(Amanda MacMillan/ Health.com) — When it comes to determining whether a person is overweight, body mass index (BMI) is the most widely used measure out there. But doctors admit that BMI—a ratio of weight to height—is far from perfect. Now, a new study suggests there may be a better way to estimate the risks of health problems associated …
(Julie Revelant/ Everyday Health) — An aneurysm occurs when part of an artery’s wall weakens, causing it to bulge or widen. Aneurysms can occur due to poor diet, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, obesity, smoking, and using drugs that spike blood pressure, like cocaine.
Aneurysms are most commonly found …
(Sarah Boseley/ The Guardian) — One in eight people in the world will have type 2 diabetes by 2045 if obesity continues to climb at the present rate, according to a new study.
Last year, 14% of the global population was obese and 9% had type 2 diabetes. By 2045, 22% will be obese and 14% will be suffering from type 2 diabetes, estimates …
(CBC News) — An increase in cases of Lyme disease in Canada could be the result of greater awareness and better testing, say experts who remind those heading out in risky areas to take precautions.
In 2009, the Public Health Agency of Canada recorded 144 cases of Lyme disease in the country. In 2016, there were 992 cases countrywide. …
(Charlie Fidelman/ Montreal Gazette) — The provincial digital health portal giving Quebec patients access to their own data is set to launch Tuesday.
Carnet santé Québec will be available on computers, tablets and smartphones, Health Minister Gaétan Barrette announced Friday.
“The online service is a tool for the patient …
(Stephanie Watson/ Web MD) — The U.S. FDA has approved the first in a new class of migraine drugs that aim to fight painful migraine headaches before they start.
Erenumab (Aimovig) is the first of four new migraine drugs in the pipeline that target calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a molecule that’s produced in nerve …
(Catharine Paddock/ Medical News Today) — After analyzing day and night patterns of activity and rest in more than 90,000 United Kingdom residents, researchers have found a strong link between disrupted sleep-wake cycles and higher risk of mood disorders, such as bipolar and depression, and poorer well-being.
The study, which …
(Kaleigh Fasanella/ Allure) — In a perfect world, testing for STIs would be as simple as taking an online quiz. You’d plug in your answers, hit submit, and boom: Seconds later, you’d have your outcome. More importantly, the results would be accurate. Unfortunately, in the case of certain sexually transmitted infections …
(ABC News) — The World Health Organisation (WHO) wants industrially-produced trans fats — linked with 500,000 deaths worldwide each year — stripped out of the global food supply within five years.
Margarine, ghee, and hardened vegetable fats often contain industrially produced trans fats — and as they are also present in many …
(Robert Preidt/ HealthDay News) — It’s smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol — and not taking illegal drugs — that pose the greatest risks to people’s health, a new international study contends.
Researchers found that alcohol and tobacco use combined cost more than a quarter of a billion disability-adjusted …