Health

It's no secret that many food companies have deliberately engineered their processed food products to be 'hyper-palatable,' meaning they light up the reward centers in the brain, fueling overconsumption and cravings. Many foods fall into this category, but it has remained unclear exactly how many, as well as the precise definition of a hyper-palatable product. Here with the solution -- as well as some surprising discoveries -- is a new study from the University of Kansas.

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Every year, many area in North America, Europe, and select other regions observe Daylight Saving Time, the system of adjusting clocks forward and backward every year to adjust which parts of the day have the most daylight hours. The latest clock change happened over this past weekend, spurring the latest spat of conversations about this system and whether it is something that should continue in the future. Among the considerations are health consequences associated with this clock change.

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China is putting an end to the online sale of electronic cigarettes, including vaping hardware and liquids, over concerns it has on the health and mental wellbeing of the nation's youth. The decision follows an ongoing outbreak of a lung disease linked to vaping in the United States, as well as a crackdown on marketing and sales believed to be targeted at minors.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a salmonella outbreak in six states involving a strain that is 'more severe than expected.' Ten people infected with this particular strain have been reported, according to the agency, eight of whom where hospitalized. In addition, the CDC says that one person in California has died as a result of infection from this outbreak.

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Two newly published studies have found that measles is a bigger deal than many people realize: it leaves them more susceptible to a variety of other health conditions. The issue is caused by eliminating many of the protective antibodies one develops over time, opening the door for illnesses caused by bacteria and viruses to which the patient was previously immune.

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The CDC updated its numbers on the vaping lung disease EVALI in a release this week, revealing that the number of cases has risen to 1,888 in the United States. These are a mixture of confirmed and probable cases, according to the agency, which says that patients have been identified in 49 states as of October 29. Unfortunately, the number of deaths has also increased.

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New research says that dropping f-bombs and other curse words can help you get a better workout. That's according to a set of researchers from Keele University in England. They've conducted several years of research on this and related (swear-intensive) topics, leading them to several conclusions. One of these conclusions was that humans "produced more power" when swearing whilst exercising than without said swearwords. Related tests showed that participants were better able to handle pain if they vocalized curse words.

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Taking a popular over-the-counter pain reliever called acetaminophen during pregnancy may increase one's odds of having offspring with ADHD or autism, a new study has found. The researchers looked at the concentration of acetaminophen in umbilical cord plasma and compared it to the number of cases of kids who had ASD or ADHD, finding a 'significant' link between the two.

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Retiring early may improve your overall health by increasing the quality of your sleep and reducing how much you drink. Despite that, retiring early may ultimately play a 'significant role' in harming older adults' mental functions, paving the way for dementia in the elderly. This negative impact was found to apply to retirees regardless of the country they lived in.

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Though many people cite a lack of free time as the primary reason they struggle to exercise, a new study has found that trouble finding time to hit the gym isn't the real reason most people fail to get enough activity in their day. Researchers with RAND Corporation found that Americans average around five hours of free time daily, with women having slightly less free time than men. Despite this, many struggle to fit in exercise because, the study claims, they spend too much time staring at screens.

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Yale University has published the results of a massive study that found ACE inhibitors, the most popular type of blood pressure medication, may be less effective at protecting patients from heart conditions than thiazide and thiazide-like diuretics. The results applied to individuals seeking their initial treatment for "extremely high" blood pressure, according to the researchers.

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Eating a diet that contains high amounts of fiber and yogurt may help prevent lung cancer, according to a new study out of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The results build upon a growing body of research on the health benefits associated with eating both products, particularly the positive changes fiber and yogurt have on gut health.

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