questions
We explore the latest findings suggesting that low doses of radiation from medical scans may enhance the growth of cancer ...
Hormone therapy to treat menopause results in increased breast cancer risk
Certain hormone replacement therapies have long been tied to an increased risk of breast cancer. Now, new research suggests that in ...
Podcast: This GMO probiotic helps prevent hangovers—can it ease consumer fear of biotechnology?
There's nothing quite like a hangover. After a few too many drinks and a night of restless sleep, you wake ...
Viewpoint: Processed food does not necessarily mean it’s unhealthy—the science behind an essential but misunderstood technology
You are you and I am me because of processed foods, because our ancestors learned how to cook meat and make bread and, perhaps ...
Gender nonconforming Americans can now choose neither male nor female on their licenses in many states
A growing number of states and companies are allowing people to designate their gender as “X” instead of male or ...
How biotech gets potentially harmful chemical acrylamide out of fries, crackers and other popular foods
The discovery of [the carcinogenic chemical] acrylamide in foods like crackers, cookies, potato chips, and french fries rattled food makers ...
Natural plant enzyme could aid efforts to produce medicine in crops
Plants can do many amazing things. Among their talents, they can manufacture compounds that help them repel pests, attract pollinators, ...
Studies’ review of 24 supplements: Fish oil a ‘waste of money’ for consumers hoping to gain heart benefits
Consumers have been told so many times that dietary fish oil supplements promote heart health that it seems to be ...
Viewpoint: Organic or conventional produce? Doesn’t matter—just eat more fruits and vegetables
All fruits and vegetables are good for you, but when people start talking about how to eat healthy, the word ...
‘Rapid DNA’ testing used to identify victims of California dive boat fire
As the clock keeps ticking away following a catastrophic dive boat fire in California ..., friends and family members of those thought ...
Sensory overload: Some people genetically wired to detest bright lights, big sounds
'This world is not built for sensitive people. In fact, our world is designed perfectly for those who are detached.' ...
Nitrates in deli meat dangerous? Food labels and cancer claims don’t tell the whole story
NPR just ran a scare piece called "Duped In The Deli Aisle? 'No Nitrates Added' Labels Are Often Misleading," which ...
