Health Policy News

December 12, 2025

Top Headlines

Scientists Reveal the Real Benefits and Hidden Risks of Medical Cannabis

Dec. 12, 2025 A sweeping review of more than 2,500 studies reveals that despite booming public enthusiasm, cannabis has strong scientific support for only a few medical uses, leaving most popular claims—like relief for chronic pain, anxiety, and insomnia—on ...

Most of the World Isn’t Getting Enough Omega-3

Dec. 9, 2025 Most people worldwide aren’t getting enough omega-3, leaving a major gap between scientific recommendations and daily diets. Researchers emphasize the critical role of EPA and DHA across all life stages and point out that food alone often can’t ...

Gas Stoves Are Filling Millions of Homes with Hidden Toxic Air

Dec. 3, 2025 Stanford researchers found that gas stoves expose Americans to surprisingly high levels of nitrogen dioxide—often matching or exceeding outdoor pollution. For millions, cooking alone pushes NO2 over long-term safety thresholds. Smaller homes, ...

A Routine Shingles Shot May Offer Powerful Defense Against Dementia

Dec. 3, 2025 A unique vaccine rollout in Wales gave researchers an accidental natural experiment that revealed a striking reduction in dementia among seniors who received the shingles vaccine. The protective effect held steady across multiple analyses and was ...

Your Skin Has a Built-in Cancer Defense and Sunlight Turns It Off

Nov. 30, 2025 Scientists have uncovered how too much sunlight can flip a hidden switch inside skin cells that makes inflammation spiral out of control and increases the risk of cancer. Their research reveals that UV radiation breaks down a protective protein ...

Nov. 28, 2025 A major review across 73 countries finds that access to antiseizure medications is rising, but safe prescribing isn’t keeping pace. Valproate—linked to serious birth defects—remains widely used in many regions despite WHO warnings. Limited ...

Twenty-year Study Shows Cleaner Water Slashes Cancer and Heart Disease Deaths

Nov. 27, 2025 A 20-year project in Bangladesh reveals that lowering arsenic levels in drinking water can slash death rates from major chronic diseases. Participants who switched to safer wells had the same risk ...

Global Surge in Ultra-processed Foods Sparks Urgent Health Warning

Nov. 24, 2025 Ultra-processed foods are rapidly becoming a global dietary staple, and new research links them to worsening health outcomes around the world. Scientists say only bold, coordinated policy action can counter corporate influence and shift food systems ...

New Evidence Shows Tirzepatide and Semaglutide Strongly Protect the Heart

Nov. 21, 2025 A massive real-world study comparing tirzepatide and semaglutide reveals both drugs deliver strong, early cardiovascular protection—reducing heart attack, stroke, and death in adults with type 2 diabetes. While companies have claimed large ...

Nearly 47 Million Americans Live Near Hidden Fossil Fuel Sites

Nov. 20, 2025 A nationwide analysis has uncovered how sprawling fossil fuel infrastructure sits surprisingly close to millions of American homes. The research shows that 46.6 million people live within about a mile of wells, refineries, pipelines, storage sites, ...

Scientists Shocked to Find E. Coli Spreads as Fast as the Swine Flu

Nov. 4, 2025 Researchers have, for the first time, estimated how quickly E. coli bacteria can spread between people — and one strain moves as fast as swine flu. Using genomic data from the UK and Norway, scientists modeled bacterial transmission rates and ...

Think Melatonin Is Safe? New Research Reveals a Hidden Heart Risk

Nov. 4, 2025 Long-term melatonin use for sleep problems may come with unexpected heart dangers. Researchers found that chronic users were almost twice as likely to die and 3.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure. Though melatonin is widely ...

Latest Headlines

updated 8:50am EST

Millions Are About to Choose the Wrong Medicare Plan

Nov. 29, 2025 Millions face Medicare decisions each year, but many don’t take advantage of tools that can save them money and stress. Insurance marketing often overshadows unbiased options like SHIP, leaving ...

Forget Fiber. Science Just Found the Foods That Really Help Constipation

Oct. 22, 2025 Researchers at King’s College London have created the first evidence-based dietary guidelines for chronic constipation, finding real relief may come from kiwifruit, rye bread, and mineral water. ...

This Simple Innovation Could Change Blood Pressure Testing Forever

Oct. 21, 2025 Scientists from the University of Exeter has developed a precise method to interpret ankle blood pressure readings—an innovation that could transform care for people unable to have their arm blood ...

How Just Minutes of Running Can Supercharge Your Health

Oct. 21, 2025 Interval running condenses the powerful effects of regular running into shorter, high-intensity bursts. Research shows it can improve cardiovascular health, regulate blood sugar, and reduce body fat ...

Your Brain’s Power Supply May Hold the Key to Mental Illness

Oct. 14, 2025 Groundbreaking Harvard research is exposing hidden energy failures inside brain cells that may drive major psychiatric conditions. By studying reprogrammed neurons, scientists are revealing how ...

Scientists Found a Smarter Mediterranean Diet That Cuts Diabetes Risk by 31%

Oct. 12, 2025 Spanish researchers found that combining a calorie-reduced Mediterranean diet with exercise and professional support cut type 2 diabetes risk by 31%. ...

Thousands Fall Ill as Mosquito Fever Explodes Across Southern China

Oct. 10, 2025 China’s Guangdong Province is battling its worst-ever chikungunya outbreak, with thousands of infections spreading across major cities and nearby regions. Transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, the ...

Nearly Half of Drivers Killed in Crashes Had THC in Their Blood

Oct. 5, 2025 Over 40% of fatal crash victims had THC levels far above legal limits, showing cannabis use before driving remains widespread. The rate didn’t drop after legalization, suggesting policy changes ...

The Invisible Chemical in the Air That Could Be Raising Parkinson’s Risk

Oct. 3, 2025 A massive nationwide study has linked long-term exposure to the industrial chemical trichloroethylene (TCE) with a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease in older adults. Researchers examined over 1.1 ...

Why Gen X Women Can’t Stop Eating Ultra-Processed Foods

Sep. 29, 2025 Researchers found that middle-aged adults, especially women, are far more likely to be addicted to ultra-processed foods than older generations. Marketing of diet-focused processed foods in the 1980s ...

Fruit Might Be the Surprising Key to Healthier Lungs

Sep. 28, 2025 Eating more fruit could help protect lungs from air pollution damage, particularly in women. Researchers point to antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in fruit as possible defenses against ...

Childhood Plastic Exposure Could Be Fueling Obesity, Infertility, and Asthma

Sep. 22, 2025 A sweeping review from NYU Langone Health reveals that everyday exposure to plastics—especially during childhood—poses lasting risks for heart disease, infertility, asthma, and even brain ...

Wildfire Smoke Could Kill 70,000 Americans a Year by 2050

Sep. 19, 2025 Wildfires are no longer a seasonal nuisance but a deadly, nationwide health crisis. Fueled by climate change, smoke is spreading farther and lingering longer, with new research warning of tens of ...

Scientists Reveal the Everyday Habits That May Shield You from Dementia

Sep. 21, 2025 New studies reveal that lifestyle changes—such as exercise, healthy eating, and social engagement—can help slow or prevent cognitive decline. Experts say this low-cost, powerful approach could ...

Stanford Scientists Reveal Simple Shift That Could Prevent Strokes and Obesity Nationwide

Sep. 15, 2025 Switching clocks twice a year disrupts circadian rhythms in ways that harm health. Stanford scientists found permanent standard time would reduce obesity and stroke rates nationwide, making it the ...

Daily Eye Drops Could Make Reading Glasses Obsolete

Sep. 15, 2025 Eye drops combining pilocarpine and diclofenac helped patients read extra lines on vision charts, with effects lasting up to two years. The treatment could revolutionize presbyopia care as a safe, ...

Half of Adults Suffer from Dry Eyes, but Most Never Get Help

Sep. 15, 2025 Dry eyes are far more common than previously believed, with over half of adults in the US and Europe experiencing symptoms, yet most remain undiagnosed for years. The large-scale NESTS study reveals ...

Cannabis Use May Quadruple Diabetes Risk

Sep. 14, 2025 A massive study of over 4 million adults has revealed that cannabis use may nearly quadruple the risk of developing diabetes. Despite some earlier suggestions that cannabis might have metabolic ...

What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Too Many Ultra-Processed Foods

Sep. 27, 2025 Ultra-processed foods make up the bulk of U.S. diets, and new research links high intake to inflammation, a predictor of heart disease. People consuming the most UPFs were far more likely to show ...

Blood Test Spots Hidden Mesothelioma That Scans Can’t See

Sep. 11, 2025 New research suggests that immunotherapy given before and after surgery could help patients with diffuse pleural mesothelioma, one of the most challenging cancers to treat. A phase II clinical trial ...

Hardly Anyone Uses This Surprisingly Simple Fix for High Blood Pressure

Sep. 20, 2025 Despite strong evidence that salt substitutes can safely lower sodium intake and reduce high blood pressure, very few Americans use them. A new analysis of nearly 20 years of national health data ...

Why So Many Young Kids With ADHD Are Getting the Wrong Treatment

Sep. 16, 2025 Preschoolers with ADHD are often given medication right after diagnosis, against medical guidelines that recommend starting with behavioral therapy. Limited access to therapy and physician pressures ...

Scientists Found 3 Simple Tweaks That Cut Diabetes Risk by 31%

Aug. 29, 2025 A Mediterranean diet alone is healthy, but when combined with calorie control, exercise, and support, it cuts type 2 diabetes risk by 31%. The PREDIMED-Plus study followed almost 5,000 participants ...

How Low Should Blood Pressure Go? New Study Has the Answer

Aug. 20, 2025 An aggressive blood pressure target of under 120 mm Hg can significantly reduce heart disease risk, researchers found. Despite more side effects and higher costs, the approach proved cost-effective ...

How Much Damage Are Ultraprocessed Foods Really Doing to Your Health?

Aug. 10, 2025 Many foods we consume today are ultraprocessed, packed with unhealthy ingredients, and linked to major health risks. As consumption of these foods rises, so do chronic health issues, especially among ...

This Diet Helped People Lose Twice as Much Weight, Without Eating Less

Aug. 5, 2025 People eating minimally processed foods lost twice as much weight as those on ultra-processed diets, even though both diets were nutritionally balanced and participants could eat freely. This ...

Fatigue, Anxiety, Pain? They Might Be MS in Disguise

Aug. 2, 2025 New research suggests that multiple sclerosis (MS) may quietly begin affecting the body up to 15 years before the first obvious neurological symptoms appear. Researchers found a steady increase in ...

Researchers Discover Key Social Factors That Triple Long COVID Risk

Aug. 4, 2025 New research led by Mass General Brigham reveals that people facing social challenges—like food insecurity, financial strain, and limited healthcare access—are two to three times more likely to ...

Can AI Predict Cancer? New Model Uses Genomics to Simulate Tumors

July 27, 2025 A team of scientists has developed a remarkable new approach to modeling how cells behave over time—using a digital "forecast" much like predicting the weather. By combining patient ...

7000 Steps a Day Cuts Death Risk by 47%—and That Might Be All You Need

July 27, 2025 Walking 7000 steps a day may be just as powerful as hitting the much-hyped 10,000-step goal when it comes to reducing the risk of early death and disease. A sweeping global review of 57 studies shows ...